Chapter 490: The Ever-Changing Queen, Zhong Lingyin!
Shen Anyu was delighted the moment he arrived at the helipad of a luxurious manor in Hangzhou via private jet.
A crisp, robotic notification echoed in his mind, a familiar and always welcome sound.
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target, Yang Luoluo, has entered the first level of Martial God Art, returning the first level of Martial God Art cultivation!]
'So soon?' Shen Anyu's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. 'As expected of my little martial arts fanatic disciple, her talent and focus are both very high.'
Shen Anyu praised endlessly, feeling a surge of potent, condensed power erupt within his Dantian and Qi Sea. It was a qualitatively different energy from his own vast reserves—raw, explosive, and humming with pure martial intent. It felt like a solid nugget of combat potential being seamlessly integrated into his foundation. If this power were to be placed on an ordinary person, it would instantly shatter their physical limits, transforming a common man into a peak human specimen, a veritable boxing champion capable of shattering stone and killing a bull with a single, unadorned punch. The sheer density of this returned energy would rewrite their very cellular structure.
As for Shen Anyu? The infusion felt like a single drop of molten steel falling into a vast ocean of liquid metal. His strength increased by less than one ten-thousandth.
Shen Anyu's handsome face was full of smiles, yet he wasn't disappointed in the slightest. This was just the beginning, the first trickle from a wellspring of immense potential. The first level of the Martial God Art was merely the foundation. Subsequent returns, as Yang Luoluo broke through to higher levels, would be exponentially greater. And this was only from Yang Luoluo alone. Once his other investment targets—the future titans and hidden dragons he had carefully selected—started cashing in, the returns would cascade into a tidal wave of power that would propel his cultivation forward at a terrifying pace.
A thought flickered through his mind. 'Should he invest in more people? Popularize it?'
He pictured it for a moment: tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of people practicing the initial stages of the Martial God Art. An army under his command, each one a small tributary of power flowing back to him. The idea was tempting, a brute-force method to accumulate energy.
Shen Anyu pondered for a moment, but then dismissed the idea with a faint shake of his head. The vision soured. He saw the administrative nightmare, the diluted and impure trickles of power, polluted by the weak wills and flawed foundations of the masses. He imagined the tedious process of filtering and purifying this chaotic influx of energy, a task that would consume more time and effort than it was worth.
Yang Luoluo's rapid entry into the first level of the Martial God Art within a few short days was a perfect storm of ideal conditions. He had personally guided her, his insights cutting through months of potential confusion. He had supplied her with a steady stream of priceless alchemical pills, from the Essence Nourishing Pill to the Qi Nourishing Pill, building her foundation with resources that others could only dream of. Furthermore, Yang Luoluo herself was a rare martial arts Genius who had already reached the Grandmaster level at the tender age of nineteen. And above all else, as a Destined Heroine, she had the subtle but obvious blessing of destiny, a cosmic luck that smoothed her path. All these factors had converged perfectly, resulting in her explosive progress.
All the conditions were perfectly met; how could others possibly compare? To replicate this success on a mass scale would be impossible.
Even the Reborn protagonist, Long Hao, had understood this principle upon his return from the future. He too chose to invest in a select few future prominent figures, targeting quality over quantity. This was, unequivocally, the most cost-effective and efficient method.
The return from ten thousand people reaching the first level of the Martial God Art would not even come close to the sheer, qualitative leap he would gain from investing in a single Genius who achieved the twelfth level of the Martial God Art.
No matter how much power was returned from the first level, it could never touch the profound state of Perfection that was the twelfth level of the art. The difference in quality was a chasm too vast to bridge. Quantity alone was useless; you could throw ten million eggs at a wall of titanium alloy, and the wall would remain unscratched.
Too much low-quality power would become a burden, requiring him to divert his own spiritual energy to purify and refine it, ultimately wasting more time and energy than he gained.
Moreover, investing in too many people was a security risk. It couldn't guarantee loyalty and could easily backfire, creating a legion of minor enemies. Although they could be easily suppressed—crushed like ants under his boot—it would still be an infuriatingly troublesome distraction.
Shen Anyu preferred precise, high-yield investment.
'Instead of casting a wide net filled with minnows, it's better to plant a world-altering forest,' he mused. 'It's better to plant more trees in the desert Gobi of the Great Northwest.'
At his command, the colossal, globe-spanning entity known as the Shen Corporation had already sprung into action. An unprecedented operation was underway. Hundreds of billions in capital were being deployed. Countless human and material resources were being mobilized. Fleets of cargo planes, trains, and trucks were converging on the desolate, windswept plains of the Great Northwest, carrying the seeds of a new ecosystem. It was a project on a scale that could reshape a continent's climate.
If a forest of ten million acres were to grow from that barren wasteland, it could return an unimaginable amount of pure, foundational vitality to Shen Anyu. This was not the martial energy of a single cultivator, but the collective life force of an entire burgeoning ecosystem. This pure vital energy, born from the very earth, would be so pristine it would hardly require any purification or refinement at all.
Shen Anyu was greatly looking forward to how fast he could cultivate the Nascent Soul True Scripture and the Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture then. The influx of life force would be the ultimate catalyst.
This effortless method, simply giving orders and watching empires of industry move to fulfill his vision, suited Young Master Shen's preferences even more. It was power on a scale that transcended mere personal strength.
'Later, I'll be sure to give a verbal reward to my little disciple, Yang Luoluo. She's done well.'
Shen Anyu couldn't help but think this as he strode down from the private jet with his long legs, the turbines whining down behind him.
…
At this moment, on the expansive helipad of this luxurious manor in Hangzhou, which was registered under Shen Anyu's name, a beautiful woman was already waiting. She was clear and graceful, standing tall and slender. A flowing blue gown draped over her figure, fluttering gently in the breeze from the slowing rotors.
"Hubby!"
The moment the clear and beautiful woman saw Shen Anyu, a bright, radiant smile immediately bloomed on her pretty face, eclipsing the afternoon sun. She lifted the hem of her blue gown, her elegant posture forgotten, and scurried over with the unreserved joy of a girl seeing her beloved. Right there, in front of his many female bodyguards, she threw herself directly into Shen Anyu's arms.
"Hubby, I missed you so much!"
This clear and beautiful woman in the blue gown was naturally the Heavenly Queen of Asian cinema, Zhong Lingyin, who was currently filming a new blockbuster in Hangzhou. She had been regretting it for a while now, regretting taking on so many roles and projects. Every day on set was a day she couldn't be with her husband. Her heart ached with the thought that he must have been very lonely and solitary in the sprawling, empty River View Manor back in Magic City.
Meanwhile, in an imagined, chaotic group chat:
Liu Ruyan: "Heh, have you forgotten who the main character is?"
Ye Liyou: "Senior isn't lonely. I'm here with him."
Yang Luoluo: "Hehe, Brother Master, hehe, Brother Master…"
Ruan Lingshan, Situ Yueying: "…Wow."
Su Hongmian, Liu Mi, Jiang Linlin: "And us too."
"Hubby, kiss me," Zhong Lingyin murmured, pulling back just enough to look up at Shen Anyu. Her eyes, affectionate and as clear as spring water, gazed into his. She cutely pouted her perfect, red lips, an invitation he couldn't possibly refuse.
When this internationally renowned Heavenly Queen, a superstar worshipped by millions, acted so coquettishly, she was an intoxicating blend of charm and adorable sincerity that could melt the coldest heart.
The new female bodyguards standing at a respectful distance were secretly floored to see this scene. They were elites, trained to be impassive, but their minds were reeling. They never expected that the famous national goddess, the untouchable Heavenly Queen Zhong Lingyin, was also their young Master's woman.
'Wait…' a thought sparked among them. Could it be that the mysterious "Jade Prince," the man Heavenly Queen Zhong Lingyin had officially announced as her boyfriend some time ago, was their very own young Master?
The implications were staggering. If this news were to be exposed, Weibo and every other major social media platform would probably crash again, unable to handle the sheer volume of traffic.
However, after the initial shock, no one found it particularly strange. Given their young Master's god-like appearance, unfathomable family background, and commanding presence, they had no doubt that a woman like Heavenly Queen Zhong Lingyin would even be the one pursuing him. It seemed perfectly natural.
Zhong Lingyin nestled greedily in Shen Anyu's embrace, burying her face in his chest and inhaling his scent as if it were the sweetest air. Her clear, small face rubbed against the fabric of his shirt, and her eyes curved into happy crescents, sparkling with pure joy and deep affection. She was radiating an aura of happiness so potent it was almost tangible.
"Being with Hubby," she sighed contentedly, her voice muffled against him, "even filming and singing, which I used to love more than anything, don't seem as important anymore."
"If you feel tired, then rest for a while. I'll support you," Shen Anyu responded with a gentle smile, stroking her silky hair.
Zhong Lingyin was startled by his offer, then a sweet, knowing smile touched her lips as she looked up at him again.
"I don't want to be Hubby's canary, kept in a gilded cage. I'd quickly lose my charm that way."
At this, Zhong Lingyin's expression shifted, and she smiled slyly, a playful and seductive light dancing in her eyes.
"I think a Heavenly Queen goddess with tens of millions of fans is more interesting than a housewife, Hubby~"
The last "Hubby" was drawn out long and alluringly, a silken thread of sound that wrapped around Shen Anyu's senses, making his bones go soft.
"Where did you learn that? Aren't you the pure jade maiden Sect Leader?" Shen Anyu smiled and playfully hooked Zhong Lingyin's fair, straight nose with his finger.
"Hmph hmph, I'm a wealthy movie queen; pure, charming, all styles come naturally to me~"
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