Chapter 288: Self-Use 99 New

Seeing himself at ninth place on the leaderboard and Zhang Yu at eighth, Li Xiao felt his vision go dark.

"How is that possible?"

"His rate of improvement has increased again?"

"How much money did he borrow? How much did he mortgage?"

From Li Xiao's perspective, a sudden increase in a student's rate of improvement could only mean one thing: they had invested more money.

Li Xiao muttered to himself, "That Zhang Yu, he must have noticed my accelerated cultivation and increased spiritual coin investment recently."

"So, to surpass me quickly, he invested even more spiritual coins than I did."

"No, this won't do. There's no turning back now."

With this thought, Li Xiao slowly reached out and took out his Heavenly Craft Artifact.

He decided to temporarily sell one of his eye artifacts to acquire more spiritual coins for further investment in the immortal path.

A hint of reluctance appeared in Li Xiao's remaining eye as he thought about selling his Heavenly Craft Artifact, which he had owned for less than two months.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Craft Artifact performed exceptionally well, and even using just one was sufficient for daily activities.

"Once I earn some money at the construction site, I'll buy another one."

***

Floor 125, Dormitory Area.

Yu Xinghan picked up the newly arrived package in front of him and eagerly tore it open.

Zhang Yu, who was eating nearby, asked curiously, "Did your senior sister send that to you?"

Yu Xinghan replied, "Something I bought online."

As he opened the package, an eyeball submerged in maintenance fluid appeared before them.

Zhang Yu asked, "An eye artifact? Why just one?"

Yu Xinghan chuckled, "Over the past two months, to find an eye artifact that meets my daily needs at the lowest price, I've researched over a dozen brands, big and small, and hundreds of different models."

"I've also watched countless videos and read articles reviewing eye artifacts, lurked in over a dozen eye artifact discussion groups, and scoured the second-hand market."

"Now, I'm intimately familiar with the models, performance, parameters, and market prices of eye artifacts."

"Finally..."

Yu Xinghan put on gloves and carefully took out the eye artifact from the maintenance fluid, proclaiming, "I found this hidden gem!"

"It's a 99% new Heavenly Craft Artifact, and because it was sold individually, the price was even better."

"But honestly, considering this model's specifications, even the performance of a single eye is sufficient for daily classes and cultivation."

Seeing Yu Xinghan's confident expression, Zhang Yu nodded and said, "I wouldn't have thought someone who uses the Extreme Tiger brand would know so much about eye artifacts."

Yu Xinghan said, "Hmph, Zhang Yu, even though you stumbled upon a Time-Worn Demonic Eye, you should still learn more about artifacts. This knowledge can only benefit you."

As he spoke, Yu Xinghan had already replaced his left eye with the newly acquired Heavenly Craft Artifact, then sighed, "Using a good eye artifact truly makes a difference."

"The world has become so much clearer."

After testing the eye artifact, Yu Xinghan didn't rush to confirm receipt and payment. Instead, he carefully removed it.

He then took out a box of tools and meticulously wiped the eye artifact clean, eventually placing it back into its maintenance fluid.

Zhang Yu asked, "Why aren't you using it? Is the quality not good enough?"

Yu Xinghan replied matter-of-factly, "Why would I use such a good item for anything other than class? My Extreme Tiger brand is perfectly fine for everyday use."

"This eye artifact is, of course, meant for use during classes."

"What if using it too much makes it age quickly?"

Yu Xinghan resolved to meticulously clean and maintain this eye artifact every day from now on, striving to extend its lifespan as much as possible.

***

After eating, Zhang Yu left the dormitory and, as usual, crossed the Primal Magnetic Passage, heading towards the areas below Floor 100.

To be safe, Zhang Yu went to different areas for body refinement each time.

This time, he went to a surveillance blind spot on Floor 94. After swallowing a piece of concrete, he began cultivating the Earth Devouring Divine Art.

A dull thud resonated from Zhang Yu's stomach as his digestive system transformed into a pulverizer. The Gluttony Dharma Power surged through, completely breaking down the concrete into a basic material, which was then circulated throughout his body, nourishing his skin.

This was the effect of the Earth Devouring Divine Art at Level 10: besides strengthening muscles and tendons with materials, it could also be used to fortify the skin.

"However, concrete is still a bit weak; it only makes my skin a little tougher. And I can't use too much, or my body's flexibility and explosive power will decline."

"For this cultivation method to truly strengthen the body, I'll need better training materials."

But Zhang Yu was certainly unwilling to pay for the materials himself.

"I can only wait until I'm at a construction site later to see if there are any good, unwanted materials..."

After a period of cultivation, with the completion of another cycle of the Earth Devouring Divine Art, Zhang Yu finally cultivated this technique to Level 20.

In an instant, countless images flashed through his mind. Zhang Yu felt as if he had undergone years of arduous cultivation, finally elevating this technique to the maximum level achievable during the Foundation Establishment stage.

With the Earth Devouring Divine Art reaching Level 20, Zhang Yu could now use training materials to strengthen his entire skeleton, in addition to his skin and muscles.

"Strengthening the bones is likely the best application for this cultivation method."

Zhang Yu closed his eyes, sensing the Level 20 Earth Devouring Divine Art. He mused, "After all, many high-strength materials aren't suitable for reinforcing flesh and blood, but for bones..."

"It took over half a month to finally cultivate this Level 20 body refinement technique."

As a result of this period of arduous cultivation, Zhang Yu's various stats also significantly improved.

His Dao Heart reached Level 11 (73.8), his Dharma Power reached 300.6, and his physical strength reached Level 11.12.

"With the University Saint Body and a Level 20 cultivation method, my progress is incredibly fast."

However, following Zhang Pianpian's reminder, Zhang Yu naturally did not fully display these data increases, ensuring that his overall score improvement remained inconspicuous within the class.

"With my Dharma Power exceeding 300, I could actually equip a second artifact."

"But I'll pass on that..."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Artifacts are too expensive. I should stick to the plan True Monarch Xinghuo set for me, continue body refinement, and prepare to transfer to the Artifact Forging Department later."

Besides studying and cultivating during this period, Zhang Yu also thoroughly researched the rules for transferring departments.

"The latest opportunity is in the third academic year. If I don't manage to transfer by then, I'll never be able to."

"Within three years, I need to earn enough money and maximize my body refinement strength."

***

The next day.

During the Dao Heart class.

Teacher Feng Jiu, in her phoenix form, lectured methodically, as if reading from a script, just like in the first class.

As her gaze swept over the many students present, the line graphs showing each of their academic performance changes appeared in her eyes.

"Ji Yuanxu, first in the class for Dao Heart, no current anomalies."

"Gongshu Jin, second in the class for Dao Heart, no current anomalies..."

"Li Xiao, Dao Heart improvement rate accelerated, noted as a loan promotion target, added to the 'for sale' information database."

"Zhang Yu, Dao Heart improvement rate initially stable, suddenly accelerated a month ago, then stabilized again; added as an 'observation target'..."

After categorizing, labeling, and sending the students' data and records to the depths of the Spirit Realm, Feng Jiu continued to lecture the students without any change in expression.

***

During the Dharma Power class.

Li Mingbo's primary attention remained on the top-tier students in the front rows.

However, whenever his gaze swept over Zhang Yu in the back row, he would always linger for a moment.

The primary reason, of course, was that this student surprisingly hadn't used his discount coupon on the Dharma Power Treasure platform—he had neither bought nor sold Dharma Power.

The secondary reason was that his Dharma Power improvement rate had been quite good recently, reaching the top ten in the class and qualifying him as an excellent student.

"I just wonder if this kid's cultivation progress is due to borrowed money or if he genuinely has good talent."

At least Li Mingbo couldn't discern it from Zhang Yu's demeanor, unlike Li Xiao, whose eye twitched occasionally, his facial expressions often influenced by notifications displayed in his eye artifact.

Sometimes, he would be listening intently one second, and the next, his expression would suddenly change.

Li Mingbo, also from the first floor, was all too familiar with this situation.

"This kid must have borrowed a substantial amount."

***

During the Body Refinement class.

Lang Yougong looked at Zhang Yu and nodded repeatedly, "Your recent body refinement strength has improved well. Keep it up."

"And don't neglect your spiritual root integration either."

Looking at this student, who had mastered the Level 20 Spring and Autumn Boundless Zen and utilized the Time-Worn Demonic Eye, Lang Yougong sighed with satisfaction, realizing he hadn't misjudged him. The student's background was clearly extraordinary, explaining his rapid progress and continuous rise in rank.

After receiving further guidance from Lang Yougong, Zhang Yu suddenly said, "Teacher Lang, Yu Xinghan is having some trouble improving his spiritual root integration. Could you perhaps give him some pointers?"

Yu Xinghan gave Zhang Yu a grateful look, then turned to Lang Yougong with an expectant expression.

Lang Yougong paused for a moment. After his wolf ears twitched, he happily replied, "Yu Xinghan, why didn't you just ask me directly if you had questions? Would I ever refuse to guide my own students?"

As Lang Yougong guided Yu Xinghan, the Time-Worn Demonic Eye in Zhang Yu's eye suddenly activated, clearly recording every one of Lang Yougong's movements at 128 frames per second.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "This way, I can guide Yu Xinghan in the future, help him improve his spiritual root integration, and then copy his Dao Seed Three-Eyed Divine Ability."

While guiding Yu Xinghan, Lang Yougong's eye artifact penetrated the other's skin and muscles. Looking into Yu Xinghan's eyes, he wondered, "This guy... his eye artifact and Li Xiao's are a pair, aren't they?"

"One for each of them? Are they that close?"

***

That evening, after practicing the Earth Devouring Divine Art, Zhang Yu began cultivating the second technique of the Earth and Wood Saint Body: the War Demon Life-Sapping Art.

This Foundation Establishment stage technique was created for combat, capable of unleashing the body's potential. When needed, it could reverse Dharma Power, stimulating physical potential for a short period to forcibly unleash strength far beyond the body's limits.

In this process, the extreme exertion of power could unleash the might of "one force conquering ten gatherings." However, because the power surpassed one's control and endurance, it would not only cause snapped tendons, broken bones, and ruptured internal organs but also severe physical wear and tear, thereby consuming lifespan.

As times changed, this cultivation method, once used for desperate combat, was now employed by civil engineers for intense labor.