No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

August.

Yu Xinghan’s Three-Eyed Divine Sight had finally been upgraded to Level 2.

His hands blurred as he pounded, kneaded, and pressed a massive slab of flesh in front of him, constantly adjusting its stress structure and relaxing the overworked muscle tissue.

Under the power of the Three-Eyed Divine Sight, the internal makeup of the flesh seemed to unfold before him with uncanny clarity. Every abrasion, injury, and weak point floated into view with pinpoint precision, dramatically enhancing the effectiveness of his massage.

A single finger tap sent tremors through his client’s body, drawing out a long, drawn-out moan.

A flash of pride flickered in Yu Xinghan’s eyes.

“I’ve broken through again.”

“At this level… I can raise my massage fee.”

But the next moment, as he glanced at the local Songyang alumni group chat, his brow furrowed. “It’s that guy Lian Tianji again.”

In the chat, Lian Tianji from Pleasure and Harmony University had once more posted a video link, begging his old classmates for likes.

Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but sigh while continuing his massage and watching the video. Lian Tianji’s numbers utterly eclipsed his own—by more than tenfold.

“Pleasure and Harmony University really does have an edge when it comes to video content.”

Things like seductive homeroom teachers, secret patrol investigations, and all sorts of outrageous, sensitive, drug-fueled or chastity-themed clips… It all made Yu Xinghan feel there was a yawning chasm between their schools.

“Wanfa University’s production skills are miles behind.”

“And this guy Lian Tianji… He probably started making videos back in high school. Did he always plan to debut in college?”

“Everyone who made it into the Ten Great Academies from Songyang City is something else. Zhang Yu got picked for outdoor work, I got into the black-market massage world, and Lian Tianji is thriving in his own niche.”

With that, Yu Xinghan shot Lian Tianji a message: “Tianji, want to collaborate on a video? Or could you help repost mine?”

Lian Tianji: “For business inquiries, please DM my assistant…”

Yu Xinghan twitched his lips. “Back in high school, this guy was nothing more than a speck under Le Mulan’s heel, and now he won’t even spare me a glance.”

…

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu was also studying the Level 2 version of the Three-Eyed Divine Sight.

Eyes shut tight, he was now able to peer through his flesh to observe the inner workings of his own body.

He could see his gut wriggling beneath the 15th-grade spiritsteel coating.

He could see the blood flow coursing throughout his system.

He could see the slight tears in his meridians slowly repairing themselves under active recovery.

He even saw the uneven distribution of 20th-grade spiritsteel across his bones.

“Using the Three-Eyed Divine Sight for external scans is useful for spotting weaknesses, but that’s about it.”

“But for introspection—it can pick up the tiniest changes in my body.”

In the past, activating his body’s self-healing was like fumbling in the dark. But now, paired with the upgraded Three-Eyed Divine Sight, the process had become precise and efficient.

“If I’d had this ability back when I was digesting the 20th-grade spiritsteel, my bone strengthening would’ve been more even—and more effective.”

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Right now, the main benefit of the Level 2 version is that it helps me minimize wear and tear during daily activities and boosts my healing efficiency. And in the future…”

“When I switch to the Artifact Refinement Department and begin forging my body into a Law Husk, this power might be invaluable.”

…

Inside the construction site on the 667th floor.

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged, absorbing spiritual energy and refining mana, cycling through the tenth Expert-Grade Breathing Technique for Mana Pulse Flowing Stream.

All around him, humanoid qi constructs flickered in and out of sight, carrying out various construction tasks under his precise control.

Eventually, he pushed the technique to Level 20, reaching the final state of Mana Pulse Flowing Stream.

Ultimate – Mana Pulse Flowing Stream (10/10): Converts physical strength and vitality into mana. The more breathing techniques mastered, the higher the conversion efficiency.

Gazing at the final result, Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes.

“So it’s… blood-for-mana?”

He activated it slightly—and instantly felt threads of energy being forcibly squeezed from his flesh and transformed into surging mana, flooding into his dantian.

“So this is how you convert stamina into mana…”

As the conversion progressed, his muscles ached like after intense exercise—signs of physical fatigue.

But when he focused his intent, the vitality he’d been steadily accumulating through meals and pills began to stir, ready to be tapped at a moment’s notice.

Of course, he wouldn’t draw on that. That stored vitality was the bedrock of his cultivation and physical strength—it wasn’t something to waste lightly.

For now, he simply experimented with converting stamina into mana, testing its limits.

“This is a technique that lets me burst out way more mana than I’m supposed to have… So if I pair it with…”

As the thought took shape, another qi construct appeared behind him.

With his stamina continuously converting into mana, any energy he spent was quickly replenished. Soon another Formless Golem manifested.

Before long, he had five golems surrounding him.

But as mana surged back in at incredible speed, and his stamina converted even more…

He kept summoning—one after another.

In a flash, ten Formless Golems stood at attention.

With a flick of his mind, they shot forward in unison, sweeping the surrounding construction debris into neat piles.

“With stamina-to-mana conversion, I can maintain up to ten Formless Golems…” Zhang Yu silently estimated. “Running at full tilt, I could hold that for maybe half an hour.”

“If I just want raw numbers, maybe a few dozen golems for a couple minutes.”

A glint of excitement sparkled in his eyes. “At this rate, I’m basically an entire construction crew by myself. What kind of boost is that to my work efficiency?”

“I’m my own contractor now.”

Zhang Yu knew many of the jobs on-site paid by piecework—the more you did, the more you earned.

This was why, as his cultivation improved, so did his income.

And now, with another leap in efficiency, his pay would climb even higher.

Still, when he hit seven golems, his control began slipping. He couldn’t keep them all performing fine-tuned movements.

At ten golems, only about three or four could handle martial techniques. The rest could only manage basic human motions.

“I still need more practice.”

“As my stamina and mana continue to grow, so will the amount of energy I can actually control—and the number of golems I can maintain.”

“So I’ll need stronger control to command more of them effectively.”

“Otherwise, no matter how many I summon, they’ll just be wasted.”

While Zhang Yu was hard at work commanding his “construction crew,” Li Xiao happened to pass by—and was stunned.

“Zhang Yu can deploy this many qi constructs on his own now?”

“How much more is he making compared to me?”

That was his first reaction.

But as he kept watching, what really shook him was the pill bottle in Zhang Yu’s hand.

“Wait… he’s taking one of those tiger-and-wolf tonics again? Is he forcibly drawing out mana just to summon constructs for a construction job?”

“Sure, the pay’s good… but the toll on the body must be massive. Why go this hard for a regular shift?”

That was what truly disturbed Li Xiao.

His mindset wavered. “Even if it pays more… subtract the future medical bills, and how much is left? This is insane. Totally insane…”

After that day’s work, Zhang Yu checked his earnings and couldn’t help but feel a hint of satisfaction.

From his early days of 0.05 spirit coins per night, to 0.07, and now—he’d officially broken past 0.1 spirit coins in one night.

“If you’re willing to work hard in construction, you really can save up some cash.”

…

By August, after mastering both Mana Pulse Flowing Stream and Three-Eyed Divine Sight…

Zhang Yu’s journey toward Spirit-Flesh Fusion had hit a wall.

Day after day of attempts left him feeling perpetually on the verge—but never quite there.

On this particular day, as he logged into Heartforge Pavilion and entered the simulation environment again, a pair of eyes was already monitoring him.

In a pure-white spiritual control room, Manager You Chuan of Heartforge Pavilion turned to the customer service agent beside him.

“He’s back again?”

“User has entered the simulation environment,” the agent replied.

Staring at Zhang Yu’s data, You Chuan’s brows furrowed deeper.

Several days earlier, Zhang Yu’s lack of progress had triggered a user warning that landed on You Chuan’s desk.

To boost Zhang Yu’s breakthrough chances, You Chuan had even granted him triple daily access to the simulation.

But even at triple efficiency, there was still no sign of success.

“If this Zhang Yu keeps dragging it out, our department’s average breakthrough time for this month is going to skyrocket.”

“And this kid… if he keeps going like this, he might just break the 29-day record.”

At that thought, Zhang Yu was already etched in You Chuan’s mind as an unprecedented nemesis.