No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

"I told you—I’ve got you."

With a roar, Zhang Yu dragged Wang Yin off-balance and slammed him hard into the ground, watching with grim satisfaction as shock flooded the other boy’s face.

Wang Yin, busy suppressing the mana within his body, couldn’t react. He could only watch, helpless, as Zhang Yu made his move.

Boom!

The ground shook violently. Wang Yin’s body smashed into the earth, forming a massive crater.

Inside the seismic tremors, his brain ricocheted within his skull, a dizzying whirl of impact and confusion.

…

Zhang Yu recalled the teachings of Xinghuo Zhenren.

"That Law Husk skin is impervious to blades and flame. Even if you train for another year, you still might not break through it."

"But combat isn't about brute strength. It’s about exploiting weakness." "Don’t aim to pierce the skin directly. Instead, bypass it—use vibration to shake Wang Yin’s brain."

"Then ripple that vibration through his entire body. Break the bond between flesh and skin. Do you understand? That skin is a Law Husk, not real skin."

"It’s like a plug socket—it’s just connected to the flesh."

"Keep hitting it. Shake it hard enough and it’ll start to short."

…

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Wang Yin was like a sledgehammer in Zhang Yu’s hands, slammed into the ground over and over again.

Each violent impact caused the brain, floating in cerebrospinal fluid, to rattle even more violently within Wang Yin’s skull. The shifting pressure inside his cranium surged.

At the same time, the once-tight bond between the Law Husk skin and the flesh beneath began to loosen.

Boom!

Another thunderous impact. Wang Yin’s head slammed into the ground, creating bursts of compressed air. A faint bruise appeared on his forehead.

Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened. That was the moment he had been waiting for.

He might appear to have the upper hand, but he knew full well his heavily injured body wouldn’t last.

Wang Yin, though seemingly battered, had suffered little actual damage. The Spirit Root within him continued healing his injuries, and the wild mana inside was beginning to settle.

If this dragged on, Zhang Yu would lose.

But now, there was a chance…

"A bruise... It means the bond between skin and flesh is failing. The Law Husk has a flaw there," Zhang Yu thought. "Just like a socket coming loose."

At that moment, the Soul-Crushing Brick placed by Xinghuo Zhenren in his Sea of Consciousness began to tremble faintly.

Wang Yin, meanwhile, felt the world spin. His bones groaned and cracked like collapsing scaffolding. His ears buzzed like a swarm of insects flapping inside his skull.

And then—everything stopped. He was lying flat on the ground.

Lifting his head slightly, he saw Zhang Yu raise a glowing golden object over him—then bring it down toward his forehead.

Boom!

A temple-bell-like crash rang out as the Soul-Crushing Brick smashed into Wang Yin’s brow.

Zhang Yu saw shimmering shadows flash across the brick’s surface, pouring through the weakened gap in the Law Husk and flooding into Wang Yin’s mind.

"Golden City of the Spirit Realm! Deposit 10,000, get 10,000 more! Casino direct line!"

"Super electric entertainment—hot, spicy, and real!"

"Local gold-tier tutoring! Boost scores by hundreds in a month—free banned drugs with signup!"

"Heavenly Court Sunshine Finance! Grassroots investment mutual fund! Let’s all get rich!"

In the blink of an eye, Wang Yin’s mind was inundated with an ocean of spam.

Waves upon waves of scammy ads crashed against his consciousness, leaving him stunned.

Zhang Yu’s heart twitched at the sight of those countless flickering streams flooding Wang Yin’s brain. “Wait, are those… ads?”

“No—scam ads?!”

"And they look like they’re from some Evil God scam playbook…"

He glanced down at the Soul-Crushing Brick and muttered internally, "So it’s not a brick…"

"It’s a hard drive?"

A thousand thoughts swirled through his head—but only for an instant.

He raised the Soul-Crushing Brick again for another strike.

But Wang Yin let out a furious roar and lashed out with a punch.

At this range, Zhang Yu had no way to dodge.

And in his state, there was no way he could block it head-on.

"Then I’ll bet everything."

Zhang Yu sacrificed his arm and brought the brick down again.

Boom!

He caught Wang Yin’s full-force punch with his left arm.

Though he tried to absorb the force using his Acupoints, the impact still shattered his bones and tore muscle. Blood sprayed as his arm dropped, useless.

But the Soul-Crushing Brick landed squarely on Wang Yin’s forehead once more.

The boy convulsed violently.

He tried to throw another punch—but found he couldn’t even focus. His brain couldn’t form coherent thoughts.

As the brick descended once again, Wang Yin glared up at Zhang Yu and shouted hoarsely, "Zhang Yu!"

"Don’t you want money anymore?"

"You forgot the hundreds of millions frozen in your and Bai Zhenzhen’s accounts? And the tens of millions we still owe you?"

"If you just admit fault again, you can go back. I’ll even double the—"

Zhang Yu cut him off coldly. "That frozen money? It was our rightful payment!"

"You won’t give it? Then I’ll take it myself!"

Boom!

Wang Yin screamed. His brain felt like it would burst from the flood of data.

He howled, "Zhang Yu! Hurt my soul, and Oasis Group, Netherworld University, Netherworld Palace—they’ll all come after you!"

Zhang Yu raised the brick once more, towering over Wang Yin.

"You think they ever let me go?"

Boom!

Blood streamed from Wang Yin’s seven orifices. His brain was shutting down.

Wang Yin struggled to speak. "The First Floor’s outcome... was decided by the Immortals… You’re defying the big picture…"

"The big picture?" Zhang Yu said flatly. "The big picture wants me eaten alive!"

Boom!

"I endure—and still I get eaten!"

Boom!

"If Kunxu’s only choice is to eat or be eaten… then I’ll eat you first!"

Boom!

By now, Wang Yin’s skull was visibly deformed. His face a mangled mess of blood and flesh. His limbs twitched faintly—but no longer moved or spoke.

In that moment, Xinghuo Zhenren appeared at Zhang Yu’s side.

With a sweeping gesture, he shattered the Nether Blood Shadow Shroud. Countless shadowy figures let out sighs of release before fading into nothing.

He gently caught Zhang Yu’s raised arm. "That’s enough, child."

"One more strike, and he’ll die..."

"People like him are a dime a dozen. Not worth your life."

"You—are far more valuable."

Zhang Yu’s breath heaved. Slowly, he calmed.

He looked around and saw the battlefield in chaos. Oasis Group employees trying to rush in to save Wang Yin.

But more people were blocking their path.

The war raged from sky to ground, threatening to turn all of Songyang City into a corporate battleground.

"All those backup fighters—are they outsourced?" Zhang Yu asked.

Looks like Deng Bingding pulled through, got a good crowd here.

Xinghuo Zhenren chuckled. "You could say that. But those people—they’re also the local nobles of Songyang, employees of other firms… even Oasis Group."

Zhang Yu blinked. "Wait—they were Deng Bingding’s support? But earlier they were—"

"Whoever wins, they support," Xinghuo said coolly.

"Wang Yin’s fall? Everyone sees it as the upper echelon’s will. The result of high-level maneuvering."

"Now the majority of First Floor nobles—especially those who were suppressed—are rebelling against Oasis Group. Other firms and employees are just fishing in muddy waters."

Zhang Yu gazed at the fierce fights around him. "Won’t the Righteous Gods stop them?"

"Why would they?" Xinghuo said softly. "War drives industry, boosts healthcare, forces insurers to pay out… even solves unemployment, weeds out obsolete tech."

"For the Netherworld Palace, First Floor’s issues can be solved by restructuring—by raising cattle."

"But for others, maybe a few wars are enough."

Zhang Yu had no words. He looked at Wang Yin’s body. "And him? What happens next?"

"Not our concern," Xinghuo said, pulling him away. "Someone’ll take him back."

"In nine months, when you enter university, you’ll likely cross paths again."

"And next time, there won’t be so many people to help you."

He glanced at Zhang Yu. "You and Bai Zhenzhen—train with me for the next nine months."

…

On the streets—

Li Xuelian turned to the Xianyun Group’s city director. "Coming with?"

The director shook her head. "Still under contract. Expires tomorrow. You go ahead."

Li Xuelian smiled faintly. In a silver flash, her form vanished, her long hair sparkling like threads of starlight.

Everywhere she passed, Oasis Group staff dropped silently, unharmed but unconscious.

…

In front of a smartphone—

Yu Xinghan stared at the screen, watching Xinghuo Zhenren pull Zhang Yu away.

Only one thought rang in his head—

It’s over!

The sky had fallen for Gold Core disciples!

Clutching his chest, he groaned in pain.

"Zhang Yu’s gonna get at least half my cultivation funding…"

But then he pictured Zhang Yu, bricks in hand, bashing Wang Yin half to death.

"No, he’ll probably get more than 80%."

"And Bai Zhenzhen too…"

"That’s it. I’ll be lucky to get 1% of Grandpa’s inheritance."

"Earning pocket money in the future? Might as well try ascension."

Then he had a thought. He quickly picked up his phone and opened Zhang Yu’s crowdfunding loan page.

"Zhang Yu cleaned up big this time. He’s gonna rake it in."

"But if I just keep lending—then no matter how much he earns, I get 1.3x back…"

He tapped in excitedly—only to find…

The loan channel was closed.