Chapter 402: Immortal Fate

As Su Yanyang was contemplating the competition for the military certificate, a message appeared in his ocular display.

"Su Yanyang! When are you going to pay back the money?"

"You hired a soul cultivator and didn't pay. Do you really think you can get away with it?"

Simultaneously, the debt collection messages not only lit up in Su Yanyang's ocular display but also appeared in the ocular displays of those around him. This immediately changed the way many civil engineering students looked at Su Yanyang.

Su Yanyang calmly finished a bowl of rice, thinking to himself, "Is this a debt collection talisman?"

Ma Xuan, who was beside him, couldn't help but say, "Senior, perhaps you should just pay back the money."

"Otherwise, if people keep using debt collection talismans on you like this, your reputation among other cultivators will keep dropping, and that won't be good for your academic progress, will it?"

Su Yanyang calmly replied, "I hired soul cultivators to complete tasks for me! If they failed to complete the work, why should I pay them?"

"Whether they press for payment or sue me, let them do as they please."

If they can eventually get money from me, that would be their skill!

In Su Yanyang's view, avoiding losses of spirit coins and preserving one's potential on the path of cultivation were essential lessons for immortal cultivation.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Xiao Yunxian jabbed a needle into her neck. As the medicinal liquid slowly infused, she felt the stinging sensation in her meridians gradually disappear.

After checking that her Dharmic Skeleton's synchronization rate had increased, Xiao Yunxian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, she no longer had the three-headed, six-armed appearance she exhibited in the competition arena. Her entire Dharmic Skeleton shimmered with a metallic luster, making her look like a normal university student.

Xiao Yunxian thought to herself, "Although the transformative Dharmic Skeleton is powerful, its synchronization rate drops too easily!"

"Once I obtain my military certificate, I should replace this set of Dharmic Skeletons." Her gaze swept over Su Yanyang and another civil engineering student. She thought, "Su Yanyang, and Ping Han from the War Faction—these two should be my biggest rivals in the next military certificate examination!"

"Especially Ping Han. As Mo Shangjin's teammate in the competition, he's a year older than Mo Shangjin, already in his ninth year of university, and has long since completed his Seven Absolutes."

"If not for his repeated failures in crypto trading, he probably would have already passed the military certificate exam!"

As for Zhang Yu, Xiao Yunxian naturally didn't pay much attention to this junior whom she had chased all over the arena.

Just as Xiao Yunxian's gaze swept over the student named Ping Han, the latter had already approached Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu turned his head, looked at the senior in front of him wearing a Jihu brand Dharmic Skeleton, and then curiously observed the "Civil Engineering Rank 4" displayed above the senior's head.

"Civil Engineering Rank 4 actually uses Jihu brand?"

Although Zhang Yu hadn't delved deeply into the major Dharmic Skeleton brands, he often heard Yu Xinghan, Li, Gongshu Jin, and others comment on different brands.

He knew that Jihu was a standard entry-level brand, a popular item for junior college students, and a savior for first-tier students, primarily known for being cheap and durable.

Yu Xinghan's assessment was: "If you use Jihu at Myriad Dharma University, you are destined to have a failed university career." However, Zhang Yu recognized Ping Han, or rather, he had seen his performance in the competition arena.

"He didn't use this set of Dharmic Skeletons in the competition, did he?"

"Then he must use Jihu for everyday wear and switch to a crucial Dharmic Skeleton for critical moments!"

As Zhang Yu pondered, Ping Han grinned at him and said, "Junior Zhang Yu, are you wondering why I use the Jihu brand?"

"And are you thinking that I used a different set of Dharmic Skeletons in the competition, and that I usually wear Jihu and only switch to a good one for important moments?"

Ping Han shook his head and said, "Actually, I only have this one set of Jihu brand Dharmic Skeletons. During the competition, other teammates lent me their spare Dharmic Skeletons!"

"In fact, I used to have a set of Heavenly Craft Dharmic Skeletons, but I sold them all later!"

A glint flashed in Ping Han's eyes as he said earnestly, "Because I realized one thing: instead of spending money on Dharmic Skeletons, it's better to invest it in crypto trading!"

"I currently have some insider information about Joyous Union University's Qiongyang Coin. Are you interested in investing?"

Zhang Yu shook his head repeatedly and said, "I don't trade crypto!"

"You don't trade crypto?" Ping Han exclaimed, looking distraught. "You're a university student, and if you don't trade crypto, you still want to cultivate? Are you hoping to cultivate by working?"

Zhang Yu was slightly stunned; he had indeed thought that.

Seeing Zhang Yu's silence, Ping Han shook his head repeatedly and said, "We work ourselves to death on construction sites. How much can we earn in a year? This money, besides extending our lifespan and allowing us to work longer, can't possibly help us break through realms!"

"I've researched the cultivation records of cultivators who achieved Golden Core and Nascent Soul in the past 50 years!"

"Not a single one of them broke through realms by working!"

"Every single one of them—and remember, I mean *every single one*—either came from a wealthy background upon admission or became suddenly rich in a short period before achieving a breakthrough!"

Ping Han looked at Zhang Yu and said earnestly, "Junior Zhang Yu, immortal potential is never accumulated. True profound immortal potential always explodes forth!"

"In this era, you can never achieve Golden Core by simply working!"

"It's better to just trade crypto. If you win, you aim for Golden Core and Nascent Soul. If you lose, you don't have to waste time cultivating at all!"

"Whether you become an immortal or a ghost, you'll know the result in a few years. It's much more reliable than working hard for a hundred years only to realize you have no hope and regret not trading crypto when you were young!"

"Another one who's gone mad cultivating. He must have lost a lot of money trading crypto, and now he's lost his..."

Upon hearing this, the Immortal Fortune Princess sighed, "His Daoist potential has all been transferred to the Divine Transformation Lord!"

Zhang Yu said helplessly, "Never mind! I still want to work."

"Sigh!"

Ping Han sighed, "You don't understand. There's still a chance to win with crypto trading, but working! Working will never lead to a breakthrough!"

"No hope, no hope at all!"

"Since you're unwilling to try your luck with immortal opportunities, do you have any spirit coins you can lend me?"

Zhang Yu refused him again and watched Ping Han leave with a sigh.

Just then, a message appeared in Zhang Yu's ocular display.

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

Zhang Yu looked up and saw that Mo Shangjin had arrived at the scene at some point and was conversing, surrounded by many students.

As if sensing Zhang Yu's gaze, he smiled faintly and nodded at Zhang Yu from afar.

Mo Shangjin: The first time Ping Han traded crypto, he earned 5 spirit coins!

Mo Shangjin: From then on, he became addicted!

Mo Shangjin: After losing a lot, he asked Teacher Gao to lend him 10 spirit coins!

Mo Shangjin: Teacher Gao said he had no talent for crypto trading, told him to stop, and didn't lend him the money!

Mo Shangjin: As a result, the coin Ping Han wanted to buy skyrocketed. If he had bought it with 10 spirit coins at that time, he reportedly could have earned over 400 spirit coins!

Mo Shangjin: From then on, he plunged headfirst into it, and no one could stop him!

Mo Shangjin: This matter has become a mental demon on his path to immortality. If he asks you for money again in the future, absolutely do 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 over 400 spirit coins in profit, I probably wouldn't have been able to get over it for a long time either!"

Fortune Princess commented, "Cultivation is like this; there are too many inner demons one can encounter along the way. Only by forging a perfectly flawless Dao heart, undisturbed by external devils, can one ascend step by step!"

Just then, another senior from the Civil Engineering Department came to share a meal with Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu snapped back to reality and immediately resumed eating heartily, feeling surges of vigorous essence qi flooding into his body with each bite.

"A 12.75 appetite!" Feng Tingting, not far away, watched Zhang Yu, who was deeply engrossed in his meal with bowls crossing, and thought to herself, "That's quite an appetite. He's excellent material for refining artifacts, I wonder if he's for sale..."

Looking at the "12.75" she had marked above Zhang Yu's head, Feng Tingting figured he probably didn't have much money, so she could consider asking him.

As Feng Tingting was thinking this, she saw sword light flashing repeatedly around Zhang Yu!

"This is... someone forcibly calling him with a Voice Transmission Talisman? That talisman is super expensive, who's using it?"

"12.75 probably hasn't prepared any countermeasures in advance. Unless he stays offline, he can only watch as the other party manifests!"

The next moment, the flickering sword light suddenly converged, forming Wen Wuya's figure, which appeared before Zhang Yu.

Wen Wuya looked at Zhang Yu, who was busily eating, and only then understood why he had been slow to reply to his messages.

He then raised a hand, activating a Muting Talisman, and asked Zhang Yu, "I tried to talk to Bai Zhenzhen about dual cultivation, but after just a few sentences, she started avoiding me whenever she saw me. Do you have any ideas? I'm in a hurry!"

Zhang Yu rubbed his head, which felt a little dizzy from eating, and looked helplessly at Wen Wuya in front of him. He thought, 'Good thing Bai Zhenzhen had countermeasures from Heavenly Sword University last time, otherwise this guy would be really annoying!'

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said, "A'Zhen likes sterilized men!"

"In her opinion, only after a man is sterilized does he truly possess the determination to cultivate the Dao, making him more masculine!"

Wen Wuya mused, "It's that simple? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Just then, Wen Wuya's gaze flickered, and he suddenly looked in Feng Tingting's direction.

When Feng Tingting saw Wen Wuya appear, she was slightly startled.

She had also watched the recent flying sword competition and recognized Wen Wuya, the Divine Transformation disciple from Heavenly Sword University.

Seeing that the other party had even resorted to forced projection to contact Zhang Yu, immense curiosity instantly sparked within her.

So she activated her Dharmic Skeleton, attempting to overhear what Wen Wuya and Zhang Yu were discussing under the Muting Talisman's cover.

However, the Muting Talisman used by the other party was clearly of a high level. Despite her best efforts, she could only intermittently hear: "I! Dual cultivation!!! You!! Very urgent!"

Staring at the fragmented words appearing on her ocular display, Feng Tingting's pupils dilated in shock. She looked at Zhang Yu with a stunned expression, "So that's how it is!"

"This Zhang Yu is actually the dual cultivation partner of a Divine Transformation disciple?"

"He's stumbled upon such an enormous immortal opportunity!"

But in the next moment, she saw Wen Wuya turn his head and look at her with killing intent.

"Eavesdropping on me?"

"How dare you!"

With a single grab from Wen Wuya, Feng Tingting watched in shock as the words displayed on her ocular display were seized by him, crushed into dust, and vanished completely.