No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Inside the simulation worksite.

Director Gao sat cross-legged in midair, his black Daoist robe fluttering lightly in the breeze. The four characters on his chest—”Construct the World”—glowed faintly with an ethereal light.

He looked at Zhang Yu in front of him with a pleased expression. “You’ve done well this sophomore year, both in your studies and your work.”

“Especially on those business trips—not flashy, but always handled cleanly.”

Zhang Yu replied, “That’s only because you gave me the opportunities, Director.”

Director Gao continued, “Opportunities are for those who seize them. Back when Wanfa University was just getting started and everything was up in the air, I grabbed the chance to become a teacher. Otherwise, I might still be out working the sites.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with the worksite—it’s just that the university gives me broader horizons.”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, listening attentively to Director Gao’s advice.

Director Gao went on, “Sometimes I think, how much money does one need on the Immortal Path to feel secure? The answer is—never enough. Spirit coins are never enough, Zhang Yu.”

“You’re still young. Just Foundation Establishment for now. What you’ve achieved so far is just your starting line.”“Keep calm, and keep grinding out those spirit coins. At the current market rate… another thousand spirit coins should last you until the Gold Core stage.”

Zhang Yu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Seeing Zhang Yu listening so obediently, not the least bit arrogant despite his good performance, Director Gao nodded with satisfaction.

He’d seen too many students lose their grounding after a few early successes. That’s why he took today’s opportunity to give Zhang Yu a word of caution.

Director Gao continued, “When it comes to grinding for wealth, being grounded matters even more than the money.”

“Some folks might strike it rich overnight, but if their cultivation and realm can’t control that wealth, they’ll spit it all back out eventually.”

“Don’t follow their example.”

“Even though I’m the director and you’re a student, we both need to know our place. Never chase money you can’t control. Even if it hits your account, it’s not yours—it’s just parked there temporarily by someone else.”

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. “Is Director Gao talking about Ping Han? Is he worried I’ll start trading coins like Ping Han?”

He was right. Director Gao had indeed intended to give him a heads-up about coin speculation, worried Zhang Yu might get dragged into Ping Han’s schemes.

“This October’s Military Certificate Exam—if Ping Han hasn’t lost his shirt by then, he might actually win it.”

“And if that happens, even more students will want to copy his coin-flipping antics.”

Director Gao glanced at Zhang Yu and thought to himself, “Better start vaccinating this kid now. Don’t let him get swept up in the hype.”

After the lecture, Director Gao casually asked a few more questions.

“How’s that Goldfilament Jade Disk treating you?”

“Still in touch with Wen Wuya?”

“If there’s a chance, sell a few more units to the Pharmacology Department. Maybe recommend it to others in your major. We’ve got plenty of students in Civil Engineering who can sell seeds.”

As he spoke, Director Gao sent Zhang Yu the usage rights for the new technique.

“This is the third of the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes: Earthmaster Morphing.”

“This technique taps into the energy of the earth, channeling it through your mana and martial forms to achieve terrain manipulation.”

“But as the third of the Seven Absolutes, it’s mostly used today as the foundation for the Small Threefold Harmony.”

“Most students, once they master it, don’t really use it on its own.”

Director Gao then gave a detailed overview of the Small Threefold Harmony, emphasizing that this was the key point of today’s lesson.

“The one who created the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might was a true prodigy from ancient times.”

“He never made anything like the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes. He just jumped straight to developing the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might.”

“But later disciples found the technique too profound to teach or learn, so they broke it into five more digestible parts. Master those, and you’d naturally unlock the original.”

“Later still, someone broke down the most difficult of those five even further—into the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal, Desolate Earth Mountain-Moving Force, and this Earthmaster Morphing.”

Director Gao sighed, “It was because Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might kept getting simplified that more and more people started cultivating it.”

“With each generation refining it further, it stayed relevant and powerful—even to this day, it’s still used in military combat.”

“Unlike many ancient techniques that faded away due to lack of successors or became obsolete.”

“Or whose thresholds were simply too high, making them cost-ineffective and eventually nothing more than museum pieces.”

After his lament, Director Gao resumed teaching Zhang Yu how to cultivate Earthmaster Morphing.

Over an hour later, Zhang Yu slammed his palm down, and his mana resonated with the earth, sending a surge of dirt and sand into the air. Director Gao nodded in approval.

Once again, Zhang Yu’s talent didn’t disappoint—especially the way he stayed grounded and humble even after learning the technique.

“Sigh… If only Ping Han had this kind of temperament.”

Director Gao said aloud, “You’ve reached level 1 in Earthmaster Morphing. Now let me teach you the Small Threefold Harmony…”

Following his guidance, Zhang Yu channeled mana through his body. Within moments, he could feel the routes of the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal, Desolate Earth Mountain-Moving Force, and Earthmaster Morphing merging seamlessly.

As he pushed all three techniques at once, a surge of power condensed in his dantian and tugged at something terrifying in the world around him.

But then—a flaw.

The combined power felt incomplete, and that terrifying force in the earth shuddered, then vanished from his grasp.

Only the ground beneath his feet responded. With a sweep of his palms, two giant hands of sand and earth rose from the ground and merged in front of him.

“That terrifying force… must be the Earthfiend Gravity.”

“Only fully mastering the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might would let me command it.”

“For now, the Small Threefold Harmony just gives me control over the ground—its metals and minerals.”

Through Director Gao’s instruction, Zhang Yu understood the true value of the Small Threefold Harmony—it all depended on the level of its three constituent techniques.

Right now, the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal and Desolate Earth Mountain-Moving Force were both level 20, but Earthmaster Morphing was still only level 1. So the Small Threefold Harmony could only output around level 13 or 14 power.

“To boost its power, I’ll need to raise the level of Earthmaster Morphing.”

“But beyond that, the way I use the Small Threefold Harmony also matters a lot.”

With that thought, Zhang Yu activated it again. His palm techniques shifted, and the earth surged like ocean waves.

Suddenly, a towering earth giant, eight or nine meters tall, burst from the ground with its arms spread in a silent roar.

Zhang Yu exhaled, and golden martial qi from the Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill burst forth, forming a hammer and a shovel in the giant’s hands.

Now that the Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill was in his belly, all he had to do was open his mouth and it would flow out in any shape he desired.

Next, the giant sprouted a second pair of arms, one of which caught Zhang Yu’s Azure Cloud Sand-Pouch.

Seeing the four-armed giant holding tools and the sand-pouch, Zhang Yu adjusted his hand seals—one pressing down, one lifting up.

The earth giant suddenly shattered into pieces, breaking into many smaller figures that stood before him.

As he cycled through different formations with the Small Threefold Harmony, Zhang Yu thought, “This gives me so many new options for work.”

“But which formation works best in what kind of situation… I’ll need to keep experimenting.”

Off to the side, Director Gao smiled as he watched. “His range is still small,” he thought, “but the control is remarkable. He’s already shaping multiple forms?”

…

September.

At the 668th-floor worksite.

Zhang Yu’s palm forms shifted again and again, shaping dirt and sand into humanoid constructs that scattered to begin working.

He was seizing the chance to earn money while practicing his technique.

Each time the Small Threefold Harmony activated, Earthmaster Morphing was used as well, making it easy for Zhang Yu to train the technique as part of his job.

In addition to the earth-formed workers, several artifacts floated above his head: the Ground-Stabilizing Seal, Groundfiend Bottle, and Azure Cloud Sand-Pouch—all under the remote control of Mo Tianyi, Zhao Tianxing, and a member of the Ying clan.

Another Ying clan member was also operating the Goldfilament Jade Disk behind his head.

These two members were Ying Xin’s great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather.

Zhang Yu still remembered how Ying Xin had introduced them:

Ying Xin: “Senior Brother, my great-grandpa and great-great-grandpa are still in their prime earning years. If they don’t grind hard, they’ll literally die. Their work ethic is rock solid—you won’t be disappointed.”

Ying Xin’s great-grandfather: “Zhang Yu, don’t worry. We’re old Civil Engineering folks. Tons of work experience. We won’t drag you down.”

Ying Xin’s great-great-grandfather: “We know the rules. Any major project, like a Civil Engineering tournament—those are prime résumé-padding gigs. No matter how much you pay, I’ll give you a 15% kickback.”

Hearing their self-recommendations, Mo Tianyi and Zhao Tianxing also got nervous, afraid they’d be replaced—and promptly offered 15% kickbacks of their own.

Watching the four soul cultivators working so diligently—none of whom he’d even asked for anything—Zhang Yu could only sigh inwardly:

“I didn’t even say a word, and you’ve all started a bidding war?”