No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Zhang Yu didn’t feel like he was risking his life. With the physical activation triggered by the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique, even the full exertion of the War Demon Life-Draining Technique remained within his limits.

Besides, he had just popped a Longevity Elixir a few days ago and gained a whole year of lifespan. Burning off a little of that? No big deal.

Fu Ji often told him that lifespan didn’t accrue interest—better to cash it in when it paid returns. Worst case, just earn it back later.

At this moment, not only was Zhang Yu not losing lifespan, but the explosive surge of physical power and Martial Qi was also activating residual medicinal effects stored deep in his body.

Over the past few days at the pill factory, he’d ingested plenty of semi-finished concoctions. Some took effect immediately; others settled into his body as dormant medicinal power, waiting to be absorbed.

Now, with blood and mana circulating wildly, all that residual power was being agitated, speeding up absorption. His physical strength edged toward another breakthrough.

Physical Strength +0.01 Level

To Ying Xin, this translated into Zhang Yu suddenly accelerating again—blurring past her by several body lengths in an instant.

At that moment, her father’s words rang in her mind:

"Ying Xin, don’t go throwing your life against someone from the First Floor."

Back then, she’d bristled. She wasn’t afraid of death, and she wasn’t about to back down from someone just because they were from the First Floor.

Her father had replied:

"Are you as broke as they are? Carry as much debt? Feel that kind of pressure?"

"You don’t. Your life is worth more. It’s not cost-effective to fight someone like that. You simply don’t have the fire to go all-out like they do."

"But if someone does go all-out, it works. At that point, who cares about money? Spend what needs spending—"

Ying Xin’s eyes sharpened as a talisman book floated into her hand.

"Four Winds, heed my command—transport for me!"

At her command, radiant streams of light erupted from her sigil, summoning howling gales that lifted building debris alongside her, helping her haul the load downward.

But the moment she overtook Zhang Yu, his body bulked up again—and his speed surged.

"Still pushing?" she scoffed inwardly. "Don’t blame me for crushing all hope, then."

As Zhang Yu and Ying Xin chased each other down the tower, Tu Lishan was monitoring the race from the 666th floor via surveillance cameras.

"Mmm. Sure, Ying Xin won’t go all-out, but at least she’s willing to burn money. Anyone who’ll pay out of pocket to work, to take on a project? That’s still a genius of the Civil Engineering Department in my book."

Then Zhang Yu picked up speed again, and Tu Lishan’s eyes gleamed with admiration.

"Yes, yes, very good. One’s burning his life, the other’s burning her wallet. Exactly the kind of talent my Civil Engineering Department breeds."

Zhang Yu slammed into the ground with a thud. As he reached the first underground floor, his muscles buffered the impact, flinging building materials straight toward the waste processing facility.

Now he had activated the burst state of the Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation. The War Demon Life-Draining Technique began to nibble slightly at his lifespan.

"Good thing I took that Longevity Elixir."

"A year of life just sitting there earns no interest. Might as well cash a little in."

Ying Xin, borne on the storm winds, arrived alongside him.

The two surged forward like twin dragons—one wreathed in cloud and mist, the other radiating golden brilliance—accelerating amid shrieking winds.

After delivering the first batch of building materials, they shot off again, air trailing in rippling shockwaves as they rocketed back toward the 666th floor.

With no building materials weighing him down, Zhang Yu’s speed exploded. He carved long white trails through the air, leaving Ying Xin further behind with each second.

Watching this, Ying Xin cursed inwardly, "Five hours… I’ll see just how much lifespan you dare to burn."

Up and down, again and again—nonstop. She could only watch as Zhang Yu sprinted and exploded forward, again and again, without pause.

Meanwhile, her own balance of spirit coins drained at an alarming rate. Gritting her teeth, she finally shut down the talisman.

From then on, the distance between them widened rapidly.

As the five-hour race neared its end, Ying Xin’s body was radiating heat. Her skin had flushed red, her muscles felt molten. Each step made her legs tremble. Each breath stabbed at her chest.

She was like an artillery barrel after hours of continuous overfire—metal fatigued, about to fail.

When she lifted her head again, Zhang Yu’s body was likewise flushed and steaming. But he let out a roar and charged toward the waste plant once more.

A flicker of shock crossed her eyes. "He… still has energy left?"

"How much lifespan did he burn?"

"No… it’s not just about lifespan anymore."

A sliver of disbelief crossed her face. "Is his strength… already beyond mine?"

She clenched her fists in frustration. "How is this possible? He spends every day grinding himself down on a construction site. He couldn’t possibly have spent more money than I did..."

Just then, Tu Lishan walked up beside her.

"Still don’t get it?"

"That kid Zhang Yu—back when he was working daily on the 666th-floor site—I could tell. He was using it to cultivate body-refining techniques."

"He wasn’t just suffering through wear and tear—he was cranking up the difficulty on himself. Every ounce of his power, every scrap of cultivation—he earned it with blood and sweat."

"Ying Xin, now do you feel the difference between a body trained in a cultivation chamber and one forged on a worksite?"

"For you, this was just a class. A chance. But for him… it’s his job, his life, his one shot at staying on the upper floors."

Tu Lishan sighed inwardly. "If you had enough money to outspend his death-defying grind, maybe you could suppress him—like Gongshu Jin or Ji Yuanshu."

"But you don’t. You’re still not rich enough."

At that moment, Li Xiao and Yu Xinghan arrived.

Ying Xin frowned. Yu Xinghan’s stare was starting to feel a little too persistent.

Yu Xinghan, meanwhile, was thinking, Once I edit this video—blur some faces, add a few effects—and post it… I wonder how much traffic a video of the Civil Engineering Department’s belle will get? Can’t be worse than my 'Day in the Life at a Construction Site' vlogs, right?

Li Xiao assumed Ying Xin had won. After all, she had to be stronger than Zhang Yu.

"Ying Xin, we’re all classmates—no need for tension. For my sake, at least hear him out…"

Ying Xin glared at him coldly. "What ‘sake’?"

Then she turned and walked away, not looking back.

Right then, the class leaderboard updated.

Zhang Yu’s rank changed from 4th to 3rd. Ying Xin’s dropped from 3rd to 4th.

Seeing this, she gave a bitter smile.

"As expected…" she muttered. "He’s above me now. I was the weaker one all along."

Li Xiao, noticing the ranking shift, recalled Ying Xin’s earlier reactions.

He stared at Zhang Yu as the latter walked past.

"You… you actually beat Ying Xin?"

Zhang Yu exhaled a searing breath. "Hm? Looks like it."

He glanced toward Ying Xin’s limping figure and called after her, "Don’t forget to send the money."

Tu Lishan smiled. "Zhang Yu, you did well. But make sure you rest. Next month, once the wilderness project begins, you’ll be busier than ever."

Once Tu Lishan left, Li Xiao couldn’t hold back. "How… how do you even train?"

Zhang Yu gave him a sideways glance. "You wouldn’t be able to copy my method."

"If you want to try something, go learn from Yu Xinghan."

With that, he turned and vanished in a blur—shooting skyward along the Magnetic Channel back to the 666th floor.

Li Xiao messaged: Where are you going?

Zhang Yu replied: Overtime.

Li Xiao was stunned. "He’s still going to work?"

Yu Xinghan shrugged. "That’s just how he is. Never stops. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him take a break. Honestly, I think he treats overtime as a reward for winning."

Li Xiao felt a wave of confusion. Isn’t overtime supposed to be exhausting?

To Zhang Yu, what others had to endure in silence… was his joy?

Was the gap between people really this huge?

He turned to Yu Xinghan. "What about you? What are you doing next?"

Yu Xinghan headed toward the Magnetic Channel and replied offhandedly, "Massage."

…

Wanfa University City, 666th Floor.

After a short while on the job, Zhang Yu received a transfer from Ying Xin—0.121 spirit coins—pushing his balance past 12.5.

Looking at the number, Zhang Yu grinned in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad."

"Now I can spend a bit more. Boost my stats some more."

"Could even afford a few more rounds of Dao Techniques services…"

He started mentally budgeting how to spend the spirit coins in his account.

Just then, a message from Tu Lishan arrived.

Tu Lishan: Zhang Yu, Director Gao was very impressed with your performance today.

Tu Lishan: He knows you’re short on money, so he arranged for you to meet a Finance Department teacher tomorrow. They’ll help you apply for a low-interest student loan.

Zhang Yu: Thank you, Teacher Tu. Please thank Director Gao on my behalf as well.

Tu Lishan: That’s what teachers are for. If you want to repay him, show your best next month during the wilderness project. This is a golden era for students of civil cultivation. As long as you fight hard, there’ll be no shortage of chances.

Zhang Yu: This wilderness project… what exactly do we have to do?

Tu Lishan didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he sent a single question:

How much do you know about the University War?