“Have you arrived?”
“Don’t be nervous. With grades as good as yours, you’ll definitely pass.”
“Don’t worry about the surgery fees. Mom found a new part-time job and will definitely help you gather the money. Just focus on the interview.”
Looking at the messages his mother sent on the screen, Zhang Yu silently put away his phone, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.
After a long while, a voice calling numbers came from ahead.
“Candidate number 989, Zhang Yu.”
Zhang Yu stood up and walked into the interview classroom.
He looked at the three interviewers and showed them the polite smile he had practiced for a long time: “Hello, all three of you. I’m Zhang Yu from Dongyang Junior High School.”
The interviewer in the middle looked at him and said flatly: “Why do you want to apply to our school?”
Zhang Yu: “Your school’s long history, profound heritage, rich teaching resources, and how it has consistently cultivated many outstanding talents for society…”
The interviewer frowned and interrupted: “Don’t give me these pleasantries.”
Zhang Yu answered honestly: “I want to get into a prestigious university. Songyang High School has the highest university admission rate among all the schools I can apply to.”
The interviewer smiled slightly, looking at the materials in his hand: “Hmm, perfect scores in all subjects, first in the entire school? No wonder you were recommended.”
“Your grades are fine, but to enter Songyang High School, relying solely on school exam results is far from enough.”
He thought for a moment and casually asked: “How many hours do you sleep each day now?”
Zhang Yu: “Five hours.”
The interviewer said in surprise: “Five hours?”
“Students at our school, starting from elementary school, average no more than two hours of sleep per day. Outstanding graduates from previous years basically don’t sleep at all.”
“You actually sleep five hours every day, which means you study three hours less than others each day. Over nine years, that’s nearly ten thousand hours less…”
Zhang Yu was slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected that despite thinking he was already working extremely hard, there was still such a huge gap between him and others in terms of effort. He knew that students in Songyang City started elementary school at age 9, and after 9 years would enter high school at 18, but he hadn’t realized that in the same 9 years, the gap between people could be so vast.
Zhang Yu hastily said: “I will work hard to catch up with them.”
The interviewer on the left asked: “How much of the high school curriculum have you studied?”
Zhang Yu calmed down slightly and replied confidently: “I have already self-studied the entire first-year high school curriculum.”
The other person frowned: “Only first year? Don’t you know that when we teach here, we assume students have already completed the entire high school curriculum?”
Zhang Yu was dumbfounded upon hearing this. This was yet another piece of information he didn’t know, and what he thought was an advantage had instantly become a disadvantage.
Just as he was at a loss, the middle interviewer asked the next question.
“To improve learning efficiency and prevent puppy love, our school requires all students to complete sterilization surgery to remove relevant organs before enrollment, so they can focus on cultivation from then on.”
“Do you know about this?”
Finally hearing something he knew about, he hurriedly replied: “My family is already preparing for it. I will definitely complete the sterilization surgery before school starts and maintain hormone levels at the most suitable level for studying.”
The interviewer nodded noncommittally: “Alright, today’s interview is over. You can go out now.”
Zhang Yu walked out of the classroom anxiously. He felt like his interview time seemed shorter than other students’.
After he left, the middle interviewer shook his head: “Still not sterilized even in junior high. This child’s heart for the Dao is not firm enough.”
The female interviewer beside him smiled: “I see he came here knowing nothing. He doesn’t have any of the required test reports or extracurricular exam scores. I can only say that the quality of recommended students from these ordinary junior highs gets worse every year. If not for the support policies, what qualifications would they have to see us?”
The middle interviewer nodded: “Sigh, I thought poor people would work harder. Perhaps I had too high expectations for them.”
“Let’s put this one on the backup list for now.”
With that, he threw Zhang Yu’s resume into the trash basket beside him, where it squeezed together with several hundred other backup resumes.
Although Zhang Yu felt that his interview didn’t seem very successful, he had no extra time to think about these things. He had already begun preparing for one interview after another, going to different high schools.
“Student Zhang Yu, we understand that your family situation may not be sufficient to afford the tuition here. However, we provide preferential loan services for impoverished students. You just need to be willing to mortgage some unimportant organs…”
“Don’t worry, you didn’t come to the wrong place. We know you’re male, and although our school is a girls’ school, we never discriminate against males. As long as you complete gender reassignment surgery, not only can you enroll, but you’ll also be considered a seed student with a firm Dao heart, with the opportunity to enter advanced classes to learn the Primordial Yin Qi Cultivation Technique…”
“What a pity, you’re still a little short of our admission standards. However, to take care of impoverished students this year, we’ve launched a special talent student policy. If you’re willing to give up your physical body, you can study in the principal’s Ten Thousand Soul Banner as a soul cultivation special talent student…”
“Student, you’ve come to the right place. This is the most suitable high school for civilian geniuses like you.
Let me introduce the benefits here. We add intelligence enhancers to the drinking water, guaranteeing students maintain a level-five focus state at all times.
Every day, homeroom teachers will distribute over 900 grams of supplements specifically for bull demons, ensuring your cultivation effects are ten times better than before.
Even the air circulation system is filled with neural stimulant fillers, so you’ll never need sleep again. And all of this is free.
Of course, to withstand these function-enhancing supplements, you must complete modifications at our designated hospital.
Don’t worry, you just need to implant some small magical instruments to enhance your metabolic capacity. Here’s the specific price list…”
One interview after another, one problem after another.
Either the thresholds were so high that he couldn’t see any hope of reaching them.
Or they were contracts full of traps that made him feel like he would be swallowed whole.
All of this made Zhang Yu feel like he was being pressed down so hard he couldn’t breathe.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that despite having the top grades in his suburban ordinary junior high school, compared to those students from the city center, there was already a world of difference.
Even now, he only knew the tip of the iceberg about how big the specific gap between them was.
The years of diligent study seemed to have become a joke.
In the end, he was no different from those students who didn’t study hard—he also couldn’t get into high school.
Returning home, Zhang Yu sat silently like a stone statue.
The phone on the table vibrated repeatedly.
Mother: How did the interview go?
Mother: I’m working overtime today. Remember to heat up the food in the fridge yourself.
A moment later, the phone vibrated again.
Mother: Son, don’t worry. Whether you choose sterilization or gender reassignment, Mom will definitely help you gather the money for the surgery.
But Zhang Yu didn’t look at the vibrating phone. He just stared blankly at the ceiling, wanting to think about future matters, but feeling like his head was empty and he couldn’t squeeze out anything.
Just then, the phone vibrated violently again.
Zhang Yu didn’t want to pay attention at first, but after the phone vibrated for over a minute, he finally couldn’t help but pick it up, only to find the caller had already hung up.
Then he received a message from them: Your five thousand backup fund is ready, and can be deposited in just ten seconds…
“A small loan advertisement?”
“Hmph.”
Zhang Yu thought his interview information had probably been sold by some school.
But after putting down the phone for a moment, he picked it up again and clicked on that message.
…
That night, when his mother came home from overtime work, she found that Zhang Yu, who had previously looked ashen, seemed to have recovered and was sitting upright at the table studying.
“Mom, don’t worry. I won’t be defeated so easily.”
“If I can’t do it this year, I’ll try again next year. I will definitely cultivate immortality.”
“Tomorrow I’ll go find a cram school. I’m going to make up for everything I’m lacking, one by one.”
Early the next morning, Zhang Yu rushed out, and when he returned that evening, his face was full of joy.
“Mom, I found an immortal cultivation cram school. The teachers there are all invited from key high schools. Studying with them will definitely get me into high school.”
“Don’t worry about the tuition. They think I’ve had good grades since childhood and know my family isn’t wealthy, so they temporarily waived my tuition. As long as I can get into Songyang High School next year, I won’t have to pay back the tuition—it’ll count as helping them advertise.”
“Don’t worry, they’re a big company. They won’t deceive people.”
His mother watched Zhang Yu leave for cram school before dawn every day and return home late at night, still studying until two or three in the morning.
Seeing him constantly bringing home high school sophomore and junior textbooks in Chinese, mathematics, physics, and other subjects, and watching him plan to complete all the general education courses except immortal cultivation, she felt gratified by her son’s dedication.
But when she saw the boxes of medicine he brought back, doubt still arose in her heart.
Zhang Yu explained with a smile: “Mom, from childhood to now, I’ve already studied ten thousand hours less than those top students. If I don’t work harder, I’ll only be left further and further behind.”
“These neural stimulant fillers allow me to sleep only half an hour each day, improving my learning efficiency so I won’t continue to be outdistanced by those students in the city.”
“Don’t worry, these medicines don’t cost money.”
“The principal of our cram school thinks very highly of me. He gave me all these medicines.”
Hearing they were gifts from the principal, his mother was even happier that her son was being appreciated.
Soon Zhang Yu brought back even more things.
Besides various high school textbooks and neural stimulant fillers, there were also hormone-regulating capsules, supplements specifically for demon beasts, and bottles of unpackaged medicinal powder.
Zhang Yu had many explanations—sometimes saying he bought cheap goods from part-time work, sometimes saying classmates gave them to him, sometimes saying they were rewards from the cram school…
His mother was happy about her son’s diligence and even happier about 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 Zhang Yu’s emotions were becoming wrong. Sometimes he would leave home happy in the morning but return at night saying nothing and going straight to sleep.
Sometimes he would be happily eating dinner, but after taking a phone call, he would frown and couldn’t eat another bite.
She knew it must be the pressure of immortal cultivation that was too great, making Zhang Yu mentally tense.
She could only buy more of his favorite foods and save more tuition money for him, hoping to reduce some of his pressure.
Gradually, she noticed Zhang Yu was particularly protective of his phone. Not only did he carry it with him almost all the time, but he also didn’t allow anyone to casually touch his phone. When he had calls, he always walked into the bathroom and closed the door before answering.
Once when she saw the phone was dead and went to charge it, Zhang Yu actually got angry and scolded her.
Understanding his great pressure, she never dared touch Zhang Yu’s phone again, afraid of affecting her son’s immortal cultivation.
Suddenly one day, Zhang Yu asked her for cram school fees, saying the school had invited seniors who had gotten into top universities to lecture them, and this was money for the seniors.
Then it was referral fees for high school admissions officers.
Spiritual root testing fees for the hospital.
And money to buy civilian-grade children’s flying swords together with cram school classmates.
From two or three thousand to seven or eight thousand… the last time she directly transferred twenty thousand yuan, Zhang Yu said it was the fee for renting heavenly spiritual roots.
But good news finally came—Zhang Yu had successfully gotten into Songyang High School.
His mother felt incredibly joyful. She was proud of her son’s hard work and talent, and readily agreed to the tuition, miscellaneous fees, medicinal fees, and so on that Zhang Yu mentioned next.
But after school started, Zhang Yu asked for more and more money, and the family gradually couldn’t make ends meet.
Finally, one afternoon, listening to 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 has been overdue for 30 days…”
That night, Zhang Yu confessed everything to his mother.
During this entire time, all the various expenses in the learning process weren’t the free gifts, appreciation, and presents he claimed… all the money came from his borrowing from various platforms.
“Mom, I’m sorry.”
“But I really want to cultivate immortality.”
“Even if I owe debts I can’t repay in a lifetime, I still want to cultivate immortality…”
After hearing all this, his mother silently sold all the valuable things in the house, then borrowed more money to pay off Zhang Yu’s debts.
She thought her son could now focus on immortal cultivation.
But she soon discovered new overdue loans from her son.
Paying debts… borrowing money… paying debts… borrowing money…
His mother finally couldn’t help but advise Zhang Yu to spend less money.
“Mom, I can’t stop taking this medicine. If I stop, my Dao heart will regress and all my previous efforts will be wasted…”
“I must rent heavenly spiritual roots. Without them, my magical power can’t keep up…”
“This VIP card for the cram school needs to be recharged, or I won’t understand what the school teachers are teaching about cultivation techniques…”
Advanced immortal cultivation technology allowed mortals without spiritual roots to also embark on the immortal path, but the price was requiring the most expensive regular study and maintenance to continue on this path.
In the blink of an eye, three months of school had passed. Watching the debts accumulate more and more, to the point where even the house rent and utilities couldn’t be afforded… all of this seemed like an endless nightmare, and his mother finally couldn’t bear it anymore.
So when Zhang Yu came home from school another day, he never saw his mother again.
After reading his mother’s farewell note, he sat in a daze for a long time, finally silently picking up his phone and walking outside.
…
On the rooftop of the rental building.
A sharp pain came from the man’s mind, gradually awakening his chaotic consciousness from the darkness.
He opened his eyes and looked ahead, seeing a bustling street with sewage flowing through it not far away.
Colorful neon advertising signs flashed on both sides of the street, and looking up, he saw dark buildings crowded together, as if trying to cover the entire sky.
The building beneath his feet was a dilapidated apartment, with financial advertising videos still projecting on the mottled red brick walls. The ads featured immortals flying through the sky and escaping through the earth, all jointly promoting thirty-day interest-free immortal cultivation loans for new users.
“Wasn’t I playing Black Myth: Wukong?”
“Where is this?”
Just as he was wondering what was happening, he turned his head and discovered the rooftop was filled with candles.
Rows of candles flickering with crimson light surrounded him and a worn-out doll.
It was a rag doll with yellowed and faded fabric, crooked stitching, as if it could tear apart at any moment.
The eerie scene seemed to stimulate his brain, causing broken memories to constantly tumble and leap in his mind.
“This isn’t China anymore… I’ve been transported to another world?”
He found it hard to accept the fact of transmigration.
But the real memories about immortal cultivation technology in his head kept impacting his consciousness, gradually merging him with the original soul while constantly reminding him that he was now in another world.
This was Kunxu, a super structure built like a pyramid on the earth, with thirty-six floors above ground and eighteen floors underground.
Starting from the first floor, which was the largest in area and like a continent, each floor was a new world.
As for what the world outside Kunxu looked like, Zhang Yu’s mind had no answers.
He only knew that within Kunxu, this was a world where the various immortal cultivation sects reigned supreme.
The great sects were high and mighty, monopolizing almost all industries including food, energy, transportation, education, research, medical care, finance, and the internet. Government armies seemed more like security guards in front of sect enforcement teams.
But ordinary people had no fortune to enjoy most of the benefits brought by immortal cultivation technology, instead being busy with making a living daily.
And he was living on the first floor of Kunxu, a high school student named Zhang Yu who had gotten into Songyang High School, recently obsessed with some strange ritual…
“The current me has become Zhang Yu from another world.”
Just then, a sharp pain came from his palm, awakening Zhang Yu from his immersion in the memory impact.
He looked down and saw a transparent symbol appearing in his palm, gradually turning black at an extremely slow pace.
“What is this thing?”
As the night wind blew, the crimson candlelight around him flickered.
The worn-out doll on the ground stared at him with a pair of hollow eyes made of black buttons.
He tried to recall what had happened, but the more he thought, the more his head hurt and became dizzy.
The atmosphere in the air became increasingly eerie and sinister. Zhang Yu covered his still-dizzy head, feeling everything around him spinning.
When he came to his senses, he found he had already left the rooftop in a daze and walked step by step to his own front door.
After glancing at the rent collection notice, he crossed the threshold, and all Zhang Yu could see was a bed and a table.
“This is my home?”
Feeling his skin soaked with sweat and the extremely stuffy environment around him, Zhang Yu wanted to find the air conditioner remote, but then remembered there was no air conditioner in this house at all.
He wanted to take a shower, but found the water had been cut off.
Zhang Yu helplessly collapsed onto the bed.
“What a crappy place.”
“So what if there are real immortals? Life here is worse than in a world without immortals.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the walls and found they were covered with certificates of merit from childhood to now.
First grade, second grade, third grade… all the way to ninth grade, the original Zhang Yu had been first in his grade almost every year.
Looking at these certificates, various memories of receiving awards also surged from Zhang Yu’s mind: “The original Zhang Yu was a diligent and studious student who had excellent grades since childhood.”
“Songyang High School, where I’m currently enrolled, is also a key high school in the city.”
“I’m a top student!”
Recalling the knowledge in his mind, Zhang Yu’s eyes gradually brightened: “Getting into a prestigious university means I can build my foundation, joining a great sect means I can form my golden core, and I can climb higher in Kunxu, leave this slum, enjoy more benefits of immortal cultivation technology, and live a few hundred years longer wouldn’t be a problem.”
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu suddenly felt that coming to this world seemed like a good thing.
Just as he was thinking this, his phone suddenly rang.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Zhang Yu. Your loan on our platform has been overdue for 3 days…”
After hanging up, Zhang Yu scrolled through the text messages on his phone and found dense overdue payment notices, all from various platforms where the original soul had borrowed money and fallen behind on payments.
At the same time, related memories also surged in his mind.
“This guy started borrowing money for tutoring before entering high school. After getting into Songyang High School, in order to keep up with everyone’s grades, he had another bright idea and started borrowing money to support his borrowing, taking loans from everywhere to buy medicine and attend tutoring, forcibly stimulating his potential. In the end, not only did he borrow more and more money, but his potential was gradually drained.”
“This bastard is a fake immortal cultivation genius maintained by platform loans.”
“Even his mother couldn’t stand him and finally ran away.”
After calculating all the overdue loans, cold sweat immediately broke out on Zhang Yu’s forehead.
Because he discovered that with compound interest, Zhang Yu already owed various platforms a total of over seven hundred thousand yuan.
Looking at his account again, there were only just over fifty yuan left.
“Actually owes seven hundred thousand… damn!”
Zhang Yu fiercely punched the bed and roared: “In this world… even for the favored sons of heaven who graduate from high school, this is a huge debt!”
“No wonder this guy was obsessed with all kinds of messy rituals… he’s just a loan dog with no hope in life.”
“He had his fun, and now I have to pay his debts?”
At the same time, the lights in the room suddenly went out.
After Zhang Yu repeatedly pressed the switch several times and observed the situation of other neighbors, he confirmed one thing… his electricity had been cut off.
“This crappy place…”
“I hope when I wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll be back home…”
With various chaotic thoughts churning in his mind, Zhang Yu finally fell asleep drowsily on the bed.
On his palm, the originally transparent symbol had been filled with one-tenth black.
