No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Inside the temporary operating room.

The bearded doctor and several others were simultaneously treating Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, while also transplanting the Flood Dragon Spinal Core from Bai Zhenzhen into Zhang Yu’s body and restoring Bai Zhenzhen’s original spine.

Despite having taken a heavy dose of painkillers, Zhang Yu remained fully conscious. He felt every brush of the surgical tools across his body while listening to Xinghuo Zhenren’s voice transmission teaching.

Time was tight, Xinghuo Zhenren said. Even during the hour and a half of surgery, Zhang Yu had to keep learning.

"You’ve now got the Flood Dragon Spinal Core," Xinghuo Zhenren transmitted. "That’ll raise your physical strength by 1.0 level—puts you much closer to Wang Yin in raw power."

"Plus, the Dragon Might Technique within the core can suppress Heart Techniques. He won’t be able to use the most devastating moves of his Collapsing World Fist: Devour the Heavens and Spirit Surge."

"But even with that, you still won’t beat him."

"His skin and Law Husk were stripped from a cultivator with level-20 physical strength. They went through eighty-one crafting steps. Combine that with the Netherworld Blood Shadow Veil made from tens of thousands of mortal souls, and it’ll be nearly impossible to injure him."

"And even if you do manage to nick him, that Spirit Root of his will rapidly heal the damage."

"That Spirit Root is called the Sun-Moon Spirit Root. It’s a Heavenly Spirit Root you can’t buy with money."

"Though he abandoned his cultivation and severed the bond between Spirit Root and body, someone that wealthy could easily buy another one."

"That root can convert mana into blood-essence to heal wounds, and vice versa—blood-essence into mana to replenish power."

"As long as his mana’s regenerating, so is his body."

"Even if you do break through the Blood Shadow Veil and the Law Husk, any damage you deal will be light, and he’ll heal it in seconds."

Zhang Yu’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He’d thought the man’s skin was already a massive obstacle, but apparently even tearing through it wouldn’t be enough—there was still the damn Sun-Moon Spirit Root.

"So what you’re saying," Zhang Yu asked, "is that I can’t beat him?"

Xinghuo Zhenren smiled faintly and said, "There’s always a way."

With that, he extended a finger and pressed it between Zhang Yu’s brows. In the next instant, Zhang Yu felt a meteor crash into his Sea of Consciousness, spiraling before coming to a stop.

Looking closer, Zhang Yu saw... a golden brick?

"What’s this?" he asked.

"This," Xinghuo Zhenren said, "is the artifact Deng Bingding told you about. He’s lending it to you."

"It’s called the Soul-Crushing Brick. A soul-targeting artifact."

"If you can use it to injure Wang Yin’s spirit, break his soul, then you win. He’ll have no choice but to retreat and heal his soul."

"But if you whip it out too early, he’ll block it with the Blood Shadow Veil or that skin of his, and then you’ll have lost your chance."

"So you’ve got to break through both his defenses first—then strike with the Soul-Crushing Brick when he least expects it."

Zhang Yu felt like they’d just circled back to square one—still had to punch through both layers of defense.

As if reading his thoughts, Xinghuo Zhenren continued, "The solution’s already in your hands."

"Your Nine Skies Voidforce Technique is a former military-grade Technique. It lets you compress and stack multiple kinds of force into your Martial Qi. Any martial art, once you use it, gets exponentially stronger."

"Problem is, you’ve just been swinging brute force around. Never really explored the Technique’s full potential."

"If you can stack one kind of force, why stop there?"

"Different forces stacked together—interacting, amplifying—can produce results far beyond a single force alone."

"It’s like a fighter who only knows how to throw straight punches versus one who combines punches, palm strikes, and grapples—who’s stronger?"

That hit Zhang Yu like a thunderclap. A cascade of new ideas surged through his mind.

Seeing the change in his expression, Xinghuo Zhenren smiled and said, "I’ve already found the weak points in the Blood Shadow Veil and Law Husk. Now listen closely..."

By the time the surgery ended, Zhang Yu already knew exactly how to fight Wang Yin.

"That’s the strategy," Xinghuo Zhenren transmitted. "Now, use the remaining time to train the Nine Skies Voidforce Technique. Every level it goes up increases your odds of victory."

"And use this chance to get used to the Flood Dragon Spinal Core."

Zhang Yu glanced at the still-unconscious Bai Zhenzhen, took a deep breath, and prepared to train the Nine Skies Voidforce Technique.

But before he began, something occurred to him.

"Give me some medicine," he told the doctors.

"What kind of medicine?" one of them asked.

"Any kind," Zhang Yu replied. "The more toxic, the better."

He downed a pile of drugs from the doctors, then began cultivating.

The Technique only had three moves, and Zhang Yu could run through all of them in under ten seconds.

Now that time was short, he didn’t worry about perfect form or proper energy flow—he just trained for speed, repeating the motions as fast and often as possible.

As he practiced, he felt the Flood Dragon Spinal Core drawing on his body’s great tendons, reinforcing his strength and forcibly raising his physical level by one grade.

Each punch and kick exploded with power far beyond his previous limit, and his body began to sync with the Law Husk.

But the Law Husk also kept draining his mana. Without the support of his Qi Sea Spirit Root, he wouldn’t have lasted more than ten minutes before being drained dry.

As the frantic training continued, the Technique leveled up: from level 5 to 6... then 7... 8...

Each new level filled Zhang Yu’s mind with a torrent of cultivation memories. He didn’t stop to absorb them properly—he just kept going, using the fastest, laziest, most half-assed form possible to maximize reps.

…

"Time’s up."

A voice from Wang Yin’s team came to collect him. Zhang Yu stopped training and asked, "Got any more meds?"

Several staffers rushed over. "Mr. Zhang! Let us help you suit up in your gear!"

Zhang Yu perked up. Funding from Deng Bingding? Maybe some real armor?

Then he saw them start plastering small ad posters all over his body.

"This is the armor?" he asked.

"These are specially made battle posters," one staffer explained. "Designed to survive fire, frost, acid, and stabbing. Stronger than most battle suits."

"Are you serious… battle posters are tougher than actual armor?"

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. "Stick a few extra layers on my chest."

"And don’t forget the inner thighs."

A few more staffers arrived. "Mr. Zhang, here are the ad lines you’ll be reading during the fight."

Seeing the products and scripts they handed over, Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. "This fight’s streaming now, isn’t it?"

"Yes, sir! Oasis Group’s been promoting it like crazy. It’s the number-one channel right now!"

"Here’s your ad contract—just sign if everything looks good."

Zhang Yu signed in a flash. Watching the credits roll in—nearly ten million just like that—he marveled, "Damn. That was fast money."

Once all preparations were complete, Zhang Yu strode toward the battlefield.

Behind him, Xinghuo Zhenren frowned slightly.

"That kid’s form was a mess while training. It’s been over an hour, and I haven’t seen any real improvement. Too nervous? Or maybe the Flood Dragon Spinal Core hasn’t settled yet?"

Zhang Yu glanced at the 11th-level Nine Skies Voidforce Technique displayed on his Feathered Tome and felt a surge of confidence.

At level 11, the Technique not only let him carve out 11 “air-nodes” to store up 11 strikes worth of force—it also unlocked the level-10 special ability.

"After level 10, I can not only store my own strength, but each node can absorb one of my opponent’s strikes too."

As he walked toward the appointed battlefield, he noticed the image of the Sacrificial Ox in his meditative vision—its white back now stained with blood, the droplets forming strange characters.

"What does this mean?"

Before he could figure it out, howls and screams echoed from ahead.

Wang Yin stood there, surrounded by countless blood shadows. He said calmly, "With the money I made in the last ninety minutes, I bought tens of thousands of mortal souls."

"These mortals had no cultivation. Stupid and ignorant. Their only value is their souls."

"Better to make them shine bright in my hands than rot away in some slum…"

Zhang Yu looked around. As expected, countless cameras were pointed at the battlefield. Who knew how many places were watching?

"So this broadcast is for First Floor—boosting his image, hyping soul harvesting and resale, smoothing the next phase."

"And the broadcast on the upper levels… that’s for marketing First Floor’s cost-effectiveness, luring in investment for redevelopment."

"Or maybe… just advertising me as a product?"

He noticed Oasis Group staff flinching every time the cameras swept their way. Some ducked and muttered, "Crap, don’t catch me on camera—what if some big shot sees me?"

Others eagerly leaned in, hoping, "Who cares if I sell my body? If they pay in spirit coins, that’s real profit!"

On the other side, Wang Yin kept talking: "Mortals are easy to raise—barely cost any Immortal Dao resources."

"Our company has decided to roll out Immortal Dao breeding tech on the First Floor. We’ll build human farms and scale up production."

"We’re going to crash the price of mortals!"

Zhang Yu sneered, pulled out a vial, drank, and began reciting, "Bailing Pharmaceuticals—Always On Target. Your Personal Apothecary..."

…

Yu Xinghan, watching the stream, swore, "You’ve gotta be kidding. He’s been reading ads for five damn minutes—how much money did this guy make?!"

The screen shifted. Yu Xinghan’s eyes narrowed. "Finally. It’s starting."

…

Zhang Yu began walking, then running, then sprinting straight at Wang Yin—who was still mid-ad.

"Don’t care if you’re not done talking."

"I’m not waiting!"

The Flood Dragon Spinal Core writhed along his spine like a dragon stretching its body, blasting strength through him and boosting his speed.

Martial Qi surged from his core, leaving a long trail behind him. Zhang Yu now looked like a charging white dragon, baring its fangs at Wang Yin.

He let out a battle roar, unleashing the Dragon Might Technique from the Flood Dragon Spinal Core. A wave of pressure swept through a hundred-meter radius.

But Wang Yin had been prepared. He didn’t activate any Heart Techniques, so while the Dragon Might stunned him slightly, it didn’t force a shutoff or add dizziness.

He had other Law Husks that could resist Dragon Might, but with his cultivation scrapped, just maintaining this one skin was already maxing out his capacity.

So he’d chosen not to use a Heart Technique at all.

"Sure, I can’t use Devour the Heavens or Spirit Surge now, so I can’t monopolize the spirit-energy flow."

"But the Collapsing World Fist doesn’t need a Heart Technique to hurt you."

Wang Yin bent his right arm, fingers forming a fist seal, gathering mana into his punch.

Collapsing World Fist—Earthshatter Strike!

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, Wang Yin’s punch detonated the surrounding spirit-energy. The shockwaves cascaded in a chain, exploding toward Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu growled, activated Martial Saint Embryo’s Overdrive, and let Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation burst forth.

On top of that, the medicinal storm in his veins churned wildly, and the Flood Dragon Spinal Core marshaled his full power.

He hit his peak form instantly.

His palms flashed out—fist, palm, block, twist—he used all kinds of martial arts moves, laced with Formless Cloud Qi, to parry Wang Yin’s onslaught.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

Each move struck down the explosions.

"His punch strength’s definitely lower now that he’s not using a Heart Technique," Zhang Yu confirmed inwardly.

He carved through Wang Yin’s attacks like a dragon ripping through clouds, charging straight into melee range.

Their eyes met through the Netherworld Blood Shadow Veil. The clash of fighting spirit between them felt like a silent thunderclap.

Nine Skies Voidforce Technique—11-Hit Combo!

On the other side, Wang Yin scoffed inwardly: "Without a Heart Technique, the Collapsing World Fist’s long-range attacks fall off. I need to be up close for max power."

He formed fist seals with both hands, mana boiling around him.

Collapsing World Fist—Heaven-Shattering Strike!