Chapter 395: Chapter 342: Dark Cultivation Technique
Within the Spirit Realm office of the Hammer Heart Inn.
You Chuan opened his mouth and said, "The simulation environment this time is very suitable for Zhang Yu."
"Help him initiate a deep connection, and at the critical breakthrough moment, play it at 3x slow motion, then loop it 10 times."
Upon hearing You Chuan’s instructions, the customer service frowned and said, "The pain index of this simulation environment is very high. Engaging in a deep connection might cause the memory of the simulation environment to affect his mental state."
You Chuan certainly knew that once a deep connection was initiated, the possibility of a breakthrough would greatly increase, but the memories, sensations, and emotions left by the simulation environment would be more profound.
But he calmly said, "He has already agreed to the user manual, and even if something goes wrong, it will be at least a few months later, who can blame us?"
The customer service added, "But allocating so many computing resources to let him suffer so much for free... isn’t it too cheap for him?"
You Chuan sighed, "There’s no way around it."
"30 spirit coins assured achievement, that’s the selling point of this package, betting on students with strong qualifications and a determined breakthrough, most reach the realm of spiritual and physical unity within 5 tries."
"Encountering such students who’ve yet to break through, we’re just unlucky."
...
At the same time.
Zhang Yu, after opening his eyes in the Spirit Realm, remembered his identity.
He was Zhang Yu, a worker on a construction site.
But due to physical injuries, his work efficiency was too low, and gradually no construction site would take him.
Fortunately, with technological advancement, the advent of Magic Remains gave him hope.
"Magic Remains! A groundbreaking product by Tian Gong Group, leading the world with cutting-edge Immortal Path technology, allowing everyone to have higher work efficiency."
"In the future, anyone equipped with Magic Remains will only need to work 2 hours to complete the current 12 hours of workload."
"Tian Gong, making Immortal Path technology better serve Kunxu."
Watching the advertisement in the video, Zhang Yu made a determined decision, selling everything he could, including his hands and feet, and borrowed a large sum of money to finally equip the Magic Remains, instantly regaining his work capability.
He was placed on a construction site, swallowing materials daily and spitting out high-quality concrete, significantly increasing his technical work content along with a multifold increase in salary.
But it didn’t last long; the newly introduced Magic Remains experienced severe rejection reactions on him.
And due to a lack of funds, Zhang Yu had no money for the weekly Magic Remains adjustments or monthly maintenance.
These first-generation Magic Remains on him slowly began to age, becoming incompatible with the natural changes in his body, leading to structural imbalance...
All of these ultimately resulted in his Magic Remains synchronization rate constantly dropping.
"The synchronization rate is too low, causing your scheduling nerves to overwork, eventually leading to an abnormality in the cortex..."
Listening to the company’s analysis, Zhang Yu muttered, "Is this the reason for my phantom pain?"
The other party said, "You need to make payment first, and then we will immediately assist in calibrating your Magic Remains."
"You must know your body changes daily, and the current Magic Remains cannot adapt actively. It must be adjusted once a week to perfectly fit your body."
"Prolonged lack of adjustments will lead to structural alterations, with muscles and nerves compensating..."
Zhang Yu could no longer take in what was being said because he was heavily in debt with no money.
He could only endure the phantom pain, running the Can Niu Soul Heart Technique repeatedly.
But this pain became more frequent and intense with increased worktime.
Pain from limb severance and visceral detachment came repeatedly, and Zhang Yu opened his eyes, as if seeing his own bloodied wounds again.
Under the mad operation of the Can Niu Soul Heart Technique, he was about to step into the realm of spiritual and physical unity.
But at this moment, a thought suddenly emerged in his mind.
"Why? Why can’t my wounds heal themselves?"
...
At the same time.
In the dormitory.
Under the influence of the deep connection, the Can Niu Soul Heart Technique in Zhang Yu’s mind spontaneously began running, with the vitality of his hands and feet reaching a peak.
In the constant rising and falling of his flesh, it seemed as though he was trying to heal the wounds at the severed points of his limbs in his mind.
...
As Zhang Yu’s intense reaction in reality continued.
In the simulation environment, Zhang Yu also began trembling violently.
The flesh of his hands and feet surged, the mental method resulting in a breakthrough, appearing to cause some active change.
At this moment, a voice seemed to tear through the simulation space, entering Zhang Yu’s sea of consciousness from the depths of the Spirit Realm.
"Find me..."
Zhang Yu instinctively said, "Who are you?"
"Find me..."
The other party, however, seemed unable to hear Zhang Yu’s response, continuing to say, "Find my spirit..."
"Find my body..."
"Find my mana..."
...
When Zhang Yu finally came back to himself, he found that his connection to the Spirit Realm had been severed.
He removed the spiritual interface cover, recalling everything that had just happened, and murmured, "Me?"
Zhang Yu felt his mental method naturally operating, hardly realizing he’d stepped into the realm of spiritual and physical unity.
But before he could celebrate, he discovered a strange URL had appeared in his mind.
"Was it that voice transmitting to me?"
"Who exactly is he? How can he summon me in the Spirit Realm environment of Hammer Heart Inn?"
"Could it be someone from Hammer Heart Inn covertly observing me all along?"
As Zhang Yu was completely puzzled, a communication request appeared on his spiritual interface.
After the connection opened, You Chuan’s figure appeared before Zhang Yu.
"Zhang Yu... classmate?" You Chuan’s eyes flickered as he spoke, "Are you alright?"
At the critical moment of a breakthrough, just before Zhang Yu’s flesh and blood became active in the simulation environment, You Chuan noticed that the entire simulation environment suddenly disconnected.
Then, within a few seconds, the entire simulation environment collapsed.
This phenomenon immediately startled You Chuan greatly.
He quickly instructed the customer service to lock down the news, intercept logs and related data, and then immediately contacted Zhang Yu.
Seeing that Zhang Yu seemed unharmed, You Chuan internally breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness."
Even though Zhang Yu’s mishap wouldn’t be significant to Hammer Heart Inn, it would be a major blunder for You Chuan personally.
Noticing You Chuan’s strange expression, Fu Ji suddenly asked, "What happened?"
Listening to Zhang Yu’s account, Fu Ji smiled slightly, "Don’t worry, if there were a major issue, it wouldn’t be just a communication link."
"What happened to you this time might be considered their work mistake."
"Otherwise, Hammer Heart Inn wouldn’t bypass company channels to privately contact you... I think you can bluff him."
Zhang Yu raised his brow, looked at You Chuan and said, "What’s going on with Hammer Heart Inn? Such a serious mistake! I almost died in there!"
You Chuan’s heart sank, secretly thinking this wasn’t good, but outwardly denying any issues while feeling uncertain inside.
Because he truly didn’t know what happened during those few seconds of disconnection.
Zhang Yu said, "You don’t want to take responsibility, huh? I want a refund, I’m going to sue you, I’ve already saved the faulty Spirit Realm data..."
Hearing this, You Chuan’s heart sank again, recalling his adjusted simulation environment parameters, he sighed internally and had to engage in negotiations with Zhang Yu.
After a round of haggling, both parties gradually reached an agreement.
You Chuan: "As long as you don’t go through the company’s refund process, confirm the service was successfully completed, and don’t pursue this incident, I’ll personally refund you 2.5 spirit coins a month for 12 installments."
You Chuan internally thought, "Let Zhang Yu stop his spirit-flesh integration journey as well; it wastes computational resources and disrupts our group’s data, plus what if another accident happens..."
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up and said, "What about interest?"
After another round of haggling, You Chuan finally agreed to cover interest, giving Zhang Yu 3.3 spirit coins monthly to pay for the spirit-flesh integration journey’s monthly installment loan.
Although Zhang Yu considered squeezing more benefits, he understood he had already completed the spirit-flesh integration.
Additionally, regarding the simulation environment occurrences, whether it was the voice or his body’s activation, he was unwilling to expose them.
Thus Zhang Yu knew that this matter couldn’t really be escalated.
"Now it’s a mutual fear situation, but I’ve temporarily bluffed him."
Soon after both parties signed the agreement, Zhang Yu hung up the communication, and chuckled at the thought of gaining a free spirit-flesh integration journey, "This was a big win."
However, Fu Ji was more concerned about the website Zhang Yu received.
But Zhang Yu didn’t log in immediately; instead, he pondered for a while before sending the website to Zhang Pianpian, asking if there was any issue.
"Where did you get this website?" Zhang Pianpian asked puzzledly, "This website points to a very deep area of the Spirit Realm, almost at the edge of the second layer."
"It doesn’t seem like it existed before; it appears... it was just generated not long ago."
"However, the website’s perimeter is encrypted, making it impossible to view its contents, and forcibly entering might damage the information within."
Thus, under Zhang Pianpian’s protection, Zhang Yu logged on to the website.
After a long while, Zhang Pianpian couldn’t help but ask, "What did you see?"
"A... mental method?" Zhang Yu pondered, "A mental method not found in the Great Library."
Meanwhile, he secretly thought, "It could also be classified as a Chain Technique Map set, belonging to the Great Saint Inheritor set of mental methods."
Zhang Pianpian raised her brow, "What specific mental method?"
Zhang Yu recited the mental method’s content, and after Zhang Pianpian gathered information in the Spirit Realm, she slowly said, "In all the data I possess, there’s no information on this mental method."
"This indicates... it’s a black cultivation technique."
Zhang Yu was puzzled, "Black cultivation technique? What does that mean?"
Zhang Pianpian explained, "It’s a cultivation technique not found in the Taoist archives of the Ten Great Sects, with no registered copyright or records."
"Most people believe black cultivation techniques are banned by the Ten Great Sects, with data records erased."
"It might originate from certain already vanished factions."
"Or perhaps it was created by individuals already suppressed."
"Then, senior..." Zhang Yu curiously asked, "Do you think I can cultivate this technique?"
After a moment of silence, Zhang Pianpian said, "Judging by the content, I don’t sense danger."
"In fact, considering its quality, even if not military-grade, it’s at least pre-military-grade."
"The danger of this black cultivation technique likely lies in its origin."
"Additionally, the person who transmitted this technique to you might target you."
"But such a quality mental method would be a waste not to cultivate."
Zhang Pianpian seemed to weigh the matter, then looked at Zhang Yu and said, "It’s your choice."
"But remember, if you want to cultivate it, make sure to conceal yourself well. Also, whenever your consciousness enters the Spirit Realm Network, don’t utilize this black cultivation technique to avoid being targeted."
And shortly after Zhang Yu began practicing this black mental method, time swiftly advanced to late August, nearing the final deadline for end-of-term exams.