[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-no-money-what-cultivation":3,"chapter-no-money-what-cultivation-no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-234":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","No Money, What Cultivation?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},164103,323,"Chapter 234: Victory or Defeat Decided in the Third Round","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-234",234,"\u003Cp>During the lull while watching the video, Huang Zichou, to keep things from getting awkward, found something to say: “When you two enter university in the future and get a dharma skeleton implanted, or buy flying swords and magical treasures, you must pay attention to things like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every day before going out, check if your equipment balance is sufficient, if the service has been renewed, if the ads have been skipped cleanly, and if the installment payments have been made...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Zichou warned as if reciting from memory: “Every year during various university exams, there are always students who run into problems like these on exam day—because of a moment’s carelessness, they underperform, get less-than-ideal results, and it ends up affecting their GPA.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Consider this an early lesson for you today...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu thought to himself: “Indeed, it’s a lesson. I’ll remember this for life. Once I enter university, I’ll definitely check everything repeatedly before every exam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lingxiao, however, thought: “Isn’t everything set to auto-renew and auto-debit? What’s there to check? ...Oh, right, poor people might run out of balance, huh? Poor things, so tragic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About a minute later, the Sword Grave finally returned to normal, and under the control of Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao, it started moving again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the uncomfortable feeling in Zhang Yu’s heart never went away, and the discomfort in his eyes even worsened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, with the Sword Grave connected, the synchronization rates above Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao changed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu: 90%\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lingxiao: 95%\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This synchronization rate represents their overall synchronization with all the dharma skeletons on their bodies. Clearly, after connecting to the Sword Grave’s neural signals, both of their synchronization rates had dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu frowned: “The gap has grown a little more...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, within the internal network of the Righteous Gods, Mu Guiyin said: “Aside from their foundations, the biggest difference between the two lies in their Dao heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ye Lingxiao’s Dao heart reached level 10 last year, while Zhang Yu is only at level 8 now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Although this exam tests the physical body, the Dao heart is the foundation of a cultivator’s entire cultivation. Its influence manifests in every aspect—how could it not affect the physical body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The gap in their Dao hearts determines that Zhang Yu has no chance of winning this stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another Righteous God sighed: “After all, Ye Lingxiao has been at Dao heart level 10 for long enough. He can perfectly control his physical body every day. His body’s adaptation to physical changes was cultivated under the boost of a level 10 Dao heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only by adapting to the body day and night, constantly pondering the limits of the physical form in subsequent cultivation, can one quickly adapt when the body undergoes new changes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Zichou did not chime in, but he had to admit that what Mu Guiyin said was correct. Zhang Yu’s Dao heart level was too much of a drag, and his cultivation time was too short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought to himself: “After all, Zhang Yu has been cultivating for a year less than Ye Lingxiao. It’s already impressive that his physical body can match Ye Lingxiao’s. It’s only natural that there’s a gap in their Dao hearts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the history of the Foundation Establishment exam’s sports track, it’s always been contestants with Dao heart level 10, mana 100, and physical strength level 10 who compete in raw physical prowess and potential.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, who would have thought this year a kid like this would show up—Dao heart level 8—and still make it to the final round of the Foundation Establishment exam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While thinking, Huang Zichou didn’t stop overseeing the exam. With a swirl of his divine power, he produced the third and final dharma skeleton of this stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a spine bone flickering with strands of eerie blood-red light, yet it looked like a white flood dragon, swimming in circles around Huang Zichou in midair as if it were alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Zichou introduced it: “This is an enterprise-level dharma skeleton made by the Dragon Soul Workshop, named the Flood Dragon Spiritual Pivot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a veteran manufacturer specializing in dragon-type dharma skeletons, crafting them year-round using various dragon materials, the Flood Dragon Spiritual Pivot produced by Dragon Soul Workshop is a classic among spinal dharma skeletons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After the Flood Dragon Spiritual Pivot is implanted in the body, the dragon tendons extending from it can greatly enhance the cultivator’s physical performance. At the Foundation Establishment stage, the effect is roughly equivalent to a +1 level of physical strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Flood Dragon Spiritual Pivot also contains a sealed dragon-type Dao art called Dragon Might Technique. Once activated, it can shock the spirit, making it difficult for cultivators with a Dao heart below level 20 within a hundred-meter radius to circulate their mental cultivation methods...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu’s heart tightened when he heard this, and he thought: “Wow, an anti-magic field? No, it’s an anti-mental cultivation method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time Zhang Yu had seen a Dao art in action. After all, in high school, so-called Dao art classes were really just talisman classes—he hadn’t been exposed to real Dao arts yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, just like before, Zhang Yu felt the neural connection between his spine and brain being severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact this time was naturally far greater than the previous two times, because the spine is involved in the movement of the entire body. Once he lost contact with his spine, Zhang Yu immediately collapsed limply on the operating table, feeling as if he were completely paralyzed. His heart tightened inexplicably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen seconds later, Zhang Yu felt the presence of his spine again, but this time it felt even stranger—because this spine couldn’t move his body; it could only bend back and forth with his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Zhang Yu felt as if his consciousness was being sucked into that spine, manipulating the Flood Dragon Spiritual Pivot, as if transforming into a white dragon soaring through the sky...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, Zhang Yu snapped back to reality, thinking “That was close.” He had just been affected by the Flood Dragon Spiritual Pivot’s influence on his mind, producing hallucinations. He thought: “This isn’t even a real implant—just connecting to the neural signal is like this. It seems that implanting various dharma skeletons after Foundation Establishment will come with a burden greater than I imagined.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, besides the eye dharma skeleton, should I not implant any other dharma skeletons in the future?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Couldn’t I just use magical treasures instead? Why must I implant dharma skeletons at all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu had once had similar doubts, and Fuji had answered them at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, the answer was simple: using both magical treasures and implanted dharma skeletons was simply more powerful than using only magical treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu still remembered what Fuji had said back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Arcane prosthetics were originally developed by that bunch of artifact refiners, aiming to deliver a dimensionality-reducing strike in the artifact market and spark an industrial revolution.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In Kunxu, if you want to climb up, you have to be better than others, get better grades. When more and more people use arcane prosthetics to enhance their own performance and thereby increase the power of their artifacts, if you want to catch up with them, you'll have to use arcane prosthetics too, whether you like it or not.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Zhang Yu was struggling to adapt to the Flood Dragon Spine, the Husky Head in the audience said, \"That Flood Dragon Spine looks pretty good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cat Head beside him, however, frowned and said, \"You're interested? Then I advise you not to buy it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Husky Head asked curiously, \"Do you have insider information?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that people from the Finance Department all had deep foundations and broad connections, well-informed and privy to all kinds of intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cat Head said calmly, \"No need for insider information. Didn't he make it clear himself? Specializing in dragon-type prosthetics means he's not proficient with other materials. By calling it a classic piece, that Flood Dragon Spine is already outdated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Besides, Dragon Soul Workshop has had scandals before. The dragon-type materials in their prosthetics don't exceed 5%, and most of it is just bone powder.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For a spinal prosthetic at this price… I reckon most of it uses beast materials, and the part from dragons is at most 3%, probably from a captive-bred hybrid flood dragon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After all, what good materials can you use in mass-produced stuff? If you have money, you should go for custom-made prosthetics.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to the Cat Head's commentary, the Husky Head thought to himself, Isn't it just because I don't have the money?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he lost interest in the Flood Dragon Spine and sighed, \"These prosthetics nowadays are always cutting corners, making false claims. If you don't do your research before buying, you're bound to get cheated...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the synchronization rate data for Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao updated again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu: 79%\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lingxiao: 86%\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu: \"Did I lose?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu wasn't too surprised by the final result of this round. He thought to himself, \"Probably because of the Dao Heart, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he lost this round due to the drag of his Dao Heart, Zhang Yu didn't dwell on it too much. After all, over the past year, he had used every means possible to push himself to the limit of what he could improve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, he just wanted to prepare well for the next round, give his all to defeat his opponent, and secure the final Foundation Establishment qualification certificate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, in the True Deity Internal Network, Mu Guiyin was holding forth, \"There are two paths for the development of arcane prosthetics. One is to refine different parts of one's own flesh into prosthetics. The stronger the flesh, the stronger the prosthetics refined, and they are innately the most compatible prosthetics.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But this path is too difficult, and the customization of prosthetics is prohibitively expensive, costing a fortune for most cultivators.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So the majority can only choose the second path.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is, as one's cultivation level rises, constantly replacing one's own parts with stronger external prosthetics, gradually refining them into part of oneself, to enhance one's strength.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In this process, if one fails to adapt to the newly implanted prosthetic, one's cultivation may regress instead of advancing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And that's just for humanoid prosthetics. I've heard that the higher echelons are already experimenting with non-humanoid prosthetics.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A minor deity interjected, \"Those are pretty fierce if used in same-level matches, but once implanted, you lose even the basic human form, and their compatibility with various immortal cultivation techniques is too low. After implantation, you can't even cultivate anymore—it's completely putting the cart before the horse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Guiyin brought the topic back, \"In short, Zhang Yu's physical body is too strong, and his Dao Heart is too weak. If he hasn't even fully controlled his original body, how can he talk about adapting to a new one?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"On the other hand, looking at Ye Lingxiao's performance, it's clear that after Foundation Establishment, he will adapt to the prosthetic much faster and has a more promising future in the Foundation Establishment stage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the end of the second round and Ye Lingxiao's victory, Huang Zichou began announcing the content of the third round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The result of this round would also decisively determine who would win the Foundation Establishment qualification certificate.\u003C\u002Fp>",1908,"2026-05-29T04:54:42.391Z","2026-06-01T04:29:12.818Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","98edfba4f32df0826010293e6d2372fa12034a2d1961138e10881b8d46233083","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-235","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-233",711,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fno-money-what-cultivation-cover.jpg"]