No Money To Cultivate Immortality? Chapter 293: Underground Martial Energy Transaction - Novel Cool

Chapter 293: Underground Martial Energy Transaction

"Pay money?" Zhang Yu asked, curious. "Is that even a thing?"

Yu Xinghan snorted coldly. "That old guy really does charge different prices to everyone."

Thinking that through, he activated his Eye Armor and connected with Li Xuelian.

Yu Xinghan: "Sister, I need to talk to you about something..."

Li Xuelian: "I know. What’s on your mind?"

Yu Xinghan: "He’s my instructor, so giving him a little Lingbi as a token of respect isn’t wrong. But his price is way too high. I’ll give him at most 0.1 Lingbi as a referral fee."

Yu Xinghan: "Didn’t your master have a student working security at the construction site? Can you check if he has any contacts?"

Li Xuelian: "Since Father got involved in that incident, all his students have been avoiding him like the plague. They won’t help you."

Yu Xinghan: "Just asking. This Tu Teacher clearly took advantage of me being a new student with no access to market info. If we can get more price comparisons, it’ll be easy to push him down."

After finishing the conversation, Li Xuelian asked: "The three-month foundational course is over. What’s your current ranking, you and Zhang Yu?"

Upon hearing their standings, Li Xuelian’s lips curled into a faintly satisfied smile.

"Good results. I’ve found someone who can help improve your Martial Energy Quality."

Yu Xinghan’s eyes flickered. "Not through the platform?"

Li Xuelian: "Underground transaction."

Hearing that, Yu Xinghan relayed the news to Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu knew that transactions via the Martial Energy Platform were legal and fully regulated—every unit of Martial Energy was verified and guaranteed, but came with a hefty processing fee.

In contrast, private deals meant cutting out the fee, but also cutting out all safeguards. There was always the risk of fraud—like low-grade energy passed off as high-quality, or energy that was decent but not nearly as good as claimed.

And worst of all, underground transactions violated school regulations. If caught, students faced not only fines but a deduction in their comprehensive score, which could tank their rankings.

Zhang Yu had once considered trading, but lacking connections in the Second Layer, he’d given up—no one trustworthy to trust.

Now, hearing it was Li Xuelian’s introduction, he nodded immediately. "Worth a shot."

Zhang Yu thought: Not just Le Mulan’s Dao Seed—she needs higher-quality Martial Energy to nurture it. And improving my own Martial Energy Quality will amplify my Technique’s effectiveness, speeding up my cultivation.

So the two followed Li Xuelian’s instructions to the empty street on the 85th floor of Wanfa University City.

Yu Xinghan said, "This is the Commoner Zone? Where’s everyone?"

Zhang Yu surveyed the desolate street. Even though he’d come here often to practice Techniques below the 100th floor, he’d never once seen a single civilian.

The ordinary people seemed to stay locked inside their homes, never stepping out. The entire lower zone remained eerily silent—no footfalls, no voices, no movement.

Zhang Yu mused: No one around, and no surveillance. This place is perfect for underground deals.

But Wanfa University could monitor the lower floors easily if they wanted. So why don’t they?

A moment later, Li Xuelian appeared.

"It’s me."

"First-time transaction. I’ll guide you both."

She led them to the agreed-upon spot. A shadow emerged from the gloom—cloaked entirely in First Layer mist, its form completely hidden.

Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan were no different. Under Xinghuo Immortal’s training, they’d mastered the art of reshaping their muscles and appearance. One transformed into the likeness of Gong Shuijin, the other into Ji Yuanchi.

Li Xuelian had gone even further—her form was now that of a completely unfamiliar man, unrecognizable from her original self.

Watching Li Xuelian exchange coded signals with the stranger, Zhang Yu activated his Detection Ritual to scan for cameras. Confirmed: no surveillance.

After the signal was exchanged, the figure nodded. "Our rule: payment first, then the energy."

Yu Xinghan asked, "How much for 100 units of Martial Energy?"

The man snorted. "Minimum 10,000."

Yu Xinghan’s brow furrowed. "We can’t afford that much at once. And do you really have 10,000 units on hand?"

The man shrugged, unbothered. "Of course, we do it in batches. 100 or 200 at a time—no problem."

After some negotiation, the final rate settled at 1 Lingbi for 10,000 units of Martial Energy.

Zhang Yu thought: Definitely cheaper than the platform rate.

Li Xuelian said, "I’ll check the quality."

The man didn’t flinch. He channeled a burst of Martial Energy into her palm.

Li Xuelian’s eyes lit up. "Pure energy."

"Seventeen point five percent quality," the man smiled. "I only deal in top-grade. You’ll feel the difference."

She nodded at Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan. "It’s clean. No issues."

Then she sent a message: Send the money to me. I’ll handle the transaction. Lower your exposure risk.

Though wary of handing over Lingbi in one go—afraid of being scammed—Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan trusted Li Xuelian. After her reassurance, they agreed.

Each paid 0.5 Lingbi—totaling 1 Lingbi—into Li Xuelian’s account. She then, under the man’s guidance, used that 1 Lingbi to buy a few secondhand books on the marketplace.

Next, under Li Xuelian’s watchful eye, the man placed both hands on Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan.

In an instant, Zhang Yu felt a thick, dense wave of high-quality Martial Energy flood into his body—powerful, yet completely non-aggressive. The energy remained still, perfectly controlled.

Zhang Yu immediately activated his own Martial Energy, using it to clash against the incoming stream.

Each impact made his internal energy slightly more resilient. Tiny fragments of the superior energy mixed into his own, though they quickly diluted and vanished. But the remnants left behind made his energy feel denser, more solid.

Before long, the entire burst of energy had dissipated.

Zhang Yu closed his eyes, feeling the subtle shift within. If I could get this kind of treatment every day… my Martial Energy Quality would skyrocket.

He wanted to experience this constantly, but he knew it wasn’t about desire—it depended entirely on his balance.

He checked his account.

Since starting university, he’d earned only 2.5 in scholarships and the 5 Lingbi Bai Zhenzhen had sent him. No other income.

Despite strict frugality, monthly expenses—rent, internet, phone, transport, food, Technique purchases—plus the 0.5 Lingbi for this energy, left him with just over 11.4 Lingbi.

"I need at least 7 or 8 Lingbi for Tu Mu Holy Body and Qi Mai Chang Liu’s Technique."

Plus daily living costs…

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. After discussing with Yu Xinghan, they decided: each would pay 0.5 Lingbi, totaling 1 Lingbi per month, to buy 10,000 units of Martial Energy—once daily for each of them.

Zhang Yu told himself: My current progress is decent. A slower rise in Martial Energy Quality is acceptable.

But the man shook his head. "Only 333 units total per day for both of you? That’s just 2–3% improvement per month."

"And the higher your quality gets, the less effective it becomes. You’ll need far more frequent and massive injections."

"Given your potential, you could easily handle multiple sessions a day. I’d say 5 Lingbi a month would accelerate your progress dramatically."

Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan declined the upsell. After accepting the remaining energy injection for the day, they returned to their dorm to meditate and absorb the effects.

But before entering, Yu Xinghan said, "You go ahead. I’ve got something to do."

Zhang Yu glanced at him, puzzled. "Why not go back and digest it? Where are you going?"

Yu Xinghan snapped, "It’s none of your business."

He shot forward like lightning, his mind racing with images of Li Xuelian—before and after her transformation. His body burned with heat as blood surged. His thoughts spiraled.

Since the last time I saw her… she’s gotten even more…

Can’t hold it in. I need to release this. Otherwise, I won’t be able to focus at all.

A wave of shame washed over him.

This is unpaid overtime, and I’m not even getting paid!

Sometimes he wanted to beg himself to stop, but even on his knees, the urge remained.

And just as Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan left, the figure in the mist turned to Li Xuelian.

"Boss, shouldn’t you give your friends a discount?"

Li Xuelian’s voice was flat. "If you give them a discount once, can you give them one forever?"

"Let’s go. Time to work."

The two vanished in a flash, streaking deeper into the lower levels of the University City.

...

The next day.

It was the first official day of September term.

Zhang Yu glanced at his schedule. The foundational courses—Dao Heart, Martial Energy, Body Refining—were mostly unchanged, though slightly reduced in number.

But the number of specialized courses had surged—new modules on construction, inspection, and practical application of civil engineering techniques learned over the past three months.

In today’s construction class, Zhang Yu activated a basic Technique—Concrete Qi—and used his qi to manipulate mud, precisely pouring a large slab of concrete into a target position several meters away.

(End of Chapter)

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