You dare to cultivate without money?!

End of September.

Inside the laboratory.

Jin Jun looked at the materials that had risen in price once again, feeling slightly relieved.

"It's a good thing I stocked up on plenty of materials needed for the Heavenly Sun Divine in advance; I won't need to buy more for another month or two."

"I hope this economic crisis ends soon."

During this time, Jin Jun also didn't go out, spending every day cooped up in the lab advancing the progress of the Heavenly Sun Divine, ignoring the storms of the outside world.

...

As Yu Xinghan returned from the company, he saw a few familiar faces from a distance before he even reached the door.

Looking at Su YanYang and Xiao Yun Ji, Yu Xinghan smiled, "Here for a check-up again? How about a massage afterward? I'll give you the lowest price ever."

As the economic crisis continued to unfold, more and more students gradually started to feel overwhelmed.

Su YanYang came to see Xiao Qingxuan for treatment, carrying a few bottles of pills commonly used to eliminate sleep, dispel hunger, and nourish vitality and blood, as a form of payment for Xiao Qingxuan.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yun Ji came to see Zhang Yu to maintain his magic remains, dismantling the transforming magic remains from his body to reduce personal pressure. Of course, all these services from Zhang Yu charged a fee, but compared to the current market rates, they were much cheaper, making it an incredibly good deal in Xiao Yun Ji's eyes.

Su YanYang lazily said, "Massage for what... I'd rather catch more sleep."

Yu Xinghan exclaimed in surprise, "Sleep?"

Su YanYang nonchalantly replied, "Sleeping means taking fewer pills, less exercise, less consumption, quickly passing time. Don't you think it's the best way to get by right now?"

Besides Xiao Yun Ji and Su YanYang, there was also a disheveled Li Xiao squatting nearby.

Yu Xinghan knew that these days Li Xiao would come to Zhang Yu daily, waiting for Zhang Yu to get off work to give him some mana.

As for the rest of his time, from what Yu Xinghan gathered, Li Xiao should be staying on the outskirts of the underground cemetery, scrounging whatever spiritual mechanism and ashes fell out from inside.

Though today, besides himself, Li Xiao brought along a dust-covered person.

"Ji Yuanshu?" Seeing Ji Yuanshu turn his head away, Yu Xinghan internally sighed, "Sigh, with Zhang Yu doing things like this, the number of vagrants around our dorm, inside and out, keeps increasing."

Just then, with Zhang Yu's arrival, Li Xiao pulled Ji Yuanshu along, immediately approaching like two squirrels begging for food.

After feeding them, watching Zhang Yu disappear behind the dorm door, Li Xiao sighed, "If only Zhang Yu could take us home too."

Ji Yuanshu said, "Stop daydreaming, focus on studying. This period is the best time to surpass what's ahead and create a gap with what's behind."

Li Xiao sighed again, a thought welling up in his mind, "If I hadn't gotten into university back then, would my days in a single-layered Xiandu City be easier, more carefree, without struggling daily like a beggar?"

Of course, Zhang Yu had no intention of bringing Li Xiao and Ji Yuanshu into his dorm.

After all, there were already enough people in the dorm, and the spiritual mechanism was just barely sufficient, how could he bring more inside?

Besides, Li Xiao, Ji Yuanshu, and Zhang Yu didn't have such deep connections, Zhang Yu casually feeding them some mana was just so he wouldn't find them dead at his doorstep.

To this, Fu Ji sighed, "Zhang Yu is getting more and more soft-hearted, isn't he? Vagabonds like this should be beaten every time they appear and chased far away; don't let that stench of poverty cling to you."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "If it were the me who had just arrived on the second level, I might have ignored everything."

"But now... ultimately I have more money, more power, and with some leeway, I can make choices according to my wishes, rather than being forced by this damn Kunxu."

Whenever he thought of this, Zhang Yu immersed himself even more into the study of the Spirit Realm, continuing to pursue greater power, a broader financial path.

And Zhang Yu had to admit, having focused almost all his energy on studying in the Taiqing Realm during this time, coupled with the support of his artifact refining talent, his learning progress could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.

With the Blessed Relic, Transmuting Free Soul Ring, Overtime Gold Hoop, Free Lotus Platform... he learned each blueprint, and through pushing to Level 20, he deeply understood the knowledge and technology contained within.

Zhang Yu estimated to himself, "Probably in 2 or 3 weeks, I will have mastered all the technologies needed for the Heavenly Sun Divine and can officially start refining."

But soon, Wanfa University ushered in new changes.

First, daily outing times were restricted, then daily Spirit Realm traffic got limited, then medications, spirit stones... with the restrictive supply of spiritual mechanism, suddenly the previously obsolete spirit stones came back into focus.

Outside the dorm, Ji Yuanshu suddenly slapped Li Xiao on the face, then lowered his voice and said, "Unemployed? Are you crazy? Do you know what you're getting into with this stuff?"

Li Xiao weakly replied, "I heard there were red packets to claim."

Li Xiao helplessly said, "I'm scared too, but I'm really out of money. I can't survive anymore."

Ji Yuanshu gritted his teeth and said, "I have a way with the Finance Department that can get you a card, but remember, only apply for one, absolutely no more."

Inside the dorm, a message from Su YanYang appeared in Zhang Yu's mind.

Su YanYang: Zhang Yu, can you lend me some spirit coins?

Su YanYang: I'll repay it with bank loan interest

Zhang Yu: [1 spirit coin]

Su YanYang: Thanks, do you have more?

Zhang Yu: No more

Su YanYang: It's getting more chaotic outside; be careful when you go out, and avoid places without surveillance.

On the other side, Shi Huaiyu looked at the medicines he bought and said, "Damn it... it's bad enough with daily restrictions, but they're even skimming off the top, how greedy are they up there?"

As daily medication supply decreased, Zhang Yu also felt his body growing hungrier by the day.

He understood that if this continued for a long time without the nourishment of medicine, his vitality would become deficient and potentially deplete, and his physical strength might even regress.

After all, for cultivators like them, as they become stronger, their consumption naturally increases.

And so, Zhang Yu began looking for ways to purchase more medicines.

The first people he contacted were naturally Magnetic Pole True Monarch and Director Gao.

However, as the situation became tense, these two teachers seemed to become increasingly busy and did not respond to Zhang Yu's messages.

Then Zhang Yu reached out to Li Xuelian through Yu Xinghan and found the dark pharmaceutical realm.

But the prices of drugs on the black market had long skyrocketed, making Zhang Yu hesitant.

Fu Ji cursed, "The Pharmacy College must have secretly supplied the dark pharmaceutical realm, limiting supply on one side and hiking prices on the black market on the other."

Then Zhang Yu contacted Yin Jiurao, Le Mulan's mentor, through her.

This Yin Jiurao, who had once used Zhang Yu as material for her thesis, was willing to provide some extra potion supplies, and her demand was quite simple.

In front of the office, Le Mulan bit her lip and said, "Zhang Yu..."

Zhang Yu shook his head with a smile, reassuring her, "It's okay, I'll be out soon."

Le Mulan clenched her fists and said, "This time endure it a bit, I will try my best to get more potions soon."

Watching Zhang Yu's back as he walked into the office, and hearing the noises inside, Le Mulan felt an unwillingness, cursing her own weakness today which forced Zhang Yu to exchange precious material for those normally cheap potions.

Zhang Yu, having received a big box of potions, finally felt satiated and upon returning to his dorm, he lent a few bottles to his roommates and half a bottle to Li Xiao and Ji Yuanshu outside the door.

That evening, everyone, feeling the sensation of fullness from within, experienced a sense of peace.

Just then, the battles among the Divinity Transformation in the live broadcast triggered geological disasters across a thousand miles.

Everyone, who had just settled their minds, was startled.

Soon after, Ji Yuanshu's face froze, showing a wry smile of helplessness.

Then, under the shocked, surprised, and sighing eyes of everyone, his body was surrounded by divine light, and his physical body was gradually disintegrated by the financial storm, his soul was swept into the depths of the Spirit Realm.

Seeing this former prodigy of the Civil Engineering Department disappear due to the ripple effects of the Divinity Transformation battle, everyone present felt lingering fears, and their originally slightly calm spirits became anxious again.

A few hours later, Zhang Pianpian, Magnetic Pole True Monarch, and Director Gao consecutively sent messages.

Magnetic Pole True Monarch: I sent a batch of potions over, stay obediently in your dorm, no matter what happens outside don't get involved.

Director Gao: The work on the 670th floor is temporarily halted, you don't need to come, if anything arises remember to find Magnetic Pole.

Zhang Pianpian: The Divinity Transformation is gathering at the arena, some things might escalate, but once it escalates, it also means higher-ups will intervene, so things will temporarily end.

Zhang Pianpian: But before it ends, anything could happen, be careful, don't run around.

With several consecutive messages, Zhang Yu became anxious, reminding everyone in the dormitory to be cautious and not to go out.

As he pondered whether to have Li Xiao outside the door come in temporarily, he realized that Li Xiao had already disappeared.

The next night, everyone gathered to watch the live broadcast of the Top Ten Competitions.

In the broadcast, Tao Qiankun from Wanfa University and Kuang Tianqing from Sky Demon University were fighting, determining the first place of the Ten Schools Battle.

Zhang Yu remembered that these two were second and first on the Golden Core Seed Ranking, respectively, with simulated scores surpassing all schools.

Watching them battle fiercely in the broadcast, Zhang Yu couldn't help but think, "These two probably haven't shown their full strength even on the Golden Core directive score."

Just then, Tao Qiankun shouted, sending a golden phantom into Kuang Tianqing's body.

"Upgrade in battle! Break for me!"

In Tao Qiankun's low voice, Kuang Tianqing's momentum skyrocketed! Roared up! Frenzied upwards!

Intense golden light burst out from his body, almost turning him transparent, and in his abdomen, a round, golden Golden Core shadow emerged.

This Kuang Tianqing was on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm under Tao Qiankun's attack.

But the next moment, he reached into his abdomen and crushed that Golden Core.

"Tao Qiankun, you think this trick can force me to break through?"

"Return it to you!"

Kuang Tianqing threw the shattered Golden Core back at him, "Break for me!"

In the heat of the battle, both their movements froze, stopping mid-air.

Yu Xinghan tilted his head in confusion, "What kind of move is this? Time pause?"

Zhang Yu shook his head, with a serious look in his eyes, "The video froze."

Everyone manipulated their eye orbs, shocked to discover that not only the live broadcast paused but all kinds of Spirit Realm services had stopped.

Shi Huaiyu was incredulous, "The Spirit Realm Network... cut off?"

"Is the Spirit Realm traffic limit in the dorm reached?"

Zhang Yu shook his head, "I checked before, the traffic hasn't run out."

Yu Xinghan: "Then what on earth is going on..."

Zhang Yu tested and found that neither the Sun and Moon Connecting Bracelet nor the Heavenly Patrol Flying Sword could reach the Spirit Realm at the moment.

The Spirit Realm seemed to have disappeared.

A bad thought rose in Zhang Yu's mind, "Is it only within the dorm? Or worse, is it the entire floor?"

"Or... is the Spirit Realm of the entire Wanfa University interrupted?"

Just then, everyone felt a tremor underfoot, as the entire dorm room shook violently.