Chapter 4: Summoning the Divine

Gazing at the shifting pattern in the center of his palm, Zhang Yu couldn't help but wonder, "What in the heavens does this mean?"

"Could it be that once it's filled, I'm finished?"

Alas, no one could answer the unease gripping Zhang Yu's heart at this moment.

After the morning's grueling physical training, Zhang Yu dragged his half-dead body to lunch with Bai Zhenzhen and Zhou Tianyi, and after a brief respite, the afternoon classes loomed.

The first class that afternoon was history, taught by an old master with a head full of white hair.

The old master entered the classroom and, without a word, sat down behind the lectern, opened his book, and began to lecture in a rambling manner.

He seemed oblivious to the students below, whether they were seizing the time to rest, cultivate their inner energies, practice their martial arts, or even leave the classroom to temper their bodies.

Zhang Yu had no interest in the history teacher's lecture. He simply flipped through the textbook, recalling its contents in his mind, integrating them with his own memories to gain a better understanding.

"Kunxu has no nations; everything is monopolized and controlled by the Ten Great Sects. Kunxu has thirty-six layers above ground. The first layer is roughly the size of two Chinas, composed of various cities of different sizes, each managed by a municipal government established by a major sect."

"Aside from matters related to the Immortal Path, the technology level on the first layer seems similar to what I knew in my previous life, but the lives of ordinary people seem much harder."

"The first layer of Kunxu is where Zhang Yu has always lived. As for the layers above… he's only seen them in movies and on television."

According to Zhang Yu's memories, only those who passed the university entrance exams could enter the second layer of Kunxu, and only those who graduated from university and joined a major sect could ascend to even higher layers.

It could be said that within Kunxu, only those who possessed greater immortal power and higher authority could climb step by step.

And the higher the layer, the more abundant the spiritual energy, the more advanced the immortal techniques, and the more plentiful the resources, so the legends say.

Thinking back to this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but turn to look out the window, feeling the sunlight streaming down.

"Such a real sky and sunshine… is this truly inside some colossal structure?"

"The first layer alone is the size of two Chinas, so how much space does the entire Kunxu occupy? It must be beyond Earth by now, right?"

"And how did I come to this world in the first place?"

Unconsciously, his mind drifted back to the scene of his arrival in this world, recalling the bizarre ritual, and then his head began to spin again.

Zhang Yu quickly shook his head. For him at this moment, compared to these grand mysteries, things like high school grades, living expenses, earning money, and physical training class… these immediate concerns needed his attention even more.

And thinking of grades and cultivation, Zhang Yu felt another headache coming on.

In addition to the morning's physical training, the immortal arts grades were also divided into four subjects: Dao Heart, Mana, Martial Arts, and Dao Techniques.

Dao Heart was worth 150 points, Mana 150 points, Martial Arts 100 points, and Dao Techniques 100 points.

And according to the original Zhang Yu's memories, his recent rankings had been steadily declining across the board. There wasn't a single subject that wasn't regressing.

At this rate, it seemed that being expelled from Songyang High School was only a matter of time.

And another question popped up in Zhang Yu's mind.

"Looking at it now, Zhang Yu's family isn't wealthy, and he doesn't have any outstanding immortal talent. Neither the first nor the second year interviews seemed very successful, so how did he get into Songyang High School in the first place?"

Zhang Yu repeatedly recalled, only remembering that the original body entered Songyang High School despite the less-than-ideal interview results.

And thinking of the original body's family, his gaze flickered slightly as he took out his phone and opened his contacts.

"That's right, should I contact Zhang Yu's parents and older sister after school?"

During the afternoon classes, Zhang Yu spent his time reviewing and sorting through the memories in his mind, deepening his understanding of the knowledge, the world, and Zhang Yu's identity.

In the blink of an eye, it was six o'clock, time for school to end.

The school's classes for the day were over, but for most of the students at Songyang High School, the day's classes were only half over. Next, they would need to attend their respective tutoring sessions and study until late into the night before they could rest.

But unlike the students hurrying to their tutoring classes, Zhang Yu was sitting in the empty cafeteria.

Having run out of savings and loan limits, he hadn't been to tutoring sessions for two weeks.

So, after finishing his dinner, he pondered for a moment and finally opened his phone.

"Let's give it a try."

He first called Zhang Yu's mother, then his father, but both calls went unanswered.

Recalling the relevant memories of Zhang Yu's parents and sister, he finally reluctantly called his sister.

"Zhang Yu?"

Hearing the slightly cold voice on the other end of the phone, Zhang Yu bit the bullet and said, "Sister, can you lend me some money?"

A moment of silence passed, and just as Zhang Yu thought she would hang up, a voice came from the phone: "When you were in first grade, I told Mom and Dad that you don't have any immortal talent, and walking this path is a complete waste of time and money."

"After the separation, Mom believed in your fantasies and stubbornly tried to support you in high school alone, and she even asked us to borrow money not long ago, wanting to use my tutoring fees."

"Heh, and now this overestimating fool wants to borrow money to cultivate immortality. To study in high school, you're already in debt up to your neck, right?"

Faced with her accusations, Zhang Yu had nothing to say, because according to the memories he had sorted out, she wasn't wrong.

After his parents separated, taking their respective child with them, even though she knew her mother's income was insufficient and the family was short on funds, the original Zhang Yu was too presumptuous and ended up borrowing small loans to cultivate immortality, living on loans to repay loans until now.

And after repeatedly borrowing and helping him repay the loans, and repeatedly discovering that the hole was getting bigger and bigger, his mother finally left him.

The voice on the other end of the phone continued.

"This is the last time we'll be in contact. You pay off the debts you owe yourself."

"Here's another piece of advice: drop out of school and get a job to pay off your debts."

"For the sake of being a family, I'll send you 500 later. That's enough for you to find a job before you starve to death."Hearing the dial tone, Zhang Yu sighed, a trace of relief in his voice, "At least I managed to scrape together 500."

Coupled with the 500 given by Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu's savings had finally surpassed the 1000 mark.

Yet, as he walked home, the other party's advice echoed in his mind.

"Drop out and work?"

Lying on his bed in the rented room, Zhang Yu stared blankly at the mildewed ceiling.

Plummeting grades, penniless, burdened with debt, and a body pushed to its limits... he had to admit that dropping out and finding work seemed like the sensible thing to do.

Just then, a sharp pain radiated from his palm. The symbol, visible only to him, was now completely filled with black.

Simultaneously, a crisp female voice echoed from the side, "Little brat, the summoning ritual is complete. Time for your three wishes."

Zhang Yu spun around, startled, only to see a rag doll sitting on the edge of his bed.

The fabric was yellowed and faded, the stitches crooked and loose, as if it could fall apart at any moment. He suddenly realized this was the same doll he'd seen during the bizarre ritual on the rooftop after arriving in this world.

Doll: "Hey, did you hear me? Three wishes, not one less."

Faced with the eerie scene, Zhang Yu only wanted to escape.

He was no longer the naive newbie who knew nothing about this world.

After sorting through his memories, he knew that deities in this world were not some ethereal beliefs but were rather the managers in charge of countless affairs within the entire Kunxu realm.

But these righteous gods were not beings that a talentless nobody like Zhang Yu could summon so easily. Any divine entity brought forth by his so-called summoning ritual was likely an evil god, notorious for causing chaos, disregarding human life, and heavily suppressed by the Ten Sects and the various righteous deities.

Tales of mortals making deals with evil gods, only to meet a tragic end with their souls scattered, were stories the common folk of the Kunxu realm had grown up hearing.

"Zhang Yu is desperate enough to seek out an evil god?"

"No wonder I get dizzy when I think about related memories, this must be an evil god's trick?"

Zhang Yu immediately sensed the danger and wanted to flee, but a second thought stopped his trembling body.

The original Zhang Yu had turned to an evil god only because he was truly at his wit's end.

Was he to be a beast of burden at the bottom of the social ladder for the rest of his life to repay his debts, or was he to risk his life for a chance to continue cultivating immortality?

"Evil god! My first wish is for you to help me fulfill 100 wishes!"

Having said that, Zhang Yu swallowed hard, nervously looking at the doll as he asked, "Can you do it?"

"Heh, of course I can do such a simple thing."

The rag doll scoffed, looking at the smile that was plastered on Zhang Yu's face, "But my choice is... not to."

"Because after the summoning ritual is complete, you are the one who has to fulfill my three wishes."

"If you choose to refuse to fulfill my wishes, or deliberately delay or even fail during the process, you will be subjected to the backlash of the ritual, your flesh will explode, and your soul will be scattered."

"Alright, my first wish is for you to help me fulfill another 1000 wishes."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned, cursing inwardly, "What... this summoning ritual is just to fulfill your wishes? Was the original Zhang Yu an idiot? A thousand wishes? Is that even possible?"

After saying the first wish, the rag doll smiled slightly, its hollow eyes made of black buttons continuing to stare straight at Zhang Yu.

"Ready? I'm going to say my next wish."

Zhang Yu's heart tightened abruptly, "What kind of wish is this thing going to make now?"

"If I really have to complete a thousand wishes for it, won't I become its slave?"

"Or... what if it makes a wish that I can't possibly fulfill... won't I be doomed to die?"

The rag doll spoke slowly, "I've thought about it. My next wish is... for you to help me collect a batch of antiques."

Zhang Yu swallowed hard, "Antiques?"

The rag doll chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I've already picked them out for you. Just buy everything in your shopping cart."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu paused slightly, then took out his phone and, following his memory, opened his shopping cart. He found it filled with various Buddha statues, offering tables, incense burners, wooden swords... all of which were quite expensive, with each item costing tens of thousands of coins.

And if he couldn't afford these antiques, he wouldn't be able to fulfill the wish. If he couldn't fulfill the evil god's wish, wouldn't he die under the effects of the ritual?

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu quickly asked, "Could you perhaps change the wish?"

"I'm afraid I can't afford so many antiques."

"Prevaricating..." The rag doll's gaze sharpened, and endless malice seemed to surge from its black, hollow eyes, "Are you trying to weasel out of it? If you can't afford it, go borrow. If you can't borrow, sell your heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs. There's always a way for you to scrape together the money."

Zhang Yu looked at the rag doll earnestly and said slowly, "If I do that, won't I die in order to fulfill this one wish?"

The doll chuckled lightly, "So what?"

Zhang Yu: "You are choosing to immediately lose someone who could help you fulfill a thousand wishes in the future."

"Or give me some time, and let a future disciple of a great sect buy these antiques for you, and one by one... help you fulfill those thousand wishes?"

"Hmm?" The rag doll looked at Zhang Yu with some surprise, "Continue."

Zhang Yu: "I've calculated that even if I work in Kunxu First Layer for decades, I might not be able to scrape together that much money."

"But if I can join a great sect, I can save up that amount of money in a few years."

Rag doll: "So?"

Zhang Yu: "Which is to say... as long as I study hard, cultivate diligently, and constantly become stronger, get into a prestigious university, and then join a great sect after graduation, I can use the sect's allowance to fulfill your wishes."

After another moment of silence, the rag doll suddenly said, "Are you saying that you want to study hard, then go to work and earn a salary, and use that to fulfill my wishes?"

"Are you playing with me?"

Limitless malice swept over him, the rag doll's eyes like two gigantic black holes, about to instantly suck in all the surrounding light.Zhang Yu clenched his fists, desperately suppressing the trembling in his legs, and stared at the cloth doll before him, enunciating each word: "Your first wish is that I fulfill a thousand wishes for you. The second wish is to collect the antiques in your shopping cart."

"If I die of poverty while collecting antiques, how can I fulfill a thousand wishes?"

"If I know this, yet still pursue the second wish in a way that guarantees my death, wouldn't that be deliberately failing to fulfill the first wish?"

"Deliberately failing to fulfill the first wish would violate the requirements of the ritual. I fear I would be devoured by the backlash even before completing the second wish!"

"Therefore, studying diligently, getting into university, and working hard to earn money is currently the only feasible plan I can think of to realize the first and second wishes."

As Zhang Yu finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

A moment later, the cloth doll's voice echoed.

"Let me see your balance."

After seeing Zhang Yu's account balance and the various overdue loan notifications, the cloth doll remained silent for a long time.

"This kid..." the cloth doll's thoughts raced. "Normally, this kind of situation wouldn't arise. After all, the ritual should select targets who are wealthy, for whom buying a pile of antiques is merely a snap of the fingers."

"But this kid... this kid is too poor, so poor that he can't even complete the first wish, so poor that he's exposed a loophole."

"Damn it, didn't I say find a rich person! Why did you find me such a pauper!"

After a long silence, the cloth doll looked at Zhang Yu and said, "What you said... is not without reason."

"Alright, go study hard then. I'll come find you when you've earned enough money."

As it spoke, the doll chuckled again. "But you must remember, all of this is to fulfill my wishes."

"From now on, if you slack off even slightly in the process of fulfilling my wishes, you will die under the ritual's backlash."

Watching the cloth doll gradually disappear, Zhang Yu suddenly exhaled, his body collapsing onto the bed.

Suddenly, he thought of something and shouted, "Wait, this ritual... what did I actually gain from this ritual?!"

Although he suspected his transmigration might be related to this ritual, he didn't dare to directly reveal the secret, opting instead for a roundabout approach.

Unless absolutely necessary, he decided to keep the secret of Earth locked tightly in his heart, never to be revealed.

The cloth doll completely vanished, leaving only a lingering voice in Zhang Yu's ears: "Your potential has been stimulated, but everyone's potential is different. As for what it is... you'll have to feel it yourself."

Outside the room, the cloth doll walked away, thinking, "This kid's aptitude is terrible. Stimulating his potential will probably just increase his mana or physical strength a little, right? I doubt he can even get into university, let alone join a major sect. How can he fulfill my wishes?"

"But his improvisational skills are quite interesting... let me see how far you can struggle."

Inside the room, Zhang Yu watched as a dark symbol in the palm of his hand gradually began to change.