No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Within the Supreme Purity Realm.

As everything accelerated around him, Zhang Yu split into four projections, continuously refining one artifact after another within the illusion.

Merit Relic, Level 20.

Seeing that the artifact had finally reached level twenty, Zhang Yu let out a small breath of relief before immediately beginning the study and practice of the next one.

No matter how the outside world trembled with the clashes between Nascent Soul cultivators, Zhang Yu now spent each day holed up in his dormitory, immersed in the Supreme Purity Realm, quietly honing his artifact refinement skills.

The matters of Nascent Souls were far beyond his reach. Even if the heavens were to collapse and the earth to shatter, remolding the world’s feng shui and earthfire veins — those were things utterly beyond his control.

All he could do was silently accumulate strength, ensuring that whatever came next, he would have even the slightest bit more hope.

Back in the dormitory, Zhang Yu removed his Spiritual Realm Mask after withdrawing from the Supreme Purity Realm, stretching his body that hadn’t moved for more than ten hours and circulating his blood and qi.

At that moment, Yu Xinghan tossed over a bottle of pills. “Medicine’s here. This is your share.”

Yu Xinghan grumbled, “The prices went up again. Those profiteers sure know how to milk a crisis. I heard even shit’s gotten expensive now — damn it… shame I didn’t join the Dark Sewage Cartel.”Zhang Yu poured the entire bottle down his throat. As the medicinal power surged through his body, he muttered inwardly, “Hah… only seventy percent full.”

With the future uncertain, Zhang Yu had been deliberately saving spirit coins every day in case of unforeseen emergencies.

Moments later, Le Mulan returned with a large bag of medicine. “The department’s starting to regulate pharmaceuticals. This’ll be the last batch I can get on discount.”

After finishing his pills, Zhang Yu didn’t rush back into the Supreme Purity Realm.

While digesting the medicinal power, he checked the messages appearing in his ocular interface, collecting intel on the current situation.

Although he spent most of his time in seclusion, he still made a point to keep track of outside events — it wouldn’t do to be completely ignorant.

“Are the Nascent Souls still fighting?”

“Yeah. Besides Wanfa University, Heavenly Sword University, Pleasure and Harmony University, and Whitebone University, even Netherworld University and Vajra University’s Nascent Souls have joined in.”

“What a mess.”

Zhang Yu shook his head helplessly, scrolling through the alumni chat.

Seeing the rows of dimmed avatars, he sighed softly.

Normally, as long as one maintained their ocular system, users stayed online 24/7.

Even those who didn’t speak much would still have their icons lit.

Now, however, many Soul Cultivators — jobless, broke, unable to afford maintenance — had gone into suspended animation, keeping their minds barely active at minimal cost. Their icons had all turned gray.

Song Hailong, Immortal Soldier University: Selling secondhand premium Fierce Tiger Law Husk, ninety percent new. DM if interested.

Xiong Wenwu, Heavenly Demon University: Anyone need a mount? I’ve got experience. My body’s been modified for it — includes spinal interface saddle-husk.

Hu Yuntao: You lost your job?

Xiong Wenwu: (╯▽╰) Yeah. My boss had to downsize half his mounts when his assets tanked.

Lan Ling, Shanhe University: Ugh… when will this crisis end?

Lan Ling: [photo]

Lan Ling: Just lost my job. Came back to find the dorm demolished.

Lan Ling: If this keeps up, I’ll just off myself. Not even let the Righteous Gods take my soul. I won’t pay back a single coin.

Lian Tianji, Pleasure and Harmony University: Don’t talk nonsense! You’ll get the whole group banned!

The photo showed Lan Ling living amid the rubble.

Then Zhang Yu frowned slightly. He noticed something odd about Lian Tianji’s profile picture.

Upon checking, he found that she’d grown noticeably rounder.

Zhang Yu: You alright?

Lian Tianji: What could possibly be wrong?

Lian Tianji: Oh, you mean the pregnancy thing?

Lian Tianji: I passed the selection and got into the university’s Pregnancy Program. They provide free meds every day and a decent stipend. Honestly, this crisis hasn’t hit me that hard (∩_∩)

Sensing the genuine cheer in her tone, Zhang Yu thought, My old classmates from the first layer… they’re really starting to think like the second-layer natives now.

Meanwhile, Lan Ling — who’d just been complaining — received a message from Zhou Chechen of Tianhai University.

Zhou Chechen: Lan Ling, what do you think about dual cultivation?

Lan Ling: Are you out of your damn mind? You’d dare touch that stuff?

Zhou Chechen: Just a little bit won’t hurt.

Lan Ling: Old Zhou, hang in there. Once the Top Ten League ends, the Nascent Souls will stop fighting.

Lan Ling: You touch dual cultivation, and your life’s over.

…

After checking through the chat, Zhang Yu turned to a message from Director Gao.

Director Gao: Xiao Qingxuan doesn’t have a place to stay right now. Can you let him crash in your dorm for a bit?

Zhang Yu didn’t mind.

The thirty-square-meter luxury dorm he had was arranged by Director Gao himself.

Even after Zhang Yu transferred to the Artifact Refinement Department, Gao hadn’t revoked it.

So if the man wanted to place someone temporarily, Zhang Yu had no reason to refuse.

The next day, Xiao Qingxuan arrived, covered in dust.

Seeing the massive debt figure hovering over him, Zhang Yu was startled. “Fifteen thousand? How’d your debt balloon that much?”

Xiao Qingxuan replied casually, “There’s an economic crisis — a small-scale tribulation sweeping through layers two to six of Kunxu. Lots of civil engineering firms went under, so they assigned me to carry the debt.”

He sat cross-legged, circulating his breath. Feeling his mana slowly recover, he finally relaxed.

Zhang Yu, on the other hand, couldn’t help wondering — how did one even carry someone else’s debt?

And what could possibly be worth it?

From what he’d seen, Xiao Qingxuan hadn’t gained any obvious benefit. In fact, he’d lost his home in the downturn.

Over the next few days, Zhang Yu noticed that Xiao Qingxuan was actively job hunting.

“I’ve already graduated,” Xiao Qingxuan said. “If I can’t find work right after, it’ll be a huge stain on my résumé.”

He frowned. “That’ll make it almost impossible to get a full-time job later.”

Zhang Yu glanced again at the debt floating above him. With that hanging over you, finding a job now’s impossible — especially during a recession.

He said casually, “If you like, I can list you as an employee at my company. But I can only pay 0.0001 spirit coin — just for show.”

Xiao Qingxuan brightened instantly. “That’s perfect! As long as it fills the résumé gap!”

After a moment of thought, he added seriously, “I can’t do much to help you, but if your company ever needs someone to shoulder debt, call me. I’m already ruined — a bit more won’t matter.”

Not long after Xiao Qingxuan moved in, Zhang Yu received another message — this time from Tu Lishan.

Tu Lishan: Zhang Yu, could you help Shi Huaiyu for a while?

Tu Lishan: She lost big on coin speculation, and her rent skyrocketed. She’s been homeless for nearly a week.

Tu Lishan had looked after Zhang Yu plenty in the past, and Shi Huaiyu had been a teammate during the competitions — of course, Zhang Yu wouldn’t refuse.

Following Tu Lishan’s directions, he went underground to the gates of the Huolongyuan Mana Production Co., Ltd.

There, outside the cemetery-like complex, a crowd of refugees huddled together, meditating in an attempt to absorb stray spiritual energy leaking from the tombs.

“Zhang Yu?” Shi Huaiyu looked up. “You homeless too?”

She scooted over. “Come on, there’s room here.”

Seeing her grimy face and tattered form, Zhang Yu felt like he was looking at a stray cat.

“Teacher Tu sent me,” he said. “If you don’t mind, come stay in my dorm for now.”

Shi Huaiyu immediately jumped up, delighted, and followed him back.

“Don’t worry, Zhang Yu,” she said. “Once my coins bounce back, I’ll be in profit again — I’ll pay you back for the rent then.”

Zhang Yu waved it off. “No need. Times are hard. We should all help each other. Call it mutual aid.”

Shi Huaiyu stared at him in disbelief. Someone refusing rent? Unheard of.

Fu Ji muttered irritably, “It’s one thing not to charge Xiao Qingxuan — the guy’s broke as hell. But why let her stay free?”

Zhang Yu replied inwardly, “Look at her Law Husk — it’s scratched to hell. She can barely maintain it. Forget rent.”

Fu Ji fumed. “That’s because you didn’t raise the price! Even if you don’t charge her now, you could at least have her sign a debt note!”

Zhang Yu ignored her, leaving Fu Ji stewing in frustration.

After returning, Shi Huaiyu immediately sat cross-legged and began meditating. As her mana gradually recovered, a faint peace returned to her expression.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu donned his Spiritual Realm Mask once more and resumed cultivation.

Within the illusion, four of his incarnations moved in perfect harmony, refining an artifact called the Self-Manifesting Soul Ring.

It was an artifact developed by Heavenly Demon University — a staple in the body-leasing market.

Once embedded into a host body, the Self-Manifesting Soul Ring allowed remote control of another’s flesh via the Spiritual Realm, transmitting sensory feedback from all five senses with astonishing precision.

Many Soul Cultivators used it to pilot temporary bodies, and numerous technique laboratories used it for testing experimental cultivation techniques on disposable hosts.

Although the artifact itself wasn’t of much personal use to Zhang Yu, its embedded spiritual network technology — especially in remote mana control and sensory synchronization — was crucial for the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype project.

With such tech, it would be possible to remotely pilot the Heaven-Sun Radiance as if it were an external incarnation — a body extension over the Spiritual Realm.

As Zhang Yu worked diligently, a sudden tremor rippled through the Dao Seed Codex within his Feathered Tome.

His eyes sharpened instantly as he checked — and found that he had just successfully copied True Lord Magneto’s Dao Seed, Heavenly Craft Opens Creation.

A grin spread across his face. “It worked!”

“So Master has finally raised the artifact we made together to level thirty-one!”