What's the Point of Cultivating If You Don't Have Money

　"Are we there yet?"　　"Don't be nervous. You have such good grades, you will definitely pass."　　"Don't worry about the surgery fee. Mom has found a new part-time job and will definitely help you get the money together. Just go to the interview with peace of mind."　　Looking at the message sent by his mother on the screen, Zhang Yu silently put away his phone, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.　　After a long time, a call came from the front.　　"Candidate No. 989, Zhang Yu."　　Zhang Yu stood up and walked into the interview classroom.　　He looked at the three interviewers and smiled politely, "Hello, everyone. I'm Zhang Yu from Dongyang Junior High School."　　The interviewer in the middle looked at him and said calmly, "Why do you want to apply to our school?"　　Zhang Yu: "Your school has a long history, profound heritage, and rich teaching resources. It has always cultivated many outstanding talents for the society..."　　The interviewer frowned and interrupted, "Don't say such polite words."　　Zhang Yu said honestly: "I want to be admitted to a prestigious university. Songyang High School has the highest university admission rate among all the schools I can apply for."　　The interviewer smiled slightly, looked at the information in his hand and said, "Well, full marks in all subjects, first in the whole school? No wonder you were recommended here."　　"Your grades are fine, but if you want to get into Songyang High School, school exam scores alone are far from enough."　　He thought for a moment and asked casually, "How long do you sleep every day now?"　　Zhang Yu: "Five hours."　　The interviewer asked in surprise: "Five hours?"　　"Since primary school, the average sleep duration of our students has never exceeded two hours a day. And the outstanding graduates of previous years basically did not sleep at all."　　"You actually sleep five hours a day, which means you study three hours less than others. In nine years, the difference is nearly 10,000 hours..."　　Zhang Yu was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that although he thought he had worked very hard, there was still such a big gap between him and others in terms of effort.　　Zhang Yu quickly said: "I will try my best to catch up with them."　　The interviewer on the left asked, "How many high school courses did you take?"　　Zhang Yu calmed down a little and said confidently: "I have already finished the first year of high school by myself."　　The other person frowned slightly: "Only the first year of high school? Don't you know that when we teach here, we assume that students have completed high school courses?"　　Zhang Yu was stunned when he heard this. This was information he didn't know. The advantage he thought he had turned into a disadvantage in an instant.　　Just when he was at a loss, the interviewer in the middle asked the next question.　　"In order to improve learning efficiency and prevent premature love, our school requires all students to complete sterilization surgery to remove the relevant organs before admission, so that they can concentrate on their practice from now on."　　"Do you know this?"　　Finally hearing something he knew, he quickly replied: "My family is already preparing. I will definitely complete the sterilization surgery before school starts to keep my hormone levels at the most suitable level for school."　　The interviewer nodded without comment: "Okay, today's interview is over, you can leave first."　　Zhang Yu walked out of the classroom anxiously. He felt that his interview time seemed to be shorter than that of other students.　　After he left, the interviewer in the middle shook his head and said, "He's in junior high school and still hasn't been sterilized. This kid's determination to pursue the truth is not strong enough."　　The female interviewer at the side smiled and said, "I see he came here without knowing anything. He doesn't have any test reports or extracurricular exam scores. I can only say that the quality of the recommended students from these ordinary junior high schools is getting worse every year. If it weren't for the support policy, he wouldn't be qualified to meet us."　　The interviewer in the middle nodded and said: "Well, I thought poor people would work harder. Maybe I expected too much from them."　　"This will be the temporary backup."　　After saying that, he threw Zhang Yu's resume into a trash can beside him, together with hundreds of other alternative resumes.　　Although Zhang Yu felt that his interview did not seem to be very successful, he did not have extra time to think about it. He had already started preparing for interviews one after another and went to different high schools.　　"Student Zhang Yu, we understand that your family situation may not be enough to afford the tuition here. However, we provide preferential loan services for poor students, as long as you are willing to mortgage some unimportant organs..."　　"Don't worry, you've come to the right place. We know you're a man, and although our school is a girls' school, we never discriminate against men. As long as you complete the gender reassignment surgery, not only will you be able to enroll, but you will also be considered a seed student with a strong heart and will have the opportunity to enter the key class to learn the art of refining the yin energy..."　　"It's a pity that you are still a little short of our admission standard. However, this year, in order to take care of poor students, we have launched a policy for students with special talents. If you are willing to give up your physical body, you can use your status as a student with special talents in soul cultivation to study in the principal's Ten Thousand Souls Banner..."　　"Classmate, you have come to the right place. This is the most suitable high school for civilian geniuses like you.　　Let me introduce you to the benefits here. We add nootropics to the drinking water to ensure that students always maintain a level 5 state of concentration.　　Every day, your class teacher will give you more than 900 grams of supplements specifically for bull monsters, to ensure that the effect of your training will be more than ten times the original.　　Even the air circulation system is filled with neurostimulants, so you never need sleep again, and it's all free.　　Of course, to receive these function-enhancing supplements, you must complete the transformation in our designated hospital.　　Don't worry, I just need to implant some small magical instruments to improve your metabolic capacity. Here is the specific price list..."　　Interview after interview, question after question.　　Or it is so out of reach that he can't see the threshold of hope at all.　　Or it could be a contract full of traps, making him feel like he's going to be swallowed up in one gulp.　　All this made Zhang Yu feel suffocated.　　At this moment, he suddenly realized that although he had the best grades in an ordinary junior high school in the suburbs, there was already a world of difference between him and those students in the city center.　　Even until this moment, he only knew the tip of the iceberg as to how big the gap between the two sides was.　　All the hard work of studying over the past years seems to have become a joke.　　In the end, he was no different from those uneducated classmates and was unable to go to high school.　　After returning home, Zhang Yu sat silently like a stone statue.　　The phone on the table vibrated repeatedly.　　Mother: How was the interview?　　Mother: I have to work overtime today, so remember to heat up the food in the refrigerator and eat it yourself.　　After a moment, the phone vibrated again.　　Mother: Son, don't worry. Whether you choose sterilization or sex change, I will definitely help you raise the money for the surgery.　　But Zhang Yu did not look at his vibrating phone. He just stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to think about the future, but his head felt empty and nothing could come out.　　At this moment, the phone vibrated violently again.　　Zhang Yu didn't want to pay attention at first, but after his phone vibrated for more than a minute, he finally couldn't help but picked it up, only to find that the other party had hung up.　　Then he received a message from the other party: Your 5,000 reserve funds have been prepared and will be credited to your account in just ten seconds...　　"A small loan advertisement?"　　"snort."　　Zhang Yu thought that his interview information might have been sold by some school.　　But after putting down the phone for a moment, he picked it up again and clicked on the message again.　　…　　That night, after the mother came back from overtime work, she found that Zhang Yu, who had looked as pale as death, seemed to have recovered and was sitting upright at the table reading a book.　　"Mom, don't worry, I won't be defeated so easily."　　"If I can't do it this year, I will take the exam again next year. I will definitely become an immortal."　　"I will look for a cram school tomorrow. I want to make up for what I lack one by one."　　Zhang Yu rushed out early the next morning, and when he came back that evening he was full of joy.　　"Mom, I found a Xiandao cram school. The teachers there are all invited from key high schools. If you follow them, you will definitely be able to get into high school."　　"You don't have to worry about the tuition. They think I've had good grades since I was young, and they know my family is not well-off, so they waived my tuition temporarily. As long as I can enter Songyang High School next year, I don't have to pay back the tuition. Just think of it as advertising for them."　　"Don't worry, they are a big company and they won't cheat you."　　His mother watched Zhang Yu go out to cram school before dawn every day, and study until two or three o'clock every night after returning home.　　Looking at the Chinese, math, physics and other textbooks for his second and third year of high school that he kept bringing back, and seeing that he planned to complete all the general education courses in high school except for the Tao course in one year, she felt pleased with her son's progress.　　But when she saw the boxes of medicines she brought back, a trace of doubt arose in her heart.　　Zhang Yu smiled and explained, "Mom, from childhood to adulthood, I have studied 10,000 hours less than those top students. If I don't work harder, I will be left further behind by them."　　"These neurostimulants will allow me to sleep only half an hour a day, improving my learning efficiency. At least I won't be left behind by the students in the city."　　"Don't worry, these medicines are free."　　"The principal of our cram school is very optimistic about me, and he gave me these medicines."　　When the mother heard that it was a gift from the principal, she was even happier that her son was appreciated.　　Soon Zhang Yu came back with more things.　　In addition to various high school textbooks and nerve stimulant fillers, there are also capsules for regulating hormone levels, supplements specifically for monsters, and bottles of unpackaged medicinal powders.　　Zhang Yu also had many explanations. Sometimes he said it was a cheap item he bought while working, sometimes he said it was a gift from a classmate, and sometimes he said it was a reward from a cram school...　　The mother was happy for her son's diligence, and even happier for his good popularity and excellent performance in the cram school.　　She transferred 1,000 yuan to Zhang Yu and asked Zhang Yu to remember to thank his classmates and teachers.　　But gradually, she found that Zhang Yu's mood began to become abnormal. Sometimes he was happy before going out in the morning, but when he came back in the evening, he went to bed without saying a word.　　Sometimes I was happily eating, but after receiving a phone call, my brows furrowed and I couldn't eat a single bite.　　She knew that it must be the excessive pressure of cultivating immortals that made Zhang Yu nervous.　　She could only buy more of his favorite food and save more money for his tuition, hoping to help relieve some of his stress.　　Gradually, she discovered that Zhang Yu was particularly concerned about his mobile phone. Not only did he almost never leave his phone, he also did not allow anyone to touch his phone. When he received a call, he would always go into the bathroom and close the door before answering it.　　Once she saw that her cell phone was out of battery and took it to charge it, but Zhang Yu scolded her angrily.　　Knowing that the other party was under great pressure, she never dared to touch Zhang Yu's mobile phone again, for fear that it would affect her son's cultivation.　　Suddenly one day, Zhang Yu asked her for tutoring fees, saying that the tutoring class had invited a senior who was admitted to a top university to give lectures to them, and this was the money to give to the senior.　　Then there is the recommendation fee given to the high school admissions teacher.　　Pay the hospital for the spiritual root testing fee.　　I also want to buy civilian-grade children's flying swords with my classmates in the cram school.　　From two or three thousand to seven or eight thousand... the last time he asked her to directly transfer 20,000 yuan. Zhang Yu said it was the cost of renting the Heavenly Spiritual Root.　　But the good news finally came, Zhang Yu successfully entered Songyang High School.　　The mother was extremely happy. She was proud of her son's hard work and talent, and she immediately agreed to everything Zhang Yu asked about, including tuition, miscellaneous fees, and pharmacy fees.　　But after school started, Zhang Yu asked for more and more money, and the family gradually became unable to make ends meet.　　Finally, one afternoon, hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, the mother's heart trembled.　　"Hello? Are you Zhang Yu's mother?"　　"Did you know that your son's loan is 30 days overdue..."　　That night, Zhang Yu confessed everything to his mother.　　Over the past year or so, the various expenses incurred in the learning process were not free, appreciated, or donated as he claimed...all the money came from loans he made from various platforms.　　"Mom, I'm sorry."　　"But I really want to cultivate immortality."　　"Even if I can't pay off my debts in my lifetime, I still want to cultivate immortality..."　　After hearing all this, the mother silently sold all the valuable things in the house, and then borrowed some money to pay off Zhang Yu's debts.　　I thought my son could concentrate on practicing Taoism from now on.　　But she soon discovered that her son's new loan was overdue.　　Repay the loan... borrow... repay the loan... borrow...　　The mother finally couldn't help but persuade Zhang Yu to spend less money.　　"Mom, I can't stop taking this medicine. If I stop taking it, my spiritual heart will regress, and all my previous efforts will be wasted..."　　"I have to rent the Heavenly Spiritual Root. Without it, my mana won't be able to keep up..."　　"I need to top up the VIP card for this cram school, otherwise I won't be able to understand the exercises taught by the teacher in class..."　　The advanced immortal technology allows mortals without spiritual roots to embark on the immortal path, but the price is to regularly carry out the most expensive learning and maintenance in order to continue on.　　In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since the start of the school year. Watching the debts growing larger and larger, the family can no longer afford the rent, water and electricity...all of this seemed like an endless nightmare, and the mother finally couldn't bear it anymore.　　So when Zhang Yu returned home from school another day, he no longer saw his mother.　　After reading his mother's message, he sat there for a long time, and finally walked up to the rooftop silently.　　…　　On the rooftop of the rental house.　　A sharp pain came from the man's mind, gradually awakening his chaotic consciousness from the darkness.　　He opened his eyes and looked forward, and saw a busy street with sewage flowing not far ahead.　　Neon lights flashed on both sides of the street, and looking up, there were dark buildings crowded together, as if they were going to block out the entire sky.　　The building beneath his feet was a dilapidated apartment. A video advertising financial management was projected on the mottled red brick wall. In the advertisement, immortals who could fly into the sky and escape into the ground were recommending a 30-day interest-free immortality loan to new users.　　"I'm not playing dirty, am I?"　　"Where is this?"　　Just as he was wondering what was going on, he turned around and found that the rooftop was full of candles.　　Rows of candles flickering with scarlet flames surrounded him and a tattered doll.　　It was a rag doll with yellowed and faded fabric and crooked stitching, and it looked like it would fall apart at any moment.　　The strange scene seemed to stimulate his brain, causing a stream of broken memories to roll and jump back and forth in his mind.　　"This isn't China anymore... are we in another world?"　　He found it difficult to accept the fact of time travel.　　However, the real memories of the immortal techniques in his head continued to impact his consciousness, allowing him to gradually merge with his original body while constantly reminding him that he was in another world.　　This is Kunxu, a super building standing on the ground in a pyramid shape, with a total of thirty-six floors above ground and eighteen floors underground.　　Starting from the first layer, which is the largest and looks like a continent, each layer is a new world.　　As for what the world outside Kunxu looks like, Zhang Yu has no answer in his mind.　　He only knew that Kunxu was a world where the major immortal sects were respected.　　The big sects are high and mighty, and they almost monopolize all walks of life including food, energy, transportation, education, scientific research, medical care, finance, the Internet, etc. The government army is more like security guards in front of the sect's law enforcement team.　　But ordinary people are not blessed with most of the benefits brought by immortal technology, but are instead busy making their living every day.　　He is a high school student named Zhang Yu who lives in the first layer of Kunxu and is admitted to Songyang High School. He is currently obsessed with some strange rituals...　　"Now I have become Zhang Yu from another world."　　At this moment, a sharp pain came from the palm of his hand, awakening Zhang Yu who was immersed in the shock of memory.　　He looked down and saw a transparent symbol appear in his palm, gradually turning black at an extremely slow speed.　　"What is this again?"　　As the night wind blew, the scarlet candlelight around swayed.　　The tattered doll on the ground stared at him with a pair of empty eyes made up of black buttons.　　He wanted to recall what had happened, but the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt and the more dizzy he felt.　　The atmosphere in the air became increasingly eerie and strange. Zhang Yu covered his still dizzy head and felt the world spinning around him.　　When he came to his senses, he found that he had left the rooftop in a daze and was returning to his doorstep.　　After glancing at the rent reminder, Zhang Yu stepped into the room and saw only a bed and a table.　　"Is this my home?"　　Feeling his skin sticky with sweat and the extremely hot environment around him, Zhang Yu wanted to find the air conditioner remote control, but then he remembered that there was no air conditioner in the house.　　He wanted to flush the water again, but found that the water had been turned off.　　Zhang Yu sat down on the bed helplessly.　　"What a lousy place."　　"So what if there really are immortals? Life here is worse than a world without immortals."　　Zhang Yu glanced across the wall and found that the wall behind the table was covered with award certificates from childhood to adulthood.　　From first grade, second grade, third grade...all the way to the third year of junior high school, Zhang Yu was always at the top of his grade almost every year.　　Looking at these certificates, memories of receiving various awards came flooding back to Zhang Yu's mind: "Zhang Yu was a diligent and hardworking student with excellent grades since childhood."　　"The Songyang High School I am attending now is also a key high school in the city."　　"I'm a top student."　　Recalling the knowledge in his mind, Zhang Yu's eyes gradually brightened up: "If you get into a prestigious university, you can build your foundation. If you join a large sect, you can form a pill. You can also climb up in Kunxu, leave this slum, and enjoy more benefits of immortal technology. By then, it will be no problem to live a few hundred more years."　　Thinking of this, Zhang Yu suddenly felt that coming to this world seemed to be a good thing.　　Just as he was thinking this, his cell phone suddenly rang.　　"Hello?"　　"Hello, Mr. Zhang Yu, your loan on our platform has been overdue for 3 days..."　　After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yu flipped through the text message box on his phone and found a dense network of collection messages, all of which were demands for repayment after the original body's overdue loans on major platforms.　　At the same time, related memories came flooding back to my mind.　　"This guy started borrowing money to take extra classes before he entered high school. After entering Songyang High School, in order to keep up with everyone else's grades, he suddenly had an idea and started borrowing money to pay off his loans in order to improve his grades. He borrowed money from everywhere to buy medicine and take extra classes, forcing himself to stimulate his potential. In the end, not only did he borrow more and more money, but his potential was also gradually drained."　　"This guy is a genius cultivator who is disguised as a person by borrowing money from the platform."　　"Even his mother couldn't stand him and finally left."　　After calculating the total overdue loans, Zhang Yu immediately began to sweat.　　Just because he found that compounded with the interest, Zhang Yu already owed a total of more than 700,000 yuan to major platforms.　　When I looked at my account again, there was only more than fifty yuan left.　　"I actually owe seven hundred thousand... Shit!"　　Zhang Yu punched the bed and said angrily, "In this world... even for a high school graduate, this is a huge debt."　　"No wonder this guy is addicted to some messed up rituals... He is just a hopeless loan dog."　　"He's had enough fun, now I'm here to pay him back?"　　At the same time, the lights in the room suddenly went out.　　After pressing the switch several times and observing the conditions of other neighbors, Zhang Yu confirmed one thing...his power was cut off.　　"This shabby place..."　　"It would be nice if I could go back home early tomorrow morning..."　　With all kinds of messy thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhang Yu finally fell into a deep sleep on the bed.　　And on his palm, the originally transparent symbol had been filled with one-tenth black.