“Well…” Qin Hu scratched his beard and thought about it. “I didn’t really have any plans. I was just thinking about rebuilding Frenzied Saber. With this miracle, I can get to Heaven Realm with no problem. I’ll also get 10% of profit from the first mining rights. If I ride on Lu Siya’s golden coattails too, I’ll definitely be able to rebuild Frenzied Saber and make it stronger than before.
“But now that you said it, b— kid, you’re right. I’m already a married man, and I’m an honest person. I have a harmonious relationship with my family, so it’s not very appropriate for me to ride on Lu Siya’s coattails.
“You’re different, though. You’re Lin Chuan’s junior, and your background, experiences, and every other aspect is really similar to his. You’re even considered as his kindred. From a certain sense, you can absolutely turn into his ‘substitute’.
“Even a blind man can tell that Lu Siya has feelings for Lin Chuan. Now that he is dead, her coattails must be feeling really light. You can take advantage of her weakness, and I’ll even give you technical pointers from behind.
“Then, we’ll definitely be able to become her left and right hands. We might even be able to help her seize major authority in Sky Pillar Corporation. We’ll definitely be able to rise to the top!”
Meng Chao stared at Qin Hu expressionlessly.
Qin Hu’s face was hidden by his moustache and beard. He did not know if his face had turned red, but he coughed dryly and said, “Don’t look at me that way. I’m just pointing you in a clear direction. If you settle with Lu Siya, you can cut down your cultivation time by twenty years. When we become the right and left hands of the boss of Sky Pillar Corporation, we’ll be able to eat all the good food and have all the money—”
“Do you really like money that much?” Meng Chao could not help asking.
“What else am I supposed to like aside from money? Dreams?” Qin Hu snorted. He paused for a moment before he started talking earnestly. “Kid, I’m not a petty person. The things that happened in our past are now buried underground, and whoever mentions it is a bastard. I’m really thinking about you. Seriously, don’t be too extreme.
“Lin Chuan’s sacrifice was really heroic, I know, but that doesn’t mean that his thoughts were not problematic. In truth, most of the powerful fighters in Dragon City are pretty good. After they get cultivation resources, they fight for Dragon City with everything they have, including me. When I want to earn money, I earn it, but when I need to risk my life, I risk it. Don’t you agree?
“Due to his personal experiences, Lin Chuan got himself stuck in his thoughts, though he managed to see light in the end. Don’t be influenced by him and take things too hard!”
Meng Chao thought about it and said, “I admit that most of the superhumans in Dragon City, including the Deity Realm fighters who fought their way here from the dark ages, are all heroes… including you, Mr. Hu.
“But what about their children, grandchildren, and greatgranchildren? If the distance in power between powerful fighters and the weak keeps becoming wider, I think that in less than a few decades, Dragon City will become completely different, and by then, even if we want to change, it’ll be too late!”
“That’s something that will happen decades later. Who would think so far ahead? We might have already conquered the Other World by then or cleared the way back to Earth.” Qin Hu laughed. “Besides, there are plenty of higher ups who are really smart in Dragon City. They will think of these problems and deal with them accordingly. No matter what, these are not things that a newbie like you should worry about.”
“Do you think that I’m overestimating myself and entertaining groundless fears?”
“A little. But that’s normal. All youngsters are like that. When I was young, I was worried about everything like you as well.” Qin Hu grinned. “Haven’t you heard of this joke before? Teenagers think of the fate of the universe, the meaning of civilization, and the future of Earth.
“Young adults wonder about whether the country will fall and Dragon City’s war strategies. Adults in their thirties wonder about how they can get rich overnight and marry rich so that they can become presidents of companies. When they’re in their forties… Ha! All they think about is how to live a comfortable life or just get by. That is enough.
“Trust me, you’re still young. You just lost the status of a normal person not long ago, and you’re yet to get used to the world of superhumans. You haven’t been beaten down by society, which is why you’re going through all these conflicts. You still want to save normal people to satisfy your cheap hero complex.
“Once you’re at my age, you’ll understand that it’s pretty good if a person can take care of themselves and their family. As for those normal people who have nothing to do with us, they should just do their best to save themselves so that they can be happy!”
Meng Chao stared at Qin Hu for a while and shook his head. He said seriously, “No, even if I reach your age, I won’t become like you.”
“It’s fine. We’ll see about that.” Qin Hu shrugged. “In any case, you gained the most benefits from the Red Radiance Jade mine explosion. Lu Siya and the other forces of power will definitely regard you even higher than before. They will continue pouring investments on you, and you’ll definitely be able to reach higher heights easily. It will be easy for you to stand out!
“So, if you have any good projects that will lead to good money or can help me get famous, you can come to me. If you want to do business or something else, I will definitely help you.
“As for the other stuff… like helping normal people, rebuilding elementary schools, rivaling the wealthy and powerful mega corporations, destroying the scheme hidden behind the White Spirit, or all the other thankless tasks, I will support you in spirit!”
Meng Chao frowned again. “I really don’t get it. You seem to have a lot of biased opinions about normal people.
“I don’t have any prejudice against the normal people who work hard, but those normal people are the ones who usually become superhumans.” Qin Hu pursed his lips. “In the past, I had nothing in my hands. After eating lunch, I might not have dinner. I had no money in my pockets. But even if I started empty-handed, I became someone at the peak of Earth Realm… No, now, I’ll even reach Heaven Realm soon!
“Since I could do it, why can’t the normal people you mentioned do it? They’re either stupid, lazy, or stupid AND lazy. Hmph, I’ve seen plenty of such people in the past. They don’t work hard, and when they’re on the battlefield, they only know how to cry. When I became a superhuman, they came to guilt trip me and shamelessly said things like ‘the stronger you are, the greater your responsibility becomes.’ All of them wanted to trick me into working for them!”
Meng Chao could not help but say, “Mr. Hu, your situation in the past is different from the situation at present. In the past, Dragon City was in chaos, and even though there were dangers everywhere, there were also fortuitous chances everywhere. As long as someone was brave and willing to risk their life, it was easy for them to get cultivation resources.
“But no matter how hard the current youngsters work, if they don’t have a good father—”
“Hold the phone. You’re talking about an important point here. It’s their problem for not having a good father, right? That’s not my fault, I’m not their father!”
Qin Hu interrupted Meng Chao and stuck out his thumb to jab his chest. “I only believe in one thing. I relied on my abilities and risked my life to earn my money, strength, and status. I earned everything I have through upright and honest methods, so my wife and children can enjoy life however they want.
“If the normal people find it an eyesore, they can work hard and learn from us. They can go to the underground to explore it, fight against fierce monsters there, then run while they have a spirit energy tsunami hot on their tails. They can work hard in the caves.
“But if they’re lazy, stupid, and afraid of death, then there’s nothing they can do, right? They can only be normal people their entire lives and live through their tedious existence. This world is just that normal, hahahaha!”
Qin Hu threw his head back and laughed.
His legs were outside the medical cabin and he swung them.
At that moment, a few people in white coats entered through the door.
“Doctor, how’s my situation?” Meng Chao could not be bothered to continue talking rubbish with Qin Hu, so he stood up from the medical cabin.
“Meng Chao, you’re in very good condition.” A doctor in white smiled. “The activity of your cells and your spirit energy value have all gone over the normal values for Spirit Transformation Realm by a large degree. Also, we noticed that you have hundreds of branch meridians, dozens of main meridians, and most important of all, one of the dragon meridians surrounding your spine that are showing signs of crystallization. That’s what we call crystal meridians.
“This is a very rare condition. You have fully recovered and can resume training or fighting at any moment. I believe that you will shine brilliantly into the near future!”
Meng Chao released a long breath. “Thank you, doctor.”
The doctor waved his hand and turned away from him.
Qin Hu longed to hear such things as well, so he asked eagerly, “What about me, doctor? This b— kid will soon shine, so when can I recover and train? Have I already reached Heaven Realm? Why do I feel like my limbs are still numb and my joints are stiff even though I’ve stayed in the medical cabin for so long?
“It’s like there’s something blocking my nerves, so I can’t bring out any of my strength, even though I’m filled with strength. Is this a normal phenomenon for those who reached Heaven Realm? Or did I become one of those legendary Heaven Realm superhumans?”
“Um…” The doctors looked at each other with troubled expressions.
“Mr. Qin, calm down, take a deep breath, and try to relax as much as possible. This is your current situation…” one of the doctors said. “You should know that cultivation is not you crudely sucking in a large amount of spirit energy and turning it into fighting power and your cultivation base, right?
“It’s just like how you’re not supposed to eat too much high-calorie food in one go. If you ignore the limits of what you can digest and absorb, you end up with indigestion or your stomach or intestines rupturing.
“You absorbed a lot of Red Radiance Jade and Blue Origin Crystal energy when the spirit energy tsunami charged at you. That energy has filled up every part of your meridians.
“But you were heavily injured at that time, and your organs had nearly collapsed. The activity in your cells was also at its lowest. That’s why you didn’t manage to absorb the spirit energy. Instead, it crystalized in your body… and completely blocked up your meridians.
“That’s why, over the past few days, you have been feeling that your limbs are numb, your joints are stiff, and you can’t bring out your strength even though you’re filled with it.
“Based on the examinations and estimates we made, your body is currently only slightly stronger than that of a normal person. Regardless of whether we take your mobility or fighting strength… you’re not that different from a normal powerful human.”
Qin Hu’s smile stiffened up.
“Wh-What do you mean?” he stuttered. “I’m not highly educated, so I don’t understand all your professional jargon. Doctor, just tell me when I can go back to training and reach Heaven Realm!”
The doctors looked at each other again.
“It’s very hard to tell. We’ve never met anyone with conditions like yours, Meng Chao, and Ms. Lu, and you’re the one with the most problematic situation among all of you,” the doctor said tentatively. “We don’t know how to dissolve the stagnant spirit energy in your body. With Dragon City’s current medical standards, all the extreme treatments might end up with your body going through a mini Red Radiance Jade energy explosion. It’ll result in you going through spirit energy deviation and exploding.
“So, our suggestion is that you wait calmly for a period of time. The stagnant spirit energy might end up dissolving on its own under the vibrations from your vitality magnetic field. At that time, not only will you be able to reach Heaven Realm in one go, you might also become a five-star superhuman in one breath and witness a miracle!
Qin Hu scratched his beard. “How long is this ‘period of time’?”
“If we’re being optimistic, it might dissolve on its own in three-five days, and you’ll reach Heaven Realm.”
“And if we’re not being optimistic?”
“If we’re not being optimistic, it might take three-five months, a year, or even three-five years.”
“Three-five years? You might as well say that it’ll take one hundred years!”
“There’s a possibility that you’ll need one hundred years too.”
“…”
“Mr. Qin? Mr. Qin, are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine. Doctor, let’s talk about the worst possible scenario. What if the stagnant spirit energy doesn’t dissolve in one hundred years? What will happen to me?”
“It’s nothing major. It should not be life-threatening. At worst, you won’t be able to use your supernatural abilities and will remain a normal person for the rest of your life.”