The problem of securing fifty thousand dollars was, to the Heavenly Emperor, beneath contempt. Money was a chaotic, ephemeral mortal concept—a poor substitute for true Spiritual Stones—yet it was the current currency of power.
Lin Xuan sat in the quiet of his room, the meager $1,400 from the bully, Zhang Wei, spread across his desk. He stared at his cheap smartphone, which was now displaying a volatile list of global equities.
The financial markets, he mused, tapping the screen. A system based on fear, greed, and speculation. They are governed not by logic, but by the ebb and flow of collective Mortal Destiny and Qi of Luck.
In his previous life, Lin Xuan had often used his insight into the Grand Dao of Fate to locate hidden spiritual veins or predict cosmic calamities. Applying that same vision to a local stock market was akin to using a star-destroying warship to hunt a single mosquito.
He closed his eyes and pushed a tiny portion of his Divine Will outward, filtering his perception through the lens of this weak, mortal realm. The digital information on the screen dissolved, replaced by shimmering, multi-colored auras of power.
Most companies exhibited dull, gray, and stable Qi—the tedious destiny of steady mediocrity. Others had fading, black-tinged auras, signaling impending collapse. But one stock, a relatively small, volatile tech startup dealing in obscure green energy components, stood out.
Its Destiny Qi was currently weak and flickering, a pale blue. But beneath the surface, a vein of pure, vibrant Golden-Green Luck was rapidly spooling up, preparing for an explosive, short burst. This indicated a massive, unforeseen change in the company's fortune—perhaps a hidden natural resource discovery or an accidental scientific breakthrough influenced by residual Qi.
A Heavenly Opportunity, Lin Xuan thought, a faint smile touching his lips. Though its duration is fleeting, the ascent will be swift and absolute.
He picked up a chipped porcelain cup and a small, oxidized copper wire he had scavenged from a discarded fan.
[Synthesis Query Initiated: (Chipped Porcelain (F) + Copper Wire (F)) = ?]
[Suggestion: Minor Luck-Inducing Talisman (E-). Cost: 1 Synthesis Point.]
"Execute synthesis," he commanded.
The two pieces of junk dissolved, and a tiny, almost invisible Luck-Inducing Talisman—a sliver of crystal with a faint golden sheen—materialized. He held it, feeling its weak, stabilizing energy. It wouldn't create luck, but it would ensure that the universe's chaotic variables aligned perfectly for his impending transaction.
Lin Xuan quickly established an online brokerage account, using Zhang Wei's ID and leveraging the $1,400 to purchase the maximum allowed shares of the high-risk tech stock, Galactic Green Energy.
He watched the market, his eyes fixed not on the stock price numbers, but on the Golden-Green Luck Qi surrounding the asset.
For thirty minutes, nothing changed. The Qi gathered, tightening like a spring.
Then, the press of Qi snapped.
Lin Xuan watched the Golden-Green aura flood the stock, becoming saturated and brilliant. Simultaneously, the numbers on his screen erupted: the stock price began a vertical climb, fueled by what the mortal press would soon call an "unexplained market frenzy" following a rumor of a massive, patented breakthrough.
"Greed is a universal constant," Lin Xuan observed. The surge was chaotic and exhilarating, but his immortal insight gave him the advantage of perfect timing. He waited, letting the Qi reach its absolute peak saturation—the precise moment before the inevitable chaotic backlash.
"Sell," he commanded, executing the order with a single tap.
The transaction was complete. The stock immediately plummeted into freefall, just as the Golden-Green Qi began to dissipate.
He checked his account balance. The initial $1,400, leveraged in the sudden, volatile spike, had ballooned.
Current Balance: $51,320.18
It had taken less than an hour. The resources of the mortal world were truly fragile and easily conquered.
The next day, Li Mo, the class monitor, watched with utter confusion as Lin Xuan calmly paid the fifty thousand dollars required for the Industrial Zone 7 Salvage Access Permit. He presented the cashier with a stack of bank transfers that seemed to have materialized overnight.
"I... I thought that was impossible for you to get," Li Mo whispered, clutching the official schematics she had acquired.
Lin Xuan accepted the permit—a laminated plastic card—and held it up to the light, scanning it with his Divine Will. It was crude, but the authorization was genuine.
"The difficulty of a task is relative to the power applied to it," Lin Xuan said simply. He tapped the thick binder of documents Li Mo held. "Did you secure the reactor blueprints?"
"Yes," she breathed, her initial shock giving way to intense fascination. "These are the failed R&D logs from the late 90s. They were attempting to build a low-power, self-sustaining plasma core, but the project failed due to 'unstable energy resonance.' It's all archived in sector C, deep under the main administration building, Industrial Zone 7."
Lin Xuan's eyes flared with true excitement for the first time since his rebirth. Unstable energy resonance. That wasn't a failure—that was a breakthrough! It meant the experiment had inadvertently stumbled upon a genuine Spiritual Core Fragment or a localized Earth energy vein, which his Synthesis System could use.
"Excellent work, Li Mo," he said, tucking the permit into his pocket. "Prepare the schematics. Tonight, this Emperor begins the true cultivation journey."
With the necessary capital secured and the target locked, Lin Xuan is ready to infiltrate Industrial Zone 7 and acquire the materials needed for his Rank C Synthesis.