The first stage of your Spirit-Body Unification Journey is complete.

This simulated environment, generated from a big data model of Spirit-Body Unification breakthroughs, vast historical records, and user data, boasts extremely high realism. Individuals with a Dao Heart level below 13 or those afflicted with the following conditions are advised to consult their doctor before commencing.

Please confirm that you have read and agreed to the “User Agreement.”

All generated data in this scenario belongs to Hammer Heart Abode. Please do not use it for any commercial purposes.

Do you wish to begin your Spirit-Body Unification Journey?

Zhang Yu opened his eyes, a wave of confusion washing over his mind.

“I am…”

Gradually, he remembered. His name was Zhang Yu, an employee at a Dharma Bone factory in Tianya City.

The factory provided food and accommodation. Work started at 8 AM and finished at 5 PM, with a one-hour lunch break.

The canteen offered three meals a day: eggs and milk in the morning, two to three meat dishes for lunch and dinner, and afternoon tea snacks.

Zhang Yu habitually went to bed promptly at 9 PM, falling asleep to the juke box’s soft music in his dorm room. He would then sleep until 7 AM, waking refreshed to greet the new day.

For every five days of work at the factory, there were two days off.

During these two days, Zhang Yu sometimes went hiking in the nearby mountains or went swimming, both of which brought him inner peace.

Additionally, he had recently acquired a new, fashionable hobby: browsing the internet in the factory’s library.

However, many workers at the factory were interested in this new activity, so Zhang Yu couldn’t always get a turn.

His ordinary life continued day by day, and Zhang Yu’s greatest wish was to live this way until his retirement, then spend the rest of his days peacefully on his pension, just like his father.

And on this particular day, it was time for the annual physical examination.

Zhang Yu lay on the operating table, silently circulating the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation in his mind. He felt the scalpel glide across his abdomen as the factory doctors removed the “impurities” from within him.

It was a tangled, root-like object covered in strange tendrils.

Zhang Yu had once overheard the doctors discussing it; they seemed to call this thing a “spiritual root.”

In any case, it wasn’t a good thing. Every year, after their physicals, Zhang Yu and his fellow workers had to undergo surgery to cut off these spiritual roots from their bodies.

However, whether it was due to the thing being too resilient or the surgery not being thorough enough, these spiritual roots grew back every year.

Zhang Yu was grateful that the factory covered their medical expenses, providing free physicals, treatments, and surgeries every year.

Just then, he overheard the doctors talking nearby.

“Have you heard? Nether Palace’s artificial spiritual root synthesis technology has hit the market.”

“I have. Looks like our factory won’t last many more years, sigh… How can farming compare to their industrialized production?”

“Just shave this part?”

“Shave it. It’s hot lately, and the factory director wants to save on air conditioning costs.”

Zhang Yu watched as his fur continuously fell off, and he couldn’t help but struggle.

“Why is he awake?”

“Increase the dosage.”

In a daze, Zhang Yu only felt waves of pain emanating from the wounds on his body.

He instinctively circulated the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation to resist the pain.

But in the years that followed, his condition seemed to worsen. The factory doctors cut away more and more parts of him, leaving him in so much pain every night that he couldn’t sleep.

To get some proper sleep, he could only continuously circulate the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation, constantly practicing the cultivation method.

Finally, one day, even when Zhang Yu was asleep, he was silently circulating the cultivation method. He could at last temporarily forget the pain and get a good night’s rest.

“Damn it all…”

Zhang Yu removed the spirit interface mask, his mind replaying the recent experience, a strange look in his eyes.

“So I was an Eldritch Descendant constantly harvested in a spiritual root farm, and because I feared the pain, I circulated the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation day and night, eventually suffering so much that I achieved Spirit-Body Unification.”

Zhang Yu temporarily suppressed the myriad emotions in his heart, trying to recall the feeling of gradually turning the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation into an instinct amidst the ceaseless pain.

“I think I’m getting somewhere.”

“But it also seems like there’s no progress?”

Fu Ji looked at Zhang Yu and said, “Cultivation methods are often like that; the feeling can be ambiguous and vague.”

“Don’t overthink it. The more you think, the more confused you’ll get. Just keep practicing steadily, as they say, ‘effort leads to natural success.'”

Zhang Yu had heard similar words from his Dao Heart class teacher, and he naturally understood the principle. But recalling his experiences in the spirit realm, he couldn’t help but have some thoughts.

“That factory… it seems like it was the old Kunxu, right? Kunxu where the internet wasn’t even widespread yet and spiritual roots still needed to be cultivated.”

“The company must have collected data from the Eldritch Descendants who broke through to the Spirit-Body Unification realm while being farmed in the factory, then used that data as one of the references to generate the simulation environment.”

“But the problem is…” Zhang Yu frowned slightly, “The Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation that I broke through with in the simulated environment isn’t the complete version that I have in my mind.”

“What if I can’t achieve it?”

“Never mind. Anyway, Hammer Heart Abode said I can apply for a refund if I don’t succeed, so I’ll keep trying.”

Next, Zhang Yu composed himself and headed to Level 667 to start his work for the day.

On the construction site, Formless Golems flashed back and forth, twisting, cutting, and erecting steel bars, among other tasks.

Of course, Zhang Yu wasn’t currently using the Qi Vein Eternal Flow but had chosen University Saint Body and continued to practice the Ninth Breathing Method.

Even so, Ying Xin, who was inspecting nearby, was surprised by the scene. “Zhang Yu’s work efficiency has increased this much in just over two months?”

“Maintaining a human form with Gang Qi for construction work shows a significant improvement in his Gang Qi conductivity, total magical power, and recovery rate compared to before.”

“Could he actually aim for first place in the class?”

At this thought, Ying Xin instinctively shook her head. “Impossible. Ji Yuan Shu is too rich. No one in our class could possibly surpass him.”

Inside a 100-square-meter suite on the 450th floor.

A ‘Fortune Monitoring’ notification popped up in Ji Yuan Shu’s ocular implant.

His fortune had changed again; Zhang Yu’s win rate had seen a slight increase during this period.

Ji Yuan Shu checked the source of the fortune change and immediately saw Zhang Yu’s recent work performance.

“Quite a bit of progress.”

“For a traditional civil engineering student, you’ve done quite well.”

“But unfortunately, civil engineering students who only think about making progress on the construction site can never break free.”

“Between us… there’s a dimensional gap.”

The next day after school, Zhang Yu began his Spirit-Body Unification Journey once more.

When he opened his eyes, he recalled his identity.

He was Zhang Yu from Jingshui County. Along with four other individuals, he monopolized the county’s businesses in seeds, water, agricultural machinery, and banking, together known as the ‘Four Young Lords of Jingshui’.

Zhang Yu owned the largest medicinal herb fields in the county, with hundreds of Eldritch Descendant slaves under his command.

His greatest daily pleasure was watching the numerous Eldritch Descendant slaves labor diligently in his vast medicinal herb fields.

His second pleasure was hunting in the mountains.

One day, he was outdone by another wealthy young man during a hunt and subsequently ridiculed.

Zhang Yu, feeling disheartened, returned to the county town and purchased a Dharma Treasure produced by a large city company from a traveling merchant.

It was said that carrying it year-round would prolong life, sharpen senses, and improve agility, making it the most popular health-enhancing Dharma Treasure in the city.

Whether by coincidence or luck, he won first place in the next hunt, defeating all his opponents.

From then on, he became a firm believer in this health-enhancing Dharma Treasure, buying large quantities afterward and filling his room with them.

Several years passed, and Zhang Yu felt his body deteriorating. During a physical examination, doctors discovered that his internal organs had been completely permeated by Earth Fiend Qi.

Over the next few months, his body rapidly emaciated. To stop the continued corrosion of the fiend qi, his organs, eyes, and limbs were amputated one by one.

To withstand the physical and mental agony, he practiced the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation, circulating the cultivation method day and night, hoping only to forget his suffering.

And whenever he felt he could no longer bear it, the calls of his family members always sustained him, urging him to endure.

“Zhang Yu! Open your eyes and look! This is Dad’s remittance information. Everyone is transferring money to you for your treatment. You must hold on!”

“Son, do you feel it? The family’s entire savings are continuously pouring towards you! Don’t underestimate our family bond!”

“Hold on, little brother! You’ve spent so much on medical fees. Are you willing to just die like this and watch all that money go to waste?”

Watching his savings fluctuate, Zhang Yu felt as if his family’s large hands were pushing his back, pulling him back from the brink of death.

Aside from his family, doctors’ hands were also pulling at him, seemingly trying to drag him back to the living world.

But it was simply too painful.

Zhang Yu felt as though his entire body, flesh and bone, had turned to sludge. Gradually, only one thought remained: it would be better to just die.

“How’s the patient?”

“Beyond help.”

“Just keep him going. His family has given too much money. The entire hospital relies on him for revenue. Keep him alive as long as possible.”

“This Earth Fiend Qi corrosion case is also quite rare. So, being corroded by Earth Fiend Qi can cause such extensive damage to the body?”

“Try to record his data completely until he dies. We can sell it to the company then…”

Amidst the boundless agony, Zhang Yu gradually could no longer hear or see the outside world clearly.

In the complete darkness, he could only circulate the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation over and over, hoping to forget the pain and never be woken by it again.

“Bloody hell…”

Zhang Yu removed the spirit interface mask once more, feeling a phantom pain still lingering throughout his entire body.

“The pain… it’s absolutely excruciating.”

“Because I cultivate the Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation, is that why they’ve arranged these kinds of simulation environments for me?”

“Surely the rest of this Spirit-Body Unification Journey won’t all be like this?”

“Is there no more ‘normal’ way to break through to Spirit-Body Unification using this Residual Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Incantation?”

Although his mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, Zhang Yu forced them down one by one, then tried to recall the feeling of breaking through to Spirit-Body Unification in the spirit realm.

He felt that the white ox in his mind seemed a bit more agile, but there was still no sign of Spirit-Body Unification.

Just then, Zhang Yu received a message from Tuli Shan.

Tuli Shan: Ji Yuan Shu joined the team, and then Ma Xuan replaced you with a substitute?

Zhang Yu: Yes.

Zhang Yu knew that Tuli Shan had originally recommended him to Ma Xuan’s team. Now that Tuli Shan had received news about the competition team, it was clear he was inquiring about the situation.

However, Tuli Shan wasn’t there to stand up for Zhang Yu or anything of the sort, but merely to confirm the information.

Reading Zhang Yu’s reply, he thought to himself, “Ma Xuan is from the old director’s faction. The old director has always been neutral towards both sides before. Now, this move… is it simply Ma Xuan aiming for competition results, or does the old director have something in mind?”

Moments later, in the dorm room on the other side, a figure swiftly entered through the door and came to Zhang Yu’s side.

“Zhang Yu, let’s hurry.”

Le Mulan rushed in and plopped down in front of Zhang Yu.