Chapter 390

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Lifting the entire bunker—this was one of the contingency plans Zhang Yu and the others had come up with.

Whenever faced with an onslaught they couldn’t withstand head-on, they would move the bunker together, trying to evade the unmanageable attacks.

Fortunately, the prior layers of reinforcement were holding strong. Though a few cracks had formed on the outer walls, the structure itself remained largely intact.

“Move!” Xiao Qingxuan bellowed. Nine dragon-shaped Martial Qi streams danced wildly, blasting through the incoming mudslide while steering the group toward more stable ground.

But soon, the strain of expended mana began to show. With the dual burden of carrying the bunker and resisting the mudflow, Tian Yang could no longer hold on. Curling up his body, he leapt back into the bunker!

Seconds later, Shi Yunxiang followed suit, similarly shrinking down and diving into the interior.

As the two withdrew, the entire bunker lurched downward. The remaining three instantly surged with Martial Qi, each catching the weight to keep it aloft.

Gritting her teeth as she watched the churning flood and collapsing terrain around them, Shi Huaiyu’s expression darkened. “We can’t hold much longer!”

She knew if they dropped the bunker now, it would be instantly consumed by the earth’s collapse and the muddy torrent.

Zhang Yu shouted, “Shi Huaiyu, stop worrying about what’s below. Get up there and start lightening the load.”

“Xiao Qingxuan.”

Zhang Yu turned toward Xiao Qingxuan with a solemn look. “You too—help me out from up top.”

Shi Huaiyu immediately shrank her form and leapt onto the bunker, frantically refining strands of Xuanhuang Qi and injecting them into the structure to reduce its weight.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qingxuan landed atop Zhang Yu’s shoulder, pressing a palm against him. Streams of Five Elements True Qi surged into Zhang Yu, focusing entirely on healing his injuries.

But the moment he scanned Zhang Yu’s body, Xiao Qingxuan couldn’t help frowning. Through the strain of multiple explosive Techniques, Zhang Yu’s internal organs were battered to near-ruin—Xiao Qingxuan had no idea how he was still standing.

Zhang Yu had transformed into a giant, one hand lifting the bunker, the other blasting airwaves upward to counter the flood. Amid this apocalyptic landscape, he alone shielded the entire bunker from annihilation.

The sight filled everyone’s hearts with renewed determination.

Seeing Zhang Yu bloodied yet unyielding, standing firm against the onrushing tide, Shi Huaiyu glanced toward the distant Su Yanyang, gritting her teeth. “Screw it. Let’s do this!”

She slapped her Ghost Kidney and shouted, “Overload mode—refine kidney essence into mana!”

A Soul Cultivation voice from within her kidney protested, “If you do that, this organ’s going to age rapidly! Its depreciation rate is not low!”

“Just do it!” she snapped.

A moment later, feeling her mana rapidly replenishing, Shi Huaiyu poured out even more Xuanhuang Qi to further reduce the bunker’s weight.

Not far off, Shi Yunxiang extended an arm toward Zhang Yu. “Here—drink some of my blood!”

Zhang Yu saw the lion-headed youth’s serious face and didn’t hesitate. He bit down, gulping mouthfuls of demon blood.

His eyes lit up instantly. It felt like ingesting liquid Heaven-Essence Rice—pure vital essence flooding his body, restoring stamina and supercharging his metabolic recovery.

Just then, notifications from the competition group chat flashed in his vision.

Ying Xin: “1 spirit coin.” Keep it up, senior brother! Use it for medical bills!

Gongshu Jin: “1 spirit coin.” Go get ’em…

Yu Xinghan: “1 spirit coin.” Use this to fight hard.

Zhang Yu smiled faintly. With a loud roar, he blasted back the swirling floodwaters, clearing a space of several meters around them.

But moments later, a ten-meter-tall wave of mud came crashing down like a mountain.

As the flood swallowed Zhang Yu and the others whole, Su Yanyang said flatly, “Pointless struggle.”

He watched wave after wave hammer down on the site, the tremors continuing all the way until the match officially ended.

Calculating silently, Su Yanyang mused, “If I’d tightened defenses earlier and avoided delays in setting up formations, or stockpiled power for just five more minutes, this could’ve ended much faster.”

He shook his head. “Well, we didn’t have that kind of time anyway.”

As the earth finally settled, Su Yanyang descended toward the battlefield.

He watched the referees dig through the soil, unearthing the shattered remains of the bunker. Estimating silently, he muttered, “Roughly ten percent integrity left. Still within target.”

Suddenly, he frowned. Up close, the bunker looked… bigger than it should.

Then the outer shell peeled back—revealing a smaller structure nested inside.

“Wait a second… That’s the real bunker, built to the test’s required dimensions!”

Su Yanyang narrowed his eyes. “So they overbuilt the exterior to hide the real thing inside?”

“But even so, it’s badly damaged…”

…

In the Spiritual Realm…

Wei Huai commented, “Zhang Yu’s team did well—but ultimately lost due to funding. If they’d had better Law Husks and cutting-edge tech, their score would’ve been much higher.”

“He can’t keep going like this—burning himself out in every match. Even nine lives wouldn’t be enough. He needs to find a way to borrow more.”

Tu Lishan argued, “And how much did Su Yanyang spend on this match? If he keeps burning resources like this, what happens when he can’t repay the debt?”

As Peace Faction and War Faction instructors resumed their argument, their debate shifted from Zhang Yu’s match to others in the tournament.

Director Gao, however, sat still as a calm pond, eyes locked on the score screen.

True Lord Magneto (private message): Final completion score—36?

True Lord Magneto: Then in the second round, Su Yanyang only needs to score above 36 to win, right?

True Lord Magneto: Given the gap in power, that shouldn’t be hard.

True Lord Magneto: Seems like you were right—Su Yanyang’s stronger than your student.

Director Gao: Maybe. But this first round’s outcome wasn’t quite what I expected.

Director Gao: I thought Su Yanyang would crush them even faster.

Remembering how Zhang Yu’s team fought tooth and nail during the final minute, a thoughtful look flickered in Director Gao’s eyes.

True Lord Magneto: What, you thinking of helping him in the second half?

Director Gao: Isn’t it too soon?

He’s only a sophomore. Give him two more years—he’ll definitely surpass Su Yanyang.

True Lord Magneto: You’re not wrong.

But the competitive landscape gets fiercer every year. Snagging a Seven Absolutes Technique early would make a huge difference in potential.

Director Gao: So you think I should help?

True Lord Magneto: Why not? He’s your student, not mine.

I’m just saying—help him now, and if he seizes the chance, the leap in growth would be worth ten times the usual effort.

Director Gao: That makes sense.

True Lord Magneto: Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you want me to help him?

Director Gao: My methods are too well known around here. If I interfere, it’ll be obvious.

Since this is an internal competition for the Civil Engineering Department, as Director, I can’t be seen secretly favoring a student mid-match.

True Lord Magneto: He’s your student, not mine. Doesn’t concern me.

Director Gao: For old times’ sake, lend a hand. Use the intermission to guide him a little.

True Lord Magneto: That’s not how this works—I don’t even know him. How am I supposed to advise him?

Director Gao: I trust your skill. If you’re willing, you’ll find a way.

True Lord Magneto: Fine, fine. You owe me.

True Lord Magneto: And don’t bother with money—won’t help your case.

True Lord Magneto: I’ve got people lining up with bribes just to get my guidance.

Director Gao: [30 spirit coins] I know. Thank you, really.

True Lord Magneto: By the way, I’m not on his friend list. Have him add me.

Also—no guarantees. I won’t promise a win.

Director Gao: I understand. After your guidance, the rest will be up to him.

…

As the referee called a final score of 36, Su Yanyang turned toward the mud-soaked Zhang Yu and company as they climbed out of the wreckage.

He looked down on them and said leisurely, “Not bad.”

“For your level, that’s the best you could’ve done.”

“Rest up. The second half’s coming.”

…

Watching Su Yanyang walk away, Shi Huaiyu touched her waist—her whole body felt sore and weak.

Grimacing, she muttered to herself, “What a loss… we really got the short end of the stick this time.”

Clearly, she saw no way to lower Su Yanyang’s score below 36 in the second half, when they were on the offensive.

“We’re definitely going to lose to him.”

“And probably won’t even make the top seven.”

Nearby, Che Yufei stirred from his fake-dead state. Hearing the score, he sighed and tried to console himself. “Still… holding out against Su Yanyang’s team like this is pretty impressive.”

“If it weren’t for you three—Zhang Yu, Shi Huaiyu, Xiao Qingxuan—I don’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened.”

Xiao Qingxuan stood calm as ever. In his view, this team’s ceiling was a top-ten finish—aiming higher seemed futile.

Zhang Yu, however, wasn’t ready to give up. If it were one-on-one, he’d definitely fight again.

With his bodily enhancement and Earth-Wood Saint Body, risking everything was his forte.

But he wasn’t alone—he had five teammates.

Looking at their exhausted, pained expressions, Zhang Yu couldn’t bring himself to ask them to fight harder.

And yet, if he said nothing, he knew they’d be crushed in the second half.

Just as conflicting thoughts churned through his mind, a message came in from Director Gao.

Director Gao: You did well in the first half.

Director Gao: Losing doesn’t mean much—Su Yanyang just started cultivating years before you.

Director Gao: During this intermission, I’ve asked a teacher to mentor you.

Director Gao: I went through a lot to arrange this. Make the most of it and try to score high in the second half.

Director Gao: His name is True Lord Magneto.