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

Chapter 779 The Group Leader's Benefits, Snatching a Lucky Idea

Yu Xinghan: You became a team leader so quickly? Will you be officially promoted to rank 3 next year?
Yu Xinghan: Come, come, let me soak up some of your promotion luck.

Le Mulan: I'd like to get some too.

Ye Xingli: Congratulations, Junior Brother! Who would have thought that you'd only been in the sect for less than three months, yet you'd already become a half-step Level 3 Sect Affairs Officer?

Starfire True Lord (Level 3 Sect Affairs Officer): Zhang Yu, well done, I have high hopes for you.
Since arriving at the sect level and connecting with the Dharma Realm, Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan created a group chat together.

Looking at the messages in the group chat, Zhang Yu smiled slightly, thinking to himself, "What exactly did that old bastard Xinghuo do? He's leveled up faster than me."

Zhang Yu believed that he had seized every opportunity and was pushing himself to the limit in his promotion.

But Xinghuo Zhenjun has clearly skipped a level.

Just then, Zhang Yu felt a slight throbbing in his lower abdomen, and something had already entered.

At the same time, Bai Zhenzhen's excited voice entered Zhang Yu's mind: "Zhang Yu, it's me."

"It's time to exchange spiritual roots today."

She said impatiently, "Quickly put the spiritual root in."

While feeling Bai Zhenzhen's body temperature, Zhang Yu said, "Zhenzhen, you seem to be in a good mood today?"

Bai Zhenzhen chuckled strangely, "Hehehe! Just thinking about how you, a high and mighty quasi-level 3 sect affairs officer with many subordinates and who is neither humble nor arrogant to anyone... makes me feel excited as I firmly grasp your spiritual root!"

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow: "A-Zhen? What's wrong?"

He sensed that Bai Zhenzhen, whom he was in contact with at this moment, was very different from the usual Bai Zhenzhen, and seemed more like an alter ego of Kao Zong.

Bai Zhenzhen's voice came again, this time much more stable, but with a hint of embarrassment: "Yu Zi, Kao Zong's clone is a bit too cooped up, so I'm letting her out for a spin."

Thinking about this, Bai Zhenzhen felt a sense of helplessness.

Although the Kao Zong clone has many wonderful uses in work and cultivation, there are far too many things about his interpersonal relationships that Bai Zhenzhen cannot accept.

The various unscrupulous moral and work ethic ideas forced Bai Zhenzhen to completely suppress them all at once.

But after a while, Kao Zong's clone simply lay down and stopped working.

Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself, "It's better to guide than to block; there still needs to be a place for her to release her pent-up emotions."

Zhang Yu asked curiously, "Slip away?"

Bai Zhenzhen said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yu Zi... today... let her come and exchange spiritual roots with you. I... I'll supervise her from the side."

The next moment, Bai Zhenzhen's voice changed again: "Hehehe, Bai Zhenzhen, you good-for-nothing, just seeing me and Zhang Yu exchange spiritual roots has made your Extreme Emotion Sword Dao improve?"

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Ah Zhen... he seems to have become even stranger since he went to the Heavenly Sword Sect."

Zhang Yu was too busy during this period to learn about Bai Zhenzhen's specific experiences in the Heavenly Sword Sect. He only knew that in the Heavenly Sword Sect, various immortal techniques that drive emotions and feelings to transform into sword intent and sword energy are becoming more and more advanced. Conflicts within the sect are constant, the level of public security is declining, and sect sword fighting incidents are happening one after another.

Whenever Zhang Yu thought of this, he felt somewhat worried about Bai Zhenzhen's situation.

"Ah Zhen, remember to call me anytime if you need anything, and I'll lend you my spiritual root."

After finishing his conversation with Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu called Yu Xinghan over.

At this moment, Yu Xinghan looked at Zhang Yu with a mixture of envy and jealousy, feeling that she had wasted all her time in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Zhang Yu smiled slightly and said, "I called you here today because I have something good to show you."

Because the Imperial Law Pavilion and the Martial Arts Pavilion are relatively close to each other, Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan can meet almost anytime they want.

Zhang Yu had been busy with the review department's affairs and hadn't met with Yu Xinghan yet.

The reason Zhang Yu called the other party over this time was related to his martial arts fusion test.

Zhang Yu's voice echoed in Yu Xinghan's mind: "Use your third eye to see."

With gusts of wind swirling around him, Zhang Yu once again unleashed the martial arts simulated in the adaptive test.

The two expert-level techniques, "Breath of the Clouds" and "Heavenly Soul Freeze," merged into one in his hands, transforming into a static force field that spread outwards.

Yu Xinghan's third eye suddenly widened, staring intently at Zhang Yu's every move, and every movement of his internal and external spiritual energy and magical power.

Zhang Yu asked, "Did you understand?"

Yu Xinghan asked in surprise, "You simulated and pushed the two techniques, and deduced new effects?"

Zhang Yu: "Not bad, did this give you any inspiration?"

Yu Xinghan nodded slightly, then his gaze flickered, and he said, "You want to create a new martial art?"

Zhang Yu shook his head: "Just like that, it probably can't be considered a brand new martial art. At most, it's just an extension of the immortal techniques of 'Cloud Sea Breath' and 'Heavenly Soul Freeze'."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu's aura changed, and he once again activated the fusion state of the three major mental techniques, which made Yu Xinghan nod repeatedly.

This is the purpose of Zhang Yu summoning Yu Xinghan today: to pass on his experience in martial arts fusion and let the other party try... to see if he can create a completely new martial art based on it.

According to Zhang Yu's prediction, with his Wuxiang Martial Arts demonstration, Yu Xinghan's Three-Eyed Divine Power for observation, and Yu Xinghan's own talent for experimentation... it is entirely possible.

It's at least simpler than creating a martial arts technique out of thin air.

However, there are many troubles involved. It is necessary to further improve the innovation of the technique and get rid of the simple technical patchwork. It may also involve the technical licensing of "Cloud Sea Breath" and "Heavenly Soul Freeze"...

There were too many tedious aspects to it, and Zhang Yu felt he didn't have time to do them, so he simply handed them over to Yu Xinghan.

If successful, the two might be able to make a fortune, and Yu Xinghan would also have the opportunity to make a name for himself in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Yu Xinghan looked at Zhang Yu in front of him and said solemnly, "Brother, thank you. Consider this a boost to my sales performance. If this technique makes money through subsequent licensing, I won't take a single penny; it will all be yours."

Zhang Yu replied, "Since we're all brothers, how could I let you work for free? If we make money, we'll split it 50/50."

Since Zhang Yu learned about the laws, traditions, and the existence of various factions within the sect, he has come to understand more and more the importance of allies, companions, and subordinates within the sect.

This further solidified his intention to help Yu Xinghan, and not only Yu Xinghan, but also other companions, including the students from the ten schools who would be admitted to the sect in the future, could become his core group and his allies.

……

Time flies to the next day.

This was Zhang Yu's first day as acting team leader.

Inside the office of the Martial Arts Group.

Now that Zhang Yu has become the acting team leader, he has his own independent office space.

He slowly sat down, feeling the chair naturally envelop him, nourishing his entire body, and the continuous flow of inspiration from it, making him feel that he had inexhaustible energy.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "No wonder Qu Yizhi always likes to sit in the office."

With a thought, Zhang Yu's work interface, specifically for the leader of the Martial Arts Group, appeared before his eyes.

At this moment, Zhang Yu could see the tasks being carried out by his various team members, as well as the various review tasks assigned to the Martial Arts Team One.

As long as Zhang Yu is willing, he can adjust the allocation of various tasks and choose which task to assign to which person.

The simplest application of this power is that Zhang Yu can choose all the techniques to be reviewed in a group before distributing them to his team members.

As Zhang Yu's job level was promoted to Level 2, his salary also increased. Now his basic salary after tax has doubled to 2000 coin per month, with performance bonuses as acting team leader calculated separately.

In addition, Zhang Yu, now at the second rank, has also been granted access to more sect-level privileges. For example, he can now legally travel to the 12th level, where he can enjoy richer spiritual energy, higher concentrations of immortal energy, and more of the radiant light of the sun and moon that enhances his Dao wisdom and comprehension.

"This is probably why many Level 2 clerks often go to the 12th floor after get off work."

Zhang Yu had already read some of the introductions to the 12th floor. Unlike the 11th floor, which only allowed cultivators to maintain their youthful appearance, the 12th floor had a concentration of immortal energy between 1% and 2%, allowing cultivators within it to maintain their physical bodies in a peak state, preventing them from weakening as their lifespan ended, until the moment of death.

In addition, the radiance of the sun and moon felt at the 12th level can double the speed of thought, keeping the cultivator in a state of accelerated thinking for a long time.

Zhang Yu understood that these two basic benefits alone were enough to make countless Level 2 sect members flock to the 12th floor. Not to mention that in addition to the Central Extreme Heaven located in the center, there were many more small worlds worth exploring around the 12th floor. It was said that as long as you had money, each of these small worlds would have different benefits for the sect disciples.

Of course, a major prerequisite for enjoying all of this is being able to leave work on time every day.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Once I'm officially promoted from acting team leader to team leader next year and reach level 3, I'll be able to go to the 13th floor. There will be even more benefits then."

Once he reaches the 13th floor, he will be only one floor away from the 14th floor, where Fu Xiantian left his legacy. But Zhang Yu understands that the difference between the 13th and 14th floors, which is equivalent to the difference between a Level 3 Sect Affairs Officer and a Level 4 Sect Affairs Officer, and between the Nascent Soul stage and the Deity Transformation stage, is a qualitative one.

"If we were to apply this to the audit department, I would at least need to be promoted from team leader to deputy director level."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "There's no use rushing now. I should focus on securing my position as team leader this year."

As Zhang Yu finished his first day as team leader, many team members breathed a sigh of relief as he left for the day.

Because of Zhang Yu's previous success in leading the Martial Arts Group 3 to a surge in performance, the members of Group 1 were worried that Zhang Yu would do the same thing after joining Group 1.

But Zhang Yu clearly had no such intention, or rather, before Luo Wuji stepped down and the new head of the review department was confirmed, Zhang Yu did not plan to make any big moves for the time being.

As soon as Zhang Yu got off work today, he was greeted by Qu Yizhi.

Seeing the undisguised worry and anxiety in the other person's eyes, Zhang Yu knew what the other person was afraid of.

Qu Yi thought to himself, "If Zhang Zhenjun becomes the group leader and then stops taking care of us, how are we going to achieve our performance targets?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Yu's next words somewhat comforted Qu Yizhi.

Zhang Yu smiled slightly and said, "Team Leader Qu, although I've gone to Team One, you can still come to me if you need anything. I can continue to guide your work."

Qu Yizhi quickly said, "Thank you, Team Leader Zhang."

Zhang Yu then said, "However..."

Upon hearing these two words, Qu Yizhi immediately perked up, knowing that what followed was the key.

Zhang Yu said slowly, "If I spend too much time guiding Group Three, it doesn't seem fair to the employees in Group One under my command."

Qu Yizhi understood that after Zhang Yu became the team leader, the performance evaluation data would no longer be his personal performance, but the performance of all the team members under his command.

Qu Yizhi knew that if Zhang Yu were willing, he could completely boost the performance of the entire Martial Arts Group and make it the top performing group among the three groups.

Qu Yizhi quickly said, "Before I came, I had already discussed it with the team members. As long as Team Leader Zhang is willing to help us, all the bonuses we receive during this period will be yours."

Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback: "Give them all to me? That... isn't a good idea."

Qu Yizhi hurriedly replied, "It is our honor."

He recalled the various rumors circulating about Zhang Yu recently. Although he didn't know which were true and which were false, he was certain of one thing...

"He became the acting team leader after only three months. His background must be extraordinary."

Qu Yi thought to himself, "I might not even get a chance to give money to such a big shot normally, let alone establish a long-term transfer of benefits. Besides, I wouldn't have received these bonuses in the first place if it weren't for him. Even if I give him the money now, I can still gain some seniority."

Thinking of this, Qu Yizhi firmly stated that he would give all the prize money to Zhang Yu.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Zhang Yu had no choice but to accept it, marveling at how enthusiastic his colleagues in Martial Arts Group Three were.

……

A few days later.

Inside Gu Qingya's office.

Looking at Gu Qingya in front of him, Zhang Yu could only sense waves of joy on the other's face.

Gu Qingya looked at Zhang Yu and said, "It has been decided from above that after Luo Wuji comes down in a while, I will temporarily take over as the head of the review department."

Zhang Yu's eyes flickered, and he said, "Congratulations."

Gu Qingya waved his hand and laughed, "Alas, the time is too short. I haven't made any preparations yet, and I haven't even decided what laws to enact in the future."

After saying that, Gu Qingya looked at Zhang Yu and reminded him, "In the coming year, you should work hard, build up your skills, and secure your position as team leader so that you can be promoted to a permanent position after a year..."

Zhang Yu nodded, listening to Gu Qingya's reminder, and finally asked, "Then, boss, if I want to be promoted to the fourth rank in the future..."

Gu Qingya was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head and chuckled, "You kid, how long have you been a disciple? How long have you been promoted? And you're already thinking about the fourth rank?"

Zhang Yu sighed and said, "Boss, I really want to get promoted."

Gu Qingya pursed his lips and said, "After you get your permanent position next year, focus on securing it for a few years first. We'll talk about it again if a position becomes available later."

Zhang Yu asked, "If... the position of vice minister becomes vacant someday, do you think I'll have a chance?"

Gu Qingya looked at Zhang Yu with a half-smile and said, "You want to deal with Lu Hengzhang?"

Zhang Yu said, "Leader, it's not that I want to deal with him, but he has long regarded me as his mortal enemy. Under the innate Dao lineage, he will not stop until he has trampled me under his feet forever."

Upon hearing Zhang Yu's words, Gu Qingya's heart stirred slightly, and then he sighed and said, "You also know about the innate lineage? It seems you have indeed put a lot of effort into it."

“You’re right. Lu Hengzhang and the lineage behind him are indeed the mortal enemies of us cultivators from the lower realms.”

"But nowadays, their sects are very powerful, and they are leading the way in some new industries."

"It's not difficult to make him suffer some losses, but to completely bring him down... is not so easy. Without a perfect opportunity, it's very difficult to do so."

Zhang Yu asked curiously, "A new industry?"

Just then, the entire room trembled slightly, and Zhang Yu felt the concentration of spiritual energy in the room gradually begin to decline.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Has my inspiration stopped again?"

This was not the first time Zhang Yu had encountered a shortage of spiritual energy. It was said that the demand for spiritual energy had surged, and the supply of spiritual energy on the 11th floor was insufficient, which led to the restriction of its use during certain periods.

As Gu Qingya sensed the decreasing concentration of spiritual energy, he sneered and said, "Highly intelligent artifact spirit... do you know? This is something driven by the innate Dao lineage behind the scenes."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu frowned and said, "High-intelligence artifact spirits? Aren't these things too expensive and difficult to use widely?"

Gu Qingya said, "It is said that there has been a breakthrough, and the cost has been reduced. Many platforms have launched related products."

"The reason why the spiritual energy supply has stopped in the 11th floor is because the operation of the highly intelligent spirit has devoured a large amount of spiritual energy..."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu frowned, thinking to himself, "Highly intelligent artifact spirits... If this continues to develop and if costs can be continuously reduced, wouldn't it eventually replace soul cultivators? Or even replace human labor in conjunction with magic weapons? Replace all sorts of cultivators?"

Thinking about this, Zhang Yu suddenly had a flash of insight: "The innate lineage is meant to seal off the acquired. If a highly intelligent artifact spirit could replace human intervention, from then on... the higher cultivators would control the artifact spirits, forever remaining at the top, and there would be no need for lower cultivators?"

"In this way, the path to advancement for lower and middle-level cultivators can be completely blocked."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu felt as if an extremely dark and hopeless future was unfolding before him.

Zhan Xian sighed inwardly, "When I left the sect, low-cost, highly intelligent artifact spirits were still just a concept. I never imagined they would start vying for artifact resources now."

Sensing Zhang Yu's tension, Zhan Xian comforted him, "Don't worry so much. Although highly intelligent artifact spirits are developing rapidly, even those high-level cultivators and immortals are not all supportive of them."

(End of this chapter)