Chapter 301: This is the body forged on the construction site

Zhang Yu didn't feel he was risking his life. After all, with the physical activation brought by the Remnant Ox Sacrifice Mantra, the Battle Demon Meteor Life Art was still well within his tolerance limits. Besides, he had just picked up and consumed a Longevity Pill a few days ago, which increased his lifespan by a year, so burning off a bit was fine. Fu Ji often told him that lifespan, like money, doesn't accrue interest if you save it, so it's better to "burn" it when it yields benefits, and just earn it back later if needed.

At this moment, not only was Zhang Yu not losing lifespan, but with the explosive release of his physique and true qi, residual medicinal energies within him were also stimulated. In recent days, he had consumed many semi-finished medicines at the pharmaceutical factory. Some took effect immediately, while others settled as medicinal energy deep within his body, slowly being absorbed. Now, with the furious circulation of his blood, qi, and magic power, these energies were stirred up, accelerating their absorption and subtly leading to another breakthrough in Zhang Yu's physical strength.

Physical Strength: 0.01

In Ying Xin's eyes, Zhang Yu's speed had surged again, creating several body lengths of distance between them in an instant. At that moment, Ying Xin suddenly recalled what her father had told her.

Her father had said, "Ying Xin, don't think about risking your life against those from the first floor."

Ying Xin remembered feeling indignant at the time, insisting she wasn't afraid of death and wouldn't shy away from fighting fiercely against anyone from the first floor.

Her father had countered, "Are you as poor as they are? Do you have as many loans as they do? Do you feel the same pressure they carry? You don't. Your life is more valuable than theirs. It's not worth it for you to risk everything against them, which is why you can't truly find the drive to do so. But if risking your life truly works, then what's money for? Spend it when you need to..."

As she thought this, Ying Xin's gaze sharpened, and a tome of talismans appeared in her palm.

"Winds of the Four Directions, heed my command! Move them!"

In an instant, as Ying Xin activated the talisman, streams of divine light surged forth, whipping up gales of wind that helped her lift the construction debris and carry it downwards.

But just as Ying Xin overtook Zhang Yu, she noticed his form expand again, and his speed continuously surged.

"Still fighting?" Ying Xin sneered inwardly. "Then don't blame me for making you truly despair."

As Zhang Yu and Ying Xin pushed each other, Tu Lishan on the 666th floor was observing their competition via the monitoring cameras along the route.

"Hmm, even if Ying Xin isn't willing to risk her life, it's good that she's willing to spend money," he murmured. "As long as you're willing to pay to work and pay for projects, who's to say you're not a civil engineering prodigy?"

However, upon seeing Zhang Yu accelerate again, Tu Lishan's eyes filled with admiration. "Excellent, excellent! One risks his life, the other spends her money. Truly, both are prodigies of my Civil Engineering Department, talents indeed!"

Zhang Yu hit the ground with a bang. As he reached the first basement level, his muscles buffered the impact, and he dragged the vast amount of construction materials, sending them flying towards the waste disposal plant. At this very moment, he had activated the explosive state of Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, and the efficiency of Battle Demon Meteor Life Art began to slightly consume his lifespan.

"Good thing I ate a Longevity Pill," he thought. "This year of lifespan doesn't accrue interest if I keep it, so converting some of it into immediate benefit is fine."

Meanwhile, Ying Xin, accompanied by strong winds, was now side by side with Zhang Yu. The two surged forward like twin dragons, racing neck and neck. One was shrouded in mist like a cloud-wreathed mountain, the other radiating golden light, both accelerating with the roar of the air: Faster! Faster! Even faster!

After the first batch of construction materials was transported, they darted off again without a moment's rest, leaving long trails of air current as they rushed back towards the 666th floor. Without the burden of the construction materials, Zhang Yu's speed surged even more dramatically, leaving long streaks of air currents in his wake as he pulled further and further away from Ying Xin.

Watching this, Ying Xin cursed inwardly, "Five hours! Let's see how much lifespan you dare to sacrifice!"

Back and forth they went, transporting materials up and down. Ying Xin watched, wide-eyed, as Zhang Yu sprinted and exploded with energy repeatedly, showing no signs of stopping. Ying Xin, however, saw the spiritual coins consumed by her talisman tome steadily increase, eventually forcing her to grit her teeth and deactivate the talisman. This allowed Zhang Yu to pull further and further ahead of her.

As the five-hour competition neared its end, Ying Xin, having chased with all her might for five hours, was radiating waves of heat. Her skin was flushed crimson, and her muscles felt as if they were melting. Every step felt like her muscles were giving way, every breath brought a stinging pain in her chest. She was like a cannon barrel that had been continuously overloaded, with its metal fatigue pushed to the limit.

When she looked up, she saw Zhang Yu, still radiating white steam from his flushed body, let out a roar and continue to charge towards the waste disposal plant. A hint of shock involuntarily crossed Ying Xin's mind. "This guy... does he still have strength left after pushing himself this far? How much lifespan has he really consumed? No... impossible... this isn't just about strength gained by sacrificing lifespan."

Disbelief flickered in Ying Xin's eyes. "Could it be that this guy... is already stronger than me?" Thinking this, she clenched her fists, unwilling to accept it. "How can this be? He obviously wears himself out at the construction site every day, and he certainly doesn't spend as much money as I do..."

Meanwhile, Tu Lishan slowly walked over to Ying Xin and comforted her, "Did you not understand why you lost? That kid Zhang Yu, when he was working at the construction site on the 666th floor every day, I could tell he was also practicing various body-tempering techniques. While his body was being worn down by work, he was simultaneously pushing himself to an even more brutal intensity. You could say every ounce of his strength, every bit of his cultivation, was earned by risking his life. Ying Xin, do you feel the difference now between the physique you painstakingly cultivated in the training room and the one Zhang Yu forged on the construction site? For you, this is just academic work, just an opportunity. But for him... it's work, it's life, it's his hope of remaining in the upper levels."

Watching Ying Xin, who stood with her head bowed in silence, Tu Lishan thought to himself, "If you were rich enough... to spend money more fiercely than he risks his life every day, then you could certainly suppress him, just like Gongshu Jin or Ji Yuanxu. Unfortunately... you still don't have enough money."

Just then, Li Xiao and Yu Xinghan also arrived. Ying Xin frowned slightly. She felt Yu Xinghan had been staring at her a bit too long. Yu Xinghan thought to himself, "This video... when I get back, I'll edit it, blur some parts, and upload it to see the results. I wonder if a video of the civil engineering department's 'belle' will get any views? I can't just film my daily life on the construction site, who would watch that?"

Li Xiao, on the other hand, thought Ying Xin had already won the match, as he was sure her strength surpassed Zhang Yu's. He heard him say consolingly, "Ying Xin, we're all classmates, let's not damage our friendly relations. Give me some face; you two can talk it over in a bit..."

Ying Xin gave him a cold glare. "What face do you have?"

Watching Ying Xin turn and walk away without a backward glance, an awkward expression spread across Li Xiao's face.

Just then, the class leaderboard finally updated. When Ying Xin saw Zhang Yu's rank change from 4th in class to 3rd, and her own from 3rd to 4th, a look of understanding appeared on her face. "As expected..." Ying Xin gave a bitter smile and murmured to herself, "He's already surpassed me. I was the weaker one in this fight."

Li Xiao also noticed the change in Zhang Yu's and Ying Xin's rankings, and recalled Ying Xin's performance just now... Li Xiao looked at Zhang Yu, who was walking towards him, and asked in surprise, "You... did you actually beat Ying Xin?"

Zhang Yu exhaled a puff of hot white steam. "Hmm? I guess so." He glanced at Ying Xin's limping figure as she walked away and reminded her, "Don't forget to transfer the money."

Tu Lishan smiled at Zhang Yu. "Zhang Yu, you're excellent. But you should rest properly when you need to. Once the outdoor project starts next month, you'll have plenty of work."

After Tu Lishan left, Li Xiao couldn't help but ask, "You... how exactly do you cultivate?"

Zhang Yu glanced at him and said casually, "You can't learn my method. If you want to learn, you can try Yu Xinghan's approach." With that, Zhang Yu turned and left, his figure flashing several times before he shot upwards like an arrow, soaring along the magneto-optical channel straight towards the 666th floor.

Li Xiao quickly sent a message asking, "Where are you going?"

Zhang Yu replied, "Back to work overtime."

Li Xiao exclaimed in shock, "You're still working overtime after all that?"

Yu Xinghan curled his lips and said, "That guy's just like that; he never stops. I've never seen him rest. I suspect when he works overtime, it's not even about competing, it's just his way of rewarding himself after winning a competition."

Li Xiao felt bewildered at that moment. Wasn't overtime supposed to be painful? Could it be that the very pain he had to grit his teeth and silently endure was a source of pleasure for Zhang Yu? Was the gap between people really that vast? In that case, he truly couldn't learn the other's cultivation method.

Li Xiao recalled Zhang Yu's mention of Yu Xinghan and asked, "What are you planning to do next?"

Yu Xinghan walked towards the magneto-optical channel and, hearing the question, replied casually, "A massage."

Myriad Law University City, 666th floor.

Shortly after Zhang Yu resumed work, he received a transfer of 0.121 Spirit Coins from Ying Xin, pushing his balance to 12.5. Seeing the number in his balance, Zhang Yu smiled contentedly. "Not bad, not bad. Next, I can spend a bit more money to continue improving my performance. As for Daoist magic services, I can use them a few more times..." Zhang Yu mused about how to spend the Spirit Coins in his account.

Just then, Zhang Yu received another message from Tu Lishan.

Tu Lishan: "Zhang Yu, Director Gao is very pleased with your performance today. He knows you're short on money, so he specifically arranged for you to meet with a finance department teacher tomorrow to apply for a low-interest student loan."Zhang Yu: "Thank you, Teacher Tu. Please also thank Director Gao for me."Tu Lishan: "It's a teacher's duty to help students. If you want to repay Director Gao, then perform well in next month's outdoor project. This is a great era for our civil engineering students to shine. As long as you're willing to work hard, opportunities will not be scarce."

Zhang Yu asked, "What exactly is this outdoor project?"

Tu Lishan didn't answer him, but instead posed another question: "How much do you know about the University Wars?"