What’s the point of cultivating immortality if you don’t have money?.

Chapter 524 Direct Competition (Thanks to 'JiEun' for the generous donation)
Since Jin Jun pushed the "Tai Xu Divine Artifact Strategy" to level 20, he has been working tirelessly to prepare for the forging of the prototype of the Heavenly Sun Divine Machine.

In order to successfully obtain the military certificate related to the Heavenly Sun God, Jin Jun had already made it known to all the weapon-refining students in each grade, demonstrating his determination to obtain the Heavenly Sun God certificate in the next academic year.

At this moment, he walked to the experimental table and began to conduct a simulation experiment to hone his weapon-forging skills.

To achieve the best simulation effect, he not only adjusted his spirit world appearance to be the same as in reality, but also copied his real-world laboratory to make the entire cave dwelling a one-to-one replica.

"As long as I successfully complete the Heavenly Sun God, I will have a place in the future Top Ten Leagues."

After completing a set of simulation experiments, Jin Jun saw rows of resumes in front of him and began to look at them one by one.

In order to successfully complete the forging of the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God, Jin Jun began recruiting assistants to help him three months ago.

However, as the project progressed, personnel changes occurred frequently, but he did not stop collecting resumes.

After looking around for a while, Jin Jun was not satisfied, so he used his connections to start looking for people.

He wanted to find someone skilled in using real fire and adept at repairing the metal shells of magical artifacts.

Soon someone told him that Zhang Yu, a junior in college, was quite skilled in this area, having mastered the level 20 Fire Control Divine Mirror, and specializing in taking on orders to repair the outer shells of magical artifacts.

Moreover, Zhang Yu's preparation for refining the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God Machine makes this project even more suitable for him.

"Zhang Yu?" Jin Jun was somewhat surprised: "That student who transferred from the Civil Engineering department?"

Jin Jun then took a closer look at the data of the magic weapon that Zhang Yu had repaired, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

"Great, his skills are up to par, and his fees are cheap. Let's go with him."

In contrast, while many technically qualified senior students are also excellent, they have various other projects, making it too costly for Jin Jun to poach them.

He opened the resumes he had received and picked out all the third-year students.

"Zi Yunzhen, Su Yunni..."

Didn't Zhang Yu submit my resume?

Jin Jun thought to himself, "Does he think I won't accept him?"

After learning that Ye Xingli often introduced jobs to Zhang Yu, Jin Jun contacted her directly.

Jin Jun: Xing Li, do you know Zhang Yu? Could you pass on a message for me?

Ye Xingli: What did you say?

Jin Jun: I want to invite him to join my project, the project of refining the Heavenly Sun God.
……

In the laboratory.

Upon seeing these words, Ye Xingli's eyes flickered.

She forwarded Jin Jun's message to Zhang Yu, then asked: "I didn't expect Jin Jun to want to recruit you for help."

Ye Xingli: Studying and working at the same time, this is a great opportunity!
Zhang Yu, who was practicing weapon-refining techniques in the laboratory, replied: "No need, I'd rather stick to my own pace."
Ye Xingli: You should practice with Jin Jun beforehand and learn from his experience. This should save you a lot of trouble later.
Zhang Yu: Really, it's not necessary. Could you please decline for me, senior sister?
Seeing the message from Zhang Yu, Ye Xingli was somewhat surprised: "Such a good opportunity, and you actually refused?"

"Could it be that Zhang Yu has already given up on refining the Heavenly Sun God and is planning to participate in the design competition instead?"

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Ye Xingli immediately stopped trying to persuade him and simply sent Zhang Yu's reply to Jin Jun.

……

Upon seeing Ye Xingli's reply, Jin Jun frowned.

"Refused?"

Jin Jun had already found out that Zhang Yu had said he wanted to refine the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God.

“My project should be a tremendous opportunity for him.”

"After joining, he will not only have the opportunity to practice for free, but he will also be able to go through the entire process of the Heavenly Sun God. It will be beneficial to him in every way, so why would he refuse?"

After a moment's thought, Jin Jun felt he had the answer: "Is this a strategic retreat to try and negotiate?"

So Jin Jun pondered the gains and losses in his mind.

"During the forging process of the prototype of the Heavenly Sun Divine Machine, there was a large amount of metal shell forging work."

"With Zhang Yu's help, not only can we speed up the process, but we can also carry out repair work, reduce the losses from failed refining, and lower the overall project cost."

With that in mind, Jin Jun contacted Ye Xingli again, and this time he planned to meet with Zhang Yu in person.

……

Upon arriving at Ye Xingli's laboratory, Jin Jun first greeted her, and then looked at Zhang Yu.

He walked up to him with a smile: "Junior Zhang Yu, I came here specifically to invite you."

"If you're willing to join my project, I can offer you twice the salary of other assistants."

On the other side, Zi Yunzhen and her assistants, who were cleaning materials, were all surprised to see Jin Jun arrive. Zi Yunzhen had also applied for Jin Jun's project before, since he was going to refine the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God, which involved military-grade power, and participating in it would greatly enhance her resume.

Seeing Jin Jun personally invite Zhang Yu and offer double the salary, Zi Yunzhen felt both envious and jealous.

But after a moment of silence, Zhang Yu said helplessly in the face of Jin Jun's invitation, "I'm sorry, I don't want to participate in this project."

Jin Jun smiled and said, "Zhang Yu, don't be in such a hurry to refuse."

"I am determined to successfully refine the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God this time, and I need an excellent assistant to help me."

"And it seems you're also planning to follow the path of the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God in the future, right?"

"You have certain skills, but lack experience and reputation."

"By participating in this project, you can learn and work at the same time, which will help you accumulate experience in refining the Heavenly Sun God."

“I know you may have been worried about being hindered on your path of weapon crafting because of your identity as a member of the Civil Engineering Department.”

"But an experience participating in a military-grade project can definitely make others look at you in a new light."

"If you join us, in addition to the part you are responsible for, I can also share the entire project's data with you, allowing you to use it for your own learning."

"This should be very helpful for your future crafting of the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God."

Zi Yunzhen and her two other assistants watched this scene with envy. They were all assistants, but Zhang Yu's treatment was far better than theirs.

Looking at the materials containing malevolent energy that she was cleaning, Zi Yunzhen felt that compared to Zhang Yu, she was more like a student who had transferred from the civil engineering department.

For Jin Jun, doubling his assistant's salary wasn't much money.

Sharing data is a cost-effective way to benefit students without requiring any additional investment.

Jin Jun looked at Zhang Yu with great confidence, certain that this student who had transferred from the Civil Engineering Department would agree.

But Zhang Yu felt Jin Jun's gaze and shook his head, saying, "Senior, I have a lot of things to do and really don't have time to participate."

Upon hearing this, Jin Jun was slightly taken aback, then gave Zhang Yu a deep look. He thought Zhang Yu wanted to raise the price again, so he had to remind him, "Zhang Yu, this is already the best offer I've made. It's a win-win situation for both of us."

At the same time, Jin Jun thought to himself, "I originally wanted to win him over in one fell swoop. Could it be that I showed too much sincerity, making Zhang Yu think that he can raise the price?"

To prevent a conflict between the two, Ye Xingli spoke up, "Zhang Yu, are you not planning to continue down the path of the Heavenly Sun God Prototype Machine?"

"Jin Jun, if Zhang Yu has to go to participate in the design competition first, then he really won't have time for your project."

Jin Jun was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then realized that it was indeed the normal path for weapon crafting and cultivation: first, participate in the design competition, master the military-grade techniques, and then refine the prototype of a military-grade magic weapon.

But Zhang Yu, who was standing to the side, realized that he should speak up and make things clear after hearing Ye Xingli's words.

After all, once he completes his training as a weapon-refining prodigy, he will begin preparing to study under the Heavenly Sun God.

According to Zhang Yu's own prediction, it is very likely that the prototype will be completed in the next school year, which would put him in direct competition with Jin Jun.

If Jin Jun, Ye Xingli, and the others are allowed to continue their misunderstanding today, then once he completes the prototype machine, his actions today will be seen as deliberately deceiving Jin Jun and falsely claiming to have given up on the Heavenly Sun God.

If this is criticized in the future, or if Jin Jun is hostile towards it, that's not a big deal.

If this affects the testing and review of the prototype, then it would be a case of losing more than you gain.

After all, one must create a prototype of a military-grade weapon and then pass weapon crafting skills tests and reviews before being granted a military certificate.

To pass the review, it is essential to leave traces throughout the project, including various records and evidence of your own prototype development.

If Zhang Yu admits to "giving up the Heavenly Sun God" today, does that mean he'll have to secretly forge weapons behind everyone's back in the future? Wouldn't that make it harder for him to pass the evaluation in the future?

Or if I don't explain today and let people think I've given up, and then stop secretly refining the prototype machine after a while, what's the point of admitting it today?

After some thought, Zhang Yu decided that the best option was to openly announce his plans today, leave a record of his progress in every step, and complete the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God step by step, without giving anyone a chance to question him.

Then Zhang Yu said firmly, "Senior Jin Jun, I'm not participating in your project not because I want to give up, but because I've decided to start refining the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God soon, and I will definitely be competing with you head-on then."

As soon as Zhang Yu said this, the entire laboratory fell silent.

Looking at Zhang Yu's serious expression, Zi Yunzhen thought he was simply insane. Competing head-on with Jin Jun? What made him think he could?
A look of astonishment flashed across Ye Xingli's face; she had never expected Zhang Yu to say such a thing.

Her mind raced: "Zhang Yu may be a civil engineering major, but he's not an idiot. Why would he say something like that? Could it be..."

Standing in front of Zhang Yu, Jin Jun smiled nonchalantly: "Junior Zhang, if you want to refuse my request, just refuse directly. Why bother with such a ridiculous thing?"

Zhang Yu didn't laugh, and said seriously again, "I'm not joking. I should be able to refine the prototype of the Heavenly Sun God by my senior year."

"Since you're going to do it too, Senior Jin Jun, I don't want to hide it from you anymore. You'll find out sooner or later anyway."

Sensing the seriousness in Zhang Yu's tone, Jin Jun gradually realized that the other party really wasn't joking.

Jin Jun's smile widened. He found the scene before him so funny and amusing that he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

(End of this chapter)