Chapter 291: Helping Mu Lan, Going to the Construction Site

Since Zhang Yu spent most of his time after classes cultivating the techniques required for the Earth-Wood Sacred Body, he rarely practiced the professional cultivation methods taught in class.

Given that the Feather Scroll had a one-day cooldown for switching cultivation methods, Zhang Yu never switched it to the basic Earth-Wood techniques, such as Concrete Qi, to ensure rapid progress in the Earth-Wood Sacred Body.

Lacking both time and the Feather Scroll's enhancement, he managed to grasp the basics of several techniques taught in class, including Concrete Qi, reaching Level 1, solely through sporadic practice over the past three months.

Just then, a rumbling sound echoed from the distance. Streaks of concrete, resembling gray giant dragons, were poured onto the target points under Gongshu Jin’s control, eliciting gasps of amazement from the surrounding students.

"Multi-line control, and over 30 meters! He must have trained Concrete Qi to Level 10, right?"

"Does Grandmaster Four-Layer cultivate techniques so quickly?"

"Of course! He's so rich, how could his training be slow?"

Gongshu Jin paid no mind to the flattery surrounding him. For him, learning these things was effortlessly simple, thanks to one-on-one guidance from private tutors, the assisted imitation mode of the Spinal Dharma Skeleton, and continuous technique correction via Spirit Realm Projections.

He glanced at Zhang Yu, who was still at the beginner stage, and smiled helplessly, thinking, "He shouldn't be short on money, right? His martial arts aptitude is truly... My friend will likely have a tough few years ahead."

After the engineering array design class that day, Tuli Shan contacted Zhang Yu, saying, "Come to the construction site after school tomorrow."

"I'll send you the address."

"Floor 666?" Zhang Yu thought to himself as he saw the address, "Can I finally go to the construction site to earn money?"

Inside the dormitory.

Zhang Yu, having finished absorbing the high-quality spiritual energy, felt it completely dissipate within him. He opened his eyes, a hint of lingering satisfaction visible.

Suddenly, he noticed Le Mulan meditating nearby and thought, "I wonder if the quality of my spiritual energy can help Le Mulan improve."

"If it can... then I could acquire her Dao Seed, the so-called Deep Cold Dharma Vein, sooner. That Dao Seed should help improve the quality of spiritual energy, right? It would save me a significant amount of money."

With this thought, Zhang Yu approached Le Mulan and said, "Le Mulan, let me try and see if I can help you improve the quality of your spiritual energy."

Le Mulan paused for a moment and asked, "How do we do it?"

Zhang Yu explained, "I will channel my spiritual energy into your body, and you try to interact and communicate with it..."

As Le Mulan listened to Zhang Yu, her mind continuously recalled Xuan Ge's recent suggestion of dual cultivation.

Le Mulan mused, "Dual cultivation... it seems to begin with the communication of spiritual energy between two people."

"According to Xuan Ge, my innate special spiritual energy has extraordinary effects in the path of dual cultivation."

"Could it be... Zhang Yu wants to engage in dual cultivation with me?"

At this thought, Le Mulan's heart jolted: "If it's true... then as long as the benefits from each cultivation session belong to me, it's not entirely out of the question."

"I just don't know how much I'd have to pay Zhang Yu."

Le Mulan recalled Xuan Ge mentioning that in dual cultivation between someone of a lower realm and someone of a higher realm, the lower-ranked individual usually pays the higher-ranked one.

"If the price for one session with Zhang Yu is more expensive than the selling price of Feather Juice, then I'd lose money with each session."

Zhang Yu looked at Le Mulan, whose expression was fluctuating and incredibly complex, and asked, "Is something wrong? If you're uncomfortable, we can forget about it."

Le Mulan took a deep breath and said, "I... how much do I need to pay you?"

Zhang Yu smiled slightly and said, "No money needed. We're from the same hometown and now roommates; we should help each other out."

Hearing this, Le Mulan's gaze shifted, and she said with some hesitation, "Then... then..."

Thinking of what she was about to say next, Le Mulan felt utterly ashamed.

She had rarely taken advantage of others in such a way since childhood, causing her face to flush slightly at that moment.

Finally, Le Mulan mustered her courage and said, "That which remains inside my body afterward... can it belong to me?"

Zhang Yu laughed, "Isn't that obvious? Whatever ends up inside your body belongs to you."

Le Mulan was slightly taken aback by his words. She had expected Zhang Yu to haggle, but he was unexpectedly generous, agreeing so readily.

Recalling her recent actions, Le Mulan thought, "It seems I showed a weakness, and he saw through me."

"But Zhang Yu didn't hold it against me; he gave it to me without hesitation. He truly sees me as a good friend."

With this in mind, Le Mulan secretly decided that she still had to pay Zhang Yu. Otherwise, to receive both the cultivation and the benefits... what kind of friend would she be if she didn't pay?

Zhang Yu took Le Mulan's wrist, and a stream of spiritual energy, like flowing water, slowly passed into her.

After a long while, Zhang Yu frowned slightly: "The effect is somewhat poor."

"Ah, ultimately, it's because you haven't established your foundation yet. The quality of spiritual energy isn't easy to improve without that."

Seeing Zhang Yu remain motionless for a while, Le Mulan couldn't help but ask, "Is that it?"

Zhang Yu shrugged, "What else? We'll have to wait until you establish your foundation."

Hearing this, Le Mulan, whose heart was originally stirred, felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her. As spiritual energy flowed within her, her entire body seemed to turn cold.

Le Mulan said disappointedly, "It requires foundation establishment?"

Zhang Yu nodded, "Speaking of which, when is the Foundation Establishment exam?"

Zhang Yu knew that there was a Foundation Establishment exam held annually after entering university.

During high school, the Foundation Establishment exam was stretched over several months to allow students more time to develop.

University students participating in the Foundation Establishment exam had already reached the peak of Qi Refinement in all their stats, so the exam concluded within a few days. Elite universities like Myriad Dharma University also offered more qualification certificates for Foundation Establishment.

Le Mulan sighed, "Around November this year, so about two and a half months left."

She touched her Dantian and said, "I've already acquired a spiritual root; as soon as I obtain the Foundation Establishment qualification certificate from the university, I can immediately establish my foundation."

Although Le Mulan was a top student from Ziyun, consistently ranking in the top five in Songyang City—even maintaining a top-three level when excluding Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan—her stats had already reached the peak of Qi Refinement.

Still, she had to compete with countless top students from the top ten universities... Looking at the Dao Seed on her, Zhang Yu said, "Keep up the good work. Just tell me directly if you need any help."

Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu, gathered her courage, and said, "I want..."

Zhang Yu was slightly startled and said, "What do you want?"

Hearing her repeat the phrase, Zhang Yu thought, "Are you still at it?"

Le Mulan said, "I can pay. I don't want to wait until I establish my foundation..."

Fu Ji said, "They're offering money; why are you being coy? Aren't you short on cash right now? If you don't earn money when you can, do you deserve to be a university student?"

"While I don't know why you want to help Le Mulan improve the quality of her spiritual energy, if you earn more and help her improve, she can also reciprocate once she establishes her foundation."

Zhang Yu frowned, feeling there was something slightly off about the situation.

That evening, when Zhang Yu voiced his doubts to Bai Zhenzhen, she burst into laughter and said, "What's there to hesitate about? Sell it quickly!"

"Not making money when you can? Are you crazy?"

Zhang Yu sighed, thinking, "Perhaps I really am being too coy."

"Shouldn't Kunxu people just go all out and sell whenever they encounter such opportunities?"

After hanging up the call, Bai Zhenzhen pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

A female voice echoed in her ear: "Good disciple, your heart is troubled."

Bai Zhenzhen murmured, "Why... do I feel a little uncomfortable?"

The thought that Zhang Yu's relationships with others seemed to improve whenever she wasn't around caused a subtle unease in Bai Zhenzhen's heart.

The Lord of Seven Emotions said calmly, "Are you unhappy?"

Bai Zhenzhen asked, puzzled, "No way? Am I the jealous type of friend?"

"I don't wish for Zhang Yu to have other... friends who are closer to him than I am?"

"I'm not that petty, am I?"

The Lord of Seven Emotions explained, "Human thoughts are composed of emotions, and the complexity of these emotions often makes it difficult for a person to truly ascertain their own feelings."

"In the Way of the Extreme Emotion Sword, this is an even greater taboo."

"If you're unsure, you should think carefully and confirm your thoughts."

"For example, you could consider how you would feel if their 'transaction' involved dual cultivation."

With a crackle, streaks of electric light flashed across Bai Zhenzhen's body. She said calmly, "That depends on how much money Zhang Yu received."

The Lord of Seven Emotions laughed, "The Way of the Extreme Emotion Sword dictates that only by being extreme in emotion can one be extreme in the sword. However, to achieve extremity in emotion, one must first understand the true feelings and intentions within one's heart..."

Early that morning, Xuan Ge arrived at the dormitory on the 125th floor, ready to go to class with Le Mulan.

Eager to join their quartet, Xuan Ge had been seizing every opportunity to befriend Le Mulan during this period.

As Le Mulan opened the door and stepped out, Xuan Ge was about to greet her when his expression suddenly shifted.

He caught a fleeting glimpse of a measuring cup in her hand before she quickly hid it in her embrace.

At that moment, Xuan Ge's hand suddenly trembled, and he felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"Damn it... why wasn't it me?"

"We're all at the Qi Refinement stage, so why Le Mulan and not me?"

After school that day.

In the Yuan Magnetic Channel.

Zhang Yu glanced at the extra 0.05 spirit coins in his account, which was the extra money he earned from Le Mulan yesterday while Yu Xinghan and his sister were both out.

"I just don't know when the next time will be."

"I just hope the company on the second floor doesn't fail to produce anything useful, leading to another waste."

Yu Xinghan said, "Hurry up, don't be late for your first time at the construction site."

The two shot forward like lightning, traversing floor after floor of the university city, passing bustling markets, the drab civil engineering department, the splendid finance department building, and the talisman department's temples, filled with surging divine power...

Upon reaching the 666th floor, they unexpectedly found it to be a massive construction site, with the night sky, which they hadn't seen in a very long time, above them.

Gazing at the moon and stars in the sky, both Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu were momentarily lost in thought.

Having been cooped up in the beehive-like university city for the past three months, living in a 5-square-meter dormitory, both had accumulated a degree of stifled frustration.

Now, seeing the incredibly vast sky after so long, their spirits seemed to expand continuously, and a sense of exhilaration welled up in their minds.

Just then, a voice called out, "You came too?"

Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan turned their heads to look, finding Li Xiao staring at Yu Xinghan and asking, "You paid too?"

Yu Xinghan nodded; he had indeed paid a 0.01 spirit coin referral fee.

Li Xiao thought, "It seems I'm not the only one who handed over twenty percent of my monthly salary."