You dare to cultivate without money?!

Chapter 1297 - 828: Our Kunxu Dream

Two years have passed since Yu Xinghan entered the sect.

During these two years in the sect, although Yu Xinghan worked diligently and strived to complete every task assigned to him, he remained just a Level 1 Sect Affairs Officer.

Previously, Zhang Yu had taught Yu Xinghan the Cultivation Technique from the Chain Technique Map [Formless Martial Performance] and encouraged him to try developing his own martial arts; however...

When Yu Xinghan glanced at the approval outcome, he couldn’t help but sigh slightly.

The process for martial arts development in the Martial Arts Pavilion is stringent, requiring rounds of tests and approvals, not just the feeling of success from Yu Xinghan’s perspective.

Upon completing the initial development, Yu Xinghan faced the first hurdle: the preliminary test.

But over the past few months, despite repeatedly applying for martial arts testing, Yu Xinghan only received failure notifications again and again.

At that moment, his supervisor, Leader Wang, sent a message: Little Yu, have you completed the task I gave you last time?

Yu Xinghan: Leader, why hasn’t my application for testing been approved?

Leader Wang: There are too many projects waiting to be launched in the department, too many seniors waiting for tests, just put your martial arts aside for now.

Leader Wang: You are still young, you’ve only been here for two years, why the rush? Follow me and accumulate some research experience first.

Staring at the response, Yu Xinghan felt it was no different from the last time.

Yu Xinghan understood in his heart that they really had no intention of letting him succeed.

As a cultivator who entered the sect from the Lower Realm, he became the lowest-ranked sect affairs officer in the group upon arriving here.

Thus, whether it was the leader or other senior team members, they would assign him various unpleasant and dirty tasks every day.

If it were just like this, Yu Xinghan could still endure.

As a cultivator who climbed up from the bottom, he repeatedly had experiences of overcoming adversity from the lower ranks, rich in endurance and counterattack experiences.

But the repeated test application failures made it clear to him that without connections, background, or Immortal Coins, just waiting in line for the process with numerous seniors could take him ten or eight years.

As for when he might become a Level 2 Sect Affairs Officer? That could be 10 years, or even 20 years later.

As for a Level 3 Sect Officer, it wouldn’t be possible unless some senior died, was transferred, or retired.

Perhaps borrow some Immortal Coins to grease the wheels?

The thought had crossed Yu Xinghan’s mind, but whenever it did, he would think of the Level 1 Sect Affairs Officer from the neighboring group, also a cultivator who graduated years ago from Wanfa University.

That cultivator looked quite young, but his reactions were always slow, often zoning out for a while before he could manage interactions.

Later, Yu Xinghan learned it was because that person previously used the Law Realm memory service, and now couldn’t afford to pay the membership fee for the Law Realm memory function, so past authorized memories required watching ads to replay...

Though Yu Xinghan himself hadn’t activated the memory service, he was accustomed to many convenient services from the Law Realm.

Sometimes, he would selectively watch ads and pay for memberships. For example, he’d take advantage of discounts to open memberships for frequently used functions, or after opting for monthly memberships with a first-charge discount, he would immediately cancel automatic renewal for the following month.

For services he used less frequently, Yu Xinghan would choose to directly watch ads.

Yu Xinghan worried that borrowing a significant sum to grease connections might leave him heavily in debt, gaining nothing, and then needing to watch ads to use simple Law Realm functions, turning into someone forced to watch plenty of ads daily.

"Sigh."

"Unconsciously, I seem to have lost that same resolve to go all in as I used to have."

He recalled the time he first joined the sect, reporting to the Martial Arts Pavilion with high spirits.

But as days turned into months, Yu Xinghan seemingly foresaw himself as a cog within the sect, endlessly spinning on repeat, with life visible at a glance, exhausted silently, eventually maybe just managing to become a Level 3 Sect Officer...

"This is the sect."

"I thought reaching the shore would mean wide open skies, but I never expected the shore to be an endless mountain range, each mountain higher than the last, each foothill, mountainside, and summit occupied by seniors."

"The whole sect system is too intricate, with individuals pursuing the Immortal Path relentlessly, countless in number, never lacking talents."

"Yet those who ultimately reach the peak are very few; most are destined to be worn out and ultimately eliminated on this uphill journey."

"It’s not something one can overcome by personal ability and talent alone."

At this moment, Leader Wang sent another message: "Little Yu, are the things ready?"

Yu Xinghan didn’t immediately respond, but instead looked at the message from Zhang Yu and the attached appointment documents.

Originally, Yu Xinghan didn’t want to waste his previous efforts and considered whether he could push his developed martial arts through the process before leaving.

But at this moment, looking at another test application failure, Yu Xinghan suddenly felt liberated.

In this moment, he seemed to have returned to his university days, where no matter the opponent he faced, he would jump in following Zhang Yu’s words.

Leader Wang: "Where are you? Reply immediately."

Yu Xinghan replied: "Leader, I don’t plan to continue."

A moment later, Leader Wang’s projection suddenly fell, scolding Yu Xinghan: "What madness is this? Do you not care about this year’s assessment?"