Chapter 1 Interview
"Are we there yet?"
"Don't be nervous. You have such good grades, you will definitely pass."
"Don't worry about the surgery fee. Mom has found a new part-time job and will definitely help you get the money together. Just go to the interview with peace of mind."
Looking at the message sent by his mother on the screen, Zhang Yu silently put away his phone, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.
After a long time, a call came from the front.
"Candidate No. 989, Zhang Yu."
Zhang Yu stood up and walked into the interview classroom.
He looked at the three interviewers and smiled politely, "Hello, everyone. I'm Zhang Yu from Dongyang Junior High School."
The interviewer in the middle looked at him and said calmly, "Why do you want to apply to our school?"
Zhang Yu: "Your school has a long history, profound heritage, and rich teaching resources. It has always cultivated many outstanding talents for the society..."
The interviewer frowned and interrupted, "Don't say such polite words."
Zhang Yu said honestly: "I want to be admitted to a prestigious university. Songyang High School has the highest university admission rate among all the schools I can apply for."
The interviewer smiled slightly, looked at the information in his hand and said, "Well, full marks in all subjects, first in the whole school? No wonder you were recommended here."
"Your grades are fine, but if you want to get into Songyang High School, school exam scores alone are far from enough."
He thought for a moment and asked casually, "How long do you sleep every day now?"
Zhang Yu: “Five hours.”
The interviewer asked in surprise: "Five hours?"
"Since primary school, the average sleep duration of our students has never exceeded two hours a day. And the outstanding graduates of previous years basically did not sleep at all."
"You actually sleep five hours a day, which means you study three hours less than others. In nine years, the difference is nearly 10,000 hours..."
Zhang Yu was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that although he thought he had worked very hard, there was still such a big gap between him and others in terms of effort.
Zhang Yu quickly said: "I will try my best to catch up with them."
The interviewer on the left asked, "How many high school courses did you take?"
Zhang Yu calmed down a little and said confidently: "I have already finished the first year of high school by myself."
The other person frowned slightly: "Only the first year of high school? Don't you know that when we teach here, we assume that students have completed high school courses?"
Zhang Yu was stunned when he heard this. This was information he didn't know. The advantage he thought he had turned into a disadvantage in an instant.
Just when he was at a loss, the interviewer in the middle asked the next question.
"In order to improve learning efficiency and prevent premature love, our school requires all students to complete sterilization surgery to remove the relevant organs before admission, so that they can concentrate on their practice from now on."
"Do you know this?"
Finally hearing something he knew, he quickly replied: "My family is already preparing. I will definitely complete the sterilization surgery before school starts to keep my hormone levels at the most suitable level for school."
The interviewer nodded without comment: "Okay, today's interview is over, you can leave first."
Zhang Yu walked out of the classroom anxiously. He felt that his interview time seemed to be shorter than that of other students.
After he left, the interviewer in the middle shook his head and said, "He's in junior high school and still hasn't been sterilized. This kid's determination to pursue the truth is not strong enough."
The female interviewer at the side smiled and said, "I see he came here without knowing anything. He doesn't have any test reports or extracurricular exam scores. I can only say that the quality of the recommended students from these ordinary junior high schools is getting worse every year. If it weren't for the support policy, he wouldn't be qualified to meet us."
The interviewer in the middle nodded and said: "Well, I thought poor people would work harder. Maybe I expected too much from them."
"This will be the temporary backup."
After saying that, he threw Zhang Yu's resume into a trash can beside him, together with hundreds of other alternative resumes.
Although Zhang Yu felt that his interview did not seem to be very successful, he did not have extra time to think about it. He had already started preparing for interviews one after another and went to different high schools.
"Student Zhang Yu, we understand that your family situation may not be enough to afford the tuition here. However, we provide preferential loan services for poor students, as long as you are willing to mortgage some unimportant organs..."
"Don't worry, you've come to the right place. We know you're a man, and although our school is a girls' school, we never discriminate against men. As long as you complete the gender reassignment surgery, not only will you be able to enroll, but you will also be considered a seed student with a strong heart and will have the opportunity to enter the key class to learn the art of refining the yin energy..."
"It's a pity that you are still a little short of our admission standard. However, this year, in order to take care of poor students, we have launched a policy for students with special talents. If you are willing to give up your physical body, you can use your status as a student with special talents in soul cultivation to study in the principal's Ten Thousand Souls Banner..."
"Classmate, you have come to the right place. This is the most suitable high school for civilian geniuses like you.
Let me introduce you to the benefits here. We add nootropics to the drinking water to ensure that students always maintain a level 5 state of concentration.
Every day, your class teacher will give you more than 900 grams of supplements specifically for bull monsters, to ensure that the effect of your training will be more than ten times the original.
Even the air circulation system is filled with neurostimulants, so you never need sleep again, and it's all free.
Of course, to receive these function-enhancing supplements, you must complete the transformation in our designated hospital.
Don't worry, I just need to implant some small magical instruments to improve your metabolic capacity. Here is the specific price list..."
Interview after interview, question after question.
Or it is so out of reach that he can't see the threshold of hope at all.
Or it could be a contract full of traps, making him feel like he’s about to be swallowed up.
All of this made Zhang Yu feel suffocated.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that although he had the best grades in an ordinary junior high school in the suburbs, there was already a world of difference between him and those students in the city center.
Even until this moment, he only knew the tip of the iceberg as to how big the gap between the two sides was.
All the hard work of studying over the past years seems to have become a joke.
In the end, he was no different from those uneducated classmates and was unable to go to high school.
After returning home, Zhang Yu sat silently like a stone statue.
The phone on the table vibrated repeatedly.
Mother: How was the interview? Mother: I have to work overtime today, so remember to heat up the food in the refrigerator.
After a moment, the phone vibrated again.
Mother: Son, don’t worry. Whether you choose sterilization or sex change, I will definitely help you raise the money for the surgery.
But Zhang Yu did not look at his vibrating phone. He just stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to think about the future, but his head felt empty and nothing could come out.
At this moment, the phone vibrated violently again.
Zhang Yu didn't want to pay attention at first, but after his phone vibrated for more than a minute, he finally couldn't help but picked it up, only to find that the other party had hung up.
Then he received a message from the other party: Your 5,000 reserve funds have been prepared and will be credited to your account in just ten seconds...
“A small loan advertisement?”
"snort."
Zhang Yu thought that his interview information might have been sold by some school.
But after putting down the phone for a moment, he picked it up again and clicked on the message again.
…
That night, after the mother came back from overtime work, she found that Zhang Yu, who had looked as pale as death, seemed to have recovered and was sitting upright at the table reading a book.
"Mom, don't worry, I won't be defeated so easily."
"If I can't do it this year, I will take the exam again next year. I will definitely become an immortal."
"I will look for a cram school tomorrow. I want to make up for what I lack one by one."
Zhang Yu rushed out early the next morning, and when he came back that evening he was full of joy.
"Mom, I found a Xiandao cram school. The teachers there are all invited from key high schools. If you follow them, you will definitely be able to get into high school."
"You don't have to worry about the tuition. They think I've had good grades since I was young, and they know my family is not well-off, so they waived my tuition temporarily. As long as I can enter Songyang High School next year, I don't have to pay back the tuition. Just think of it as advertising for them."
"Don't worry, they are a big company and they won't cheat you."
His mother watched Zhang Yu go out to cram school before dawn every day, and study until two or three o'clock every night after returning home.
Looking at the Chinese, math, physics and other textbooks for his second and third year of high school that he kept bringing back, and seeing that he planned to complete all the general education courses in high school except for the Tao course in one year, she felt pleased with her son's progress.
But when she saw the boxes of medicines she brought back, a trace of doubt arose in her heart.
Zhang Yu smiled and explained, "Mom, from childhood to adulthood, I have studied 10,000 hours less than those top students. If I don't work harder, I will be left further behind by them."
"These neurostimulants will allow me to sleep only half an hour a day, improving my learning efficiency. At least I won't be left behind by the students in the city."
"Don't worry, these medicines are free."
"The principal of our cram school is very optimistic about me, and he gave me these medicines."
When the mother heard that it was a gift from the principal, she was even happier that her son was appreciated.
Soon Zhang Yu came back with more things.
In addition to various high school textbooks and nerve stimulant fillers, there are also capsules for regulating hormone levels, supplements specifically for monsters, and bottles of unpackaged medicinal powders.
Zhang Yu also had many explanations. Sometimes he said it was a cheap item he bought while working, sometimes he said it was a gift from a classmate, and sometimes he said it was a reward from a cram school...
The mother was happy for her son's diligence, and even happier for his good popularity and excellent performance in the cram school.
她转了1000块钱给张羽，让张羽记得要谢谢同学和老师。
但渐渐的，她发现张羽的情绪开始变得不对劲，有时候早上出门前还高高兴兴的，晚上回来就一言不发直接睡觉了。
有时候刚刚还在开开心心吃饭，接了个电话后就眉头紧锁，一口也吃不下了。
她知道一定是修仙的压力太大，让张羽精神紧绷。
她只能多买点他爱吃的东西，多为他存一些学费，只希望能帮他减缓一些压力。
渐渐的，她又发现张羽特别在乎自己的手机，不止是平时几乎手机不离身，更是不准任何人随便碰他的手机，有电话也总是走进厕所关门再接。
有一次她看到手机没电了拿去充电，竟然都被张羽生气地说了一顿。
明白对方的压力大，她便再也不敢碰张羽的手机，生怕影响了儿子修仙。
突然有一天，张羽问她要了补习费，说是补习班请了考上顶尖大学的前辈过来为他们讲课，这是要给前辈的钱。
然后是给高中招生老师的推荐费。
给医院的灵根检测费。
还有要和补习班的同学一起购买民用级的儿童飞剑。
从两三千到七八千……最后一次让她直接打了两万块钱，张羽说是租借天灵根的费用。
但好消息终于传来，张羽成功考进嵩阳高中了。
母亲感到欣喜无比，她对儿子的努力和天赋感到自豪，对接下来张羽说的学费、学杂费、药剂费等等也都一口答应下来。
但开学以后，张羽开口要的钱越来越多，家中逐渐入不敷出。
终于在某一天下午，听着电话另一头的声音，母亲心中一颤。
“喂？请问是张羽的母亲吗？”
“你知不知道你儿子的借款已经逾期30天了……”
在一6一9一书一吧一看无一错版本！
当天夜里，张羽向母亲坦白了一切。
过去一年多来，在学习过程中的种种花费并没有他嘴上说的那些免费、赏识、馈赠……钱全都来自于他从各大平台的借贷。
“妈，对不起。”
“但我真的想修仙啊。”
“哪怕欠上一辈子还不上欠债，我也想修仙……”
听完这一切，母亲默默卖掉了家中所有值钱的东西，然后再借贷一部分钱为张羽还债。
本以为接下来儿子能够安心修仙。
但她却很快又发现了儿子新的贷款逾期。
还贷……借贷……还贷……借贷……
母亲终于忍不住劝说张羽少花点钱。
“妈，这个药不能停，停药后道心会倒退的，我就前功尽弃了……”
“天灵根一定要租的，没有天灵根我法力跟不上……”
“这张补习班的VIP卡要充钱了，不然我听不懂学校老师课上讲的功法……”
发达的仙道技术让没有灵根的凡人也能踏上仙路，但代价则是定期进行最昂贵的学习和维护才能持续走下去。
转眼开学三个月的时间过去，看着欠债越来越多，到现在连家里的房租、水电都已经无力负担……这一切一切都好像是一场永无止境的噩梦，母亲终于再也无法承受了。
于是当又一天放学回家时，张羽再也没有看到母亲的身影。
他看了母亲的留言后呆坐良久，最终默默走上了天台。
……
出租房的天台上。
一阵剧痛从男人的脑海中传来，将他那混沌的意识从黑暗中渐渐唤醒。
他睁开眼向前望去，便看前方不远处那一条人来人往，污水横流的街道。
街道两侧闪烁着霓虹光芒的各色广告招牌，再往上看去则是一座座黑漆漆的楼房挤在一起，像是要将整片天空遮蔽。
而脚下的楼房则是一处破旧的公寓，那斑驳的红砖墙上还在投影着理财广告的视频，广告中是一位位飞天遁地的仙人正一同推荐着新用户三十天免息的修仙贷。
“我不是在玩黑吗喽吗？”
“这是哪？”
正想着怎么回事的时候，转过头的他就发现天台上摆满了蜡烛。
闪烁着猩红火光的一排排蜡烛，正环绕着他和一具破旧娃娃。
那是一个布料泛黄褪色，缝线歪歪扭扭，仿佛随时会裂开的布娃娃。
诡异的场景似乎刺激到了他的大脑，让一股股破碎的记忆不断在他的脑海中来回翻滚跳跃。
“这不是中国了……给我干到异世界来了？”
他有些难以接受穿越的事情。
但脑袋里那些关于仙道技术的真实记忆却不断冲击着他的意识，让他与原身逐渐融合的同时，更不断提醒着他眼前已是另一个世界。
这里便是昆墟，以类似金字塔形矗立在大地上的超级建筑，共有地上三十六层以及地下十八层。
从面积最大，宛如一片大陆的第一层开始，每一层便都是一方新天地。
至于昆墟之外的世界是什么样子，张羽的脑袋里并没有答案。
他只知道昆墟之内，是一个以仙道各大宗门为尊的世界。
大宗门高高在上，也几乎垄断了粮食、能源、交通、教育、科研、医疗、金融、互联网等等各行各业，政府军队在宗门执法队前更像是看门的保安。
但普通人无福享受仙道技术带来的大部分福利，反而每日忙于生计之中。
而他便是生活在昆墟第一层，一名考进嵩阳高中名叫张羽的高中生，最近正沉迷于某种古怪仪式……
“现在的我，已经成了另一个世界的张羽。”
就在这时，一阵刺痛从掌心传来，将沉浸在记忆冲击中的张羽唤醒。
他低头望去，便看到一个透明符号出现在掌中，并在以一种极为缓慢的速度渐渐变黑。
“这又是什么东西？”
伴随着夜风吹过，四周围的猩红烛光一阵摇曳。
而地上那具破旧娃娃瞪着一双黑色纽扣组成的空洞眼眸，正直挺挺地看向他。
他想要回忆到底是怎么回事，但越想脑袋就越疼越晕。
空气中的气氛越发阴森诡异，张羽捂着还在眩晕的脑袋，只觉得周围一片天旋地转。
当他回过神来时，便发现自己已经迷迷糊糊地离开了天台，一步步回到自己家门前。
扫了一眼催缴房租的单子，跨入房门，映入张羽眼帘的只有一张床和一张桌子。
“这就是我家吗？”
感受自己被汗水浸透的黏腻皮肤，还有周围那无比闷热的环境，张羽想要找空调遥控器，却想起来这房子里根本没空调。
他又想要冲一冲水，却发现水已经给停了。
张羽有些无奈地坐倒在床上。
“什么破地方。”
“真有仙人又怎么样？这日子过得还不如没有仙人的世界。”
张羽目光扫过墙面，发现桌子后面的墙壁上贴满了从小到大的奖状。
一年级、二年级、三年级……一直到初三，原来的张羽几乎每年都是年级第一。
看着这些奖状，各种领奖的记忆也从张羽脑海中涌出：“原先的张羽是个勤学刻苦，从小就成绩优秀的学生。”
“现在就读的嵩阳高中也是市里的重点高中。”
“老子是学霸啊。”
回忆着脑海中的知识，张羽目光渐渐亮了起来：“考上名牌大学就能筑基，加入大宗门就能结丹，还能在昆墟往上爬，离开这个贫民窟，享受更多仙道技术的福利，到时候多活个几百年也没问题。”
想到这里，张羽突然觉得来到这个世界似乎也是个不错的事情。
就在他这么想着的时候，手机铃声突然响了起来。
“喂？”
“张羽先生你好，您在我们平台的借款已经逾期3天了……”
挂了电话，张羽翻动着手机中的短信箱，便发现了密密麻麻的催款短信，都是原身在各大平台借贷逾期后的催缴。
与此同时，脑海中的相关记忆也涌了出来。
“这家伙进高中之前就开始借贷补课了，进嵩阳高中后为了跟上大家的成绩，于是他又灵机一动，开始为了提升成绩以贷养贷，四处借钱吃药补课，强行激发潜力，最终不但钱越借越多，潜力也被渐渐榨干。”
“这逼养的是一个靠着平台借贷伪装的修仙天才。”
“甚至他妈都受不了他，最后一走了之了。”
算了算一共逾期的借贷，张羽额头上立刻不断有冷汗冒了出来。
只因为他发现利滚利下来，张羽已经欠了各大平台总共七十多万的钱。
而再看了看自己的账户，总共只剩下五十多块钱了。
“竟然欠了七十万……靠！”
张羽猛地一拳捶在床上，怒道：“这个世界里……就算对高中毕业的天之骄子来说，这也是一笔巨债啊。”
“怪不得这家伙沉迷什么乱七八糟的仪式……这就是个人生无望的借贷狗。”
“他自己爽够了，现在我来给他还债？”
与此同时，房间中的灯光骤然熄灭。
张羽在反复按了几次开关，又观察了一下其他邻居们的状况后，确定了一件事情……他被断电了。
“这破地方……”
“要是明天一早醒来就回去了，那就好了……”
With all kinds of messy thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhang Yu finally fell into a deep sleep on the bed.
And on his palm, the originally transparent symbol had been filled with black by one tenth.
(End of this chapter)