No Money to Cultivate Immortality? - Chapter 831 (Patreon)

Chapter 831: Storms Gather From Every Direction

Deep within the Spiritual Realm.

In a clean, tidy room, Ying Aikun’s thoughts drifted through countless streams of Spiritual Realm information, browsing the messages flooding in.

Not long after he had proposed the terms of a transaction to the Heavenly Court, Ying Aikun had “choked to death” by accident while taking medicine. He had then been converted into the state of a Soul Cultivator and placed under the Heavenly Court’s constant surveillance.

After his death, Ying Aikun instead calmed down. He knew that in order to topple the Taizhen Immortal Clan and deal with Taizhen Immortal, the Heavenly Court would certainly do everything it could to protect him.

As a Soul Cultivator, he remained in the Spiritual Realm, the Heavenly Court’s own territory, under the protection of layer upon layer of high-level Righteous Gods. Even if an immortal wanted to deal with him, they would face many restrictions. It was absolutely no easy matter.

And if the Heavenly Court wanted to deal with Taizhen Immortal, that was definitely not something that could be settled with a mere one or two conflicts.

“This time is only the beginning. There’s plenty more fighting to come.”

“Unless Taizhen Immortal attains the position of Immortal Emperor, or falls and dies, or else... takes her own Dao tradition and places it under a certain Immortal Emperor, completely giving up her chance to challenge the Immortal Emperor realm, this struggle probably won’t end.”

Ying Aikun estimated that this would be quite a long period of time. It might last more than ten years, or even several decades, perhaps a century.

And during that period, as long as he still had value, he would remain under the Heavenly Court’s protection.

As thoughts churned back and forth in his mind, Ying Aikun’s gaze swept once more across the news about Zhang Yu.

“Kunxu Hero...”

Ying Aikun let out a bitter laugh. In his mind, he seemed to recall the first time he had seen Zhang Yu in the office building of the Ghost Letter Department.

Back then, in his eyes, Zhang Yu had been nothing more than an ant he could crush to death with a casual hand, a lowly sect affairs officer from the lower livestock sect, not worth mentioning.

Yet he had never imagined that ever since he became Zhang Yu’s enemy, he would suffer one setback after another. Later, not only had his incarnation been shattered when Zhang Yu drove an immortal shuttle into it, he had even been defeated by Zhang Yu using Ying Xintian’s inheritance.

And now, Zhang Yu had become the much-sought-after Kunxu Hero, while he had become a damp, shadowy Soul Cultivator with a worrying future.

In just a few short months, everything had completely changed. He had fallen into the mire while the other party had stepped onto the clouds. Their positions had been utterly reversed.

Ying Aikun’s mood had originally calmed for the moment, until he saw Zhao Tianxing’s interview...

“No... a Soul Cultivator brought up from the lower realm? What the hell is Vocational College? That works too?”

“This is too much. Now even a Soul Cultivator from Zhang Yu’s household has to be pushed onto the stage by you people?”

“Even back when I was still a member of an Immortal Clan, we didn’t play things like this.”

At that moment, Ying Aikun could not help lamenting inwardly, “Too dark. The sky over Kunxu is far too dark.”

Over these past days, Ying Aikun had repeatedly gone over the course of the entire matter. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the whole situation was filled with traces of hidden hands behind the scenes.

“This is a setup. Whether it’s me, Zhang Yu, or even Su Lingyou... all of us were pushed into the game, ultimately putting on this grand show.”

“The goal was to deal with the Taizhen Immortal Clan, restrain Taizhen Immortal, and even push forward Kunxu’s reforms.”

“Whether it’s my current end or Zhang Yu being held up at the crest of the wave, we’re merely being swept along by the great tides of the era...”

“We... are all nothing more than chess pieces of those above.”

“Zhang Yu, your current position may look infinitely glorious, but it’s also infinitely dangerous. Since ancient times, when Kunxu undergoes reform, how many of those who charge at the front can preserve themselves? How long can you last?”

Ying Aikun suddenly began to laugh. “Then keep lifting him up. Lift him up, hahahaha... The higher they lift you now, the harder you’ll fall when they no longer need you in the future.”

“I’ll be waiting to see how you end up.”

…

Inside the Heavenly Demon Sect.

“The Taizhen Immortal Clan suffered a severe blow this time. Everyone is in danger. From now on, their status among the Ten Major Sects will probably plummet.”

“Good thing I’m no longer a cultivator of the Taizhen Immortal Clan’s faction.”

Looking at the news reports of Taizhen Immortal Clan members losing everything one after another, Su Lingyou felt a wave of relief in her heart.

But when she saw the related reports about Zhang Yu and his lower-realm friends, Su Lingyou felt no jealousy or envy at all. There was not even much fluctuation in her thoughts.

In Su Lingyou’s view, compared to Zhang Yu, who was now a conspicuous tree standing above the forest and drawing gazes from every direction, she was actually the one who had become the greatest winner among all the chess pieces in this incident.

“Jumping from that broken ship of that old thief Taizhen to Reincarnation Immortal Emperor’s side is, to me, like being reborn.”

In such a major crisis, she had seized the opportunity to move from an immortal’s service to an Immortal Emperor’s service. In Su Lingyou’s view, this was completely a blessing in disguise, and a tremendous blessing at that.

“Originally, by following the Taizhen faction, I was basically about to reach the upper limit of the rank I could attain.”

“But now that I’ve entered Reincarnation Immortal Emperor’s service, the sky and sea have opened wide. In the future, even ascending to immortality might not be impossible.”

In contrast, in Su Lingyou’s eyes, Zhang Yu had attracted far too much attention. There was the suspicion that he was being praised in order to be destroyed.

Moreover, after he went to the development zone to serve as vice chair of the Management Committee, he would be involving himself in fierce entanglements of interests with the lowly status of a rank-four sect affairs officer and the low cultivation of the Nascent Soul realm. His future probably did not bode well. It was far less worthwhile than quietly switching allegiances as she had done.

Su Lingyou’s greatest expectation now was to quickly find an opportunity to work for Reincarnation Immortal Emperor. Ideally, she would accomplish something and prove her loyalty, ability, and value to him.

But ever since she had returned to the Heavenly Demon Sect, no tasks had been assigned to Su Lingyou over these past days, which made her faintly anxious.

So during these days, Su Lingyou contacted Kuang Tianqing every day.

Although the other party was only rank four, he was a reincarnated cultivator. The fact that he could continue becoming a member of the Reincarnation Group meant, in Su Lingyou’s view, that he was definitely a veteran with deep qualifications and not to be underestimated.

Su Lingyou: Busy? Ten thousand immortal coins.

Kuang Tianqing looked at this rank-seven sect affairs officer, a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, being so polite to him and once again sending a red envelope. He could not help approving inwardly. “This Su Lingyou is a loyal one.”

The other party has received the payment.

Kuang Tianqing: I know you’re anxious, but there’s no need to rush. Your task will arrive soon.

A sharp light flashed in Su Lingyou’s eyes. She replied: Would Senior be able to reveal a little?

Seeing that Su Lingyou, a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, was even calling him Senior, Kuang Tianqing, who had yet to break through to Nascent Soul and was still at the Gold Core realm, could not help sighing. “The atmosphere in this new era of Kunxu does have some good points.”

Kuang Tianqing: Next, the higher-ups will send you to Old Days Graveyard and let you perform meritorious service to offset your crimes.

Hearing the words “perform meritorious service to offset your crimes,” Su Lingyou’s gaze abruptly narrowed. She replied: What task would it be?

Kuang Tianqing: This time, you are to assist in the reconstruction and resumption of production in the Old Days Graveyard development zone, especially by vigorously promoting the development of the Soul Cultivator industry.

Kuang Tianqing: The reconstruction of the development zone concerns the future of the Soul Cultivator industry, involves interest disputes among several major sect enterprises in Old Days Graveyard, and also concerns conflicts among the Dao traditions of various factions. The struggles within are intricate and complicated. You must handle them carefully.

Kuang Tianqing: In short, money... the sect must earn it. Industry... the sect must also restore it.

Looking at the messages Kuang Tianqing had sent, Su Lingyou’s gaze shifted slightly. She thought to herself, “Promoting the recovery of the Soul Cultivator industry in the Old Days Graveyard development zone? That’s right. Using Soul Cultivators as Kunxu’s necessary consumables, constantly cycling through death and rebirth between life and death—that is what aligns with the interests of our Reincarnation Group.”

“Looking at it this way... Zhang Yu, as vice chair of the Management Committee, can actually be of help to me.”

After thinking it over briefly, Su Lingyou immediately understood that before she realized it, she and Zhang Yu had already ended up on the same side.

As for their past conflicts, Su Lingyou considered them not worth mentioning.

In Kunxu, everyone became enemies for the sake of profit, then joined forces for the sake of profit. One moment someone killed your whole family, and the next moment they were family to you. Things like that were perfectly normal.

“It’s just that he’s probably surrounded by danger now, walking on thin ice...”

…

Inside the Ghost Letter Department office in Old Days Graveyard.

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. “This development zone may be small, but it has everything. Public security, land, finance... all the way to the appointment and dismissal of sect affairs officers. The Management Committee can decide almost all of it.”

Zhanxian said, “This place is like a tiny state within a state. Although the area isn’t large, the Management Committee’s authority covers an extremely wide range, and the situation is complicated and chaotic. Governing this place well requires considerable skill and ability.”

“But if you can produce results in this position, that will also display your ability and prove that you have the qualifications to become part of Kunxu’s ruling class.”

“But if you carelessly cause problems, then the result may be losing everything you own.”

Fu Ji said nervously yet expectantly, “This is a kind of tempering, and even more of a test, right? Hehe, a test given to us by Ying Xintian’s immortal lineages.”

Zhang Yu understood that although Ying Xintian had, in the previous incident, essentially introduced him to the immortal lineages above, that did not mean that after Ying Xintian introduced him, the immortals above would definitely support Zhang Yu with all their strength and invest resources fully into cultivating him.

He likewise needed to prove his value and his ability before he could obtain their investment.

For example, he had obtained the inheritance left behind by Ying Xintian, then taken the initiative when facing the Taizhen Immortal Clan, displaying his value and proving his attitude and courage.

Thus, he had been granted the legitimacy of possessing an immortal’s inheritance, then thrown into the position of vice chair of the Management Committee.

And this was another layer of tempering and testing.

If he could successfully produce results in this position, the immortals above would probably give him an opportunity to challenge the Refinement Void realm, then throw him into an even harder, even more arduous position.

Zhang Yu thought, “Maybe they’ll just make me break through one trial after another like this until I fail, proving that my potential has reached its limit.”

At that moment, Zhang Yu felt as if he had been thrown by immortals into an alchemy furnace, to be forged and refined through countless hammer blows...

Zhanxian analyzed, “The situation in the development zone is complicated. First of all, the industries inside the Labyrinth Realm originally belonged to various enterprises. These enterprises belong to different sects, and among them there are plenty of competitive and hostile relationships. All of them need to be reconciled one by one.”

“What’s even more troublesome is that the Soul Cultivator industry doesn’t only concern itself. It also concerns the Artifact Spirit industry, which is currently developing with tremendous momentum.”

“Once the High-Intelligence Artifact Spirits decide to make a move, the development zone will be dragged into the struggles among various Dao traditions.”

“There’s another troublesome matter, which is the position of vice chair of the Management Committee. Usually, only rank-six sect affairs officers and Refinement Void cultivators can serve in that role. Our current rank and cultivation are both too low to convince the masses. Add to that our identity as lower-realm cultivators, and I’m afraid there will be no small amount of obstruction in our daily work...”

As Zhang Yu listened, he nodded and said, “That’s why I want to transfer over a batch of my own people.”

“Yu Xinghan and Senior Sister can be trusted, but their strength is still somewhat lacking.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes shifted, and a notification had already appeared before him.

His previous application to transfer over the three lower-realm Nascent Soul cultivators, Magneto, Aoki, and Yinquan, had been approved.

There was no need to say much about Magneto and Aoki. Both of them had been Zhang Yu’s teachers in university, and they had fought side by side with him through life and death.

During the university war, they had even entrusted their lives and fortunes to him. They were people who could absolutely be trusted.

As for Cultivator Yinquan, in Zhang Yu’s view, the other party had Wang Yin’s connection, and in their previous contact, he had also been a Nascent Soul cultivator who was relatively easy to communicate with.

So Zhang Yu had transferred Yinquan over in order to make an attempt.

“If there’s no problem with Yinquan, I’ll transfer over all the Nascent Soul cultivators currently being trained at the other universities to help me.”

At this moment, seeing this notification, Zhang Yu also let out a slight breath of relief.

Originally, he had been worried that apart from Magneto and Aoki, the two cultivators from Myriad Laws Sect University, there might be some problem in mobilizing Yinquan, a cultivator from Netherworld University.

But now, it seemed that there were no major obstacles from the schools or sects when it came to the use of outsourcing.

And with these three Nascent Soul helpers, once the time came, he could grant them a portion of his own authority, further expanding his influence over the development zone and his ability to manage it. All of this was the premise for the success he needed to obtain next.

Zhang Yu understood. “The immortals above want to temper me and test me, but what they need... isn’t just a Kunxu cultivator who can earn benefits, not an existence like the overwhelming majority of Kunxu cultivators, endlessly squeezing those below.”

Recalling the process by which he had obtained Ying Xintian’s inheritance, Zhang Yu thought, “Brother Dao’s immortal lineages want someone who can handle matters beautifully while also conforming to their ideals.”

Looking at all the reports about how he had climbed from the first floor to his current position, Zhang Yu understood that he had already been shaped into a banner representing reform. Therefore, the way he acted also had to conform to that ideal.

…

Inside the training academy.

In the outsourcing Nascent Soul training group, several Nascent Soul cultivators were discussing matters related to Magneto and Zhang Yu.

One person said: This Magneto now grabs anyone she sees and starts talking about her disciple Zhang Yu.

Another person said: If you didn’t know better, you’d think Zhang Yu was promoted by her. Zhang Yu barely even came to see Magneto. I’d say their relationship is just average.

Someone else said: She’s just Zhang Yu’s university teacher, that’s all. What does Zhang Yu climbing so high have to do with her? In my opinion, she’s just like the previous rumors said: a nominal master holding the title on someone else’s behalf. Zhang Yu’s real inheritance still comes from some big shot in the sect.

These words immediately drew responses from many outsourced Nascent Soul cultivators in the group, and they all began guessing who Zhang Yu’s real master was.

Just then, someone posted a picture of Magneto, Aoki, and Yinquan, saying: The three of them have been transferred away!

Someone immediately asked: Transferred where?

The person who posted the picture said: I heard they were transferred to Old Days Graveyard’s development zone to help Divine Lord Zhang.

Hearing this, someone immediately said with envy: A disciple who’s made a name for himself can actually turn back around and hire his own teacher. Looks like Magneto and the others really do have a good relationship with Zhang Yu.

The Nascent Soul cultivators who had just been questioning Magneto all stopped talking. They even all walked out of the room and looked in the direction where the three of them had departed.

In the eyes of these outsourced Nascent Soul cultivators, most of whom came from the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors, after a disciple surpassed their master, the disciple could still turn back around and hire the master, becoming the master’s superior. That was a fine tale of deep master-disciple affection.

And if such a thing happened within the sect layers, with a disciple providing their outsourced master a decent job, that was even better.

Clearly, in their view, the work of rebuilding the development zone was a good job that had drawn the sect’s attention, a place where it would be easy to earn money and easy to produce results.

At the same time, at the academy gate.

Divine Lord Nie Lian of Heavenly Demon University, Divine Lord Zhipan of Vajra University, and several other Nascent Soul cultivators from the other Ten Great Academies had all come to see Magneto and the others off.

Divine Lord Nie Lian pressed her lips together and said, “Magneto, remember to ask Zhang Yu for us whether he has any work he can arrange for us too. You know our strength. We definitely won’t delay his task, and we guarantee we’ll handle everything beautifully.”

Divine Lord Zhipan looked toward Old Gao and transmitted, “Aoki, don’t forget that True Lord Zhu Yi’s Nascent Soul was transferred by me. If there’s a chance for work inside the sect, you have to save a spot for me first.”

Under the reluctant farewell of the Ten Great Academies’ Nascent Soul cultivators, Magneto, Aoki, and Yinquan transformed into three streaks of Divine Light and shot into the sky, flying toward the portal of Central Pole Heaven, preparing to travel through it to Old Days Graveyard.

Looking at the training academy growing smaller and smaller, Magneto felt a faint sigh rise in her heart. “Who would’ve thought that after going in circles for so long, I would still end up coming to work in the sect?”

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