Within Reach

The moment Lin Xia and Yaoguang stepped out of the chairman's office, Su Yaoyu, who had been waiting in the distance, immediately rushed over, full of concern. Su Huaiyue followed behind her, her trademark smile gracing her lips. "Yaoguang, did you see Grandfather? How did things go with him?" Su Yaoyu asked eagerly. "Not bad. It went quite smoothly." Yaoguang gave a slight nod. Su Chiming knew how to see the bigger picture, so their cooperation was indeed proceeding very smoothly. A look of delight instantly surfaced in Su Yaoyu's eyes. "That's wonderful!" The Su family was practically Grandfather Su Chiming's personal domain. Even though he still had living siblings, their stature could not hold a candle to his as the head of Buzhou Group. Even Third Grandfather Su Chixin, who held the highest standing among them, had only managed to secure a seat on the board of directors because of Su Chiming's strong backing and his own status as an elder of Buzhou Group. It was fair to say that as long as Yaoguang maintained a good relationship with Grandfather, there would no longer be any obstacles to his acknowledging his ancestry and returning to the Su family. "The chairman is exceptionally fond of Young Master Yaoguang. In fact, he specifically instructed me to take him to pick out a residence he likes in Yuyuan and make the appropriate arrangements," Lin Xia said with a smile from the side. "Yuyuan?" At those words, delight flashed across Su Yaoyu's face. Su Huaiyue's expression, however, shifted slightly. Yuyuan was the most exclusive luxury villa estate under Buzhou Group. Not only did it boast convenient transportation, situated on Mount Yunjing near the heart of the city, but every resident living there was either immensely wealthy or of noble standing. Compared to Yuyuan, the villa in Half Moon Bay that Su Huaiyue had offered earlier was more than a cut below. Currently, among the entire Su family, only the powerful core members like Su Chiming, Su Chixin, Su Huaigu, and Su Huaiyue were qualified to reside in Yuyuan. More than half of the remaining family members either lived in surrounding areas or went their own ways. Su Yaoyu and Su Yaoxue were examples of this. It was not hard to see that being able to live in Yuyuan was itself a sign of entering the Su family's inner circle. And Su Chiming was having Yaoguang live in Yuyuan... "Is he going to live in Eldest Brother's villa?" Su Huaiyue asked. "The chairman meant for Young Master Su to freely choose any residence currently under the Su family's name," Lin Xia replied with a smile. "Freely choose from any villa under the Su family's name?!" Su Huaiyue's eyes widened sharply. "What about Villa No. 3? Is that also an option?" Villa No. 1 in Yuyuan had been gifted to Duan Qingliu, head of the Duan family, an aristocratic clan renowned for guarding Tiannan through the ages. Even though the Duan family head had never moved in, Su Chiming himself—as head of the Su family and chairman of the group—merely resided in Villa No. 2. Rumors circulated on the outside that Villa No. 3 was reserved for the Su family's next head. If Villa No. 3 was also among the choices offered to Su Yaoguang... What did that signify?! Did her father intend to establish him as the next successor to the Su family?! How could that be?! "Well..." Lin Xia recalled the chairman's instructions... Yaoguang was not someone who liked ostentation. Reacting quickly, she smiled and said, "I didn't inquire clearly about that, which was my oversight. I'll confirm with the chairman in a moment." Su Huaiyue glanced at Lin Xia, somewhat skeptical that someone as meticulous as her would make a mistake on such a matter. Still... Even if Su Yaoguang was the eldest grandson of the direct lineage, it was inconceivable that her father would attach such immense importance to him upon their very first meeting, let alone immediately settle on him as the next family head. Rather than believe that, she preferred to believe it was indeed an oversight on Lin Xia's part. "I will take Young Master Yaoguang to select a residence now. Please excuse us," Lin Xia said before taking her leave with Yaoguang. Su Huaiyue watched the two walk away... Her mood grew somewhat heavy. Yaoguang was being granted a home in Yuyuan... It seemed that her hopes of taking over the assets left behind by her eldest brother and leveraging Xingyu Center to enter Buzhou Group's board of directors had grown rather slim. However... Yaoguang was still young, after all. Given Buzhou Group's current situation, Eldest Brother's seat on the board had to be taken over by someone trustworthy, or else it would inevitably compromise the Su family's control over the conglomerate. The other five directors from outside families clearly would not allow a nineteen-year-old youth who knew nothing about Buzhou Group's operations to sit on the board as their equal. Therefore... All hope was not lost. *** Meanwhile, Lin Xia led Yaoguang into another office and quickly projected the dossiers of various villas onto the screen. "The villas in Yuyuan are relatively quiet and secluded. Additionally, the chairman owns quite a few properties throughout the city, mostly large luxury flats. In addition, Xingyu Center has serviced apartment hotels managed by our own property team..." Lin Xia introduced them one by one. "Pick somewhere quiet for me," Yaoguang said. "If you prefer quiet, then that would be Villa No. 11." Lin Xia pulled up the map directly and began introducing the property. Yaoguang examined the map for a moment, then noticed a villa nestled inside a recessed hollow on Mount Yunjing. Not only was the environment secluded, but the grounds appeared quite generous. "How about this one?" he asked. "That is Villa No. 49..." Lin Xia said. "Its location is a bit inconvenient, as it sits too deep into Mount Yunjing. However, it does have the largest courtyard in all of Yuyuan..." As she spoke, she clicked open the villa's dossier. Yaoguang scanned it briefly and soon replied, "This one will do." Not only did it boast a courtyard of over a thousand square meters, but Mount Yunjing lay right outside—perfect for martial arts practice. "The location here..." Lin Xia looked at Yaoguang. "No matter. Just arrange a vehicle," Yaoguang said. He practiced martial arts to make himself safer and live better. Comfort and luxury in daily life were naturally ideal, but whenever they conflicted with cultivation, everything had to give way to his training. After all, he was still far from the point where he could comfortably rest easy and indulge without care. Ever since he understood the potential of the mysterious ancient tree and stepped onto the martial path, he had harbored two small goals in mind. One was longevity, achieving freedom from the limits of lifespan. The other... To withstand a nuclear blast with his bare body, eliminating all threats in the mortal realm and achieving absolute safety and freedom. *** *Ding-dong.* Just as Yaoguang settled on his residence, his phone chime rang. He glanced down to see an incoming message. *"Your account *8879 received a wire transfer of 300,000,000.00 yuan at the head office on 1018-05-31 at 15:41. Current balance: 300,531,017.61 yuan. [Taiyu Bank]"* Moving three hundred million in funds was no simple task. Yet the Su family's connections in Tiannan spanned across all industries, allowing such a massive transfer to be completed in under half an hour. *The first advance payment for the deal has arrived,* Yaoguang thought to himself, simultaneously turning his attention to the ancient tree in his mental realm. The branch belonging to [Merchant] was so rich with nutrients that it had taken on a verdant green hue. *[Transaction revenue: 300 million. Tier 1 Merchant branch receives growth nutrients...]* Without hesitation, he intercepted the nutrients and funneled them straight into the [Martial Artist] branch. Instantly, the [Martial Artist] branch began to grow at an astonishing speed. Its progress, originally lingering at only 45%, shot straight up to around 80%. This gain was hardly inferior to slaying five Grandmaster-tier demons. At this rate, another two or three hundred million would cause his [Tier 4 Martial Saint] branch to blossom and bear fruit, stepping into a brand-new fifth tier. And Tier 5... Martial cultivation had always been a continuous system. Although he had not yet reached Tier 5, he had already come into contact with bits of information regarding it. This step centered primarily on cultivating the spirit. In fact, once practitioners reached major accomplishment in marrow cleansing and blood exchange, they would already begin nourishing the spirit. Only by cultivating true "spirit" could one genuinely step into the fifth tier. *Since my perception lacks a proper name for Tier 5, the various titles on it simply use "Fifth Layer" as a placeholder.* Yaoguang reviewed the profound wonders that came with cultivating "spirit"... They were truly wondrous! At that stage, the means possessed by a cultivator exceeded what physical laws could explain. It touched upon the domains of mind and perception! When targeted by a firearm, such an individual would immediately feel an intuitive premonition. Even a gaze harboring killing intent falling upon them would be perceived. Profound and mysterious beyond words. Yet that was not the immediate focus. The true issue was... *My realm is on the verge of breaking through to Martial Saint, yet my physical body hasn't even reached the peak of Grandmaster?* He felt somewhat exasperated. After thoroughly digesting the link between the internal organs and the process of marrow cleansing and blood exchange at the Martial Saint stage, a new idea formed in his mind. He would use a more intense method to push his physical body to the human limit. Then... He could naturally undergo marrow cleansing and blood exchange, shattering the mortal shackles of the human body. *The time needed to advance to Martial Saint can be compressed to half a year,* Yaoguang thought. No, that was not right. He looked down at his bank balance. A formula quickly flashed through his mind—one designed to stimulate physical potential and then replenish his foundation through medicinal herbs. If he was willing to pour in these three hundred million... Three months... Or perhaps even two months, and he would be ready to commence marrow cleansing and blood exchange. A Grandmaster was still mortal flesh and blood! A Martial Saint, however... Had already taken their first step into the extraordinary realm! Was spending three hundred million to become a Martial Saint three or four months earlier too high a price? Not in the slightest. In the face of cultivation, people, money, and worldly goods all had to yield. With that thought, he quickly turned to Lin Xia. "I need to order a batch of medicinal herbs, with very strict requirements regarding their age and potency. I'll give you a list in a moment." "What would you like to purchase, Young Master Yaoguang? Buzhou Group has businesses in the medicinal herb sector..." Lin Xia replied with a smile. "I'm buying quite a lot, and the order is huge. Buzhou Group doesn't specialize in herbs, so it won't be able to handle it." "How large is it?" "Three hundred million." Yaoguang spoke plainly. "Furthermore, I need it as quickly as possible." Lin Xia froze, quickly realizing the gravity of the matter. She hurried to say, "I'll ask for instructions from the chairman. A subsidiary of Buzhou Group indeed cannot handle such a massive order alone. On top of that, given your urgent timeline, we'll likely need to go through special channels and place orders directly through partner suppliers to source the goods." Yaoguang nodded. Earlier in the office, he had demonstrated his strength as a Grandmaster. Now, it was time for the Su family to prove their logistical capabilities.