Chapter Ninety-One: Mastery

On the third day after the typhoon had passed, the last day of the citywide holiday, Liu Tian came to the East District house of the Shao family, the chairman’s residence of the city’s leading enterprise, the Black Prince Group.

With three hundred thousand credit points in hand, he still could not afford a house that would satisfy him, but it was enough for the moment, at least to find a suitable place first and think later about how to get the money.

Real estate agents these days were as efficient as ever. After Liu Tian dropped three hundred thousand as commission, they found him a fitting property in less than an hour: Xuan Yuan Residence on Panserpent Mountain in the East District. It was a lavishly decorated estate of enormous grounds, complete with its own garden and training field, yet one that had never once been sold.

There was nothing wrong with the place, except for one thing: it was expensive. Its price was one hundred million credit points.

After all, there was only this one house on all of Panserpent Mountain. Buy it, and the mountain came with it.

One hundred million credit points. If he were to draw lucky winners at random, Liu Tian calculated that he would need to pull at least three hundred and thirty-four lending companies. Even clearing out the entire slum might not produce that many.

So Liu Tian gave up and decided to try another method instead, such as threatening the Black Prince Group, which had handled the construction.

Of course, that could not really be called a threat. It should be called a deal. After some thought, Liu Tian felt that he also needed a power to do the dirty work for him, to handle the things he could not be bothered to do himself, so he had come here.

The Shao family was a massive conglomerate that had risen on the back of favorable winds. Its main businesses included mines, real estate, medicine, and more. Perhaps there were hidden intrigues behind it, or perhaps it had simply been luck.

But even if it had been nothing more than luck, by now, with the Black Prince Group grown to its present size, it had long since rooted itself deep into the city and become one of its local tyrants.

In this era, money was power. Once wealth reached a certain level, it was no longer merely a number; it also represented the influence behind it. This was especially true when the wealth came with corresponding industries.

But to Liu Tian, that was all it amounted to. No matter how much money there was, no matter how much authority it bought, it could not withstand the fist clenched in his hand.

In most cases, Liu Tian had no power because he could not be bothered to take it. Besides, he had already gripped the greatest fist of all.

Without any movement at all, he simply released the bearing of the sovereign of an age. Then Liu Tian strode inside as though entering his own home. Every guard, every sentry, whether in the open or hidden in the shadows, was frozen by instinctive terror and could not so much as twitch. They could only stand rigidly in place.

A few among them may have undergone harsh training, or been gifted with unusual talents, and were still able to salute him with their eyes, but that was all.

Bang, bang. Liu Tian knocked on the door. Clearly, there would be no answer from inside; after all, Shao Youqian, who had just been busy lecturing his only son, Shao Yifeng, had already been crushed by that pressure along with his son.

Liu Tian was not the sort of person who liked to waste time. To him, displaying absolute strength directly spared him a great deal of needless trouble.

With a snap of his fingers, all the guards collapsed unconscious.

Retracting his aura, Liu Tian pushed the door open. His movements were so swift that by the time Shao Qian had just managed to recover from the overwhelming suppression and was still trembling while clutching his son, Liu Tian had already entered.

“Good morning to you both,” Liu Tian said with a smile. “I need a little faction to help me with errands. I think the Black Prince Group will do nicely. It’s mine now.”

Looking at the twelve-year-old boy who had walked in, Shao Qian thought of many things at that instant: the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the Water Margin, Journey to the West, the Sword Immortals of Shu, and a whole host of novels about gods, demons, and strange beings. All the things he had thought he had long forgotten surged back into his mind in a flash.

Shao Qian knew he was once again facing a major turning point in his life, and this time, he clearly had no choice at all.

But did one need to make a choice when clinging to a powerful backer? Did one need to choose when the leg in front of him already looked thick beyond imagination?

By this point, Shao Qian was not ignorant of the undercurrents hidden beneath human society. It was not that he failed to understand them. But no matter how much money he had, no matter how sharp he tried to make himself, without the proper entry ticket, he could never force his way into that circle.

Once, he had even overheard someone mocking him from behind: a nouveau riche with not even a shred of pedigree, and he thought he was worthy? Did he not have eyes?

From that moment on, those words struck a deep nerve in Shao Qian. He decided to raise a noble family line according to the book Three Generations to Breed a Nobleman. He even sent his only son overseas at the age of four to study so-called aristocratic bearing, determined to cultivate a true noble lineage.

To Shao Qian, what those people called noble blood was nothing more than generations of money and power.

He had no way now, but his son and his grandson certainly would have a chance.

Yet at this very moment, with Liu Tian’s arrival, Shao Qian suddenly saw the light. Perhaps the bloodline those people had mocked him with was not some abstract pedigree at all, but something far more literal.

Something beyond human.

Shao Qian had always trusted his instincts, so he hugged his son and rushed forward in three steps made into two. His slightly overweight body did not hinder his nimbleness in the slightest.

When he reached a spot only a few yards from Liu Tian, Shao Qian pressed the still-dazed Shao Yifeng down and bowed deeply.

“I, a drifting soul who has wandered half my life without ever meeting a true master, have today been blessed to encounter you, elder brother, who does not despise me. I beg you to accept this humble bow.”

“Please grant me your name, elder brother. From now on, I shall follow your lead and never deviate. If you tell me to go east, I will not go west; if you tell me to catch a dog, I will not touch a chicken.”

Though Liu Tian looked like nothing more than a boy of a little over ten, Shao Qian felt no shame at all. He kept calling him elder brother, instantly lowering himself and even his own son by a generation, perhaps more.

“You really are an interesting one,” Liu Tian said.

It was the first time he had ever seen a human being lie down so quickly. Even he paused for a moment. With one hand, he lifted the two of them effortlessly.

“Still, you’re not qualified to call me elder brother. Call me Chief instead. Here are my credentials. Remember to handle all the paperwork for me.”

As he spoke, Liu Tian tossed a photocopy of his student ID onto the desk behind Shao Qian, then glanced over the two of them from head to toe and tossed the young Shao Yifeng onto the sofa.

“Your strength is truly pitiful. Even if you have money, it means very little. But since you are so sensible, I’ll give you a little gift for our first meeting.”

Shao Qian had not even had time to look at the paper that had flown past him and landed on the coffee table behind him when a surge of joy welled up inside him. He knew it: kneeling quickly would bring rewards. Yet before his delight could last long, a wave of numbness suddenly shot down from the crown of his head.

“Aaahhhh!”

Agony tore through every inch of his body, and Shao Qian could no longer suppress his scream. If all the guards nearby had not already collapsed unconscious, someone might well have rushed in to protect their employer.

A massive current poured into Shao Qian’s body, forcibly strengthening it. After all, Shao Qian was not Chu Zihang, whom one could bargain with, and he was already advanced in years. Since there was no need to consider his future potential or long-term prospects, Liu Tian simply used the same electricity that could enhance the body and directly empowered him with it.

One minute, two minutes.

Those brief ten minutes felt as long as a lifetime to Shao Qian. At last, Liu Tian withdrew his hand.

“Your current physical condition is already no worse than that of an ordinary combat specialist. Of course, if you really fought seriously, you probably still wouldn’t beat a slightly stronger martial artist.”

“Still, that’s basically enough. Given your talent, this is about the limit of what can be done for you right now.”

“These next few days, stay away from your son if you can. Practice controlling your new physical strength properly. Otherwise, if you accidentally tear your son in half, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Shao Qian could hardly believe it as he clenched his fist. A powerful force, unlike anything he had ever known before, surged up from the depths of his being. He knew then that this might well be the most successful investment he had ever made.

Hearing Liu Tian’s words, Shao Qian hurriedly knelt again. The instant his knees touched the blue stone floor, it cracked beneath him as though it were made of foam.

“Chief, you are truly the rebirth of my parents to me. This subordinate will go through fire and water to repay your kindness!”

“Then I’ll see how you perform in the days ahead.”

Liu Tian turned and walked out the door.

“Oh, and if you want your son to become a little stronger, let him start with some basic martial training to build a foundation. I can’t be bothered to teach the most elementary things.”

“If you achieve merit in the future, of course I’ll grant you rewards...”