No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

The process was simple: once the detection patches were applied to each contestant, the judges would inject a stream of Specialized Mana to see how quickly it could be neutralized. The faster the contestant dispelled it, the higher their score.

If it took more than ten minutes, or if a contestant felt they couldn’t take it, they were allowed to immediately consume a Mana Dissolver Pill provided by the sponsor, Purple Cloud High.

In fact, Purple Cloud High had even set up temporary pill stalls around the venue, selling every kind of supplement a contestant might need.

The reason they were allowed to sell here was tied to one of the core rules of this second round:

This round allowed pill use.

Zhang Yu was dumbfounded.

What the hell? Are you people even human? Letting contestants pop pills just to earn Purple Cloud High’s sponsorship money?

As he reeled in shock, he noticed that his fellow classmates from Songyang High were already pulling out their own stash of supplements.

Painkillers, calming elixirs, focus enhancers… Watching them lay out this triple combo like it was standard protocol, Zhang Yu suddenly realized—they’d come prepared.

Ms. Yan leaned over, concern in her voice. “Zhang Yu, did you bring your meds?”“Make sure you take them before it starts.”

To her, pill-popping during competition was completely normal.

Afraid of pain or itching? Chew a painkiller. Weak-willed? Sip a calming elixir. Can’t focus while channeling mana? Down a focus enhancer.

In short… if you wanted to fight like a beast on the field, you had to stay pumped with meds off it.

This was the competition.

Competitions were meant for popping pills!

Mana-based events were always favorites of the pharmaceutical sponsors, so at least one round usually allowed contestants to use supplements—as long as the pills fell within the event-approved range. That’s why all the judges and Soul Cultivation Student assistants would be monitoring and checking them closely.

Pill use wasn’t just allowed; it was a statement. A symbol of a school’s pedigree.

Seeing the bewildered look on Zhang Yu’s face, Ms. Yan sighed and opened her bag.

“Look at you. Showing up to a competition without even bringing your meds?”

“Good thing I brought a spare set.”

She promptly pulled out a clutter of bottles and vials, sorted a few doses, and handed them to him.

Seeing the kind, concerned look on Ms. Yan’s face, Zhang Yu had no choice but to accept the meds with a forced smile.

Crap. My body can’t handle these.

The original Zhang Yu had wrecked his body from improper supplement use. That memory was enough to keep him away from anything stronger than a Neural Filler to help skip sleep.

And besides, with his freakish natural talent and crushing debt, he’d never seen much reason to rely on pills.

Even now, he didn’t know if this new body would react badly to supplements. Either way, he wasn’t about to take that risk.

Pop pills just for a competition? Hell, the life extension I’d gain from cultivating probably wouldn’t even cover the damage I’d do!

Still, feeling Ms. Yan’s expectant gaze, he nodded awkwardly and muttered to himself: “Guess I’ll sneak off to the bathroom and fake it later.”

Meanwhile, the whole venue had turned into a pharmaceutical expo.

Over in Purple Cloud High’s rest area, Lian Tianji tossed a handful of pills into his mouth, followed by a big gulp of water to wash them down.

Their competition coach watched his flushed, purpling face with approval. “Good. You’re in competition mode now.”

Then he opened a wooden case from his bag.

Inside were ten syringes, each glowing faintly purple.

“These are Vein-Expanding Injections straight from the Purple Cloud Lab. They’ll temporarily widen your meridians as they circulate, boosting your mana circulation efficiency.”

“One syringe per person—no fighting over them.”

After everyone had taken their shots, he encouraged them with a shout. “We’re neck-and-neck with White Dragon High on total points. This round is our chance to catch up!”

Roar!

Having just downed pills and taken their shots, the students felt their blood boil. They let out a deafening roar, full of adrenaline and fighting spirit.

In the rest area for Red Tower High, their coach was cradling a panda-like beastman student, rifling through a box of beast-use meds.

“Bufan, take another dose. We’re dead last among the Three Great Academies. If you flop in this round too, my bonus is toast.”

The red panda youth, Xiong Bufan, raised a paw and flipped him the middle finger.

“That’s enough!”

“Quit force-feeding me!”

“Mmph mmph mmph—damn it, quit it already!”

Elsewhere, in the rest area for White Dragon High—

Song Hailong swallowed a large handful of pills, then turned to glare at the nearby Purple Cloud High students.

Hearing their thunderous roar, he scoffed.

“I’ll be the one to shatter your fighting spirit.”

At that moment, their coach Han Xingye arrived, holding a thermal box.

“This is your custom-prepped batch of Vitality Boosters. Inject directly into your dantian—come get yours.”

As the box opened, a chill swept the area. Two rows of glowing syringes were revealed.

Song Hailong grinned. As the number one student, he was also the first to pick up a syringe.

The other students followed suit, retrieving their doses in chest-number order, and then jabbing themselves directly in the dantian.

Nearby contestants from other schools watched the scene with envy.

“Are those Vitality Boosters? Refined from spiritual essence, right? Rapid mana recovery mid-match… they’re going for simultaneous defense and recharge?”

One student looked on, filled with longing.

“A single shot to the dantian… ‘My fate is mine, not Heaven’s.’ I dunno if I’ll ever be able to afford something like that.”

Just then, a commotion broke out in one corner of the venue.

A student was carried off, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

“Overdosed?” someone whispered.

“Overdose? More like weak tolerance,” a teacher scoffed. “Just means you need more training!”

Another teacher clapped to draw everyone’s attention.

“Stop gawking and focus on the competition!”

With most of the preparations complete, the second round of the tournament officially began.