Chapter 772 Zhang Yu carries 3 sets on his back (Thanks to "Nanyanminami" for the generous donation)
After exchanging words with Qu Yizhi, Zhang Yu learned that Lu Hengzhang, the current deputy director of the audit department and a fourth-rank official, had been secretly suppressing him.
And the reasons why the other party is suppressing me...
"Conservatives?" Zhang Yu thought to himself, "But does this represent the will of the entire conservative faction, or is it Lu Hengzhang's own idea? Or is it the intention of a higher-ranking member within the conservative faction?"
Zhang Yu first ruled out the possibility of the entire conservative faction's will, because if that were the case... then the pressure he was under would be far more than what he was experiencing now.
Zhang Yu asked Qu Yizhi about his doubts, but unfortunately Qu Yizhi did not have the answers either.
"The conservative faction is very complex. It includes the original cultivators of the Myriad Laws Sect, as well as cultivators who entered later through the sect examination, and even cultivators who transferred from other sects. Do you think they all share the same ideas?"
“The Wanfa Sect of 500 years ago, the Wanfa Sect of 300 years ago, and the Wanfa Sect of 100 years ago—these people came from different eras, so how could they share the same concept?”
"Whether you follow different mountain peaks or different eras, you can divide them into too many factions by cutting them horizontally or vertically."
Qu Yizhi said, "Vice Minister Lu has many factional ties, and I don't know why he cares about you."
"However, I can sense that although he no longer cares much about the progress of the Martial Arts Group 3, he is probably preparing other means to deal with you."
This is also one of the reasons why Qu Yizhi made his choice. He felt that Lu Hengzhang's instructions to him were just a random move, and that the real killing move the other party had to deal with Zhang Yu was probably somewhere else.
Zhang Yu then took the opportunity to ask the head of the review department about Minister Luo Wuji.
Based on his own study of the examination materials and the admonitions of Zhanxian, Zhang Yu knew that in the Wanfa Sect, the head of a department had almost absolute power over the entire department.
Luo Wuji's attitude will naturally have a great impact on Zhang Yu's work in the review department.
Qu Yizhi said, "Minister Luo is theoretically a conservative. However, he personally doesn't have much of a problem with the university faction..."
According to Qu Yizhi, Minister Luo was originally the deputy minister in charge of the Taoist Arts Group of the Review Department, and he has been temporarily serving as the minister of the Review Department since the year before last.
Because he has not yet officially become the head of the review department, he has not yet been granted the Refinement Certificate and is still at the Nascent Soul stage.
Qu Yizhi continued, "But I heard that after the evaluation in March this year, he has a good chance of being promoted to a permanent position."
"The reason they're targeting our group this time is probably to get another performance result before March, further solidify his performance, and increase his chances of being promoted and breaking through."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "Factions are just a form of identity. Even conservative cultivators may not necessarily suppress those who get into university. Ultimately, what determines a sect member's final choice is their own self-interest."
"If I want to fight against Lu Hengzhang, it seems I will have to seek Luo Wuji's help."
Next, Zhang Yu inquired about the situation of some other leaders in the audit department.
As Qu Yizhi recounted the story, Zhang Yu gained a deeper understanding of the review department and even the Imperial Law Pavilion.
As Qu Yizhi spoke, he observed Zhang Yu's facial expressions, especially the fluctuations in his magical power, as well as the changes in the spiritual and magical signals.
Based on his observations, he felt that the information he had just shared should be of considerable help to Zhang Yu.
Realizing his own reaction, Qu Yizhi suddenly smiled bitterly to himself: "Me, a level 3 team leader, actually have to read the expressions of a level 1 clerk? Who is the leader, him or me?"
Qu Yizhi felt a chill run down his spine upon realizing his distracting thoughts, thinking to himself, "How can I have distracting thoughts at such a crucial moment?"
With a thought, Qu Yizhi directly used the Dharma Realm to give himself a vial of magical medicine, instantly calming his mind and suppressing all the emotions in his heart, such as resentment, dissatisfaction, anger, and grievances.
At the same time, his mind became clearer and clearer. He thought to himself, "The entire performance of the third martial arts group is now on Zhang Yu's shoulders. The group members have to beg him for the sake of the performance. He... is the real leader of the third group."
"But as long as he does a good job, I, as the nominal team leader, will naturally get a share of the profits..."
"Even if Zhang Yu is to be promoted, no matter how fast... according to the process, it will still take several years. During this time, won't our group's top performance be attributed to me, the group leader?"
He bowed to Zhang Yu and said, "True Lord, there were too many people outside just now. I apologize to you now. The future of Martial Arts Group Three depends on your leadership."
At this moment, Qu Yizhi showed no negative emotions on his face. After suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind, he would not hesitate to kneel down in front of Zhang Yu, let alone bow to him.
Zhang Yu quickly helped Qu Yizhi up: "Team leader, I haven't been able to see you before because I've been too busy with work..."
Qu Yizhi said earnestly, "I should have come to see you a long time ago."
"True Lord, please give me some guidance on my work as well."
So after get off work that day, Qu Yizhi followed Zhang Yu to the dormitory and introduced himself in front of the group members: "Group leader Qu Yizhi will be joining our study guidance group starting today."
Qu Yizhi said with a smile, "After get off work, there are no leaders. I am just like everyone else, learning from Zhang Zhenjun. Don't be shy, just do what you're supposed to do."
But no one spoke; they all looked at Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu said, "Everyone, please welcome Team Leader Qu."
Seeing everyone clapping in unison under Zhang Yu's command, Qu Yizhi's heart sank, and he sighed inwardly, "Zhang Yu's control over the group is even deeper than I expected."
"This kid has already sidelined me."
When Qu Yizhi saw Zhang Yu simultaneously simulating and fusing two different techniques, his eyes widened in astonishment.
As a Level 3 religious affairs officer, he possessed far more insight and experience than his team members.
He knew that the ten sets of martial arts, from Wu Yi to Wu Shi, were all-encompassing. As long as they were mastered, they could form a simplified version of "Wu Xiang Yan Wu" and be used to simulate the martial arts of the world.
As a cultivator's research into martial arts deepens, their foundation accumulates, and they practice subsequent martial arts techniques such as Martial Eleven and Martial Twelve, their ability to simulate techniques will become stronger and stronger.
Qu Yizhi had also seen many martial arts experts in the review department, and witnessed their amazing performances in the art of simulating techniques.
However, Qu Yizhi was still greatly surprised that Zhang Yu could complete the simulation of the technique so quickly and constantly switch between the simulated techniques to merge them.
"So that's how it is... So that's how it is? No wonder Zhang Yu is so efficient at work?"
"This boy's martial arts talent has probably surpassed everyone in the martial arts group."
"Is it natural? Or did someone place a huge bet on him?"
At this moment, Qu Yizhi was even more grateful for the decision he had just made.
As a Level 3 sect affairs officer with many years of experience, Qu Yizhi has a remarkable sensitivity to sectarian matters.
"Within a sect, the more money you have, the more power you have. But only the higher your rank and the greater your authority, the more money you can have and the more resources you can acquire for the path of immortality."
"Within the Myriad Laws Sect, if one wishes to gain greater power, immortal techniques are the broad road to success."
"Under the guidance of the Immortal Emperor and the planning of the immortals of the Myriad Laws Sect, pursuing technological upgrades, advancements, and innovations is the sect's top priority."
Qu Yizhi looked at Zhang Yu in front of him and thought to himself, "Zhang Yu, who has such potential in martial arts... his potential for promotion far surpasses that of everyone present."
"But is it reasonable for someone from the lower realm to possess such potential?"
"And if this martial arts potential was bought for him by someone, then it's even more terrifying."
"No, if this martial arts potential is something he was born with... that would be even more terrifying."
As a result, Qu Yizhi became increasingly amiable in front of Zhang Yu, making communication between the two sides smoother.
When Wen Zhiwei, who also belonged to the Martial Arts Group 3, arrived, she saw Qu Yizhi obediently accepting guidance from Zhang Yu like a student, his eyes glazed over as he was bombarded with waves of memories.
"Team leader!" Wen Zhiwei exclaimed in surprise, "We clearly agreed that everyone should stay away from Zhang Yu, so why is the team leader here now?"
Feeling that she had lost her composure, Wen Zhiwei wanted to click on the Dharma Realm to give herself a vial of magic medicine.
However, after checking her balance, she decided to be frugal and didn't inject herself with the magic potion.
So she continued to stare in astonishment at Zhang Yu and Qu Yizhi, feeling as if the sky had completely fallen for the Martial Arts Group Three.
On the other side, Qu Yizhi, after completing a mental exchange with Zhang Yu through the document imprint, directly mobilized the power of the Dharma Realm, intending to copy and transmit the memories to his subordinates so that they could understand them instantly.
But just as he recalled what was in his mind, Qu Yizhi forgot it again at the last moment before transmitting it.
"Why can't I remember?"
"The memories I want to pass on to the outsourced workers are..."
As he frowned slightly, repeatedly recalling the events, only one line echoed in his mind: Your membership has expired. Please renew to continue using the high-speed memory transfer function.
Qu Yizhi pursed his lips, immediately renewed his membership, and then transferred the memories to the outsourced workers, instructing them to handle the paperwork tomorrow.
After finishing these tasks, Qu Yizhi chatted with Zhang Yu about memory transfer, lamenting that Zhang Yu's written communication method was still not convenient enough. He recommended that Zhang Yu also use the Dharma Realm's memory transfer service to directly transfer memories, which was faster and more convenient than written communication.
Zhang Yu was unwilling to have his memories accessed at will by the Dharma Realm, so he naturally wouldn't agree to it. He just smiled and didn't respond.
Just then, the spiritual energy in the air gradually thinned out, and everyone complained, "The spiritual energy has died out again?"
After some inquiry, Zhang Yu learned that in the past year, the sect had been experiencing intermittent interruptions in the supply of spiritual energy.
Upon hearing these words, Zhanxian asked, "Has the spiritual connection been interrupted?"
In his view, the sect level had extracted a large amount of resources from levels 1 to 10. Given the abundance of spiritual energy and resources within the sect, there should have been no interruption in the spiritual energy flow.
Zhanxian said, "Moreover, with the sect's immortal cultivation techniques, any malfunctions that occur once or twice can definitely be repaired."
"The fact that there are such long-term interruptions... there's only one possibility: our intelligence is truly insufficient."
Zhang Yu asked in surprise, "Even inspiration can be insufficient?"
Zhanxian sighed, "As long as it is a resource, it can never be infinite, and the same is true for spiritual energy."
"But for normal use, given the current level and number of cultivators, it should be sufficient."
Zhan Xian said solemnly, "I'm afraid... there's some kind of variable within the sect that we don't yet know about, which has consumed a lot of spiritual energy."
Although he was curious, the issue of the interruption of inspiration was clearly not something Zhang Yu could delve into at the moment. After exchanging a few words with Zhan Xian, he threw himself back into his work.
With the submission of all members of Martial Arts Group Three, including its leader Qu Yizhi, the entire group, driven by Zhang Yu, became like a berserk work machine, frantically improving the performance of the entire group.
This improvement in performance gradually led the team members from shock to admiration, then to fear, and finally to terror...
"My Lord! We can't roll it anymore, we really can't roll it anymore!"
Qu Yizhi pulled Zhang Yu aside and pleaded, "This month's performance has already increased by more than 30%. If we keep going like this... we won't be able to do any work in the future."
Zhang Yu looked at the others present and saw that Chu Wangji, Wen Zhiwei and the others were all looking at him with worry, as if they were afraid that he would continue to get involved.
During this period of time, the members of Martial Arts Group 3 were completely overwhelmed by Zhang Yu, and even more afraid of being overwhelmed by him.
In particular, they are very clear that their current performance depends on Zhang Yu, and if it continues to rise... then it is simply beyond their ability to bear.
Under the immense pressure of Zhang Yu's performance targets, everyone felt as if they were being suffocated by this karmic force.
Faced with everyone's wishes, Zhang Yu immediately agreed.
Actually, he didn't plan to continue improving his performance. After all, if he really went all out like this, he couldn't keep doing this every month and getting himself stuck at work all the time.
Zhang Yu still intends to leave some room for maneuver, and to be able to free up time outside of work every day.
However, he also planned to take advantage of the opportunity to use his karma to put pressure on the people in the group, so as to make it easier to manage them in the future.
So the three martial arts groups resumed their original rhythm, and before they knew it, February had passed and March had arrived.
...
At the monthly meeting.
As usual, the leaders of the audit department proceeded with the meeting content step by step, reporting and discussing the situation of each group one by one.
What surprised some leaders was that Zhang Yu, a Level 1 Religious Affairs Officer, also attended the meeting.
Everyone was speculating that this was related to Zhang Yu's promise from last month.
When the February data for the three martial arts groups was projected, many leaders present stared intently, their eyes revealing undisguised shock.
Both Martial Arts Group 1 and Martial Arts Group 2 saw their performance improve in February, increasing by 12% and 8% respectively, at Luo Wuji's request.
However, these figures pale in comparison to the 32% of the Martial Arts Group 3.
Everyone was astonished, thinking, "How could he have improved so much in one go?"
"How did you do that?"
"Did the whole team take out loans to work overtime?"
Minister Luo Wuji laughed and said, "The breakthrough in Martial Arts Group Three's performance has laid a solid foundation for us to achieve our quarterly goals and given us a strong boost. This is not only a reflection of Zhang Yu's personal abilities, but also powerful proof that Martial Arts Group Three's strategic direction is correct."
"I suggest we invite Zhang Yu to summarize your tactics and distill them into replicable and scalable experiences, then share them with everyone at the meeting..."
Looking at Zhang Yu, who was speaking eloquently at the meeting, a cold glint flashed in Lu Hengzhang's eyes. He thought to himself, "This kid... really knows how to seize opportunities to climb the ladder."
"But the higher you climb, the harder you fall."
"It's already an incredible stroke of luck to let these people from the lower realms come up here."
"Yet they still think about climbing up the ranks and seizing positions within the sect; they are truly insatiable."
Lu Hengzhang knew that within the Wanfa Sect, the conservatives were generally acting in the interest of the sect's cultivators.
However, many cultivators within the conservative faction have different ideas about how to protect their interests, such as their views on cultivators in the lower realms... which have become quite different.
Some believe that the top cultivators from the lower levels should be selected, and their inspiration, creativity, and talent should be absorbed to assist in the advancement of the sect's immortal cultivation techniques.
Some argue that given the current zero birth rate within the sect, they should actively recruit more cultivators from lower realms to serve as low-level labor.
Some people believe that a channel between the upper and lower levels can be opened up, so that anyone from the lower level can come to work in the upper level as long as they meet the requirements.
In Lu Hengzhang's view, all these ideas were fallacies and heresies.
"It's nothing more than a bunch of old fogies who want more cheap labor, want to further reduce the cost of cultivators, want more and more... even at the cost of sacrificing the middle and lower-level sect cultivators so that they can gain more benefits."
"They even went so far as to allow the power of the Heavenly Court to infiltrate."
Lu Hengzhang firmly opposed this.
As a Level 4 sect affairs officer and a backbone member of the Wanfa Sect, Lu Hengzhang belongs to the faction that resolutely opposes any people from the lower realms entering the sect to seize resources.
"What kind of sacred place is this, turning into more and more like the companies and schools below? What kind of order is this?"
In Lu Hengzhang's view, even outsourced employees should be dismissed.
Their faction has a considerable number of cultivators, and over the years they have established various laws and regulations to continuously reduce the treatment of cultivators from the lower realms in the upper realms through outsourcing, temporary residence, and work years.
Among them are even powerful figures who wish to establish a lineage, sever the connection between heaven and earth, and completely eliminate the possibility of people from the lower realms passing the examinations.
This tradition was already becoming increasingly strict, constantly reducing the number of people from the lower realms who could join a sect.
However, with the previous series of events such as the betrayal of the immortals, the disappearance of the sixth level, the university war, and the normalization of the examination of the sect in the lower realm, this lineage is on the verge of collapse, and the original plan to sever the connection between heaven and earth has been completely declared a failure.
Lu Hengzhang understood that this involved the confrontation between different schools of thought and the struggle between different factions.
From now on, it will be impossible to completely isolate the lower classes.
Fortunately, that powerful being has changed course. The Daoist tradition has gradually shifted from completely isolating the lower realms to suppressing people from the lower realms, aiming to establish an invisible barrier to completely block their hopes of advancement.
Lu Hengzhang also participated in it.
Lu Hengzhang understood that only in this way could he gain support for his future breakthrough to the Void Refinement Realm.
After he breaks through to the Void Refinement stage, the laws he establishes will inevitably be connected with the higher-level forces that support him, and they will mutually benefit each other.
Lu Hengzhang glanced at Minister Luo Wuji out of the corner of his eye and sneered inwardly, "Luo Wuji... this time I'll drag you down with me."
"I'm more suitable than you for the position of head of the audit department and the certificate of virtuality."
At the same time, Zhang Yu said, "...I also want to thank Team Leader Qu for his support over the past month."
"Also, if it weren't for Minister Luo's selection last month, I wouldn't have been able to achieve these results."
Luo Wuji: "It has nothing to do with me, don't take credit for it. Team Leader Qu, why don't you talk about your achievements this month?"
After Qu Yizhi finished speaking, Luo Wuji summarized: "This time, it was not only Zhang Yu's personal victory, but also the result of the entire team's coordinated efforts. I hope that in the future, Zhang Yu and the others can pass on their experience to Martial Arts Groups One and Two, creating a constellation of brilliant stars."
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(End of this chapter)
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