No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Outside the arena, Shi Huaiyu, Che Yufei, and the others walked out together, their faces full of smiles.

Che Yufei thought to himself, “We made it to the top ten. Even if the repair costs are a bit higher, it’s worth it.”

Then he couldn’t help but glance at Zhang Yu, his eyes filled with shock.

“He held off Ma Xuan and the others by himself for that long. This guy can already go toe-to-toe with upperclassmen—and he’s only a sophomore?”

Che Yufei felt like he was witnessing the rise of a new civil engineering star, just like when he saw Mo Shangjin back in the day.

Beside him, Shi Yunxiang, Shi Huaiyu, and the others looked at Zhang Yu with the same mix of awe and admiration.

Shi Huaiyu asked with concern, “Are your injuries okay?”

Zhang Yu gave a slight nod. “It’s fine. Manageable.”

After briefly responding to his teammates, Zhang Yu stepped away from the crowd alone. Reading the message from True Lord Magneto, he asked in his mind, “Fu Ji, what do you make of this?”

Fu Ji replied, “Isn’t it obvious? He clearly watched your performance with Director Gao and took an interest in you.”“Now that he’s setting expectations, it means he’s even more serious about recruiting you as a disciple.”

“Based on my years of roaming Kunxu...”

Fu Ji paused and said thoughtfully, “With the potential you’ve shown, even if you’re not a natural at Artifact Refinement, you at least have what it takes to become a master—if not a genius of refining.”

Zhang Yu’s first thought upon hearing that was to calculate how much his bones and flesh would sell for.

Then a sense of dread crept in. “Damn Kunxu, it’s warping my brain. How could I think like that?”

“No,” he corrected himself, “if I’m getting into Artifact Refinement, I’m not going to be some raw materials exporter. I’m aiming for high-end manufacturing. That’s the real path forward.”

Fu Ji encouraged, “Then show what you’ve got. Take more Artifact Refinement courses. Earn True Lord Magneto’s reward sooner.”

“No, wait—you should finish even earlier than he asked.”

“He wants you to finish three years’ worth of Artifact Refinement courses by the end of sophomore year? You should do it three months early. Or six. Go full peacock-display mode and wow him. Lay the groundwork for switching departments.”

Director Gao: I’ll have someone send more medicine over later.

Director Gao: If your injuries aren’t healed by the next match, don’t force yourself.

Reading the messages from Director Gao, Zhang Yu hesitated. “If I keep secretly messaging True Lord Magneto and then switch to Artifact Refinement, isn’t that kind of… betraying Director Gao?”

Fu Ji: “You mean taking Director Gao’s resources, benefiting from Civil Engineering training, and then defecting to a top department?”

“Isn’t that exactly what every Civil Engineering student should strive for?”

“You’re improving. Heading toward Artifact Refinement. But Director Gao? You really want to stay stuck in Civil Engineering with him forever?”

Zhang Yu said, “It’s not that I don’t want to do it. I just... What if I perform too well, take too many resources from Civil, and they won’t let me go? Or worse—retaliate?”

The idea of being blacklisted by a Nascent Soul cultivator made Zhang Yu nervous.

Fu Ji replied, “If you make it into Artifact Refinement, you’ll be under True Lord Magneto’s protection. In theory, you should be fine.”

“But if you’re still unsure, try testing the waters with True Lord Magneto. Probe him a bit.”

Zhang Yu mulled it over, then sent a message:

Zhang Yu: True Lord, are you close with Director Gao?

True Lord Magneto: We’ve been close friends for years.

Seeing the instant reply, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but think, “Wow, once you win a tournament prize, teachers sure reply fast.”

True Lord Magneto: I know what you’re worried about.

True Lord Magneto: Lao Gao really isn’t great with personnel issues.

True Lord Magneto: But I’m not that petty.

True Lord Magneto: As long as you’re good enough, meet my standards—I don’t need to formally take you as a disciple.

True Lord Magneto: I can teach you secretly. Let you earn a second degree in Artifact Refinement.

Reading the reply, Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “He’s actually pretty easy to talk to.”

Fu Ji, on the other hand, muttered, “Why do I get the feeling this guy just wants to use Civil Engineering’s resources to train his own student?”

“Either way, Zhang Yu will have to apply to Artifact Refinement for grad school. He’ll end up in True Lord Magneto’s hands eventually.”

Director Gao: Where are you? Why aren’t you replying?

Zhang Yu quickly responded: Just feeling a bit unwell. Didn’t see the message.

Director Gao: Alright. Get some rest.

With the conversation over, Zhang Yu finally exhaled in relief. “Getting into the top ten was definitely worth it.”

Even though the official rewards hadn’t been issued yet, Zhang Yu could already feel the benefits.

“Now, I’m one step closer to the Artifact Refinement Department, right?”

Just then, he heard an argument breaking out in the distance. Turning to look, he saw chaos erupting on Ma Xuan’s side.

Ji Yuanshu shouted, “You had four people! Four!”

The looming backlash on his luck made him explode, “A senior, a fifth-year, and two sixth-years!”

“In a small enclosed space, four of you couldn’t take down one sophomore?!”

Bu Ziran snorted, “What rank are you in the department? What’s your destruction contribution this round? What’s your combat duration? Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

Ji Yuanshu snapped, “This isn’t just about stats! And you’re the ones who isolated me with that tactic! I spent the whole match helping Cong Na dodge Shi Huaiyu and the others…”

Just then, even the substitutes showed up, demanding refunds from Ma Xuan’s team.

Yang Yan and Ji Susu looked furious as they reviewed the Law Husk Leasing Company’s latest invoice.

Ma Xuan, distracted, kept glancing toward the arena.

After a loud argument, the team finally disbanded.

Ma Xuan returned to the field to recover their silver sand.

Ji Yuanshu shot a venomous glare at Zhang Yu, then stormed off without another word.

His heart was in turmoil. “War Faction... you win.”

At the same time, he could feel the luck backlash rising in his mind. Failing to make the top ten meant another surge of karmic blowback—on top of the one he hadn’t finished neutralizing from before.

Left with no choice, he messaged Director Lin.

Ji Yuanshu: Master, I urgently need some money.

After waiting with no reply, he messaged his many senior brothers—none of whom answered.

Finally, he turned to the evil god who’d helped him perform the ritual.

Evil God: Just get another credit card.

Ji Yuanshu: Dual cards?

Evil God: Dual-card cycle. Use fortune to suppress misfortune. You’ll delay the backlash again.

Ji Yuanshu: But I’m broke.

Evil God: Don’t you still have that brand-new Law Husk?

…

Zhang Yu looked away from Ji Yuanshu’s retreating figure, only to see Yu Xinghan, Ying Xin, and Gongshu Jin running over from the substitute seats.

“Senior Brother!” Ying Xin called out, then obediently waited off to the side, watching Zhang Yu like he was a revered upperclassman.

She thought, “If I can make the substitutes every year, that’s free bonus points annually, right?”

“But next year’s competition will be even tougher…”

“No, I’ll go home and burn some more of Grandpa’s ashes to offer to Senior Brother.”

Gongshu Jin looked conflicted. “So... being class first? That’s never happening for me again.”

The realization that his entire college career would be lived in Zhang Yu’s shadow filled him with quiet gloom.

Yu Xinghan, seeing Zhang Yu’s bloodied figure, couldn’t help but ask, “How bad are your injuries? Do you have enough for medical fees?”

The others also looked over with concern. Xiao Qingxuan spoke up calmly, “I’ll take him to the infirmary. We’ll get him checked out.”

Zhang Yu said, “Yeah. I’ll go with Xiao Qingxuan.”

“Director Gao might be sending some medicine over—could you help me pick it up?”

Following behind Xiao Qingxuan, Zhang Yu asked curiously, “Are you going to treat me?”

Xiao Qingxuan snorted. “Worried my ancient techniques will mess you up?”

Zhang Yu gave an awkward laugh. Though his wounds looked severe, thanks to Xiao Qingxuan’s in-match treatment and his own high body vitality, his internal injuries were already half-healed, and many of the outer wounds had just closed up. His condition was stable.

Xiao Qingxuan said, “You were treated in time, and your body’s tough. As long as you rest, take your meds, and avoid heavy activity, you’ll be fully healed in a day or two.”

Zhang Yu asked, “Can’t you give me a little more treatment? I have to fight in the next round.”

Xiao Qingxuan glanced at him. “Next round? Isn’t top ten enough for you? You still want to win again?”

Zhang Yu shot back, “Why not?”

After a moment’s silence, Xiao Qingxuan said, “I’m not licensed to practice medicine. I can’t charge for treatment.”

Zhang Yu replied, “Then treat me for free.”

Xiao Qingxuan let out a laugh. “From what I know, anyone who dares offer free treatment gets offed by the pharma corps.”

But after checking Director Gao’s message, he finally said, “Fine. I’ll treat you.”

“But remember: my treatments are logged in the pharma database. Doing this once is okay, but treat a few more and I’m dead meat. So after the competition, don’t come looking for me—and don’t bring anyone else either.”

“Also, you need to understand—there are no weaklings in the top ten. If your next match pits you against a much stronger team, learn to give up. Don’t get yourself killed.”

Director Gao: Treat him. I’ll handle the rest.

…

Elsewhere.

As Ma Xuan packed up the silver sand, a message came in from Su Yanyang.

Su Yanyang: I saw your match. That’s not how you play Civil Engineering.

Su Yanyang: Civil Engineering is about construction. If you’re going to fight all-out, might as well join the War Faction.

Ma Xuan: I thought we could end it in one sweep.

Su Yanyang: You’re too reliant on brute force. You’ve forgotten what Civil Engineering is really about.

Su Yanyang: Take another year to regroup. Learn construction skills. Stop trying to solve everything with violence.

Ma Xuan: Got it.

Just as he thought the conversation was over, another message arrived—an image file labeled “Match Schedule.”

Looking at the chart, Ma Xuan saw that Su Yanyang’s next opponent was Zhang Yu’s team.

Su Yanyang: Watch closely. I’ll show you how Civil Engineering is really played.

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