Chapter 523: Hype and Superiors - Talent in Refining Tools

"Hahahahaha."

Jin Jun found it amusing and laughed aloud.

Given his current skill level, he couldn't possibly consider Zhang Yu a true rival.

After his laughter subsided, however, he realized he couldn't simply walk away as if nothing had happened.

After all, by publicly declaring his intentions, Zhang Yu had essentially issued a direct challenge, proposing to compete with him in the artifact forging project.

If he were to leave without a word, it could negatively impact his reputation as an artifact forger.

Especially considering Zhang Yu and the assistants like Zi Yunzhen standing by—Jin Jun didn't know their personalities.

What if they were all as talkative as Feng Tingting?

If rumors spread that Zhang Yu had openly challenged him and Jin Jun had hastily departed without a word, wouldn't he be unjustly slandered?

So, Jin Jun smiled faintly and extended a finger.

A shimmer of light appeared at his fingertip, projecting a set of numbers that steadily grew larger.

"This is the funding I've currently raised for the Blazing Sun God project."

As Jin Jun spoke, the numbers at his fingertip continued to expand, quickly reaching 300 spirit coins and then rapidly climbing even higher.

With the display of these spirit coin figures, the Spirit Realm vibrated with swirling light and shadows, and a faint murmuring seemed to rise throughout the world.

Legends say that in ancient times, when immortals descended, the world would manifest auspicious signs like conch shells blowing, heavenly flowers falling, radiant glows, and mythical beasts galloping.

In the modern era, the display of a large amount of spirit coins similarly triggered various phenomena.

When the numbers at Jin Jun's fingertip surged to 300, the surrounding light and shadow distortions formed various advertisements: financial planning, magical artifacts, gambling—all seemingly vying to attract spirit coin investments.

As the numbers at Jin Jun's fingertip reached 600, a chorus of calls emanated from the depths of the Spirit Realm. Countless soul cultivators softly chanted Jin Jun's name, eager to recommend funds, residences, and various luxurious goods to him.

In the air around them, faint divine energy surged, indicating that the substantial display of spirit coins had attracted the attention of the divine power network and was being meticulously recorded.

Simultaneously, the bank's premium client features activated, and special effects verifying the authenticity of the funds began to unfold.

Auspicious light and energy descended, transforming into spirit coin figures that floated in every corner of the air, confirming the account's balance.

As the funds increased, the verification methods progressively escalated. Layers of emotionless voices began to murmur Jin Jun's name and balance, further confirming the funds' authenticity.

User Jin Jun, account balance: 642 Spirit Coins!

Watching this scene, Zi Yunzhen felt as if the entire world was shouting that number.

Her purple irises, shimmering with the glow of spirit coins, slightly dilated. Only one thought remained in her mind: "As expected of a prodigy aiming for the Blazing Sun God... He's so rich! He's so powerful!"

The two other assistants beside her were equally astonished, a single thought rising in their minds: "With such vast funds, such abundant research capital, how can Zhang Yu possibly compete with him? How could he ever measure up?"

Jin Jun looked with satisfaction at the numbers at his fingertip and the phenomena triggered by the large display of spirit coins.

To maximize the project's success rate, he had meticulously prepared for the Blazing Sun God. These 642 spirit coins comprised savings, loans, and investments—Jin Jun had utilized every possible method to raise funds.

As he retracted his finger, and the spirit coin balance vanished, the various phenomena across the world dissipated one by one.

Next, Jin Jun spread his five fingers and swept his hand through the air before him.

Instantly, lines of artifact data were projected into the air, appearing directly before everyone like stacks of documents.

Magical artifacts were the culmination of an artifact forger's work, and their parameters were the best way to display the forging results.

As the top student in the Artifact Forging department, Jin Jun naturally always had his artifact parameters ready to be sent out at any moment.

If he encountered other artifact forgers, they would only need to glance at his artifacts and their parameters to understand Jin Jun's skill level and areas of expertise.

But what if he encountered artifact forgers who couldn't understand them?

For example, Zi Yunzhen and the two other assistants, looking at the lines of artifact parameters floating in the air, found it incredibly difficult. They had to look up information to comprehend the meaning of each number.

This was because these artifacts were either designs taught in upper-level courses or artifacts not included in the university curriculum—all blueprints that Zi Yunzhen and her colleagues had not yet studied.

Zhang Yu, on his part, could only infer from the artifact names that the contained technologies were related to the Blazing Sun God, as he had previously asked Fu Ji to compile similar statistics.

Soon, Zi Yunzhen understood the level of these artifacts through the comments below their parameters.

Pinned comment from True Monarch Magneto-Pole: Ingenious. Building on years of stable versions, further improvements have been made that are more suitable for the forger...

Besides this, Zi Yunzhen also saw evaluations from teachers and students like True Monarch Thunder-Pole, True Person Nine Forges, and Yan Qianji.

However, upon seeing True Monarch Thunder-Pole's comment, Jin Jun frowned slightly, then swept his hand across the air and deleted it.

As Zi Yunzhen and the others looked at these individual commendations, it seemed as if they were seeing a series of endorsements validating Jin Jun's artifact forging skill.

At the same time, Jin Jun calmly stated, "To complete the Blazing Sun God, I have not only prepared ample research funds but have also accumulated sufficient technical knowledge over the past few years."

"Each of these artifacts represents my journey, embodying the various technologies I will need when forging the prototype of the Blazing Sun God."

"To validate my skill, I've invited many teachers and top students to appraise these artifacts and offer their critiques, seeking only to identify deficiencies and make further progress."

Jin Jun said nothing more, but everyone present felt his absolute confidence.

Zi Yunzhen secretly thought, "With money, skill, and connections, Senior Jin Jun is truly well-prepared and confident this time. What's Zhang Yu even fighting for?"

Ye Xingli thought to herself, "Jin Jun's preparations are more thorough than I anticipated. It seems next year, the Artifact Forging department will have another Blazing Sun God."

After Jin Jun finished speaking and showcased his artifact forging prowess, he had no intention of staying longer.

He believed Zhang Yu must already regret his recent decision and would soon come to beg to join his project.

"At that point, the conditions won't be as favorable as they were just now," he mused.

With that thought, Jin Jun bid farewell to Ye Xingli and turned to leave.

However, before leaving the laboratory, Jin Jun paused again and said to everyone, "Regarding what I just discussed, you may disclose it if you wish; there's no need to keep it confidential for me."

"My project still welcomes all interested individuals to submit their applications."

As Jin Jun departed, the entire laboratory fell silent once more.

Zhang Yu, as if nothing had happened, returned to his experimental bench and continued practicing his artifact forging techniques.

Zi Yunzhen, who was cleaning materials nearby, occasionally glanced at Zhang Yu, thinking to herself, "He's probably very unsettled right now, isn't he? I bet he'll go and humble himself before Senior Jin Jun in a few days."

Subsequently, the events that transpired in the laboratory that day gradually circulated within the Artifact Forging department.

When Su Yunni, the top student in their class, learned about it, her first reaction was that it was a publicity stunt. Su Yunni remarked in a small group chat: "There's no way anyone would be so foolish as to directly compete with Jin Jun, who's been preparing for years and has already mastered the 'Grand Void Divine Artifact Codex,' right after transferring departments?"

Su Yunni: "He's displaying funds, displaying techniques... I'd say it's 80% likely that Jin Jun wants to create some buzz and promote his project, which is why he roped Zhang Yu into being his stooge."

Su Yunni: "I bet it won't be long before Zhang Yu voluntarily concedes and joins Jin Jun's project, allowing them to drum up publicity once more."

Zi Yunzhen read this and suddenly understood: "Right, this is a coordinated publicity stunt between the two of them. After all this hype, many people will probably submit applications to Jin Jun, and some might even invest in or loan him money."

Regardless of the external buzz, after announcing his intention to forge a prototype, Zhang Yu continued with his plan at his own pace.

In the days that followed, he showed no haste, continuing as before to quietly practice his artifact forging techniques daily, seizing every moment to complete the accumulation required for the 'Artifact Forging Prodigy' achievement.

Jin Jun's display of strength certainly put pressure on Zhang Yu, but it also ignited even greater fighting spirit within him.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed, bringing them to the end of June.

On this day, Zhang Yu finally completed the practice of his eighth artifact forging technique.

Senior Artifact Forging Prodigy (8/8): Artifact quality and forging success rate significantly increase.

Gazing at the second-tier effects of 'Artifact Forging Prodigy,' Zhang Yu's eyes narrowed. After some exploration, he understood how these effects worked.

The 'artifact quality' referred to the quality of products forged, such as magical artifacts and construct bodies.

Even when the same person forged the same type of artifact, the quality of each creation would inevitably vary, showing differences in strength, power, and other aspects.

A 'significant increase in artifact quality' meant that every artifact forged would approach the limits of one's ability and design, achieving the best possible effects in terms of strength, power, might, magical energy storage, response speed, and range of influence.

The 'forging success rate,' on the other hand, referred to reducing errors during the forging process.

Every error during forging represented a waste of materials.

A 'significant increase in forging success rate' thus meant improved material utilization, which could effectively reduce forging costs.

Overall, the combined effects of the second tier of 'Artifact Forging Prodigy' significantly enhanced the cost-effectiveness of Zhang Yu's forging.

A slight smile touched his lips as he considered this, realizing his efforts had indeed not been in vain.

With this second-tier effect, he would undoubtedly have a significant advantage in the upcoming competition for the Blazing Sun God.