The man in the black jacket stared at the Kunqing Grass on the table, his gaze deep and inscrutable.
Eventually, he asked, "Could we meet in person?"
When a hundred-million-yuan deal was on the line, he couldn't feel at ease without seeing the other party face-to-face.
Qi Yuan's death would be a minor matter, but losing a hundred million would hurt terribly.
"Make it quick. I'm busy," Qi Yuan said casually.
Who knew—after some time, once his cultivation reached great heights, he might not even care about a hundred million.
"How about two days from now, aboard the *Starfish Bay* in Tianyue City?" the man in the black jacket asked tentatively.
In two days, the luxury cruise ship *Starfish Bay* would dock in Tianyue City for three days. During this time, it would resupply while also hosting banquets, inviting various prominent socialites and celebrities.
"Sure... but your side covers my ticket and travel expenses," Qi Yuan agreed.
He would treat it as scoring a free meal while he was at it.
"The invitation will be delivered to your hands tomorrow, and a private chauffeur will pick you up the day after," the man in the black jacket arranged smoothly.
In truth, this was also flexing his muscles.
It was telling Qi Yuan: *I know your information, and I know your address.*
"Fine. Oh, bring plenty of Kunqing Grass. I'm short on it." Qi Yuan looked at the man in the black jacket, thought of something, and added, "If it's convenient, gather some other materials for me too. Deduct the cost from our transaction.
"By the way, the transaction amount has to be after taxes."
After Qi Yuan finished speaking, he listed a few of the materials he needed, then hung up the video call.
In the border town, the expression of the man in the black jacket shifted unpredictably.
He had gleaned far too little useful information from the exchange, and the initiative had remained entirely in the other party's hands.
As the saying went, the customer was god.
Yet he felt as though that person named Qi Yuan was the god.
That effortless nonchalance and the confidence in his voice were not things an ordinary person could possess.
As an arms dealer, the man in the black jacket had plenty of guns under his command. He had killed men and met people of every stripe, but someone like Qi Yuan was a first for him.
The man in short martial attire looked utterly disgruntled. "This Qi Yuan is way too arrogant! He didn't give you any face at all. This is a hundred-million deal!"
Qi Yuan's attitude annoyed him deeply.
"A-Zhi, remember to prepare the materials Qi Yuan mentioned," the man in the black jacket instructed.
The man in short attire, A-Zhi, was slightly taken aback. "Boss, we're really going to gather them?"
"Yeah... If the meeting goes smoothly, this deal... is probably happening." The man in the black jacket knew himself well.
Since he was already swayed, this transaction was bound to proceed.
Unless the other party showed some glaring flaw during the meeting.
Yet during the video call, the guy had been seamless; for a massive flaw to appear in person... was practically impossible.
"We're really doing it?" A-Zhi swallowed hard.
That was a hundred million Qinyuan coins!
After taxes, no less.
If he had that much money, he would have quit this line of work long ago and gone off to enjoy life.
"We're doing it," the man in the black jacket said in a heavy voice.
A-Zhi seemed to catch on. Raising an eyebrow, he suggested, "Should I arrange some men aboard the *Starfish Bay* to... take him..."
"What are you thinking? This is legitimate business!
"Business requires credibility!" The man in the black jacket glared at A-Zhi.
He knew what A-Zhi meant—he wanted to double-cross the guy.
How could one pull a double-cross in a deal involving an immortal cultivation technique?
If it turned out to be real, wouldn't that mean the other party was an immortal cultivator?
***
*"Already reserved. Private messages temporarily declined. Please stop tipping; no refunds will be given."*
After some thought, Qi Yuan posted this comment under his video and pinned it to the top.
With that done, he exited the short-video app.
*"Qi Yuan, this is our Mingwu members' group. I've sent you an invite—go ahead and accept it."*
Second Senior Brother had sent an invitation along with a link to join the group.
*"All right, thanks, Second Senior Brother."*
Qi Yuan joined the group titled "Mingwu Gathering Grounds."
There were over three hundred members.
After joining, Qi Yuan lurked silently, reading the messages.
*"Sigh, secret substances are way too expensive. I can't afford them at all,"* a female member nicknamed Little Fish complained in the chat.
*"Sister Fish, your husband is about to kick the bucket anyway. Why do you still care about a hundred-odd thousand for a secret substance?"* another member joked.
*"The bulk of the estate was left to his sons! I only get scraps, don't I?"* Little Fish's text brimmed with dissatisfaction.
*"That's already pretty good! Swapping three years for an inheritance worth over a hundred million—I'm envious!"*
*"@DojoMaster, can secret substances be a bit cheaper? They're too expensive, I really can't afford them!"* Little Fish pleaded.
Several other students chimed in as well.
*"Make them cheaper, we can't afford this!"*
*"I'm so broke I can't even afford underwear!"*
Watching the messages scroll by, Qi Yuan couldn't help but ask, *"What is a secret substance?"*
Qi Yuan had always maintained the fine habit of asking when he didn't know.
*"New here, brother? When martial artists reach higher realms, they need secret substances to boost their strength. By the way, don't confuse secret substances with gene serums—secret substances are completely natural,"* a kind-hearted student explained.
*"At what stage do you need to take them?"* Qi Yuan asked again.
*"Once you reach the seventh layer of the Mingwu Resonant Fist, you have to start taking secret substances, or you won't make any progress at all. Usually, only senior students like us, who have practiced the Mingwu Resonant Fist for three or four years or more, take them to enhance our strength,"* the helpful fellow shared generously.
*"Big brother, after training for so long, you must be really strong, right?"* Qi Yuan asked out of curiosity. *"Can you catch bullets with your bare hands?"*
*"Ahem..."* The man was struck speechless. *"Are you joking, brother...?"*
*Looks like senior members aren't that strong either,* Qi Yuan thought to himself.
Naturally, he wouldn't post such thoughts in the chat; that would be far too lacking in emotional intelligence.
He lurked in the group for a while longer. Most of the chatter revolved around how expensive secret substances were.
From what Qi Yuan gathered, an ordinary month of martial training required several hundred thousand yuan worth of secret substances.
At that rate, it would cost millions a year.
No wonder only wealthy people practiced martial arts.
How could an ordinary person bear to spend millions a year on training?
*I need to hurry up and reach the seventh layer to see what this secret substance really is.*
Qi Yuan was quite intrigued.
Right now, he was only at the first layer of the *Mingwu Resonant Fist*, still a fair distance from the seventh layer.
Furthermore, the martial path had many differences compared to the immortal path.
For instance, on the immortal path, which was supposed to be far more difficult, Qi Yuan had already reached the third layer of Qi Refinement.
Given sufficient resources, Qi Yuan could establish his foundation immediately.
Martial arts, however, were different. You had to train.
Truly train.
Every time he executed the *Mingwu Resonant Fist*, Qi Yuan felt a slight improvement.
This improvement was not merely a matter of familiarity; it was a genuine rise in martial cultivation.
*Still, ordinary people... probably can't manage more than a few repetitions a day before wearing out... But I'm different. I can keep practicing indefinitely!*
In the living room, Qi Yuan practiced the *Mingwu Resonant Fist* for a while longer.
After finishing, he began cultivating his immortal method.
*I probably won't be able to project the Stellar Golden Core until I reach the Origin Core realm.
*Right now... I'm too weak. I need to keep a low profile.*
Qi Yuan felt he was being very low-key already.
Take posting videos to sell cultivation methods, for example.
There were plenty of negative comments below... Well, if he were back in the Canglan Realm, Qi Yuan would have tracked them down through the network cables.
But right now, he was merely an adorable newbie at the third layer of Qi Refinement.
Beating people up through network cables?
Too troublesome.
He couldn't be bothered.
He would at least wait until the Origin Core realm before considering purifying public morals, wouldn't he?
Otherwise, he wouldn't even have the confidence to declare, "I don't eat beef."
***
The following evening, Qi Yuan returned home and took a shower.
Lying on the sofa, he watched the news on television.
*"Recent reports indicate that unlawful elements have slipped into the city. Citizens are advised to take precautions regarding personal safety."*
*"The jewel of Qinyuan, the Sixth Princess of Tian City, celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony today. Congratulations to Her Highness!"*
*"'Can Star' has become the buzzword of the year as an increasing number of citizens aspire to emigrate to Can Star!"
*"The Yuelang Cabinet has imposed a 'rainwater tax,' prompting protesting crowds to gather in the streets."*
The news broadcast various events occurring across the world.
*If I remember correctly, in just a few days, the Sixth Princess will be assassinated, and a coup will take place in the Yuelang Kingdom.*
Qi Yuan pondered.
He still possessed the memories of the coming year. Although he didn't know most details, big events worthy of top trending headlines were things the Innate Seed knew about.
*With those Resetters around, this Sixth Princess probably won't be assassinated this time.*
Even though Qi Yuan had not yet contacted the Gongyi family, out of so many Resetters, someone must have reached out to the Seven Martial Star families.
Preventing the Sixth Princess's death was such a monumental achievement that someone was bound to pursue it.
Just then, Qi Yuan's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen; it was a call from Wang Xu.
"Qi Yuan, how did the blind date go? Was the person Cui Fan introduced reliable?"
"Didn't work out." Qi Yuan recalled the woman in tight-fitting clothes, from whom he had borrowed a good sum of money.
"Don't worry, there'll be better ones in the future. As for the job I recommended... would you consider it?"
"No need, thanks, old class monitor. I've found something to do for now, and it makes money."
"Makes money?"
"Yeah. Working for someone else is out of the question. I'm doing business now. Meeting someone tomorrow, so gotta go."
Qi Yuan hung up the phone.
Though well-intentioned, he couldn't be bothered to explain further—he still needed to cultivate a bit more.
On the other end of the line, Wang Xu was utterly bewildered.
*Doing business?*
*Qi Yuan is doing business?*
This was simply too shocking.
After all, who didn't know that Qi Yuan was mentally ill?
A psychiatric patient doing business?
Selling what?
His body?
Yet Qi Yuan had already hung up, leaving Wang Xu unable to press further.
"Sigh, I guess Qi Yuan has a point. Being a wage slave is too exhausting. Tomorrow I have to bust my ass investigating sea monsters—damn that *Starfish Bay*!"
***
"Please have a seat, sir."
Inside the residential compound, a burly man dressed in a sharp suit opened the car door. Qi Yuan sat inside and closed his eyes to rest.
This vehicle had been arranged by the man in the black jacket to pick him up.
Though the chauffeur wore a suit, Qi Yuan could still detect a faint scent of blood.
This man had blood on his hands.
In a civilized metropolis, someone like him could easily terrify ordinary people, but to Qi Yuan... well, he was nothing special.
"Does your boss have a lot of money?" Qi Yuan asked casually.
The driver paused, replying in clumsy, accented Qinyuanese, "A lot."
"Good. The more capable he is, the more convenient our cooperation will be."
Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to search for multiple partners.
One partner was enough.
Especially if they could gather all the materials for him, allowing him to simply focus on cultivation—that would be ideal.
The driver fell silent and said nothing more.
About two hours later, the car came to a stop at a harbor.
"Mr. Qi, please follow me. The boss is waiting for you aboard the cruise ship."
Qi Yuan nodded and followed the suited man onto the vessel.
Aboard Arch Star, the *Starfish Bay* was considered a medium-to-large luxury cruise ship, measuring nearly five hundred meters in length and capable of carrying nearly ten thousand passengers.
At this moment, the ship was docked at the harbor, with uniformed personnel guarding the entrance.
Groups of men and women entered steadily, smiles plastered across their faces.
Not far away, several young people were taking photos with phones and cameras.
Some were livestreaming, while others were snapping vanity shots for social media.
Fragments of conversation drifted into Qi Yuan's ears.
"I heard this cruise ship belongs to Prince Tyre. Sigh, I wonder if I'll get a chance to have a romantic encounter with the prince."
"Keep dreaming! You'd need the money for a ticket first—I heard admission costs over ten thousand!"
"Sigh, some people didn't pay. A girlfriend of mine and a buddy got in!"
"Through a special channel?"
"Yeah... Sigh, too bad I failed the physical examination, or I would've had a chance to go in too!"
Many dignitaries and elites were aboard the cruise ship, naturally drawing in numerous young men and women.
After all, squeezing into high society like this was enough to change the trajectory of their lives.
Qi Yuan followed the suited man through the VIP entrance, boarding the ship under the envious gazes of the young onlookers.
The cruise ship was vast and bustling with well-heeled guests.
Armed guards patrolling with firearms could be seen from time to time.
"Security on board is very tight. Regular guests aren't allowed to carry weapons, so you don't need to worry about your safety, Mr. Qi," the suited man emphasized.
"Don't worry, I'm not worried."
Although Qi Yuan was only at the third layer of Qi Refinement, his third layer was unlike anyone else's.
On this ship, nothing existed that could threaten him.
The suited man fell silent and said no more.
"Where's your boss? Make it quick. I'm in a rush to get back and practice martial arts."
Qi Yuan had been following the suited man through the cruise ship for about twenty minutes.
"Right away, just one more minute. The boss is waiting in the hall ahead, sir," the suited man said hurriedly.
Throughout the journey, he had intentionally taken the scenic route to give his boss more time to observe Qi Yuan.
"Mm." Qi Yuan nodded, saying nothing further.
At the same time, not far away on the ship, a youthful-looking girl in an evening gown blinked, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"What is it, Wu Qi?"
"Nothing, must've seen wrong. I thought I saw a high school classmate, but I probably mistook him.
"Though, come to think of it, that high school classmate—well, junior schoolmate—was really handsome. Back then, several girls in our class followed him around every day.
"If it weren't for regular training, I might've wanted to date him myself. What a pity... Now that I'm a public figure, dating requires walking on eggshells." Beneath her airy bangs and bob cut was an exquisite, pretty face, styled with cool elegance. She wore heavy eyeshadow along her lashes, and the black evening gown accentuated her curves to perfection.
"You might not be able to date openly, but you make good money. Aren't you an outstanding alumna of your school now?
"When people see you, they all have to call you a big star."
"Big star, my ass. Just high-class service staff, that's all. In a bit, I still have to go in and entertain guests with drinks..." Wu Qi rolled her eyes.
Hearing this, her manager couldn't resist saying, "If you don't want to attend the social gathering, I can arrange to cancel it."
Of course, she was only speaking off the cuff; canceling was out of the question.
"Don't! I have to seize opportunities like this. Who knows, maybe it'll lead to major resources. I don't want to spend my whole life as a nobody idol!" Wu Qi said pragmatically. As she spoke, she tugged her gown down a fraction, revealing more of her fair skin.
She had actively requested this engagement.
She knew full well that, if necessary, she might even have to offer herself up, yet she had agreed to come anyway.
Such things were commonplace across various circles, for men and women alike.
*I just hope he isn't some pot-bellied old fart,* Wu Qi thought.
On the other side, Qi Yuan stepped into a magnificent, resplendent reception hall.
The hall was enormous, decorated with sheer opulence, completely devoid of understatement.
The man in the black jacket stood up and looked at Qi Yuan, a smile appearing in his eyes. "Qi Yuan, I'm Carnival."
Chapter 284