Chapter 553: Ye Xingli’s Dao Seed

Inside the laboratory, Tianri Huangshen was wreathed in golden flames that streamed out from every inch of its body, each strand like a radiant ray of sunlight. The puppet floated in midair, bathed in its own blazing aura.

“Yun Zhen, record the next test,” Zhang Yu instructed.

At his words, Zi Yunzhen nodded repeatedly.

A moment later, Tianri Huangshen contracted sharply, shrinking to one-third of its original size before swelling again in an instant.

While recording the footage, Zi Yunzhen wrote down her observations: The Tianri Huangshen possesses a shape-shifting ability. Its minimum form is one-third its original size, and its maximum is triple its original size.

Then, Zhang Yu sent several blasts of gangqi at Tianri Huangshen.

Crackling explosions echoed through the lab as visible ripples flared across the puppet’s surface, rebounding the attacks in reverse waves.

Zi Yunzhen continued taking notes: Soundless Thunder—forms a directional sound barrier for defense against kinetic assaults.

Next, Tianri Huangshen shrank once more as streams of True Fire erupted from the opposite testing platform.

Moments later, Tianri Huangshen flickered within the flames, leaping rapidly between bursts of fire.

Fire-Evasion Transformation—Tianri Huangshen can partially transmute its body into a flame form and move at high speeds through the fire itself, Zi Yunzhen recorded.

After a few more tests, she stood beside Zhang Yu, assisting with measuring the efficiency of Zhang Yu’s control over Tianri Huangshen and the data exchange rate between man and machine.

Watching lines of figures flash across her EyeNet display, Zi Yunzhen couldn’t help but think, This Tianri Empathic Link transmits an enormous amount of data every second, sending all sensory information from Tianri Huangshen directly to the user’s body. The information flow is faster than even dual cultivation—like being in a constant synchronized state…

Meanwhile, through the Tianri Empathic Link, Zhang Yu felt as though he possessed an entirely new body.

It was a strange sensation—his human body and Tianri Huangshen felt like his left and right hands. He could control both simultaneously and experience all visual, auditory, and tactile feedback from both perspectives at once.

When the testing was complete, Zi Yunzhen’s eyes shone with excitement. “Boss, all base stats and functions have reached level 11—the peak of the Foundation Establishment field!”

“Should we submit the report?”

Zhang Yu shook his head. “Not yet. Let’s spend another half month improving the level further.”

Although level 11 was enough to qualify for a Military License, Zhang Yu wasn’t the type to gamble on minimum requirements. Failing the exam would mean waiting another year—a result he absolutely couldn’t accept.

He planned to keep refining Tianri Huangshen’s prototype, upgrading its performance and functionality step by step.

…

Days passed.

Inside the lab, while Zhang Yu was undergoing simulated training in the Supreme Purity Realm, he also browsed the Spirit Realm network out of habit.

When a few videos popped up in his hometown group chat, curiosity flickered in his eyes.

Shanhe University’s Lan Ling: [video]

Lan Ling: Such a pity I’m broke—if I had money, I’d totally support Ye Xingli.

Pleasure and Harmony University’s Lian Tianji: All these influencers are scammers. Even if you pay, you’ll never really meet them. Better spend your money on our Pleasure and Harmony streamers—you can actually dual cultivate with them.

Lan Ling: You don’t get it. Ye Xingli treats her fans really well—she doesn’t even look down on those from vocational schools.

Fengdu University’s Mo Tianyi: Yeah! Even if you’re poor, she won’t despise you.

Vajra University’s Chu Qiuhe: She’s totally different from other influencers.

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow—half the group seemed to be Ye Xingli’s fans.

Clicking on Lan Ling’s link, he found a highlight clip from Ye Xingli’s live stream.

Ye Xingli stood on a flying sword, her long legs gleaming like starlight. Around her swarmed countless other swords, all vying to hover beneath her feet.

“Selling flying swords through live stream?” Zhang Yu muttered.

After watching for a bit, he realized it wasn’t just simple product promotion.

Viewers could pay to mentally connect with one of the flying swords, controlling it like an artifact spirit to test its flight performance—such as how it felt to be the sword under Ye Xingli’s feet.

Watching the scene of countless swords gathering beneath her, Zhang Yu couldn’t help sighing—being an influencer was absurdly profitable.

The content reminded him of how the university had been training Ye Xingli lately.

For a genius ranked third in the Artifact Refinement Department and tenth in the entire university, soon to represent Wanfa University in the Top Ten League, one might think her education would focus on technical refinement and theory.

But Zhang Yu knew better.

Only ordinary schools focused solely on cultivating technical skill.

Elite institutions like Wanfa University, on the other hand, trained their prodigies to maximize their earning potential—broadening horizons by teaching them how to generate income.

For Ye Xingli, her training combined artifact refining and influencer marketing. She was continuously promoted, pushed to create videos, and required to live-stream more than eight hours a day.

In just over a month, her fanbase had exploded from three million to over six million. Her power, wealth, and cultivation potential were all skyrocketing.

Zhang Yu sighed. “Wanfa University really knows how to monetize education. Truly the pinnacle of Kunxu pedagogy—teach a man to make money!”

He mused aloud, “If I joined the school team and became a focus student, how would they train me?”

“More construction projects? No, I’ve already switched to artifact refining.”

“Maybe more outsourcing commissions?”

“Or... would they force me to do endless dual cultivation, since I’m branded a dual-cultivation genius?”

That thought made him uneasy. “How would I even refuse? What kind of ‘tests’ would they make me take?”

As Zhang Yu buried himself deeper in work on the Tianri Huangshen prototype, news from other research groups began to circulate.

Feng Tingting: The competition’s fierce this round. Three students from True Lord Beihai’s group got caught joining the Dual Cultivation Cult!

Feng Tingting: True Lord Yuanmo’s paper got exposed as fraudulent—he’s now facing trial and withdrew from the project.

Feng Tingting: True Lord Jindeng’s under tax investigation. No idea when he’ll be back.

Feng Tingting: True Lord Dongming’s in a counterfeit scandal—his socials have been silent for half a month. Looks like only True Lord Xianyin is still competing with True Lord Magneto now.

Zhang Yu: How are you still so well-informed about the Artifact Refinement Department?

Feng Tingting: Never underestimate my network [smug emoji]. Besides, the Civil Engineering Department’s on the rise again—we’re just as good as the refiners now.

Zhang Yu chuckled inwardly. With civil engineering thriving again, it seemed Feng Tingting had regained her connections—and her finances.

Still, with True Lord Magneto outlasting four rival True Lords, that was good news for Zhang Yu. Less chaos meant fewer delays for his project.

…

Another week went by.

Zhang Yu was adding the Nine Luminaries Thunder Shuttle system to the prototype, arcs of lightning weaving around the model like dancing serpents.

Just then, Ye Xingli entered the lab, greeted him, and began working on her own artifact design.

Zhang Yu didn’t mind—after all, spending more time around her could help him copy her Dao Seed.

Several days later, he finally unlocked the requirement.

“Since last year… it’s finally done,” he murmured.

The replication condition for the Lingyun Artifact Heart Dao Seed requires co-designing an artifact with the target.

He examined the words “Lingyun Artifact Heart (Dao Heart)” and thought, Her Dao Seed, like Master’s Heavenly Craft Opens Creation, belongs to the Dao Heart category—it must enhance artifact refining as well.

Had he not possessed Heavenly Craft Opens Creation, he might have taken his time collaborating with Ye Xingli.

But with that Dao Seed already active, Zhang Yu simply invoked its power.

His mind accelerated madly, information converging, assembling, generating—

“I’ll design an artifact suitable for Ye Xingli.”

As if by instinct, blueprints began to unfold in his mind.

At the same time, his Dao Heart level fell back to 19 (84%) from the intense expenditure.

Then he blinked at the image before him—a pair of stockings.

“…Why is it stockings?”

He frowned. “Must be Master Magneto’s influence—his design philosophy leaking through Heavenly Craft Opens Creation. After all, his accumulation far exceeds mine. That explains the… direction.”

Then another thought struck him.

He had not only Kunxu’s Immortal Dao knowledge but also plenty from Earth.

But Master’s knowledge base is far greater than mine—orders of magnitude beyond.

A bit of Earth’s science shouldn’t corrupt the Dao Seed that much… right?

Zhang Yu hesitated. “Wait… my design goal was to make something suitable for Senior Sister Ye Xingli. Given Master knows her far better than I do… maybe the stockings were his idea.”

“…It can’t be my Earth knowledge influencing the design… right?”

He sighed and walked toward Ye Xingli, ready to discuss the blueprint.