Chapter 512: I Won’t Pretend Anymore — I’m a Refinement Master

Watching Zhang Yu accept the blueprint, True Lord Magneto nodded slightly to himself.

He thought, “It’s not a bad idea to take some time to solidify his foundation — study properly for a few years, earn his Class A Military License, and then begin practicing Artifact Refinement. That might actually be the wiser path.”

“If he can’t persist, joining the Artifact Design Competition later wouldn’t be a bad backup either.”

True Lord Magneto wasn’t surprised by Zhang Yu’s decision, only curious how long the boy could stick to it — and whether he’d change his mind along the way.

“All right.” True Lord Magneto waved his hand. “I’ve told you everything that needs telling. Someone will come by soon to handle your transfer paperwork. Just follow their lead.”

“Go on.”

Zhang Yu nodded and was about to leave.

But just before turning away, his eyes flashed, his gaze fixing tightly on True Lord Magneto’s chest.

A moment ago, he had seen something — a few faint characters seemed to shimmer across the man’s chest.

Sensing Zhang Yu’s look, True Lord Magneto tilted his head. “What is it?”

Zhang Yu quickly shook his head. “Nothing.”

But in his heart, he muttered, “Was that… a Dao Seed?”

“Did I just see the Dao Seed on True Lord Magneto’s body?”

“Too bad it was only for an instant — I couldn’t see what it was.”

“If that really was a Dao Seed, then it must be something that boosts Artifact Refinement efficiency.”

Zhang Yu’s mind stirred. “I’ll have to visit my teacher more often in the future — and hopefully, one day, I can copy that Dao Seed for myself.”

Then he turned his attention to the blueprint of the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype and felt a surge of excitement.

He instructed, “Fu Ji, help me analyze this blueprint. Extract all the key technologies True Lord Magneto summarized inside, then make a list of existing Artifacts that involve those same principles.”

That way, Zhang Yu could save a great deal of research time — all he’d need to do later was practice by replicating those Artifacts in order.

“Ah?” said Fu Ji. “Me?”

Zhang Yu said seriously, “The company’s in crisis right now. Shouldn’t you be doing your best to ease your boss’s burden?”

As for Zhang Yu himself, he didn’t rush to study the blueprint. Instead, he ran straight toward the construction site on the 669th floor.

Ever since finishing the final round of the Civil Engineering Competition, he’d been short on cash — and that made him uneasy.

From the competition to the celebration banquet, to visiting the Finance Department and meeting True Lord Magneto — things had come one after another, leaving him no time to catch his breath.

He thought to himself, “With this little money… just bumping into a few people on the road could bankrupt me.”

“No, I need to make some quick money — just to calm down.”

So, familiar as ever, he arrived at the top-floor site and started working under his personal ID.

The Finance Department might have leveraged its connections to freeze his company’s contracts, but they couldn’t stop him from doing day labor.

Many workers nearby whispered in the Spiritual Realm as they watched.

“Zhang Yu’s actually back here doing labor work?”

“Yeah. Guess that’s what you get for offending the Finance Department. Even with his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might, a military-grade power, he’s still doing the same grunt work as us.”

“He got too full of himself. Just because he took first place in a cross-campus competition, he thought he could challenge the Finance Lords? The Civil Engineering Department is still just the Civil Engineering Department.”

Nearby, Ji Yuanshu circled around out of curiosity when he heard the rumor.

He watched Zhang Yu reach out a single palm, manipulating steel bars and cement in midair — the materials seemed to come alive, breaking apart, twisting, molding, and pouring themselves into shape.

Ji Yuanshu’s expression grew complicated.

Everyone in the Civil Engineering Department had already heard the news: Zhang Yu had rejected the Finance Department’s invitation.

He looked at Zhang Yu, working diligently on the site, and thought, “What’s this guy thinking? Rejecting the Finance Department’s offer — does he even realize what an opportunity that was? That was a straight path to the top!”

He simply couldn’t understand Zhang Yu’s logic.

But Zhang Yu didn’t care about the looks he got.

To him, work was work. And with his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might, his pay rate per task wasn’t bad at all. The glowing numbers of piecework pay kept climbing steadily in his ocular display.

Just then, a few foremen approached, looking awkward.

“Student Zhang, sorry… there’s been a bit of a mix-up. Your job here’s already been reassigned. We don’t really have any more openings that suit you.”

Zhang Yu frowned slightly. “Even this 669th-floor site is under the Finance Department’s control?”

One foreman sighed helplessly. “The real estate company funding the University City construction has always been under the Finance Department’s umbrella. Please, don’t make things hard for us.”

Zhang Yu shook his head, said nothing more, collected his wages, and went off to find another site — one without the Finance Department’s background.

He thought bitterly, “Those guys from Finance really hold grudges.”

Fu Ji said, “That’s how it is — obey and prosper, defy and perish. Without striking fear, how could they maintain authority? For the Finance Department, dominance and reputation are the real tools of efficient investment and luck control.”

“But don’t worry. Once the Artifact Refinement Department backs you, you’ll have your own protection soon enough. What’s the rush to earn cash?”

“If you’re that uneasy about being broke,” she added slyly, “just pull some funds from your company.”

Zhang Yu blinked. “Pull funds from the company?”

Fu Ji replied, “Tell Zhao Tianxing and Mo Tianyi to delay their salaries. Use their pay for now — you can give it back later.”

Zhang Yu shook his head. “The vocational students and soul-cultivators are living paycheck to paycheck. They can’t afford delays… forget it.”

“Besides, with projects frozen, their income’s already down.”

Just then, he received a message from Ying Xin’s grandfather.

Ying Xin’s Grandfather:President Zhang, everyone at the company has talked it over. We know times are tough, so we’ll take odd jobs for now.

Ying Xin’s Grandfather:You don’t need to rush to pay our salaries. Once things stabilize, that’ll be soon enough.

Fu Ji scoffed. “Hmph, he’s just flattering you. Paying them on time was already generous — now he’s pretending it’s his idea to let you delay? He just wants to stay on your good side, knowing you’re joining the Artifact Refinement Department.”

At that moment, a familiar face appeared before Zhang Yu.

It was Li Xiao, his face covered in dust. “Senior Brother, you all right?”

Zhang Yu smiled faintly. “What could possibly happen to me?”

Soon after, Ying Xin, Gongshu Jin, Yu Xinghan, and Shi Yunxiang also came by, expressing concern about his conflict with the Finance Department.

Meanwhile, more messages flowed through Zhang Yu’s ocular feed.

Feng Tingting:You okay? The Civil Engineering Department can’t stand up to Finance. Maybe Senior Sister Ye Xingli can talk to True Lord Magneto for you.

Just as Zhang Yu passed through the construction gate, another notification arrived.

His Cross-Campus Competition Champion Record had been registered into Wanfa University’s system — his comprehensive score skyrocketed instantly.

Before the eyes of the workers, guards, and students nearby, Zhang Yu’s aura surged as his ranking soared: 20th… 15th… 10th…

Finally, it stopped at 8th place.

Gasps and exclamations erupted around him.

At the same time, the school credited him 20 Spirit Coins, easing his financial troubles just a little.

And then another message arrived — this one from True Man Lianhuo of the Artifact Refinement Department.

True Man Lianhuo:Hello, Zhang Yu. I’m your future homeroom teacher in the Artifact Refinement Department.

True Man Lianhuo:The director asked me to help with your transfer paperwork. I’ll need a few materials from you.

During the exchange, Zhang Yu learned something new: transferring from the Civil Engineering Department to the Artifact Refinement Department came with penalties.

In particular, competition-based points were subject to conversion rates — officially due to “disciplinary weighting factors,” but to Zhang Yu it was obvious professional bias. His comprehensive score was cut nearly in half.

True Man Lianhuo:Do you want to change dorms? I can help arrange that.

Zhang Yu:Not for now.

Though he didn’t plan to move, he still had to check with Director Gao since his current dorm had been arranged through the Civil Engineering Department.

To those watching him in real life, Zhang Yu suddenly seemed frozen mid-stride.

Li Xiao murmured, “What’s Senior Brother doing?”

Ying Xin said softly, “Probably updating rankings. His score boost must have gone through — he’s likely talking with the new department head.”

Gongshu Jin sighed. “Ugh, must be another Finance-related issue. Their influence really reaches everywhere.”

Thinking that even the Civil Engineering Department’s top student couldn’t escape that web left them all uneasy.

But then, Zhang Yu’s ranking indicator flickered again.

Li Xiao frowned. “Wait… it’s still moving?”

This time, however, it wasn’t rising — it was falling.

Yet even as it dropped, the aura around Zhang Yu exploded upward.

Gasps echoed everywhere. His departmental tag had changed — from the dull gray of Civil Engineering 8th Place to the radiant gold of Artifact Refinement 48th Place.

The Refinement Master has arrived.

Li Xiao shouted, “Senior Brother! You—you—you transferred to the Artifact Refinement Department?”

Zhang Yu smiled faintly. “I wanted to stay in Civil Engineering, build up my foundation. But in return, all I got was insult and suppression from Finance.”

“So I’ve decided not to pretend anymore.”

“I’m done hiding.”

“I’m a student of the Artifact Refinement Department.”

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