Chapter 319: The Grand Mansion and Luck

"My future plans?"

Hearing Director Gao's question, many thoughts flashed through Zhang Yu's mind in an instant. He finally replied, "I want to participate in the Ten Major Leagues."

Zhang Yu's words not only startled Tu Lishan but also surprised Director Gao slightly.

Director Gao had anticipated many possible answers from Zhang Yu, such as a direct desire to make money, to stay in his current position, or to serve Myriad Manifestations University... But he never expected that the young man would want to participate in the Ten Major Leagues.

At that moment, Director Gao's gaze towards Zhang Yu became significant. He thought to himself, "This kid... is even more ambitious than I imagined."

However, Director Gao was never afraid of ambitious or desirous students. In fact, he believed that the more ambitious and desirous a student was, the more likely they were to succeed. Otherwise, without ambition or desire, why cultivate immortality? Wouldn't it be enough to just live as a mortal, muddling through life until death?

Originally, Director Gao viewed Zhang Yu as just a first-tier student risking his life for a future. But knowing that he intended to participate in the Ten Major Leagues, Director Gao now regarded him in a higher light.

Studying Zhang Yu before him, Director Gao calmly stated, "To compete, you need to be among the top students in the entire department. You are still far from that level."

Zhang Yu calmly replied, "I will try my best."

Observing the determination in Zhang Yu's eyes and sensing his unwavering resolve under his scrutiny, Director Gao smiled slightly. This Zhang Yu was more interesting and more outstanding than he had initially expected.

"Alright, don't say I don't give you opportunities," Director Gao said casually. "From now on, you will participate in at least one construction project each semester. This is both for the department's benefit and an opportunity for you to hone your skills. However, you are free to choose which specific project to join."

As he spoke, various Civil Engineering Department projects appeared as ethereal projections within Zhang Yu's ocular display. These included the construction of war fortresses on the front lines, the renovation of cemeteries deep in remote mountains, the modification of spirit network data centers, the expansion of Hehuan University's amusement park, and the construction of flying sword laboratories...

Looking at these projects, various thoughts immediately flooded Zhang Yu's mind. Staring at one of them, he thought, "They even have this? I must go there at least once!"

"But not now," Zhang Yu mused. "I need to recover from my physical depletion before I go to a construction site to earn some money and experience."

Director Gao continued, "Of course, the department won't just make you work. In addition to your salary, you'll have access to discounted medicine. You can directly get discounted drugs from the School of Pharmacy from now on. Some experimental drugs, which are not available on the market, will also be gradually made accessible to you."

As he spoke, a list of available medicines for purchase and the contact information for the School of Pharmacy appeared as files in Zhang Yu's ocular display.

After saying this, Director Gao paused, seemingly deliberating something, and finally said, "Starting today, this student suite on the 318th floor will be temporarily lent to you."

The address, condition, and access key for the 318th-floor dormitory were sent to Zhang Yu. This was a 15-square-meter superior dormitory unit, featuring one living room, two bedrooms, and one bathroom, with a ceiling height of 6 meters. It came with a generous monthly supply of spiritual energy and data, and the dormitory floor also offered paid services such as laundry, cleaning, training rooms, and laboratories.

Director Gao then added, "I've also granted you access to the anti-gravity passage. You can use it freely from now on."

Zhang Yu knew that the central anti-gravity passage was a high-speed vertical thoroughfare that ran through the entire Myriad Manifestations University City, allowing one to quickly reach any floor within the city in a matter of seconds. Both the 318th-floor dormitory and the anti-gravity passage significantly enhanced the convenience of Zhang Yu's daily life and cultivation, saving him a considerable amount of time.

But that wasn't all. Director Gao looked at Zhang Yu and presented one final temptation.

Director Gao said, "If you can secure the top spot in the freshman class by the end of this semester, I will accept you as my registered disciple."

Tu Lishan, who was standing nearby, felt a slight jolt in his heart. "Director Gao never mentioned this before, did he? Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

Becoming a disciple of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, even just a nominal one, was an opportunity countless students could only dream of. In Tu Lishan's view, with Director Gao offering so many benefits and such a grand opportunity all at once, wouldn't Zhang Yu be spurred to cultivate desperately, never stopping until he dropped?

However, the next moment, Tu Lishan's "empty promise" alarm blared in his mind, and he immediately realized, "No, Director Gao probably doesn't expect Zhang Yu to actually surpass Ji Yuanxu and take first place in the class. He's merely using the chance of becoming a registered disciple as bait, dangling it in front of Zhang Yu to keep him pushing himself relentlessly."

Still, Tu Lishan understood that even being offered such a 'carrot' by Director Gao was a testament to Zhang Yu's excellence, as ordinary students wouldn't even get such an opportunity.

Observing the shifting expressions on Zhang Yu's face, Director Gao patted his shoulder and smiled. "Don't get too excited. What I promise, I deliver. Just go all out."

Zhang Yu, however, began to worry about something: "Damn it... if I perform too well in the Civil Engineering Department, will they prevent me from transferring to the Artifact Forging Department later? Will they force me to take him as a master? I don't want to spend my entire life on construction sites!"

Looking at Director Gao's smile, Zhang Yu finally asked, "Can I live in this dormitory with my current roommates?"

This was clearly a minor matter for Director Gao. He said casually, "The dormitory assigned to you is yours to manage as you see fit."

Leaving the Civil Engineering Department building, Zhang Yu suddenly realized that no contract had been signed for this arrangement.

Fu Ji chuckled, "For someone of his standing, signing a contract with you would be a self-imposed restriction. Without a contract, he has many ways to make you adhere to the agreement. But if he doesn't want to uphold it, there's nothing you can do."

Zhang Yu took a deep breath, thinking to himself, "I still need to continue getting stronger, richer, and keep climbing higher."

He then sent the news about the new dormitory to their dormitory group chat.

Yu Xinghan: A 15-square-meter mansion?!Le Mulan: It's much closer to the classrooms here.Zhang Pianpian: This superior dormitory provides a good amount of resources each month.

That same evening, Zhang Yu, along with Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and Zhang Pianpian, moved into the dormitory on the 318th floor. Looking at the dormitory, which had expanded from 5 to 15 square meters, Zhang Yu felt that standing there, his body no longer needed to suppress his muscles so much, and his limbs could finally stretch out a little.

Zhang Yu then sent the discounted medicine list to Le Mulan, asking, "Mulan, could you help me see which of these medicines are more cost-effective and suitable for me?"

Just then, someone mentioned him in the Foundation Establishment Class group chat.

"Was it Ji Yuanxu?"

Myriad Manifestations University City.

Inside a 100-square-meter suite on the 450th floor.

Ji Yuanxu's consciousness returned from the depths of the spirit world, concluding his one-on-one specialized finance course. Over the past semester, although he was a student in the Civil Engineering Department, he hadn't focused much on its specialized courses. Instead, he had concentrated on the Finance Department's curriculum. After all, according to his plan, he was merely a transient in the Civil Engineering Department; the Finance Department was his true destination in the future. And the prodigies in the Finance Department were his true competitors for the future.

For Ji Yuanxu, as long as he could ensure he maintained the top rank in his class, he should dedicate more energy to his finance courses, preparing for future competition in that department.

Just then, a message appeared in his ocular display, from his master, Vice Director Lin of the Civil Engineering Department.

Vice Director Lin: What's going on? Why did you only lead the second-place student by 26 points in the final exam ranking this time?

Sensing the reproach and disappointment in his master's message, Ji Yuanxu quickly explained, "Because I spent more time on the specialized courses in the Finance Department."

Vice Director Lin: Are you saying that after studying finance, your grades are worse than if you had only studied civil engineering? Is that what I meant by telling you to study finance?

Ji Yuanxu did not reply. Instead, his mind recalled what his master had once told him.

"Yuanxu, the Civil Engineering Department... it's like picking up scraps in a mud pit after others have eaten their fill. If you only focus on engineering in civil construction and don't involve yourself in finance, you'll spend your whole life toiling on construction sites. Even if you manage to generate some income during the university wars, it'll only be a meager survival, picking at leftovers. Only by grasping Qi Luck and leaning on the great trend of humanity can you advance further."

These memories flashed through Ji Yuanxu's mind.

At this moment, Vice Director Lin continued sending messages: This year, regardless of the grade level, we must suppress them and completely drive down their stock prices. Make good use of the skills you've learned in the Finance Department. For the freshman year's final comprehensive score, I want you to lead the second-place student by more than 100 points.

Ji Yuanxu did not refuse Vice Director Lin's demand. He knew that in this struggle over the Civil Engineering Department's direction, his position was merely a small part of the conflict, and he had no right to refuse. Moreover... he also felt confident that he could achieve it.

"I have indeed grasped the basics of the Finance Department's Qi Luck Daoist arts," he murmured. "In that case, I might as well put my skills to a small test."

Checking the current class rankings, Ji Yuanxu lightly tapped his finger, and the Finance Department's Qi Luck divination service appeared in his ocular display. The rankings and grades of Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin, as well as their spending lists, loan records, work hours, class performance, health status, addresses, income, savings, and other data, all appeared. Following this, predictions for their interests, personalities, potential, lifespan, and other details also surfaced one by one.

Ji Yuanxu murmured, "According to the final Qi Luck predictions, these two have no chance of surpassing me."

Then, the data for all his classmates also appeared, helping Ji Yuanxu anticipate each individual's thoughts.

"In the eyes of most people, victory will undoubtedly be mine. The hearts of the people and the general trend are all in my hands."

Having confirmed the general trend, Ji Yuanxu understood that the next step was to further influence people's minds and leverage Qi Luck.