Chapter 296: Earn Spirit Coins, Spend Spirit Coins

Chapter 296: Earn Spirit Coins, Spend Spirit Coins

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

As Zhang Yu activated the Limitless Cloud Hands, he felt a deep hum resonate from within his body. His flesh and blood were being tempered through wave after wave of internal vibrations. Even the concrete, wrapped in Protective Qi Barrier, began to bubble as trapped air was expelled—his efficiency now several minutes faster than before.

"Perfect…" Zhang Yu thought to himself. "This way, I can improve my work efficiency and simultaneously cultivate the Earth-Wood Saint Body."

"From now on, I should operate this way on site."

"Many of the Techniques in the Earth-Wood Saint Body are probably meant to complement construction work."

But as the work progressed and Limitless Cloud Hands continued operating, Zhang Yu felt his limbs begin to grow sore and heavy.

He recalled the side effects described in the Limitless Cloud Hands manual:

"Prolonged operation damages peripheral nerves, joints, and muscles, leading to Muscle Vibration Syndrome."

"In severe cases, it can even cause gangrene in the fingertips, limb deformities, and serious damage to physical mobility…"

"However…"

Zhang Yu took a deep breath. While running the Limitless Cloud Hands, he was also doing his best to control his body's activation state, constantly repairing damaged tissues.

While Zhang Yu was working hard, not far away, Yu Xinghan had already flopped onto a plank, quietly watching the stars in the night sky.

"Sigh, this job is way too exhausting. I’ve got to rest, or my body will break down."

"Balancing income and health is crucial for Immortal Dao cultivation."

"You don’t want to make a little money only to blow it all on medical bills."

On the other hand, Li Xiao chuckled inwardly at the sight of Yu Xinghan lying down.

"Can’t even handle this much? How can he expect to survive in civil engineering?"

Watching the Spirit Coin counter in his EyeNet terminal steadily tick upward, Li Xiao felt a surge of motivation. His aching muscles no longer seemed like such a big deal.

Especially when he looked out at the massive construction site on the 666th floor—it was like a mountain of gold and silver waiting to be collected.

Yu Xinghan looked at the tireless Li Xiao and thought, "He’s still going? Guess Zhang Yu was right—this guy must have been hiding his strength."

Then he turned to look at Zhang Yu—whose physique had subtly bulked up, his explosive strength now visibly greater.

Zhang Yu was channeling Martial Qi, pouring vast swaths of concrete over rebar grids, moving like a dragon through a river of steel.

To speed things up, Zhang Yu had activated a bit of the War Demon Life-Draining Technique, boosting his physical strength by 0.2.

Thanks to the body activation effect from the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique, he could easily withstand the physical toll of both War Demon Life-Draining and Limitless Cloud Hands.

He glanced at his Spirit Coin counter—already up to 0.01135 Spirit Coins—and pushed his Techniques even harder.

Seeing his movements speed up, Yu Xinghan thought, "What a freakish physique."

He remembered how Zhang Yu had collapsed and risen again and again under Xinghuo Zhenren’s training back on the first floor. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

Meanwhile, behind the construction site's surveillance cameras, Tu Lishan was observing the new students.

"This Yu Xinghan kid… sure knows how to slack off."

"Li Xiao’s diligent and reliable—a good seedling for civil engineering."

And then Tu Lishan looked at Zhang Yu. "Now that's an Earth-Wood Saint Body. One of him is worth twenty Qi Refinement laborers in output, but he only costs ten times their wage."

"Poor Martial Dao aptitude, but works hard, eats bitter, physically solid, from a backwater like the first floor, and desperate for money…"

Poor aptitude, good body, hard-working, dirt-poor, countryside origin—if that’s not the Earth-Wood Saint Body, what is? He was practically born for this.

At that moment, Ying Xin and two others arrived at the site with a senior inspector.

Seeing them, Yu Xinghan immediately stood up and resumed work.

Ying Xin glanced at the trio working themselves to the bone and thought, "Construction work like this grinds down the body. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would fall sick from doing it daily."

Tasks like Zhang Yu’s—pouring concrete year after year while maintaining Protective Qi Barrier and high-frequency vibration—can lead to Meridian Swelling Syndrome.

And prolonged physical vibration? That causes Muscle Vibration Syndrome too.

Construction workers are riddled with illnesses… she’d seen and heard enough of it growing up.

That’s why she promised herself—once she joined the civil engineering department, she’d never do this kind of back-breaking labor.

She hoped that starting with her generation, her family wouldn’t have to suffer like this anymore.

"Let these first-floor people earn that kind of blood-and-sweat money."

"I want to be management."

Ying Xin’s real goal in this internship was to shine during the upcoming evaluations and catch the eye of a department leader—to get selected for an outdoor project.

"The real heavyweights of the civil engineering department aren’t in the University City. They’re out working major field projects."

She thought to herself, "With all these university wars breaking out, it’s the perfect time for civil engineers to shine. It’s a golden age for talent to rise—how could I stay in University City earning pennies?"

"If I get picked by the associate director of the civil engineering department for that project…"

Her thoughts turned to the intelligence on the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes.

She knew she wasn’t Gongshu Jin, nor was she a match for Ji Yuanshu. She’d never compete with them in rankings.

"But who says only seven straight years of first-place finishes can earn you all seven absolutes—and eventually the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might?"

As a sixth-generation civil engineer, Ying Xin knew the trove of information she held would be key to her future rise.

Before long, Zhang Yu had worked through the night.

Thanks to body activation, he was still full of energy—completely unstoppable.

Limitless Cloud Hands, Level 4

Wages earned: 0.038 Spirit Coins

Zhang Yu thought, "That’s 1.14 Spirit Coins a month, 13.68 a year… Xinghuo Zhenren wasn’t lying. This job really pays."

Not far away, Li Xiao looked at Zhang Yu and thought, "Feels like he did way more than me today. No doubt—he’s my real rival. Works even harder than I do."

Ying Xin shook her head slightly. "Zhang Yu’s going at this pace—his body won’t last six months."

Just then, a Yellow-Turban Enforcer named Huang Yun saw the three students clocking out and offered a warning:

"Don’t mind me being nosy, but this line of work pays well—and wears you down just as hard. After each shift, you’ve got to take care of yourself."

"There’s a massage parlor at the site gate. Their techniques are solid, services top-notch—they can help relieve a lot of the wear and tear…"

With that, Huang Yun left. As a Yellow-Turban Enforcer, he could no longer benefit from massages himself.

Zhang Yu didn’t pay the advice any mind. With the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique, he could regenerate through body activation—or switch to Martial Saint Embryo for self-repair.

In fact, to avoid drawing attention, he hadn’t even gone all-out tonight.

And he already knew how he’d spend the money from this gig:

"Buy high-quality Mana."

"Not only can I use it to upgrade Le Mulan’s Mana quality…"

"I can sell my own high-quality Mana too—make a fortune."

Zhang Yu was deeply envious of those who made money selling Mana. Compared to construction, it was practically a vacation.

Li Xiao also dismissed Huang Yun’s suggestion. If he had spare cash, he’d rather spend it on studying and cultivation.

"Body damage isn’t a joke," Yu Xinghan said gravely. "I’ll go test out the massage parlor first. If it’s decent, we can go together next time."

Zhang Yu waved a hand. "No thanks. You go ahead."

…

Inside the massage parlor.

Yu Xinghan sat anxiously for a few minutes. When he saw the masseur—more muscular than even himself—he choked up.

"You…"

The person grinned, pounded their chest with a thunderous thump, and said, "Don’t worry, kid. We’ve worked with site crews for ages. We know exactly how to take care of your muscles."

Yu Xinghan nearly got up to leave, but after remembering the Spirit Coins he’d already paid, he stayed put.

"Got any female masseuses?"

The masseur beamed. "I am a woman."

Yu Xinghan took a deep breath. "…Let’s get started."

…

For the next week, Zhang Yu didn’t get a moment’s rest.

He started each day with morning medicine, then went straight to class—studying arrays, engineering, internal force, and other Immortal Dao knowledge, while training the basic Techniques of the civil engineering department.

After a full day of classes, he underwent high-quality Mana infusion, digested it, then worked all night on the site—pouring concrete while cultivating Limitless Cloud Hands.

Come morning, another Mana infusion—and then back to class.

To keep up, he even invested an extra 0.5 Spirit Coins per month on high-quality Mana. Half of his earnings from the site were already spent before payday.

A week passed in a blur. His Dao Heart reached Level 11 (93.6%), Mana rose to 320.5, physical strength to Level 11.367, and Mana quality to 115%.

Limitless Cloud Hands had surged all the way to Level 13.

At Level 10, it unlocked a special effect—synchronizing the body and Martial Qi to produce higher vibration frequencies.

But this also increased the strain on his body, accelerating wear and tear and raising the risk of illness.

During his spare time, Zhang Yu reviewed the various Techniques under the Earth-Wood Saint Body—and the more he read, the more he confirmed one thing:

"All these Techniques either have huge side effects—or the work conditions they're designed for are just horrifying. Lung disease, vibration syndrome, cancer… each worse than the last."