Chapter 4: God Summoning Ritual

Chapter 4: God Summoning Ritual

Looking at the changes in his palm, Zhang Yu couldn't help but wonder, "What does this mean?"

"Will I die once it's completely filled?"

Unfortunately, no one could answer the unease in Zhang Yu's heart.

After the morning physical education class, Zhang Yu dragged his half-dead body to have lunch with Bai Zhenzhen and Zhou Tianyi. After a brief rest, they faced the afternoon classes.

The first class of the afternoon was history, taught by an elderly man with a head full of white hair.

Once the old man entered the classroom, he sat behind the podium, opened his book, and began lecturing casually.

As for the students in the classroom, whether they were catching up on rest, practicing meditative breathing, cultivating, or even leaving the classroom to train their bodies, he seemed to pay no attention.

Zhang Yu had no interest in the content of the history teacher's lecture. He quickly flipped through the textbook, and the content constantly replayed in his mind, helping him understand it in conjunction with his own memories.

"Kun Xu has no nation, everything is monopolized and controlled by the ten major sects. Kun Xu has thirty-six layers on the ground, with the First Layer being roughly twice the size of China, consisting of various cities of different sizes, each managed by a government built by a major sect."

"Besides the Immortal Dao, the technological level of the First Layer seems similar to my previous life, but life for the common people seems much harder."

"Kun Xu's First Layer is where Zhang Yu has always lived. As for the layers above... he has only seen them in TV shows and movies."

According to Zhang Yu's memories, only those who pass the university entrance exams can enter Kun Xu's Second Layer, and only those who graduate from university and join a major sect can reach the higher layers.

In Kun Xu, only by mastering stronger Immortal Dao powers and gaining higher authority can one climb the ranks.

The higher the layer, the more abundant the spiritual energy, the more advanced the Immortal Dao technology, and the richer the resources.

Thinking about this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but look out the window, feeling the sunlight pouring down.

"Such a real sky and sunlight... Is this place really inside a super-large building?"

"The First Layer is twice the size of China, so how much space does the entire Kun Xu occupy? It must be off Earth by now, right?"

"How did I end up in this world?"

He involuntarily recalled the scenes when he first arrived in this world, remembering that strange ritual, and his head began to feel dizzy again.

Zhang Yu quickly shook his head. For him at the moment, compared to these big questions, more immediate concerns like high school grades, living expenses, making money, and physical education classes were more pressing.

Thinking about his grades and cultivation, Zhang Yu's head began to hurt.

Besides the morning physical education class, the Immortal Dao grades included four subjects: Cultivation Heart, Spiritual Power, Martial Arts, and Taoist Magic.

Cultivation Heart was worth 150 points, Spiritual Power 150 points, Martial Arts 100 points, and Taoist Magic 100 points.

According to Zhang Yu's memories, his recent rankings had been declining across the board, with no subject showing improvement.

At this rate, it seemed that being expelled from Songyang High School was only a matter of time.

Another question popped into Zhang Yu's mind.

"From what I can tell, Zhang Yu's family isn't wealthy, and he doesn't have any outstanding Immortal Dao talent. The interviews for the first and second years didn't go well either. How did he get into Songyang High School?"

Zhang Yu repeatedly recalled the original Zhang Yu's memories, only remembering that he had entered Songyang High School despite not performing well in the interviews.

Thinking about the original Zhang Yu's family, his eyes flickered, and he pulled out his phone to open the contact list.

"Should I contact Zhang Yu's parents and sister after school?"

During the afternoon classes, Zhang Yu spent his time reviewing and organizing the memories in his mind, deepening his understanding of the world, his identity, and the knowledge in his head.

Before he knew it, it was six o'clock, and school was over.

While the day's classes were over, for most students at Songyang High School, the day was only half over. They still needed to attend tutoring sessions and study late into the night before they could rest.

Unlike his classmates, who rushed to their tutoring sessions, Zhang Yu was sitting alone in the empty cafeteria.

Without any savings or credit, he had stopped attending tutoring sessions two weeks ago.

After finishing dinner, he thought for a moment and then opened his phone.

"Let's give it a try."

He first called his mother, then his father, but both calls went unanswered.

Recalling the memories of Zhang Yu's parents and sister, he finally called his sister out of frustration.

"Zhang Yu?"

Hearing the slightly cold voice on the other end, Zhang Yu steeled himself and said, "Sis, can you lend me some money?"

After a moment of silence, just as Zhang Yu thought she would hang up, a voice came from the phone. "When you were in first grade, I told Mom and Dad that you had no Immortal Dao talent, and pursuing this path was a complete waste of time and money."

"After we split up, Mom believed your delusions and struggled to support you through high school. She even borrowed money from us recently to cover your tutoring fees."

"Ha, and you, this overambitious fool, still took out loans to cultivate, and now you're in deep debt from high school, right?"

Faced with her accusations, Zhang Yu had no words to say. According to the memories he had organized, she was right.

After the family split, the original Zhang Yu, despite knowing that his mother's income was insufficient and the family had no money, insisted on taking out micro-loans to cultivate, leading to a cycle of borrowing and debt.

His mother, repeatedly helping him repay his debts and discovering the growing hole, eventually left him.

The voice on the phone continued.

"This is the last time we'll talk. Pay off your debts yourself."

"I'll give you one last piece of advice: drop out and get a job to pay off your debts."

"Considering we were once family, I'll transfer you 500. This should be enough to keep you from starving until you find a job."

Hearing the call disconnect, Zhang Yu sighed in frustration. "At least I got 500."

With the 500 from Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu's savings finally broke 1000.

But as he walked home, the advice from his sister kept echoing in his mind.

"Should I drop out and work?"

Lying on the bed in the rented apartment, Zhang Yu stared at the slightly moldy ceiling.

Declining grades, no money, deep in debt, and his body worn out... He had to admit that dropping out and working seemed like a rational decision.

Just then, a sharp pain came from his palm, and the symbol that only he could see was finally completely filled with black.

At the same time, a clear female voice rang out, "Kid, the God Summoning Ritual is complete. It's time to make your three wishes."

Zhang Yu turned his head sharply and saw a doll spirit sitting on the edge of his bed.

Looking at the doll spirit with its yellowed and faded fabric and crooked stitching, as if it could split open at any moment, he suddenly realized it was the same doll spirit he had seen in the strange ritual on the rooftop when he first arrived in this world.

Doll Spirit: "Hey, did you hear me? Three wishes, not one less."

Faced with this bizarre scene, Zhang Yu just wanted to leave.

He was no longer the clueless newcomer he had been.

After organizing the memories in his mind, he knew that gods in this world were not vague beliefs but the managers who controlled countless affairs in Kun Xu.

But these righteous deities certainly weren’t the kind that a lowly immortal cultivator like Zhang Yu could summon easily. The spirits that Zhang Yu’s so-called God Summoning Ritual could call forth were likely the malevolent deities of legend—those who wreaked havoc, treated lives like grass, and were heavily persecuted by the ten major sects and various righteous deities.

Tales of ordinary people making deals with these malevolent deities, only to end up dead and their souls scattered, were stories that the common folks of Kun Xu’s first floor had grown up hearing.

"Zhang Yu, that guy, is so desperate that he actually turned to a malevolent deity?"

"No wonder I get dizzy every time I think about the related memories. Is this the malevolent deity’s doing?"

Zhang Yu immediately sensed the danger and wanted to flee, but he stopped his trembling body after a moment’s thought.

The original Zhang Yu had sought out the malevolent deity because he was truly at his wit’s end.

Was it better to spend his life toiling at the bottom of society to pay off debts, or to take a life-threatening risk for a chance to continue cultivating?

"Malevolent Deity! My first wish is for you to grant me 100 wishes!"

After saying this, Zhang Yu swallowed hard and nervously looked at the other party. "Can you do it?"

"Of course, such a simple task is no problem for me."

Seeing the smile on Zhang Yu’s face, the Doll Spirit sneered. "But my choice is... to do nothing."

"Because after the God Summoning Ritual is completed, it is you who must fulfill my three wishes."

"If you refuse to fulfill my wishes, or if you deliberately delay or fail to fulfill them, you will suffer the backlash of the ritual, with your flesh exploding and your soul scattered."

"Alright, my first wish is for you to grant me 1,000 more wishes."

Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned upon hearing this and cursed inwardly: "Not... to perform this God Summoning Ritual just to fulfill your wishes? Is this Zhang Yu an idiot? And 1,000 wishes? Is that even possible?"

After stating the first wish, the Doll Spirit smiled and continued to stare at Zhang Yu with its hollow, black-button eyes.

"Are you ready? I’m going to state my next wish."

Zhang Yu’s heart tightened. "What wish will this thing make next?"

"If I have to fulfill 1,000 wishes for her, won’t I become her slave?"

"Or... if she makes a wish I can’t possibly fulfill... won’t I be doomed?"

The Doll Spirit slowly said, "I’ve decided. My next wish is for you to collect a batch of antiques for me."

Zhang Yu swallowed again. "Antiques?"

The Doll Spirit giggled. "Don’t worry, I’ve already found them for you. Just buy everything in your shopping cart."

Zhang Yu hesitated, then took out his phone and opened his shopping cart, only to find it filled with various Buddha statues, offering tables, incense burners, wooden swords, and more. Each item was expensive, with even the cheapest costing thousands of dollars.

If he couldn’t afford these antiques, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill the wish. If he couldn’t fulfill the malevolent deity’s wish, he would die due to the ritual’s backlash.

Thinking this, Zhang Yu quickly asked, "Could you change the wish?"

"I’m afraid I can’t afford all these antiques."

"Making excuses..." The Doll Spirit’s gaze sharpened, and its hollow eyes seemed to brim with boundless malice. "Do you want to welsh on the deal? If you can’t afford them, borrow the money. If you can’t borrow, sell your organs. There are always ways to get the money."

Zhang Yu looked at the Doll Spirit seriously and said slowly, "If I do that, I will die trying to fulfill this one wish."

The Doll Spirit chuckled lightly. "So what?"

Zhang Yu: "Do you want to lose the person who will fulfill 1,000 wishes for you right now?"

"Or would you give me some time to become a disciple of a major sect and then buy these antiques for you, one by one, to fulfill those 1,000 wishes?"

"Hmm?" The Doll Spirit looked at Zhang Yu with some surprise. "Go on."

Zhang Yu: "I’ve calculated that even if I work for decades in Kun Xu’s first floor, I might not be able to save up enough money to buy these antiques."

"But if I can join a major sect, it won’t take me long to save up the money."

Doll Spirit: "So?"

Zhang Yu: "In other words, if I study hard, cultivate diligently, and grow stronger, I can get into a prestigious university, graduate, and join a major sect. Then, I can use the sect’s stipend to fulfill your wishes."

The Doll Spirit fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "So you’re saying you’ll study hard, work, and earn a salary to fulfill my wishes?"

"Are you messing with me?"

An overwhelming wave of malice engulfed Zhang Yu, and the Doll Spirit’s eyes seemed like two massive black holes, sucking in all the surrounding light.

Zhang Yu clenched his fists, trying to suppress his trembling legs, and stared at the Doll Spirit, saying word by word, "Your first wish is for me to fulfill 1,000 wishes for you. Your second wish is for me to collect the antiques in my shopping cart."

"If I die in poverty while collecting the antiques, how can I fulfill the 1,000 wishes?"

"If I know this and still choose to complete the second wish in a way that ensures my death, isn’t that deliberately failing to fulfill the first wish?"

"Deliberately failing to fulfill the first wish would violate the ritual’s requirements, and I would die from the ritual’s backlash before even completing the second wish."

"So, studying hard, getting into university, working diligently, and earning money is the only feasible plan I can think of to fulfill both the first and second wishes."

After Zhang Yu finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

After a moment, the Doll Spirit’s voice sounded.

"Let me see your balance."

After seeing Zhang Yu’s account balance and the overdue loan messages, the Doll Spirit fell silent for a long time.

"This kid..." The Doll Spirit thought, "Normally, this shouldn’t happen. The ritual’s targets are supposed to be wealthy people who can easily buy a bunch of antiques."

"But this kid... this kid is too poor, so poor that he can’t even fulfill the first wish, creating a loophole."

"Damn it, didn’t I say to find a wealthy person? How did I end up with this guy?"

After a long silence, the Doll Spirit looked at Zhang Yu and said, "What you said... isn’t without merit."

"Alright, go study hard. When you’ve earned enough money, I’ll come back for you."

The Doll Spirit then sneered again. "But remember, all of this is to fulfill my wishes."

"Once you start fulfilling my wishes, any slack will result in your death from the ritual’s backlash."

Watching the Doll Spirit gradually disappear, Zhang Yu let out a deep breath and collapsed onto the bed.

Suddenly, he remembered something and shouted, "Wait, what did I gain from this ritual?!"

Though he suspected his transmigration might be related to the ritual, he didn’t dare reveal this secret directly and chose to approach it indirectly.

Unless absolutely necessary, he decided to keep the secret of Earth buried deep in his heart, never to be revealed.

The Doll Spirit completely vanished, leaving only a voice in Zhang Yu’s ears. "Your potential has been activated, but everyone’s potential is different. What it is... you’ll have to discover for yourself."

Outside the room, the Doll Spirit thought as it walked, "This kid’s talent is terrible. Activating his potential will probably just enhance his spiritual power or physical strength level. I doubt he’ll even get into university, let alone join a major sect. How can he fulfill my wishes?"

"But his quick thinking was interesting... I’ll see how far you can struggle."

Inside the room, Zhang Yu watched the black symbol in his palm gradually change.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end