No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Off to the side, True Lord Tianxiang nodded at True Lord Xiyun’s comment and said, “True Lord Xiyun, your Civil Engineering Department at Wanfa University is truly packed with talent—each with their own strengths.”

“Looks like not only this cohort, but the next one will also produce students capable of earning a Military License.”

True Lord Xiyun smiled faintly and replied, “Not quite as good as your Civil Engineering Department at Demon-Beast University. You’ve taken first place in the intercollegiate civil engineering competitions these past few years.”

True Lord Tianxiang chuckled at that. “That might not be the case this year.”

He pointed toward Ping Han. “That student is teamed up with Mo Shangjin, isn’t he?”

“He’s been building up for years. If he gets the Military License this time, he might be able to master Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might.”

“If that happens, your department will have both Mo Shangjin and him—two students wielding military-grade Techniques. That kind of team would be a serious contender.”

True Lord Xiyun only smiled and said nothing. In his mind, Ping Han winning the Military License would indeed be the best outcome.

“Xiao Yunji is very talented, but she could still use two more years to mature.”

“As for Zhang Yu, he’s going to be sent over to the Artifact Refinement Department’s Magneto soon anyway.”“If Ping Han gets the Military License, he can team up with Mo Shangjin to take another shot at winning the Civil Engineering competition. Maybe they’ll bring the trophy back.”

Compared to individual achievements, True Lord Xiyun clearly cared more about the overall performance of the Civil Engineering Department.

Wanfa University’s Civil Engineering Department hadn’t taken the intercollegiate title in years.

If this cohort could pull it off, it’d be a major win for him as the Vice Chancellor in charge of academics.

…

Elsewhere, Director Gao was also observing the students’ performance closely.

Just then, Director Lin appeared beside him at some point and chuckled, “Zhang Yu’s Small Threefold Harmony is solid. His construction ability is impressive too—he’s making the most of every ounce of strength.”

“But still not as good as Ping Han’s coin trading.”

Director Lin looked at Director Gao with a faint smile. “Seeing a student from the War Faction achieve breakthroughs by trading coins and making a splash in the currency world—Old Gao, doesn’t that stir anything in you?”

Director Gao’s face remained cold. “Even if Ping Han gets the Military License today, it’s the result of years of effort. The Nectar Coin’s surge was just a catalyst.”

Director Lin shook his head and sighed. “Old Gao, the Finance Department has money, we have connections. We make bank with them—real estate, finance—it’s a win-win on the Immortal Path. I really don’t get why you War Faction folks keep digging your heels in.”

Director Gao replied, “And I don’t get how you all trust the Finance Department so much—those guys would skin a dog for walking past their turf. The war’s already hit the Thirty-Six Colonels, and people are still pretending nothing’s happening?”

Director Lin sighed. “Gao Chongguang, you’ve brick-lifted yourself into a trance.”

…

As the judges and guests aboard the flying vessel continued to watch the exam and chat amongst themselves, the battlefield only grew more intense. Yellow-Turban Enforcers of all shapes and sizes took turns appearing, their weapons and strength escalating with each wave.

Qi gales swept across the ground, thunder and fire raged—the earth trembled as the plains turned to scorched wasteland.

As the fighting reached a fever pitch, the examinees’ states began to shift as well.

…

With the exam progressing, Su Yanyang’s subterranean tomb network grew increasingly intricate—like a sprawling maze devouring the Yellow-Turban Enforcers. Wave after wave were shredded by an endless stream of traps.

But at that moment, Su Yanyang couldn’t resist checking the barrage of alerts flooding his EyeNet feed.

Especially after seeing that earlier spike in Nectar Coin’s value.

“What if Nectar Coin’s rising again?”

Ever since buying in, Su Yanyang couldn’t help but check the coin’s price—sometimes obsessively. Newsfeeds, insider tips, chat groups… he scrolled through it all.

Sometimes he’d do nothing but stare at the price chart and trading volume for hours.

When he opened the alerts this time, his heart jolted.

“Divine Nectar Lord reveals Dao Companion!”

“Divine Nectar Lord is getting married!”

“Rumor has it that after the wedding, she’ll no longer Dual Cultivate with anyone but her Dao Companion…”

Reading the headlines, Su Yanyang was so shaken that his mana faltered, and his underground tomb lost ground to the encroaching Yellow-Turban Enforcers.

Even so, he barely defended the breach, keeping most of his focus on the Nectar Coin news.

Because he realized something chilling:

“If Divine Nectar Lord won’t Dual Cultivate with outsiders anymore… then no more lottery draws?”

“Nectar Coin’s going to crash!”

“A total collapse!”

He scrambled to log into the trading platform and began dumping his Nectar Coins.

“Damn it! Why would Divine Nectar Lord stop Dual Cultivating after marriage?”

“It’s the modern age! Why cling to ancient customs?”

“Is she really a transcendent Divine Lord?!”

“And who is her Dao Companion, anyway? How could they just sit back and let her ruin her entire enterprise like this? Not trying to talk her out of it?”

Watching his assets tumble, Su Yanyang cursed her bitterly. “Giving up on Nectar Coin for love? She’s destroying her Immortal Path! Divine Nectar Lord, you’ve totally lost your way!”

With most of his attention hijacked by the news, he was forced into retreat after retreat, large sections of his tomb falling to enemy hands.

…

Elsewhere, in Xiao Yunji’s battlefield—

Her figure flashed rapidly, three heads and six arms like an unyielding fortress, crushing every Yellow-Turban Enforcer that approached.

The ground was littered with their broken remains, forming mounds like trash heaps that ringed the core of her formation.

Hiss—another injection plunged into her neck, stabilizing her rapidly dropping Soul-Flesh Synchronization Rate.

But Xiao Yunji didn’t care anymore. In her eyes, there was only the battle. She kept repeating her moves—quick, fierce, ruthless—slaying every foe in her path.

Nectar Coin?

She hadn’t even checked.

From the moment the exam began, she’d shut off all social media. Her entire being was focused on unleashing her full strength and delivering a flawless performance.

…

Back on the flying vessel, the judges and guests began noticing the shift in atmosphere.

“Some news about Nectar Coin must’ve gotten out.”

From the human-shaped mist that was True Lord Xiyun, thunder crackled—rumbles of distant lightning. “This’ll test the mental fortitude of the coin-holding students.”

True Lord Tianxiang, however, was unfazed. “So what?”

“Back in the day, before Immortal Dao tech got advanced, exams would get cut off mid-way by network outages, earthquakes, spiritual-machine failures—none of it was unheard of.”

“If you can’t handle setbacks, what are you even doing on the Immortal Path?”

To him, currency fluctuations were like shifts in the stars or turbulence in spiritual energy—just part of the environment. If a student couldn’t handle that, they didn’t deserve a Military License.

True Lord Xiyun nodded. “These days, tech improves and students’ mental states just keep getting worse.”

“Back in our day, we’d be fighting on the front lines while the companies backing us went bankrupt. Compared to that, this is nothing.”

True Lord Tianxiang watched Su Yanyang’s frantic behavior and shook his head. “This isn’t how you trade coins. He would’ve tanked long ago.”

Then his gaze shifted to Ping Han. “Oh?”

…

“Don’t panic. It’s all fake news.”

“Price fluctuations are just technical adjustments. Nothing to worry about.”

As messages flew through the premium group chats, Ping Han remained calm and composed. His hand seals shifted steadily, controlling the Small Threefold Harmony and the formation’s power with precision.

His mana and Martial Qi flowed with machine-like smoothness—no trace of panic. He even took the time to reassure the others in the chat while crushing it on the battlefield.

Boom!

With a thunderous palm strike, rock exploded outward like a furious dragon. Yellow-Turban Enforcers shattered mid-air, raining down in pieces.

While Ping Han stayed unshaken, the Soul Cultivators assisting him were visibly tense, leading to temporary chaos in their formation.

So Ping Han posted a screenshot.

Ping Han: Just bought more Nectar Coin

Ping Han: Trust me, I’ve been trading for two years. It’s all noise. Normal volatility.

Ping Han: Hold. Don’t panic.

His rock-steady aura and the transparency of his order history gradually calmed the spooked Soul Cultivators.

Only Ping Han knew his back was drenched in cold sweat.

But his trading experience had taught him: when it’s like this, you don’t panic. You must hold.

And he truly believed in his judgment.

“Nectar Coin will rise again.”

“All I need to do… is hold!”

In his eyes, the tide of Yellow-Turban Enforcers had become a graph of fluctuating prices.

He forged ahead through the chaos, his heart unmoved.

Boom!

Another palm strike launched a swarm of Yellow-Turban Enforcers into the air.

14.99

14.98

14.99

14.97

As the onslaught continued, Nectar Coin’s price danced up and down, shaking the hearts of Soul Cultivators everywhere.

Yet Ping Han remained an unflinching machine—circulating his mana, striking again and again.

At that moment, he was like a rugged reef at the edge of the storm, shattering each crashing wave.

And just as the pressure from the Yellow-Turban Enforcers reached its peak—just as the Soul Cultivators’ nerves stretched thin—

Divine Nectar Lord finally released an official announcement.

On another battlefield, Su Yanyang clicked in, practically trembling.

“Is it a statement denying the wedding?”

But what he found was this:

Divine Nectar Lord announced that no matter how many times she married, she would not abandon her career. She would not stop Dual Cultivating with outsiders. And she would not stop her lottery-based Dual Cultivation draws. She would continue growing in the career she loved.

She also announced that the first lottery draw would begin next week—with 1,000 slots.