No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Inside the Spiritual Realm.

As the competition timer ran out, all five match results were finalized one by one.

Of all the outcomes, the one that surprised the attending teachers most was naturally the result of Zhang Yu’s team versus Su Yanyang’s team.

In fact, from the moment Zhang Yu and his team defeated Ma Xuan’s squad, they had been consistently defying expectations.

Immortal Jiao Lei looked at Zhang Yu, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xinghan from his own class—students who had secured spots in the top seven of the Civil Engineering Department’s internal competition by just their sophomore year—and quietly acknowledged that there was no way his year-end bonus would be small.

But the moment a smile tugged at his lips, he glanced over at Director Lin, whose expression was impassive and silent, and promptly suppressed his grin.

On the other side, Tu Lishan had no such qualms. He let out a hearty laugh and said, “Looks like no matter how much money Su Yanyang throws around, no matter how flashy his smart buildings get, he still can’t beat honest, down-to-earth hard work like Zhang Yu and Shi Huaiyu’s.”

Clearly, he was also pleased that his disciple Shi Huaiyu had clinched seventh place.

Originally, after that disciple went bankrupt from stock trading, Tu Lishan thought she lacked cultivation fate and long-term potential, that the resources he invested in her wouldn’t be recouped. But seeing this result now—perhaps fortune had turned.

“Still, I really shouldn’t lend her money to trade stocks or crypto ever again.”Recalling how Shi Huaiyu pushed herself to the brink in both rounds of the competition, Tu Lishan thought, “I figured after suffering those losses, she’d curb her impulsiveness. But it looks like this habit won’t be changing anytime soon.”

Lang Yougong chimed in thoughtfully, “I felt Zhang Yu experienced another subtle breakthrough in both mind and body during the final stretch. The greater the pressure, the better he performs.”

Tu Lishan nodded repeatedly. He too had noticed that Zhang Yu, whether it be in construction style, technique system, cultivation path, or personality, seemed like someone who thrived under stress and adversity.

“In civil engineering, that kind of pressure-resistance is exactly what we need.”

Tu Lishan thought to himself, “If we want to draw out more of his potential, we should throw him into real hard-hitting jobs.”

“Like unfinished building projects, forced demolitions, underground ruins, environmental remediation works, or maybe even those centuries-old stalled projects… maybe they’ll accelerate his growth even further.”

“For now though, this kid’s already managed to push the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal past level 10, and both War Demon Life-Draining Technique and Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force to level 20 in a short time. That kind of talent is rare. I doubt Director Gao would allow him to be sent somewhere truly dangerous anytime soon.”

As these thoughts swirled, Tu Lishan began formulating ideas to maximize the potential—and profit—of cultivating Zhang Yu.

Meanwhile, Director Gao was scrolling through the Competition Group Chat records, marveling, “This kid actually spent his own money to support his teammates? He barely has a few spirit coins, yet he’s acting like a rich patron?”

What shocked him even more was that three of Zhang Yu’s classmates chipped in too.

Seeing Zhang Yu’s actions gave Director Gao a feeling both unfamiliar and nostalgic—a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

Elsewhere, True Lord Magneto was likewise reviewing the communications of both competition teams.

“Su Yanyang really knows how to achieve maximum output from minimal input.”

“Give him a five-spirit-coin budget, and he might deliver results worth ten.”

“If he were under my command, I’d probably assign him to manage a group of Soul Cultivators.”

“But Zhang Yu…” True Lord Magneto mused, “That kid isn’t wealthy, yet somehow his teammates trust him completely.”

“He might have a natural talent for attracting investment and funding.”

True Lord Magneto understood that compared to talents in martial arts, artifact refinement, or alchemy, the ability to earn others’ trust—and get them to double down on him under high-risk pressure—was even rarer.

Give this kind of person five spirit coins, and sure, it might be a loss… but it could also return one hundred.

Many of today’s tycoons in Kunxu, who amassed wealth through currency creation, all possessed this exact kind of extraordinary charisma—able to leverage vast resources through sheer force of belief.

“Quite interesting.”

He thought to himself, “But there’s no rush. Let’s keep nurturing him a bit longer and see how far he can go. After all, it’s Gao’s money being burned.”

That final thought pleased True Lord Magneto immensely. The fact that Zhang Yu came free of charge… was what he liked most.

At the same time, Director Lin was replaying Zhang Yu’s in-match behavior at 100x speed, analyzing a few peculiar moments with sharp focus.

“That’s not Gao Chongguang’s style. Whoever’s been advising Zhang Yu behind the scenes… they’re either from the Civil Engineering Department, the Artifact Refinement Department, or the Sigil Department.”

“And throwing money around to win people’s loyalty? Looks like Gao Chongguang gave him quite a bit of spirit coin, huh.”

A new thought emerged in Director Lin’s mind: “I wonder what it would cost to buy him into my department?”

Ever since he gained the Finance Department as a backer, Director Lin had become increasingly bold with his spending. He mused, “Let Jiao Lei talk to him. Anything under 2.5 times the cost of Ji Yuanshu should be worth it. Any higher and we’ll need to evaluate the added terms…”

As the match concluded, team rankings for this round appeared, based on their architectural completion scores.

1st place: Xuan Liangtian’s team from the Peace Faction

2nd place: Mo Shangjin’s team from the War Faction

3rd place: a Neutral Faction team

The 4th and 5th places also went to the Peace Faction, while 6th went to the War Faction, and Zhang Yu’s team took 7th.

So among the top seven, three teams belonged to the War Faction, three to the Peace Faction, and one to the Neutral Faction.

At a glance, the Peace Faction was holding the advantage, while the Neutral Faction was falling behind.

This made many Neutral-aligned teachers think of Su Yanyang—if he had made it into the top seven, their faction’s overall performance wouldn’t look so weak.

Director Lin watched the standings and silently calculated, “We’ve got the upper hand for now, but next round, Mo Shangjin will definitely challenge Xuan Liangtian’s team.”

Meanwhile, Director Gao thought to himself, “The opposing side will definitely try to wear down Mo Shangjin, lower his chances of winning that next challenge.”

True Lord Magneto messaged Director Gao privately: All done. I’m out.

In the next second, True Lord Magneto vanished without a trace.

Director Gao quickly replied: Don’t forget the time for the next match.

…

Outside the arena.

“Seventh place!!”

Seeing their team placed seventh, Yu Xinghan clenched his fists with excitement, then broke into laughter with Ying Xin beside him.

Gongshu Jin exhaled deeply, relieved that his spirit coins hadn’t gone to waste.

Then he immediately began borrowing money, thinking to himself, “Our team gets two of the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes. Zhang Yu’s got one locked in.”

“As for the other one… Shi Huaiyu had the best shot, but she’s probably broke now.”

“If I bid high enough, I might just win it—and it won’t cost too much either.”

Gongshu Jin understood immediately—this was the time to leverage cultivation potential, bloodline ties, and family resources.

Around them, even the bruised and battered Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, Tian Yang, and others buzzed with joy. Screenshots were being taken, moments posted, resumes updated.

Shi Huaiyu turned to Zhang Yu and said, “That last batch of steel rebar you placed was trash… I mean, trash in the best way! Nearly impossible to dismantle or recycle.”

“Don’t say it, don’t say it,” Zhang Yu quickly cut her off. “We won this round, sure, but I violated too many of my principles as a civil engineer. Unless absolutely necessary, I swear I’ll never do that kind of thing again.”

Shi Huaiyu looked at Zhang Yu with admiration. “This guy… shameless like our teacher. Must’ve scavenged plenty of meals from construction sites.”

Just then, a commotion erupted in the distance—Su Yanyang and his teammates were arguing.

Shi Huaiyu turned with relish, watching Su Yanyang being surrounded by his squad. A satisfied smile crept onto her lips. “Ha, looks like Su Yanyang will have to rebuild his team from scratch next year.”

Then came the shouts:

“Su Yanyang, who gave you the right to fine me?!”

“I’m telling you, your command decisions were the real problem! I said we should’ve gone in and fought directly!”

“They couldn’t beat us in combat. If we rushed them from the start, we might’ve won outright!”

“This is your fault! With all your talk of smart buildings and arrays…”

Su Yanyang replied coldly, “My command was not the issue. Your attitude was. Especially yours… your combat time and construction output were the lowest. You’re fined according to team rules.”

The teammate snapped, “You’re the one who told me to clean up the miasma at the start!”

“Tell me—was there any data tracking how I cleared it?”

“And another thing—was your soul-cultivator operation mistake tracked in the stats?”

“Answer me!”

Meanwhile, a message popped up from the Soul Cultivator he’d hired: Boss, payment’s still pending.

Su Yanyang replied: With a performance like yours, you dare ask for money? I’ve already requested a refund.

Then he blocked them, only to immediately receive a debt collection notice from the soul-cultivation intermediary company.

Dear Mr. Su Yanyang, if you continue to default, we will have no choice but to take legal action.

At that moment, a reply from the Law Husk company appeared in Su Yanyang’s ocular interface:

Dear Mr. Su Yanyang, based on on-site trace data, there was no malfunction in the Law Husk. The intrusion originated from your own meridians. Your claim has been denied.

Next came the substitute members, all demanding refunds.

Su Yanyang felt the rage boiling up inside.

“A bunch of deadweight. Every last one of them dragging me down.”

With that, he shoved past his teammates and stormed off without a word.