No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

As Zhang Yu’s practice time for another technique crossed the thirty-hour mark, a faint tremor rippled through the Divine Spirit Root in his dantian—it was as if the root had devoured the technique like spiritual nourishment.

At that very moment, on the Dao Seed Codex within the Feathered Tome, a new seed finally bloomed: the Greenlotus Sword Embryo.

Greenlotus Sword Embryo (Spirit Root), Level 2

“It finally worked.”

Zhang Yu’s heart surged with excitement. This Divine Spirit Root, inherited from Bai Zhenzhen, was his first true military-grade power—and it filled him with boundless anticipation.

He immediately began to attune himself to the seed’s information, testing the effects of the root within his dantian. Bit by bit, he started piecing together a more complete understanding of its mysteries.

In truth, though he hadn’t focused on exploring the Greenlotus Sword Embryo over the past few days, the act of constantly circulating techniques to nourish the spirit root had already begun revealing some of its functions.

Now, with active resonance through the Dao Seed Codex, the process became far more efficient. Gradually, Zhang Yu unraveled its secrets.

“Level 2 Greenlotus Sword Embryo still centers around adaptability—but it’s a much more potent form of adaptation than it was during the Heavenly Spirit Root phase.”

“This form of adaptation—or enhancement—is a long-term optimization of the body. Take Ah-Zhen, for instance. Through diligent sword training, the Greenlotus Sword Embryo subtly reshaped her body over time: enhancing reflexes, thought speed, mana circulation efficiency… All of it tailored to improve her swordsmanship, enabling her to soar by leaps and bounds.”“But if you adapt to everything indiscriminately—medicines, external tempering, various techniques…”

“Eventually, your body resists all medicinal effects. Pills become useless. If your body no longer takes damage during training, then even the most advanced techniques won’t reshape you. If Dao Techniques no longer affect you, their blessings won’t register either…”

“Blindly adapting to everything leads to slower cultivation—or worse, a path to ruin.”

Zhang Yu frowned inwardly. “The Greenlotus Sword Embryo’s adaptability isn’t some blind, all-encompassing enhancement—it’s selective. Intentional.”

“The direction of that adaptation depends on the user’s current state and intent.”

“For instance, when Ah-Zhen wanted to hide her Spirit Root, the Greenlotus Sword Embryo slowly developed an ever-stronger concealment ability.”

“Later, when she focused on martial arts, her aptitude in that field was enhanced instead.”

“And in high school, when she awakened the Embryo’s simulation power, she could even predict and rewrite technique effects at level 10—that’s the adaptive enhancement in action.”

“So now that it’s in my hands… which path will it push me toward?”

Initially, Zhang Yu assumed it would boost his civil-engineering-related techniques, based on his endless grind of part-time jobs and construction gigs.

But he quickly realized he was wrong.

“The Greenlotus Sword Embryo… is enhancing my Chain Diagram sets?”

He was puzzled at first, but the logic soon clicked.

“The Greenlotus Sword Embryo strengthens the path you focus on.”

“And when I switch between Chain Diagram sets, doesn’t that cause dramatic shifts in my body and stats?”

“Those intense physiological changes during set-swapping must have triggered the Embryo’s adaptive mechanism. It thinks I’m focusing on these transformations—so it adjusts my body to better support them.”

“That’s something the Zhen Spirit Root never could do. Only after evolving into a Divine Spirit Root…”

“When I switch to the University Saint Body, it strengthens my cultivation efficiency…”

“When I switch to the Earth-Wood Saint Body, it boosts resistances and reduces lifespan drain…”

“When I switch to Mana Pulse Flowing Stream, it enhances mana recovery and lowers consumption…”

Though the changes were subtle and slow, Zhang Yu could feel it—his Greenlotus Sword Embryo was adapting to his set-switching patterns.

Realizing this sent a jolt of joy through him. This could become an unprecedented edge.

Because the enhancements it applied to his body… were permanent.

“Does this mean that even if I switch out of the University Saint Body, I still retain part of its learning boost?”

“In other words… thanks to the Greenlotus Sword Embryo, I could carry fragments of each Chain Diagram set with me—at all times?”

Zhang Yu had always valued the Chain Diagram sets deeply.

Their main limitation, though, was that only one could be active at a time. They weren’t compatible.

But now, if the Greenlotus Sword Embryo could internalize their enhancements into his baseline form… his strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

He let out a long breath, reining in his excitement, and began compiling what he’d learned.

“For me, the Greenlotus Sword Embryo’s core power lies in enhancing my Chain Diagram sets.”

“Second, even after I remove a set, I retain part of its benefits.”

“As for how much enhancement I’ll get… and how much I’ll retain… I don’t know yet. It might take months, or even years of cultivation, to find out.”

“Also, any ability that’s already maxed out—like the University Saint Body’s peak drug resistance and digestion capacity—doesn’t seem to be further enhanced.”

Given the diversity of effects across different sets, it was clear that the Embryo’s adaptation outcomes would vary significantly. Zhang Yu would have to explore each one gradually, through diligent cultivation.

But that thought brought a faint smile to his lips. There was a kind of joy in the complexity of his own growing power.

“With the Feathered Tome and the Greenlotus Sword Embryo on my side… just how powerful will I be in a few years?”

“I can’t wait to find out.”

There were also the Embryo’s stealth and simulation abilities—the former added potent offense and infiltration; the latter elevated his technique development.

And then there was one more thing he found both curious and tantalizing: the next upgrade.

“To reach level 3… the Greenlotus Sword Embryo needs nourishment from ten level-30 techniques.”

“Whew… That’s something only a Gold Core cultivator could achieve.”

Zhang Yu shook his head. Though he looked forward to that moment, he knew it wouldn’t come soon.

Especially without enough strength…

“If I level up Ah-Zhen’s Embryo too early and catch the eye of the Seven Sentiments Lord, that would be… unwise.”

…

At the simulation worksite.

As class ended, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and the others slowly made their way out.

Gongshu Jin glanced around, curiosity piqued. “Zhang Yu’s been taking days off lately—what’s he up to?”

“And at yesterday’s banquet, he just stuffed his face. Didn’t even try to network with students from other schools.”

“Sure, eating’s important—but that was a golden opportunity…”

To Gongshu Jin, Zhang Yu seemed oddly withdrawn.

“That banquet was packed with top competition candidates from elite universities. Every one of them a top-tier genius, with rare resources from their respective schools—many even stronger than Zhang Yu or Ji Yuanshu.”

Gongshu Jin believed that each friend like that added to your Immortal Path potential.

If nothing else, they were more people you could borrow money from.

He himself had added over ten new friends yesterday—his Immortal prospects were slightly improved.

Just then, his gaze sharpened. Someone outside the worksite had caught his eye.

“That guy…”

He recognized the figure: Wen Wuya from Heavenly Sword Sect University, a fellow Flying Sword competitor like Bai Zhenzhen—and a disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Though Wen Wuya hadn’t been trending on the Spiritual Realm Network like Bai Zhenzhen, Gongshu Jin recalled that his competition ranking had actually been higher.

“Fifteenth place, wasn’t it?”

“What’s he doing here?”

Wen Wuya was looking for Bai Zhenzhen.

Right before the Heavenly Sword University delegation was due to leave, she had vanished again.

So he tracked down Zhang Yu’s class, hoping to find her nearby.

As Wen Wuya scanned the Foundation Establishment class crowd, a figure stepped up to greet him—Ji Yuanshu from Sixth Floor.

As the top-performing and most prestigious student present, Ji Yuanshu considered himself the best candidate to make contact with Wen Wuya.

And he wasn’t just after a conversation—he hoped to use the opportunity to build a relationship with someone from the Tenth Floor and a Nascent Soul background.

“If I can add him as a friend… maybe even get a picture together for my feed… my fortune might spike,” Ji Yuanshu thought, recalling techniques from the Way of Fortune.

One senior from the Finance Department had once done just that—snapped selfies with powerful cultivators, made everyone believe he had deep connections, and watched his fortunes soar. Sadly, he couldn’t handle the karmic backlash in the end…

Ji Yuanshu spoke up. “Hello, I’m Ji Yuanshu from the Civil Engineering Department at Wanfa University. Can I help you with something?”

But in Wen Wuya’s eyes, Ji Yuanshu, Gongshu Jin, even Ying Xin—none of them mattered. If you were in the Civil Engineering Department, you were just another construction worker.

Even if he’d been told about their respective floors—Second, Fourth, Sixth—he wouldn’t have cared.

To someone from the Tenth Floor, they were all lower-class.

And every time he saw these lower-floor students distinguishing themselves by rank, it only made him chuckle. The way these people discriminated among themselves was just… pitiful.

Ironically, the ones from the First Floor struck Wen Wuya as more interesting—like rare creatures from some wild, primordial world.