No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Deep within the Spiritual Realm.

True Lord Magneto lightly flicked her fingers across the stream of runes and flowing data before her.

In front of her, the Nine-Heavens Solar Yang Pagoda stood tall and immovable, emanating an overwhelming pressure that suppressed the entire surrounding environment of the Spiritual Realm.

Ever since the last time she used the Nine-Heavens Solar Yang Pagoda to suppress the Nascent Soul Yin Artifact and isolate its Artifact Spirit, True Lord Magneto had gradually noticed… her treasured artifact had become a few moments slower in its response.

She had since been busy repairing the artifact, meticulously cleansing every trace of corruption left by the Nascent Soul Yin Artifact.

”What a potent Dual Cultivation toxin.”

She sighed inwardly. ”No wonder even a Nascent Soul Yin Artifact would fall under its sway, its Artifact Spirit seduced and its mind washed clean.”

”Just a slight exposure, and it already had such a significant impact?”

”To create something like this… there must be the shadow of a Nascent Soul old monster behind that Rest-and-Relaxation Cult.”

True Lord Magneto was glad she had been decisive that day. The moment she sensed something wrong with the Nascent Soul Yin Artifact, she had immediately sealed it away using the Nine-Heavens Solar Yang Pagoda, cutting it off from all external contact.”Ever since I isolated the Artifact Spirit, I’ve issued repeated warnings not to interact with it. Even if someone dared defy my orders, they shouldn’t be able to break through my seal. And anyone capable of breaking my seal wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk losing their sanity just to touch that thing.”

Upon leaving seclusion, True Lord Magneto was immediately flooded with messages.

But she knew that if anything had been urgent, those messages would’ve triggered her emergency restrictions and interrupted her closed-door cultivation.

Still, her expression froze for a moment when she saw the message from Daoist Tianzhang.

”The Nascent Soul Yin Artifact has reactivated, and the grade of Zhang Yu’s Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might has increased again?”

Instead of replying or checking on Zhang Yu right away, she went to the lab to inspect the Nascent Soul Yin Artifact.

Only after confirming the Artifact Spirit had not broken the seal and was still mentally suppressed did True Lord Magneto nod slightly and turn back to Daoist Tianzhang’s message.

”Could Zhang Yu… actually possess a Dual Cultivation Saint Body?”

”Or did he happen to match a particular parameter that Divine Lord Nectar embedded into the Yin Artifact?”

To her, the current evidence was still too thin. More tests and experimentation were required.

As she browsed recent experimental data, a message popped up from True Lord Qiyun:

”You’re out of seclusion?”

True Lord Qiyun: ”I’ve seen Tianzhang’s report. The school leaders are very pleased.”

True Lord Qiyun: ”In fact, at the recent meeting, Divine Lord Wanhua publicly praised your team. They have high hopes for you.”

True Lord Magneto only frowned at this. ”Tianzhang and his big mouth. A bit of progress and he’s already trumpeting it everywhere.”

She checked the Spiritual Realm Network and saw that Daoist Tianzhang had posted multiple updates on his personal profile:

“A major breakthrough in Dual Cultivation research!”

“Unprecedented progress from Wanfa University!”

“No one understands Yin Artifacts better than me!”

“A market-disrupting product will emerge within a year…”

”Damn it…” The more she read, the more annoyed she became. ”Is he trying to secure more funding or actually do serious research? Going public this early—what if something goes wrong later? Won’t it jeopardize my upcoming Nascent Soul evaluation?”

But now that the word was out, it was too late to stop it.

She decided to check on Zhang Yu’s status first—only to find he’d gone to Heavenly Sword Sect University for a competition.

”A competition? A stupid civil engineering competition? What’s there to compete over? Is that more important than lab experiments?”

Shaking her head, True Lord Magneto turned back toward the Nascent Soul Yin Artifact, choosing to continue studying the Law Husk.

…

With Daoist Tianzhang’s proactive promotion, and support from some of Wanfa University’s leadership, news of the lab’s breakthrough gradually began to spread beyond the school.

This wasn’t widespread front-page news, but it did catch the attention of insiders and specialists in niche fields.

Just like at Pleasure and Harmony University right now.

When Ping Han’s consciousness was reawakened, he felt a soft, delicate hand caressing his body.

”I…”

The next moment, he remembered—he no longer had a physical body. He now existed as an Artifact Spirit within a Yin Artifact. Someone was touching the artifact.

”You’re Ping Han? From Wanfa University?”

Ping Han hesitated. When he realized it was Divine Lord Nectar speaking to him, he jolted in shock, stammering, ”Y-Yes… that’s me.”

A woman’s voice asked, ”Do you know Zhang Yu?”

His heart trembled, and Zhang Yu’s image sprang to mind, stirring a tide of resentment.

”Zhang Yu! If he hadn’t taken my military license, even after the collapse of Nectar Coin, I might’ve still had a chance!”

But with Divine Lord Nectar here in person, Ping Han restrained his emotions and calmly replied, ”Yes, I know him.”

A finger pierced into his form. A man’s voice followed:

”Tell us what you know about Zhang Yu.”

Ping Han steadied himself and answered, ”He’s talented, but even luckier. Thanks to the patronage of the Civil Engineering Department Head, he’s risen rapidly…”

In a back-and-forth exchange, Ping Han revealed everything he knew about Zhang Yu without holding anything back.

When Divine Lord Nectar told him that Zhang Yu’s Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might had leapt to level 16 during the Yin Artifact experiments, Ping Han was visibly shaken, disbelief written all over him.

”Damn it! Wanfa University had such advanced Yin Artifact tech?! Why didn’t they announce it earlier?”

”If I had known, I wouldn’t have clung to Nectar Coin. I wouldn’t have gone bankrupt in the crash!”

As the finger traced his form, the female voice asked again, ”In your opinion, is it possible Zhang Yu had already mastered the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes and just kept it hidden?”

Ping Han trembled as he replied, ”Absolutely not! That guy’s just lucky—favored by teachers and showered with resources, that’s why his cultivation soared…”

The man chuckled. ”Could Wanfa University really have made a breakthrough in Dual Cultivation?”

The woman snorted coldly. ”Breakthrough, my ass! They probably stole our tech!”

”My Yin Artifact!!”

She shouted angrily. ”They used it to publish results? And want to attract investment?!”

”Not a single copper of patent royalties for me, and I’m supposed to congratulate them?!”

The man spoke coolly, ”Our Yin Artifact going missing may be connected to the Rest-and-Relaxation Cult. That doesn’t necessarily implicate Wanfa University.”

The woman snapped, ”Our Yin Artifact disappears, and they conveniently publish a breakthrough? What a coincidence!”

”That old crook Wanhua always acts so high and mighty, babbling about fairness and anonymous peer review. But everyone knows he rigs the meetings. He knows damn well how he got that Divine Lord seat!”

”With Wanfa’s pathetic Dual Cultivation tech, they think they can crack our Yin Artifact?”

The man laughed again. ”What if they timed this on purpose—made it seem like they stole and cracked our artifact—just to rake in investment?”

”Not that it matters now.”

”Immortal Dao is about proof, not speculation. That Zhang Yu is about to compete in civil engineering. His opponent’s from Heavenly Sword Sect. That should give us a decent measure of how advanced his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might really is.”

The woman growled, ”If it’s truly above level 16, then Wanhua must’ve stolen our artifact and reverse-engineered it.”

”If not, then it’s just another one of his hyped-up scams to fish for money.”

…

As insiders debated Daoist Tianzhang’s published results, many who had been keeping an eye on Zhang Yu also took note.

At Netherworld University—

Ye Lingxiao eagerly forwarded the news:

”Zhang Yu made another leap forward!”

”His Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might jumped from level 10 to level 16. And he hasn’t even posted about it yet!”

”Didn’t Director Wang want exactly this kind of update?”

But barely moments after sending it, he got a blunt reply:

Wang Yin: ”Screw off!”

Wang Yin: ”Stop spamming me with nonsense.”

Fuming, Ye Lingxiao muttered, ”You were the one who wanted updates on Zhang Yu, and now you’re pissed?”

”All those rich folks in upper Kunxu—saying one thing and doing another.”

Meanwhile, Wang Yin stared at his EyeNet full of alerts, irritated, and scolded Ye Lingxiao in frustration.

He frowned. ”Did Wanfa University really achieve a major breakthrough in Dual Cultivation and Yin Artifacts?”

To him, this wasn’t about Zhang Yu personally, but about the shifting balance of power among the Ten Great Academies.

”Even if Zhang Yu grows stronger, it’s just one man’s strength—it can’t change much.”

”But if Wanfa truly cracked something in the Dual Cultivation sector, which they previously barely touched…”

Wang Yin could already foresee storm clouds gathering, the coming escalation of university warfare.

The implications would extend far beyond one student or one school. Even his own family’s enterprises would feel the ripple effects.

”A seemingly minor matter, overlooked by most… might very well alter the course of the academic wars.”

”As the saying goes, before the winds of autumn stir, the cicadas already sense it. We’ll need to reevaluate not just our investment strategies, but some of Netherworld University’s plans as well.”

With that thought, Wang Yin’s consciousness was already racing through the Spiritual Realm, heading toward the networks of Heavenly Sword Sect University.

”Surely, others in the field are already eyeing Zhang Yu’s upcoming match—ready to gauge just how real Wanfa’s so-called breakthrough is.”

…

At Heavenly Sword Sect University—

Wen Wuya read the incoming data on her EyeNet and said in surprise, ”Wanfa University? The school known for suppressing Dual Cultivation has made a sudden, major leap?”

Her first reaction?

”They’re just scamming for money, aren’t they?”