No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Zhang Yu scrolled through message after message on his phone, and before he realized it, the corners of his lips had curved up. His mood lifted in an instant.

Bai Zhenzhen, seated nearby, asked, “What are you looking at? Why are you grinning like a creep?”

Zhang Yu replied casually, “Just admiring the beauty of this world.”

But the next moment, his brows shot up. His screen had filled with compensation notices.

“What the hell…” Zhang Yu scowled. “They’re pinning the damage fees from yesterday’s battle on me?”

“So what if I smashed a few walls and wrecked some buildings? They want me to pay ten million? Are they insane?”

Bai Zhenzhen was eating breakfast on the side. Upon hearing this, she said, “It’s from that abandoned factory’s parent company. Anyway, we were acting under the Divine Department’s Patrol Unit authority. If there’s any compensation to be made, it should come from the Righteous Gods.”

“Yuzi, eat quickly and contact Deng Bingding afterward. You need to explain the situation to her.”

“She also called just now. It’s about the handling of Oasis Group’s assets, and some of the allocations. She said she wants our input.”

“So it’s post-battle loot distribution?” Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. Remembering what Xinghuo Zhenren had said yesterday, he messaged him.

Xinghuo Zhenren replied, “Go to Oasis Group and talk with her first. Hear her out. But don’t agree to anything before I arrive.”

So after finishing breakfast, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen headed out.

The moment they stepped outside the apartment, Zhang Yu was surprised to see a huge crowd gathered at the front gate.

The clean and orderly surroundings of the apartment building stood in stark contrast to the nearby streets, which were littered with wreckage—burned-out cars, smoke plumes, and scattered debris.

Zhang Yu suddenly remembered—he’d forgotten to turn off his Foundation Establishment Field.

Because of that field, their apartment had become a sanctuary overnight, a safe zone amidst the chaos, a refuge for many in the surrounding area.

The crowd clearly recognized them—either from livestreams or recordings—and looked upon the duo with a mix of awe and reverence.

With a flash of light and a burst of sonic booms, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen vanished down the street.

…

By the time they reached the Oasis Tower, the entire building was already under the control of the Divine Department. Patrol Unit operatives were stationed throughout, actively securing the area.

They made their way to the top floor, where Deng Bingding was already stationed.

“You’ve arrived.”

A ripple of divine power flickered around Deng Bingding as she projected a second self, stepping toward Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

She greeted them with a smile. “You two did an outstanding job in stopping Oasis Group.”

“I’ve already been informed about the compensation notices. I’ll have someone take care of them. You don’t need to worry.”

“As for your contract disputes with Oasis Group—aside from unfreezing your funds, the group was also obligated to pay each of you four million a month for the next nine months, up until the college entrance exams.” 𝘙ᴀＮŏ𝐁ĘS

“That’s a total of thirty-six million per person. I’ll make sure it’s all recovered and transferred to your accounts within the week.”

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen both perked up at her words, thrilled by the windfall.

Seeing their reactions, Deng Bingding thought to herself, “Once this operation is over, I’ll probably get promoted.”

“I’ve already been offered a regional post under Wanfa Sect University.”

“These two will likely enroll there too. There’s a good chance we’ll cross paths again.”

“And especially that Zhang Yu… the background behind him must be extraordinary. Best to earn some goodwill now, before I transfer.”

Just a glance at Zhang Yu’s meteoric rise made her feel certain there was a powerful figure backing him.

First came the support from Zhang Pianpian. Then the dazzling trajectory from tournament competitions to Foundation Establishment.

And beyond that, right before the battle with Wang Yin, he was granted the Flood Dragon Spinal Core and the Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force.

Especially the Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force—it was a former military-grade (Technique) and shared lineage with Zhang Yu’s own Limitless Cloud Hands. And then there was the personal guidance from Xinghuo Zhenren…

“Everything fits too neatly. It’s like they’re not even trying to hide the favoritism.”

“But good. Building rapport with them now will help with my future assignments.”

Having calculated all of this in a flash, Deng Bingding turned her focus back to them and said, “The initial batch of rewards from the operation has already been distributed.”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly—he knew she was referring to the interest-free loans and the three Foundation Establishment (Techniques).

Deng Bingding continued, “But given Oasis Group’s illegal actions and the harm they caused you, we’ve decided to impose compensation on them.”

Zhang Yu immediately understood—this was just an excuse to hand them more rewards.

Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes sparkled, already guessing how generous the compensation might be.

“But,” Deng Bingding said, shifting topics, “you probably already know this—universities operate on spirit currency. First-floor money is virtually worthless in the second layer.”

“If you try to convert it on your own, the max is five spirit coins. At current exchange rates, that’s about 50.39 million in first-floor cash.”

“So here’s my advice: don’t bother saving up your first-floor currency. Spend it all on useful gear and supplies before you go up.”

“It’s the same with the Oasis compensation. I’d recommend choosing from their exclusive materials instead of taking the money.”

“For example, some of the advanced prototypes from their labs… or even backup Law Husks left behind by Wang Yin…”

That piqued Zhang Yu’s interest. “Wang Yin left backups?”

Deng Bingding smiled and, with a flick of divine power, conjured a shimmering light screen before them.

“These are the three Law Husks he didn’t have time to take. You may each choose one as compensation from Oasis Group.”

“Oh, and by the way,” she added, “the Flood Dragon Spinal Core and the Soul-Crushing Brick are Divine Department assets. Now that the operation’s over, I’ll need you to return them.”

Zhang Yu let out a regretful sigh, but turned his full attention to the projected images.

The three Law Husks were: a pair of ocular Law Husks, a set of calf tendon Law Husks, and a heart Law Husk.

Deng Bingding explained, “All three are top-tier enterprise-grade Law Husks.”

Zhang Yu nodded. Law Husks were categorized as educational, professional, enterprise, and military. Since he and Bai Zhenzhen didn’t have clearance for military-grade, top-end enterprise was their best bet.

“Ocular Law Husk—‘Chronoshade Demon Eyes.’ High-performance. Seamlessly connects to the Spiritual Realm without lag. It can also deconstruct visuals into 128 frames for slow playback.”

“Wait,” Zhang Yu asked, curious, “what do you mean by ‘seamless connection’? Are there ones that lag?”

“Of course,” Deng Bingding said matter-of-factly. “Lag is normal.”

“For flesh-and-blood beings, confronting incomprehensible phenomena or distorted visions causes perceptual lag. It’s a limitation of biology.”

“And ocular Law Husks are no different. They have performance ceilings too.”

“In areas where the Spiritual Realm is highly active, say, when a Nascent Soul cultivator passes by, the resulting Spiritual Realm flux… well, you wouldn’t know, but think of it like custom visual effects.”

“A Nascent Soul’s effects might be enough to crash a low-end ocular Law Husk. You can’t make out anything—it lags, delays, even crashes, requiring a reboot to resume perception…”

What the hell… Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. So even sight isn’t “seamless” up there? Rich people’s special effects literally crash my vision? I can’t even look at them properly?

Deng Bingding moved on to the other two:

“Calf Tendon Law Husk—‘Windfiend Formless Step.’ Capable of jet acceleration while producing optical afterimages…”

“Heart Law Husk—‘Bloodpump Core.’ Functions as a second heart, boosting total circulation. Its ‘Heartburn Mode’ enables an overlimit state…”

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were both entranced, trying to decide which to choose, when Xinghuo Zhenren’s voice echoed in their ears.

“Sorry I’m late.”

With long hair like flickering flame, Xinghuo Zhenren floated into the office.

He glanced at the screen and transmitted a message directly to their minds.

“Zhang Yu, take the Chronoshade Demon Eyes.”

“Bai Zhenzhen, take the Windfiend Formless Step.”

Bai Zhenzhen had already set her sights on the Windfiend Formless Step.

But Zhang Yu was still torn between the Chronoshade Demon Eyes and the Bloodpump Core. He looked at Xinghuo Zhenren with visible doubt, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Xinghuo Zhenren patiently elaborated, “Ocular Law Husks are essential for study and cultivation above. Without one, you’re half-blind—you won’t even be able to see others’ rankings or titles, let alone recognize faces.”

“The Chronoshade Demon Eyes are excellent. They’ll serve you well all the way to graduation, and can handle Nascent Soul-level visuals.”

“As for the Bloodpump Core—it demands at least 150 units of mana to maintain. It would be a massive burden for you right now.”

“And more importantly, there’s another reason I don’t want you to install any other Law Husks—at least, not yet.”

Xinghuo Zhenren had spent last night reviewing Zhang Yu’s battle footage and profile in detail, analyzing everything from his unique physiology to his growth trajectory.

And now, he’d reached a conclusion.

“Zhang Yu, you’re different from others. Your physique is exceptional. It would be a waste to replace your body with mass-produced Law Husks.”

“Start with the Civil Engineering Department and refine your body to earn cultivation resources.”

“Then transfer to the Artifact Refinement Department. Forge your body into Law Husks—no, into true artifacts. That’s the path meant for you.”

“To do that, you must minimize external Law Husk use.”

“Every additional piece you implant replaces a natural organ.”

“And those replaced parts won’t keep up with your body-refinement progress.”

“Even if you switch to the Artifact Refinement Department later, those discarded parts will be mostly useless.”