Watching the symbol on his palm change, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but wonder, “What does this mean? Will I die once it’s completely filled?” No one could alleviate the unease in Zhang Yu’s heart at that moment.

After morning physical education class, Zhang Yu, feeling half-dead, had lunch with Bai Zhenzhen and Zhou Tianyi. After a short rest, afternoon classes began.

The first class in the afternoon was history, taught by an old man with a full head of white hair.

After entering the classroom, the old man casually sat behind the podium, opened his book, and began to lecture. He seemed oblivious to the students who were using the time to rest, practice breathing techniques, cultivate, or even leave the classroom for physical training.

Zhang Yu had no interest in listening to the history teacher’s lecture. He quickly flipped through the textbook, recalling its content and synthesizing it with his own memories for understanding.

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

“Apart from matters related to immortal cultivation, the technological level of the first layer seems similar to that of my previous life, but the lives of the common people appear much harder.”

“The first layer of Kunxu is where Zhang Yu had always lived. As for the layers above, he had only seen them in TV shows and movies.”

According to Zhang Yu’s memories, only by getting into university could one enter the second layer of Kunxu. And only after graduating from university and joining a major sect could one ascend to even higher layers.

It could be said that in Kunxu, only by mastering stronger immortal power and possessing greater authority could one climb higher step by step.

The higher the layer, the more abundant the spiritual energy was rumored to be, the more advanced the immortal techniques, and the more plentiful the various resources.

As he recalled this, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but look back at the window, feeling the sunlight pouring down from the sky.

“Such real sky and sunlight… Is this really inside some super-giant building? If the first layer is the size of two Chinas, how much space does the entire Kunxu occupy? It must no longer be on Earth, right? How exactly did I come to this world?”

He unconsciously recalled the scene of his arrival in this world, thinking of the strange ritual, which made his head spin again.

Zhang Yu quickly shook his head. At this moment, for him, immediate concerns like high school grades, living expenses, earning money, and physical education class were far more pressing than those grander matters.

The thought of his grades and cultivation gave Zhang Yu another headache.

Besides the morning physical education class, immortal cultivation grades also included four subjects: Dao Heart, Mana, Martial Arts, and Daoist Arts.

Dao Heart accounted for 150 points, Mana for 150 points, Martial Arts for 100 points, and Daoist Arts for 100 points.

According to Zhang Yu’s memories, his academic performance had recently plummeted across the board, with not a single subject showing improvement.

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

Another question arose in Zhang Yu’s mind.

“It seems Zhang Yu’s family isn’t wealthy, nor does he possess any outstanding immortal cultivation talent. His interviews, both in his first and second years, didn’t seem very successful. So how exactly did he get into Songyang High School?”

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

Thinking of the original owner’s family, his gaze shifted slightly, and he took out his phone to open his contact list.

“Oh, right, should I contact his parents and sister after school?”

Zhang Yu spent the afternoon classes reviewing and organizing the memories in his mind, which deepened his understanding of the knowledge, this world, and his own identity.

In the blink of an eye, six o’clock arrived, signaling the end of school.

All of the school’s classes for the day had concluded, but for most Songyang High School students, the day was only half over. They still had to attend their respective tutoring sessions and then self-study until late into the night before they could rest.

Unlike his classmates who rushed to their respective tutoring sessions, Zhang Yu was sitting alone in the empty cafeteria.

Having no savings or loan eligibility, he hadn’t attended tutoring classes for two weeks.

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

“Let’s give it a try.”

He first called his mother, then his father, but both calls went unanswered.

Recalling memories of his parents and sister, he reluctantly called his sister.

“Zhang Yu?”

Hearing the slightly cold voice from the other end of the phone, Zhang Yu braced himself and said, “Sis, could you lend me some money?”

Amidst a silence, just as Zhang Yu thought the call would be disconnected, a voice came from the phone: “When you were in first grade, I told Mom and Dad you had no talent for immortal cultivation, and pursuing this path would be a complete waste of time and money.”

“After they separated, Mom believed in your delusion and stubbornly tried to put you through high school alone. She even asked us for money recently, wanting to use my tutoring fees.”

“Heh, and you, this reckless fool, even borrowed money for immortal cultivation. To study in high school, you must be drowning in debt by now, right?”

Faced with her accusations, Zhang Yu was speechless. The memories he had organized confirmed she was right.

After their parents separated, each taking one of the siblings, the original Zhang Yu, despite knowing his mother’s meager income and their family’s poverty, was too reckless. He stubbornly took out small loans for immortal cultivation, living from loan to loan until now.

His mother, after repeatedly helping Zhang Yu repay his loans only to find the debt growing larger with each attempt, finally left him.

The voice from the other end of the phone continued.

“This is our last contact. You’ll have to pay back your own debts.”

“One more piece of advice: drop out of school and get a job to pay off your debts.”

“For the sake of our past as a family, I’ll send you 500 in a moment. That money should be enough for you to find a job before you starve.”

Hearing the call disconnect, Zhang Yu sighed helplessly, “At least I got 500.”

Including the 500 given by Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu’s savings finally exceeded 1000.

But on his way home, his sister’s advice kept replaying in Zhang Yu’s mind.

“Drop out and get a job?”

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

Declining grades, penniless, burdened by massive debt, and a body pushed beyond its limits… he had to admit that dropping out of school early to work seemed like a sensible decision.

Just then, a sharp pain shot through his palm. The symbol, visible only to him, was finally completely filled with black.

At the same time, a clear female voice rang out from the side: “Boy, the summoning ritual is complete. It’s time to grant three wishes.”

Zhang Yu abruptly turned his head and saw a rag doll sitting on his bed.

Seeing the rag doll, with its yellowed, faded fabric and crooked stitches that looked as if they might tear at any moment, he suddenly realized: Wasn’t this the same rag doll he’d seen during that strange rooftop ritual yesterday, shortly after arriving in this world?

The rag doll spoke: “Hey, did you hear me? Three wishes, not one less.”

Faced with the bizarre scene before him, Zhang Yu just wanted to leave.

He was no longer a clueless novice unaware of this world. Having organized his memories, he knew that gods in this world were not ethereal beliefs, but administrators who managed countless affairs, big and small, throughout Kunxu.

However, these true gods were certainly not something a cultivation ‘waste’ like Zhang Yu could casually summon. The deity summoned by Zhang Yu’s so-called ritual must have been an evil god, one rumored to sow chaos, disregard human lives, and be severely suppressed by the Ten Great Sects and various true gods.

The common people of Kunxu’s first layer had grown up hearing cautionary tales of mortals making deals with evil gods, only to eventually perish, their souls scattered.

“This Zhang Yu guy was at his wit’s end; he actually sought out an evil god? No wonder I felt dizzy whenever I thought of related memories. Was this also the evil god’s doing?”

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

The original Zhang Yu sought out the evil god only because he was truly at his wit’s end.

Should he spend his entire life toiling at the lowest rung to repay his debts, or risk his life for a chance to continue immortal cultivation?

“Evil god! My first wish is for you to fulfill 100 wishes for me!”

After saying this, Zhang Yu swallowed, then nervously looked at the doll and asked, “You can do that, right?”

The rag doll chuckled: “Heh heh, of course I can do something so simple.”

Seeing the smile on Zhang Yu’s face, the rag doll scoffed: “But my choice is… not to.”

“Because once the summoning ritual is complete, it is you who must fulfill my three wishes.”

“If you choose to refuse to fulfill my wishes, or intentionally delay or even fail during the process, your flesh will burst and your soul will scatter under the ritual’s backlash.”

“Alright, my first wish is for you to fulfill another thousand wishes for me.”

Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned by these words, cursing inwardly: “No… I performed this summoning ritual just to fulfill your wishes? Was this Zhang Yu an idiot? A thousand wishes? Is that even possible?”

After stating its first wish, the rag doll smiled slightly, its hollow eyes, formed by black buttons, continuing to stare straight at Zhang Yu.

The rag doll said, “Are you ready? I’m about to state my next wish.”

Zhang Yu’s heart tightened suddenly upon hearing this: “What kind of wish is this monstrous thing going to make now? If I really have to fulfill a thousand wishes for her, won’t I become her slave? Or… if it makes a wish I can’t possibly fulfill… won’t that mean certain death?”

The rag doll slowly said, “I’ve decided. My next wish is for you to collect a batch of antiques for me.”

Zhang Yu swallowed. “Antiques?”

The rag doll chuckled, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve already found them for you. Just buy everything in your shopping cart.”

Zhang Yu paused slightly at these words. He then took out his phone and, guided by memory, opened his shopping cart, finding it filled with various Buddha statues, altars, incense burners, wooden swords… The prices were exorbitant; any single item cost tens of thousands.

If he couldn’t afford these antiques, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to fulfill the wish. And if he couldn’t fulfill the evil god’s wish, wouldn’t he die a terrible death due to the ritual’s backlash?

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu quickly asked, “Could you perhaps change your wish? I’m afraid I can’t afford all these antiques.”

“Making excuses…” The rag doll’s gaze sharpened, and endless malice seemed to pour from its dark, hollow eyes. “Are you trying to renege on our deal? If you can’t afford them, borrow money. If you can’t borrow, sell your organs—your heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs. There’s always a way for you to get the money.”

Zhang Yu looked at the rag doll seriously and slowly said, “If I do that, I’ll die trying to fulfill this one wish, won’t I?”

The doll chuckled, “So what?”

Zhang Yu said, “Would you rather lose someone who could help you fulfill a thousand wishes in the future, right now? Or give me some time, allow a future major sect disciple to buy these antiques for you, and then, one by one… help you fulfill those thousand wishes?”

The rag doll looked at Zhang Yu with some surprise. “Hmm?” it prompted. “Continue.”

Zhang Yu explained, “I’ve calculated it. To buy these antiques, even if I work in Kunxu’s first layer for decades, I probably wouldn’t be able to gather enough money. But if I can join a major sect, I’d be able to save up that amount in just a few years.”

The rag doll asked, “So?”

Zhang Yu continued, “That means… as long as I study hard, cultivate diligently, continuously grow stronger, get into a prestigious university, and then join a major sect after graduation, I can rely on the sect’s stipend to fulfill your wishes.”

After another moment of silence, the rag doll suddenly asked, “Are you saying you’ll study hard, then get a job and earn a salary, and that’s how you’ll fulfill my wishes? Are you trying to trick me?”

An overwhelming surge of malice swept over him. The rag doll’s eyes were like two massive black holes, seemingly sucking in all the surrounding light instantly.

Zhang Yu clenched his fists, trying his best to suppress his trembling legs, and stared at the rag doll, enunciating each word: “Your first wish is for me to fulfill a thousand wishes for you. Your second wish is to collect the antiques in the shopping cart. If I die of poverty while collecting antiques for you, how can I possibly fulfill a thousand wishes? If I knowingly proceed to fulfill the second wish in a way that guarantees my death, wouldn’t that be intentionally failing to complete the first wish? Intentionally making myself unable to fulfill the first wish would violate the ritual’s requirements. I’d likely die from the ritual’s backlash before even completing the second wish, wouldn’t I? Therefore, studying hard, getting into university, and diligently working to earn money is currently the only feasible plan I can think of to fulfill both the first and second wishes.”

After Zhang Yu finished speaking, a deathly silence filled the room.

A moment later, the rag doll spoke.

The rag doll said, “Let me see your balance.”

After seeing the balance in Zhang Yu’s account and the various loan overdue messages, the rag doll remained silent for a long moment.

“This kid…” The rag doll’s thoughts raced. “Normally, this situation wouldn’t occur. After all, the ritual’s targets should be wealthy individuals, and buying that pile of antiques would be nothing more than a flick of the wrist for them. But this kid… this kid is too poor. So poor, in fact, that he can’t even fulfill the first wish, and his poverty has created a loophole. Damn it, wasn’t I supposed to find a rich person?! How did I end up with this sort?!”

After a long silence, the rag doll looked at Zhang Yu and said, “What you said… is not without reason. Alright, go study hard. I’ll come back to you once you’ve earned enough money.” Saying this, the doll sneered again. “But remember,” it added, “all of this is to fulfill my wishes. From now on, should you show even the slightest slack in fulfilling my wishes, you will die by the ritual’s backlash.”

Watching the rag doll gradually disappear, Zhang Yu exhaled sharply, his body slumping onto the bed.

Suddenly, he remembered something and shouted, “Wait, this ritual… What exactly did I get from this ritual?!”

Although he suspected his transmigration might be related to this ritual, he dared not reveal this secret directly, opting instead for a roundabout approach.

Unless absolutely necessary, he decided to keep the secret of Earth locked deep within his heart, never revealing it.

The rag doll completely vanished without a trace, leaving only a voice in Zhang Yu’s ear: “Your potential has been awakened, but everyone’s potential is different. What exactly it is… you’ll have to discover for yourself.”

Outside the room, the rag doll walked and thought, “This kid’s aptitude is terrible. His awakened potential will probably just slightly enhance his mana or physical strength, right? I doubt he can even get into university, let alone join a major sect. How can he possibly fulfill my wishes? But his quick thinking on the spot was rather amusing… Let’s see how far you can struggle.”

Inside the room, Zhang Yu watched the black symbol on his palm slowly begin to change.