No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

When Zhang Yu saw the condition of Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang, he immediately understood—they hadn’t been doing well lately.

At the same time, both Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang felt Zhang Yu’s gaze upon them.

Ying Xin raised her hand slightly and sent a message: “Boss Zhang!”

Zhang Yu: “What happened to your Law Husk?”

Ying Xin: “Didn’t have time to repair it.”

Ying Xin: “The price to fix a Law Husk is too high right now. I plan to wait until we make it through this economic crisis.”

Zhang Yu: “I noticed in the company group chat that a few of your family’s avatars have gone dark.”

Ying Xin: “The crisis hit us hard. Work’s impossible to find. They froze themselves to save resources.”

Ying Xin: “Don’t worry, Boss Zhang. The fourth-generation members who are still awake will do their best for the company.”

Ying Xin: “If manpower’s short, I can wake them up immediately.”

Meanwhile, Shi Yunxiang was also messaging Zhang Yu.

Shi Yunxiang: “Senior, you want to buy meat?”

Shi Yunxiang: “A lot of people have gone mad lately—they’re trying to rob me for it.”

Shi Yunxiang: “I figured instead of living in fear, I might as well sell it to you. Once I’m skinned of a few taels of flesh, no one will bother me anymore.”

Zhang Yu’s Earthfiend Gravity stirred, and in a blink he appeared before the two of them.Seeing the exhaustion in Shi Yunxiang’s eyes, Zhang Yu patted his shoulder. “It’s fine. Now that I’m covering you, nobody will dare touch you.”

“Keep your meat. Train properly—it’ll appreciate in value.”

Before either could react, Zhang Yu raised both hands and infused a stream of pure mana into each of them.

Feeling Zhang Yu’s refined mana flow through their bodies, both Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang showed faint relief.

Over the next few days, whenever Zhang Yu took an hour to oversee the construction site, he would feed them mana as well.

Each time, Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang waited quietly at the side until he finished his work before accepting it.

Zhang Yu thought they were merely punctual—but one night, when he arrived late due to work, he found them already waiting in the dark near the site.

Only later did he realize they’d been living there the entire time, waiting for odd jobs.

During these days, Zhang Yu also ran into Su Yanyang. With his strength, Su Yanyang could still snatch up occasional work—but Zhang Yu noticed he often vanished for days after one shift, perhaps unable to get more jobs, or maybe with other things to do.

Now, seeing Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang again, they looked even worse.

Shi Yunxiang’s fur was matted, and he’d grown thinner.

Both of them were missing a leg, an arm, and an eye—their detachable Law Husks had clearly been stripped off piece by piece to reduce energy consumption.

Zhang Yu remembered how these two had once fought alongside him in the tournament, and how Ying Xin had once given him that urn of ashes… and his heart settled on a decision.

After finishing work, he walked up to them. “You two… got nowhere to stay?”

When they nodded, Fu Ji immediately grumbled, “Kid, don’t tell me you’re bringing more people home again? The dorm’s already full of broke ghosts! You can smell the poverty the moment you walk in!”

“Sure, they helped you before—but they can’t do anything for you now.”

“There’s no shortage of unemployed graduates. You can hire new ones if you’ve got money.”

Ignoring her, Zhang Yu looked at the two and said, “Come stay in my dorm for now.”

Ying Xin hesitated, then quickly shook her head. “No need, Boss Zhang. I don’t want to pay rent.”

Shi Yunxiang nodded repeatedly. “Rent’s too expensive. We’ll stay by the site till the crisis passes.”

Zhang Yu smiled. “Come on. I’m not charging rent. Stay until this economic storm ends.”

The two of them stared at him in shock. Only after Zhang Yu explained several times did they realize he was serious.

With a heavy thud, both fell to their knees.

“Boss Zhang!”

“Senior!”

At that moment, several elders of the Ying family appeared faintly in Zhang Yu’s ocular Law Husks, bowing in gratitude.

Fu Ji groaned, “Ugh! Another loss! There goes more money, you soft-hearted idiot!”

Under the surprised gazes of the other roommates, Zhang Yu led Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang back to the dorm—making the once-spacious room a little cramped.

The newcomers looked around in astonishment at everyone inside.

After exchanging greetings, each settled into a different corner. Ying Xin and Shi Yunxiang sat near the door, seizing every moment to breathe in spiritual essence.

Xiao Qingxuan and Shi Huaiyu leaned by the training zone, searching for part-time jobs in the Spiritual Realm.

Yu Xinghan, his eyes flickering with data streams, was watching martial arts videos while working remotely.

His wellness company had been hit hard by the economic crisis triggered by the Nascent Soul conflicts, though thankfully his mentor owned the place—he hadn’t been laid off yet.

Closer to Zhang Yu sat Le Mulan, eyes closed, alternating between waves of cold and heat as she cultivated the Pharmacology Department’s pill-making techniques, synthesizing medicine within her own body.

At the very back sat Zhang Yu, beside Zhang Pianpian’s vacant spot—she was still away competing in the Top Ten League.

Then Zhang Yu called out, “Ying Xin, let me take a look at that damaged Law Husk of yours.”

Moments later, he activated the Divine Fire Mirror, sending out waves of true flame that, under Ying Xin’s startled gaze, repaired the Law Husk to a functional state.

Seeing this, Xiao Qingxuan turned to Shi Yunxiang, his old tournament teammate. “You’ve got injuries too. Let me check them. I practice ancient medicine—believe it or not, your choice.”

With medical costs soaring, Shi Yunxiang, like many, had been waiting for his wounds to heal naturally.

When he heard this, he first asked, “How much?”

Xiao Qingxuan simply said, “Relax. I don’t have a license—can’t charge anyway.”

Relieved, Shi Yunxiang nodded. “Then go ahead.”

Hours later, as a holographic projection lit up the air, Yu Xinghan asked, “The match started?”

Zhang Yu nodded, activating the Projection Sigil. “Yeah. Our university’s on today.”

Lately, even while cultivating in the Supreme Purity Realm, Zhang Yu had been playing recordings of the Top Ten League battles in the dorm.

Most of the time, everyone just glanced at the screen—it served as background noise.

Only when Nascent Soul conflicts appeared did they pay close attention.

At those moments, amid the gloom of economic collapse, they could glimpse shifting tides of power.

Onscreen, Dao Qiankun of the Dao Techniques Department at Wanfa University formed seals, stirring elemental disasters and turning the entire floating battlefield into chaos.

Zhang Yu sent another message to Bai Zhenzhen—but there was still no reply.

He thought, “At least I saw her place tenth in the Sword Duel a few days ago. She should be safe.”

Then Xiao Qingxuan exclaimed, “They’re fighting again!”

Zhang Yu looked up—rays of light erupted across the sky. No one could tell which two Nascent Souls were clashing; the screen overflowed with speculation.

Yu Xinghan said, “Can’t tell who it is. Guess we’ll wait for the analysis videos later.”

Soon, the breakdown appeared.

“The one who unleashed that blinding radiance should be the Heavenly Evolution Divine Lord of Wanfa University. As expected of the Dao-Technique Supreme—he holds over ten thousand technique patents, earning astronomical royalties every year. He’s famous for improving others’ Dao Techniques through constant updates until his versions surpass the originals.”

“The other, though quiet, must be the Spirit Rhythm Divine Lord of Pleasure and Harmony University. During that same time frame, their coin prices fluctuated the most. Her Yin-Yang Symphony is terrifying—silent yet enthralling, making people fall for her without realizing it. No wonder she’s got over ten billion fans.”

“When I made this video, I accidentally donated five Spirit Coins to her. You get it, right? Everyone—fan her hard!”

Even though they only half-watched the league matches and divine duels, the tension in the air was unmistakable.

One by one, the Nascent Soul Divine Lords of the Ten Great Universities had entered the field, splitting into two camps.

On one side: Wanfa University, Heavenly Sword University, Immortal Soldier University, and Vajra University.

On the other: Netherworld University, Whitebone University, Heavenly Demon University, and Pleasure and Harmony University.

As these gods moved their pieces, the economic crisis deepened.

The Financial Storm Warning had risen from Level 1.8 to 2.3. Stocks and coins plunged, prices soared, and jobs vanished.

The unemployed grew idle, while the Spiritual Realm echoed with righteous gods preaching anti-cult propaganda.

Even Zhang Yu’s luxury dorm now faced spiritual-energy rationing—just barely enough for them to survive.

Quietly, Zhang Yu soaked within the Supreme Purity Realm, studying one blueprint after another for new artifacts.