Chapter 81: Her Status Will Never Be Even a Tenth of Yours!

“Did you all see that just now?” Yuan Shixiong’s face was as if he’d seen a ghost.

Compared to him, Li Hao, who knew Jiang Yu’s abilities well, remained relatively calm. “Of course we saw it. We’re not blind, are we?”

At the end of the day, no matter how wealthy or experienced they were, they were still ordinary people. The existence of elixirs already defied everything they knew; now, with the addition of wearable artifacts, their minds had gone completely blank.

It was like people from ancient times seeing a car for the first time—they could marvel at its wonder, but had no idea how it actually worked.

Xia Qinghan covered her mouth in amazement, stunned once again by Jiang Yu’s display of power. Not long ago he’d still been traveling and having fun with them, yet now he stood atop Jiangbei, surrounded by the reverence of the most powerful figures.

Old Shen explained, “The most common artifacts on the market are those meant for homes, designed to adjust the earth’s magnetic field to bring peace, ward off misfortune, and attract good fortune. But these artifacts don’t have any obvious effects, and they take a long time to work. Most are bought by great families hoping to improve their luck.”

“In other words, household artifacts don’t really do much for an individual.”

“The other kind are wearable artifacts, but these usually only help to change one’s fortune, or ward off evil spirits and demons.”

For the ultra-wealthy, artifacts were a kind of luxury.

Jiang Yu nodded. “That’s right. Besides the elixirs, there are also wearable artifacts. And my artifacts don’t just calm the mind and ward off misfortune—they nourish the body over the long term. Most importantly, they have an automatic defensive function. They can block an attack equivalent to a handgun bullet.”

“In other words, these artifacts grant each of you an extra life.”

Everyone stared hungrily at the jade beads on the tray.

Seizing a moment when no one was looking, Xia Qinghan slipped another pill into her mouth. Ever since she’d reached the peak of internal energy, her cultivation had stalled, as if she’d hit an invisible barrier.

But tonight, with just one of Jiang Yu’s elixirs, she could feel that barrier begin to loosen.

There weren’t many pills to begin with—Jiang Yu had only produced a sample batch. One for you, one for me; in the blink of an eye, the small container of elixirs was divided amongst them. Some swallowed theirs immediately, others tucked them away with great care.

“Master Jiang, is it really impossible to mass-produce these things? If we could, we’d be facing a global market—annual profits in the hundreds of billions.”

Xia Hou Sheng’s heart was pounding. These things could change the course of an entire era.

Jiang Yu scoffed. “This is nothing. If I wanted to, I could even make a batch of pills that bring the dead back to life or extend life by a century. But the world isn’t ready for such things yet. The consequences are beyond anything you could handle.”

Xia Hou Sheng fell silent.

He had acted on impulse, not even considering the possible repercussions.

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the implications became. He dared not mention it again.

Jiang Yu said calmly, “These things will only circulate among the very highest circles, and even then, in limited quantities. As for the elixirs and artifacts, you don’t need to worry—just help the company source rare materials, and in return, I’ll trade you something of equal value.”

This was Jiang Yu’s plan—to cast out a few small benefits and attract countless wealthy, well-connected individuals to work for him. The more people involved, the greater the chance of finding rare herbs and treasures.

Cultivation is not about stubbornness—especially in this age of declining spiritual energy.

Xia Hou Sheng didn’t hesitate. “The Xia family’s left branch will invest two billion.”

This was probably the highest-yield investment in history. As long as they got a few pills out of it, selling even one to the upper class could fetch a price in the hundreds of millions. For those rich but frail old tycoons with little time left, they wouldn’t even bat an eye.

In the face of life and death, money is nothing but smoke.

Yuan Shixiong spoke up anxiously, afraid that if he waited, he’d miss out on the chance to buy in. “The Yuan family will invest one billion.”

Li Hao smiled. “Everything I have belongs to my teacher. All he has to do is say the word.”

Xia Qinghan’s expression was solemn. “The right branch of the Xia family will invest two billion.”

Watching them all scramble to invest, Jiang Yu smiled in satisfaction. He knew tonight was just the beginning; once the news got out, countless people would come knocking on his door.

Reward and authority—these are the true means of command.

Jiang Yu waved his hand. “The company will be run by Xia Ning, with Li Hao as her assistant. Xia Ning speaks with my authority.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Xia Qinghan’s heart was a tangle of emotions as she looked at Xia Ning with complicated eyes.

With a single word from Jiang Yu, she now controlled assets worth over ten billion.

Xia Qinghan kept her composure, but the bitterness in her heart was known only to herself. By the time she realized it, she had already missed her chance to grow close to Jiang Yu.

Xia Ning clenched her fists, raising her delicate chin with determination. “Jiang Yu, I will make you see me in a new light. Among all these outstanding women, only by becoming even better than them can I catch your eye.”

She whispered this to herself, her resolve growing ever stronger.

Jiang Yu settled onto the sofa. “Spread the word—anyone who wants to invest can receive the same rewards. In the future, there’s no reason you can’t exchange rare earthly treasures for elixirs, artifacts, even martial techniques or grand formations.”

Excitement rippled through the room. At the mention of martial techniques, Old Shen, Xia Qinghan, and the white-haired elder’s expressions all changed dramatically. As martial artists, they understood the value of a true technique better than anyone.

A genuine martial technique is not the fanciful nonsense of old novels. In the mundane world, cultivation is like feeling your way across a river in the dark—no matter how talented you are, without guidance, you can only find the right path through endless failures.

But with a true technique, it’s like having a lantern to light your way, saving years of struggle. The more advanced the technique, the brighter the lantern, and the faster your progress.

Jiang Yu’s lips curled in a faint smile. The first step was complete. The next would be to set up a super spirit-gathering formation to store the rare herbs and treasures. If he could obtain seeds for spiritual herbs, even better—he would open up a few acres of spiritual fields for cultivation.

As for how long it would take them to mature, Jiang Yu didn’t worry; he had thousands of methods to accelerate their growth.

“Once I reach the Golden Core stage, I can traverse the void and seek a planet more suitable for cultivation. Even if the world’s spiritual energy is exhausted, what does it matter? This time, I will not ascend until I reach the Divine Bridge stage.”

“If my strength is great enough, I’ll carve my own path to the immortal realm, even if no gate exists. I want to see for myself if so-called ascension is the ultimate deception.”

Jiang Yu stood, hands clasped behind his back. “In one week, I expect this company to be running smoothly. Anything rare or unusual can be brought to me and exchanged for elixirs or artifacts.”

Ordinary people, with their naked eyes, had no way to distinguish true treasures from mere oddities. So Jiang Yu had another important task ahead of him: to sift through mountains of goods to find what was truly valuable. In the face of profit, some would surely try to pass off fakes or speculate for gain.

As five o’clock approached, everyone took their leave, their excitement fading.

Jiang Yu stood in the small garden, looking up at the night sky.

Behind him, Xia Qinghan fidgeted with her fingers, clearly nervous.

“What is it?” Jiang Yu asked flatly.

Xia Qinghan summoned her courage. “Jiang Yu, I’m sorry.”

She kept her head down, as if she were a child who’d done wrong, standing meekly behind him, hardly daring to breathe.

Jiang Yu smiled. “If I didn’t hold it against you before, it means I never cared about it. Besides, you never did anything to betray me, so there’s no need to apologize.”

Though he said this, Xia Qinghan could still feel their relationship slowly growing distant.

“I… I understand.”

Xia Qinghan pressed her lips together and turned to leave.

Standing before Jiang Yu, she suddenly found she didn’t know what to say.

Watching her graceful figure melt into the darkness, Jiang Yu looked away. He knew her heart better than she did herself.

If one day Jiang Yu lost his strength, Xia Ning would still treat him the same, but the lofty Xia Qinghan might not even spare him a glance.

That was why Xia Ning was able to gain so much more.

Jiang Yu drew a deep breath. “Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony. If I don’t show up for my teacher, she might just strangle me herself.”

He smiled helplessly, then called out without turning around, “It’s late. Aren’t you going to get some rest?”

Xia Ning, who had been hiding, panicked—caught, despite her caution.

“N-no, I just wanted to take a walk…”

Her voice grew softer and softer, even she found her excuse ridiculous.

“All right, I just want to know—what did Xia Qinghan say to you?”

Xia Ning bit her lip, looking at Jiang Yu with stubborn resolve.

Jiang Yu walked over to her and said quietly, “No matter what she said, in my heart, her place will never be one-tenth as important as yours.”