Chapter 298: The Spent Spirit Coins Stayed by His Side in Another Way

Zhang Yu, while browsing the various goods on the platform, couldn't help but mutter to himself: "Fuji! Didn't you tell me before that the immortals of the Ten Great Sects wanted to recruit more people to join their competitive environment?"

"And now, not only are they cutting back on recruitment, but they're stopping it altogether?"

Fuji sighed. "The immortals surely want those below, striving to ascend, to face increasingly fierce competition. Only by exhausting themselves, their families, and sacrificing everything for this struggle can the Ten Great Sects' profits continually rise, allowing them to comfortably reside above the clouds."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't even have had the chance to take the Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam."

"But the fact that the Ten Great Sects are increasingly cutting back on recruitment can only mean one thing... there might truly be too many people in the Sect's Grotto-Heaven."

Fuji mused, "After establishing the current system of college entrance exams, universities, and corporations, the Ten Great Sects recruit exceptionally talented immortal cultivators every year. Among them, Golden Core cultivators can live for 400 years, Nascent Soul cultivators for nearly a thousand, and those who break through further, to stages like Transcendent Transformation or Void Refinement, live even longer than the last."

"When you think about it that way, the population within the sects genuinely has a consumption rate far lower than its growth rate."

"However, Zhang Pianpian's assertion that the Ten Great Sects are halting recruitment, effectively splitting the upper and lower worlds, I don't believe is entirely accurate."

"This should be a temporary measure."

"Once a significant number of those at the top pass away, the Ten Great Sects will surely resume expanding their recruitment."

"But... this might take a century, or even several centuries?"

Fuji suddenly exclaimed, "I see! This must be a cyclical pattern."

"Periods of expanded recruitment followed by periods of reduced recruitment—it all relates to the Ten Great Sects' population dynamics."

"Yet, for the immortals, this might simply be a brief fluctuation, a minor ripple. But for those of you beneath the sects, it impacts generations—several, dozens, or even scores of them."

"Furthermore, the sects' reduced recruitment has repercussions that extend to the corporate and university levels, potentially affecting the entire Kunxu."

Listening to Fuji's deductions, Zhang Yu cursed silently to himself: "What an unfortunate time to be alive."

He then asked, "So, this ritual's wish cannot be rescinded?"

"If I die when the time comes, I'm certainly taking you with me."

Fuji gave a helpless chuckle. "Ordinary wishes are manageable, but this one is truly impossible. It was your own cleverness, after all, that led you to personally commit to fulfilling the wish's plan."

"Once the ritual was recognized, it became fully operational. Having reached this stage, it's long since been beyond my power to revoke."

"This concerns the very essence of the ritual, the rules of which were laid down by the Evil God Kings."

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, yet felt no regret. If not for his sudden inspiration back then, which temporarily stalled Fuji's wish, he likely wouldn't even be in his current situation.

As things stand, neither the immortals nor the Evil God Kings are within his sphere of influence.

He could only focus on doing his best for now.

Scanning the dazzling array of goods on the network, Zhang Yu thought to himself: "My current cultivation speed for the techniques is already astonishingly fast."

"What I need most now is to further enhance my fundamental attributes."

With that in mind, Zhang Yu began opening various product and service listings...

Half an hour later, the first item Zhang Yu had purchased arrived.

As the package opened, a large box of glowing jade coins appeared before Zhang Yu.

These jade coins were shaped like round coins, a verdant green with a fluffy texture on their surface, each containing a wisp of spiritual energy. These were precisely the low-grade spirit stones Zhang Yu had purchased.

Zhang Yu mused: "Low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade spirit stones... these were once the currency of Kunxu. But nowadays, if you tried to pay with these, you'd likely be cursed out and have them refused."

Long before Spirit Coins became the standard online payment, Kunxu's monetary system had undergone several evolutions, and spirit stones had long since been phased out as currency.

Later, due to the spiritual energy they contained, mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones became regarded as immortal cultivation resources. High-grade spirit stones, besides their cultivation value, also held significant collection value.

However, as the Spirit Realm Network grew more advanced, and the formations, spiritual energy conduits, and various facilities within buildings continuously developed, spiritual energy was piped into dormitories and connected to every household. Consequently, mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones became even less utilized.

"Yet, as the price of spirit stones dropped, some bargain-hunters naturally emerged. They were willing to endure a bit of inconvenience to purchase spirit stones and absorb spiritual energy for their cultivation."

Zhang Yu mused: "But precisely because there are always those who can only afford them, the price of these spirit stones has gradually settled into a stable range."

With that thought, he picked up a low-grade spirit stone and swallowed it whole.

As the Primordial Embryonic Breathing Scripture circulated, wisps of spiritual energy from the spirit stone were directly absorbed, integrating into Zhang Yu's magical power circulation and gradually refined into his own power.

Zhang Yu's reason for purchasing low-grade spirit stones was, naturally, to enhance the efficiency of spiritual energy absorption, enabling him to refine more magical power daily.

After all, with classes during the day and construction work at night, his time for absorbing spiritual energy in the dormitory was extremely limited.

He had also looked at items similar to spiritual energy formation stones. Possessing such a stone was akin to carrying a formation node, allowing continuous spiritual energy infusion no matter where one went in the university town.

But this approach was expensive, and it would also result in his monthly spiritual energy absorption being recorded.

Thus, after much searching, Zhang Yu opted to swallow low-grade spirit stones.

At that moment, he swallowed ten low-grade spirit stones in a single gulp, feeling as though they had transformed into miniature furnaces within his stomach, continuously releasing spiritual energy to fuel his magical power advancement.

With the Qi Sea Spirit Root expanding and contracting, and the Primordial Embryonic Breathing Scripture voraciously devouring the spiritual energy, Zhang Yu felt a rush of exhilaration.

He continued to swallow spirit stones, increasing from 10 to 15, and finally reaching 23. Only then did he feel that the release and absorption of spiritual energy had reached a limit, as if a small spiritual vein had formed in his stomach.

"Absorbing spiritual energy from 23 spirit stones within the same timeframe—that's my maximum absorption efficiency right now."

"By cultivating daily through swallowing spirit stones, he could boost his absorption efficiency even while attending classes and working."

"However, cultivating this way... while cheaper than using a spiritual energy formation stone for constant infusion, still amounted to a significant monthly expense."

Zhang Yu calculated that cultivating by swallowing spirit stones daily would cost approximately 0.48 Spirit Coins per month.

However, considering the limited number of entrants into the Ten Great Sects, Zhang Yu knew this expenditure was merely the beginning.

Inside the Daoist Arts Department's service area.

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Around him, arcs of lightning continuously flashed and struck his body, stimulating the Qi Sea Spirit Root in his dantian, increasing his spirit root integration, and enhancing his five senses...

The Daoist Arts student, who was performing the lightning spell, asked, "Student Zhang, how do you feel?"

Zhang Yu replied in a deep voice, "Increase the intensity a bit more."

The other student smiled. "Alright."

"Student Zhang, have you signed up for a membership card?"

"For Daoist art enhancements like the Divine Firmament Lightning Wave, it's best to do it three times a week, for at least half an hour each session."

"If you sign up for a card now, you'll get a thirty percent discount..."

Zhang Yu asked, "How much does it cost to get a card?"

The other student smiled. "Just 1 Spirit Coin. Even if you don't use up all your Divine Firmament Lightning Wave sessions, you can always try our other Daoist art services..."

Zhang Yu's account balance: 9.45 Spirit Coins.

On the teaching floor of the Artifact Forging Department.

Yun Jing presented a jade box to Zhang Yu.

The two had established contact after Zhang Yu helped Yun Jing deter a classmate last time.

This time, Zhang Yu sought out Yun Jing hoping to secure a discount and save some money.

Yun Jing simply said, "This is the cultivation-type magic treasure you wanted—the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt."

"Once you wear it, it can release telluric elemental energy to nourish your physique. This telluric energy, a harmless form of essence, acts as a lubricant between your physical body and magical power, increasing the efficiency with which you use magical power to augment your physical form."

"Furthermore, by utilizing telluric elemental energy, the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt can apply up to 50 times normal gravity to your body, helping you temper your physique and unlock your physical potential."

"For many wealthy individuals, cultivation-type magical artifacts—or perhaps more accurately, cultivation-type magical implements—are indispensable for body refinement."

Zhang Yu understood that body refinement during the Foundation Establishment stage was inseparable from the augmentation of magical power.

Especially as the spirit root integration improves, with spirit roots and meridians permeating the entire body, and the physical form gradually merging with magical power, a cultivator's body slowly transcends a simple flesh-and-blood existence, becoming a transcendent physique.

The Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt before him could increase the efficiency of magical power enhancing the body, thereby boosting the effects of body refinement.

It could also further temper the body through additional gravitational force, pushing out a cultivator's full potential.

Zhang Yu opened the jade box, gazed at the belt within, and asked, "What's the price?"

Yun Jing replied, "This is a product developed by our department in cooperation with the company. I can get you a maximum of a ten percent discount, which comes out to 1.35 Spirit Coins per month."

As Zhang Yu put on the belt, a crisp female voice emanated from the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt: "Welcome to the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt. An unfamiliar user's eye-bone detected. Please confirm connection."

Zhang Yu clicked open a notification in his eye-bone display. As he selected 'agree,' a small belt icon appeared in his visual field.

When he tapped the belt icon, the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt's user interface materialized before him.

"User not registered. Please complete new user registration before using this product."

After Zhang Yu completed the user registration, another notification appeared.

"A coupon has been found that you have not yet used..."

Zhang Yu saw it was precisely the ten percent discount coupon Yun Jing had mentioned.

Moments later, with a thought from Zhang Yu, streams of telluric elemental energy surged from the belt into his body.

Nourished by this telluric elemental energy, his entire body seemed subtly transformed; the augmentation of magical power felt smoother, more fluid, and more effective.

In Zhang Yu's eye-bone display, options for 1 to 50 times gravity were available, alongside modes such as 'running,' 'weighted,' 'climbing,' and 'custom.'

Through cyclic and localized adjustments to the body's gravitational pull, he could further enhance body refinement effects and conduct targeted strength training.

Zhang Yu first tried the 5x gravity mode, instantly feeling his entire body grow heavy and his internal organs begin to sag.

After trying several different modes and testing their body refinement effects, Zhang Yu nodded. "This is the one."

Zhang Yu's account balance: 8.1 Spirit Coins.