No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Although Ying Xin had already heard the news from her clan’s ancestor, seeing Zhang Yu’s ranking shift from the Civil Engineering Department to the Artifact Refinement Department with her own eyes still left her visibly shaken.

“Daylight ascension…” Ying Xin’s heart trembled endlessly. “Senior Brother ascended straight from a construction site in the Civil Engineering Department to the Artifact Refinement Department!”

On the other side, Gongshu Jin burst into wild laughter, his whole body trembling with excitement. “Wonderful! My friend, that’s wonderful!”

Seeing everyone’s eyes turn toward him, Gongshu Jin hastily clenched his uncontrollable hands and stammered, “I… I’m just happy for Senior Brother!”

Forcing down the grin tugging at his lips, he shouted, “I’m happy that Senior Brother transferred to the Artifact Refinement Department!”

Yu Xinghan watched the scene, curling his lips. “Damn… anyone who didn’t know better would think you were the one who got in.”

Inwardly, he muttered, “What, you’re happy because Zhang Yu left and now you think you’ll be top of the class? Who doesn’t see through that?”

Meanwhile, Shi Yunxiang was taking photos, wondering if he should post them on his social feed.

“Before, Zhang Yu’s crushing victory over Xiangshan had the Demon-Kin cursing him. If they find out I’m friends with him, I’d be called a Demon traitor.”

“But now it’s different. Before it was the human Zhang Yu defeating the Demon-Kin Xiangshan—but now it’s an Artifact Refinement master thrashing a Civil Engineering grunt. Who can argue with that?”Though Shi Yunxiang had never attended Heavenly Demon University, he knew well how their system worked—there, one’s race equaled one’s department, and departments equaled castes.

To the Demon-Kin, Zhang Yu’s departmental transfer was like a low-born race transforming into nobility. Forget just defeating Xiangshan—he could now insult him however he pleased, and it would still seem justified.

Ying Xin turned to Gongshu Jin. “From now on, maybe don’t call him Senior Brother anymore. We’re not in the same department now. ‘Senior’ should be fine.”

Gongshu Jin immediately nodded. “Right, right, you’re right. I should change the way I address him.”

Around them, workers and security guards alike stared in envy and awe.

“Sigh, that ‘Artifact Refinement Department’ label on his head really hits different.”

“Yeah, look, his number’s 48—doesn’t the font look bigger somehow?”

“It’s not about the font. Look at the names: Artifact Refinement has ‘refinement’ and ‘artifact’—cultured words. Civil Engineering? ‘Earth’ and ‘wood’—you can tell which sounds classier.”

Nearby, Ji Yuanshu, hearing the workers’ chatter, hurried over. He stared at Zhang Yu’s departing figure, silent for a long while.

His eyes were locked on the top of Zhang Yu’s head, straining to see whether it said “Artifact Refinement” or “Civil Engineering.”

But the distance was too great; even with his Fierce Tiger Model Law Husk, he couldn’t make it out.

“Can’t see.”

“I damn well can’t see it!”

That day, Ji Yuanshu didn’t work overtime. He went to the free-service Fu Xinyao and vented all his frustration, jealousy, and resentment.

“Zhang Yu! How dare you transfer to the Artifact Refinement Department!”

“You worked three years on a construction site—what do you know about refining artifacts?”

“Corruption! It’s all corruption! Wanfa University’s black curtain blinds me!”

Ping Han, listening to Ji Yuanshu’s rant, felt both body and mind rocked by the shocking news.

“Zhang Yu… transferred to the Artifact Refinement Department? How could he possibly get in?”

Fu Xinyao frowned upon hearing it. “Damn it. What a waste of time dealing with those Civil Engineering students. I’d better start building connections in Artifact Refinement.”

“Artifact Refinement Department… tch, that’ll be tricky.”

…

Meanwhile, after leaving the construction site, Zhang Yu found that upon transferring departments, the world itself felt broader.

Wherever he went, people glanced at the departmental rank glowing above his head and stepped respectfully aside, their eyes filled with a trace of awe.

Even his ocular Law Husk began receiving endless friend requests—so many that Zhang Yu had to disable them entirely.

Even the ads had changed.

Gone were the cheap “Fierce Tiger” models and local brands—replaced by luxury names like Myriad Artisans Sect and Vajra Forge.

The street ads themselves had transformed—tacky neon signs replaced by grand, gleaming displays, clearly designed for the Artifact Refinement Department’s wealthy crowd.

Even the terrain was different.

“Wait—was there always a shortcut here?”

“An anti-gravity passage just for Artifact Refinement students?”

“Hold on, is that a treasure shop only visible to the Artifact Refinement Department?”

“Huh? Was this street even here before?”

“Wait a minute… why does everything suddenly cost more?”

After walking a while, Zhang Yu realized that the Civil Engineering and Artifact Refinement students truly lived in different worlds.

“To the Artifact Refinement Department, Wanfa University City looks grander, richer, more convenient… and way more expensive.”

“Guess I’ll need Civil Engineering folks to do my shopping from now on.”

Soon after, Zhang Yu received apologies from the construction foremen.

He didn’t take it to heart—their previous suppression had come from the Finance Department’s orders.

And though Zhang Yu had joined the Artifact Refinement Department, that didn’t mean he could challenge the Finance Department’s authority. The 669th-floor construction project was still out of reach.

“Still, the Artifact Refinement Department has plenty of factory and construction projects. I’ll need to network with the professors—maybe line up some contracts for my company.”

As he pondered, congratulatory messages poured in like snowflakes.

Mo Shangjin: “Congrats! I’ll be coming to you for artifact repairs from now on.”

Su Yanyang: “Senior, we’ll really miss you!”

Che Yufei: “Boss Zhang, I’m sticking with you till the end. Just say the word if you need help.”

His Civil Engineering group chat exploded with emojis and exclamations.

Watching the chat scroll by, Zhang Yu thought, “I’m not even in Civil Engineering anymore. Shouldn’t I leave the group?”

He sent the thought to Immortal Jiao Lei, who replied: “No need to rush.”

Immortal Jiao Lei: “No rule says you have to quit after transferring.”

Immortal Jiao Lei: “Civil Engineering will always be your home. Stay if you want to visit anytime.”

Then Zhang Yu checked the Songyang hometown group. Sure enough, his transfer was the hot topic.

Mo Tianyi: “Boss Zhang has officially joined the Artifact Refinement Department!”

Mo Tianyi: “He’s the first from Songyang City to ever get into Wanfa’s Artifact Refinement Department—truly one of a kind!”

Lan Ling: “Brother Mo, does Boss Zhang’s company have openings? I studied Civil Engineering at Shanhe University.”

Mo Tianyi: “What do you mean ‘you too’?”

Mo Tianyi: “Everyone, from now on, when discussing Boss Zhang, don’t refer to him as a Civil Engineering student.”

Mo Tianyi: “Better not mention his old construction work at all.”

Zhang Yu shook his head, smiling faintly. “Mo’s a bit rash, but he means well.”

“Though I don’t mind, to most people, a Civil Engineering background is still a stain.”

Fu Ji commented, “If Civil Engineering is a dung-brown color, then Artifact Refinement is gold. On its own, brown’s fine—but put it next to gold, and it just looks like… dung.”

“Now that you’ve joined Artifact Refinement, people will still see you through tinted lenses.”

“But don’t worry. Once you build a reputation as a true refiner, that bias will fade.”

“The only concern is when it comes time to join a sect—it could complicate things.”

Zhang Yu frowned. “That could actually matter?”

“Of course,” Fu Ji replied. “Erasing your Civil Engineering roots from your records and karmic trace requires at least a Divine Transformation-level cultivator. It’s not easy.”

Meanwhile, more students from the Songyang group began asking about Zhang Yu’s company—many hoping to pick up part-time work.

Clearly, his new identity in the Artifact Refinement Department had raised both his company’s prestige and its prospects.

In the depths of the Spiritual Realm, Zhao Tianxing stared at the group chat, at all the envious chatter from university and academy students directed at him, a mere technical college grad.

His pixelated grin widened, the corners of his mouth turning into jagged mosaic curves.

Above him, in his dim, low-resolution abode, the only clear thing was a photo from the awards ceremony—him and Zhang Yu on stage, glowing faintly amidst the blur.

Despite his recent pay raise, Zhao Tianxing had kept his humble lodgings.

Now, hearing that his boss and friend had ascended to the Artifact Refinement Department, his roommates erupted with exclamation marks across their chat.

Soul cultivators: “!!!!!!!”

…

Meanwhile, after completing the transfer procedures, Zhang Yu was added to the Artifact Refinement class group by his new advisor, Realman Lianhuo.

As he joined, a few classmates sent greetings before resuming their conversation.

Ziyun Zhen: “I scored 56,733 on the Golden Core Simulation Test—top 28% of students!”

Another student: “Whoa, you improved again?”

Ziyun Zhen: “A little. You guys should try it too—see what score you’d get if you forged your Golden Core now.”

Su Yunni: “I got 79,251! That’s top 15%.”

Ziyun Zhen: “Wow, that’s probably the best in class!”

Su Yunni: “Still not excellent. My goal is to reach at least 250,000 before forming my Golden Core.”

Watching the chat, Zhang Yu realized they were discussing the Golden Core Simulation scores.

“Sigh… the hometown group talks about jobs, the Civil Engineering group talks about construction projects—and the Artifact Refinement group? They’re simulating Golden Core formation.”

“That’s the difference.”

Curious, he clicked on the shared link—wanting to see what kind of score he would get if he tried forging his Golden Core now.

Thank you for reading! If you’re enjoying his journey from dirt to divinity, please consider supporting on Patreon—it really helps keep the translations going! Also, if you liked this chapter, drop a kind rating or comment on NovelUpdates to help others find the series!

Next Chapter >