I, Thanks To My Unlimited Investment, Am Admired By Every Race

"Hmm?"

Hearing the voice in his mind, Li Xun lifted his gaze.

The figure that had been sent flying toward him was now shrouded in a deep purple glow—so dense and vivid that it was almost overwhelming.

This was the first time he had seen such a rich hue of purple.

"A Heaven Creation Pill, and a Mid-grade Saint Thunder Prison Blade Manual… Looks like there are some hidden surprises in the Great Chu Imperial City after all," Li Xun murmured to himself.

He flicked his finger.

A forceless ripple of power radiated outward, catching the airborne figure mid-flight and gently lowering him to the ground.

When his feet landed, Yang Yi finally regained his senses.

He took a deep look at the golden divine chariot in front of him, gratitude shining in his eyes.

"I am Yang Yi. Many thanks to the Profound Sun Holy Son for your aid!"

"It was a mere lift of the hand," Li Xun replied casually.

At that moment, a jade box floated out from within the chariot.

Radiant light flowed over its surface, shielding its contents from spiritual sense, preventing anyone from seeing what was inside.

"Fate has brought us together. Take this—what's inside is now yours."

With those calm words, the jade box hovered silently before Yang Yi.

"This…"

Yang Yi was stunned.

At this moment, he looked utterly disheveled. His hair crown had been knocked off, and a clear footprint was stamped across his chest.

He hastily straightened his robes, then respectfully cupped his hands once more.

"As the sages say, 'To accept reward without merit breeds greed.' This is our first meeting—how could I possibly accept such a gift…"

"Ah, so you're one who cultivates the Way of the Scholar?" Li Xun chuckled.

In the vast world of cultivation, there were all kinds of paths.

The Confucian (Scholar's) Path was a rather obscure one—mainly found within imperial courts and rarely seen in the broader cultivation world.

Why? Because in the early stages, Confucian cultivators had virtually no combat ability, and their strength didn't follow the typical realm progression.

All they did was nurture a single aura of awe-inspiring righteousness within their chest.

Only once that aura matured could they connect with the River of Righteousness that flowed through the heavens and use the power of words to invoke the force of the world.

However, this came at a cost:

When that righteous aura fully formed, they would instantly face the Life and Death Tribulation.

One could say that the starting line for a Confucian cultivator was the Life and Death Realm.

But that line was set so high, 99.9% of scholars would never even sense the River of Righteousness—they'd simply grow old and die, books in hand, never achieving anything.

The fundamental issue?

A normal human lifespan was too short—barely a hundred years.

That wasn't enough time to properly cultivate the Way of the Scholar.

So, many would start out on the conventional cultivation path, training their body, spirit, and energy like everyone else.

Then, once they'd secured enough lifespan, they'd switch over to the Way of the Scholar later in life.

But this young man—Yang Yi—seemed to have done the opposite.

He had apparently devoted himself entirely to the Way of the Scholar, never touching other techniques or martial arts.

And yet, the system still asked Li Xun to invest a World-Slaughtering Sword Scripture into him?

That made things very interesting.

"It's nothing valuable—just something that might help with your injuries," Li Xun added.

"Then… many thanks, Profound Sun Holy Son," Yang Yi didn't decline further.

He reached out, took the jade box, and quickly tucked it into his robe.

His heart was filled with emotion.

He had fully expected the Profound Sun Holy Son to crush him like a bug—but instead, he had not only spared him… he had given him a gift.

After all, it was obvious to everyone that Young Duke Zheng had deliberately blocked the road.

How could Yang Yi himself not know?

He was just a convenient fuse—a tool.

Realizing he had been used like this filled him with quiet rage.

He made a silent vow to himself: If there ever came a chance, he too would pursue the path of cultivation.

"Heh."

A light chuckle rang out just then.

The crowd parted, and a man in tight battle garb strode forward.

His body pulsed with blood energy.

He was tall and muscular, his steps like a dragon or tiger, each stride giving off the feeling of an iron tower in motion.

Before he even got close, a terrifying aura swept across the area like a storm.

Everyone nearby instinctively took several steps back—none dared approach too closely.

"Young Duke Zheng has arrived!"

Someone whispered under their breath.

"He's been cultivating for over three hundred years. He's already at the mid-stage of the Life-and-Death Realm. And he has strong ties to the Champion Marquis. With him here today, the Profound Sun Holy Son might find it… difficult to get through,"

Inside a nearby tavern, a marquis-ranked expert watched from a window, eyes glinting with amusement.

Tap!

A crisp sound echoed as Zheng Poyue came to a halt exactly ten meters from the Golden Divine Chariot.

His arms crossed over his chest, his gaze icy cold.

He first glanced at Yang Yi, then turned his sharp eyes toward the chariot, and spoke slowly:

"Who would've thought that the famous Profound Sun Holy Son is nothing more than a money-scattering child. Since fate has brought us together today, why don't you go ahead and gift me that golden chariot you're riding in?"

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone's eyes lit up.

They all knew it:

The chariot Li Xun was riding was none other than the flying treasure once used by the Champion Marquis.

And now Young Duke Zheng had the audacity to ask for it straight up?

That made him the first person bold enough to even try.

Anyone else—even with a hundred times the courage—wouldn't dare block Li Xun's path and try to take something from him.

One, they didn't have the status.

Two, they didn't have the power.

"I wonder… how will the Profound Sun Holy Son respond?"

That was the question everyone was thinking.

Nearby, Yang Yi opened his mouth, as if wanting to speak—but looking at his own strength, he could only sigh in frustration.

He was still too weak.

He had no place in this kind of confrontation.

As the crowd held their breath, waiting—

The curtains around the golden chariot fluttered gently, and a cold voice floated out, echoing across the street:

"You? Do you think you are worthy?"

"Since you won't hand it over…"

"I'll just take it myself!"

Zheng Poyue let out a cruel laugh, as if he had expected this exact response.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and unleashed a powerful divine technique—a sky-covering black hand formed in the air, massive and oppressive like a dark storm cloud, descending with overwhelming might.

The moment it appeared, shock rippled through the crowd.

This power… could rival a late-stage Life-and-Death expert!

Among his peers, few could stand against him.

No wonder Young Duke Zheng, even knowing Li Xun had defeated the Champion Marquis, still dared to provoke him.

He had the power to back it up.

But just as the black hand was about to fall—

Li Xun finally moved.

He casually threw a punch.

No build-up. No chant. No flourish.

Just one, simple, punch.

And yet that fist light towered like a mountain, bursting into the sky and pressing down upon the heavens and earth.

BOOM!

The radiant fist shattered Zheng Poyue's massive hand in an instant.

Before Zheng could even react—the fist light was already right in front of him.

"NO—!"

Zheng Poyue's eyes went wide.

It was like he had seen something utterly beyond belief.

A roar escaped from his mouth—

BOOOOOOM!!!

A deafening explosion rang out.

It felt like the entire Jade Capital City trembled from the impact.

Zheng Poyue's roar was abruptly cut off.

And his whole body—at a speed hundreds of times faster than Yang Yi had flown earlier—was blasted backward like a meteor.

His figure tore straight through the entire main avenue.

When the dust settled, the street itself had been split cleanly in two by the force of his body.

Looking ahead, the rift extended so far it vanished into the horizon.

If this had happened in any smaller city—Zheng Poyue might have already been blown out of the city limits.

<+>

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