No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Looking at the recommended techniques on the homepage, Zhang Yu couldn’t help feeling curious. “My friends are watching these? What kind of friends would be interested in these techniques?”

Unfortunately, after logging in with his real name, he realized that most of his so-called ”friends” were just classmates from real life linked through shopping sites—too many to pinpoint who exactly was browsing these.

“Nine Heavens Quick-Mastery Talisman Series?”

Remembering his miserable 60-point Dao Techniques exam, Zhang Yu clicked in—only to be scared off by the 98,000 price tag.

“Talisman techniques have the worst cost-performance ratio. Not worth it.”

He backed out and opened up the rankings list to see what was trending now.

“Longevity and Health Cultivation Sutra: Deluxe Revised Edition, Health-Preserving Technique, The Brickmover King’s Excavator Grip and Crane Claw Breakdown, The Sports Car Leg Uncut Version, Elevator Vertical Movement Practice Guide…”

Looking over these Qi Refinement–level techniques, Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned.

The bestsellers were overwhelmingly about longevity, health, and disease prevention—which made perfect sense to him. Who doesn’t want to live longer? And in a world where hospital bills are astronomical, using cultivation to self-heal is simply a smarter investment.

But next on the list were techniques modeled after excavators, cranes, sports cars, and elevators… clearly meant for the “beasts of burden” of society.Still, Zhang Yu quickly understood.

Compared to high school students like him, the majority of Qi Refinement–level cultivators were working-class adults—laborers, factory workers, couriers, security guards—the types of people doing ten people’s work for one person’s pay.

For them, “Excavator Grip,” “Crane Claw,” and “Sports Car Legs” weren’t just flashy names—they were essential tools to earn a living, techniques to stake their place in Kunxu.

To them, these were practical techniques—far more useful than boundary breakthroughs or cultivation advancements.

Understanding this, Zhang Yu adjusted the search filter to show techniques suited for ages 18 to 20.

Suddenly, the listings changed: Mana Bonus Strategies, Basic Eight-Part Talisman Dictionary, Simplified Body-Refining Thirty-Six Forms…

Scanning the page, Zhang Yu found these top-selling techniques all too basic, too simplistic.

“Looks like mostly regular high schoolers are buying these.”

He added a new filter—Technique Grade.

According to what he’d learned in school, techniques were divided into five grades: Basic, Intermediate, Expert, Military, and Sect.

Supposedly, Sect-grade techniques had even more detailed internal rankings, but Zhang Yu didn’t know much about that.

After all, Military and Sect grades weren’t available to just anyone. The former required you to be in the military or government; the latter, to join a major sect.

As for the Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique in Zhang Yu’s possession, he guessed it was Intermediate.

And the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique? Probably Expert.

“Bu Zhou Mountain Shifting Canon, Heart-Origin Great Mudra, Zhou Tian Starblade, Sutra of Radiance…”

His eyes lingered on those Expert-grade techniques with envy, but he could only shake his head helplessly.

“Expert-grade techniques not only have higher learning thresholds and stricter prerequisites… even the cheapest license costs tens of thousands. Totally unaffordable.”

“Unless the school contract really comes through with a big number.”

His gaze moved back to the Intermediate techniques. “Those I might be able to afford once the contract is signed.”

“Especially the ones aligned with my cultivation method. That could speed up my advancement to Dao Heart Level 3, where I can finally begin training the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique.”

After window-shopping for a while and adding a few promising titles to his cart, Zhang Yu was just about to log off when something changed in the recommendation panel.

Your competitor is placing an order: Mana Bonus Strategies, Basic Eight-Part Talisman Dictionary, Demonic Parasite Method…

What the hell?

“So this is how you guys misuse big data? Turning everything into a technique arms race to stoke our spending urges?”

“Wait… what even is this Demonic Parasite Method?”

Your competitor is placing an order for Demonic Parasite Method…

Who wouldn’t click on that? Even a dog passing by would have to take a peek.

Zhang Yu tapped in and found that the Demonic Parasite Method was an Expert-grade technique combining regenerative flesh, organ transplantation, flesh devouring, blood-energy adaptation, and body parasitism.

In short: a technique for seizing control of someone else’s body.

As a former reader of Qidian web novels, Zhang Yu saw the name and the description and had one immediate thought.

Whoever buys this is not a good person.

“My competitor? What kind of twisted lunatic would practice something like the Demonic Parasite Method?”

“Wait… is this even real? Could the site be faking it?”

He was suspicious, but given how bizarre and magical the Kunxu world was, he couldn’t rule it out.

He checked the price—300,000 just for the license.

Thinking of people he knew who could afford this and had the power to train it, only a few came to mind. And with the “competitor” label…

“Qian Shen?”

“Or He Dayou?”

Zhang Yu immediately suspected He Dayou. After all, Teacher Lei Jun had replayed that sparring video of the two of them multiple times, and he remembered the hostile look in He Dayou’s eyes.

“Either way, better stay cautious around these rich types.”

“Who practices something like the Demonic Parasite Method? Absolute beasts in human skin.”

But then he noticed something else under the product page’s recommendation section…

People viewing this technique also viewed: Anti-Parasite Method, Purification Divine Technique, Demon-Slaying Scroll…

The absurd specificity of these names made Zhang Yu immediately doubt himself again.

“Wait, could the platform be making all this up just to trick me into buying something?”

From what he understood of companies in Kunxu, that kind of scummy tactic wasn’t just possible—it was expected.

He decided to shelve the issue for now. But before logging off, he added the Anti-Parasite Method, Purification Divine Technique, and Demon-Slaying Scroll to his favorites.

Then, after a moment of hesitation, he went back and added the Demonic Parasite Method too.

“Heh… I hope that guy who placed the order sees his competitor browsing Demonic Parasite Method, Anti-Parasite Method, Purification Divine Technique, and Demon-Slaying Scroll…”

Another night flew by.

Zhang Yu’s Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique advanced again, reaching Level 8 (95/160).

And after a full day of training, his Mana also increased, now at 12.1.

…

The next day.

At Songyang High.

Zhang Yu received a friend request from someone with a barbell icon as their profile picture.

“Hello Zhang Yu, I’m Lan Ling from the Grade 11 Elite Class, and also the head of the Student Council’s Athletic Department. I’d like to discuss something with you—please accept my request.”

After he accepted, a new message arrived quickly.

“Greetings, Zhang Yu. To promote the societal development of the Immortal Path and help our school’s students reach greater heights, we’d like to sincerely invite you to discuss a potential signing agreement. With mutual cooperation and benefit as the foundation, we hope to explore a deeper value-added partnership…”

They arranged to meet at the Student Council office at noon.

“So it’s finally here?”

That noon, Zhang Yu washed his face, combed his hair, and straightened his clothes before heading to the office.

He had just knocked when the door opened—only to reveal another “door.”

Well, not literally. It was a person who looked like a door—a student with a board-flat, door-like build.

The door-person smiled and stepped back. “You must be Zhang Yu, right?”

Zhang Yu glanced at the dumbbell still in the guy’s hand and asked, “Lan Ling?”

Before either could say more, a burst of laughter came from behind the walking door, followed by the sound of footsteps thudding on the floor.

“Is Zhang Yu here?”

A young man without shoes leapt off a sofa and rushed over, grabbing Zhang Yu’s hands with excitement.

“Hahaha! I heard yesterday that Songyang High had birthed another genius, and now here you are at last!”

With that, he dragged Zhang Yu further inside.

Lan Ling followed them in, introducing, “Zhang Yu, this is our Student Council Vice President, Zhou Chechen.”

Zhang Yu recalled—this was the top student in Grade 11.

After the monthly exam, Zhou Chechen’s name was just as visible around campus as his own.

Zhou Chechen pulled him onto the sofa and sat beside him.

Feeling the guy’s firm grip and the admiration, excitement, and intensity in his eyes, Zhang Yu tensed.

Damn… is he one of those fencing types?

Zhou Chechen reached out and made a grasping motion in the air. A stack of documents flew over from the desk and landed neatly in his hand.

“I looked into your grades and immediately pulled up your records.”

“Turns out your debt collectors even called the school.”

Zhang Yu’s heart sank. “Are they going to use my debt to drive down the contract price?”

But Zhou Chechen just waved the documents and smiled. “As soon as I heard, I had all your debt bought out.”

“Across more than ten platforms—700,000 in total. It’s all here.”

“How could we let one of Songyang High’s prodigies be buried under debt? That’d make people think our school is too poor to even invest in its own talent.”

With a puff of Mana, he turned the debt documents to ash.

Zhang Yu stared in shock as Zhou Chechen continued.

“You don’t have to make payments anymore.”

“These 700,000 are now my responsibility. No interest. No deadlines.”

“From now on, focus entirely on your studies and cultivation here at Songyang High. After you graduate and join a major sect, you can pay me back whenever you want.”

Zhang Yu looked at him in astonishment. He hadn’t expected the Vice President to solve his most urgent crisis in one stroke.

Then Zhou Chechen picked up another document and handed it over.

“After discussing with the President, we’ve prepared this Class-A contract for you.”

“50,000 monthly cultivation stipend. Twenty percent off everything from Spirit Roots to Meditation Chambers, Spirit Realms, Talismans, Cafeteria, and Alchemy services… Plus a private dorm room just for you…”

As he rattled off the benefits, Zhang Yu’s heart pounded. He could barely resist the urge to sign right then and there.