The meeting was held at a coffee shop so exclusive it felt like a silent, padded vault. Across the small mahogany table sat Director Chen Hai, a man whose expensive suit and arrogant posture screamed corporate success. Chen was a low-level power broker from a firm tangentially related to the stock that had made Lin Xuan his initial $50,000.
Chen had arranged the meeting under the pretense of "investment consultation," but his true intent was clear from the dense, murky gray aura of greed that coiled around him. He saw Lin Xuan, the quiet high school student, as an accidental lottery winner—a lucky fool whose winnings were ripe for harvesting.
"Mr. Lin," Chen purred, placing a crisp business card on the table. "Your recent activities in the Galactic Green Energy stock were… remarkable. Pure chance, of course, but remarkable. Now, my firm is interested in acquiring your remaining holdings. We'll give you a generous fifty percent above current market value, tax-free. A clean, quick exit."
Lin Xuan slowly raised the porcelain teacup to his lips, taking a measured sip of the bitter, lukewarm liquid. He did not need the money, nor was he interested in the trivial shares, which the Wealth Talisman was already subtly boosting. He was interested in teaching a lesson about overconfidence to the small-minded.
"And what is the true purpose of this meeting, Director Chen?" Lin Xuan asked, his voice low and devoid of emotion.
Chen's smile tightened, the predatory gleam in his eyes intensifying. "I am offering you protection, young man. People notice quick money. They notice the massive, unpredicted buy-in right before a critical surge, followed by a sudden sell-off just before the correction. If you liquidate now, no one will look into how a student managed such timing. We bury the paperwork, and you walk away rich."
Chen believed he was offering a sophisticated threat veiled as an opportunity. Lin Xuan merely activated his Night-Piercing Gaze, focusing it not on Chen's face, but on his financial aura.
The man's aura wasn't just gray with greed; it was laced with deep, structural fault lines of sickly yellow and violent red—the Qi of deceit and impending financial disaster. Lin Xuan saw not just Chen's assets, but the brittle, interlocking chain of liabilities that held his entire empire together.
His foundation is built on a single, precarious margin call, contingent on the stability of a low-grade investment in a local real estate development, Lin Xuan observed. The very property he thinks is his safety net is spiritually contaminated and destined for failure.
"Director Chen," Lin Xuan began, setting the cup down with an almost imperceptible tap. "You speak of risk. Let me show you what true, absolute risk looks like."
He subtly channeled a thread of Qi through the Rank D Wealth Talisman in his pocket. He didn't use the Talisman to create luck, but to reverse the local ambient luck, focusing the chaotic, negative 'Destiny Qi' he sensed within Chen's own aura, amplifying the spiritual instability around the Director's primary hidden asset.
Chen leaned forward, impatient. "Are you accepting the offer or not? My time is valuable."
"Your time is worth less than the faulty wristwatch you use to track it," Lin Xuan said calmly. "Tell me, Director. How is the Sunset Bay Residential Project progressing?"
Chen's eyes flickered, his composure momentarily breaking. That specific, obscure project was his deepest secret—the primary collateral for the margin loan that kept his company afloat. "That is irrelevant. Stick to the matter at hand."
Lin Xuan ignored him. "I see a flaw in the foundational structural integrity of that site. A natural sinkhole, spiritually influenced, that will emerge at 1:00 PM today. That sinkhole will not only claim the property but will trigger the margin call, liquidate your entire portfolio, and bankrupt you by sundown."
Chen laughed, a harsh, false sound. "Nonsense! That is public land! You are bluffing, kid!"
Lin Xuan simply picked up Chen's rejected business card, held it between two fingers, and let it drop.
The silence that followed lasted only three minutes, yet it felt like an eternity.
Then, the small, custom ringtone of Chen's secured phone cut through the silence. Chen, his face pale, answered the call with shaking hands.
His expression turned from annoyance to sheer, paralyzing horror. He dropped the phone, which clattered on the table, still transmitting the frantic voice of his aide.
"...massive structural collapse! Sinkhole swallowed the entire north wing! The bank is calling the margin now, sir! We are completely wiped out!"
Chen looked up, his eyes meeting Lin Xuan's. The arrogant, composed veneer was gone, replaced by the naked terror of a man watching his life unravel in an instant. He wasn't just ruined; he was witnessing the material world defy all laws of probability just to destroy him.
"Y-you… you did this," Chen stammered, scrambling backward, tripping over his own chair.
Lin Xuan stood, looking down at the broken man. "I merely pointed the chaotic flow of the mortal world toward its most vulnerable point. Arrogance is a poor defense against reality."
He walked out of the coffee shop, the gentle, steady pulse of the Wealth Talisman confirming its daily anchoring was successful. His path was clear. There were no longer any corporate 'annoyances' to distract him.
With the financial threat neutralized, Lin Xuan is now free to focus on his main goal: entering the spiritual scrapyard