Chapter 5: Making a Killing—Truly Striking It Rich!
[ Ding! Congratulations to the host on a successful investment. Investment projects: 175 baskets of Crab Roe Soup Dumplings, 85 plates of Stir-fried Beef... ]
[ This investment involved a total of 508 people. Among them, 385 rated as Yellow Grade Lower Tier in destiny level, with extremely low investment value. Reward: 100,000 taels of silver. ]
[ 103 people at Yellow Grade Mid Tier, with relatively low investment value. Reward: 666 Replenishing Pills (Spirit Grade Fifth Rank). ]
[ 15 people at Yellow Grade Upper Tier, with fair investment value. Reward: Supreme Earth Grade Martial Skill “Seven Star Sword Technique.” ]
[ 4 people at Profound Grade Lower Tier, with good investment value. Reward: Top-tier Earth Grade Spirit Artifact — Dragon Abyss Sword (pseudo-Heaven Grade). ]
[ Ding! Detected an Emperor-grade Destiny Daughter, with extremely high investment value. Reward: 2 Ginseng Fruits (Sacred Medicine First Grade). ]
[ Due to the large number of items, the system has automatically stored them in the warehouse. Host, please check accordingly. ]
...
Li Wudao struggled to suppress the excitement swelling within him, his chopsticks trembling ever so slightly in his hand.
His suspicions were confirmed.
Just the 100,000 taels of silver alone was already a massive profit.
The countless spirit pills conservatively valued at over a million taels of silver.
As for the Earth Grade martial skill and weapon, they were likely priceless beyond mere gold and silver.
Not to mention the Sacred Medicine, which could extend life by a century with a single dose—its value beyond measure.
All from a simple meal, he had struck gold.
Li Wudao sighed in admiration:
Cast a wide net, catch more fish, then choose the best to follow.
That, indeed, was the way of investment.
The more he thought about it, the wider his smile grew, nearly laughing out loud with hands on hips.
The scene made Jiang Churan beside him shake her head in secret.
It was over; this boy was beyond saving.
He had transformed from a sycophant into a madman.
After their meal was fully enjoyed,
The shopkeeper came to their table, rubbing his hands with a smile: “The total is 3,753 taels. Let’s round it down to 3,700 taels. Who will settle the bill?”
“No need to return any change. Bring me two pots of fine wine.”
Li Wudao waved his hand grandly and produced four silver notes, each worth a thousand taels.
The entire room fell silent instantly.
Hundreds of astonished eyes fixed on the casually poised young man in white.
Many had thought he was just boasting, never expecting him to actually pay.
This sum was no small matter; many families present couldn’t afford it.
“This young master is truly generous, admirable!”
The shopkeeper’s gaze was subtle, having not seen such an interesting youth in a long time.
To casually pull out four thousand taels to treat everyone without batting an eye—
He was either a fool or indifferent to money.
He leaned toward the latter.
“Let’s go.”
With everyone’s eyes following, Li Wudao took a gulp of wine and strode out with flair, his spirits soaring.
---
He began to understand the thrill of the protagonists in those fantasy novels.
The feeling of showing off was indeed quite delightful.
“According to the route, before reaching the Profound Heaven Sect, we should stay overnight twice more…”
Inside the carriage, Li Wudao’s eyes gleamed.
If he could repeat this two more times, wouldn’t he become instantly rich?
Along the way, Li Wudao replicated the investment twice more.
Unfortunately, the talents he encountered were mediocre, and the rebate results were far less impressive than before.
Mostly gold and silver trinkets, with few items related to cultivation, and of limited quality—mostly spirit grade or below, barely worth mentioning.
Moreover, Li Wudao noticed an issue.
The few talented disciples in the Li family yielded lower quality rewards.
Even Jiang Churan, with her Emperor-grade destiny, only granted a reward of a thousand lower-grade spirit stones.
Li Wudao understood spirit stones well—they were the currency of the cultivation world, aiding cultivation.
A thumb-sized lower-grade spirit stone was quite valuable.
One lower-grade spirit stone equaled 100 taels of gold, or 1,000 taels of silver.
In the guest room,
Li Wudao sat by the window, gazing at the hazy night sky, his mood lingering quietly.
From the last two trials, he had vaguely grasped the system’s rebate mechanism.
The investment targets and projects couldn’t be too low-level.
Especially the latter—investing in ordinary food or wine only yielded decent results the first time.
Thereafter, even for a destiny daughter, rewards became ordinary.
“The system bug is hard to exploit…”
Li Wudao scratched his head.
His dream of easy profit had been dashed.
Still, he hadn’t lost out; he earned a fair amount along the way.
“Tomorrow we will reach the Profound Heaven Sect. To be safe, I’ll perfect my Body Refinement Realm breakthrough first.”
A few days ago, he had reached the peak of Body Refinement, with perfection not far off.
In the next moment,
Li Wudao’s mind shifted as he took out a bottle of Replenishing Pills to assist his cultivation.
The Replenishing Pill was a fifth-grade spirit pill that replenished energy and strengthened the body, significantly accelerating cultivation below the Martial Sect realm.
After consuming the pill,
Two and a half hours later, Li Wudao smoothly broke through to Body Refinement Perfection.
After consolidating,
He finished cultivating and began inspecting the rewards accumulated over the past days.
There were many items in the system warehouse, but few useful to him.
The most valuable were the “Seven Star Sword Technique,” Dragon Abyss Sword, and Ginseng Fruit.
At present, it seemed only the Ginseng Fruit was usable.
---
[Ginseng Fruit: Sacred Medicine First Grade. Purifies the body, replenishes energy and enriches blood. One fruit extends lifespan by a hundred years. Slightly improves aptitude (effective only on first consumption).]
Reading the system description,
Li Wudao hesitated briefly before taking out a Ginseng Fruit to eat.
Basic talent attributes were important; even a slight boost in aptitude was not to be missed.
The Ginseng Fruit lay in a jade vessel. Upon opening the lid, an exquisite fragrance wafted forth, refreshing and invigorating.
The fruit was about the size of a fist, pale with a faint red hue, shaped like a newborn infant with indistinct limbs—most peculiar.
Taking a bite, Li Wudao felt as if his crown chakra was about to ascend heavenward.
The flesh was fragrant and sweet, instantly turning into a white juice upon swallowing that quickly spread through his limbs and bones.
A tingling, soothing sensation, like a spring breeze or rain after a long drought, refreshing his entire body.
Suddenly,
Li Wudao furrowed his brow, sensing a mighty surge of life force coursing through his meridians, like rushing rivers, incessantly cleansing and permeating his organs and bones.
He quickly sat in meditation to refine this vitality.
Until the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, Li Wudao had fully absorbed the Ginseng Fruit’s essence.
He instinctively checked his attribute panel.
[Name: Li Wudao]
[Age: 16]
[Talent: Earth Grade Lower Tier (Excellent)]
[Realm: Early Blood Translocation Realm]
[Special Constitution: Haotian Eye (Incomplete)]
[Fortune: Chaos (Unknown)]
“Wow, my talent has jumped two ranks, and even my realm increased by one level. Truly a sacred medicine!”
Li Wudao marveled, astonished by the Ginseng Fruit’s overwhelming power.
“Unfortunately, this sacred medicine only boosts aptitude the first time…”
He felt a tinge of regret. The other Ginseng Fruit now would only increase his lifespan.
He chose not to consume it, intending to save it for later.
Li Wudao thought of the little maid; if she consumed it, it might trigger a critical rebate.
However, given his current situation, he had no reasonable excuse to explain the fruit’s origin.
Such a sacred medicine, if word leaked, would bring catastrophic consequences.
“Forget it, I’ll plan for that another time.”
Li Wudao shook his head, stood, and stepped outside.
With his current foundation, even if he couldn’t reach Jiang Churan’s tier, he was no longer a mere servant.
At least, he was now an inner sect disciple.
Before long, the Li family set off once again.
By dusk, they finally arrived at their destination: the Profound Heaven Sect.