No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Zhang Yu smiled faintly as he read through the second-stage effects of the Earth-Wood Saint Body. Then, without hesitation, he tossed the piece of Spiritsteel Alloy No. 20 into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

He first activated the Soil-Eating Divine Technique. Waves of Gluttonous Mana surged up from his dantian and pounded into the steel now sitting in his stomach.

At the same time, his muscles tensed violently. His heart thundered like a war drum, and torrents of blood burst from it like floodwaters unleashed.

The explosion of blood and qi turned his skin crimson, as if it might start bleeding at any second.

That was the War Demon Life-Draining Technique at Level 20 erupting in full force—not just a normal burst, but a double burst.

Zhang Yu hadn’t gone all out with this form since he’d first maxed the technique at Level 20, back when he knew just how brutal the life-force drain was.

But now, with the Earth-Wood Saint Body’s second-stage effect significantly reducing the life-span cost of Foundation Establishment–grade techniques, Zhang Yu finally committed to unleashing the second-level burst of the War Demon Life-Draining Technique.

Veins bulged across his entire body. His latent power ignited like a powder keg, pushing his physical strength up a temporary two levels.

The explosive force roared through his organs. His reinforced stomach transformed into a grinding mill of heaven and earth, slamming down on the chunk of Spiritsteel Alloy in his gut.

At the same time, he triggered Limitless Cloud Hands at Level 20, unleashing an overclocked vibration effect right from the start.

But he didn’t stop there. Zhang Yu slammed both palms into himself. Accompanying the Formless Cloud Qi was the military-grade martial technique, Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force.

Crackling sounds exploded in the air. The Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force absorbed the overclocked vibrations from Limitless Cloud Hands through gaps in the Formless Qi and released them again in rhythmic bursts, creating wave after wave of resonance.

In that moment, Zhang Yu had focused every ounce of cultivation into pulverizing the Spiritsteel Alloy inside him.

Ten seconds… a minute… three full minutes passed.

Three whole minutes of continuous full-power bursts.

That previously indestructible chunk of Spiritsteel Alloy finally began to crack, tremble, and break apart.

Face contorted in effort, Zhang Yu gave a low shout and pressed on, continuing to refine the metal.

Suddenly, his organs buckled with fatigue. He recognized the symptoms of extreme energy depletion and paused the technique.

Switching from the Earth-Wood Saint Body to the University Saint Body, he began to rest while using peak Foundation Establishment–level digestion to continue refining the alloy.

Alternating between the two saint bodies—one for bursts, one for recovery—Zhang Yu eventually refined the Spiritsteel Alloy No. 20 completely. It fused seamlessly into the bone of his right hand, merging until there was no boundary between flesh and metal.

Feeling the newfound weight in his bones, and the sensation of unyielding, indestructible force now coursing through them, Zhang Yu gave a satisfied smile.

The more grueling the refinement, the greater the reward. This success marked a massive upgrade in his skeletal strength.

“Good. That means… I’ve got just enough time before the end of this worksite stint—two months left—to reinforce my entire skeleton with Spiritsteel Alloy No. 20.”

So in the days that followed, apart from working at the construction site and his regular cultivation, Zhang Yu poured all his strength and energy into refining the alloy.

To replenish his drained reserves and accelerate his progress, Zhang Yu—bolstered by the second-stage Earth-Wood Saint Body—began consuming increasingly aggressive and life-draining elixirs.

…

In his dorm room, Zhang Yu ordered a ten-item combo meal, which was delivered promptly.

Beside him, the white-haired Che Yufei watched in shock as Zhang Yu gulped down one pill after another: Bloodburst Berserker Pill, Life-Leeching Heaven Scour Powder, Hundred-Trials Heart-Eating Parasite, Longevity-Draining Celestial Scatter…

Che Yufei sucked in a sharp breath. “Are freshmen this crazy these days?”

Fu Ji, watching as well, couldn’t help chiming in. “Zhang Yu, aren’t you overdoing it a little?”

Zhang Yu answered inwardly, “Fu Ji, you know the sect might stop recruiting any day now, right?”

“To survive, to one day crush that damned ritual and win real freedom…”

“I have no time to waste.”

With that, he swallowed the remaining pills all at once.

Five days later, watching Zhang Yu double his dosage, Che Yufei couldn’t help but ask, “Bro… are you okay?”

Zhang Yu grinned. “I’m fine. What could go wrong?”

As power surged through him—his blood roaring, his heart threatening to explode, his mind starting to overheat—Zhang Yu beamed, “I’ve never felt better in my life!”

His medication stats spiked in tandem.

Sudden-death probability: 32%!

A long list of potential ailments scrolled beneath it, like a blood-red countdown to doom, urging him to stop.

Fu Ji blurted, “Zhang Yu, please—can we not do this? You’re scaring me.”

Fu Ji didn’t know about the Earth-Wood Saint Body or the University Saint Body. Zhang Yu didn’t explain—he only muttered internally, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Fu Ji screamed in her heart, “You call this ‘having it under control’? You’re going to eat yourself to death! What happens to all I’ve invested in you, huh?!”

Zhang Yu ignored the dire warnings in the data.

He used the Earth-Wood Saint Body to withstand the first wave of side effects, then rotated in the University Saint Body to digest the medicine. Spring and Autumn Endless Meditation cleared out the toxins. And with the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique at Level 20, his body remained in a hyperactive, self-healing state.

In other words, those stats predicting sudden death and organ failure meant nothing to him.

As for revealing his unusual constitution, he’d consulted Zhang Pianpian and concluded it wasn’t a big issue.

After all, in a world where you could train a technique to Level 20 in half a month, being someone who could “just handle a lot of pills” wasn’t so unbelievable. Among the top ten universities, there were plenty of students with strange constitutions.

When Xinghuo Zhenren discovered Zhang Yu’s abnormally strong regeneration, he’d just been surprised—not suspicious.

Although Zhang Pianpian advised him not to flaunt his gifts, Zhang Yu knew he had no time. He had to seize every moment, opportunity, and resource to grow stronger—while protecting himself as best he could.

…

Out in the field.

Zhang Yu’s arm bones had now been fully refined with Spiritsteel Alloy No. 20.

Already weighed down by the metal, his arms became even heavier under the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt’s 21x gravity enhancement.

He forced himself to adapt to a heavier body each day, training his muscles to produce strength equal to the increasingly dense bones that anchored them.

The belt’s gravity hadn’t changed, but his body had. With every cycle of body-refining technique and another dose of brutal medicine, Zhang Yu’s strength skyrocketed as his physique strained to meet the new demands.

…

Back in his dorm.

Tu Lishan smiled at him. “Zhang Yu, something bothering you lately?”

“You seem down. Did something happen?”

“You didn’t go gamble or anything, right?”

Zhang Yu’s escalating dosage had drawn his teacher’s attention. Tu Lishan was starting to suspect this kid had racked up some debts and was now trying to end it all.

Zhang Yu knew that secrecy only raised suspicion.

So he took the opposite route—wide-open, bold-faced gluttony.

“Teacher,” Zhang Yu said, “I’ve had this constitution since high school. Just takes a lot more meds to work for me.”

“Don’t worry. I can feel my own limits. The moment something feels wrong, I’ll stop.”

Tu Lishan looked at him half-convinced. “Go get some blood drawn. Let the medic check your vitals.”

…

Atop a newly built factory building.

Unable to stand the stench in his dorm, Zhang Yu trained alone on the roof, circulating mana into a Vajra Forge Relic.

Even as he pushed himself in every other way, he hadn’t forgotten his original mission: improving the quality of his mana. Once he got back, he’d help Le Mulan do the same.

…

In the medical bay.

The medic sniffed the container. “Is this a new drug? Want me to analyze it?”

Tu Lishan replied, “That’s a student’s blood.”

The medic stared. “This is blood?”

Tu Lishan nodded. “He claims he has a special constitution and needs a high dose. Can you figure out what’s going on?”

Naturally, the results showed no abnormalities. Zhang Yu’s body was in perfect health.

Tu Lishan wasn’t surprised. Kunxu was massive, with an ancient Immortal Dao lineage full of exotic physiques. Many mysteries remained unsolved even by the top ten sects.

When Tu Lishan reported the situation to Director Gao, the 800-year-old Nascent Soul cultivator said calmly:

“Recommended dosages are based on generalized templates. Individual differences are normal. This confirms his constitution is indeed unusual.”

“A strong body is a good thing. Zhang Yu’s condition suits the Civil Engineering Department perfectly.”

“His growth may plateau eventually, but he’ll be useful on construction crews—he’ll develop faster and serve longer than most.”

“Let him eat whatever he wants.”

“Oh, and ask if he’d be willing to sell some samples to the biology or medical departments. They might be interested.”

Then the Nascent Soul cultivator turned to review the academic progress of Gongshu Jin, Mo Shangjin, and other wealthy students.

Compared to Zhang Yu, his real attention was on those with money—the ones he saw as the department’s true future.

After ending the call, Tu Lishan thought to himself, “Sell some samples? Makes sense. We’ve put a lot into him—might as well recoup some of it.”

“But still… the Director obviously cares more about Gongshu Jin and the others.”

“Zhang Yu’s so-called ‘special constitution’ is just a high tolerance for medicine.”

“But being rich… that lets you do so much more.”

“Only two months left. This project will wrap up just in time for the end of term.”

“Wonder if Gongshu Jin can catch up to Ji Yuanshu…”

…

In the blink of an eye, another month flew by.

It had now been two full months since Zhang Yu first arrived at the construction site.

In the dorm, Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang watched in awe as Zhang Yu downed his usual meal of medicine with a hearty appetite. Despite his terrifying intake, he looked fit and youthful as ever.

“So full!” Zhang Yu patted his stomach and left the room. “Time to walk it off.”

Back on-site, he resumed training with his Earth-Wood–aligned techniques.

Today marked the day he pushed the tenth and final Earth-Wood Saint Body technique to Level 20, completing the Earth-Wood Saint Body once and for all.