Chapter 2: The First Step to Rebirth: Get Rich! Get Rich! Still Get Rich!
In the dorm, Xu Shen sighed softly and opened his eyes.
Sure enough, it's still not working...
The stars in the Star Dust were like energetic seven or eight-year-old children; as soon as one was made to sit still, another would disappear to who knows where.
If stars store magic energy, then the ability to control stars to release magic is determined by the cultivation of mental strength.
Although Xu Shen had awakened nine stars, his innate mental strength was not much stronger than others. With his current mental strength and the experience of a new life, he could barely control seven stars at once.
As soon as he tried the next one, the previous seven would instantly lose their restraint, scattering like startled antelopes.
Feeling a throbbing pain in his head, Xu Shen gave up the idea of continuing to control them.
There is no shortcut to cultivating magic. Every renowned strong practitioner is forged through countless years of monotonous meditation.
And meditation is extremely draining on the spirit. After cultivating for a period, one will feel mentally exhausted, experiencing symptoms like dizziness and blurred vision. If one continues, it can lead to minor spiritual damage or, in severe cases, soul collapse.
Methods to improve mental strength cultivation are extremely limited. With his current conditions, he could only rely on the slow grind of daily meditation to improve bit by bit. The life of eating li fan flower, which nourished the soul, until he vomited, like in his previous life, was no longer possible.
However, daily meditation time is limited, and this rate of mental strength growth is simply too slow. And where could he, an orphan, afford a Star Dust magic tool that could extend cultivation time…
Wait!
Xu Shen rubbed his chin. He'd been reborn, for crying out loud! If he was still troubled by money, what kind of reborn person would he be?
With a creak, the dorm door opened.
A handsome man with a cold demeanor walked into the room.
Oh, isn't this Mu Family's young master, the top student in the class?
Family scions, those who know, know.
Even though Mu Bai was only from a collateral branch, he certainly wasn't short on money.
Xu Shen's eyes brightened even more, staring at Mu Bai without blinking.
The two had known each other for a long time, classmates since elementary school. Although their relationship was lukewarm, after knowing each other for so long, it couldn't be too distant.
"Young Master Mu, lend me some money."
"Hmm?"
Mu Bai frowned.
"How much do you need?"
Considering their many years of friendship and being roommates, if it was a few hundred or a few thousand, he would lend it.
"How much do you have?"
Seeing Xu Shen's stance of wanting whatever he had, Mu Bai frowned slightly.
This guy really doesn't treat himself as an outsider.
"What do you want to do?"
"That's none of your business. I can write an IOU. I'll pay you back double in a month. If I can't pay it back…" Xu Shen paused for a moment; he really didn't dare to guarantee it completely.
A butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon basin could potentially cause a hurricane in Texas, USA.
He had been reborn; could future events truly follow the predetermined path?
"If you can't pay it back, what will you do?" Mu Bai crossed his arms, his expression arrogant.
Who cares? When a man dies, he faces the heavens. What kind of man is it to be so hesitant?
Xu Shen rolled his eyes, his attitude not at all like someone borrowing money: "If I can't pay it back, I'll pay it back slowly. At worst, I'll go be a lamp decoration for some rich family. There will always be a day when I pay it back!"
In terms of looks, he was no worse than Mu Bai. In this world, there were always some shortcuts reserved for handsome men and beautiful women.
Being a lamp decoration was already a very slow way to make money.
Mu Bai couldn't help but laugh, seeing his expression, he thought there would be some brilliant insight.
That's it?
A Light System elementary mage probably only had the use of being a light bulb.
Mu Bai's tone was faint: "I'd recommend you go for the rich lady's happy ball. That makes money faster."
Damn it, with that foul mouth, no wonder Mo Fan couldn't get along with this guy; there was a reason.
"If I can't pay it back, I'll consider it," Xu Shen said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Mu Bai opened his banking app, and Xu Shen leaned over to see the balance in the account.
"That's all?"
"Is that little?"
That was over 2 million!
"Alright, two hundred it is," Xu Shen shook his head and sighed.
He thought a family scion would be much richer. Is that all?
"You want it all?"
Man, don't be so greedy!
Seeing Xu Shen nod, Mu Bai sneered: "Although I have money, I'm not a fool. Since we're roommates, at most I'll lend you 200,000. The rest, I need for my cultivation."
"100!"
Mu Bai curled his lip into a smile. You think this is a vegetable market, haggling?
"20!"
"80!"
"Are you still borrowing or not?"
"Can't you really lend a bit more?"
Mu Bai looked at Xu Shen's expectant expression and was too lazy to speak further.
"Alright, 20 it is then," Xu Shen shook his head regretfully.
Mu Bai said expressionlessly: "Just a reminder, the flower language of a steel wool ball is wealth and forbearance. If you can't pay it back, hmph hmph…"
Xu Shen grinned. Listen to that, are those words that should come from a 37.5-degree mouth?
"Less nonsense, money!"
"Card number."
Xu Shen pulled out his old phone and fiddled with it for a long time.
Damn it, what was the password for the Universal Bank app again?
Indeed, he had been trapped in that wretched place for too long.
"You can forget this password? Didn't you just pay tuition yesterday for the start of school?"
"My tuition is a student loan; the bank sent it directly to the school."
It was better that Xu Shen hadn't said anything. Once he did, Mu Bai began to regret lending money to this guy.
This guy, can he really pay back the money?
He had already agreed to lend it, and he couldn't back out now without losing face. Mu Bai thought for a moment and said: "You can borrow money, but I must know the purpose."
Xu Shen fiddled with his phone and said: "What are you afraid of? The IOU is in your hands. I can't run away, can I?"
"Alright, the password has been reset. Transfer the money quickly."
Look at this self-righteous attitude. Is this the attitude one should have towards a creditor?
Mu Bai's fists gradually tightened.
At this moment, Xu Shen was already immersed in memories that had long become blurred.
Starting from the year he entered high school, the price of Earth Element magic materials in the country would show a slow upward trend for a long time in the future.
And currently, this upward trend had already begun to show signs, with many multinational conglomerates rushing into China's futures market like mad dogs smelling shit.
This also led to an extremely irrational period of frenzied growth in the futures market, where one could make money by buying with eyes closed. Those guys who shorted, one by one, climbed onto the rooftops, a rather spectacular sight.
This madness lasted for about a month, then the state intervened, and a group of conglomerates who couldn't cut their losses suffered heavy losses.
But inexplicably, in the chaotic futures market, while the prices of various magic materials dropped significantly, the price of Earth Element materials only fell for a few days before rising against the trend again, and this trend didn't stop until Xu Shen was trapped in that godforsaken place where he couldn't call for help.
He didn't understand the futures market, nor did he need to. What Xu Shen needed to do now was to take advantage of this special period, maximize leverage, buy with his eyes closed, and be that pig hair floating in the wind!
Mu Bai sat beside him, watching his operation and clicking his tongue lightly.
This guy sure is bold, daring to touch futures.
10x leverage, buying Dike God Stone?
Dike God Stone is the main material used to build defensive barriers, a rare material in short supply worldwide. In terms of rarity, it's only slightly less rare than the core of the earth, which has no market price.
Such rare materials generally have little room for price reduction, and price fluctuations won't be very large, making them relatively low-risk futures products.
He had some small intelligence, but unfortunately not much.
Xu Shen had even added 10x leverage. With his small margin, even a slight drop could lead to a direct liquidation…
Mu Bai's eyes held pity, as if he could already see Xu Shen bending over and toiling away.
Xu Shen glanced sideways at Mu Bai, then casually tossed his old phone onto the bed: "Just you watch, in a month, I'll show you what a financial leviathan is."
Mu Bai scoffed: "I suggest you practice your tongue to be more flexible, you'll need it later."
Xu Shen gave Mu Bai a disdainful look and collapsed onto the bed in a spread-eagle position.
If Mu Bai hadn't insisted on knowing the purpose of his loan, he really wouldn't have wanted to expose this operation under his nose.
In his previous life, by the time he saw the madness of the futures market in the news, entering then would have made him a scapegoat.
The best entry time was within these two or three days. Who knew when this thing would start to surge? He really didn't dare to delay for a moment.
He had no choice but to expose it, so be it.
However, it wasn't too obvious of an exposure.
The price of Dike God Stone, a popular material, had always remained high and had basically peaked. Even if it rose further, it wouldn't be by much, and he wouldn't make much money.
While Mu Bai was gone, he quietly canceled the confirmation and changed Dike God Stone to Dike Stone.
Dike God Stone and Dike Stone, a difference of one word, but their value was like heaven and earth.
Dike Stone, as a relatively strong magic material, had extremely large reserves worldwide, and its price was very stable and low. Therefore, it was mainly used for building foundations, city walls, etc. Xu Shen didn't know why this material would rise so crazily.
But, who cares? Just buy it.
Then, in a month, short a wave of Water Magic materials, win twice directly, a double win, winning big!
The futures market is a financial market with extremely high risks but also extremely rich returns.
If the future remains unchanged, a rough estimate suggests that this small principal could bring him five or six hundred million in income. It seems like a lot, but a Spirit-grade Star Dust magic tool costs 10 to 20 million.
This amount of money is truly insignificant for a mage with even a little status, but wealth moves hearts, and human nature is never worth testing. In a Small city like Bo City, a missing middle school student would just be an insignificant minor matter.
With Mu Bai's family background, he had countless ways to crush him and then pocket these hundreds of millions.
Humans, ah, are creatures even more terrifying than demons.
Although the green tea boy had a good reputation in the future, Xu Shen dared not gamble on a high school student's character.
If he lost the gamble, who knew if he would have another chance to start over.
He could only choose to guard against it when operating his phone.
Note: Star Dust magic tools are soul-cultivating magic tools, auxiliary magic items for mages to cultivate. They are divided into Mortal-grade and Spirit-grade. The former can extend magic cultivation time by about 20%, and the latter by 40%. Star Dust magic tools are suitable for elementary mages during their cultivation stage.
Above Star Dust magic tools are Star Cloud magic tools, Star River magic tools, Star Sea magic tools, etc., used to assist intermediate, advanced, and Super Order mages in their cultivation, respectively.