Qi Yuan swept his gaze over Carnival.
Meeting someone offline in the flesh revealed far more than seeing them through a screen.
"Your aptitude is rather poor..." Qi Yuan offered an honest assessment.
With Carnival's aptitude, he would not even make it past the outer gates of the Divine Light Sect in Great Shang.
Carnival's heart tightened upon hearing this. In a solemn voice, he asked, "How poor?"
"Very poor. Without a special immortal encounter, you will probably spend your entire life spinning your wheels in Qi Refinement."
"Qi Refinement?" Carnival had never heard this term before. Pondering it closely, he said, "Is this... a realm of immortal cultivation? Would Mr. Qi be willing to enlighten me?"
"There are seven realms in immortal cultivation: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Origin Core, Divine Infant, Purple Mansion, Yin God, and Yang God. Qi Refinement is the weakest, and Yang God is the strongest," Qi Yuan explained briefly.
Since the man was a major client after all, Qi Yuan showed a reasonable amount of consideration.
Hearing this, Carnival's eyes lit up. His body gave an imperceptible tremor, especially at the mention of Origin Core.
"I wonder, if one cultivates to an advanced realm, can one... withstand firearms?" Carnival asked softly.
"You really have no ambition. Naturally, you can." In the Yang God Realm, destroying a world with a single punch was no exaggeration.
Leaving aside a Yang God, even a Divine Infant or an Origin Core realm cultivator could turn the entire Qinyuan Kingdom upside down.
"What about a Liguang gun?" Carnival asked, anticipation shining in his eyes.
A Liguang gun was a special type of firearm whose technology originated from Can Star. It was considered a second-tier precision weapon there.
This kind of firearm somewhat resembled the concept of an electromagnetic gun on Blue Star from Qi Yuan's previous life.
What it fired was not physical bullets, but a beam of liguang rays. This beam possessed extraordinary penetrative power and affected only biological matter, using radiation to destroy living cells.
"I haven't seen a Liguang gun, but it should be fine," Qi Yuan said casually.
The velocity of a Liguang beam was extremely fast, nearly at the speed of light.
An ordinary Yin God naturally lacked that kind of speed, but even taking a direct hit from such a weapon would not cause them serious harm.
Furthermore, firing a gun depended on a human operator. An immortal cultivator only needed to be faster than the person pulling the trigger.
Looking at the assortment of firearms laid across the table, Qi Yuan could not help asking, "Are you in the arms business?"
"Yes, just earning some hard-earned money. If any weapon catches your eye, Mr. Qi, consider it a gift from me. I'll also handle the firearm permit for you," Carnival said hastily.
In front of Qi Yuan, he did not exhibit the slightest arrogance typical of an arms kingpin; he was polite and refined.
Yet in smaller nations, even when facing generals and high-ranking figures, he usually looked down his nose at them, thoroughly overbearing.
"These little playthings do have their uses on occasion." Qi Yuan casually picked up a compact handgun.
When traveling out in the world, the deterrence of a firearm sometimes surpassed everything else.
In his previous life, Qi Yuan had never touched a gun. Holding one now gave him the feeling of a child receiving a new toy.
"I never had the chance to touch one before. This is my first time. Thank you."
"As long as you like it, Mr. Qi." Carnival offered a flattering smile.
"Did you bring the money? Are we doing the deal?" Pocketing the pistol, Qi Yuan got straight to the point.
He had come to meet Carnival for only two purposes, the first being to sell the *Super Invincible Somewhat Explosive Art*.
"The funds are prepared and can be transferred to your account at any moment, Mr. Qi. It's just... the cultivation art..." Carnival hesitated.
"Once the money arrives, I'll give it to you." Qi Yuan sat down casually.
The table held an assortment of firearms alongside a chaotic rainbow of expensive beverages.
Qi Yuan picked up a red bottle and drank straight from it.
A sharp spiciness mingled with cloying sweetness flooded his taste buds.
He set the bottle down.
"Doesn't taste very good."
Truth be told, having drunk plenty of immortal elixirs in the cultivation world, whenever he drank these costly luxury beverages, he always felt they carried the faint taste of cheap disinfectant.
Seeing Qi Yuan drink from the expensive bottles so casually and composedly, completely at ease as if in his own home, Carnival watched him down a liquor worth tens of thousands. Gritting his teeth, he finally spoke up: "A-Zhi, transfer the money to Mr. Qi."
"My card number is 47..." Qi Yuan recited his account number.
Carnival took a seat beside Qi Yuan and said cautiously, "Mr. Qi, your account tier has a slight issue. There are restrictions on receiving large sums of money. I can upgrade it for you from my end... Would that be acceptable?"
Carnival was an arms boss, but he possessed considerable connections and influence in the Qinyuan Kingdom.
In fact, he was deeply tied to certain military factions in the country.
While called smuggling, in truth, he helped the Qinyuan military clear out inventory and offload obsolete stockpiles.
"Go ahead." Qi Yuan had no objections to this, finding it quite convenient instead.
In the Qinyuan Kingdom, ordinary bank accounts were subject to severe limitations.
Not only were there daily transfer caps, but accounts could easily be frozen at the drop of a hat.
Once an account reached a certain tier, such problems ceased to exist.
After all, a high-tier account represented not just vast wealth, but also elevated social status.
Even if the bank's automated systems detected irregularities with such accounts, it could not freeze them autonomously and had to seek approval from higher management.
Soon enough, Qi Yuan's phone chimed with a text message.
His bank card tier had been upgraded.
Meanwhile, in his real-name-verified messaging app, a new friend request appeared from a bank employee.
Qi Yuan tapped accept, and a message arrived immediately:
*"Hello, I am from Weiqin Bank... I graduated with a bachelor's in finance from Jingdu University and earned my master's degree from... Going forward, I will be serving as your personal wealth advisor, Mr. Qi..."*
Beneath the greeting was an ID photo of a woman in light makeup.
Right then, another text alert flashed across Qi Yuan's screen.
A deposit of over ninety million Qinyuan coins had arrived.
"Mr. Qi, the funds have landed. Please verify!" Carnival felt a surge of anticipation, along with a trace of nervous apprehension.
The money had been paid; the cultivation art should be handed over now, right?
Yet Qi Yuan was dressed quite lightly, his clothes clearly ordinary mass-produced garments. Where on earth was he keeping the manual?
"Right. Turn on the voice recorder on your phone. I'll recite the cultivation art to you."
"Recite?" Carnival froze. "Is there no... manual or electronic document?"
"I made it up on the fly. Where would I find the time to make an electronic copy?" Qi Yuan cast a sidelong glance at him.
"Made it up on the fly?" Carnival was dumbfounded.
*You're not even going to pretend?!*
"This was made up on the fly by me, you know. With this kind of quality... selling it to you for just ninety million is practically giving it away. What, are you worried there's something wrong with the technique? Relax. Everything I cultivate myself was made up on the fly, and nothing has ever gone wrong."
Since he was dealing with a valued client, Qi Yuan remained exceptionally attentive and diplomatic.
Carnival's mind was in utter turmoil. In the end, he could only say, "Alright."
"The *Super Invincible Somewhat Explosive Art* consists of around one thousand three hundred characters in total, paired with the circulation method. Listen closely. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me at any time."
Qi Yuan swiftly recited the contents of the cultivation technique.
Carnival listened intently, feeling an insatiable thirst for more as the words sank in.
"Did you get it all down? Any questions?" Qi Yuan asked.
Carnival shook his head vigorously. Looking at Qi Yuan, he said softly, "Didn't Mr. Qi ask me to gather some medicinal ingredients? They're currently aboard the cruise ship. I'll go sort them out and have them brought up in about an hour."
Carnival wanted to excuse himself temporarily, giving himself a half-hour window to find someone to verify whether this cultivation art was genuine.
"Sure, make it quick. I'll go do some fishing in the meantime."
The reception hall was vast and even featured an indoor fishing terrace.
"Understood."
Carnival hurried away.
A few minutes later, inside an expansive private suite.
An elderly man of distinguished bearing appeared, accompanied by several young men and women in researcher coats.
Carnival handed an excerpt of the cultivation art to them for brief analysis and evaluation.
The elderly professor spoke, his eyes filled with awe. "This... in just these few lines, profound principles seem to reside. At a glance, it is truly extraordinary!"
The old man was a professor specializing in folklore and related fields.
He was most adept at arcane, esoteric texts.
"I have examined countless sacrificial inscriptions and enigmatic mythological writings passed down from antiquity, yet none have ever... given me such an inexplicable sensation. How strange... Could there be some special incense burning in this room?" the old professor murmured to himself.
He had no idea that the immortal method Qi Yuan had created inherently carried the underlying principles of heaven and earth.
Hearing, contemplating, or reciting such a technique was enough to leave a person refreshed and clear-minded.
The young researchers also showed expressions of intrigue. "This... bears some resemblance to martial arts, possessing that same mystical quality."
With advancements in technology, martial arts had also been researched thoroughly.
Many researchers maintained that martial arts had no future, inherently limited by the human body.
Practicing martial arts was far inferior to receiving a single gene serum injection.
"Could this be a martial arts technique?" Carnival could not help asking.
The young researcher shook his head. "It isn't martial arts. It merely... shares some subtle resemblance on a certain level."
Of course, that resemblance was like the resemblance between a cuttlefish and a bandit—they shared a character in their name, but nothing else.
"If you are willing to provide us with the complete text, sir, we might be able to uncover more useful information." The male researcher looked eager to delve deeper, clearly fascinated by the technique.
"No need," Carnival refused outright.
Even these researchers and the old professor could not identify any flaws in the method.
A weight lifted from his chest.
After all, Qi Yuan held a certified psychiatric diagnosis.
What if it was just pure nonsense made up by a lunatic?
If even these leading authorities could find no issues and claimed it was profoundly mystical, then there shouldn't be any major problems.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
His thoughts began churning once more, and Qi Yuan's image in his mind grew even more enigmatic.
Meanwhile, in a dressing room not far away on the cruise ship, Wu Qi looked at herself in the mirror, satisfaction in her eyes.
"This makeup looks decent. How could those old hags loaded with cosmetic injections possibly compete with me?"
With that, she deliberately pushed out her chest.
Remembering something, she gritted her teeth and reached beneath her gown. A pair of pure white lace safety shorts was tugged down, sliding past her fair ankles. Her gaze suddenly turned resolute as she stepped out of them entirely.
"Xiao Qi, hurry! The big boss is here!" her manager's voice called out.
Wu Qi responded at once, "Coming!"
She quickly tidied herself and hurried out.
Out in the wide corridor stood four tall, glamorous women. Looking at them, a wave of inferiority washed over Wu Qi.
She recognized them well. Most were senior figures in the industry, and two of them were even international celebrities.
Their status vastly outstripped hers.
Her pride and self-assurance cracked slightly at this sight.
Even so, she held her head high, her gaze unwavering. Though their credentials surpassed hers, she had thick skin and was willing to lower herself.
The five women stood together, chatting politely in hushed tones.
Not far away, on an upper deck of the cruise ship, a uniformed man looked out with excitement written across his face.
"So many celebrities! Look over there... That's Erjian, the female lead from *Gene Crisis*! Look at those long legs and that rack—tsk, tsk!" A man craned his neck to peer into the distance.
Wang Xu opened his eyes wide as well. "Huh? Wu Qi is there too! She graduated from our school!"
Wang Xu had been Qi Yuan's classmate in both high school and college, though they were in different classes during high school.
Wang Xu knew about Wu Qi.
Back at the office, he had often bragged that an older girl from their school had become a star, claiming he used to run into her on the campus shuttle bus.
"I really envy these stars. A single evening gown they wear costs more than half a lifetime of my salary," Wang Xu said, full of envy.
Although his job was respectable and earned the envy of old classmates like Li Yan, he was still worlds apart from a celebrity like Wu Qi.
Their standards of living and social standing belonged to entirely different spheres.
Wu Qi could mingle with powerful figures and high society, whereas Wang Xu... could not.
"Judging by how they're dressed, they're probably attending a private party. Fucking capitalists, fucking rich brats!" The man beside Wang Xu looked slightly bloodshot with jealousy.
The sordid affairs of high society were no secret to the common folk.
Of course, crazed celebrity worshippers still abounded; people always needed some form of emotional solace.
Wang Xu smiled. "Stop being envious and focus on work."
They had come aboard to handle a batch of sea monsters.
A portion of the sea monsters smuggled during the recent incident had found its way onto the *Starfish Bay*.
He was representing the Maritime Bureau to recover them.
The liaison on the *Starfish Bay* was quite cooperative and had handed over some of the creatures.
Of course, an even larger number remained aboard the ship.
Though Wang Xu knew this, he raised no objections.
If the leadership had no issue, what use would his complaints be?
Stealing a moment of leisure from their duties, the two occasionally glanced at the celebrities in the distance.
Unfortunately, their phones had been confiscated upon boarding the cruise ship, preventing them from snapping any photos.
Naturally, Wu Qi was unaware that an alumnus had spotted her. Wearing a demure smile, she conversed with her seniors.
"The boss who invited us this time is an imperial noble—a viscount. And a hereditary one at that."
From the words of a senior colleague, Wu Qi learned the identity of the prominent figure they were to accompany.
"A noble, and hereditary!" Wu Qi's eyes gleamed with envy.
Titles in the Qinyuan Kingdom were not handed out lightly. A hereditary viscount belonged to the nobility of nobilities, having held their own fiefdoms in ancient times.
Even in the modern era, a hereditary viscount engaging in business enjoyed substantial tax exemptions.
Consequently, numerous entrepreneurs and business moguls sought the backing of a noble to conduct their enterprises.
A hereditary viscount was someone Wu Qi could only look up to with reverence.
Just then, hushed murmurs rippled through the hall: "Viscount Carnival has arrived!"
Wu Qi and the others hurried to look over. A burly man wearing a black leather jacket emerged. A faint scar crossed his cheek, yet in the eyes of these starlets, it added an alluring ruggedness.
Behind the viscount followed eleven equally imposing men, carrying black wooden crates that immediately drew considerable attention.
As Carnival walked over, the curvaceous Erjian rushed forward to take his arm.
A trace of delight was hidden deep in Carnival's eyes. Sweeping his gaze across these lavishly dressed women, he spoke with raw bluntness: "I have a distinguished guest. If you serve him well, you will not lack for cash."
In front of these people, he did not bother concealing his nature, acting entirely like an unruly upstart lacking noble poise and elegance.
Yet when facing Qi Yuan, Carnival had been remarkably cautious and reserved.
The starlets' eyes brightened. Wu Qi in particular wondered: could the distinguished guest of a hereditary viscount also be... a noble?
A genuine noble! If she could cling to such a figure, her status would transform overnight.
After all, the Qinyuan Kingdom was a nation ruled by old-money nobility—and one of the most powerful nations on Arch Star.
Chapter 285