After the Skyfall

“Whoosh!”

A swift figure shot out from the third-floor stairwell, landing steadily with a muffled thud that echoed through the air. Li Yi’s stance was firm as he took a deep breath, drawing in a large amount of air before forcefully exhaling.

The compressed air, propelled by his powerful internal organs, shot out like a twenty-centimeter-long serpent, an unbelievable sight.

“The explosive power, coordination, reflexes, and even all my senses have undergone a shocking transformation compared to before I started cultivating. Even my memory has improved.”

Standing with his eyes closed, Li Yi took a moment to fully feel the changes within himself. The sensation was exhilarating, as if he had shed his old self and been reborn as a completely new person.

“How long has it been? If I count from the day Lin Yue guided me into cultivation, it has only been about half a month. Unfortunately, that’s still too short. My eyes haven’t changed yet, meaning I haven’t awakened as a Medium. But I can sense it—if I keep cultivating like this, it won’t be long before I step into the first realm of cultivation.”

“The speed of cultivation with an artifact is simply unimaginable. Unfortunately, mine is a broken artifact, containing the lingering resentment of a deceased soul. Based on my observations over the past few days, I can’t use it too frequently. If I do, the lingering resentment will notice and retaliate.”

“The safest approach is to limit each cultivation session to ten hours at most. Going beyond that significantly increases the risk of being detected by the resentful soul.”

“But for now, ten hours a day is more than enough for me. The rest of the time, I can do other things and maintain a balanced routine.”

After finishing his thoughts, Li Yi slowly opened his eyes.

Even in broad daylight, his eyes seemed unusually bright, as if faintly glowing.

After stretching his body, Li Yi decided not to continue cultivating.

Because he was out of money.

His supply of Type-2 Nutrient Solution was gone, his food was finished, and he had less than 300 yuan left in his bank account.

If he didn’t go out and work soon, he’d be facing another food crisis.

Fortunately, he had already bought a month’s worth of nutrient solution for his parents, so that wasn’t an urgent concern for now.

“With my current condition, I should be able to take on that Guide job. It’s just about channeling cosmic energy into someone else’s body. I can do it even without the help of an artifact. Even though this city hides many dangers, I can’t just hole up at home forever.”

Li Yi’s gaze flickered. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and found a saved number.

Without hesitation, he dialed.

The call was quickly answered by a middle-aged man. “Hello, who is this?”

“My name is Li Yi. Lin Yue referred me. I’m applying for the Guide position. Do you still need Guides?” Li Yi asked.

“A Guide applicant? We’re always in need of Guides. Mr. Li, when are you available?” the man asked politely.

“I’m available anytime,” Li Yi replied.
“Could you please come to No. 89, District 1, Anding Zone, Tianchang City?” the middle-aged man said.

“Alright, I’m on my way. See you then,” Li Yi agreed immediately.

After hanging up, he quickly hailed a cab and set off.

‘No. 89, District 1, Anding Zone… The employer must be pretty wealthy. How does Lin Yue know them? Oh right, I almost forgot—Lin Yue is a cultivator. Naturally, the people she knows are also cultivators. And most cultivators come from wealthy families. Without a solid financial foundation, it’s almost impossible to support a cultivator’s growth.’

On the way, Li Yi pondered silently.

Before long, the taxi entered Anding Zone.

After the Cataclysm, many urban districts suffered catastrophic damage. Some areas remained sealed off to this day due to lingering unknown dangers. As a result, the city’s reconstruction efforts had to be relocated elsewhere.

Thus, Anding Zone was established.

Considering that similar catastrophes could happen again, the zone abandoned plans for high-rise buildings in favor of villas and small houses.

However, while the houses were built, few could afford them. Only the wealthy and middle-class families had the means to buy property there.

As a result, Anding Zone became a wealthy district.

But then, as the wave of cultivation swept through society and more people awakened their abilities, Anding Zone gradually shifted from being a rich neighborhood to a residential area for cultivators.

With cultivators gathering there, the district became significantly safer and more orderly.

After all, criminals might be willing to risk prison when dealing with ordinary people, but offending a cultivator could mean instant death.

Before long—

The taxi came to a stop in front of a twelve-story building.

After paying the fare, Li Yi checked his balance. He only had 23 yuan left—not even enough for a cab ride home.

‘Is it really this expensive to get to Anding Zone?’

‘Did I just get ripped off?’

Li Yi sighed helplessly.

“Hey, buddy, are you here for the Guide recruitment too?”

Suddenly, a young man approached him.

Li Yi turned toward the voice. “Yeah. And you are?”

“I’m Zhang Gao, also here to apply for the Guide position.” Zhang Gao grinned. “I thought I was the only one, but after asking around, I found out that at least four or five people came for the same job today. Looks like the competition is pretty intense. No idea if I’ll make the cut.”

As he spoke, he glanced at a few other people nearby.

“You’re mistaken about that,” another voice chimed in.

A petite woman with long, flowing hair walked over. Her bright eyes suggested she was also a cultivator.

“If the employer is hiring so many Guides, it’s not about picking the best one. My guess is that they’ve reached a critical stage in their cultivation and need a large amount of cosmic energy. One or two Guides probably aren’t enough to sustain their consumption.”

She gave a friendly nod. “Nice to meet you. I’m Zhao Xiaoxiao, also here to apply for the Guide position.”

“Li Yi,” he introduced himself.

“Zhang Gao.”

The three exchanged introductions and quickly became familiar with each other.

“I don’t care about the employer’s cultivation. What I care about is the pay,” Zhang Gao said with a shrug. “A certified Guide earns a minimum of 10,000 yuan per hour. I don’t have a certificate, but I should still get at least 5,000 an hour. Anything less, and I’m out.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao chuckled. “You guys might not know this yet, but I was chatting with a few others earlier. Turns out, the employer didn’t post a public job listing for Guides. Instead, they recruited through personal connections—friends, colleagues, family, and so on. That means they don’t trust external Guides or simply don’t want their information to be exposed. So, the pay will definitely be higher, not lower.”

“5,000 is too low. I’d guess at least 8,000 an hour, and certified Guides will probably get even more.”

Zhang Gao’s eyes lit up. “Now that’s what I like to hear!”

Li Yi was secretly shocked.

‘Nearly ten thousand yuan an hour?’

What kind of godly job was this?

If he worked a full day, wouldn’t that be close to two hundred thousand?

Rest?

With this kind of pay, who would even think about resting?

“I just hope this job lasts long enough for me to make some serious money. Cultivation is too expensive, and I’m broke right now. I don’t even have enough for the ride back, let alone lunch,” Li Yi sighed, his words dripping with poverty.

“Li Yi, you’re being too modest.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao glanced him over before saying, “You look even younger than me, but the energy you’re giving off is stronger than everyone here. Your eyes are exceptionally bright too. If I had to guess, you’re close to unlocking your spiritual medium. To have achieved this at your age means your cultivation potential is incredibly high—your future is limitless.”

“With that kind of talent, I imagine plenty of relatives and friends would be willing to invest in you. Even if you’re short on money, it shouldn’t be to the point where you can’t afford lunch.”

Zhang Gao cut in, “Zhao Xiaoxiao, you clearly come from a well-off family, so you don’t understand how tough it is for us broke cultivators. Take me, for example—I’ve made decent progress in cultivation, but that’s only because my entire family pooled their resources to support me. The deeper you cultivate, the more money you burn. To avoid being a burden, I’ve always worked part-time jobs on the side. On top of that, I need to find ways to make extra cash to help out at home.”

“This job is a big deal for me. I need to make enough to save up and focus on cultivation for a while without worrying about money.”

“I see… I never realized things were this difficult for you. That was my mistake. I apologize,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said sincerely.

Li Yi replied, “It’s fine.”

But after learning about Li Yi and Zhang Gao’s financial struggles, Zhao Xiaoxiao subtly distanced herself.

After a few more casual exchanges, she made an excuse to leave and started chatting with another group instead.

“What a snob,” Zhang Gao muttered under his breath, clearly displeased. “I knew she was just fishing for information earlier. The moment she realized we have no power or connections, she lost interest.”

Li Yi, however, remained indifferent. “I only care about making money. The rest doesn’t matter.”

“We only just met, but I have to give you some advice—money is important, but cultivation is even more important,” Zhang Gao said. “That Zhao Xiaoxiao has a sharp eye. She saw your high cultivation potential at a glance. She wouldn’t have come over to talk to you otherwise. You should make full use of your talent and push your cultivation as far as possible. Don’t get too caught up in chasing money.”

“Uh…” Li Yi paused before saying, “But without money, cultivation is hard to sustain. Nutrient fluids, medical pods, guide instructors… all of it costs money.”

“That’s true,” Zhang Gao admitted with an awkward laugh.

Li Yi didn’t want to say too much.

After all, how could he explain that his cultivation potential wasn’t actually as high as it seemed? That all his progress had been forcefully stacked up thanks to a broken artifact?

At that moment, a middle-aged man in his forties stepped forward and spoke. “I’m Xu Ming, the supervisor here, responsible for this recruitment. Sorry to keep you all waiting. Please follow me to the conference room so we can discuss the job details.”

Everyone quickly followed Xu Ming into the building.

Li Yi took a moment to glance around. Including himself, there were seven applicants in total.

He had already spoken to Zhang Gao and Zhao Xiaoxiao, but the other four were strangers to him.