No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

In an unfinished building—

Zhang Yu, clad in a weighted training suit, threw a punch. As his foot slammed into the concrete floor, a muffled boom echoed across the level.

Drenched in sweat, Zhang Yu didn’t pause for even a second. He continued drilling through each move of the Body-Refining Thirty-Six Forms, one punch, one kick at a time.

His whole body was radiating heat, steaming faint wisps of white mist into the frigid night.

Ever since he’d managed to maintain the Soul-Stabilizing Oxheart Technique while training in Limitless Cloud Hands at level 10—with the weighted suit—he’d decided to push the envelope: he started practicing the Body-Refining Thirty-Six Forms at level 10.

At first, it had been brutal—mental and physical hell combined.

Thankfully, as long as he could sustain the heart method, the Soul-Stabilizing Oxheart Technique always offered him a sliver of joy and fulfillment, the kind that sprouted from anticipation.

And when he couldn’t hold the method?

That’s when the ritual kicked in, dragging him back onto the path and forcing him to hold the method steady.

Like right now: just as a moment of mental laxity blurred the Intent-Focusing Diagram in his mind’s eye, Zhang Yu knew what was coming.“Please adhere to the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not slack off or delay intentionally. 10.”

Zhang Yu immediately focused his mind, working to stabilize the state of the Soul-Stabilizing Oxheart Technique. The Intent-Focusing Diagram gradually sharpened once more.

Damn it.

Even though the chill had once again been driven away, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but curse aloud.

Just then, his phone rang in the darkness of the unfinished building.

To Zhang Yu, that ringtone sounded like celestial music.

Thank goodness this dumb ritual at least had a sliver of discernment—he was allowed a bit of rest while answering a call.

He picked up the phone. It was a message from Zhou Chechen, the Vice President of the Student Council.

Zhou Chechen: Zhang Yu, have you thought it over?

Zhang Yu glanced at the time.

Yep. A 4 a.m. message from the Student Council. Perfectly normal operating hours for us Songyang folks.

Zhang Yu: I want to focus entirely on preparing for the monthly exam. Let’s talk contracts after it’s over.

Zhou Chechen: Haha, no problem. Then we’ll talk after the exam. I’ve already prepared a contract I know you’ll love. Looking forward to the day we sign.

Zhang Yu knew full well that Zhou Chechen probably talked like this with every potential signee. Still, being flattered now and then over the past month—how could it not feel good?

“Too bad it’s never just pure admiration—never just someone wanting to butter me up for the sake of friendship.”

Thinking about having to keep dancing this polite social tango made Zhang Yu a little sick inside.

“I wonder… if I reject him again after this exam, will he finally show his true face?”

Zhang Yu looked up at his Feathered Tome.

Dao Heart: Level 2 (93%)

Mana:

18.7Physical Strength: Level 1.33

Thanks to the grueling training over the past few days, his power had jumped again.

His Dao Heart was nearing level 3, and his Mana was now head and shoulders above every other first-year student at Songyang High—Bai Zhenzhen included.

Only his physical strength had slipped to seventh or eighth place, a result of neglecting physical training for over half a month. He’d only recently resumed.

But with the pace he was going now, Zhang Yu figured it wouldn’t be long before he dominated that ranking too.

Still, even with all this, he was far from being able to enter one of the Ten Great Academies.

With that thought, he took a deep breath and plunged once again into ascetic cultivation.

…

The day of the monthly exam.

A suffocating tension hung over the high school campus.

But for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, the monthly exam wasn’t something to sweat over anymore.

They breezed through the morning’s written test. After lunch and a bit of mid-day cultivation, Zhang Yu arrived at the Dao Techniques testing lab, sweating profusely by the time he finished the exercises.

Then came the final part of the day: martial combat.

His opponent this time—Qian Shen.

Qian Shen’s gaze toward Zhang Yu was complicated.

Because while Zhang Yu had scored six points lower than him in last month’s exam, his total in the Mana competitions was dozens of points higher.

Which meant Zhang Yu might score lower than him—but also kind of couldn’t score lower than him. That contradiction made Zhang Yu seem especially unpredictable and hard to measure.

It also made him the first person Qian Shen had ever faced who, despite being ranked lower, had earned his full caution.

Zhang Yu looked at Qian Shen’s wary stance and gave a faint smile.

“Here I come.”

The next moment, with a sharp whoosh, he lunged forward, palm slashing through the air as he closed in on Qian Shen.

Despite Qian Shen’s caution, he began to fall behind after just a dozen or so moves.

Finally, as a fierce gust of palm force surged toward him, Qian Shen stared at the fist stopped inches from his face and admitted, “I lost.”

But before the second round started, he fixed Zhang Yu with a serious look.

“You weren’t using your full strength, were you? You didn’t use Limitless Cloud Hands.”

Qian Shen had seen Zhang Yu learn Limitless Cloud Hands at a competition, and knew he’d earned usage rights.

What’s more, in the past two weeks of martial arts class, every time Zhang Yu sparred with Bai Zhenzhen, he used Limitless Cloud Hands.

Qian Shen said solemnly, “Use Limitless Cloud Hands. Fight me with everything you’ve got.”

“This is the monthly exam—not a sparring class.”

“Every point I earn in this exam—I want it to be real. No tricks.”

“Use your full power. Don’t insult my score.”

Zhang Yu took a deep breath. “Understood.”

In his heart, he sighed.

“My rare moment of joy between brutal training sessions… is over again, huh?”

With another sharp whoosh, he dashed toward Qian Shen and slammed down with a palm shimmering with Formless Cloud Qi.

Having seen the power of Limitless Cloud Hands in combat class, Qian Shen had no intention of taking it head-on.

He sidestepped the blow and kicked hard at Zhang Yu’s lower body.

But Zhang Yu’s other palm, wrapped in layers of misty Qi, blocked the strike.

Qian Shen’s foot sank into the cloud-like Qi. It felt like he’d kicked a puff of smoke—no resistance at all.

But the next instant, a brutal counterforce blasted out from within the cloud, launching him clean out of the ring.

Round Two: Over.

Round Three: Begin.

After that last clash, Qian Shen really wanted to take back what he’d said.

Sure, he’d looked cool shouting his challenge—but losing points in an actual exam really stung.

Not far off, Lei Jun turned his gaze away from Zhang Yu and Qian Shen and looked toward Bai Zhenzhen and He Dayou.

Watching He Dayou get flattened in a few short moves, Lei Jun thought to himself:

“The skill gap is just too big. Next month, I should just skip the draw and pair Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen directly for the combat exam.”

…

The next morning was the Dao Heart and Mana exams.

Zhang Yu once again stepped into the Spiritual Realm.

This time, he found himself strapped to a hospital bed. On his left was a syringe; on his right, a button.

A female voice echoed through the broadcast system: “For the best elixirs, choose Purple Cloud! Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals—safe for all ages, mind and body. Just one dose and all ailments vanish! This month’s unified exam proudly sponsored by Purple Cloud…”

As the rules were explained over the broadcast, Zhang Yu finally understood: this Dao Heart exam was about happiness.

Every press of the button would inject him with a drug called Joy Mist.

And once the exam began, candidates would automatically receive one initial injection of Joy Mist.

The goal? Resist pressing the button. The fewer injections, the higher the ranking. Fewer doses meant more points.

Joy Mist, as advertised by Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals, was a new drug that relaxed the mind, stimulated the brain, and produced overwhelming happiness.

Naturally, Purple Cloud claimed it had no side effects, no addictive properties, and had already passed clinical trials…

Zhang Yu, of course, didn’t buy any of it.

“Goddamn bastards.”

“Pulling this kind of stunt during the monthly exam, huh?”

“These Dao Heart exam question-setters are getting worse and worse. One day I’m gonna break their faces…”

Even though he was inside a virtual world within the Spiritual Realm—and the Joy Mist only created simulated pleasure—Zhang Yu still couldn’t stop cursing as the first injection went in.

Waves of pleasure pounded his mind. Even with his willpower and mastery over heart methods, by the end of the exam, he’d still ended up pressing the button twice.

That alone spoke volumes about how potent the Joy Mist was.

…

Compared to the intensity of the Dao Heart exam, the Mana and physical fitness exams felt unremarkable.

But after the physical fitness test concluded, Wang Hai once again petitioned the school administration to add Zhang Yu to the competitive team—only to be rejected once more.

The official reason? Zhang Yu’s athletic scores had slipped and he still needed time to stabilize.

But in private, Wang Hai was told: this was related to the Student Council.

After some thought, Wang Hai messaged Zhang Yu the next day:

“Did you tick off someone in the Student Council? It looks like they don’t want you joining the athletic competition team.”

…

In the abandoned building.

Zhang Yu stood motionless in his weighted suit, sensing the changes occurring in his Sea of Consciousness.

At last—his Dao Heart had reached level 3.

His control over his body had grown more refined, his Mana within the Dantian more active and responsive. Every fiber of muscle, every trace of power across his body felt increasingly coordinated, increasingly harmonious.

Even the mental fatigue that had weighed on him for days seemed to lift, replaced by an overwhelming sense of clarity and comfort.

Dao Heart: Level 3 (0%)

This was what Dao Heart Level 3 felt like—greater mastery over himself and his strength.

“Finally hit Dao Heart Level 3.”

“Now I can start training in the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique, right?”

Zhang Yu had been looking forward to this expert-grade technique—passed down by a Gold Core Cultivator—for a long time.

Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique, let’s see what you’re made of!

Almost the moment his Dao Heart advanced, Zhang Yu switched his specialization on the Feathered Tome to the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique.

This martial heart method encompassed nine forms of martial arts: fists, palms, legs, fingers, claws, sabers, swords, spears, and staves.

Some sets were meant for combat, others for body refinement. But the key wasn’t in the techniques themselves.

The true essence of the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique lay in grasping the intent hidden within all nine disciplines—refining one’s Martial Intent through them.

Zhang Yu once again found himself in a trance like that day at the art exhibit. He began to practice each of the nine disciplines from start to finish—fists, palms, legs, fingers, claws, sabers, swords, spears, staves.

With every move Zhang Yu made, gusts of force burst around him, and the concrete floor thundered under his weighted steps.

Having leveled his basic Scattered Hand to level 5, his Body-Refining Thirty-Six Forms and Limitless Cloud Hands to level 10, and sparred over a hundred times with Bai Zhenzhen—Zhang Yu’s perspective had already evolved.

The more he practiced, the more he sensed the layers within the technique: not just battle styles, not just body-tempering methods—it was comprehensive. Mastering it would sharpen both flesh and fighting prowess.

“…Just takes forever, that’s the downside.”

Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique: Level 1 (0/10)

Zhang Yu finished running through all nine martial forms in his weighted suit—it had taken nearly 14 minutes.

Realizing that, he felt a sharp stab in his liver.

Yep. This was going to be a grind.