Chapter 513: Who Says Switching Majors Is Inferior to Pureblood

Upon seeing the message from Ye Xingli, Zhang Yu's eyes lit up.

Although Zhang Yu had decided to first pursue the prototype creation of the Blazing Sun Deity after transferring to the Artifact Forging Department, he didn't immediately begin that process. Instead, he continued accumulating for the "Artifact Forging Prodigy." After all, sharpening the axe doesn't delay chopping wood. Given Zhang Yu's understanding of the Chain Magic Diagram set, the "Artifact Forging Prodigy" had a high probability of having a long-term effect on his future path in artifact forging. In particular, he had now advanced both the Treasure Appraisal Art and the Dragon Vein Treasure Casting Art to Level 20, and the Fire Control Divine Mirror had reached Level 10. He was getting closer to the six cultivation methods required for the first-tier effect of the "Artifact Forging Prodigy"!

According to Zhang Yu's own estimation, it should be completed within two months!

The only thing that still troubled him was money!

"Everything about the path of artifact forging is great, except it's too expensive!"

"Practicing with artifact blueprints costs money!"

"And cultivating artifact forging techniques costs even more money!"

To cultivate the Fire Control Divine Mirror, Zhang Yu not only had to buy fire seeds to condense the true fire qi, but also needed artifacts for practice! After all, this cultivation method involved controlling true fire to refine artifacts, enhancing their material strength and resistance to high temperatures! In this process, even though Zhang Yu bought used artifacts, it still cost him a lot of spirit coins!

Initially, his Fire Control Divine Mirror level was too low, and his skills were poor, so he only bought the cheapest used artifacts, all below Level 3, just for practice. The advantage was that they were cheap enough, but these already low-level artifacts, after being refined by his low-level Fire Control Divine Mirror, were mostly unsellable for a return on investment! To be honest, Zhang Yu didn't initially think these practice-enhanced "junk" artifacts could be sold. Later, he learned that even vocational college students had a need for artifacts, but their purchasing power was simply too weak!

Zhang Yu still remembered that the more he practiced then, the more spirit coins he spent. At its peak, his account would decrease by nearly 10 spirit coins in a single day! Later, as his Fire Control Divine Mirror level gradually increased, Zhang Yu also tried buying slightly higher-level artifacts, such as Level 5, Level 9, Level 10, and Level 11 artifacts! After his repeated tests, he found that Level 11 artifacts, after being refined by his Fire Control Divine Mirror, were the easiest to sell! This was especially true for artifacts like the Earth-Suppressing Seal and the Fiend Earth Bottle, which could be used in civil engineering construction!

"Level 11 artifacts reach the Foundation Establishment level, a qualitative improvement in performance compared to artifacts below Level 10!"

"And artifacts used for construction often don't need to pursue extremes; they just need to be a bit sturdier and more durable. Many people aren't willing to use Level 20 artifacts for overtime work!"

"So, for construction sites, Level 11 artifacts are the most practical, being lower in cost and higher in efficiency!"

This way, his practice artifacts could be sold more easily to recoup some costs, significantly alleviating Zhang Yu's spirit coin consumption for cultivating the Fire Control Divine Mirror!

"Now that the Fire Control Divine Mirror is Level 10, besides selling semi-finished practice products secondhand to civil engineering students, I can also offer custom services, refining other people's artifacts while cultivating the technique!" Zhang Yu estimated that by spending and earning simultaneously, he would probably need another 15 to 20 spirit coins to push the Fire Control Divine Mirror to Level 20!

Every time he thought of this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but sigh with emotion! Fortunately, the artifacts in Kunxu were different from those he'd seen in wuxia novels in his previous life; they wouldn't last for decades or even centuries after being forged. Otherwise, he wouldn't know whom to sell so many artifacts to! Artifacts here in Kunxu would experience wear and tear with use, leading to decreased durability and performance. They required maintenance, repairs, and would eventually become outdated, obsolete, and scrapped...

Zhang Yu once complained that Kunxu's artifacts weren't durable enough, but ever since he embarked on the path of artifact forging, he gradually understood how narrow-minded he had been in the past! "If an artifact could be used for generations without needing repairs or maintenance, would that be reasonable? How would our Artifact Forging Department make a living?" "If it weren't for recouping costs by selling artifacts, I probably wouldn't have enough even if I burned 100 spirit coins to push this Fire Control Divine Mirror to Level 20. Then, there would really be no hope for the path of artifact forging!" "But after 'Artifact Forging Prodigy' is completed, who knows how many spirit coins it will cost to forge the prototype of the Blazing Sun Deity. I still need to seize the time to make money!"

Zhang Yu checked his bank account. Although a 20 spirit coin reward had been deposited, he had paid for the Seven Abyssal Bone Artifact of Mo Shangjin, disbursed salaries to company employees, and burned money cultivating the Fire Control Divine Mirror! Zhang Yu's account balance quickly dwindled to less than 3 spirit coins!

"Sigh, the more I earn, the faster I cultivate; the faster I cultivate, the more money I spend per unit of time!"

"These spirit coins are truly never enough!"

In this state of financial constraint, Zhang Yu was naturally delighted to see Ye Xingli's new order for the Dragon Vein Treasure Casting Art!

Zhang Yu: Accept.

Ye Xingli: [Zi Yunzhen]

Ye Xingli: Junior Brother, since you've officially joined the Artifact Forging Department, there's no need to hide many things anymore.

Ye Xingli: Just contact her directly yourself.

All this time, Ye Xingli had been consigning some artifacts and forging services for Zhang Yu under the instruction of True Monarch Ciji. The main purpose was to hide Zhang Yu's artifact forging abilities before he transferred departments! Now that Zhang Yu had successfully transferred, she was too lazy to cover for him anymore!

So, a moment later, Zhang Yu actively added Zi Yunzhen as a friend!

Zi Yunzhen, seeing Zhang Yu's friend request, was slightly stunned: "Why is this annoying civil engineering guy adding me? He couldn't possibly want to ask me about artifact forging courses, could he?!" Clicking on the content of the friend request, Zi Yunzhen was once again slightly stunned!

Zhang Yu: Need Dragon Vein Treasure Casting Art service.

Zi Yunzhen thought to herself: "Is this Zhang Yu acting as a middleman or salesperson? Which big data source leaked my needs?" Zi Yunzhen knew that many junior students in the Artifact Forging Department, if their skills weren't up to par, would use their background to work as salespeople or middlemen! Thinking that the other party might be an artifact forging material valued by True Monarch Ciji, Zi Yunzhen still accepted the friend request!

Zhang Yu: Excuse me, are you the one who needs the Dragon Vein Treasure Casting Art service?

Zi Yunzhen: Sorry, I've already hired someone.

Zhang Yu: Was it through Senior Sister Ye Xingli? Senior Sister is the one who sent me.

Zhang Yu: What artifact are you planning to imbue with Dragon Vein power?

Zi Yunzhen replied with a suspicious look: You know the Dragon Vein Treasure Casting Art?

Zi Yunzhen added: My requirements are very high. I don't need anyone with mediocre skills.

Zi Yunzhen: Junior Brother, you just transferred from the Civil Engineering Department. You should really focus on your classes first.

Zhang Yu saw her reply and knew he couldn't just ignore it! After all, in the artifact forging industry, an individual's reputation, like brand value, has always been very important. For example, is Extreme Tiger brand's technology really inferior to Myriad Dao Craftsman Sect or Vajra Profound Craft? In Zhang Yu's opinion, not necessarily! But in terms of price, Extreme Tiger brand simply couldn't outsell Myriad Dao Craftsman Sect, and its high-end models weren't recognized by anyone outside of the Immortal Soldier University faction! This is the difference brought by reputation, brand value, and brand prestige!

The same applies to individual cultivators. An artifact forger who transferred from the Civil Engineering Department might not necessarily be inferior to a pure-blood artifact forger. In Zhang Yu's view, absolutely not! But Zhang Yu understood that many people harbored such prejudices! At this point, he had to protect his artifact forging reputation and his personal brand value, just as one would protect brand value! After all, before he transferred departments, he was hidden behind Ye Xingli. Now, he had to make a name for himself! If he didn't properly maintain his personal brand, how would he earn money? And if he didn't earn money, how would he cultivate?

Especially since their current conversation was going into the chat log! If Zhang Yu backed down now, and Zi Yunzhen then went around spreading the chat log, pointing to its contents and saying: "This Zhang Yu just transferred to the Artifact Forging Department, knew nothing, yet wanted to offer custom services. I taught him a lesson and sent him back to class!" Such a "black history" would likely follow him for life. Perhaps every time he made news, good or bad, someone would jump out to mention it, significantly damaging his personal brand value! Zhang Yu couldn't just bet that Zi Yunzhen wouldn't do something like that, as he didn't know her personality or character! Although Zhang Yu didn't know many people in the Artifact Forging Department, he happened to know someone who would do something similar... though that person had now been "relegated" to civil engineering! This proportion was already not low!

So Zhang Yu simply replied: My Dragon Vein Treasure Casting Art is already Level 20. I've also taken several orders through Senior Sister Ye Xingli before, so my skill in this area is naturally not an issue.

Zhang Yu: Student Zi Yunzhen, if you have any doubts about this, you can take a look at my artifact, the "Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill."

Zi Yunzhen clicked to open it and found the network-connected parameter information of the other party's artifact. Her gaze immediately became serious! This act of sending artifact information was similar to how ancient cultivators would appraise each other's artifacts, a way for artifact forging cultivators to communicate! After all, no matter how much you talked, it wouldn't be as convincing as directly showcasing an artifact you forged yourself! And artifact forging was time and energy-consuming; one couldn't just fight everyone to demonstrate its power! At this point, appraising the other party's artifact was the best way to understand their forging skill level!

In modern times, it was even simpler! After all, the artifact system had been summarized by the Ten Great Sects, and various levels and parameters were clearly defined. A glance would reveal the approximate skill level of the forger, making it more useful than a resume for artifact forging cultivators! What if you encountered a situation where you couldn't even understand the parameters? That would naturally only mean your artifact forging skill was far inferior to the other party's!

Zi Yunzhen now looked at it carefully, planning to give her full evaluation after finishing.

Temperature: 39 degreesGang Qi Conductivity: 99Magic Power Storage: 999Spiritual Energy Circuits: 64 layersIntelligent Artifact Spirit: NoneDragon Vein Imbuement: 20 units...

Zi Yunzhen carefully read through each line of information. Although she hadn't put much effort into the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill and her current skill level was only Level 10, she could still understand these parameters!

"A Level 20 Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill!"

"And it's a layered fusion refinement of more than five pills..."

"It also underwent two refinements using the Dragon Vein Treasure Casting Art..."

The more Zi Yunzhen looked, the more she realized that the forging level of this Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill was exceptionally high!

"Was this really forged by Zhang Yu?"

At the end of all the parameters was the forger's information!

Forger: Myriad Law University, Zhang YuSecond Forging: Myriad Law University, Zhang Yu