Chapter 142: Swarming In

Zhang Ding subconsciously stepped back a few paces, shook his right hand vigorously, and then looked at Ling Tian with a face full of terror and grievance in his eyes. "Boss, are you treating me like a laboratory mouse? You should have given me a heads-up before using me for an experiment." After checking his right hand and confirming that there were no injuries aside from a numb sensation caused by the recoil, Zhang Ding finally breathed a sigh of relief.

An Qi and the female jade appraiser looked in astonishment at the brick fragments on the ground and then at Zhang Ding, their eyes filled with utter disbelief. From their perspective, no matter how hard they racked their brains, they could never figure out what Ling Tian had actually done to produce such a miraculous scene.

Could this be the legendary immortal magic? Yes, it must be that! An Qi and the female appraiser nodded with great certainty.

"Just now, while manipulating the array, I reduced the power of the rebound attack. Otherwise, your right hand would have been broken," Ling Tian said with a faint smile. As he spoke, he used his spiritual sense to examine the defensive array once more. Following Zhang Ding's attack, the array had consumed less than ten percent of its energy and was recovering rapidly. This was ample proof that the array crafted by Ling Tian was approaching perfection.

This was merely the power of a tier-one array. What if it were a tier-two array? Even Ling Tian himself was filled with anticipation.

The success of this array was largely credited to the emerald fragment.

Ling Tian vowed silently in his heart that he must intensify his cultivation of array formations and strive to reach the level of a tier-one array master as soon as possible.

According to the records in the jade slip, a powerful array master, relying on their own strength, could use tier-one array materials to create superior arrays—tier-two arrays, or even tier-three arrays. An array master who relied on external forces to produce high-level arrays was considered unqualified.

An Qi asked curiously, "You manipulated the array? Is the principle the same as using a remote control to operate a television?"

Ling Tian smiled and replied, "The principle is somewhat similar, but mine is much more complex. From now on, issue an order that no one is allowed to approach within half a meter of the emerald, or they will trigger the array."

An Qi nodded obediently and said, "I will immediately arrange for someone to make a protective cover with a diameter of one meter to enclose the emerald directly." With that, she turned to the female appraiser and instructed, "Go contact a manufacturer. I want the best bulletproof glass, preferably one that can withstand artillery shells."

The female appraiser turned and left to contact the manufacturer.

At that moment, it was eight o'clock in the morning, and the store had not yet opened. After the female appraiser left, only Ling Tian and An Qi remained in the spacious shop. In particular, An Qi, who had not slept all night, now carried a hint of languid charm that possessed a unique appeal. Even Ling Tian, who had witnessed numerous goddess-level beauties, found it somewhat hard to resist and could not help casting a few extra glances.

Feeling Ling Tian's somewhat scorching gaze, An Qi recalled how she had boldly offered him a sweet kiss the day before. Her little face instantly turned beet red. "Ling Tian, I'm a bit tired and want to rest for a while. Once I've rested, I'll treat you to a grand feast." Feeling she could no longer bear the atmosphere, An Qi hastily found an excuse and scurried upstairs.

Watching An Qi's graceful retreating figure, Ling Tian curved the corner of his lips into a smile. He turned and walked into An Qi's office, locked the door from the inside, and sat down cross-legged. He took out the emerald fragment from his bosom; though small in size, it was sufficient for him to craft a spirit-gathering array. The emerald itself possessed the inherent property of absorbing spiritual Qi, albeit at a slightly slower rate. Therefore, using the emerald to craft a spirit-gathering array disk was currently the best choice.

Crafting an array on a small object was referred to as an array disk. It could be carried around, though its functions were much weaker than a true stationary array. If exquisitely crafted, however, its power could also be quite terrifying—though the difficulty of creation was correspondingly high. This was much like the difference between a desktop computer and a laptop.

The emerald fragment hovered before Ling Tian as he summoned his heavenly spiritual fire. The crimson flame formed a miniature fire dragon that coiled around the emerald, stirring up ripples of crimson light. The temperature inside the room rose sharply; viewed from a distance, the air itself appeared to be boiling.

Absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth over millions of years, the emerald was still not completely flawless. What Ling Tian needed to do was purge its impurities and render it perfect.

Under the scorching burn of the heavenly spiritual fire, the scant impurities within the emerald were all extracted. Under the potent influence of the fire, they turned into wisps of blue smoke and completely dissipated.

Shortly after, Ling Tian waved his hands and rapidly executed a series of hand seals to begin crafting the spirit-gathering array disk. To ensure success on the first attempt, Ling Tian exerted himself to the utmost, releasing his spiritual sense fully to monitor the subtle changes in the emerald closely so as to correct any subsequent hand seals in real time.

Unbeknownst to him how much time had passed, Ling Tian executed the final hand seal, and the emerald, now reshaped into a circular disk, slowly descended into the palm of his hand.

Ling Tian could clearly sense that the emerald array disk was continuously absorbing the sparse spiritual Qi from the outside world. The absorption rate even surpassed the spirit-gathering array he had set up in the courtyard, which filled him with immense joy. The array disk had reached the tier-one level, meaning Ling Tian could accelerate his absorption of spiritual Qi henceforth.

During combat, this would allow him to rapidly replenish consumed true Qi, and in daily life, it would accelerate his cultivation. For Ling Tian, who had always suffered from a scarcity of spiritual energy, this was a tremendous surprise.

"It's a pity that the power of the heavenly spiritual fire is too weak. If its power were sufficient, I could have refined the entire piece of emerald, and the effect would have been even better than it is now," Ling Tian murmured, gazing at the tiny flame dancing on his fingertip.

Finally, Ling Tian added a concealment array to the spirit-gathering array disk. This not only masked the presence of spiritual Qi, but from the exterior, it now appeared merely as a rather ordinary jade pendant.

Upon completion, Ling Tian opened the office door and came out to the counter, intending to ask the staff for a piece of string. To his surprise, he found all the employees gathered under An Qi's leadership, gazing excitedly at the crown jewel of the store—the emerald.

"Remember, from now on, no one is allowed to approach within half a meter—no, one meter—of the emerald. I have installed a new anti-theft system, and once you cross that boundary, it will trigger accidental injury." Before the large protective cover was installed, An Qi had found a plausible excuse to keep the staff away from the emerald.

This excuse was far more effective than issuing a strict, unyielding order.

Seeing Ling Tian descend, An Qi did not ask what he had been doing in the office all morning. As a clever woman, she knew what should be asked and what should not. Glancing at the time, An Qi beckoned to Ling Tian and said, "You must be hungry after being busy all night. I'll treat you to a grand feast."

Busy all night? The staff secretly exchanged glances, looking at the slightly exhausted Ling Tian and then at the radiant An Qi. The inherent gossiping nature of women instantly flared up, and the way they looked at Ling Tian and An Qi completely changed as they muttered inwardly: "This man is truly formidable, actually managing to go all night..."

Little did they know that the reason Ling Tian appeared somewhat tired was because crafting the array and subsequently creating an array disk had consumed a massive amount of his mental energy. An Qi, having secured the emerald and rested for a while that morning, simply appeared radiant.

"I read in a women's magazine before that doing that kind of thing is the best beauty regimen for a woman. Look at our manager, her face is glowing with vitality; clearly, she was well-nourished last night."

"Yeah, look at that man. His complexion isn't too great. He must have worn himself out pretty badly last night."

With his exceptionally keen hearing, Ling Tian heard every word clearly and could not help offering a wry smile. The imaginations of these women were truly rich.

Ling Tian and An Qi walked out of the store together. As soon as they reached the entrance, they found a large crowd waiting outside, equipped with cameras, video recorders, and other gear. The moment these people saw Ling Tian and An Qi emerge, they surged forward, thrusting various microphones toward An Qi.

"Miss An Qi, hello, I am a reporter from the Yunhai City Commercial Daily..."

"I am a reporter from the Metropolitan Daily..."

Dozens of reporters directly surrounded Ling Tian and An Qi, all of their questions revolving around the emerald. An emerald valued at five hundred million was explosive news anywhere.

Ling Tian smiled and said to An Qi, "You've become a celebrity now. Aren't you going to take this opportunity to put in a good advertisement for your An family?"

Possessing business acumen no inferior to that of Mu Qingcheng, An Qi gave a knowing smile. She understood that if she seized this opportunity to leverage the emerald, she could secure nationwide free publicity. How could An Qi possibly let such a rare opportunity slip by?

With a polite smile, An Qi said, "Everyone, please don't be rush. Please ask your questions in an orderly manner, and I will answer them one by one. You, go ahead first." With that, she pointed at a reporter at random.

Under the envious gazes of his peers, the selected reporter asked excitedly with a flushed face, "According to reports received yesterday, you made a massive haul at the jade exhibition and acquired an emerald valued at five hundred million. Is this report true?"

An Qi smiled. "You are very well-informed. That's correct. Yesterday at the jade exhibition, the Yunhai branch under the An Group acquired an emerald valued at five hundred million. This is currently the largest and finest quality emerald in the entire country. Based on market estimations, its value is at least around five hundred million RMB, and its appreciation potential is enormous."

Another reporter, granted permission, asked, "Aside from that, it is said that you also obtained a huge quantity of high-grade jadeite. Is this true, and how did you manage it?"

An Qi replied, "The news you received is true. As for how we managed it? That is the highest confidentiality of our An Group."

A third reporter asked, "It is rumored that a jade-gambling expert assisted your An Group..."

Over the course of the next hour, An Qi answered interviews from fifteen media outlets in succession and even led reporters into the store to view the emerald. Comprehensive reports from over a dozen authoritative media outlets directly elevated the fame of the An Group, saving the company hundreds of millions in advertising expenses.

Not only did reporters swarm in, but numerous citizens also arrived upon hearing the reputation, flooding into the store to catch a glimpse of the emerald.

Due to the overwhelming crowd, An Qi had no choice but to restrict the number of people entering the store.

By the time An Qi managed to extricate herself, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

Disliking such noisy occasions, Ling Tian had seized the opportunity during An Qi's interviews to slip away, heading to the parking lot to wait in the car.