What’s the point of cultivating immortality if you don’t have money?.

Chapter 781 Invitation to Join the Group

11 month.

On the 11th floor of Kunxu, in the office area of ​​Yufa Pavilion.

Zhang Yu was sitting in his office, starting his work as usual.

But as his gaze swept across the contacts and he saw the names fade into the background, he wondered to himself, "I wonder how my senior sisters did on their exams?"

Almost a year has passed since Zhang Yu joined the sect.

Not long ago, Ye Xingli, Le Mulan, Wen Wuyai, and Li Xuelian had already embarked on their return journey to the lower realm to participate in the sect examination.

Zhang Yu had already discussed the follow-up arrangements with them. If they didn't pass the exam, they would come back to do outsourcing work.

If they can get into the sect, then they can bring other classmates up to do outsourcing work.

"If all four of them pass the exam, they can bring four more classmates up with them."

“Yu Xinghan and I can each bring up another outsourcing company, making a total of 8.”

"In that case, eight more students will be able to undergo training at the sect next year and then return to the lower realm to take the exam."

“如果他们也都能通过的话，那下一次……我们就能总共再带16个同学上来做外包。然后16个变32个，32个变64个……”

Just then, Fuki interrupted Zhang Yu's daydream: "Are you planning to bring the entire Wanfa University up here? Will you even bring up the affiliated junior college students and promote them to major college students?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I wish I could, but unfortunately... I can't do it right now."

Zhang Yu knew, of course, that such a doubling of growth was an ideal scenario.

The reality is that Zhang Yu isn't sure how many of the four—Ye Xingli, Le Mulan, and the others—will ultimately succeed in their attempts to return to the sect.

"Thanks to the unique advantages they have within the sect, their basic data are basically close to or have reached the upper limit of the Golden Core realm."

"The immortal coins I earned were all used to purchase products unique to the sect level to strengthen myself."

"With my help, my senior sister's spiritual artifact has also been upgraded to level 3..."

By working with Ye Xingli to complete the design blueprint for a magic weapon at the Golden Core stage, Zhang Yu successfully helped Ye Xingli upgrade her Dao Seed.

The level 3 Spiritual Essence Core allowed him and Ye Xingli to fuse three design blueprints in one go.

On the other side, Le Mulan, like Yu Xinghan and Bai Zhenzhen, received the "Myriad Transformations Freedom Profound Skill" passed down by Zhang Yu while undergoing the examination of sect memories in the lower realm a year ago.

"Over the past year, Le Mulan has been able to create eight clones, greatly accelerating her learning and cultivation efficiency."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "And after my assistance and guidance several times, she was able to freeze the Exam Sect clone with the Deep Cold Dharma Vein, which means she can control the Exam Sect clone on her own."

"They...should be able to pass the exam, right?"

Because the Wanfa Sect has been promoting the development of dual cultivation techniques in recent years, every disciple of the sect has data requirements for dual cultivation, otherwise they will be targeted by the Dual Cultivation Support Department.

According to the information Zhang Yu knew, this mysterious and terrifying support department was said to be full of experts and powerful individuals, and it was specifically tasked with capturing people who had not practiced dual cultivation for a certain period of time.

"Once you're targeted by these people, who knows what kind of cruel torture you'll suffer!"

So every now and then, Zhang Yu would pull Le Mulan along and use the magic-breaking talisman to create fake dual cultivation data, thus helping her cultivate.

Zhang Yu originally wanted to use a similar method to help Yu Xinghan, but then he saw Yu Xinghan smile slightly and say with great courage:

"I have already consulted with Teacher Xinghuo about the specific details of this dual cultivation support department."

“I have to admit, there…” Yu Xinghan sighed, “it really did attack my weaknesses and vulnerabilities.”

"But on the path to immortality, one either advances or regresses."

"Everyone is afraid of being targeted by the support department, but I'm going to do the opposite and risk my life to see just how terrifying this den of demons is, and to temper my hardened heart."

Zhang Yu didn't know what Yu Xinghan had experienced in the support department afterward, but he felt that the other person's spirit seemed to have become more resilient, the fighting spirit in his eyes was even stronger, and he had become a regular visitor to the support department.

"Should I test myself too? Go and help Corey gain some experience?"

Just then, Zhan Xian continued to talk to Zhang Yu about Ye Xingli, Le Mulan, and the others returning to take the sect exam.

“Zhang Yu, you should understand that the destination we are heading to is one that not all of our companions can keep up with.”

"Along the way, some people will eventually fall behind, some will be left behind, and some may even become your enemies in the future."

"Perhaps." Zhang Yu smiled faintly upon hearing this and said, "But at least at this moment, I still hope that I... can do my best not to abandon them."

If it were 7 or 8 years ago, when she was still in high school or college, Fu Ji would probably have already started to refute Zhang Yu, hoping that he could abandon such outdated ideas.

But at this moment, Fukuhime felt that her thoughts were also changing without her realizing it.

She thought to herself, "I didn't quite understand Zhang Yu's idea of ​​bringing along fellow villagers wherever he went before."

"But considering his achievements in recent years, this approach is not without its merits."

"Especially within this sect, bringing more of our own people up here will be a great help in establishing laws and upholding the lineage..."

Besides the changes in his companions, Zhang Yu himself also made a lot of progress after becoming the leader of the martial arts group.

With more free time to cultivate each day, Zhang Yu persevered in advancing his basic cultivation techniques, and has now pushed his Nascent Soul Saint Body to the level of (27/25).

Originally, reaching the (16/16) level would increase the effect of the Nascent Soul Holy Body by 60%, but now this number has been increased to a full 140%.

Now, Zhang Yu only needs to run the basic technique nearly a hundred times with his demon clones to push it to level 40.

This allowed Zhang Yu to practice basic techniques faster and faster each day, while also spending less and less time on it.

So in addition to his regular job, he took on some part-time work.

In addition to their regular duties, members of the Wanfa Sect are allowed to take on part-time tasks from other organizations or enterprises.

These part-time jobs primarily offer Immortal Coins, serving as a crucial channel for countless cultivators to earn extra income.

Some high-quality tasks are snapped up on the very day they are released, attracting a large number of competitors.

The tasks have various requirements regarding the employer's level, skills, experience, etc., so you can't just take on any task you want.

When Zhang Yu first joined the sect and was still a newcomer, the tasks he could receive often only offered a reward of a few dozen immortal coins.

He needs to continuously complete tasks and earn positive reviews in order to be able to take on higher-quality, more lucrative tasks.

With the acting leader of the martial arts group and a resume full of achievements, Zhang Yun had many more tasks to choose from.

Zhang Yu can handle tasks such as designing testing environments for martial arts techniques and providing guidance on technique design, and he also offers many suggestions for getting the techniques approved.

The income from part-time jobs, combined with income from his job and bonuses transferred from Martial Arts Group Three, greatly increased Zhang Yu's income, and he has now even acquired a Celestial Spirit Root.

Zhang Yu had hesitated when choosing his immortal spiritual root.

The sheer variety of immortal spiritual roots at the sect level, developed over generations and aided by various immortal techniques, was enough to dazzle Zhang Yu.

There are immortal spiritual roots that are long and thick, and come with 18 spiritual veins.

It possesses an astonishing amount of immortal spiritual roots, carrying a volume exceeding hundreds of thousands of liters of matter.

There are even immortal spiritual roots that can be used for production, condensing large quantities of immortal medicines every day.

However, the more extraordinary the effects of a celestial root, the more expensive it naturally becomes.

Some rare immortal spiritual roots often need to be reserved several years in advance.

"Fortunately, my own Feather Spirit is already very powerful, so buying another Immortal Spirit Root is just for show."

After some deliberation, Zhang Yu bought the cheapest and most basic type of immortal spirit root.

This immortal spiritual root has no special functions; its only purpose is to refine spiritual energy and enhance magical power, but its efficiency is hundreds of times higher than that of the heavenly spiritual root.

In this way, he bought the cheapest immortal spiritual root and saved as much as possible on his daily cultivation and living expenses, which finally allowed Zhang Yu's current savings to exceed 25000 immortal coins and 440 Dao merits.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Keep saving. Once I've saved up over 10 Immortal Coins... let's see if there are any Immortal Sect cultivation techniques on sale."

While he was quietly saving money, Zhang Yu suddenly discovered that the workload in his team had increased significantly.

It was as if a multitude of martial arts techniques were suddenly revealed and sent directly to the review department for approval.

While browsing through these martial arts techniques, Zhang Yu clearly discovered that these techniques seemed to be interconnected in layers...

"It's like...it was developed from the same project team."

What happened afterward confirmed Zhang Yu's suspicions. "Immortal sect techniques?"

Zhang Yu looked at Qu Yizhi in front of him and asked curiously, "Where did you hear that from?"

Having served as the leader of the Martial Arts Group Three for many years, Qu Yizhi clearly had his own information channels within the Imperial Law Pavilion. At this moment, he said, "I heard that the higher-ups have already spread the word, and it won't be long before we find out too."

"After all, the cultivation techniques of immortal sects need to be reviewed. It must be led by the higher-ups, who will set up a special team and then draw elites from below to join the team."

Seeing the lingering doubt in Zhang Yu's eyes, Qu Yizhi quickly added, "True Lord Zhang, you've reviewed many of the cultivation techniques you've been working on recently, haven't you? Don't you think many of them originate from the same source?"

"When a whale falls, all things come to life."

"The birth of a new immortal cultivation method often leads to the development of numerous immortal techniques, cultivation methods, and products."

"Applicants often submit these documents together to build a copyright moat and prevent others from taking advantage of them."

"The thing we've been reviewing recently should be an extension of that immortal cultivation technique."

Zhang Yu understood immediately. After nodding slightly, he asked, "Do you know what kind of technique it is?"

Qu Yizhi shook his head and sighed, "I have absolutely no clue."

He sighed, "Speaking of which, there are only a handful of top-tier laboratories within the sect capable of creating immortal cultivation techniques, but this particular technique did not originate from any of these laboratories. There was absolutely no word about it before it came out."

"You have to know that the development of each martial arts technique requires a lot of continuous investment."

"Therefore, even when various immortal cultivation techniques are being developed, they often conduct various forms of publicity to attract resources."

"If we're considering sales, then we need to promote it everywhere, with all sorts of advertisements flooding the market..."

Qu Yizhi's face was also full of curiosity: "But this time the cultivation method has a mysterious origin. We don't even know which company invested in it, and we haven't seen a single advertisement for it. It's as if it popped out of a stone."

Hearing these words, Zhang Yu began to have his own ideas. He wanted to participate in the assessment of this immortal martial arts.

"If I were to add a review of a cultivation technique from a martial arts sect to my resume, it would certainly be a great help for my future promotion, wouldn't it?"

While thinking this, Zhang Yu asked again, "Team Leader Qu, do you know how to get into this special team and participate in the review of this immortal cultivation technique?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Yizhi smiled slightly, inwardly sighing, "Who wouldn't want to join the crew?"

He said, "For cultivation techniques of the Immortal Sect level, the review should be led by at least the Vice Pavilion Master, and the specific personnel will naturally be selected by them."

"However, leaders of various departments can make recommendations to higher levels. With your performance, Zhang Zhenjun, I think you still have a good chance of being selected."

Qu Yizhi had something else on his mind that he hadn't said: their superior, Lu Hengzhang, the deputy director of the review department in charge of martial arts... If he wanted to detain Zhang Yu, then the possibility of Zhang Yu joining the group would be greatly reduced.

Zhang Yu also thought of this, so he made a plan to ask Gu Qingya to find a way to recommend him to the group.

Just moments later, when Zhang Yu found Gu Qingya and expressed his wishes, the other party's answer surprised him even more.

"I can recommend you, but there's no guarantee you'll get accepted."

Gu Qingya said, "This time, the Immortal Sect Martial Arts Competition will be personally overseen by the Pavilion Master, who will select elites from various departments to participate in the selection process. In addition to the Imperial Law Pavilion, experts will also be selected from other pavilions to participate in this project."

"The Pavilion Master is personally presiding over this?" Zhang Yu was taken aback upon hearing this. As a cultivator of the 7th rank, the Pavilion Master of the Imperial Law Pavilion was already a powerful figure above the Refinement Void Realm and had long since stopped interfering with the daily affairs of the Imperial Law Pavilion.

Gu Qingya continued, "I originally thought that this immortal sect technique would at most be overseen by the deputy sect leader, but I didn't expect that even the sect leader was alarmed."

"Although the Pavilion Master is most likely just a figurehead and may not actually take action, it is enough to show how much importance this immortal sect technique is valued."

"Not to mention selecting experts from other cabinet departments, the people behind the scenes promoting such joint projects are probably even more unfathomable."

At this point, Gu Qingya looked at Zhang Yu and asked, "A project of this high caliber, while an opportunity, inevitably contains risks. Are you sure you want to participate?"

Zhang Yu nodded firmly, and the more he did so, the more he felt that this was his opportunity.

He knew that if he wanted to climb the ranks in the sect, he had to seize every opportunity.

"Even if this operation doesn't help me get promoted, learning a cultivation technique from a celestial sect would still be good."

At this moment, Zhang Yu was worried that Lu Hengzhang would interfere and prevent him from joining the special task force.

After he expressed his concerns, Gu Qingya immediately comforted him and said she would keep an eye on Lu Hengzhang for him.

What Zhang Yu didn't expect was that shortly after he left Gu Qingya's office, Lu Hengzhang contacted him directly through the Dharma Realm.

The projection of the other party's Dharma realm descended, without any pretense or smile. Lu Hengzhang in front of him seemed to disdain to make any more pretense in front of Zhang Yu, or rather, he felt that there was no need to pretend anymore. His gaze, filled with strong contempt, disgust, and hostility, had already fallen on Zhang Yu.

"Here."

With a flick of his finger, Lu Hengzhang sent a notification to Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu's gaze sharpened; it was clearly an invitation letter from a special task force.

"Invited me to join the project team? Gu Qingya's side probably won't be there so soon..."

Just as Zhang Yu was thinking this, he saw Lu Hengzhang's name in the recommender column.

"This was done by...Lu Hengzhang? Was he the one who recommended him?"

Zhang Yu looked at Lu Hengzhang warily and asked, "Vice Minister Lu, what is the meaning of this?"

Lu Hengzhang said calmly, "What? You don't want to go?"

“Gu Qingya has a higher rank than me, but as the head of the audit department, he cannot participate in the work of the special task force.”

"As the vice minister in charge of martial arts, I will be leading a team to join the special task force this time."

"My superiors asked me to recommend some people, and I'm planning to recommend you."

"If you don't want to go, you can just refuse the task force's request..."

After saying that, Lu Hengzhang's Dharma Realm projection flickered slightly and disappeared in front of Zhang Yu.

Recalling Zhang Yu's solemn expression, Lu Hengzhang sneered inwardly: "What does it matter how wary or careful you are? You lowly beasts who climbed up from the lower realm are like wild dogs that will never let go of meat."

"Faced with an opportunity to climb up the ladder, even if it means risking your lives... you will not give up."

"This is your inherent weakness; you're destined to be played by us for the rest of your lives."

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu on the other side had already crossed the Dharma Realm and completed his communication with Gu Qingya.

"If I refuse this invitation from the expert group... even if Gu Qingya applies for me again, I'm afraid I won't be able to get into the special task force."

"This guy..." Zhang Yu looked at Lu Hengzhang's name on the invitation and thought to himself, "Is he deliberately trying to get me into the group?"

Although he knew in his heart that the other party had ill intentions, Zhang Yu still decided to join the group.

He thought to himself, "As long as it's a test of cultivation techniques, I have nothing to be afraid of."

Thus, amidst Lu Hengzhang's disdainful gaze, he received notification that Zhang Yu had accepted the invitation.

Lu Hengzhang sent a message reminding him: "Join the team in a week. Before joining the team... remember to cultivate Wuxiang Martial Arts to the 12th level. This is the minimum requirement for working in the project team."

Lu Hengzhang knew that one copy of Martial Arts Eleven cost 100,000 Immortal Coins, and two copies together would cost 200,000 Immortal Coins. For a clan affairs officer who had worked for many years, this was something he could manage to scrape together if he gritted his teeth.

But for someone like Zhang Yu, who had been in the sect for less than a year, it was a huge sum of money.

"Will you go around borrowing money?"

In Lu Hengzhang's view, this was inevitable. He knew that cultivators like Zhang Yu, who had climbed up from the bottom, would never give up climbing even if they were burdened with huge debts or went bankrupt.

At this moment, Lu Hengzhang seemed to have already pictured the other party borrowing money everywhere in his mind.

The thought that the other party would incur a debt with considerable interest made Lu Hengzhang smile slightly.

"This level of debt is probably still within your affordability range."

"But once you experience failure in the special task force, this debt will gradually become the last straw that breaks your back."

As for achieving success in the special task force?

Having already learned part of the inside story, Lu Hengzhang understood...

"impossible."

"This immortal cultivation technique is destined to be abandoned."

"Some people in the special task force are also destined to become cannon fodder."

(End of this chapter)