Chapter 530: 望师成龙和镇压混乱

Originally, with the recent economic crisis causing difficulties across all industries, Zhang Yu had expected that experiments related to the Nascent Soul Magic Cadavers would also face delays.

“By my calculations... Master's progress in refining the magic artifacts hasn't been delayed at all. It's as if he's completely unaffected by external events.”

Realizing this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but marvel at True Lord Magnetic Pole's focus and the school's commitment to the Nascent Soul Magic Cadaver project.

“After all, this matter must be highly valued by the school's Nascent Soul Sovereigns,” he mused. “To remain unaffected even amidst the conflicts of Nascent Soul cultivation, it's probably only projects that represent Nascent Soul interests that can achieve this.” Thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. Zhang Yu then eagerly began to investigate the effects of "Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things." Through his active perception, he gradually understood the true utility of this ability. He closed his eyes slightly, and the design blueprint for the Karma Relic appeared in his mind. “I want to reduce the manufacturing cost of the Karma Relic!”

In an instant, sparks of thought ignited in Zhang Yu's mind. His entire intellect began operating at an unprecedented speed. Countless pieces of knowledge he had acquired, magic artifacts he had seen, and blueprints he had studied, all flashed before him like millions of fleeting lightning bolts.

The next moment, a brand-new design blueprint for the Karma Relic emerged in Zhang Yu's mind. It was the result of his thoughts, which, in that instant, instinctively linked and applied the vast accumulated knowledge in his mind, leading to this design breakthrough.

According to the results on this new design blueprint, it could reduce the manufacturing cost of the old version of the Karma Relic by approximately 32%!

Although this outdated version of the Karma Relic had long been phased out by the market, this improvement still allowed Zhang Yu to perceive the true potential of "Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things." It was an ability that continuously enhanced his artifact-refining design skills through learning, transforming all the knowledge he usually acquired, the magic artifacts he observed, and the blueprints he studied into a stored foundation.

When needed, it could instantly integrate all this information to improve certain magic artifacts and design blueprints, optimizing them in terms of fundamental attributes such as weight, manufacturing cost, material strength, and legal storage.

As he mastered more knowledge and blueprints, the optimizations he could design became increasingly powerful, especially for magic artifacts of the same type, where the effect was even more pronounced.

“This is an ability that can be continuously strengthened simply by learning and copying,” Zhang Yu mused to himself.

At that moment, Zhang Yu seemed to feel an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He then thought, “The more one copies, the stronger one becomes. So, a teacher with this ability would likely observe many similar magic artifacts before improving their own!”

He then recalled the Yang-type cadaver artifacts his master had recently refined with him, and he mused, “Master probably has a collection of Yang-type artifact designs from different brands and schools stored in his recent 'favorites' folder!”

However, the next moment, Zhang Yu felt a dizzy spell and his mind became somewhat muddled. “Have the side effects arrived?” he wondered.

Zhang Yu opened his Feathered Tome and saw the Dao Heart data displayed there. It had changed from Level 20 to Level 19.86!

Zhang Yu mused, “Using 'Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things' to instinctively complete the modification and design of a magic artifact in an instant consumes rationality, causing mental turbulence and instability of will. The result is a decrease in Dao Heart level. The more demanding the modification or design, the greater the impact on the Dao Heart!”

“However, this slight drop in Dao Heart level won't take long to recover, probably within a week,” he thought. Although the Dao Heart level would quickly restore itself, it made Zhang Yu realize that the ability of "Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things" could not be used without restraint.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had already recorded the design blueprint from his mind. Although he himself had no use for the Karma Relic, and this old version likely wouldn't be competitive compared to the new versions on the market—just as an optimized Eye Cadaver from 10 years ago certainly couldn't compare to a modern new version—he still intended to save it, as it was a product of his expended Dao Heart. But as he recorded this new design blueprint, he noticed something unusual. “Hmm, why do I not quite understand some parts? Logically speaking, I've already advanced the Karma Relic to Level 20, and all the knowledge and technologies it contains, such as critical transmission technology and internal sensing technology, should be deeply mastered by me!”

Zhang Yu recalled everything about the Karma Relic, which instantly appeared in his mind as if it had been refined countless times through customization and thoroughly assimilated. He then looked at the new blueprint before him again and found certain parts he genuinely couldn't comprehend. This lack of understanding wasn't about how to refine the Karma Relic according to the new design, but rather, why these specific modifications were made.

“Why is this? It was clearly based on my own thoughts, my own accumulated knowledge...”

Suddenly, Zhang Yu paused slightly, then whispered to himself, “Could it be... no way?”

At that moment, Zhang Yu suddenly thought of the Grand Purity Realm he shared with his sister, and then of the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo he had copied from Bai Zhenzhen.

Zhang Yu wondered, “Did I just use Master's accumulated knowledge when activating 'Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things' to create this new design blueprint?”

Zhang Yu looked at the star map-like blueprint before him with some shock. The more he looked, the more convinced he became that his guess was correct. “Did I just combine my knowledge with Master's to create a new design blueprint?”

As he thought this, Zhang Yu gradually grew excited. “No wonder I thought this Karma Relic, despite being an old version, had such a significant cost reduction of 32% with the new blueprint – it was more impressive than I expected! Was it because my design just now incorporated the accumulated knowledge of my master?”

“Excellent, excellent, True Lord Magnetic Pole, you truly are my good master!” At this moment, Zhang Yu's desire for his master to succeed reached an unprecedented peak. He deeply hoped that his master would diligently study, preferably copying all the magic artifacts in the world!

“Master shouldn't just rely on his own learning,” he thought. “I should also appropriately push him, helping him upgrade his Dao Seed. Not only will 'Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things' be useful to me, but if it could also spur Master to achieve Nascent Soul cultivation, that would be even better!”

Zhang Yu understood that compared to the day he himself achieved Nascent Soul cultivation, it would clearly be easier for his master to achieve it, and for him to become a Nascent Soul disciple.

So, the next day, Zhang Yu once again went to True Lord Magnetic Pole's laboratory. He used the opportunity to observe the conditions for upgrading his master's Dao Seed. For "Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things" to upgrade to Level 2, would it require jointly refining artifacts with a refinement complexity of Level 30 or higher?

Zhang Yu gasped as he looked at this condition. “With my current level, this is probably not something that can be easily accomplished in a short time!”

Zhang Yu knew that it was only by seizing the opportunity with the Nascent Soul Magic Cadaver project that he, as a reference material, barely managed to refine one cadaver artifact alongside True Lord Magnetic Pole. Now, he needed to find 10 similar opportunities! How could it be that simple?

Nevertheless, Zhang Yu knew that as long as he persevered, this task would eventually be completed.

He also began to look forward to the effects of "Heavenly Craftsmanship: The Exploitation of Things" at Level 2.

True Lord Magnetic Pole, standing nearby, glanced at Zhang Yu and thought, “This kid, why does he look at me so strangely?”

True Lord Magnetic Pole advised, “Remember to keep a low profile during this period, spend less money, avoid drawing attention, and dedicate more time to your studies.”

Zhang Yu seized the opportunity to ask, “Master, will this economic crisis last much longer?”

True Lord Magnetic Pole replied, “Not too long. The higher-ups won't stand by and watch these old geezers cause chaos. Even if a university war is truly going to happen, this haphazard fighting isn't the way they want it to go. I estimate it won't be long before someone calls a halt once their interests are affected. In short, for now, you should hide safely in your own quarters, patiently wait for the storm to pass, and don't bother with anything else!”

On his way back to his dormitory, Zhang Yu received a message from Director Gao. Director Gao: “Zhang Yu, there's something I need your help with!”

Director Gao: “The construction site on the 670th floor has been a bit chaotic recently; it needs someone to restore order!”

With various construction sites temporarily halted and all kinds of formations requiring urgent maintenance, Universal Law University, in Director Gao's view, had already stepped one foot into a state of war. Under these circumstances, most ordinary projects were suspended, leaving many general laborers without work. However, the high-end talents from the Civil Engineering Department were assigned to various critical positions, responsible for maintaining formations, spiritual veins, and defense structures, making their work busier than usual.

As a result, construction sites like the one on the 670th floor suddenly became chaotic due to the lack of powerful individuals to oversee them. This was especially true because many workers on site were Foundation Establishment cultivators who had graduated years ago and had come there for odd jobs due to recent unemployment. Relying on their seniority and experience, they often overstepped boundaries, leading to increases in material loss, surveillance damage, and missing demon-bloodline workers.

When Zhang Yu arrived at the construction site, he saw many people affecting each other, obstructing work, and even fighting over tasks.

Looking at the 670th floor construction site, a flicker of curiosity arose in Zhang Yu's mind. 'The construction of new floors in University City hasn't stopped. Is it because this is also a project that concerns Nascent Soul cultivators?'

Zhang Yu said nothing further. He simply activated the Heaven Kunlun Mountain-Shifting Divine Power, unleashing a violent Earth Fiend gravity that swept across the entire site. It lifted concrete, rolled up steel, and instantly completed a vast amount of construction work. As Zhang Yu silently completed the tasks with his formidable strength, the workers on the site gradually became awed by his divine power and grew obedient.

Order was gradually restored under Zhang Yu's suppression. During this process, Zhang Yu saw Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang outside the construction site. Since they couldn't compete with the graduates inside for work, they were quietly squatting outside, watching the busy workers inside the site with longing, envious eyes.

Shi Yunxiang's face was noticeably gaunt, his fur had dried out considerably, and he had many more white hairs. His face also showed a hint of wariness towards his surroundings and a look of terrified desperation. Clearly, things had not been going well for him lately.

Beside him, Ying Xin's cadaver artifact showed obvious wear and tear, especially her right arm, which hung crookedly, clearly malfunctioning. She looked like a stray dog with a broken leg.