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

“645……644……639……”

One by one, the figures of his classmates appeared before Qian Shen. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but he could clearly see the scores displayed above their heads.

“680, 690, 660……”

Each person's score was so unattainable, so dazzling, that Qian Shen felt ashamed of himself.

He felt so inadequate and insignificant, like a mere lackey, standing before his classmates.

“Standing among these people, I'm practically a bag of wet garbage.”

“With a mere 600-plus points, I don't deserve to stand here, let alone talk to them or get close to them…”

In his eyes, the scores above his classmates' heads kept rising, and their figures grew taller, like towering giants reaching into the clouds. Soon, he could only see their legs, and he couldn't even make out their faces.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the art exhibition, Li Xingyu's drone from Mangshan High School traced a path through the air, slowly flying towards the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram.

But the next moment, with a crackling sound, the drone seemed to malfunction and fell to the ground at a crooked angle.

“The soul cultivators from Mangshan High School all have contracts, so don't bother trying to join in the fun.”

Li Xuelian murmured softly, then turned her gaze away from the drone and continued to look at the other students.

“It's a pity that almost all the students trying this time are freshmen. Students in their junior or senior year would have a better chance of mastering the martial arts in the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram.”

“But it's understandable… The top students in their junior and senior years either don't meet the age requirements or already have contracts, so they can't possibly find a master now.”

Just then, the director of Xianyun Group's Songyang City branch, radiating golden light, came to Li Xuelian's side and said with a smile, "This Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram is indeed a masterpiece personally painted by Real Person Xinghuo. It's truly miraculous. I wonder what exactly it tests for?"

Li Xuelian didn't directly answer his question, but said calmly, "The first stage of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram tests the Dao Heart."

“Those who can't withstand it are often forced to retreat, and may even leave a flaw in their Dao Heart.”

……

Zhao Tianxing felt the contemptuous and mocking gazes of countless people around him, and his body couldn't help but retreat, moving away from the range of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram.

When he came back to his senses and looked at the surroundings, he realized that the 'full audience' and 'scornful eyes' were all effects of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram.

Thinking of this, and understanding that he had not passed the test of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram at all, his face immediately flushed red, and he quickly retreated, afraid that someone would discover his self-inflicted humiliation as a security guard.

……

At the art exhibition, Li Xuelian continued, "If one can pass the test of this first stage, it will naturally have the effect of tempering the Dao Heart."

“As for the Dao Heart level, most of us cultivators rely on mental cultivation methods to improve it.”

“And different mental cultivation methods require different ideologies to match.”

“For example, ancient divine worship cultivation methods require practitioners to be extremely pious, with absolute faith in the gods. The more pious they are, the better the effect of the divine worship cultivation method.”

“Or like Ziyun High School's Tianqin cultivation method, it requires practitioners to cultivate diligently to the extreme, integrating hard work into their instincts, in order to maximize its effectiveness.”

“And the basic mind-refining method for high school students focuses on calming the mind and gathering the spirit, requiring silent endurance and the ideology of dripping water wearing away a stone to cooperate.”

“There are thousands of ways to improve the Dao Heart, some high and some low, but the key is whether the practitioner has an ideology that matches the cultivation method.”

“But ideology is difficult to measure. How a person truly thinks, and whether it truly matches the cultivation method, is something that even they themselves may not be able to say clearly, let alone outsiders.”

“Fortunately, the stronger the Dao Heart, the stronger a person's willpower. Testing the strength of willpower to determine the Dao Heart level, and verifying the effect of the cultivation method's improvement, has become the simplest method.”

“However, the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram is not just simply confirming the strength of the Dao Heart by testing the strength of willpower.”

“The Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram targets the fear in the heart, directly striking at the weaknesses in people's minds, not giving them the opportunity to resist with mental cultivation methods. It tests their most authentic reactions.”

“When facing weaknesses in the mind, only by adjusting one's ideology in time can one make up for the weaknesses in the heart and pass the level.”

The director of Xianyun Group's Songyang City branch's eyes flickered, and he said, "I understand. Senior Xinghuo wants a disciple with a flexible ideology? A disciple who can switch gods to worship when practicing divine worship cultivation methods, and who can both work hard and slack off when practicing Tianqin cultivation methods."

Li Xuelian nodded: "There are thousands of cultivation methods, and it is certainly good if the ideology can match the cultivation method. But only those who can constantly adjust their ideology to adapt to environmental changes and changes in cultivation methods are true geniuses, not bound by the cultivation method."

“Especially now that the times are developing faster and faster, the Ten Great Sects are influencing all aspects of society, and the entire Kunxu is undergoing drastic changes. It won't work if the ideology can't adapt in time.”

“For example, in today's world, exams and scores are indispensable for embarking on the path of cultivation, and they have long been integrated into the lives of every cultivator.”

“Therefore, the ideology of modern cultivators naturally lacks the obsession with exams and scores.”

“Having excellent scores and an obsession with scores can make a top student's will firm, and the Dao Heart level will be easier to improve.”

“But conversely, this is also a weakness in the mind. There is always someone better, and there is always a sky beyond the sky. The more confident many top students are when they are at the top, the more inferior they are when they fall behind.”

“To overcome this weakness in the mind, cultivators need to make flexible changes in their ideology in time. This is the key to passing the level.”

“For example, there was a student who constantly experienced low scores in the test of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram, and finally overcame his fear of low scores, and cultivated a delusional ideology.”

……

Lian Tianji listened to the teacher announcing the results on the podium, and suddenly laughed several times: "Hahahaha, since I have become the worst student, then let's start from scratch."

“From today on, I am the most useless, the worst performing student.”

“But as a poor student, I also have the opportunity to surpass you one by one and ascend to the first place.”

“I will definitely become the first in the grade!"

As he overcame the fear in his heart, he felt like he had returned to the art exhibition again, and the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram in front of him became clearer and clearer.

……

Li Xuelian continued, "Kunxu has 36 layers above ground and 18 layers below ground, each layer a different world. Whether it is humans or immortals, they are also divided into different grades. This grading is integrated into the bones of every cultivator, affecting the depths of everyone's ideology."

“Previously, there was a student who experienced countless layers of oppression in the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram, and eventually transformed into a lying-flat ideology.”

……

Qian Shen watched as the giants with scores far surpassing his rose from the ground, becoming taller and taller, gradually obscuring their faces.

Only the scores above the giants' heads continued to increase, emitting a dazzling light.

He tried to keep up with them, but to no avail.

As the giants grew more and more exaggeratedly tall, and the scores increased, his mood changed from nervousness to fear, then from fear to despair, and finally gradually turned into numbness.

He lay down on the ground, no longer looking at the figures of the giants.

“Fine.”

“I just won't chase after them.”

“I just need to be able to cultivate immortality, even if I can't compare to anyone… as long as I can cultivate immortality, that's enough.”

Like waking up from a big dream, Qian Shen, lying on the ground, opened his eyes and looked at the art exhibition and the Martial Arts Diagram in front of him, a trace of understanding appearing in his eyes.

……

At the art exhibition, the director of Xianyun Group's Songyang City branch listened to Li Xuelian's analysis and agreed: "The change in ideology is inseparable from the influence of the development of the times."

He guessed: "Like today's society, everyone relies on loans, which must also be reflected in the trials of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram, right?"

“That's right.” Li Xuelian nodded and said, "There was a student who directly faced the horror of repaying debts on the immortal path in the test of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram, and eventually became a deadbeat ideology."

……

Looking at the heavenly tribulation of debt collection constantly brewing in the sky, Bai Zhenzhen squatted down in horror.

“Wait! I'll pay the money!”

“I'll pay the money, okay!”

“Don't strike me!”

She quickly opened her phone, checked her account, wanting to see how much money she owed and how much she could pay back.

“800,000?!”

Opening the first loan platform, Bai Zhenzhen's heart sank.

Then the 1.2 million yuan in debt on the second platform made cold sweat break out on her back.

2 million… 5 million… 8 million…

As the total amount of debt she calculated in her heart continued to increase, the hand holding the phone gradually drooped weakly.

A total of 8 million yuan in debt, such a huge amount for a high school student, would either lead to complete collapse or…

Bai Zhenzhen suddenly lay down on the ground, looked at the lightning in the sky and shouted, "If you have the guts, strike me to death."

“If you strike me to death, 8 million will disappear into thin air.”

Seeing that the lightning had not fallen for a long time, Bai Zhenzhen continued, "Either you strike me to death, and 8 million will disappear into thin air."

“Or help me find some work to do, and I'll pay you back when I earn money.”

As the heavenly tribulation gradually dissipated, the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram reappeared in front of Bai Zhenzhen.

And looking at the martial arts practiced by the people in it, Bai Zhenzhen seemed to understand something.

……

At the art exhibition, Li Xuelian sighed: "But whether it is delusions, lying flat, or being a deadbeat, it is just a state of using ideology to resist pressure under heavy pressure. Although it can temper their will and Dao Heart, what will happen in the future still depends on how they walk in reality."

“After all, this is just the first stage of the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram, just a threshold.”

She remembered when she was in high school, her father also tested her Dao Heart.

And at that time, what she feared most was her father. In the test, she was severely suppressed by her father, and finally rose up to resist under heavy pressure, establishing a rebellious ideology, and after waking up, she ruthlessly exploited her old man's money, and her cultivation can be said to have progressed by leaps and bounds.

However, not long after, the pressure from all aspects of real society, as well as her father's every move, made her regain her respect and awe for her father.

The director of Xianyun Group's Songyang City branch nodded slightly, knowing that Li Xuelian was right, the effect brought by this kind of Dao Heart test is only temporary.

After all, people's ideologies are constantly changing, so how can the influence brought by a mere Dao Heart test withstand the long-term influence brought by the entire society in the real world?

Li Xuelian continued, "After surviving the first stage and overcoming the fear in the heart, the next step is the real comprehension."

“And after passing the comprehension stage, whether one can ultimately master it is another matter.”

The director nodded, understanding that overcoming fear, comprehending the Martial Arts Diagram, and mastering martial arts were the three stages of comprehending the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram.

“Then how many people do you think can master it among the people present?”

Li Xuelian looked at the many students present and shook her head: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to find even one."

……

When Zhang Yu saw the figure on the Celestial Being Martial Arts Diagram gradually become clear, and watched the figure begin to practice a set of boxing techniques, he suddenly felt a chill rise in his heart.

“Please abide by the ritual agreement, work hard to fulfill your wish, do not deliberately slack off or delay, 10.”

Zhang Yu was slightly stunned: "Wait… I am working hard to comprehend the Martial Arts Diagram now, isn't that working hard to study and work hard to get into a good university?"

But the chill could not communicate with him, and only continued to count down.

“Please abide by the ritual agreement, work hard to fulfill your wish, do not deliberately slack off or delay, 9.”

“Please abide by the ritual agreement, work hard to fulfill your wish, do not deliberately slack off or delay, 8.”

Zhang Yu had no choice but to sit down and try to breathe in spiritual energy to see if he could stop the countdown.

As he began to breathe in, the chill gradually dissipated and the countdown stopped.

“This idiot…”

Just as Zhang Yu was breathing in and cursing the power of the ritual, another surge of chill surged in his body.

“Please abide by the ritual agreement, work hard to fulfill your wish, do not deliberately slack off or delay, 10.”

Hearing this new countdown, Zhang Yu was shocked.

“Wait… I am working hard to cultivate.”

“Why is there another countdown?”

“What's wrong with this idiot ritual?”

Zhang Yu simply stopped breathing in to try and see if the surging chill and countdown disappeared. Instead, a new surge of chill and countdown occurred.

Listening to the two countdowns ringing in his head, taking turns counting down, Zhang Yu finally understood what was going on.

“There are two countdowns?”

“Is one of the two fake?”