https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-403-Students-from-the-Alchemy-Department/13687000/
Chapter 404: The Path of Immortality
As Su Yanyang pondered the competition for the Military License, a message suddenly appeared within his Eye Armor.
"Su Yanyang! When are you paying back the debt?"
"Employing Soul Cultivators and refusing to pay? Do you really think you can get away with it?"
At the same time, the debt collection notice didn’t just appear in Su Yanyang’s Eye Armor—it also flashed across the devices of everyone nearby. Instantly, the gazes of numerous Civil Engineering Department students shifted toward Su Yanyang, filled with suspicion and judgment.
Su Yanyang calmly swallowed another spoonful of rice, inwardly muttering: "Debt Collection Charm, huh?"
Beside him, Ma Xuan couldn’t help but say, "Senior, maybe you should just pay up? If they keep using the Debt Collection Charm on you, your reputation among others will keep dropping. It’ll hurt your academic progress too."
Su Yanyang remained calm. "I hired those Soul Cultivator students to complete tasks for me. They failed. Why should I pay?"
"Let them chase me. Let them sue. If they can actually take money from me, then it’s their skill."
To Su Yanyang, avoiding Lingbi loss and preserving his own potential on the Immortal Path were fundamental lessons in Dao cultivation.
Meanwhile, far away, Xiao Yunji pressed a needle into her neck. As the medicine slowly seeped in, the sharp pain in her meridians gradually faded.
Checking the synchronization rate of her Spirit Armor, she finally exhaled in relief.
Now, she looked nothing like the fierce warrior from the battlefield. Her entire body shimmered with metallic luster, appearing as a perfectly ordinary university student.
"Transformative Spirit Armor is powerful, but its synchronization rate drops too easily," she thought. "Once I pass the Military License exam, I’ll definitely replace this set."
Her gaze swept over Su Yanyang and another Civil Engineering Department student.
"Su Yanyang… and Ping Han from the War Faction. Those two will be my biggest rivals in the next Military License Examination Hall."
"Especially Ping Han. As a teammate of Mo Enjin’s Competition Team, he’s older than Mo Enjin by a year. He’s already in his Ninth Year, and he’s already gathered all the seven-character quatrains. If it weren’t for multiple failed cryptocurrency ventures, he’d have already passed the exam."
As for Zhang Yu? Xiao Yunji didn’t even consider him a threat—after all, she’d left him scrambling all over the arena during the competition.
Just as her eyes lingered on Ping Han, the man had already approached Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu turned, eyeing the senior in front of him—dressed head to toe in a Ji Hu-brand Spirit Armor, and bearing the Civil Engineering Department’s No. 4 ranking.
"No. 4 in Civil Engineering using a Ji Hu-brand?"
Though Zhang Yu wasn’t deeply familiar with Spirit Armor brands, he’d often heard Yu Xinghan, Li Xiao, and Gong Shuijin critique different brands.
He knew Ji Hu-brand was a standard low-tier brand—popular among junior college students, a lifeline for first-layer cultivators. Its reputation? Cheap. Durable. That was it.
Yu Xinghan’s blunt verdict? "Using Ji Hu at Wanfa University? You’re destined for a failed university life."
But Zhang Yu knew this Ping Han. Or rather, he’d seen him compete.
"He didn’t use this armor on the battlefield, did he?"
"So he probably wears Ji Hu daily, but switches to a better one when it matters."
Just as Zhang Yu was thinking, Ping Han flashed a grin.
"Zhang Yu junior, are you wondering why I’m using a Ji Hu-brand?"
"Are you thinking… that I only use this one in daily life, and switch to something better during competitions?"
Ping Han shook his head.
"In fact, I only have this one Ji Hu-brand set. During matches, my teammates lend me their backup armors."
He paused, eyes gleaming.
"I actually had a full Tiangong-brand set before. But I sold them all."
A sharp intensity flashed in his gaze.
"Because I realized something: spending money on Spirit Armor is a waste. Better to invest in cryptocurrency."
"I’ve got some inside info on Hehuan University’s Qiongjiang Coin. Interested in investing?"
Zhang Yu shook his head vigorously. "I don’t trade in cryptocurrencies."
"Not interested?" Ping Han sighed dramatically. "A university student who doesn’t trade in crypto? How do you even plan to cultivate Dao?"
"Are you seriously thinking of earning your way to immortality through labor?"
Zhang Yu blinked. He had been thinking exactly that.
Seeing Zhang Yu remain silent, Ping Han shook his head again. "We work our fingers to the bone on construction sites. How much do we make in a year? That money only stretches our lives slightly—lets us work more time, nothing more. It won’t help us break through cultivation levels."
"I’ve studied the cultivation records of every Jin Dan and Yuan Ying-level cultivators from the past fifty years."
"Not one of them broke through by working a job."
"Every single one—remember, every single one—either came from wealth at the start, or became rich overnight, then broke through."
Ping Han stared at Zhang Yu, dead serious.
"Zhang Yu junior, Xian Dao Potential isn’t built slowly. It’s not accumulated. True, deep Xian Dao Potential is explosive. In today’s world, working a job will never get you to Jin Dan."
"Better to go all-in on cryptocurrency. Win, and you rush to Jin Dan or Yuan Ying. Lose? Then just stop wasting time cultivating. Either you become immortal, or you become ghost—within a few years, you’ll know."
"Far better than grinding for a hundred years, only to realize you’ve wasted your youth… and that you should’ve traded back then."
Fujie sighed. "Another one lost to the madness of cultivation. He must’ve lost a fortune in crypto—probably even passed his Xian Dao Potential to the Hua Shen God."
Zhang Yu sighed. "I’ll pass. I’d rather keep working."
"Ah," Ping Han groaned. "You don’t understand. At least with crypto, there’s a chance. But labor? Labor will never get you through."
"No hope… no hope at all."
"Since you won’t even try your luck at fate… can I borrow some Lingbi?"
Zhang Yu declined again. As Ping Han walked away, sighing deeply, a new message appeared in Zhang Yu’s Eye Armor.
Mo Ejin: You did the right thing by not lending him money.
Zhang Yu looked up. Mo Ejin had quietly arrived, standing among a crowd of students, chatting casually.
Feeling Zhang Yu’s gaze, Mo Ejin smiled faintly and gave a distant nod.
Mo Ejin: Ping Han made 50 Lingbi on his first crypto trade.
Mo Ejin: After that, he became obsessed.
Mo Ejin: When he lost heavily, he asked High Teacher for 10 Lingbi.
Mo Ejin: High Teacher said he had no talent for trading, told him to stop. Didn’t lend him the money.
Mo Ejin: Then the coin he wanted to buy skyrocketed. If he’d had 10 Lingbi, he could’ve made over 400 Lingbi.
Mo Ejin: From that moment on, he was consumed. Nothing could stop him.
Mo Ejin: This event became his heart demon. If he asks you again, don’t lend him a single Lingbi.
As Zhang Yu listened, he thought: "So that’s it? If I’d missed a 400 Lingbi profit, I’d probably be stuck in that hole too."
Fujie mused: "Cultivation is like this—countless heart demons line the path. Only by forging a perfectly smooth, flawless Dao Heart, unshaken by external temptations, can one steadily ascend."
Just then, another senior from the Civil Engineering Department approached Zhang Yu with a meal offering.
Zhang Yu snapped back to reality and resumed eating, feeling waves of dense essence flooding his body with each bite.
From a distance, Feng Tingting watched Zhang Yu, spoon clinking against bowl, devouring his meal.
"12.75 servings… impressive. That’s prime alchemy material… I wonder if he’d sell it?"
She glanced at the number 12.75 marked on Zhang Yu’s head—the value she’d assigned to his consumption capacity. From her assessment, he likely had little money. A potential buyer.
But just as she was considering it, a flurry of sword-light began flashing around Zhang Yu.
"What’s this? Someone’s using a Transmission Charm to forcibly summon him? That spell is prohibitively expensive… who’s doing this?"
"With a 12.75 consumption rating, he probably didn’t prepare any countermeasures. Unless he cuts network entirely, he’s helpless."
In an instant, the flashing lights coalesced into a single figure—Wen Wuya now stood before Zhang Yu.
Wen Wuya stared at Zhang Yu, mid-bite, and finally understood why he hadn’t replied to his messages.
He raised a hand. The Silence Charm activated.
"Zhang Yu," he said urgently, "I just wanted to discuss Mutual Cultivation with Bai Zhenzhen. I barely said a few words, and she ran away from me. Do you have any idea how to fix this? I’m desperate."
Zhang Yu rubbed his dazed head, groaning. Thankfully, Bai Zhenzhen had Tianjian University’s countermeasures last time. Otherwise, this guy would’ve been unbearable.
After a moment, Zhang Yu said: "A Zhen likes sterilized men. To her, only a man who’s given up reproduction has true cultivation resolve… and real masculinity."
Wen Wuya paused. Then, slowly: "That’s… actually simple. Why didn’t you say so earlier?"
At that moment, Wen Wuya’s gaze snapped toward Feng Tingting.
Feng Tingting froze. Her heart skipped a beat.
She’d watched the Flying Sword Tournament recently. She recognized Wen Wuya—Tianjian University’s Hua Shen Disciple.
Seeing him forcibly project himself here, just to speak with Zhang Yu—her curiosity flared.
She activated her Spirit Armor, desperate to eavesdrop beneath the Silence Charm’s veil.
But the charm was too strong. Even with all her effort, she only caught fragmented whispers:
"...Mutual Cultivation... you... very urgent..."
The few words shimmered on her Eye Armor.
Feng Tingting’s pupils widened in shock. Her face went pale.
"No way… Is this true?"
"Zhang Yu… is the Mutual Cultivation partner of a Hua Shen Disciple?"
"He actually stumbled upon a life-altering celestial fate?"
But before she could process it, Wen Wuya turned sharply—his expression darkened.
"Spying on me?"
"Bold of you."
With a single flick of his hand, the words appearing on Feng Tingting’s Eye Armor crackled, then were seized, crushed, and disintegrated into nothing.
(End of Chapter)
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