Chapter 307: Zhang Yu Steals Food

At that moment, a sudden roar came from not far away. Zhang Yu turned his head and saw a blast of cold energy shoot up into the sky, freezing half the body of a senior student.

However, the next moment, the senior student roared, and his body flickered with fire, suppressing the cold energy.

He gasped, "Good thing a fair amount of time has passed, and the residual magical power from the Golden Core has significantly weakened. Otherwise, that last attack..."

Everyone who witnessed this became more cautious. Zhang Yu also activated his Three-Eyed Divine Ability, maintaining a 360-degree view at all times, wary of any disturbance.

As Zhang Yu gathered his protective aura and took away another piece of broken wall, he suddenly felt a chill surge towards him.

Beneath the shattered wall, a section of steel, encased in layers of flesh and blood, pulsed rhythmically as if breathing.

At the same time, a dense wave of malevolent energy, visible even to Zhang Yu's naked eye, continuously surged from the steel, rushing in all directions.

Zhang Yu wondered, "Malevolent energy?"

Fu Ji remarked, "Be careful. With such heavy malevolent energy, if it enters your body, you'll be gravely ill for at least a few days. More severely, you might suffer a mental shock, causing your Dao heart to regress."

Just then, several senior students nearby also rushed over. Che Yufei said, "It's the malevolent energy alloy used to make puppets."

Zhang Yu asked, "Should we ask Teacher Tu how to handle this?"

Che Yufei patted Zhang Yu's shoulder and said with some excitement, "Why ask the teacher? I'll go ask the scrap dealer tonight what the current price for this is."

"The rest follows the old rules: the teacher still gets 50%, and we split the remaining 50% equally."

Seeing how accustomed the senior students were to this, Zhang Yu suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the Civil Engineering department.

Shortly after, another loud bang resounded. A giant metal palm shot up from the ground, violently swatting a Foundation Establishment student away, causing him to bleed from all seven orifices and suffer multiple fractures.

Zhang Yu later learned that the student had unearthed a half-finished puppet arm, which suddenly activated and blasted him away.

As Zhang Yu picked up a beam, his Three-Eyed Divine Ability detected an unusual surge of spiritual energy all around.

He instantly activated his Time-Splitting Demonic Eye, feeling as if the entire world had slowed down in his perception.

Immediately after, he saw the ground beneath his feet slowly rising, as if the earth itself had transformed into a massive maw, ready to swallow him whole.

The War Demon Longevity Collapse technique activated with a roar, unleashing a full 1.0-level physical enhancement. Combined with Zhang Yu's own strength, this allowed him to shoot away with a whoosh.

The spot where he had been standing was now engulfed by a small mound of earth.

Zhang Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Is that the factory's protective array?"

He then looked at the half-beam in his hand, a surge of joy in his heart, recognizing the material was clearly extraordinary.

However, after some thought and glancing up at the vast factory ruins before him, Zhang Yu decided not to handle the item on his own. Instead, he went to find Che Yufei.

Seeing the beam Zhang Yu voluntarily handed over, Che Yufei's lips curled into a slight smile. He patted Zhang Yu's shoulder and said, "You understand the rules well. Once the recycling fee arrives, I'll transfer your share as soon as possible."

Zhang Yu took the opportunity to ask, "What kind of material is this beam?"

Che Yufei, with practiced ease, explained, "Oh, this? It's a third-grade special alloy steel. It can withstand relatively high load requirements and is often used as a beam..."

And so, in these dangerous ruins, filled with residual magical power from Golden Core cultivators, high-risk materials for puppet creation, and remnants of the factory's grand protective array, Zhang Yu practiced his cultivation techniques, cleared debris, collected various materials, and continuously identified and learned about their properties with Che Yufei's help.

Despite the numerous dangers, Zhang Yu was able to complete his tasks relatively safely, relying on the sensory abilities of his Three-Eyed Divine Ability, the time-distortion power of his Time-Splitting Demonic Eye, and the formidable resistance granted by his Civil Engineering Saint Body.

As Zhang Yu and the others worked through the night and were about to take their third dose of medicine, Gongshu Jin and his group had also finally finished their online classes and began their work and cultivation.

"Everyone, I'll begin now," Mo Shangjin waved to the others, then nodded at Gongshu Jin. "Gongshu, you work hard too."

Mo Shangjin knew that Gongshu Jin was a student Director Gao intended to focus on cultivating, one who practiced the Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power. Since their first meeting, he had often shown goodwill towards this junior student whose name shared a character with his own.

Under Gongshu Jin's longing gaze, Mo Shangjin floated in mid-air. As he formed hand seals, the Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power erupted powerfully, uprooting trees and shifting layers of rock around him.

Gongshu Jin understood that Mo Shangjin was using the Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power to gradually adjust the terrain and ley lines, with the aim of guiding the spiritual veins.

"If spiritual veins are like long rivers, then adjusting the mountain terrain is like changing a riverbed. It can regulate the spiritual veins and lay the foundation for setting up arrays."

Next, Gongshu Jin looked at the other senior students. Some were like dragons incarnate, carving paths on the ground, tunneling through, and opening a route to an underground transport channel.

Others pressed their palms together, and a high-temperature force field instantly enveloped a hundred-meter radius, refining large quantities of recycled metal materials gathered together, transforming them one by one into brand-new construction materials.

Gongshu Jin thought to himself, "The Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, of course, is a military-grade martial art from the Civil Engineering department of Myriad Laws University, renowned throughout the world."

"And then there's the Star Sky Vein-Charging Great Method and the Scarlet Fire Profound Flame Divine Technique – all very expensive, requiring costly elixirs and spiritual remains for cultivation, demanding immense resources. These are techniques that emphasize foundational immortal path accumulation, requiring a gradual buildup before showing significant results."

"Of course, once mastered, earning spirit coins is quick, and the risks of work and physical wear and tear are minimal."

Gongshu Jin understood that it wasn't that the Civil Engineering teachers were unwilling to teach these techniques to the poor, but rather that even if the poor wanted to learn, they couldn't afford the tuition or the practice. They could only learn techniques that self-mutilated the body and forced out potential.

These "poor people's" techniques might allow them to keep up initially, but they would soon fall far behind due to their insufficient upper limits. Eventually, their daily income on the construction site could differ by tenfold, even a hundredfold.

Witnessing his seniors display their various divine abilities, Gongshu Jin felt a surge of excitement and, full of fighting spirit, turned towards his own workstation.

He spread his hands, and two fierce cyclones had already formed on his newly implanted hand-relics, beginning to work in conjunction to activate his newly cultivated technique—the Nine Earths Underworld Force.

In an instant, the prepared cement, gravel, mineral powder, spirit stones, and other materials were swept into it, transforming into a gray tornado that shot into the sky.

Director Gao walked up to him, watched the scene, and nodded slightly. "Remember, the concrete mix needs to be adjusted according to the on-site construction environment, the requirements of the arrays, and the type of spiritual veins..."

As Gongshu Jin and the others began their work, the immense commotion also drew Zhang Yu's attention.

He watched the tornado rising into the sky, the countless grains of sand, dirt, and stones flying upwards, and felt the violent tremors from the ground...

Zhang Yu felt a surge of emotion. "Compared to these guys, we're practically ordinary construction workers."

"No... it's more like these guys are giant engineering equipment, isn't it?"

Shaking his head, Zhang Yu refocused on his own work.

Another day passed, and the students welcomed an hour of rest.

Zhang Yu first switched his Chain Law Set to the University Saint Body to take medicine, then returned to his room and switched to the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus to accelerate his self-healing.

He thought to himself, "As my cultivation gradually improves, the augmentation effect of the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus is becoming weaker."

"Indeed, Qi Refining stage sets can't be used indefinitely."

Opening the Spirit Realm Network, Zhang Yu checked his received messages and replied to them one by one.

Just then, Che Yufei and others walked in.

Che Yufei looked at Zhang Yu and said, "What are you doing staying here? People can't just work overtime and cultivate all day; they need to relax appropriately."

"The group's masseuse has already set up the massage room. There's a special offer today, hurry up and go."

Faced with Che Yufei's invitation, Zhang Yu, who was constantly recovering from physical wear and tear under the dual effects of the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus and body activation, naturally shook his head and refused; he didn't want to waste money.

Che Yufei said, "If you don't get massages on the construction site, how will you live long? How will you earn more money?"

"Hurry up, everyone." Shi Yunxiang had already walked out. "I'm going to choose first."

Seeing Zhang Yu's repeated refusals, Che Yufei also shook his head, too lazy to persuade him further, and left first.

Just then, a message from Bai Zhenzhen popped up in Zhang Yu's eye-socket relic: "Yu-zi, finished work?"

Zhang Yu: "Yeah, I'll do some breathing exercises, then I'm just going to work overtime directly. The internet fees are quite expensive, so I'll turn it off later."

Bai Zhenzhen: "I heard you guys in Civil Engineering all get massages after work to relieve physical strain. Aren't you going?"

Zhang Yu: "My colleagues did go, but I didn't. There's no need for me."

Bai Zhenzhen: "Are you sure? You really should go; don't wear your body out."

Zhang Yu: "Never mind, I won't waste that money."

Bai Zhenzhen: "Oh, Mom's really useless. Can't even send money for her son's massage."

Zhang Yu: "Cultivate well. If you want to show filial piety, you can do it next time you see Dad."

After a casual chat with Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu finished his active breathing exercises. Feeling his body mostly recovered, he once again went alone into the ruins.

Over the next few days, Zhang Yu continuously took medicine, cultivated, and worked overtime. In the perilous environment, he simultaneously pushed himself to his limits and repaired his body.

At the same time, his understanding of the various materials in the ruins deepened. Every day, while his classmates went for massages, he sought opportunities to collect materials and complete his 'feeding'.

The first material he chose to digest was No. 20 Spirit Law Secret Steel, originally used by the puppet factory to manufacture protective armor for the puppets' core parts.

This secret steel was explosion-proof and impact-resistant. It could also uniformly absorb martial arts energy, possessing a strength comparable to that of a peak Body Refining expert in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Once he could, with the Foundation Establishment peak digestive power granted by the University Saint Body and the Level 20 Earth-Eating Divine Technique, refine this No. 20 Spirit Law Secret Steel into his bones to further strengthen them, he would truly possess an indestructible skeleton capable of dominating the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, after Zhang Yu finally managed to collect a small amount, he found it incredibly difficult to digest. It might take him ten days to half a month just to strengthen a few finger bones.

Zhang Yu thought, "What should I do? Should I try cultivating another technique?"

"Or try medicine to enhance digestion?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, rejecting each option one by one.

He finally realized, "Although the University Saint Body grants me powerful digestive abilities, my gastrointestinal tract is fundamentally still influenced by my own physical strength."

"To accelerate the digestion of No. 20 Spirit Law Secret Steel, my gastrointestinal tract needs to become tougher and stronger... like putting a layer of armor on it."

With this thought, a gleam flashed in Zhang Yu's eyes, and information on various materials at the site began to surface in his mind.