Chapter 367: Affection Only Exists with Money

Chapter 367: Affection Only Follows Wealth

After Zhang Yu obtained the Divine Spirit Root from Bai Zhenzhen, he spent a vast amount of time circulating his level-20 cultivation technique to nourish the root within his dantian.

As he nurtured the Divine Spirit Root, his own body was continuously reinforced by its presence.

This reinforcement was a legacy of Bai Zhenzhen’s own cultivation, a hardening process the root had undergone after adapting to her body over a long period.

As this influence permeated Zhang Yu’s physique, he felt his reaction time, cognitive speed, mana circulation, and the mobilization of his aura all reach new heights.

Yet, Zhang Yu understood clearly: "The time the Divine Spirit Root spends in my body is far too short; these gains are minuscule."

"To truly reap the immense benefits of the Divine Spirit Root, I must replicate the Dao Seed, allowing me to wield this Green Lotus Sword Embryo long after Ah Zhen has departed."

Back in high school, although Zhang Yu knew the power of the Divine Spirit Root, he had never harbored such ambitions.

He knew the root belonged to Bai Zhenzhen, and after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he would have to focus on his own innate root.

Especially after Bai Zhenzhen was taken as a disciple by the Seven Emotions Divine Lord, Zhang Yu had abandoned all such thoughts.

But now, on one hand, he had unlocked the Dao Seed Catalog, enabling him to replicate her Green Lotus Sword Embryo.

On the other hand, the Divine Spirit Root possessed such miraculous utility that it could suppress his own Sea of Qi root and take its place.

Thus, Zhang Yu steeled his resolve.

"I must hurry. Before Ah Zhen leaves the Ten Thousand Laws University... I must successfully replicate the Dao Seed."

"Otherwise, who knows how long it will take before I see her again."

To achieve this, beyond his own circulation of the level-20 technique for three hundred hours to nourish the root, the most critical task was to return the Divine Spirit Root to Bai Zhenzhen safely and secretly every single time.

"It must never be discovered."

With this thought, Zhang Yu intensified his movements, pushing the Divine Spirit Root deep into Bai Zhenzhen’s dantian.

"Mmm..." Bai Zhenzhen could not help but close her eyes, a long, soft sound escaping her throat.

In that moment, she felt a tingling sensation from head to toe.

It was the reinforcement the root had gained while adapting to Zhang Yu’s body, now feeding back into her own.

Her stamina, endurance, bone density, and even her physical resistance were all growing, albeit at a glacial pace.

However, because the root had not stayed in Zhang Yu’s body long enough, the stimulation was far less intense than what he had experienced.

A moment later, Bai Zhenzhen exhaled. Though still slightly uncomfortable, she felt it no longer hindered her movements.

Zhang Yu said, "Go back quickly, Ah Zhen. Don't let anyone find out."

Bai Zhenzhen nodded. "I’m leaving then."

With a flicker, her figure vanished entirely from Zhang Yu’s sight.

Zhang Yu thought to himself: "Ah Zhen’s stealth capabilities are becoming increasingly terrifying under the blessing of the Divine Spirit Root."

But having obtained the root, Zhang Yu was too busy nourishing it to delve deeply into these hidden abilities.

He mused: "The priority is to replicate the Dao Seed. As for the various powers of the Divine Spirit Root, there will be plenty of time to study them later."

Just as Zhang Yu was sneaking away from the 66th floor, Fu Ji reminded him: "Zhang Yu, find a time to perform the ritual for Bai Zhenzhen."

"Enhance her potential, and while you're at it, install the new monitoring and anti-monitoring rituals on her as well."

Zhang Yu nodded and agreed.

...

Outside the guest quarters of the Heavenly Sword team.

A young man frowned, a look of confusion crossing his face: "Where did Bai Zhenzhen go?"

The youth was Wen Wuyai, a core member sent by Heavenly Sword University, hailing from the 10th layer of the Kunxu Realm.

He had come to find Bai Zhenzhen to head to the arena together, only to find her room empty.

He tried to contact her, receiving only a "coming soon" response.

Wen Wuyai attempted to send a communication request, but was rejected time and again.

He sighed inwardly: "Does Bai Zhenzhen still not trust me?"

Wen Wuyai recalled the first time he saw her a year and a half ago. The Divine Spirit Root within her, combined with her status as a disciple of a Divine Lord, had deeply captivated him—and drawn the Divine Spirit Root within his own dantian.

At the time, he had wanted to throw money at her, to engage in dual cultivation with this girl who possessed the Divine Spirit Root.

Just as Wen Wuyai planned to transfer 30 spirit coins, followed by one coin for every sentence spoken... the Seven Emotions Divine Lord stopped him.

The Divine Lord made a pact with Wen Wuyai: he must earn Bai Zhenzhen’s deep affection without relying on money to gain the chance for dual cultivation.

"Earn deep affection?"

"But without throwing money, where does affection come from?"

Wen Wuyai found the conditions set by the Seven Emotions Divine Lord incomprehensible.

In his view, affection only followed wealth; the more one spent, the deeper the bond.

"Hasn't the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao always been about buying affection?"

"Affection without spending? Is he asking me to refund transfers? To take back gifts?" "Isn't that fraud?"

In Wen Wuyai’s worldview, a master who wouldn't invest in his disciple was no master, and a disciple who wouldn't make money for her master was no disciple.

As for families, it went without saying: in a clan with deep ties, every descendant was bound from birth by debt, a relationship that forged a deep, lifelong bond.

"Affection is money. To tell me not to spend..."

Unable to grasp this, Wen Wuyai followed the Divine Lord’s guidance and pored over ancient texts and data on the poor, finally learning of such matters.

"In the ancient Kunxu, immortal technology was underdeveloped, the economy was stagnant, and currency liquidity was insufficient. Many people back then used methods that didn't cost money to maintain groups..."

"Even today, many poor people, lacking funds, still use those backward methods to maintain relationships."

Wen Wuyai sighed: "Because ancient Kunxu was barbaric and lacked financial tools, and people lacked trust in one another, it was filled with people trying to get things done without spending, leading to rampant scams."

"These poor people today, instead of focusing on making money, are still using such tricks."

Though he didn't know why the Seven Emotions Divine Lord wanted him to do this, Wen Wuyai followed the ancient texts, trying to improve his relationship with Bai Zhenzhen without spending a cent.

For instance, greeting her daily, asking what she had eaten.

Or spending time in the same space within a fixed range.

Or praising her various traits—though Wen Wuyai’s summary of her traits was that her Divine Spirit Root was well-developed, her teacher was wealthy, her hair was valuable, and her loan limit was high...

There were many other scripts, tactics, and tricks learned from the texts...

But after a year and a half, Wen Wuyai found he had failed.

After all, Bai Zhenzhen’s replies rarely exceeded five characters, she had never transferred money to him, never spent a cent on him, and never stood within two meters of him... no matter how one looked at it, no affection had blossomed.

"Indeed, how could these backward, impoverished methods ever succeed with a disciple of a Divine Lord like Bai Zhenzhen?"

Just as he sighed, a familiar figure appeared before him—it was Bai Zhenzhen.

"Zhenzhen, you’re back?"

Wen Wuyuan reined in his wandering thoughts, a flawless smile blooming across his face as he greeted Bai Zhenzhen with his customary ease: "Where have you been? I couldn't find you anywhere; I was worried sick."

Bai Zhenzhen looked at the man before her, yet felt only a creeping chill settle deep within her heart.

From him, she sensed something akin to the aura of President Wang Yin—a quality that felt distinctly, unsettlingly inhuman.

In fact, this sense of otherness radiating from him was even more potent than what she had felt from Wang Yin.

Every time he showered her with such performative affection, it only left her skin crawling with discomfort.

Yet, there was one way in which he differed from Wang Yin...

"This guy hasn't even offered to transfer a single spirit coin."

"Trash."

Hearing Wen Wuyuan’s solicitous inquiry, Bai Zhenzhen replied with feigned indifference: "Just wandering about, warming up."

Suddenly, her brow furrowed, and her right hand instinctively pressed against her lower abdomen.

A sudden, discordant throb from her Divine Spirit Root had tugged at her dantian and meridians, sending a sharp, stinging pain through her frame.

Noticing her movement, Wen Wuyuan asked with concern: "Zhenzhen, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

Clutching her stomach, Bai Zhenzhen replied: "It’s nothing, I just bumped into something while warming up."

Wen Wuyuan asked: "Would you like me to fetch you some painkillers?"

Bai Zhenzhen waved him off: "No need, it will pass in a moment."

"Let’s go, the competition is about to begin."

...

On the construction site of the 667th floor.

Yu Xinghan noticed that Zhang Yu had returned, as if he had never left.

Watching Zhang Yu’s refreshed and invigorated demeanor after returning the Divine Spirit Root, Yu Xinghan felt a sense of familiarity.

A moment later, a smile curled his lips: "So that’s it, you went to blow off some steam, didn't you?"

Just then, the first round of the Flying Sword Tournament officially commenced, instantly capturing the attention of countless spectators, Yu Xinghan included.

Yu Xinghan, Ying Xin, and Zhang Yu continued their overtime work on the site while watching the live broadcast through their Dharma remains.

The venue for the first match was not within the Myriad Dharma University City, but situated tens of thousands of meters high in the sky.

Contestants from various representative teams stood upon platforms suspended amidst the gale, tasked with striking targets eighty kilometers away using their flying swords.

Ying Xin sighed with emotion: "To strike a target from eighty kilometers away, there isn't a single pauper among those competing in this event."

Zhang Yu knew that the Heavenly Sword Sect had deployed eighty-four thousand Sky-Patrol swords on the second level, constructing a spiritual network that blanketed the entire Kunxu realm, which alone allowed for such long-range, beyond-visual-range strikes.

"But how are the other sects managing it?"

(End of this chapter)