No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Zhang Yu switched to the Mana Pulse Flowing Stream Technique, feeling his mana rapidly recover. He said casually, “It’s fine. Just focus on improving your mana quality.”

“You should be able to feel it, right? Your mana is about to break through a major bottleneck.”

Le Mulan nodded. Lately, she’d noticed her mana becoming colder and more yin-aligned. While it didn’t harm her, it sometimes leaked out uncontrollably, causing all kinds of anomalies in the environment.

She had a strong hunch that if she kept cultivating at this pace, her mana would undergo a qualitative transformation within a week or two.

And the one person most responsible for this rapid improvement in her mana was none other than Zhang Yu.

This rise in mana quality had made her cultivation more efficient, boosting her academic performance. It also meant the Le family on the second floor had started allocating more resources to her.

Thinking of this, Le Mulan glanced at Zhang Yu, a subtle sigh in her heart. Who would’ve thought that the money she’d thrown at him back then would come back to her with interest in such a form?

Just then, Zhang Yu handed her another measuring cup. “Here, your latest supply.”

Le Mulan nodded. “I’ll transfer you the spirit coins once they hit my account.”

Feeling the warm pulse from the cup, Le Mulan quickly judged from experience, “You made this just before I arrived. So fast.”

“Zhang Yu’s production speed these days is crazy high… must be from overdosing on supplements.”

After his mana recovered, Zhang Yu immediately left the dorm and headed back to the construction site.

Repairs on the graveyard were more than halfway done. He had to make the most of the remaining time to absorb more spiritual essence on-site.

“Shame I won’t have Director Wang to keep me company anymore.”

Navigating the familiar underground tunnels, Zhang Yu arrived at his assigned work zone for the day.

Like usual, he activated his internal Detection Ritual Technique, sweeping the area and noting the location of all surveillance cameras.

Given the number of secrets he carried, Zhang Yu had developed a habit of memorizing camera placements to avoid unnecessary trouble.

But this time, when he felt the ritual’s feedback, he frowned at a particular wall to his left. “There’s a hidden camera here?”

“Could someone have installed it just to monitor me?”

Suspicious, Zhang Yu activated his internal Monitoring Ritual Technique, trying to tap into the camera’s feed. A moment later, he gained access to its surveillance view.

“What the…”

The feed showed a multi-angle camera, displaying not just the construction site but also a hidden tunnel behind a wall.

“There’s a secret passage back there?”

He guided the camera and saw the chaotic pit dug behind the wall. “This doesn’t look like an official project. Looks more like someone’s been digging in secret.”

Zhang Yu’s curiosity was piqued. Who had dug this passage?

But after a moment of consideration, he decided not to get involved.

Who knew what kind of secrets or dangerous interests might be tangled up in that tunnel?

So over the next few days, Zhang Yu pretended he hadn’t seen anything and continued working and absorbing spiritual essence like usual.

One day, he received a message in the class group chat from Immortal Jiao Lei:

Immortal Jiao Lei: Those interested in participating in this year’s Civil Engineering Competition can now sign up. Let me know if you’re interested.

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. He knew that as more competitions were held, students had more ways to boost their composite scores.

Relying on academic performance alone wasn’t enough to stay at the top of the school rankings.

So he contacted Immortal Jiao Lei to learn more about the Civil Engineering Competition.

It turned out to be an annual event specifically for architecture and civil engineering students, covering both design and practical engineering.

The competition format started with an internal selection round at Wanfa Sect University, after which selected teams would compete against teams from other universities.

“This year’s finals will be held at Demon-Beast University toward the end of the year.”

“But the departmental selection starts in the second half of the year.”

“Although the actual matches begin next semester, team registration starts now—because once the team forms, it takes time to build synergy.”

Soon after, Tu Lishan messaged him privately.

Tu Lishan: Heard about the architecture comp yet?

Tu Lishan: There’s a team looking for members. You should try out.

Tu Lishan: You’re just a freshman—don’t worry about winning. Just gain experience.

Following Tu Lishan’s recommendation, Zhang Yu set aside time the next day and went to the construction site on the 667th floor.

At the appointed place, he saw a tall, lean girl doing warm-up exercises.

Seeing her slender build and the rank displayed above her head, Zhang Yu was surprised. “They’ve got girls like that in the civil engineering department?”

She was a senior, a Foundation Establishment cultivator ranked fifth in her class—Cong Na.

Cong Na said coolly, “You’re Zhang Yu? Here’s the deal…”

As she explained, Zhang Yu learned their team already had five members. They needed one more civil engineering student to handle on-site construction.

Cracking her knuckles, Cong Na gave a crisp laugh. “I’m here to run a little test on you.”

“Sure, you’re a top freshman and came recommended by Tu Lishan, but you’re still just a freshman.”

Though she didn’t say it outright, in her mind, putting a freshman on a competition team was just asking for trouble. At best, he’d be doing grunt work. At worst, he’d be dragging everyone down for a shot at a participation award.

Even if his skills were decent, she’d still prefer an upperclassman with more field experience.

So Cong Na had a simple plan.

“Make him give up on his own.” She thought to herself. “Let him understand this competition isn’t for wide-eyed freshmen.”

Zhang Yu nodded. “How’s the test work?”

Cong Na sent him the schematics and pointed at a scaffolding frame. “I’ve sent you the blueprints.”

“You have 10 minutes. If you can complete the rebar setup in the diagram, you pass.”

“But just like in the actual comp, which simulates battlefield conditions, I’ll be attacking you during construction to try and stop you.”

“Any objections?”

Zhang Yu glanced at the blueprint and thought, “Damn it, another excuse to make me do free labor? Classic Tu Lishan-style.”

Still, he nodded. “No problem.”

With a countdown of 3, 2, 1—Zhang Yu’s figure blurred as he surged forward on a wave of Martial Qi.

He struck with his palm, and steel rods a dozen meters away were swept into the air, landing neatly on the scaffold.

With a flick of his fingers, ripples of Martial Qi lashed out. Nearby binding wires danced into place, wrapping around the rods.

Seeing his swift movements, Cong Na nodded slightly. “Not bad.”

“Time to step it up…”

She stepped forward and struck at Zhang Yu’s back with the Tendon-Breaking Palm—a move strong enough to twist the entire rebar frame out of shape in one blow.

She was confident that even a few hits could leave Zhang Yu’s bones broken and his work ruined.

But Zhang Yu, using his Three-Eyed Divine Sight Technique, had already anticipated her. The instant she moved, he countered with a palm strike, sending spiraling force back at her.

Boom!

Their energies collided, her palm shattering his Martial Qi, but she kept closing the distance.

“This guy’s Qi conduction rate is trash. This force isn’t even enough to slow me down. Freshmen are hopeless,” she thought coldly.

Cong Na closed in with a flurry of strikes, forcing Zhang Yu to turn and defend himself.

So this competition is “Hot-Blooded Civil Engineering”? Zhang Yu thought. Fight and build at the same time?

But under her relentless attacks, he found it impossible to keep constructing.

As a top senior student, she had the edge in both power and speed. Even if he mirrored her with his Fifty-Fifty Split Combat Style, he could only block her—not continue building, let alone push her back.

That’s when a flaw in Zhang Yu’s combat system became clear.

“He sure can take a beating,” Cong Na thought, still suppressing him. “But in a real competition, tanking alone won’t cut it.”

Watching his stalled construction progress, she sneered internally. “All it takes is a few punches to halt the whole project? Real contests are way more brutal.”

He’s too far off. Better for him to give up now.

Just then, a humanoid figure made of Martial Qi surged toward her.

“What’s this? A human-shaped Qi construct?”

She sneered. “With your Qi quality? What’s the point?”

She moved to break it apart—only to realize the construct was copying her own technique.

“It’s using my exact moves?”

“Ridiculous.”

Boom!

Their palms clashed. Shocked, she realized not only was the form identical—the internal force was too. It carried the exact same Tendon-Breaking Palm energy.

“Huh?”

The construct vanished after the first strike—but another appeared instantly, lunging at her.

Boom!

One vanished, another charged in.

In her stunned gaze, each construct mirrored her own techniques perfectly. And she couldn’t get past them.

Behind this revolving wall of Qi guardians, Zhang Yu turned and resumed work, his hands moving like a blur across the steel rods.