No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Zhang Yu glanced at Yu Xinghan beside him, his gaze briefly sweeping over the latter’s Dao Seed.

Ever since Yu Xinghan’s Three-Eyed Divine Sight had leveled up to Stage 2, it now required a new threshold to advance further.

To reach Stage 3, his Mana had to hit 1000—equivalent to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

“Keep at it, Xinghan.”

“If you don’t train harder, how am I supposed to rake in more earnings?”

Zhang Yu had high hopes for the Stage 3 effect of the Three-Eyed Divine Sight.

Even if he wasn’t giving him Spirit Coins outright, he was still generous enough to share his blood daily and infuse some Mana. That much he could do.

He just hoped Yu Xinghan would thrive, and push his divine technique to the next level soon.

Yu Xinghan, meanwhile, stared at Zhang Yu, muttering inwardly, “This guy… damn, I’m seriously jealous.”

He wanted to devour the fortress Zhang Yu had built—whole, brick by brick.

But then he remembered that even if he managed to swallow the whole thing, he probably wouldn’t be able to digest a single piece. That realization filled him with fresh despair.

“We used to be broke together, suffering side by side. And now he’s pulling ahead… At this rate, our bromance is gonna morph into a father-son dynamic.”

After finishing his lecture on the genius behind Zhang Yu’s latest fortress construction, Tu Lishan let the rest of the examinees go, advising them to take their time digesting what they’d learned.

Zhang Yu alone was asked to stay behind.

“Director Gao wants to see you,” Tu Lishan said with a smile.

As he spoke, a Divine Projection shimmered into view.

The figure who materialized wore traditional Daoist robes with the words Construct World inscribed across the chest—like someone who had time-traveled from an ancient era.

This was none other than Director Gao, the leading figure of the War Faction.

Director Gao looked at Zhang Yu with a gentle smile. “You performed very well this time. I’ve already reviewed your backend scores. You’ve surpassed Ji Yuanshu. As of tonight, you’ll be ranked number one in the Foundation Establishment Class.”

Zhang Yu had already suspected that his performance in the final exam would beat Ji Yuanshu’s.

But he hadn’t been entirely sure whether his cumulative score would be enough to overtake him in the rankings.

Hearing Director Gao confirm it now felt like a weight dropping from his shoulders, followed by a surge of joy from deep within.

All those late nights and thirteen months of grinding and effort—flashes of studying and overtime—flickered through his mind. It all melted away into a feeling of ease and freedom.

“I finally did it.”

He made a mental note to set a reminder—screenshot the rankings as soon as they went live tonight.

Director Gao continued, “You didn’t just score well. You did it by showcasing the truest essence of the Civil Engineering Department—raw, grounded strength. And you clinched first place with it.”

“That’s exactly the kind of quality I hope you’ll continue to uphold in your university journey.”

He paused for a moment, something flickering behind his eyes, then added, “You’ve been taking discounted medicine from the Pharmacology Department, right?”

“I’ve just spoken on your behalf. From now on, you’ll have access to their lab-grade medicine as well.”

Zhang Yu's heart stirred.

The discounted meds he had been buying—whether they were for daily energy, stamina, or those ruthless tiger-and-wolf tonics—were all standard market-grade drugs. You could get them at any pharmacy. The only difference was that the campus pharmacy offered him a student discount.

But lab-grade medicine referred to experimental drugs that hadn’t hit the market yet. They were still being developed inside the labs of the Pharmacology Department.

“These lab medicines use the Pharmacology Department’s cutting-edge tech,” Director Gao warned. “They can provide stronger boosts than regular meds and accelerate your cultivation.”

“But be cautious. There’s a reason these formulas never made it out of the lab—many have serious side effects.”

Zhang Yu clicked into the purchase portal Director Gao sent and filtered for medicines compatible with the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After all, each cultivation realm marked a drastic leap in physiology—practically a whole new species.

A pill safe for the Foundation Establishment Realm might explode a Qi Refining cultivator from the inside.

And a tonic meant for the Gold Core Realm could be used as a battlefield weapon by those still at Foundation Establishment.

That’s why it was critical to filter by realm first.

In the next second, a barrage of lab-grade drugs for the Foundation Establishment Realm appeared in his EyeNet display.

Spirit Beast Serum—grants a chance of awakening bloodline Dao Techniques after ingestion, but may trigger beastification symptoms, cognitive decline, or identity disassociation.

Out-of-Body Pill—gradually unlocks the ability for one’s soul to leave the body, but may cause a split between the soul and brain, leading to infighting over bodily control.

Yin-Yang Self-Fusion Injection—after a month of consistent use, activates dual-polarity manifestation, enhancing Mana refinement efficiency, but may cause metabolic collapse or organ fissures.

Just skimming the list, Zhang Yu already sensed how monstrous these experimental drugs were.

Suppressing his curiosity and excitement, he temporarily closed the list and continued listening to Director Gao.

“You’ve earned first place in the Foundation Establishment Class,” Director Gao said. “That entitles you to a scholarship loan.”

Sure enough, Zhang Yu received a new electronic loan contract—sent by none other than Xu Lingzi from the Finance Department.

Zhang Yu remembered him—Tu Lishan had introduced him as a Gold Core cultivator and the Finance Department’s go-to guy for Civil Engineering loans. Every student loan had passed through his hands.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The War and Peace factions don’t get along, and the Peace Faction is teamed up with Finance… but that doesn’t mean everyone in Finance is anti-War Faction, right? Maybe there are factions within the Finance Department too.”

He snorted at his own thought.

“Of course there are factions. When aren’t there?”

He reviewed the loan details—ten Spirit Coins, monthly interest of 0.01, with the principal due in ten years.

His heart leapt. “Another low-interest, almost-charity loan? That pushes my savings past fifty Spirit Coins!”

Zhang Yu eagerly signed the contract.

Then Director Gao moved on to the next point.

“At the end of last semester, I made you a promise. If you finished your first year as the top student, I’d take you on as a registered disciple.”

“Well, you did it. So from today onward, you’re my registered disciple.”

Zhang Yu thought of the True Lord of Magnetic Poles, who had already taken him as a disciple in secret. But this wasn’t the time to bring that up. He simply nodded respectfully and accepted.

Director Gao went on, “As my disciple, that old dorm of yours is no longer fitting.”

“I’ve upgraded it again. I just sent the key—go ahead and accept it.”

Zhang Yu glanced at the new room details. Another pleasant surprise.

“A 30-square-meter luxury suite?”

“It’s got a private Spirit-Energy circuit, adjustable gravity settings, a multi-formula air filtration system…”

“There’s a shared Artifact Refinement lab and Pill Alchemy room on the same floor…”

Looking over the amenities, Zhang Yu marveled. Every time he ranked up, his housing took another leap forward.

“In college, your treatment really is decided by your grades and ranking.”

After sending the dorm key, Director Gao’s tone turned more serious.

“Now that you’ve claimed first place for the year, the most important thing is this—you’ll be initiated into the first of the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes: the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal.”

“You already know—the techniques, methods, and knowledge you learned in your first year focused on small-scale construction.”

“But the most advanced, lucrative, and high-level applications of Civil Engineering lie in large-scale construction. That’s what you’ll start learning in your second year.”

“And the pinnacle of large-scale construction? That would be the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes.”

Zhang Yu nodded.

He remembered the first time he worked on a wilderness site—those older, wealthier Civil Engineering students that Director Gao mentored were all involved in large-scale projects: mountain-breaking, terrain reshaping, tunnel boring...

Director Gao explained, “The Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal is the foundation of all large-scale construction Techniques. Only with a solid mastery of this can your future cultivation efforts yield twice the results.”

“I’ll personally pass on its core principles to you in a few days.”

“And since you’re my disciple now, I can also recommend you to be eligible for the Military Civil Engineering Certification.”

“If you earn that license, you’ll be allowed to attempt the department’s Civil Engineering Seven Trials.”

“If you gain the approval of all seven professors, not only will you receive full transmission of the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes, but you’ll also be eligible to purchase the Law Husk of the Seven Absolutes.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up.

“You mean if I pass the Civil Engineering Seven Trials, I won’t have to fight for first place year after year—I can just learn the Seven Absolutes outright?”

Director Gao chuckled. “The Trials are incredibly difficult. Realistically, you won’t even have a shot until your fourth or fifth year.”

“Besides, each of the Seven Absolutes is vast and deep—just one of them takes over a year to reach even basic proficiency. Learning them early doesn’t help if you can’t master them.”

He added, “And the key to the Seven Trials is the Law Husk of the Seven Absolutes.”

“Each Law Husk is tailored to one of the Seven Absolutes. They allow the Technique to operate at maximum potential.”

Zhang Yu nodded thoughtfully.

He knew that many university students installed specialized Law Husks to supercharge their expert-grade Techniques.

Clearly, the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes and their matching Law Husks were designed with the same intent—boosting an expert-grade Technique into something beyond expert level, closer to military-grade power.

Director Gao concluded, “If, someday, you manage to learn the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might, and enhance it with the matching Law Husk of the Seven Absolutes…”

“Then even when facing the top prodigies from the three elite departments, you’ll stand tall and fearless.”