I am a demonic cultivator, not a capitalist with a conscience.

Chapter 3 I can't tell the difference.

Tianyuan City Fourth High School, Wangtianya.

As the glow of dawn gradually dimmed, Lu Ziqi, a second-year high school student, slowly opened his eyes.

He exhaled a breath of stale air and felt his magical power increase. The morning glow still imprinted in his eyes continuously propelled spiritual energy into his limbs, giving him a warm feeling all over his body.

I wanted to take a few more puffs, but someone behind me kindly reminded me, "Junior, you've already run out of time to buy."

As soon as he finished speaking, the morning glow before him finally dissipated, leaving him with a sense of loss.

Turning around, Lu Ziqi looked at the senior high school student behind him, scratched his head, and said, "Sorry, senior, I'll be leaving right away."

The other party nodded slightly, offered a few words of encouragement, and then said to the person behind him, "It's your turn. It's twenty yuan for half an hour. Pay first, then enjoy. A one-time top-up of 1,000 yuan will get you a 5% discount."

Lu Ziqi left reluctantly, taking one last, wistful look at Wangtian Cliff.

There are five high schools in Tianyuan City, each with a different teaching philosophy. The fourth high school is the Guanxiang School, hence it is also known as Guanxiang High School or Art High School.

Regardless of the high school, spiritual energy is the foundation of magical power, and magical power is the key to cultivation.

Cultivators need to constantly inhale and exhale spiritual energy, transforming it into magical power within their bodies, and then using this magical power to enhance their blood and qi or to cultivate their techniques.

Visualization is a practice that involves visualizing objects suitable for cultivation, thereby increasing the efficiency of spiritual energy conversion and thus improving one's cultivation level.

The place where they had just cultivated was called Wangtian Cliff. The former principal broke through his cultivation realm here and advanced to the Golden Core stage. The overflowing magical power was used by him to create a never-ending rosy dawn, which eventually became the sacred place for meditation at the Fourth High School. Cultivation efficiency can be increased by 30%, and the conversion efficiency is also much higher.

But 20 yuan for half an hour is really expensive.

The high school students in Tianyuan only receive a monthly stipend of five hundred. After deducting food and necessary school supplies, very little money is left.

His family wasn't well-off; his parents' combined income was less than two thousand yuan, so they couldn't provide him with much support in this area.

Therefore, he can only come here to cram before the exam. He can't be like other rich guys who soak here every day until their bodies reach their absorption limit and then go down the mountain to attend classes feeling drowsy.

I heard that this cloud formation used to be free; people could come and meditate there every day, and leave after three hours.

But later, after the former principal was transferred, the place was outsourced, and the price gradually increased, eventually becoming 20 yuan for half an hour.

With a deep sigh, he slowly walked down the mountain, beginning to worry about his college entrance exam a year from now.

His current total score is only 330, ranking him below 10,000th in the city.

Moreover, his appearance was not good enough, so the Hehuan Sect did not accept him.

At that time, they might only be able to be diverted to other small sects to become college students, and then spend their lives working like cattle and horses.

He immediately shook his head, suppressing his emotions, and then quickly went down the mountain to prepare for morning self-study.

After settling down, Lu Ziqi took out his phone and was about to find his textbook when he noticed a notification on his phone.

"Dream Lover? The ultimate action-packed drama? And it's free?"

Lu Ziqi has always disregarded such push notifications.

His resolve to follow the Dao was unwavering; he never heeded external temptations, focusing solely on the Dao and never retreating.

He initially intended to delete it, but recalling what had just happened, he stopped.

His anxiety about the college entrance exam left him feeling chaotic. At this time, rushing to study might only breed inner demons, so it would be better to take a break first.

With only fifteen minutes left before his morning class, he finally succumbed to the temptation of the exciting drama and decided to watch it first.

Setting the time and activating the dream world, Lu Ziqi yawned and then fell into the dream, sinking into the world of "The Mysterious Immortal's Dream". When he opened his eyes again, the world was completely different.

Looking around, Lu Ziqi noticed that although the materials used here were free, the production quality was very high.

The creators have excellent aesthetic sense, the scenes are built to life, and the scenes are deliberately aged, showcasing remarkable construction aesthetics.

He was also interested in the dream weaver profession and studied it for a while, but he quickly gave up.

This industry requires exceptional talent, keen insight, and exquisite craftsmanship. If you can't excel in all of these areas, the products you make will just be garbage.

But some people's talent is like an awl in a pocket; it will burst out with the slightest movement and cannot be hidden.

"This level of skill is free? Are dream weavers really this greedy now? Damn it, people more talented than you are even more greedy. This world really doesn't give people a way to survive."

Muttering to himself, Lu Ziqi heard someone beside him ask with concern, "How are you feeling today?"

Turning his head, Lu Ziqi saw a doctor with a rosy complexion standing beside him, holding his medical record in his hand.

The other person's white coat was spotless, and the smile on their face was like a gentle breeze. They kept looking into Lu Ziqi's eyes as they spoke, and the concern in their eyes made people feel good about them.

Looking down, Lu Ziqi noticed that he was wearing a blue and white hospital gown with the words "Tianyuan Mental Hospital" embroidered on the left chest.

I am a mental patient.

Besides him, there was another patient tied to the bed, staring intently at the sky, motionless.

Turning to the side, Lu Ziqi glanced at the other person's name tag: Sun Huowang.

After observing his surroundings, he was about to speak when he heard the doctor say, "Are you still prone to nightmares? Your condition is quite troublesome. We can't find a suitable treatment at the moment, so we can only offer conservative treatment. I'll prescribe some sedatives for you later; it may be related to your lack of sleep."

Lying down blankly, Lu Ziqi asked himself, "What was so enjoyable about this dream?"

The scene I entered was completely inexplicable. I couldn't even speak, and there wasn't a single element of enjoyment around me. What's so interesting about this place?

But for some reason, this eerie environment gave me an urge to keep watching. The doctor seemed kind, yet there was something off about him, making me feel vaguely uneasy.

If it were a monster, that would be fine; I could find a way to take it down. But this vague sense of unease is like a sword hanging over my head, making it impossible to feel at ease.

Just as he was about to back out, he suddenly heard a roar beside him, and Sun Huowang, who was tied to the bed, suddenly started to struggle.

He seemed oblivious to the restraints on his body, struggling on the bed like a normal person, his expression cold and indifferent, his lifeless eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Before Lu Ziqi could react to what was happening to this guy, the other person's neck was suddenly twisted straight around him.

His lifeless eyes found focus at that moment, and his indifferent expression turned into astonishment.

He looked at Lu Ziqi with difficulty and roared, "You're not from here! Who are you? Why are you here! Open your eyes! Open your eyes and look at me!"

"No, close your eyes first! Then open them wide! Hurry, or it'll be too late!"

The male nurses around immediately rushed over, tied up the screaming Sun Huowang again, and then took him to the next room.

Even with the door closed, Lu Ziqi could still feel the other person staring intently at him.

Lu Ziqi shuddered violently and nodded, saying, "Interesting."

Following the other party's instructions, Lu Ziqi closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them wide, only to find that his surroundings were still the same.

But he soon realized that this was no longer a hospital.

(End of this chapter)