Chapter 404: Immortal Destiny

Chapter 404: Immortal Destiny

Just as Su Yanyang was contemplating the competition for his military certification, a message flickered across his ocular implant.

"Su Yanyang! When are you going to pay up?"

"You hired a soul cultivator and didn't pay; do you really think you can just welch on the debt?"

Simultaneously, this debt-collection notice did not merely light up Su Yanyang’s own vision; it manifested in the ocular implants of those around him, causing the gazes of the many civil engineering students toward him to shift instantly.

Su Yanyang calmly swallowed a mouthful of rice and thought to himself, "A debt-collection talisman, is it?"

Beside him, Ma Xuan could not help but say, "Senior, wouldn't it be better to just pay them back?"

"If you keep getting hit with these debt-collection talismans, your reputation among the others will only continue to plummet. That can't be good for your academic prospects, can it?"

Su Yanyang replied indifferently, "I hired those soul cultivators to complete a task for me. Since they failed to finish the work, why should I pay them?"

"Let them collect, let them sue—it makes no difference to me."

"If they can actually manage to squeeze the money out of me in the end, then I suppose that’s their own capability."

In Su Yanyang’s view, avoiding the loss of spirit coins and conserving one’s own potential as much as possible on the path of immortality were mandatory lessons in the cultivation of the Dao.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Xiao Yunjie pressed a needle against her neck. As the medicine slowly infused into her, she felt the stinging pain in her meridians gradually subside.

After checking that the synchronization rate of her Dharma skeleton had returned to normal, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

At this moment, she lacked the multi-armed, monstrous appearance she had worn in the arena; her Dharma skeleton shimmered with a metallic luster, making her look like any other ordinary university student.

Xiao Yunjie thought to herself, "Though the transformable Dharma skeleton is powerful, its synchronization rate is far too easy to degrade."

"Once I pass the military certification exam, I should replace this set."

Her gaze swept over Su Yanyang and another civil engineering student. "Su Yanyang, and Ping Han of the War Faction—these two should be my greatest rivals in the upcoming military certification exam."

"Especially Ping Han. As a teammate of Mo Shangjin’s competition squad, this guy is a year older than Mo Shangjin; he’s already in his ninth year and has long since gathered his Seven Absolutes."

"If not for his repeated failures in coin speculation, he likely would have earned his military certification long ago."

As for Zhang Yu? Xiao Yunjie naturally did not give a second thought to the junior she had chased all over the arena.

Just as Xiao Yunjie’s gaze passed over the student named Ping Han, the man had already arrived at Zhang Yu’s side.

Zhang Yu turned his head to look at the senior clad in a set of "Extreme Tiger" brand Dharma skeleton, then curiously glanced at the "4th in Civil Engineering" ranking hovering above his head.

"The 4th in Civil Engineering is actually using Extreme Tiger?"

Although Zhang Yu’s research into the various brands of Dharma skeletons was not particularly deep, he often heard Yu Xinghan, Li Xiao, Gongshu Jin, and others critique the different makes.

He knew that Extreme Tiger was a standard "sinking" brand—a fashion statement for junior college students and a savior for first-year students—defined primarily by being cheap and durable.

Yu Xinghan’s assessment was: If you use Extreme Tiger at Wanfa University, you are destined to spend a failed university career.

But Zhang Yu recognized the Ping Han before him, or rather, he had seen his performance in the competition arena.

"He wasn't using this set of Dharma skeleton in the arena, was he?"

"Then he must use the Extreme Tiger for daily life and only switch to his key equipment at critical moments."

Just as Zhang Yu was pondering this, Ping Han grinned at him and said, "Junior Zhang Yu, are you wondering why I’m using the Extreme Tiger brand?"

"Are you thinking... that since I used a different set of Dharma skeleton in the arena, I must use the Extreme Tiger for daily wear and only switch to the good stuff when it counts?"

Ping Han shook his head and said, "In truth, I only have this one set of Extreme Tiger Dharma skeleton. During the competition, it was my teammates who lent me their spare sets."

"Actually, I used to own a set of Tian Gong Dharma skeleton, but I sold it all."

A sharp glint flashed in Ping Han’s eyes as he said earnestly, "Because I realized one thing: rather than spending money on Dharma skeleton, it is better to spend it on coin speculation."

"I currently have some inside information regarding the Joyous University Nectar Coin. Do you have any interest in investing?"

Zhang Yu shook his head repeatedly. "I don't speculate in coins."

"You don't speculate?" Ping Han looked pained upon hearing this. "You’re a university student—if you don't speculate in coins, how do you expect to cultivate immortality?"

"Are you actually counting on working a job to cultivate?"

Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback; that was, in fact, exactly what he had been thinking.

Seeing Zhang Yu’s silence, Ping Han shook his head repeatedly. "We work ourselves to the bone on construction sites, but how much can we earn in a year? Aside from extending our lifespans so we can work even longer, that money can never help us break through our cultivation realm."

"I have studied the biographies of cultivators who achieved Golden Core and Nascent Soul over the past fifty years."

"Not a single one of them broke through their realm by working a job."

"Every one of them—remember, every single one—was either already wealthy upon enrollment, or they struck it rich in a short period of time, and only then did they break through."

Ping Han looked at Zhang Yu with a serious expression. "Junior Zhang Yu, the potential for the Immortal Dao is never accumulated; true, profound potential always comes from explosive growth."

"In this era, if you rely solely on working, you will never achieve Golden Core." "It is better to speculate in coins directly. If you win, you charge toward Golden Core and Nascent Soul; if you lose, you don't have to waste time cultivating anyway."

"Whether you become an immortal or a ghost, you’ll know in a few years. Isn't that much more reliable than working for a hundred years like a drudge, only to realize you have no hope and regret not speculating when you were young?"

Fu Ji sighed at this, "Another one who has gone mad with cultivation. He must have lost a fortune speculating, passing all his own Immortal Dao potential on to the Transformation Gods."

Zhang Yu said helplessly, "I think I’ll pass... I still want to work."

"Sigh." Ping Han exhaled. "You don't understand. Speculating in coins at least offers a possibility of winning; working... working will never lead to a breakthrough."

"There is no hope... no hope at all."

"Since you don't want to chase your Immortal Destiny, do you have any spirit coins you could lend me?"

Zhang Yu refused him once more, and watched as Ping Han sighed and walked away.

Just then, a message appeared in Zhang Yu’s ocular implant.

Mo Shangjin: You were right not to lend him money.

Zhang Yu looked up and found that Mo Shangjin had arrived at the scene at some point, chatting away while surrounded by a crowd of students.

Seeming to sense Zhang Yu’s gaze, he smiled slightly and nodded at him from afar.

Mo Shangjin: The first time Ping Han speculated in coins, he made 50 spirit coins.

Mo Shangjin: Ever since then, he has been addicted to it.

Mo Shangjin: After losing a great deal, he asked Teacher Gao to lend him 10 spirit coins.

Mo Shangjin: Teacher Gao told him he had no talent for speculation, advised him to stop, and refused to lend him the money.

Mo Shangjin: As it turned out, the coin Ping Han wanted to buy skyrocketed. If he had possessed those 10 spirit coins to buy it at the time, it is said he would have made over 400 spirit coins.

Mo Shangjin: Since then, he has been obsessed, and no one can stop him.

Mo Shangjin: This matter has become a heart-demon on his path to immortality. If he asks you for money again, you must not lend it to him.

Listening to Mo Shangjin’s story, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "So that’s how it is? If I had missed out on a profit of over 400 spirit coins, I’m afraid I wouldn't be able to move past it for a long time either."

Fu Ji commented, "Cultivation is just like that. There are too many heart-demons to encounter along the way. Only by forging a round, flawless Dao heart, undisturbed by external demons, can one ascend step by step."

Just then, another senior from the civil engineering department came over to toast Zhang Yu with food. Zhang Yu snapped back to reality and immediately resumed his meal, feeling waves of potent essence surging into his body with every bite.

Not far away, Feng Tingting watched Zhang Yu, who was eating heartily amidst the clatter of bowls. She thought to herself, "A food intake of 12.75 is quite large; he’s excellent material for refining tools... I wonder if he’s for sale?"

Looking at the "12.75" she had marked above Zhang Yu’s head, Feng Tingting felt that he likely didn't have much money, and it might be worth asking.

Just as Feng Tingting was thinking this, she saw sword light flickering repeatedly around Zhang Yu.

"Is this... someone forcing a call to him via a sound-transmission talisman? Those things are exorbitantly expensive; who could be using one?"

"12.75 likely hasn't prepared any countermeasures, so unless he remains offline, he has no choice but to watch the other party descend."

The next moment, the flickering sword light suddenly coalesced, manifesting as the figure of Wen Wuyai, who appeared directly before Zhang Yu.

Wen Wuyai watched Zhang Yu, who was busy devouring his meal, and finally understood why the other man had been so slow to reply to his messages.

He gestured with his hand, instantly activating a silence talisman, and then asked Zhang Yu: "I tried to broach the subject of dual cultivation with Bai Zhenzhen, but after only a few sentences, she started avoiding me whenever she sees me. Do you have any ideas? I'm in a hurry."

Zhang Yu rubbed his head, feeling a bit lightheaded from his meal, and looked at Wen Wuyai with resignation, thinking it was fortunate that Bai Zhenzhen had access to Heavenly Sword University's countermeasures last time, or this guy would truly be insufferable.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment before saying: "Ah Zhen likes men who have been sterilized."

"In her view, only a man who has been sterilized possesses the true resolve for the Dao and exudes real masculinity."

Wen Wuyai mused: "It's that simple? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Just then, Wen Wuyai’s gaze flickered, and he suddenly looked toward Feng Tingting.

Feng Tingting had felt a jolt of surprise the moment Wen Wuyai appeared.

She had watched the Flying Sword Tournament a while back and recognized him as a Soul Formation disciple from Heavenly Sword University.

Seeing him go to the lengths of a forced projection just to contact Zhang Yu instantly piqued her intense curiosity.

She activated her ocular implants, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation hidden beneath the silence talisman.

However, the talisman was clearly of a high grade; despite her best efforts, she could only catch intermittent fragments: "I... dual cultivation... you... very urgent."

Staring at the disjointed words flickering across her vision, Feng Tingting’s pupils dilated in shock as she stared at Zhang Yu: "Could it be?"

"Is this Zhang Yu actually the dual cultivation partner of a Soul Formation disciple?"

"How did he stumble upon such a monumental celestial fortune?"

But in the next heartbeat, she saw Wen Wuyai turn his head, his expression turning murderous as he glared at her.

"Eavesdropping on me?"

"You have some nerve."

Wen Wuyai reached out with one hand, and to Feng Tingting’s horror, she watched as the text projected on her implants was snatched away by him, crushed into dust, and vanished into nothingness.

(End of chapter)