Chapter 1: Interview

“Have you arrived?”

“Don’t be nervous. With your excellent grades, you’re sure to pass.”

“Don’t worry about the surgery fees. Mom found a new part-time job and will definitely gather enough money for you. Just focus on your interview.”

Zhang Yu silently put away his phone, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and waited quietly, looking at the messages his mother had sent on the screen.

After a long while, a voice called out from the front.

“Candidate number 989, Zhang Yu.”

Zhang Yu stood up and entered the interview room.

He looked at the three interviewers and offered the polite smile he had practiced for a long time. “Hello, I am Zhang Yu from Dongyang Junior High School.”

The interviewer in the middle looked at him and asked calmly, “Why do you want to apply to our school?”

Zhang Yu began, “Your esteemed school’s long history, profound heritage, and rich educational resources have consistently nurtured many outstanding talents for society…”

The interviewer frowned and interrupted, “Don’t give us these platitudes.”

Zhang Yu honestly replied, “I want to get into a prestigious university, and Songyang High School has the highest university acceptance rate among the schools I can apply to.”

The interviewer smiled slightly, looking at the data in his hand. “Hm, perfect scores in all subjects, top in the whole school? No wonder you were recommended.”

“Your grades are fine, but to get into Songyang High School, internal exam scores alone are far from enough.”

He thought for a moment and casually asked, “How many hours do you sleep each day?”

“Five hours,” Zhang Yu replied.

The interviewer was surprised. “Five hours?”

“Our students, starting from elementary school, average no more than two hours of sleep per day. And excellent graduates from previous years essentially don’t sleep at all.”

“You actually sleep five hours a day? That means you learn three fewer hours than others daily, which adds up to nearly ten thousand hours over nine years…”

Zhang Yu was slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected that, despite thinking he was already working very hard, there was such a huge gap in effort between himself and others.

Zhang Yu quickly 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 learned?”

Zhang Yu calmed down a little and confidently stated, “I have already self-studied the first-year high school curriculum.”

The other interviewer frowned slightly. “Only first year? Don’t you know that when we teach here, it’s assumed students have already completed the entire high school curriculum?”

Zhang Yu was dumbfounded by this new information. What he thought was an advantage instantly became a disadvantage.

Just as he was at a loss, the interviewer in the middle asked the next question.

“To enhance learning efficiency and prevent early romantic relationships, our school requires all students to undergo sterilization surgery to remove relevant organs before enrollment, so they can focus wholeheartedly on cultivation.”

“Were you aware of this?”

Finally hearing something he knew, he quickly replied, “My family is already preparing for it. I will definitely complete the sterilization surgery before school starts to maintain my hormone levels at the most suitable level for studying.”

The interviewer nodded noncommittally. “Alright, the interview is over for today. You may leave now.”

Zhang Yu nervously walked out of the classroom, feeling that his interview time seemed shorter than other students’.

After he left, the interviewer in the middle shook his head. “He’s already in junior high and hasn’t been sterilized. This child’s devotion to the Dao isn’t firm enough.”

The female interviewer beside him smiled. “It seems he came here knowing nothing. He doesn’t have any of the required test reports or extracurricular exam scores. It just goes to show that the quality of recommended students from these ordinary junior high schools is getting worse year by year. If it weren’t for supportive policies, they wouldn’t even be qualified to see us.”

The central interviewer nodded. “Sigh, I thought poor people would work harder. Perhaps I expected too much from them.”

“Let’s keep him as a backup candidate for now.”

With that, he tossed Zhang Yu’s resume into a nearby wastebasket, where it joined hundreds of other backup applications.

Although Zhang Yu felt his interview hadn’t gone well, he had no time to dwell on it. He immediately began preparing for one interview after another, visiting various high schools.

“Student Zhang Yu, we understand your family’s financial situation might not cover our tuition fees. However, we offer preferential loan services for students from low-income families. You just need to be willing to mortgage some non-essential organs…”

“Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. We know you’re male, and while our school is for females, we never discriminate against men. As long as you undergo gender reassignment surgery, you’ll not only be admitted but also be considered a seed student with a firm Dao heart, with the opportunity to join the elite class to study the art of Yuan Yin Qi refinement…”

“It’s a pity, you’re just a little short of our admission standards. However, this year, to support students from low-income families, we’ve introduced a special talent 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, you’ve come to the right place. This is the perfect high school for a commoner genius like you. Let me tell you about the benefits here. We add nootropics to the drinking water, ensuring students always maintain a Level 5 state of focus. Every day, your homeroom teacher will distribute over 900 grams of supplements specifically for ox-demons, guaranteeing your cultivation results are more than ten times what they’d normally be. Even the air circulation system is filled with neuro-stimulant fillers, so you’ll never need to sleep again – and all of this is free of charge. Of course, to withstand these function-enhancing supplements, you must undergo modifications at our designated hospital. Don’t worry, it just involves implanting some small magical artifacts to boost your metabolic capacity. Here’s the detailed price list…”

Interview after interview, question after question.

Either the thresholds were impossibly high, leaving him no hope, or the contracts were full of traps, making him feel he’d be swallowed whole.

All of this made Zhang Yu feel suffocated.

He suddenly realized that, despite being the top student in his ordinary junior high school in the suburbs, he was already worlds apart from the students in the city center.

Even now, he had only grasped the tip of the iceberg regarding the true extent of the disparity between them.

Years of diligent study now seemed like a joke.

In the end, he was no different from his unmotivated classmates; he couldn’t get into high school either.

Back home, Zhang Yu sat silently, like a stone statue.

The phone on the table vibrated repeatedly.

Mother: How was the interview?Mother: I’m working overtime today. Remember to heat up the food in the fridge and eat it.

A moment later, the phone vibrated again.

Mother: Son, don’t worry. No matter if you choose sterilization or gender reassignment, Mom will definitely gather the money for the surgery for you.

But Zhang Yu didn’t look at the vibrating phone. He simply stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to think about the future, yet his mind felt empty, unable to form any thoughts.

Just then, the phone vibrated violently again.

Zhang Yu initially ignored it, but after the phone vibrated for over a minute, he finally couldn’t resist picking it up, only to find the call had already ended.

Then he received a message from the sender: “Your emergency fund of five thousand is ready and will be credited in just ten seconds…”

“A small loan advertisement?”

“Hmph.”

Zhang Yu figured his interview information must have been sold by one of the schools.

But after putting down his phone for a moment, he picked it up again and reopened the message.

That night, when his mother returned from overtime work, she found that Zhang Yu, who had previously looked utterly despondent, seemed to have recovered. He was sitting upright at his desk, reading a book.

“Mom, don’t worry, I won’t be defeated so easily.”

“If I can’t make it this year, I’ll try again next year. I will cultivate immortality.”

“Tomorrow, I’m going to find a tutoring class. I’m going to make up for everything I lack, one by one.”

The next morning, Zhang Yu rushed out, returning home that evening with a joyful expression.

“Mom, I found an immortal cultivation tutoring class. The teachers there are all invited from elite high schools. If I study with them, I’m sure to get into high school.”

“Don’t worry about the tuition fees. They saw that I’ve had good grades since I was young and knew my family wasn’t wealthy, so they waived the tuition for now. As long as I get into Songyang High School next year, I won’t have to pay it back; it’ll be like helping them advertise.”

“Don’t worry, they’re a big company; they won’t trick people.”

His mother watched Zhang Yu leave for tutoring class before dawn every day, and study until two or three in the morning after returning home late at night.

Seeing him constantly bring back textbooks for second and third-year high school — Chinese, mathematics, physics, and so on — and observing his plan to complete all general education courses for high school, apart from immortal cultivation, within a year, she felt proud of her son’s ambition.

But when she saw the boxes of medicine he brought back, a hint of doubt arose in her heart.

Zhang Yu explained with a smile, “Mom, from childhood until now, I’ve already studied ten thousand hours less than those top students. If I don’t work harder, they’ll just pull further and further ahead.”

“These neuro-stimulant fillers allow me to sleep only half an hour a day, improving my learning efficiency and at least preventing me from falling further behind the city’s students.”

“Don’t worry, these medicines don’t cost anything.”

“Our tutoring class principal thinks highly of me, and he gave me these medicines.”

Hearing they were from the principal, his mother was even happier that her son was so highly regarded.

Soon, Zhang Yu brought back even more things.

Besides various high school textbooks and neuro-stimulant fillers, there were also capsules for regulating hormone levels, supplements specifically for demonic beasts, and bottles of unpackaged medicinal powders.

Zhang Yu had many explanations for these: sometimes he said they were cheap goods he bought from working, sometimes that classmates gave them to him, and other times that they were rewards from the tutoring class…

His mother was happy about her son’s diligence, and even more delighted by his popularity and excellent performance at the tutoring class.

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 mood starting to shift. Sometimes he would be happy before leaving in the morning, but return at night and go straight to sleep without a word.

Other times, he would be happily eating, but after taking a phone call, he would frown and lose his appetite completely.

She knew the pressure of immortal cultivation must be too great, making Zhang Yu mentally tense.

She could only buy more of his favorite foods and save more for his tuition, hoping to alleviate some of his stress.

Gradually, she also noticed that Zhang Yu was particularly protective of his phone. Not only did he keep it almost constantly by his side, but he also forbade anyone from touching it casually, and he always went into the bathroom, closing the door, before answering calls.

Once, she saw his phone was dead and took it to charge, only to be angrily scolded by Zhang Yu.

Understanding the immense pressure he was under, she never dared to touch Zhang Yu’s phone again, fearing it would affect his immortal cultivation.

Then one day, Zhang Yu asked her for tutoring fees, saying that the tutoring class had invited seniors who had been admitted to top universities to lecture them, and this money was for those seniors.

Then came recommendation fees for high school admissions teachers.

Spirit root testing fees for the hospital.

And money to buy civilian-grade children’s flying swords with his tutoring classmates.

From two or three thousand to seven or eight thousand… The last time, he asked her to directly transfer twenty thousand yuan, which Zhang Yu claimed was for renting a Heavenly Spirit Root.

But good news finally arrived: Zhang Yu successfully passed the entrance exam for Songyang High School.

His mother was overjoyed. She was proud of her son’s hard work and talent, and readily agreed to all the subsequent fees Zhang Yu mentioned: tuition, miscellaneous fees, medicine fees, and so on.

However, after school started, Zhang Yu asked for more and more money, and the family gradually found itself unable to 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 that your son’s loan has been overdue for 30 days…”

That night, Zhang Yu confessed everything to his mother.

Over the past year or so, the various expenses during his studies were not free, appreciative gifts, or rewards as he had claimed… all the money came from loans he took out from various platforms.

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

“But I really want to cultivate immortality.”

“Even if I end up owing a lifetime of debt, I still want to cultivate immortality…”

After hearing all this, his mother silently sold all the valuable items in their home and then borrowed some money to pay off Zhang Yu’s debts.

She thought her son would finally be able to cultivate immortality in peace.

But she soon discovered new overdue loans from her son.

Repaying loans… taking out loans… repaying loans… taking out loans…

His mother finally couldn’t help but advise Zhang Yu to spend less money.

“Mom, I can’t stop this medicine. If I stop, my Dao heart will regress, and all my efforts will be in vain…”

“I absolutely need to rent a Heavenly Spirit Root; without it, my magical power won’t keep up…”

“I need to recharge this tutoring class VIP card, otherwise I won’t understand the cultivation techniques the school teachers lecture about…”

Advanced immortal cultivation technology allowed mortals without spirit roots to embark on the path to immortality, but the cost was regular, incredibly expensive study and maintenance to continue.

Three months of school quickly passed. Watching the debts pile up, to the point where even the family’s rent and utilities could no longer be afforded… it all felt like a never-ending nightmare. His mother finally couldn’t bear it anymore.

So, one day when he returned home from school, Zhang Yu no longer saw his mother.

He sat stunned for a long time after reading his mother’s note, finally walking silently to the rooftop.

On the rooftop of the rented apartment.

A sharp pain surged through the man’s mind, gradually rousing his chaotic consciousness from the darkness.

He opened his eyes and looked forward, seeing a bustling street not far away, with people coming and going and sewage flowing freely.

On both sides of the street, colorful neon-lit advertisements flickered. Looking up further, dark buildings were squeezed together, as if to obscure the entire sky.

The building beneath his feet was a dilapidated apartment complex, its mottled red brick walls still projecting a financial advertisement video. In the ad, immortals flying through the sky were jointly recommending “Immortal Cultivation Loans” with thirty days of interest-free credit for new users.

“Wasn’t I just playing Black Macaque?”

“Where is this?”

As he wondered what was happening, he turned his head and saw the rooftop covered in candles.

Rows of candles, flickering with crimson light, surrounded him and a worn-out doll.

It was a cloth doll with faded, yellowed fabric and crooked stitching, looking as if it could tear apart at any moment.

The eerie scene seemed to stimulate his brain, causing fragmented memories to constantly swirl and leap within his mind.

“This isn’t China… Did I get sent to another world?”

He found it hard to accept the idea of transmigration.

However, the vivid memories of immortal cultivation technology in his mind kept assaulting his consciousness, gradually merging him with the original body while constantly reminding him that this was now a different world.

This was Kunxu, a colossal, pyramid-like structure standing on the earth, with thirty-six above-ground levels and eighteen underground levels.

Starting from the first level, the largest and resembling a continent, each subsequent level was a new world unto itself.

As for what lay beyond Kunxu, Zhang Yu’s mind held no answers.

He only knew that within Kunxu, it was a world where the major immortal sects reigned supreme.

The great sects stood supreme, virtually monopolizing industries such as food, energy, transportation, education, research, healthcare, finance, and the internet. Government armies seemed more like gatekeepers compared to the sect’s enforcement teams.

Ordinary people, however, were unable to enjoy most of the benefits brought by immortal cultivation technology, instead toiling daily for their livelihoods.

And he was Zhang Yu, a high school student living on Kunxu’s first level, who had gotten into Songyang High School, and had recently become obsessed with some strange ritual…

“Now, I’ve become Zhang Yu from another world.”

Just then, a sharp pain shot through his palm, rousing Zhang Yu from the overwhelming influx of memories.

He looked down and saw a transparent symbol appear in his palm, slowly turning black at an incredibly sluggish pace.

“What is this now?”

As the night wind blew, the surrounding crimson candlelight flickered.

And on the ground, the worn-out doll stared straight at him with hollow eyes made of black buttons.

He tried to recall what had happened, but the more he thought, the more his head ached and spun.

The atmosphere in the air grew increasingly sinister and eerie. Zhang Yu, clutching his still-dizzy head, felt the world spinning around him.

When he came to his senses, he found himself vaguely having left the rooftop and walked step by step back to his home’s entrance.

He glanced at the rent overdue notice, then stepped through the doorway. All that greeted Zhang Yu’s eyes was a bed and a table.

“Is this my home?”

Feeling his clammy, sweat-soaked skin and the incredibly stuffy environment, Zhang Yu instinctively reached for an AC remote, only to remember there was no air conditioning in this apartment.

He wanted to wash up, but found the water had been shut off.

Zhang Yu sank onto the bed, feeling helpless.

“What a dump.”

“So what if immortals exist? Life here is worse than in a world without them.”

Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the wall behind the table, which was covered in awards and certificates from childhood.

First grade, second grade, third grade… all the way to junior high, the original Zhang Yu had been the top of his class almost every year.

Looking at these awards, memories of receiving them flooded Zhang Yu’s mind: “The original Zhang Yu was a diligent and hardworking student with excellent grades since childhood.”

“The Songyang High School he’s currently attending 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 lit up. “Getting into a prestigious university means establishing my foundation, joining a major sect means forming a golden core, and I can climb higher in Kunxu, leave this slum, and enjoy more benefits from immortal cultivation technology. Living for several hundred more years won’t be a problem then.”

At this thought, Zhang Yu suddenly felt that coming to this world might not be such a bad thing after all.

Just as he was thinking this, his phone suddenly rang.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Zhang Yu. Your loan with our platform has been overdue for 3 days…”

He hung up the phone and scrolled through his text messages, finding countless debt collection texts—all overdue notices from various platforms the original owner had borrowed from.

At the same time, related memories flooded his mind.

This guy started taking out loans for tutoring before even entering high school. After getting into Songyang High School, to keep up with everyone’s grades, he had a ‘brilliant’ idea: he started borrowing more to pay off existing loans, taking out money everywhere for medicine and tutoring, forcefully stimulating his potential. In the end, not only did he borrow more and more money, but his potential was also gradually drained.

This bastard was an immortal cultivation genius disguised by platform loans.

Even his mother couldn’t stand him and eventually left.

Calculating the total overdue loans, cold sweat immediately broke out on Zhang Yu’s forehead.

He found that with compound interest, Zhang Yu already owed various platforms a total of over seven hundred thousand yuan.

And checking his own account, he only had a little over fifty yuan left.

“He actually owes seven hundred thousand… damn it!”

Zhang Yu slammed his fist on the bed in anger. “In this world… even for a prodigy graduating high school, this is a massive debt!”

“No wonder this guy was obsessed with all sorts of weird rituals… He’s just a debt-ridden loser 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 repeatedly pressing the switch a few times and observing the situation of his neighbors, Zhang Yu confirmed one thing… his power had been cut.

“This godforsaken place…”

“If only I could wake up tomorrow morning and go back…”

With various chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhang Yu eventually drifted off to sleep on the bed.

Meanwhile, on his palm, the formerly transparent symbol was now one-tenth filled with black.