Chapter 493: The Value of Longevity

“Free?” Ji Yuanshu stared at the other person warily.

Though Ji Yuanshu was currently enduring the poorest days of his life—more destitute than ever before—his experiences had also sharpened his vigilance to a razor’s edge.

“What kind of good thing ever comes for free? Another scam? Not this time,” he thought grimly.

Taking a few cautious steps back, Ji Yuanshu turned and quickly left.

Watching him go, Fu Xinyao frowned.

“These Civil Engineering students from Wanfa University… such a pain.”

“Whatever. One step at a time.”

Fu Xinyao knew that the Divine Lord Nectar had stationed her here not just to gather intelligence, but to serve as a planted pawn within Wanfa University.

With the Nascent Soul Yin Artifact in her possession, the Divine Lord Nectar could descend at any time and exert wide-reaching influence on the material world through the Spiritual Realm.

“Wanfa University stole the Divine Lord Nectar’s Law Husk. They won’t stop studying it.”

“And the Lord certainly won’t back down, either.”

This conflict, Fu Xinyao thought, was just the appetizer. The real fight had yet to begin.

…

Time slipped by with announcements from Wanfa University and Pleasure and Harmony University coming in waves.

Even a duel between two Nascent Soul Lords was soon forgotten amid the grind of daily life and academic deadlines.

By late February, as finals approached and each department’s exams got underway, the students in University City grew noticeably more hurried.

As soon as class ended that day, Le Mulan darted into a Magnetic Channel, racing back toward her dorm at high speed.

She was eager to deliver the newly refined potion inside her to Zhang Yu.

She hadn’t messaged him in advance—she didn’t want to interrupt his time.

She knew Zhang Yu was incredibly busy now. Every minute, every second of his was more valuable than hers. Sometimes, he’d vanish for days on end.

Le Mulan had thought about getting Zhang Yu something else.

But like most students at Wanfa University, her finances were tight. Most of her earnings went into her cultivation.

So the best thing she could offer him was the fruit of her own cultivation—her self-refined potions.

“But would the potions I refine now… even be good enough for Zhang Yu?”

“To him… would they be nothing more than a token gesture?”

Still, she knew this was the best she could give him.

Just then, a gust of wind swept past. She caught a fleeting glimpse of Zhang Yu’s figure soaring above the street.

Le Mulan tried to chase after him, but no matter how fast she pushed herself, his silhouette grew smaller and smaller, vanishing into an Anti-Gravity Corridor.

And that was a corridor she wasn’t qualified to enter.

Looking up at Zhang Yu as he ascended and disappeared, Le Mulan lowered her head and slowly turned back toward her dorm.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu arrived at the exam site and began his final exams for the semester.

Given his current strength, the exams were a breeze. He consistently finished first in every subject and left the room ahead of everyone else.

Soon, it was time for the final exam in Engineering.

Tu Lishan reminded the students, “Double-check everything. Is your Law Husk fully charged with mana? Is your subscription expired? Got enough Spiritual Realm bandwidth? Every year someone messes this up during finals. Let’s not have the Civil Engineering Department repeat that tradition…”

As the exam began, the entire testing hall rumbled.

Everyone looked toward Zhang Yu’s position and saw the world seemingly tilt on its axis. All the materials on the construction site came alive. Under the manipulation of the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might, they leapt, morphed, and assembled themselves.

The high tower required for the exam rose visibly in front of everyone’s eyes.

After finishing first, Zhang Yu left the exam room, earning countless envious stares.

He thought to himself, That must’ve been Le Mulan on the way here.

He sent her a message:

Zhang Yu: Are you in the dorm?

Zhang Yu: I’m heading over.

As he rushed back, he calculated in his mind: Le Mulan’s Deep Cold Mana Vein should advance to Level 2 today.

With his periodic mana infusions—especially now that he had the Flame-Sun Mana Vein to complement her Deep Cold Mana Vein—her mana and mana quality had been climbing fast, already surpassing most Foundation Establishment students at her level.

Now, as the fall semester of junior year wrapped up, Le Mulan’s mana had already reached 1000 units, and her mana quality was nearing 200%.

According to Zhang Yu’s estimates, today would be the day she hit that 200% milestone.

He was very eager to see the effects of her upgraded Deep Cold Mana Vein.

As soon as he entered the dorm, he began channeling his own mana into her without hesitation.

When Le Mulan’s mana quality hit 200%, a wave of icy energy surged through her body. Then a stream of warmth followed, flowing along her meridians and returning to Zhang Yu.

Le Mulan looked surprised. “My mana… seems to have changed again?”

Zhang Yu glanced at the Dao Seed Codex, where her Deep Cold Mana Vein had reached Level 2, and nodded. “It has indeed.”

After some testing, he figured out what Level 2 brought to the table.

At Level 1, the Deep Cold Mana Vein added cold properties to her mana—freezing Martial Qi and blood, disinfecting, sealing wounds, even producing cold poison in the opponent’s body. There was even a slight longevity-enhancing effect.

Level 2 took the cold aspect even further.

“With continuous mana circulation, the body can be kept in a constant low-temperature state. Even when pushing the body to its limits, internal temperatures stay below 60 degrees.”

That was an incredible figure. A cultivator’s body, when operating at full capacity, could generate dozens to hundreds of times more heat than normal. Prolonged exertion raised the body’s temperature, which increased strain and decreased efficiency.

“Level 2 doesn’t just reduce internal heat—it also allows mana to conduct excess heat out of the body.”

So essentially, the body cooled itself while increasing ambient temperature.

Impressive, Zhang Yu thought—but not unheard of. Kunxu had plenty of techniques, Law Husks, treasures, and Dao Techniques that could produce similar effects.

“The truly valuable part… is the longevity boost.”

“With long-term use, the effect on lifespan becomes even more pronounced.”

“If this rate continues, extending lifespan by ten or twenty percent isn’t out of the question.”

“And lifespan… is money.”

Just then, Feng Tingting messaged him:

Feng Tingting: Zhang Yu, did you hear? The old Civil Engineering director’s body can’t keep going. He’s retiring!

Feng Tingting: Director Gao will be acting head for now.

Feng Tingting: If things go smoothly over the next year, he might become the official director.

Zhang Yu chuckled. “Still as much of a gossip as ever, that Feng Tingting.”

Though recently, she’s gossiped less about the Artifact Refinement Department and more about Civil Engineering.

He quickly sent Director Gao a congratulatory message.

But thinking about the old director, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Lifespan—people bankrupt themselves trying to buy more time.

Feeling the Deep Cold Mana Vein stirring within him, Zhang Yu turned to Le Mulan, his eyes glowing.

A ten or twenty percent extension to lifespan… even halved, that was an unimaginable treasure to any cultivator who’d tried everything, only to find it more and more expensive to maintain longevity.

With Le Mulan by his side, his future lifespan would be long. He’d have more time to work, to struggle, to climb the Immortal Path even higher.

And this was only Level 2. If her Deep Cold Mana Vein kept upgrading, the longevity effect would surely become even more dramatic.

Zhang Yu looked at her, sparkles flashing in his gaze. She was becoming more and more valuable.

But at the same time, her situation was becoming more precarious.

“If those old geezers on the brink of death found out… they’d stop at nothing to control her.”

Still, control brought both risks and rewards.

At that moment, Le Mulan also realized the longevity-enhancing effect. Shocked, she stood frozen.

Zhang Yu studied her, thinking, The real question is… what does Le Mulan want? Will she sell this ability to gain more cultivation resources?

He looked at her seriously, waiting until she snapped out of her daze.

Le Mulan said, “Zhang Yu, my mana…”

Zhang Yu nodded. “I felt it too. Your mana can extend lifespan.”

Le Mulan’s cheeks flushed pink. Excited yet nervous, she asked, “What should I do?”

Zhang Yu answered solemnly, “I recommend keeping this a secret for now.”

“If you trust me, once I have the resources, I can protect you—so you can use this power safely and profit from it.”

In Zhang Yu’s eyes, Le Mulan’s Deep Cold Mana Vein had evolved through his Dao Seed Codex. Their fates were intertwined.

If she continued working with him, she wouldn’t see massive gains right away—but it would be far safer. And with further upgrades, her potential would only grow.

But from Le Mulan’s perspective… things might not seem so balanced.

She didn’t know about his Feathered Tome, nor his Dao Seed Codex. And he had no plans to reveal them.

He sighed inwardly. If she chose to monetize her power immediately, he couldn’t stop her.

But then Le Mulan recalled the past few years—the battles Zhang Yu had fought for her, the countless times he’d infused her with mana, the people now working at his company…

She said softly, “I trust you.”

And thought to herself, You may be the most trustworthy person I’ve ever met.

Zhang Yu looked at the Dao Seed on her chest and nodded.

“Don’t worry. You won’t regret this choice.”

To raise her Deep Cold Mana Vein to Level 3, she’d need 5000 units of mana and 250% mana quality.

That was Gold Core-level territory.