No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Listening to Zhang Pianpian’s explanation, Zhang Yu asked another question.

“If I take the exam, how does that guarantee Ah-Zhen’s safety too?”

Zhang Pianpian rested her chin on one hand and said calmly, “I can recommend you for the Divine Assistant examination.”

“And once you become a Divine Assistant, you’re allowed to bring your own intern.”

Zhang Yu understood now. So it’s like a temp worker subcontracting an intern, huh?

Zhang Pianpian continued, “After you’re listed as an auxiliary member under the Eight Divine Officials, I’ll take you two to talk with the student council at Songyang High. I’ll back you up.”

“For the next six months or so, as long as I’m still in Songyang City and haven’t left for university, they probably won’t give you two any trouble.”

Talk to the student council? Back us up? Who even are you? What’s your score? How much money do you have? Can you really back us up?

As if she saw the doubt and worry in Zhang Yu’s eyes, Zhang Pianpian didn’t say much more. She just said lightly, “I’m the top senior at White Dragon High, and currently the strongest high schooler in all of Songyang City.”

The strongest! High schooler! In! Songyang City!If it were the old Zhang Yu hearing those words, he’d probably just say, “Wow, not bad, that’s impressive.”

But now, hearing Zhang Pianpian say that, he felt like his sister was radiating blinding light.

Anyone who’s attended high school in Songyang City knew what those words meant.

That title was earned through self-destructive cultivation, selling one’s soul again and again, shedding buckets of blood and tears, and stepping over the corpses of countless other students.

So Zhang Yu asked, “What exactly does a Divine Assistant do?”

“Work?” Zhang Pianpian tilted her head. “You don’t really have to do anything. Once you’ve got the title, you just collect your pay on time every month.”

Zhang Yu got it now. So it’s a ghost job, huh? Finally, one of these sweet gigs lands in his lap?

He quickly followed up, “So what’s on the exam?”

Zhang Pianpian shook her head. “The exam content is randomly generated, so I don’t know.”

“But based on what I know about the role, the higher your Dao Heart, the better. And the stronger your willpower, the better.”

“Dao Heart and willpower?” Zhang Yu nodded slightly. “So the exam’s in the Spiritual Realm?”

“Correct.” Zhang Pianpian stood up and walked toward the door. “The exam takes place in the Spiritual Realm.”

“I’ll send you the link to register in a bit.”

“If you sign up today, you can probably take the exam tomorrow.”

“Remember to ask your school for a day off.”

“Oh, and I’ll have someone deliver a Spiritual Realm Mask for you to use during the exam.”

Saying that, Zhang Pianpian had already reached the door. “And one last thing—don’t tell anyone we’re siblings. If anyone asks, just say I admire your talent.”

Watching her walk away, Zhang Yu thought for a moment, then messaged Su Haifeng to request time off.

He didn’t even wait to see if the request was approved—just set the phone aside and started thinking about how to prepare.

“Dao Heart? Willpower? And the exam’s in the Spiritual Realm?”

Zhang Yu decided to trust Zhang Pianpian and followed her guidance in his mind.

“To boost Dao Heart and willpower, nothing beats the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique.”

“I’ll hammer out another breakthrough with it tonight.”

But considering how important this was—affecting both his and Bai Zhenzhen’s future—Zhang Yu figured he should push himself even harder than usual tonight.

He picked up his phone and called Wang Hai.

“Mr. Wang, I’d like to buy some medicine.”

Wang Hai was instantly delighted, barely holding back a laugh.

Finally! Finally, this body-refining genius, this Gold Core Disciple, from his class was coming to him for meds!

In that moment, Wang Hai felt like a teacher watching a lost cause finally come home.

He thought for a bit, then asked, “What kind of medicine do you need?”

“I need something that’ll let me train all night without resting,” Zhang Yu said.

“Minimal side effects, minimal damage to the body.”

“Good quality, price isn’t an issue.”

“It’s just for tonight, so I don’t need a large amount.”

Zhang Yu figured, even though his original body had overdosed before, he’d been recovering for a while, and his physical strength had improved a lot. Just one dose tonight to prep for the exam shouldn’t be a problem.

On the other end, Wang Hai—an elite salesman who both used and sold his own products—knew his inventory inside and out.

He was a little disappointed that Zhang Yu only needed a one-night batch, but that just made him more eager to show him the benefits. Get him hooked, and he’d be back for more.

“Give me a sec…”

Wang Hai quickly cranked out a custom list based on Zhang Yu’s physical specs. It included pain controllers, focus enhancers, stimulants, and a vitality booster.

He sent the list over. “All top-shelf stuff. Lowest side effects, like you asked. I’ll give you a 10% discount.”

Looking at the ¥5,800 total, Zhang Yu winced. “Good medicine really isn’t cheap. Thank goodness it’s just for one night.”

Between food, transit, enhancing his Heavenly Spiritual Root, and other expenses—plus this month’s ¥15,000 loan, ¥1,500 rent, and a few hundred for utilities—Zhang Yu’s savings were down to ¥45,000.

Now with another ¥5,800 gone, he’d be left with just over ¥39,000.

“Man, I’m broke.”

He transferred the money to Wang Hai and waited for the delivery.

With Songyang City’s courier speed, he figured it’d be here in an hour.

Just then, a message came from Zhang Pianpian—the exam registration link.

“Songyang City Inspectorate Department, Divine Assistant Application…”

The Inspectorate Department—one of the Eight Divine Ministries.

Zhang Yu skimmed through the job description, requirements, and salary.

He met all the requirements.

The job duties were listed as patrol, inspection, maintaining public order… Very vague. He still had no idea what the actual work was.

And the salary…

“Eighteen hours a week, ¥1,000 a month?”

That’s less than ¥14 an hour. You need an exam for this gig? Zhang Yu was just glad he was landing a ghost job.

Still, from what he understood of Kunxu, the status of a job could be measured by its hourly pay.

A job with less than ¥14/hour? Could that really give him cover from the student council? The hourly rate just screamed weak and pathetic.

Afraid Zhang Pianpian had given him the wrong link, he messaged her to ask.

She replied simply, “Low as it is, it’s still under the Eight Divine Officials. And the usefulness of a title depends on who’s using it.”

“Sure, the monthly pay’s low. But there are hidden perks they don’t list.”

“For example, you’ll be issued a work-use Feathered Tome for free.”

“And if you study sigils after joining, you get a discount.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. With those perks factored in, this job was something else entirely.

He submitted his application, writing Zhang Pianpian’s name in the “recommender” field.

Moments later, he received a notification to take the exam tomorrow at 9 a.m.

After all that, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but sigh a little.

Everything Zhang Pianpian told him today—channels, jobs, identities, inside info—were things the old Zhang Yu had never even heard of.

He thought back to the original Zhang Yu, who walked into the high school entrance interviews completely blind, unaware of the massive gap between city and rural applicants—not just in wealth, talent, or skills, but in information itself. He didn’t even know which direction to work toward.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Zhang Yu sat cross-legged and started cultivating the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Method while he waited for the delivery.

He used that instead of the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique at home, since the latter required him to be physically active during cultivation.

Forty minutes passed in a flash. The Spiritual Realm Mask from Zhang Pianpian and the medicine package from Wang Hai both arrived.

Zhang Yu grabbed the medicine and headed to the abandoned building to train.

But after a moment’s thought—since the Spiritual Realm Mask was so valuable—he decided to take it with him.

At the abandoned site—

Zhang Yu downed the pain controller, focus enhancer, and stimulant one after another, then jabbed the vitality booster into his arm.

Moments later, his whole body was burning hot. His qi and blood surged like molten lava. He felt like he had infinite stamina, boundless strength.

Boom!

With a punch, he began furiously practicing the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique.

Normally it took him 14 minutes to complete one full set, but under the effects of the drugs, his limbs blurred with afterimages. He knocked out nine full sets in just six minutes.

And throughout it all, he felt no soreness, no fatigue.

One feeling dominated his mind—

So intense! These drugs from Wang Hai are seriously next level! That ¥5,800 was worth every cent!

Mr. Wang! Doping really is better than natural body refining!

One hour later, Zhang Yu was still going strong.

Two hours later, still training.

Five hours later, still not stopping.

He kept going, full of energy, all night long—until 7 a.m., when he suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion crash over him. He collapsed to the ground, heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst. A deep ache pulsed through his organs.

It took over ten minutes for him to catch his breath.

“The meds wore off.”

Thinking about the pain he just endured, Zhang Yu thought, “That hit hard. My organs still aren’t fully healed. Definitely can’t do this too often.”

But the results of that all-night frenzy were impressive.

His physical strength rose from 1.33 to 1.35. His Dao Heart reached Level 3 (5%). Most importantly, the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique rose to Level 6 (3/60).

Now, whenever Zhang Yu summoned his Martial Intent, all fear and hesitation vanished. No matter how perilous the path ahead, he would charge through it, ripping open a way forward with his own two hands.

After breakfast, he returned to his rental apartment and rested until 8:50.

Zhang Yu donned the Spiritual Realm Mask, activated the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique, and logged into the exam site.

At exactly 9:00 a.m., a flash of light pierced the darkness.

Zhang Yu found himself in another world.