"Are you there yet?"
"Don’t be nervous. With your grades, you’ll definitely pass."
"Don’t worry about the surgery fees. I’ve taken on a new part-time job. I’ll make sure we have the money. Just focus on the interview."
Zhang Yu silently put away his phone after reading his mother’s messages.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.
After a long while, a voice called out from the front.
"Candidate number 989, Zhang Yu."
Zhang Yu stood up and walked into the interview room.
He looked at the three interviewers and gave them the polite smile he had practiced countless times.
"Good day, I’m Zhang Yu from Dongyang Middle School."
The interviewer in the middle looked at him and asked indifferently, "Why do you want to attend our school?"
Zhang Yu replied, "Your school has a long history, deep cultural heritage, and abundant educational resources. It has produced many outstanding talents for society…"
The interviewer frowned and interrupted, "Skip the formalities."
Zhang Yu answered honestly, "I want to get into a top university, and Songyang High School has the highest university acceptance rate among the schools I can apply to."
The interviewer smiled slightly and glanced at the documents in his hand.
"Hmm, perfect scores in all subjects, first in your school? No wonder you were recommended."
"Your grades are fine, but to get into Songyang High School, just having good grades isn’t enough."
He thought for a moment and casually asked, "How much sleep do you get every day?"
Zhang Yu replied, "Five hours."
The interviewer raised an eyebrow.
"Five hours?"
"Our students, starting from elementary school, average less than two hours of sleep a day. And the top graduates from previous years basically don’t sleep at all."
"You sleep five hours a day? That means you study three hours less than others every day. Over nine years, that’s nearly ten thousand hours…"
Zhang Yu was stunned.
He had thought he was working extremely hard, but it seemed he was still far behind others.
He quickly said, "I’ll work hard to catch up."
The interviewer on the left asked, "How much of the high school curriculum have you studied?"
Zhang Yu calmed down a bit and answered confidently, "I’ve already self-studied the first-year high school curriculum."
The interviewer frowned slightly.
"Only the first year? Didn’t you know that our classes assume students have already completed the entire high school curriculum?"
Zhang Yu was speechless.
This was another piece of information he hadn’t known.
What he thought was an advantage had suddenly turned into a disadvantage.
Just as he was at a loss, the interviewer in the middle asked the next question.
"To improve learning efficiency and prevent early relationships, our school requires all students to undergo sterilization surgery to remove certain organs before enrollment, so they can focus entirely on cultivation."
"Did you know about this?"
Finally, something he knew about.
He quickly replied, "My family is already preparing for it. I’ll definitely complete the sterilization surgery before school starts and keep my hormone levels at the optimal level for studying."
The interviewer nodded noncommittally.
"Alright, the interview is over. You can leave now."
Zhang Yu walked out of the classroom, feeling uneasy.
He felt like his interview had been shorter than the others.
After he left, the interviewer in the middle shook his head.
"He’s in middle school and still hasn’t been sterilized. His dedication to the Dao isn’t strong enough."
The female interviewer beside him chuckled.
"He came here knowing nothing. No test reports, no extracurricular exam results. The quality of recommended students from these ordinary middle schools is getting worse every year. If it weren’t for the support policy, they wouldn’t even have the chance to meet us."
The interviewer in the middle nodded.
"Sigh, I thought the poor would work harder. Maybe I expected too much from them."
"Let’s put him on the waitlist for now."
With that, he tossed Zhang Yu’s resume into the wastebasket, where it joined hundreds of other waitlisted resumes.
Although Zhang Yu felt his interview hadn’t gone well, he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
He was already preparing for the next round of interviews at different high schools.
"Zhang Yu, we understand your family situation might not be able to afford the tuition here. But we offer discounted loan services for students from poor families. You just need to mortgage some non-essential organs…"
"Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. We know you’re male, and although our school is for girls, we don’t discriminate against men. As long as you complete the gender reassignment surgery, not only can you enroll, but you’ll also be considered a student with a strong Dao heart and have the chance to join the advanced class to learn the art of refining primordial yin…"
"It’s a pity, you’re just a bit short of our admission standards. But this year, to support students from poor families, we’ve introduced a special talent policy. If you’re willing to give up your physical body, you can enroll as a soul cultivation talent and study in the principal’s Ten Thousand Soul Banner…"
"You’ve come to the right place. Our school is perfect for a talented commoner like you. Let me tell you about the benefits here.
We add intelligence-boosting agents to the drinking water to keep students in a level five focus state at all times. Every day, the homeroom teacher will give you over 900 grams of supplements specially designed for ox demons, ensuring your cultivation results are ten times better than before.
Even the air circulation system is filled with neural stimulants, so you’ll never need to sleep again. And all of this is free. Of course, to handle these enhancement supplements, you’ll need to undergo modifications at our designated hospital.
Don’t worry, it’s just a matter of implanting some small magical tools to boost your metabolism. Here’s the price list…"
One interview after another, one question after another.
Either the requirements were so high that he couldn’t see any hope of meeting them, or the contracts were so full of traps that he felt like he’d be swallowed whole.
All of this made Zhang Yu feel like he was being crushed under an unbearable weight.
He suddenly realized that even though he had been the top student in his ordinary middle school in the suburbs, he was already worlds apart from the students in the city center.
And even now, he only knew the tip of the iceberg when it came to the gap between them.
All the hard work he had put in over the years seemed like a joke.
In the end, he was no different from his classmates who didn’t study—he still couldn’t get into high school.
When he returned home, Zhang Yu sat silently like a statue.
His phone on the table kept vibrating.
Mother: How was the interview?
Mother: I’m working overtime today.
Remember to heat up the food in the fridge.
A moment later, the phone vibrated again.
Mother: Son, don’t worry.
Whether you choose sterilization or gender reassignment, I’ll make sure we have the money for the surgery.
But Zhang Yu didn’t look at the vibrating phone.
He just stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to think about the future, but his mind felt empty, unable to produce any thoughts.
Just then, the phone vibrated violently again.
Zhang Yu initially didn’t want to answer, but after it vibrated for over a minute, he finally couldn’t resist and picked it up, only to find that the caller had already hung up.
Then he received a message: Your 5,000 yuan reserve fund is ready.
It will be credited to your account in ten seconds…
"A loan ad?"
"Hmph."
Zhang Yu thought his interview information must have been sold by some school.
But after putting the phone down for a moment, he picked it up again and reopened the message.
…
That night, when his mother returned from overtime work, she found that Zhang Yu, who had looked lifeless before, now seemed to have recovered and was sitting at the table reading a book.
"Mom, don’t worry. I won’t be defeated so easily."
"If I don’t make it this year, I’ll try again next year. I will cultivate immortality."
"Tomorrow I’ll look for a cram school. I’ll make up for everything I’m missing."
The next morning, Zhang Yu left early and returned that night with a look of joy on his face.
"Mom, I found a cultivation cram school. The teachers there are all from top high schools. Studying with them will definitely get me into high school."
"Don’t worry about the tuition. They think I’ve always had good grades and know my family isn’t well-off, so they’ve waived the tuition for now. As long as I get into Songyang High School next year, I won’t have to pay it back. It’s like helping them advertise."
"Don’t worry, it’s a big company. They won’t scam me."
His mother watched as Zhang Yu left for the cram school before dawn every day and returned late at night, studying until two or three in the morning.
Seeing the second and third-year high school textbooks he kept bringing back—Chinese, math, physics, and more—and seeing him plan to finish all the general courses except for cultivation in one year, she felt proud of her son’s determination.
But when she saw the boxes of medicine he brought back, a hint of doubt crept into her heart.
Zhang Yu explained with a smile, "Mom, since I was a kid, I’ve already studied ten thousand hours less than those top students. If I don’t work harder, they’ll just leave me further behind."
"These neural stimulants let me sleep only half an hour a day and improve my learning efficiency, so I won’t fall further behind the city students."
"Don’t worry, these medicines are free."
"The principal of the cram school really believes in me. He gave me these."
Hearing that the principal had given them to him, his mother was even happier that her son was being recognized.
Soon, Zhang Yu brought back even more things.
Besides various high school textbooks and neural stimulants, there were hormone-regulating capsules, supplements for demon beasts, and bottles of unlabeled powder.
Zhang Yu had many explanations for these—sometimes he said they were cheap things he bought while working part-time, sometimes they were gifts from classmates, and sometimes they were rewards from the cram school…
His mother was happy about her son’s diligence and even more pleased with his good relationships and excellent performance at the cram school.
She transferred 1,000 yuan to Zhang Yu, telling him to remember to thank his classmates and teachers.
But gradually, she noticed that Zhang Yu’s mood started to change.
Sometimes he would leave in the morning in high spirits but return at night silent and go straight to bed.
Other times, he would be happily eating dinner, but after answering a phone call, he would frown and lose his appetite.
She knew the pressure of cultivating immortality was too much, and Zhang Yu’s nerves were stretched to the limit.
She could only buy more of his favorite foods and save more money for his tuition, hoping to ease some of the pressure.
Gradually, she also noticed that Zhang Yu was particularly attached to his phone.
Not only did he almost never let it out of his sight, but he also didn’t allow anyone to touch it.
He would always go into the bathroom and close the door before answering calls.
Once, when she saw his phone was out of battery and went to charge it, Zhang Yu actually got angry with her.
Understanding the pressure he was under, she never touched his phone again, afraid of affecting his cultivation.
Suddenly, one day, Zhang Yu asked her for cram school fees, saying the school had invited a top university graduate to give them a lecture, and this was the fee for the graduate.
Then there was the recommendation fee for the high school admissions officer.
The fee for the hospital’s spiritual root test.
And the cost of buying a civilian-grade children’s flying sword with his cram school classmates.
From two or three thousand to seven or eight thousand… The last time, he asked her to transfer 20,000 yuan, saying it was the fee for renting a heavenly spiritual root.
But finally, good news came—Zhang Yu had been accepted into Songyang High School.
His mother was overjoyed.
She was proud of her son’s hard work and talent and readily agreed to the tuition, miscellaneous fees, and medicine costs Zhang Yu mentioned.
But after school started, Zhang Yu asked for more and more money, and the family gradually couldn’t make ends meet.
Finally, one afternoon, hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, his mother’s heart trembled.
"Hello? Is this Zhang Yu’s mother?"
"Do you know your son’s loan is 30 days overdue…"
That night, Zhang Yu confessed everything to his mother.
Over the past year, all the expenses during his studies hadn’t been free, as he had claimed—no recognition, no gifts… The money had all come from loans he had taken out on various platforms.
"Mom, I’m sorry."
"But I really want to cultivate immortality."
"Even if I’m in debt for the rest of my life, I still want to cultivate immortality…"
After hearing all this, his mother silently sold everything of value in the house and borrowed more money to pay off Zhang Yu’s debts.
She thought her son could now focus on cultivating immortality in peace.
But she soon discovered new overdue loans.
Repay… borrow… repay… borrow…
His mother finally couldn’t take it anymore and urged Zhang Yu to spend less money.
"Mom, I can’t stop taking this medicine. If I do, my Dao heart will regress, and all my efforts will be wasted…"
"I have to rent the heavenly spiritual root. Without it, my spiritual power can’t keep up…"
"I need to top up this VIP card for the cram school, or I won’t understand the cultivation techniques the school teachers are teaching…"
Advanced cultivation technology allowed mortals without spiritual roots to embark on the path of immortality, but the cost was regular, expensive learning and maintenance to keep going.
Three months into the school year, seeing the debt pile up and now unable to even afford the rent and utilities… It all felt like a never-ending nightmare.
His mother finally couldn’t take it anymore.
So when Zhang Yu came home from school one day, he no longer saw his mother.
After reading her note, he sat in a daze for a long time, then silently walked up to the rooftop.
…
On the rooftop of the rental building.
A sharp pain shot through the man’s head, gradually pulling his consciousness out of the darkness.
He opened his eyes and looked ahead, seeing a bustling street filled with people and flowing sewage.
On both sides of the street, neon lights flashed from various advertising signs.
Looking up, he saw dark buildings crammed together, seemingly trying to block out the entire sky.
The building beneath him was a dilapidated apartment, its red brick walls peeling and projecting a financial ad video, where immortals flying through the sky recommended a 30-day interest-free cultivation loan for new users.
"Wasn’t I playing Black Malu?"
"Where is this?"
Just as he was wondering what was going on, he turned his head and saw the rooftop filled with candles.
Rows of candles with flickering crimson flames surrounded him and a tattered doll.
It was a cloth doll with faded yellow fabric, crooked stitching, and black button eyes that seemed ready to fall apart at any moment.
The eerie scene seemed to stimulate his brain, causing fragmented memories to surge and swirl in his mind.
"This isn’t China… Did I get sent to another world?"
He struggled to accept the idea of transmigration.
But the real memories of cultivation technology in his mind kept assaulting his consciousness, merging him with the original owner while constantly reminding him that he was now in another world.
This was Kunxu, a superstructure shaped like a pyramid, with 36 above-ground levels and 18 underground levels.
Starting from the largest, continent-sized first level, each level was a new world.
As for what lay beyond Kunxu, Zhang Yu’s mind had no answer.
He only knew that within Kunxu, the world was dominated by major cultivation sects.
The great sects stood high above, monopolizing almost every industry—food, energy, transportation, education, research, medicine, finance, the internet, and more.
The government and military were more like security guards in front of the sect enforcers.
But ordinary people couldn’t enjoy most of the benefits of cultivation technology, instead spending their days struggling to make a living.
And he was Zhang Yu, a high school student living on the first level of Kunxu, recently admitted to Songyang High School, and currently obsessed with some strange ritual…
"Now, I’ve become Zhang Yu from another world."
Just then, a sharp pain in his palm pulled Zhang Yu out of his memory surge.
He looked down and saw a transparent symbol appear in his palm, slowly turning black at an extremely slow pace.
"What is this?"
As the night wind blew, the crimson candlelight around him flickered.
The tattered doll on the ground stared at him with its black button eyes.
He tried to recall what had happened, but the more he thought, the more his head hurt and the dizzier he felt.
The atmosphere grew increasingly eerie.
Zhang Yu, clutching his still-dizzy head, felt the world spinning around him.
When he came to, he found himself stumbling away from the rooftop and back to his apartment door.
Glancing at the rent notice, he stepped inside, where only a bed and a table greeted him.
"Is this my home?"
Feeling his sticky, sweat-soaked skin and the stifling heat around him, Zhang Yu looked for the air conditioner remote but remembered there was no AC in the apartment.
He wanted to take a shower but found the water had been cut off.
Zhang Yu sat down on the bed, feeling helpless.
"What a dump."
"Even if there are immortals, what’s the point? Life here is worse than in a world without them."
His eyes scanned the walls, noticing the awards plastered behind the table.
First grade, second grade, third grade… all the way to ninth grade.
The original Zhang Yu had been first in his class almost every year.
Looking at these awards, memories of receiving them flooded Zhang Yu’s mind: "The original Zhang Yu was a hardworking, top student from a young age."
"Now he’s attending Songyang High School, a top high school in the city."
"I’m a top student."
Recalling the knowledge in his mind, Zhang Yu’s eyes gradually lit up: "Getting into a top university will let me build my foundation. Joining a major sect will let me form a golden core. I can climb up Kunxu, leave this slum, and enjoy more of the benefits of cultivation technology. I could even live for hundreds of years."
Thinking this, Zhang Yu suddenly felt that coming to this world might not be such a bad thing.
Just as he was thinking this, his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Zhang Yu, your