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Chapter 530: Hua Shen Conflict, Sky Collapse, and Earth Fall
The Hua Shen disciple from Baigu University, body and sword as one, soared across the sky, tearing through the atmosphere. With her physical form alone, she shattered every one of Bai Zhenzhen’s attacks. Yet, the more disadvantaged she became, the greater Bai Zhenzhen’s resilience grew.
Wen Wuya watched the battle unfold, her mind racing. "Zhenzhen’s Divine Spirit Root is perfectly suited for the Flying Sword. It not only conceals her own presence, but hides the blade as well. Against opponents weaker than her, she can strike down her foe in just one or two exchanges."
"But when facing rivals of equal skill, the fiercer the clash, the more her battle spirit ignites. The Qingqing Sword Dao reaches its peak expression, allowing her to perform beyond her normal limits—often securing victory in real combat."
"And if she faces someone stronger…"
She stared at the Hua Shen disciple from Baigu University, realizing now that this was precisely such a situation.
"When outmatched, her inner frustration builds. The power of the Jiqing Sword Dao surges dramatically."
"And if she recalls Zhang Yu—remembers their promise—then the surge becomes even more explosive."
"So the stronger the opponent, the greater her battlefield growth becomes."
As she thought this through, Wen Wuya felt an increasing sense of frustration—this tactic was simply cheating, or rather, the Jiqing Sword Dao itself was cheating.
She’d rather face a stronger opponent she could predict than fight Bai Zhenzhen, whose unpredictable nature made her utterly impossible to gauge.
"If she calls for a pause halfway through and then chats with Zhang Yu... who knows how much her power could spike?"
Just as Wen Wuya pondered, the battlefield shifted abruptly. Crimson blood mist erupted violently around the Hua Shen disciple as Bai Zhenzhen tore through her protective sword aura.
"She’s won." Wen Wuya thought. "So, Zhenzhen might actually make it into the Top Ten this time?"
But just as the victory was certain and the match was declared over, an unexpected twist unfolded.
A torrent of scarlet sword light pierced through the Hua Shen disciple’s body, severing her physical form completely—killing her instantly.
Wen Wuya blinked, stunned. "Did Zhenzhen get too excited? Lost control?"
Regardless, she knew trouble had begun.
With the disciple’s physical body destroyed, disputes over compensation erupted between Tianjian University and Baigu University.
Moments later, dazzling seven-colored sword light and pale bone-like radiance exploded across the sky, tearing through the clouds.
Wen Wuya gasped. "The Qingqing God and the Bailian God have arrived?"
She knew the Bailian God was the master of the fallen Hua Shen disciple from Baigu University.
The clash between the Qingqing God and the Bailian God acted like a fuse.
Days later, Hehuan University accused Wanfa University of cheating in the treasure duel, sparking a conflict between Wan Hua Shen Jun and the Qiongjiang God.
As the Top Ten League progressed, more and more Immortals emerged. Each brief clash sent shockwaves across the world.
For the next month, stock markets tumbled, currencies collapsed, prices skyrocketed, companies went bankrupt, and unemployment surged—waves of crisis rolled in one after another.
Only then did countless cultivators finally realize: a financial crisis, a great calamity, had already begun quietly, silently.
...
Outside the arena, in a temporary cave residence built by Wanfa University, Ye Xingli was filming her own legs.
She hadn’t been this diligent with videos before. But as each Hua Shen battle unfolded, the stock market plunged in wild swings, her assets shrank, and her cultivation and performance in the arena suffered.
She had no choice but to record more videos during the breaks in the Top Ten League—just to supplement her cultivation funds and match expenses.
Zhang Yu: Senior Sister, how are you doing? Are you okay?
Ye Xingli was about to reply—then remembered she hadn’t activated the Poor Man Simulator.
She opened it.
Poor Man Simulator: User again asks how to respond to Zhang Yu’s question. Hmm… seems she’s still immersed in the pleasure of pretending to be poor, striving to boost his affection.
Poor Man Simulator: Consider the current financial crisis. To simulate a poor person’s response to concern: express useless worry, mindless comfort, and meaningless mutual encouragement—showing the helplessness and foolishness of the poor.
Poor Man Simulator: Little Brother, I’m fine.
Poor Man Simulator: How about you?
Ye Xingli: This financial crisis won’t end quickly. Be careful.
Ye Xingli: If anything comes up, reach out anytime.
Zhang Yu: Got it, Senior Sister. You take care too.
Watching Ye Xingli’s concern, Zhang Yu felt a sudden warmth. Compared to Ciji Zhenjun, she seemed far more human.
"Too bad Senior Sister doesn’t fully understand the Hua Shen conflicts. She knows even less about A Zhen’s situation."
"Hua Shen…"
Even just a few minor clashes among Hua Shen disciples had unleashed terrifying destructive power—stock crashes, currency collapses, price surges. It was no longer just a financial storm.
And Zhang Yu felt it firsthand.
First, his company lost project funding and couldn’t secure any new contracts.
Then, Wen Wuya’s 10 Lingbi monthly subscription was paused.
Zhang Pianpian’s monthly repayment was also suspended.
Wen Wuya: Sorry, no one knows how long this storm will last. Let’s pause the subscription for now.
Zhang Pianpian: I’ll need Lingbi to get through this time. Be careful. Don’t spend it recklessly.
Next, Ciji Zhenjun and Director Gao’s monthly company reimbursements—30 Lingbi each—were also frozen.
One by one, the impacts drained Zhang Yu’s income, leaving only 40 Lingbi per month from the Hua Shen Laboratory.
"No wonder this project involving Hua Shen Spirit Armor is barely affected." Zhang Yu felt relieved he’d joined it.
He sighed. "But how long will this financial storm last? Wait until the Top Ten League ends? That’s two months!"
He couldn’t imagine what Wanfa University would face if this dragged on for that long.
Fujie said, "Worse than that—it might not just be a financial storm."
"Last time, it was the Qiongjiang God’s family collapsing."
"This time, it’s multiple Hua Shen Gods clashing."
"If their conflict escalates further, it’ll be a re-forging of Fengshui Dihuo—a sky collapse, an earth fall."
Zhang Yu frowned. "Re-forging Fengshui Dihuo?"
Fujie replied: "Ordinary cultivators fight by channeling their Martial Energy, moving it from the dantian to every part of their body."
"But Hua Shen don’t fight with just energy. Their strength? It’s stocks. Companies. Their vast assets and personnel. The Lingbi in your accounts."
"And every clash among Hua Shen damages investor confidence."
"Right now, the stock and currency markets are crashing—triggering a financial storm. That leads to margin calls, bankruptcies, turning people into ghosts. That’s the wind disaster."
...
On the streets, Divine Power flashes fell at random, disintegrating the physical bodies of bankrupt debtors and dragging their souls into the Deep Ling Realm.
On the Ling Realm Network, urgent alerts flashed:
[Storm Warning] Emergency! Financial Storm triggered by Hua Shen conflicts in the Top Ten League is expected to reach 1.8 magnitude. Localized debt recovery events are likely. Avoid group chats, minimize outings, and safeguard your account funds. Post-crisis, invest cautiously—do not believe rumors. —Wanfa University
...
Fujie continued: "Then comes the flood—unemployment waves."
"As Hua Shen mobilize their power, resources flood toward them. Projects stall, companies face cash flow crises, and layoffs follow."
"Once unemployment soars, massive waves of joblessness emerge—deepening poverty and pushing countless cultivators off the Xian Dao path, causing their cultivation to plummet."
...
On the 670th floor of a construction site, high-level graduation students surged forward to grab temporary work.
Xiao Qingxuan stared, bewildered. "Why are so many people rushing to this site for temporary jobs?"
He saw veteran graduates—some who had already built their own teams—now scrambling for odd jobs.
Seeing wages drop again and again, Xiao Qingxuan felt a strong urge to quit.
But thinking of his own graduation-to-unemployment fate, he clenched his teeth, submitting resumes and waiting outside the site—any job, just to survive.
"Our generation’s luck is terrible. This is the hardest graduation season ever."
...
Fujie sighed. "Then comes the earth disaster."
"Hua Shen drain Spirit Veins. Many civil engineering projects stall. Maintenance is neglected. Spirit Energy supply dwindles. Places with stable Spirit Energy see rents skyrocket. Shortages spread across the market."
...
Ji Yuanchi stepped out of his dormitory, backpack slung over his shoulder.
With rent suddenly skyrocketing, he had no choice but to leave.
Feeling the thinning air, the fading Spirit Energy, he headed underground—planning to sneak into Hilong Garden under the pretense of visiting graves to siphon its Spirit Vein energy.
On the way, he met Li Xiao. They walked together to the garden’s gate—only to find a line stretching endlessly into the horizon.
...
Fujie said: "Finally, the fire."
"As people go bankrupt, fall into poverty, and face Spirit Power shortages, social order collapses. Zheng Shen are forced to divert resources to maintain order."
"With more debt cases piling up, the core services of the Divine Power Network get squeezed."
"Crime rates explode. Gunfights, conflicts—everywhere."
"Darkness Seed Realm, the Dark Martial Energy Realm, Double Rest Cult, Yuhua Cult, Unemployed Cult—each rises like wildfire, spreading uncontrollably, setting the entire Heaven and Earth ablaze."
Hearing Fujie’s words, Zhang Yu could almost see the four disasters of Fengshui Dihuo—wind, flood, earth, fire—spiral together, feeding each other, turning the world into chaos.
"This… could it really be this bad?" Zhang Yu thought.
Fujie said: "If the Hua Shen keep ignoring it, it’ll only get worse."
"But they won’t ignore it forever."
"The fate of this world is shaped by the collective will of the high-level strong people. They can't afford to keep fighting—risking total bankruptcy."
"So our best move? Stay hidden. Stay quiet. Just survive this storm in peace and safety."
"Luckily, you’re not heavily in debt. You still have that 40 Lingbi monthly income. You’ll make it through."
"Just hold onto your Lingbi. Don’t do anything reckless."
(End of Chapter)
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