No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Le Mulan stared at the message on her phone, knowing instantly that it had come from her brother via the company’s private line.

She understood well: all across the continent, the elite clans raised their offspring to ascend to the Second Floor. One of their key objectives? To secure access to company channels and seize control over trade resources, intelligence—and even discourse itself—to rake in ever-greater profits in First-to-Second Floor commerce.

Le Jingchen had clearly connected with the Le clan’s upper-floor members after passing the college entrance exams and making it to the Second Floor. And even after moving up, he still kept tabs on Zhang Yu.

He had even used this precious opportunity to communicate via the company’s dedicated line just to talk about Zhang Yu.

Le Mulan could feel it—someone up there was watching Zhang Yu.

She read the message again and thought, “Confirm if it’s the real deal?”

It made sense. Zhang Yu, now a rising star on the First Floor of Kunxu, had become the target of intense scrutiny. Every scrap of data or sample from him was a hot commodity—highly sought-after by countless factions.

Word had it that clans from Xiandu had traveled all the way to Songyang just to acquire his true seed for optimizing their bloodlines.

And yet, despite the flood of people seeking data or samples from Zhang Yu, none had produced anything of value from them. Just a slew of bogus supplements, beauty products, and health boosters bearing his name. The Le family had tested them all and confirmed they were just scams.

Le Mulan mused, “He should be producing seeds right about now…” “I’ll go take a look. Worst case, he catches me and throws me out.”

“It’s not like he ever said I couldn’t look.”

This cargo was too valuable. After weighing her options, Le Mulan decided she needed to see it with her own eyes.

“After all, this impacts pharmaceuticals, genetics, bloodline modification, body enhancement…”

“It affects my clan, and my own future…”

“Even if Zhang Yu scolds me for not trusting him, I still have to make sure.”

Having made up her mind, Le Mulan could no longer restrain herself. She got up and headed toward the second floor of the apartment, where Zhang Yu had just gone.

That’s where the treasure was—worth more than its weight in gold.

Moments later, her heart soared. “It’s real!”

As she stared, Zhang Yu seemed to sense something. His gaze flicked instinctively toward the door. A flash of confusion crossed his face, and his body tensed.

Le Mulan panicked: “The rare treasure is about to hit the floor!”

A flood of thoughts surged through her mind.

If it hit the ground, would it be contaminated?

If she missed this chance, would the next batch be lower quality? Would that affect research outcomes?

Would Zhang Yu be so angry he gave her fakes next time?

This—this was the real thing. As real as it got.

By the time Le Mulan came to her senses, the door was already open. She was on one knee, both hands extended.

In the stunned silence, the two locked eyes.

Zhang Yu exploded. “What the hell—?!”

Le Mulan said, half-ashamed, “Sorry. It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

Zhang Yu retorted, “This isn’t about trust, is it?!”

Meanwhile, Le Mulan was thinking, “So hot… such strong vitality…”

Seeing Zhang Yu furiously get to his feet, Le Mulan quickly turned away. “I want this one.”

Just when Zhang Yu thought he understood Kunxu’s people, they’d find a new way to shatter his expectations.

Watching Le Mulan cradle the treasure like it was sacred, Zhang Yu sighed and waved his hand in defeat. “At least get a measuring cup.”

“And don’t forget to wash your hands.”

Le Mulan shook her head. “No need. I sealed it with Martial Qi.”

Then, with a calm smile, she added, “Besides, in the past two years, I’ve already overcome that weakness in my heart.”

“Rich or poor, they’re the same to me now. I can handle anything you throw at me without flinching.”

Zhang Yu opened his mouth, then shut it. He really didn’t know what to say.

Le Mulan continued, “Zhang Yu, I was wrong this time. I’ll apologize properly next time.”

She couldn’t wait to get the item back to her lab. With a quick apology tossed over her shoulder, she was gone.

As her figure vanished, Zhang Yu silently pulled his pants back on and muttered, “People in Kunxu will do anything for strength or money. Even toss their dignity.”

“…Huh?” He looked at the doorknob. “I knew I locked this door. Did she break the damn lock to get in?!”

Just then, his phone buzzed again. It was Song Hailong, sending over details for a brand sponsorship event.

Zhang Yu had recently renewed his contract as a spokesperson for Xianyun Group, planning to squeeze out a few more bucks before leaving the First Floor. His goal: fifty million. Enough to exchange for five spirit coins on the Second Floor.

“Anything extra, I’ll use to bring up First-Floor supplies,” he thought.

“Food’s probably super expensive up there. I’ll pack some long-lasting synthetic food to save on initial meal costs.”

…

Time marched on. That day, Xinghuo Zhenren taught both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen something new.

He had donned a fresh face made of muscle and blood—appearing as a handsome, dashing middle-aged man.

Then, with a few twitches of facial muscle, he morphed into a plain-looking young man.

“Controlling your muscles to change your appearance and shape,” he said to Zhang Yu. “You should already know the basics.”

“This technique isn’t complicated, but it’s surprisingly effective in both combat and daily life when used at the right moment.”

Xinghuo Zhenren sighed nostalgically. “Back when I was still in Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment, I used this face-changing trick to go one-versus-many, sneaking in and out of security teams over and over—always delivering the goods.”

He began explaining the finer points of face-changing and body-shifting techniques in detail.

“When you can see someone on the street and transform into their exact likeness in under a second—so real it fools even their mother—then you’ve got the hang of it.”

For Bai Zhenzhen, however, he took a different approach.

“Ah-Zhen, your speed’s great, but you take too many risks in actual combat.”

“If your opponent is slower than you, it’s fine. But if they’re faster, you’ll get killed in a flash.”

“Speed isn’t just good for melee. It’s great for ranged combat, too.”

“If you can run fast enough, you can fight while retreating—reducing the damage you take.”

“So first, learn a basic hidden weapon Technique. Once you’ve got that foundation, you can dig deeper when you move up.”

With Xinghuo Zhenren’s guidance, Bai Zhenzhen—limited by the First Floor’s basic conditions—started learning a Qi Refinement-level Technique to begin her journey with hidden weapons.

…

In the apartment, Zhang Yu twisted his body. His bones cracked like dragons twisting through his flesh, muscles linking one to another.

Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation – Level 20

Physical Strength – Level 10.73

“Finally. My body-refining Technique, Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation, has reached Level 20.”

“But to think, it took over three months of training to get this far with just one Technique.”

“At this rate, reaching the Foundation Establishment limit of Level 20 body strength will take me three or four more years.”

“And the higher I go, the harder it gets—stronger strength, tougher training, more nutrients…”

“With what the First Floor has to offer, that timeline might be even longer.”

Zhang Yu sighed and began to explore the effects of Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation at Level 20.

Now, the Technique let him refine his Longevity Mana to enter a temporary death-like or hibernation state.

“In this state, I digest medicine faster, clear toxins faster, and heal from injuries much faster.”

“My regeneration just keeps getting better.”

Moments later, the alarm rang—it was time for his scheduled call with Zhang Pianpian.

As Zhang Yu stepped out of the training room, he saw Bai Zhenzhen already working the screen in the living room.

A few minutes later, the screen flashed—and Zhang Pianpian appeared.

A luminous halo shone behind her head like a silver moon, and above her head floated glowing text:

“Foundation Establishment Realm, Rank 49 in the Talisman Department of Wanfa Sect University”

Bai Zhenzhen gasped. “Mom, what’s that above your head?”

Zhang Pianpian explained, “I recently broke into the top 100 of my department, so I turned on the ranking display.”

“Always remember, in university, rankings are everything. Whether it’s students, teachers, or even the administrators—everyone is ranked.”

“The higher you rank, the more boards you show up on, and the more valuable you are.”

“Those who hide their rankings? It only means one thing: they’re too low. Showing it would be embarrassing. People like that are weeds—ignored wherever they go.”