Chapter 276: Reunion With Zhang Pianpian

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

“Number 686, Zhang Yu.”

As the number was called, Zhang Yu stood up and walked into the interview room.

Although he already met all the admission requirements for Wanfa Sect University and had even signed the pre-enrollment agreement, the interview process remained mandatory.

When Zhang Yu stepped into the room, he gave the three interviewers a casual smile and said, “Good day, teachers. I'm Zhang Yu from the first floor of Songyang Advanced Immortal Arts High School.”

The lead examiner looked at him and asked, “Why do you want to attend Wanfa Sect University?”

Zhang Yu responded calmly, “Because Wanfa Sect University is one of the best. I want to break through to Gold Core, to Nascent Soul, and join a sect. Naturally, I have to choose the best university.”

The three examiners exchanged slight smiles. One of them asked, “How do you arrange your study and rest time?”

Zhang Yu replied coolly, “I don’t rest.”

Another examiner followed up, “How much of the university curriculum have you already completed?”

Zhang Yu said, “As you can see, I’m already at the Foundation Establishment Realm. I’ve completed all general Qi Refining Realm courses.”

“I also self-studied the Excavator Palm, Crane Claw, Sports Car Leg, and Elevator Leap from the Civil Engineering Department, and reached level 10 in all of them.”

As the examiners reviewed his resume, their expressions grew increasingly satisfied.

The lead examiner asked, “Zhang Yu, as far as I know, you haven’t undergone sterilization. What’s your opinion on the sterilization policy at university? Do you think college students should be sterilized?”

Zhang Yu replied without hesitation, “Sterilization is a coward’s escape.”

“For me, trivial hormonal surges can be suppressed through sheer willpower.”

“These impulses aren’t obstacles on my path to immortality—they’re tools of production. They fuel my cultivation.”

“My resume includes transaction records of seed sales from the first floor. The frequency and quality of those deals should be enough to prove the firmness of my Dao Heart.”

The three interviewers exchanged glances and all revealed expressions of approval.

Finally, they stood up together and extended their hands toward Zhang Yu. “Zhang Yu, welcome to Wanfa Sect University.”

…

As Zhang Yu stepped out of the interview room, he saw Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan waiting for him—they had already finished their interviews.

Yu Xinghan said, “Let’s go, Zhang Yu. Time to register. We still need to pick a dorm.”

Just then, a female voice called out.

“Zhang Yu, long time no see.”

The trio turned their heads simultaneously and saw Zhang Pianpian walking toward them.

After two years apart, Zhang Pianpian remained graceful and imposing, even more full of energy than before.

Her appearance hadn’t changed much, except for her eyes, which had turned amber—clearly a pair of Law Husk Eyes.

The badge on her forehead marked her as “Rank 49 in the Foundation Establishment Realm, Sigil Department, Wanfa Sect University.” The radiant halo behind her head drew attention from everyone nearby, quickly making her the center of focus.

Zhang Yu almost blurted out “Sis,” but caught himself and said instead, “Senior, you’re here.”

Zhang Pianpian smiled slightly. “You’ve gotten taller.”

“Come on. I’ll help you register and then treat you all to a meal.”

Under Zhang Pianpian’s lead, the three completed registration, enrollment, and tuition procedures…

Though they had brought enough tuition money, Zhang Yu and the others, at Zhang Pianpian’s encouragement, still opted to take out a student loan—marking their first debt on the second floor.

The tuition for the first year was 0.5 spirit coins. Starting from the second year, they’d pay 0.005 spirit coins in monthly interest until the full 0.5 was repaid upon graduation.

Zhang Pianpian said, “Don’t be afraid. Now that you’re on the second floor, how can you grow if you don’t unleash your full cultivation potential?”

“Instead of paying the 0.5 spirit coins up front, better to invest in your studies first.”

Glancing at the recommendation form bearing Zhang Pianpian’s name, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Sis… I mean, Senior, does this count toward your performance quota?”

Zhang Pianpian said, “You’d have had to apply anyway. I just helped you get it done.”

“Come on, let’s pick a dorm.”

As Zhang Yu moved through Wanfa Sect University City earlier, he’d already noticed something unusual.

The entire campus was packed into a vertical structure just over 3 km long and wide, and under 10 km high.

Which meant: space was tight.

That impression was confirmed the moment they saw their potential dorm.

“Lower-tier dorm, 20 people per room, 20 square meters total. Two toilets and six shower stalls per floor…”

Zhang Yu muttered, “Seriously… even chicken coops are more spacious than this.”

Yu Xinghan added, “Top-tier luxury suite—15 square meters, two bedrooms, one bath.”

Zhang Yu frowned. “You call 15 square meters a ‘luxury suite’? And the rent’s 1 spirit coin per month? That’s robbery.”

He had 9.94 spirit coins total, including the 5 Bai Zhenzhen had given him—only enough to cover 9 months.

Hearing his complaint, the middle-aged woman at the dorm registration desk snorted and gave him a sidelong glance. “From the lower floor, aren’t you? Land up here is worth its weight in gold. You think it’s like your countryside back home?”

“If you want it, rent it. If not, get out. Plenty of people are waiting.”

Yu Xinghan suggested, “Why don’t we share?”

Le Mulan nodded. “Split three ways…”

Zhang Pianpian said, “Let’s make it four.”

She smiled. “Split between the four of us, we’ll save a good amount.”

“But we don’t need a luxury suite. Just get a five-square-meter mid-tier dorm.”

She pointed to the price list. “It’s 0.2 spirit coins a month. Split four ways, that’s just 0.05 per person.”

Zhang Pianpian thought to herself, “Compared to my current classmates, Zhang Yu and his friends are more trustworthy. Sharing a room with them will save me some trouble.”

Zhang Yu looked at his sister and wondered, “She’s already ranked 49 in the Sigil Department, yet she’s still this tight on money?”

Fu Ji commented, “Land on the second floor is precious. No matter how strong you are, you still need to save on rent. Better to spend that money on your studies.”

Zhang Yu sighed softly. Looking over the mid-tier dorm’s specs, he asked, “Four people in five square meters? Can we even fit?”

Zhang Pianpian said, “It’s only five square meters, but it’s four meters high. We can make two levels.”

“The dorm also comes with a spirit-energy supply—perfect for meditation.”

“Other than that, it’s just for storing stuff, showering, and recharging. How much space do you really need? Four people will be fine.”

“Besides, the space may be small, but our bodies can shrink. You’ll get used to it.”

With Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan both agreeing, Zhang Yu nodded. The four of them rented a standard mid-tier dorm together.

…

Wanfa Sect University City, 125th floor, Dorm Area.

The entire floor was just four meters high. Rows of mid-tier dorm rooms lined both sides of a narrow corridor like coffins.

Floating arrows and walking paths hovered in the air—projections from Law Husk Eyes.

When Zhang Yu opened their dorm room, a tiny five-square-meter space appeared before them.

Le Mulan couldn’t help but say, “It’s so small.”

She had never lived in a room this cramped in her life.

Zhang Pianpian said, “The door’s narrow—only one person at a time. Go in one by one, drop off your luggage, and then I’ll take you to eat.”

“After that, you’ll probably have to attend your first class meeting tonight, right?”

“Oh, and remember to shrink your bodies when inside. That’s an essential money-saving skill in this university.”

Carrying his luggage, Zhang Yu entered the dorm, compressing his muscles and joints as much as possible to appear like a slender 1.7-meter-tall figure.

While this made it easier to move around, the room still felt suffocating. The body compression gave him a constant sense of being hunched and constrained.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “No wonder everyone I saw in the university looked so short. Turns out people here are used to keeping their bodies compressed. It’s the exact opposite of how cultivators on the first floor show off their tall, imposing physiques.”

After unpacking, the group followed Zhang Pianpian to a pharmacy on the 128th floor.

It was called a meal, but what they ate was medicine.

Yu Xinghan looked at the pills in his hand and said, “I think I’ll just mix up some of my synthetic food.”

Watching Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu rehydrate their synthetic meals, Zhang Pianpian said flatly, “You’ll run out of those eventually. Better get used to second-floor food now.”

“It tastes bad, but it’s full of nutrients and takes very little time to consume.”

“There are only two downsides. One, it doesn’t satisfy hunger well. Two, our powerful digestive systems can harm the gut if we don’t eat regularly.”

As she spoke, she took out a piece of cement. “So we usually eat medicine with a bit of cement.”

Even Zhang Yu, who had seen his share of horrors on the first floor, was stunned when she swallowed a small chunk of cement.

“Cement? That’s what you eat? There’s nothing else?”

Zhang Pianpian smiled. “Cement is cheap. Here in Wanfa Sect University City, it’s everywhere. Just chip some off a wall—it fills your belly and suppresses stomach acid so it doesn’t damage your digestive tract.”

“So the food industry here wasn’t just crushed by pharmaceutical companies. It was destroyed by the combined force of pharma and civil engineering.”

“Especially after civil companies released edible cement—now you get full, get your nutrients, and the restaurant scene is dead.”

Zhang Yu still couldn’t believe it. Civil engineering was dominating the food market now?

Zhang Pianpian added, “Oh, and don’t get caught breaking off cement under surveillance. There’s a fine.”

“Right… you two are in the Civil Engineering Department, right? Once you’re on a worksite, you can eat on the job—just grab cement from the site.”

Yu Xinghan asked, “Can’t we grow our own food?”

Zhang Pianpian gave him a sidelong glance. “You want to join the Black Agricultural Underworld? I won’t stop you from joining a gang or two in the future, but that one… way too dangerous.”

“You might not understand yet, but private cultivation of any plant here is a serious offense. It violates school rules and the law—enough to get you expelled.”

“Only universities and corporations are allowed to grow things.”

…

After dinner, Zhang Yu said goodbye to Le Mulan and Zhang Pianpian, then joined Yu Xinghan to attend the first meeting of their Foundation Establishment class in the Civil Engineering Department.

Arriving on the 130th floor, they had just stepped into the classroom when several gazes turned their way.

“You two—show us your exam scores and baseline stats. We’re building class rankings. Let’s see where you fall.”