No Money To Cultivate Immortality? Chapter 541: Settlement - Novel Cool

Chapter 541: Settlement

(Thank you, 'Ye Jingtian', for your generous MVP donation)

As the Eye Armor reconnected to the Ling Realm, a flood of familiar information appeared before Zhang Yu’s eyes. He exhaled deeply, relief washing over him.

Having grown accustomed to the constant stream of data and real-time connectivity through his Eye Armor, the sudden darkness of being blind to everything—cut off from communication, unable to access any information—felt utterly alien and oppressive.

With the Ling Realm restored, University City began to reestablish order. The first thing Zhang Yu noticed was a cascade of divine light sweeping across the sky. Zheng Shen appeared in numbers and with efficiency he had never seen before, materializing relentlessly throughout every First Layer of the city.

Every now and then, he caught sight of a figure being torn apart by divine power—body disassembled, soul and spirit forcibly extracted.

Zhang Yu’s chest tightened. "Is the reckoning starting?"

He knew full well that after the Ling Realm collapse, the university leadership and the Zheng Shen would launch a full-scale investigation into the destruction, losses, and crimes committed during the chaos. With all the surveillance cameras back online, every recorded video would be scrutinized one by one. And countless people—possibly even many of his peers—had been swayed by the Cult of the Magic Sect. That would be a top priority for Wanfa University.

Zhang Yu thought: "There must be dozens, even hundreds, who secretly recorded the events using their Eye Armor. Now they’re probably flooding in reports with accusations."

As for the rest—repairing the city, compensating for lost materials, legal battles from the conflicts that erupted during the collapse—just imagining the administrative avalanche made Zhang Yu shudder. Wanfa University would be swamped for weeks.

Then, a series of files popped up in his Eye Armor. Messages from the Zheng Shen:

- Learn Anti-Magic Sect Knowledge!

- Why Do We Oppose the Magic Sect?

- In-Depth Analysis of the Evil Nature of the Yuhua Cult

- Righteousness Endures, Evil Cannot Last — Re-Evaluating the Social Plague of the Wuye Cult

- On the Dangers of the Wuye Cult

Reading through them, Zhang Yu felt a chill. "They’re in a hurry."

Suddenly, a beam of divine light descended from the sky, spreading outward like a wall of light, scanning every person in its path.

As individuals were hit by the beam, some remained unaffected. Others triggered alarms instantly, seized by golden hands and pinned to the ground.

Zhang Yu tensed, heart pounding. But he knew there was no escape. He stood still, accepting the scan.

The light passed over him. His Eye Armor displayed a prompt: Would you like to submit to Zheng Shen inspection?

Zhang Yu accepted without hesitation. His injuries had already been treated. His Eye Armor held nothing incriminating. All evidence from the Cult had long been erased.

Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and the others had prepared in advance—just like Xiao Qingxuan, who had already expelled her external elixir and retreated back to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Moments later, the scan ended. The light faded from around Zhang Yu.

"Phew…" He let out a breath, mentally relieved. "The basic check is over. Maybe a few follow-up questions, but we’re not targets. They’ll just go through the motions."

With the Ling Realm restored, a flood of delayed messages began pouring into his Eye Armor—messages sent during the Ling Realm hijacking, now finally delivered.

- Mo Ejin: Are you in your dorm?

- Zhang Pianpian: Ling Realm’s back! Message me!

- Zhao Tianxing: Why’d you all go offline?

- Ying Xin’s Grandfather: Can you see this? Wanfa’s Ling Realm is down?

Many of these messages came from Soul Cultivators within the Company. For them, the loss of Ling Realm connection meant the entire university had gone dark—like a massive chunk of reality had vanished.

For Zhao Tianxing, Che Yufei, Hu Yuntao, and others still struggling through economic hardship, nothing was more terrifying than waking up to find their boss’s avatar grayed out. Panic set in—was Zhang Yu dead? Was the Company collapsing?

Now that the Ling Realm was back, the messages poured in.

- Ciji Zhenjun: Come to the Laboratory. We’ll talk in person.

- Director Gao: Find your master immediately.

- Zhao Tianxing: Boss, you okay?

- Ye Xingli (Poor Man Simulator): Little brother, you alright?

Zhang Yu replied to a few urgent ones, then headed straight to the Laboratory.

Upon entering Ciji Zhenjun’s office, the room darkened instantly. Then, the figure of the Wuye Elder appeared, grinning as he said, "Ciji, is this your new disciple?"

Zhang Yu froze in shock.

Ciji Zhenjun spoke calmly, "Zhang Yu, this is the one I invited to welcome you into the sect."

Zhang Yu’s face twisted in horror. "Master, this can’t be! I can’t join the Cult!"

After several persistent prods, seeing Zhang Yu’s terror and refusal, Ciji Zhenjun finally dismissed the projection. With a faint, dry tone, she said, "Good. You’re smart."

Zhang Yu exhaled, trembling. "Master… was that a test? You nearly scared me to death."

Inside, he thought: "Phew… Good. From my past exchanges with the Evil Gods, I know you haven’t joined the Cult."

That confirmation eased his mind. He realized Ciji Zhenjun had simply been testing his loyalty.

Ciji Zhenjun studied him. "The two major Cults caused chaos across University City. Who knows how many were swayed? The higher-ups have decided on a full investigation. Someone will come to question you soon."

"If you’ve got anything to tell me, now’s the time. I’ll help you sort it out."

"I don’t want to hear about your problems from someone else’s mouth later."

Under her sharp gaze, Zhang Yu responded firmly: "Master, I swear—I never joined the Cult."

"After the Ling Realm went down, I went straight to the office district with Mo Ejin and the others."

"Then we got caught in a fight at the Jin Dan level. We were separated. I hid with classmates until the Ling Realm came back."

Seeing Zhang Yu deliver his rehearsed story flawlessly, Ciji Zhenjun smiled faintly, ruffling his head. "Good. It’s alright."

"Zhang Yu, I’m not distrustful of you. But the Cult is cunning, masters at manipulating hearts. I’m afraid you might’ve been tricked without realizing it."

"Remember—no matter what, you can always come to me. I’ll protect you. But if you wait until the Zheng Shen catch you, even I won’t be able to help."

Zhang Yu nodded, eyes filled with gratitude, absorbing every word.

But inside, he knew: "Half of what she said is true. For small matters, she’d stand by me. But if I told her about the Evil Gods… I don’t know what she’d do."

Ciji Zhenjun, meanwhile, recalled the Cult’s actions: "They were probing the Laboratory, attacking me and Tianzhang, then launching a full assault on the Research Division."

"Most likely, they were after the Hua Shen Spirit Armor experiment."

Which is why she had to check Zhang Yu—was he compromised?

She had other subordinates to question as well. She couldn’t afford any leaks that might derail her Hua Shen path.

Then, she frowned. A message had just arrived in her Eye Armor. Her expression darkened.

Zhang Yu, curious, asked, "Master? What’s wrong?"

Ciji Zhenjun smirked coldly. "You remember Feng Yuhao from the Research Division, right?"

Zhang Yu nodded.

"When the Cult attacked the Research Division, he fought alone against the Group Chat Demon. He held the line, protected vital assets. He earned major credit."

Zhang Yu’s mind raced. "Fought alone against the Group Chat Demon? So the Evil Gods really believed Fujie’s intel and sent forces after Feng Yuhao?"

"But was it real? Or was Feng Yuhao already under the Cult’s control, staging a performance?"

"Next time I go to Anling Realm, I’ll dig into this."

Not long after, Director Gao sent a message.

- Director Gao: You alright?

- Ciji Zhenjun: Nothing seems wrong so far. Keep observing.

- Director Gao: This whole ordeal has left everyone on edge. I don’t know how many have been taken over.

- Ciji Zhenjun: Probably already had Yuan Ying-level collaborators before this happened.

- Director Gao: Yuan Ying-level?

- Ciji Zhenjun: The Cult’s Divine Path techniques were advanced—surprising even two Hua Shen Gods were involved. But even so, without inside help, they couldn’t have hijacked both the inner and outer Ling Realms so easily.

- Director Gao: Who do you think it is?

- Ciji Zhenjun: Hard to say.

- Ciji Zhenjun: Best to stay cautious.

Director Gao stared at the message, sighing inwardly. He could almost see a shadowy figure, hidden in the darkness of University City, quietly plotting.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had just left the Laboratory when the Zheng Shen began their questioning.

Entering the Deep Ling Realm, he answered one question after another. As expected, he wasn’t a target. After a brief, routine inquiry, it was over.

Yu Xinghan, Shi Huaixu, Le Mulan, and Xiao Qingxuan all stuck to their story—saying they’d been together the whole time, corroborating each other. Everyone passed unscathed, breathing a collective sigh of relief.

But not everyone was so lucky.

Mo Ejin, who had been captured by a Jin Dan-level Cultist and later returned by security, became a person of interest—under close watch.

Su Yanyang, who had slept through the entire event in a cemetery, was suspected of Cult influence and sent to a detoxification program for anti-Cult training.

After the round of inspections, when rankings and scores were updated that night, Zhang Yu was surprised to see his Department Ranking had risen by one spot—now 38th.

Zhang Yu mused: "Who’s the one in front of me? Did they die during the Ling Realm collapse? Or were they caught later by the Zheng Shen?"

He wasn’t alone. All the students who’d survived the ordeal saw their rankings rise—slightly, but noticeably.

It was as if the ordeal had been a trial by fire. Those who remained now felt their Xian Dao path had widened, clearer than before.

Meanwhile, as Wanfa University began cleaning up the aftermath, the Top Ten League on the other side reached its final chapter.

(End of Chapter)

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