Chapter 406: Pharmaceutical Assembly Line

Inside the Artifact Refinement Laboratory.

Ye Xingli glanced at Zhang Yu and his refining results, silently thinking to herself, “So he can now produce Grade-5 Azure Sand with some consistency?”

“Though Zhang Yu started off a bit behind, the fact that he’s pushed his Artifact Refinement skills this far in under a month—while also juggling Civil Engineering courses—shows he’s a fast learner.”

“If he keeps this up, a department transfer might not be out of the question…”

Just then, her eyes caught a glimpse of a jade-colored bracelet peeking from Zhang Yu’s sleeve.

“Is that… the Yin-Yang Bangle?” Her eyes sharpened as she asked, “Zhang Yu, did you get a new artifact?”

Zhang Yu turned and held out the bracelet. “You mean this, Senior?”

“It’s a body-refining artifact Director Gao lent me.”

Director Gao had mentioned before that he’d find something to help Zhang Yu improve his body-refining efficiency. But weeks had passed with no follow-up, and Zhang Yu had nearly given up on the idea.

Then a few days ago, Gao suddenly delivered this bracelet, saying he could use it until his physical strength reached Level 20.

The artifact was called the Yin-Yang Bangle. When infused with mana, it would absorb ambient spiritual essence in sync with the cycle of day and night, harmonizing yin and yang energies within the body. The result: purified flesh and reinforced blood and muscle.

“The Yin-Yang Bangle…” Ye Xingli thought, “That’s Master’s latest artifact—it hasn’t even hit the market yet. So it ended up with Director Gao? And Gao lent it to Zhang Yu?”

“Master really is generous to Director Gao…”

Out loud, she said, “Director Gao must really care about your refinement training—going so far as to borrow such a specialized artifact so your body gets tempered while refining.”

Zhang Yu stiffened. “Director Gao doesn’t know I’m refining artifacts.”

Ye Xingli blinked. “Huh?”

Zhang Yu added, “Senior, Director Gao doesn’t like me refining at all. Please don’t tell anyone from the Civil Engineering Department what I’m doing here.”

“Every time I come to this lab, I have a roommate reserve it for me under their name. I’ve been careful not to let it leak.”

Silently, he cursed: “Didn’t True Lord Magneto say Ye Xingli could be trusted? What’s with this total lack of discretion? She’s even talking like Gao supports my refining!”

Ye Xingli paused, puzzled. “But I clearly remember Master saying that Gao wanted Zhang Yu to transfer to our department…”

The contradiction made her frown. “Why would Zhang Yu say Gao opposes his refining, if Gao’s the one trying to recruit him? Am I remembering wrong?”

She didn’t think she was mistaken. And one thing she was absolutely sure of: both Zhang Yu and Master had told her not to mention any of this to Director Gao.

“Something’s off.”

“Something’s really off.”

“Could it be… the one who actually wants Zhang Yu to transfer isn’t Gao, but…”

A figure appeared in her mind. She immediately stopped that train of thought.

Staring at Zhang Yu still working on Grade-5 Azure Sand, she murmured to herself, “No way.”

“It doesn’t make sense.”

“Master and Director Gao have been friends for centuries.”

“There must be something I’m missing here.”

She also recalled Zhang Yu’s connection to Wen Wuya.

True Lord Magneto, Director Gao, Zhang Yu, Wen Wuya, Artifact Refinement Department, Civil Engineering Department, Heavenly Sword Sect University…

Everything felt like it was wrapped in layers of fog. Ye Xingli couldn’t see the full picture—only that it ran deep.

…

Wanfa University City.

Basement Level 1.

Zhang Yu and Le Mulan were walking through a Magnetic Channel en route to Basement Level 9.

“You headed to the Tianlan Pharmaceuticals factory too?” Zhang Yu asked.

Le Mulan nodded. “Our department’s had a long-standing partnership with them.”

“They’re expanding a new production line, and my advisor asked me to assist with the setup.”

Ever since joining her advisor, Le Mulan had been researching self-produced pharmaceuticals.

The idea was simple: use the body as the cauldron, mana as the fuel, and refine consumed ingredients into various elixirs.

While this route couldn’t match factory-scale output, it scaled well with one’s cultivation and skill, needing neither heavy investment nor time to reconfigure machinery. It also made pivoting production lines easier—perfect for boutique, high-end drug design.

Besides, projects like this line expansion were ideal training grounds for cultivators like her.

She glanced at Zhang Yu. “You’re here to help with the factory expansion too?”

Zhang Yu nodded, recalling how Director Gao had assigned him to the factory project.

It was a high-yield project: constant daily demand for medicine, underground construction work—perfect for training the second form of the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes: the Desolate Earth Mountain-Moving Force. The pay wasn’t bad either.

“Director Gao probably just wants me to eat well, train hard, and boost my body strength while grinding Desolate Earth Mountain-Moving Force.”

“Even though… I already hit Level 20 with it not too long ago…”

Still, Zhang Yu thought, “No harm in raking in pills and cash while I’m here.”

With his new money-burning obsession—Artifact Refinement—Zhang Yu wasn’t about to turn down any side gig that paid.

Soon, the two reached the gates of Tianlan Pharmaceuticals’ factory, only to find a swarm of Qi Refinement trainees gathered, clearly waiting for something.

Many of them looked over at Zhang Yu and Le Mulan, eyes drawn to the prestigious Wanfa University ranking tags floating above their heads—equal parts awe and envy.

Zhang Yu, scanning the ranks above their heads, noted, “Guangliao Technical College?”

“All of them… vocational students?”

Just then, spiritual projection text appeared above the factory gate:

Now Hiring: Assembly Line Operators. Wage: 0.0003 Spirit Coins/hour. Registration →

The crowd stirred instantly, all the Qi Refinement kids surging toward the sign-up area.

That’s when Zhang Yu realized—they weren’t here as interns or visitors. They were job hunting.

Right then, Xiao Qingxuan appeared before him. “You’re here?”

“Perfect timing. One of the new workshops needs to be set up fast. Go dig the foundation with Desolate Earth Mountain-Moving Force.”

Zhang Yu said a quick goodbye to Le Mulan and followed Xiao Qingxuan through the factory gates—only to find himself walking in the same direction as the vocational students.

“These guys are headed to the new line too?” he asked.

Xiao Qingxuan nodded. “It’s urgent. No blueprints either. I’ll take you to one of the active workshops—they’re using it as a model. We’ll copy it 1:1.”

At the workshop entrance, they overheard a manager speaking: “We don’t hire anyone with only Eye Husk implants.”

A vocational student protested, “I’ve trained this body for eight years! Through day and night, countless tonics—I’m stronger than some Law Husk users!”

The manager sneered. “You think your solo-trained body can match a Law Husk? Something crafted by experts, manufactured by top-tier companies, refined over generations with the pooled wisdom of entire industries?”

“Besides, we need standardization. Everyone’s body is different in size and shape—how do we standardize that?”

“If you want to work here, install a Law Husk.”

“No money? We offer rentals.”

“If you won’t even invest in yourself, why’re you even job hunting?”

The student hesitated, but his classmates rushed in: “I’ll borrow! I’ll borrow!”

Zhang Yu wasn’t surprised. In the Second Layer, Law Husks were a must for both school and work. He’d grown used to it.

But the next moment, as he stepped inside with Xiao Qingxuan, he froze.

One by one, the vocational students were placed on the conveyor belt.

“Do you want your limbs sold or stored?”

“Storage fees come out of your paycheck.”

Amid the hiss of blades, Zhang Yu watched as students had their limbs severed and chests torn open. One by one, they were fitted with tool-type hand Law Husks, along with organ husks for digestion and hormone regulation.

Living bodies rolled down the conveyor belt—until they were neatly standardized factory workers.

Zhang Yu gaped. “What the hell is this… a slaughterhouse?”

Xiao Qingxuan said calmly, “Of course not. They’re just being outfitted with work-specific Law Husks, for easier integration into the line.”

“Standardized digestive systems let us mass-feed them through nutrient tubes…”

“Modified endocrine systems boost drug-processing efficiency…”

“This isn’t school. On the job, operators live on the line 24/7. Maintenance too.”

Watching bodies become interchangeable cogs, Zhang Yu felt a chill. These weren’t students anymore. They were components—standardized units for industrial use.

Only then did Xiao Qingxuan explain the urgency: the factory was expanding, and more operators were needed. The building Zhang Yu was assigned to construct today?

It was a new assembly line—for producing more operators like these.

“Use your Eye Husk to scan this factory’s specs,” Xiao Qingxuan instructed. “We’ll replicate it as closely as possible.”

Staring at the fast-paced transformation, Zhang Yu muttered, “At this rate… they still need more?”

Xiao Qingxuan replied, “This line supplies more than just this factory. It’s feeding other zones too.”

“With the university war heating up again, medicine sales are up. Pharmacies expect things to escalate even further. Everyone’s building new lines. We’ve got a serious shortage of standardized operators.”