No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Just as Zhang Yu was reaching out to the Three Great Academies…

Inside the office at Songyang High.

Lan Ling spoke bitterly. “...If we just let this slide, the Student Council’s authority will be totally gone. How are we supposed to do our job after that?”

Zhou Chechen didn’t respond. He was still thinking through what had happened today—thinking about the performances of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

“Those two act so brazenly. What gives them such confidence?”

“Is it just recklessness? Or is there someone behind them besides Zhang Pianpian?”

As he listened to Lan Ling’s complaints, Zhou Chechen was mulling over whether they could cancel some of the other party’s benefits—for example, disqualifying them from the competition as a way to probe further.

And just as he was thinking that, his phone buzzed.

Zhou Chechen glanced at the screen. It was a message from Le Jingchen.

Lan Ling noticed the strange look on Zhou Chechen’s face. “What is it?” Zhou Chechen frowned. “Le Jingchen says the thing he asked us to handle... he already took care of it himself.”

Lan Ling blinked. “He did?”

Zhou Chechen continued, “Zhang Yu personally approached him, took his money, and agreed to withdraw from the Dao Heart Competition for the first-years.”

Lan Ling was stunned. “What? He talked to Le Jingchen directly?”

“How the hell did he get in with Le Jingchen?”

Just then, Zhou Chechen’s phone buzzed again. This time, his face changed dramatically.

His voice was filled with disbelief. “My bank account’s frozen?”

“And now there’s going to be a tax audit?”

Zhou Chechen was absolutely sure—his taxes were clean. So why this sudden audit?

He thought back on how they had just gone after Zhang Yu... then how Zhang Yu and Le Jingchen had made a private deal... and now this frozen account…

Lan Ling offered cautiously, “Could it be some procedural error in the company? Maybe you just need to pay a fine?”

“Fine? Pay your damn fine.” Zhou Chechen’s expression darkened. “This is clearly a warning. I knew Zhang Yu wouldn’t be that simple.”

Lan Ling said, “Could it be the tax bureau...?”

Zhou Chechen shook his head. “No way. If they wanted to move, they’d be direct—not this sneaky.”

“And right after we acted, they contact Le Jingchen on one end and freeze my account on the other... we’re clearly being watched.”

Lan Ling’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t that a threat? I’ll go confront Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen right now—”

“You muscle-bound idiot! Can you stop rushing into things?” Zhou Chechen snapped. “Zhang Yu’s just a dog. Even if you pin him down, what’s the point? Our enemy’s in the shadows. If they dare to send this kind of warning, they clearly don’t fear us.”

“The top priority now is to find out exactly who’s backing Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen. Only after we figure that out can we decide whether to endure or strike back.”

“I’ll speak with my father and have the family investigate this personally.”

“In the meantime, don’t act rashly. Pretend nothing happened.”

…

Inside Songyang High.

Zhang Yu exhaled slightly as he read the message on his phone.

It was from one of the contacts Zhang Pianpian had left him—the captain of the Songyang City Inspectorate. The message read: “The sigils are deployed. The account’s frozen.”

Zhang Yu replied: Thanks.

The reply came quickly: No big deal. Stop by sometime if you’re free.

For the next few days, whether it was the Student Council, the second-years, or Zhou Chechen and Lan Ling, they all stayed eerily quiet. It was as if the training hall incident had never happened.

Zhang Yu breathed a little easier. It seemed, for now, he didn’t have to worry about retaliation.

“Now it’s simple.”

“Go all-in on cultivation. Convert every bit of these windfall funds into actual strength.”

So over the following days, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen sprinted down the Immortal Path, burning through their account balances at a pace they had never experienced before.

…

In the Protected-Zone Breeding Facility.

Inside the hatching room.

Zhang Yu was currently performing Active Breathing, absorbing Spiritual Energy.

Streams of Great Sun Qi Sea Technique flowed through his meridians.

Suddenly, mana as hot as molten lava burst through a set of fine meridians. Zhang Yu broke through another bottleneck in his mana training.

Mana level: 70 units.

Feeling the surging power of his breakthrough, Zhang Yu allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.

Across from him, Xiong Wenwu was also practicing a breathing technique.

Zhang Yu said, “Thanks for your help the other day.”

Xiong Wenwu replied calmly, “No big deal. You two spent enough money here. Helping out a little was the least I could do.”

“Besides, I was just being honest. If you and Bai Zhenzhen don’t compete, my guys have a much better shot at getting into the Ten Great Academies.”

Zhang Yu then asked, “Haven’t seen An’an today. Where is she?”

Xiong Wenwu sighed and shook his head. “She’s comforting the others.”

“Because she got a pay cut.”

Zhang Yu blinked. “Huh? If she got her pay cut, why’s she the one doing the comforting?”

Xiong Wenwu explained slowly, “Because she’s the Protected-Zone’s best employee, she was asked to lead by example and take the first pay cut. It signals that everyone else is about to get theirs.”

“The manager told her to help the others mentally prepare—to understand the company’s situation, to endure hardship together.”

Zhang Yu could only offer a vague, “Yeah... that’s just how companies are…”

But Xiong Wenwu snapped, “She’s the most dedicated one here. She’s the one who truly embodies the company’s spirit. So why is she paid the least? Eats the worst food? And when the company takes a hit, she’s the first to take a cut?”

“How is that any different from slashing the benefits of the class’s top student?”

Zhang Yu fell silent at that. He didn’t know what to say.

Xiong Wenwu went on, “All of this just proves... something’s wrong with the company. They’ve stopped rewarding their best people.”

He could feel it—things were off. Not just the selling of bases and factories. Even upper management was starting to get chaotic.

“But soon...” Xiong Wenwu murmured, “Soon I’ll have enough to pay off her Breeding Loans.”

“Then she can leave this place.”

…

At White Dragon High.

Song Hailong was sparring with Bai Zhenzhen.

But with Bai Zhenzhen’s ghostlike footwork, it was becoming harder and harder for him to land a hit.

Song Hailong could only hold his ground like a reef battered by waves, defending against Bai Zhenzhen’s relentless storm of attacks while trying to find an opening.

But Bai Zhenzhen moved like lightning—always vanishing into his blind spots, forcing him to constantly shift and reorient, struggling to track her movements.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen darted back over ten meters and stopped.

Song Hailong frowned. “What is it?”

Bai Zhenzhen glanced toward the doorway. “You lot’ve been watching us train for a while now, huh?”

Chu Qiuhe and the others dropped to their knees immediately. “We’ll kneel and watch from now on!”

Bai Zhenzhen shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I mean if you’re going to watch us train... you need to pay.”

Song Hailong was about to say to let it go.

But Zhang Yu chimed in from not far away, “Yeah. You think watching this level of training should be free? They should definitely pay.”

Yu Xinghan nodded. “Alright then, we’ll start charging admission.”

Soon, the training hall was packed with spectators.

Dozens of White Dragon students craned their necks from the edges, trying to catch a glimpse of the battle.

Those who wanted front-row kneeling spots—where the view was best—had to pay extra.

That day, before leaving White Dragon High, Yu Xinghan told Zhang Yu, “There’s news about the Spiritual Realm. I’ll help set it up for you guys in a few days.”

…

Late July.

Less than half a month remained before the first round of the Foundation License exam.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen kept pushing forward on the Immortal Path. With money burning like wildfire and resources being consumed at astonishing speed, their progress was explosive.

Zhang Yu’s mana reached 81.5 units. His physical body strength hit 7.52—both stats now surpassed the average for White Dragon third-years.

Only his Dao Heart was still progressing slowly. It had reached Level 5 (85%).

His bank balance, meanwhile, had dropped to just over 200,000.

That evening in their apartment…

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were, as usual, immersed in cultivation.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen said, “Yuzi, does it look like my belly’s getting bigger?”

Zhang Yu glanced up. “Maybe a little?”

Bai Zhenzhen patted her stomach. “It feels kind of swollen to me. You didn’t notice?”

Zhang Yu looked more closely—and his eyes widened.

Veins of faint green were now visible across her abdomen.

Bai Zhenzhen gasped. “My Spirit Root is shrinking!”

In her perception, the Zhen Spirit Root that usually stood tall in her Dantian and Qi Sea, constantly absorbing Spiritual Energy and nourishing her body, had suddenly changed.

Now it was pulling inward—condensing—until it became a small green seed.

After hearing her describe this, Fu Ji chimed in, “It’s evolving.”

She explained, “I said from the start—Bai Zhenzhen’s Spirit Root is a Hidden Evolution-Type Spirit Root.”

“In the past, before she truly stepped onto the Immortal Path, it was still in its juvenile phase—changing only slightly based on her choices.”

“But ever since she entered high school and began formal cultivation, it’s been stimulated repeatedly. The changes in this year alone outweigh all the changes from previous years combined.”

“Especially after using your 10th-level Techniques... they’ve pushed her Spirit Root to the limit. And now, it’s evolved.”

Zhang Yu relayed this theory to Bai Zhenzhen.

Then he added, “Try to sense what it can do now. See if it’s awakened any new powers.”

Bai Zhenzhen nodded and focused her attention on her Zhen Spirit Root.

As her thoughts sank into it, a strange, airy feeling began to spread throughout her body.