124: Chapter 124 A twenty-nine-year-old Golden Core cultivator, here we go: I'll be your backer!

The light screen suddenly went out.

The secret room returned to deathly silence.

Shen Ji sat cross-legged in the darkness. All the memories, insights, and combat experience from the sixty-two-year-old version in the simulation washed over and settled into the soul of his twenty-nine-year-old self.

The mutual destruction between the blazing flames and Han Ji in the end wasn't a retreat; it was a sacrifice.

This death had bought him the trump card to flip the table.

The moment he completely digested the intelligence, the system's cold notification sounded in his mind with a boom.

[— — Settlement Reward (I) — —]

[Cultivation Inheritance: Foundation Building Stage 4 → Mid Golden Core Stage.]

[Synchronization starting!]

There was no warning!

A spiritual force far exceeding the Foundation Building stage turned into thousands of steel needles, brutally piercing into his soul!

Boom — —!

Shen Ji's body was slammed violently against the stone wall behind him by a massive force, emitting a dull thud.

Excruciating pain!

His meridians were tearing inch by inch!

And then forcibly reshaped!

Then torn again!

Every inch of flesh and every bone groaned under the burning and forging of this power.

But deep within this extreme pain, a boundless power was frantically surging!

Inside his Dantian, the original glazed spiritual force was burned away by a divine fire, and a pure golden color exploded outward!

"Crack — —"

Inside his sea of consciousness, that indestructible Golden Core barrier shattered at the sound!

All the spiritual force poured backward, frantically collapsing and compressing toward his Dantian!

An illusory pill outline emerged, then rapidly solidified, shining with brilliant golden light.

Boom!

The pill formed, emitting a low vibration that shook his soul.

Early-stage Golden Core!

But this was just the beginning!

The subsequent flood of spiritual force followed immediately, unreasonably pouring in!

Mid Golden Core Stage!

Shen Ji supported himself with one hand, his fingers actually gouging into the hard bluestone floor, leaving five deep marks.

That newborn Golden Core pulsed steadily within his Dantian.

Every beat branded the profound foundation of the "Mid Golden Core Stage" deep into his limbs and bones.

After an unknown amount of time, that violent power finally subsided.

He sat in place, able to clearly hear his heart beating like a war drum, filled with explosive power.

Twenty-nine years old, Mid Golden Core Stage.

In Yunzhou City, and even the surrounding major sects, which of those Golden Core old monsters worshipped as living ancestors wasn't hundreds of years old?

Now, he was the youngest and strongest in this region.

The light screen lit up again, pulling out a long list of traits.

[— — Settlement Reward (II) — —]

[A total of 33 new traits were obtained in this simulation: 4 Purple, 11 Blue, 13 Green, 5 White. 7 duplicates, 26 inherited in total!]

[Thirteen Gale Strikes (Purple) — — Equipped.]

[Instant Deduction (Purple) — — In storage.]

[Sword Dao Insight (Purple) — — Equipped.]

[Shift Image (Purple) — — In storage.]

[...]

[Currently equipped traits 8/8: Wealth Returns After Being Spent (Gold), Supreme Sword Bone (Gold), Phantom Raid (Purple), Thirteen Gale Strikes (Purple), Sword Dao Insight (Purple), Toxin-Filtering Iron Stomach (Green), Self-Lubricating Spirit Veins (Blue), Greased Soles (White).]

[— — Extra Reward — —]

[Reward: Trait replacement cooldown adjusted to 300 breaths.]

[Detected that the host participated in the Nascent Soul battlefield with Golden Core strength, reward Luck Value + 12.]

[Current Luck Value: 141.]

[Settlement complete.]

The light screen extinguished.

Shen Ji slowly raised his hand, spreading his fingers.

A wisp of pure golden spiritual force flowed in his palm, condensed and heavy, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.

He stood up and pushed the door open.

It was time to arrange his retreat.

Hu Wansan, who was guarding the outer room, heard the door open and immediately sprang up from his chair.

But when he saw Shen Ji, his entire being seemed to have his throat strangled; his body, which had just stood up, went limp, and if he hadn't gripped the edge of the table tightly, he would have collapsed.

The boss in front of him was still the same boss.

But in Hu Wansan's perception, a terrifying beast capable of swallowing the heavens and earth lay dormant beneath that restrained aura!

Just standing there made his soul tremble!

"Bo- Boss..."

"Sit."

Shen Ji sat down opposite him, his tone as usual.

"Old Hu."

Hu Wansan sat down stiffly, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

"Starting from today, you are the boss of this shop."

Hu Wansan looked up abruptly, his mouth opening and closing, unable to say a word.

"Purchasing, pricing, accounts, it's all up to you."

Shen Ji looked at him, "I trust your ability to do business. The road I have to walk in the future is still long, so I leave the home front entirely to you."

A surge of warmth suddenly dispelled the fear in the depths of Hu Wansan's heart.

His eyes grew hot, and without asking a single useless question, he just nodded heavily as if betting everything.

"Alright!"

Shen Ji handed over a message jade slip.

"Call me if something big happens; make your own decisions for small matters."

Hu Wansan received it with both hands and solemnly tucked it away.

"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."

— —

Yunlai Inn, second-floor private room.

Ji Mengxue was using a sandalwood wolf-hair brush to reconcile accounts with undivided attention.

The door was pushed open.

"Manager Ji."

Ji Mengxue looked up, putting on a businesswoman's familiar smile: "Shopkeeper Shen, what a rare guest to grace us with your presence."

In her eyes, Shen Ji was a businessman with sharp vision, huge potential, and high cultivation, worth deepening ties with.

Shen Ji didn't beat around the bush; he sat down at the table and placed his right hand directly on it.

There were no flashy moves.

A mass of pure, golden Golden Core essence energy calmly appeared in his palm.

"Hum — —"

A metallic trembling sound rang out in the private room.

The teacups on the table silently cracked with fine spiderweb patterns.

The smile on Ji Mengxue's face froze instantly.

Her mind went "hum" and turned blank.

Golden Core... Essence?!

This wasn't a disguise!

Not a magical artifact!

This was the genuine essence power of a Golden Core True Person!

"Snap!"

The sandalwood brush handle in her hand was snapped by an unconscious massive force!

Dark ink splashed all over her hands, but she didn't notice at all.

Fear?

No!

Half a breath later, it was fanaticism!

A fanaticism a thousand times more intense instantly crushed her reason!

A heaven-sent opportunity!

It was the biggest gamble of Ji Mengxue's life!

She stood up abruptly, her body out of control due to excessive excitement, knocking over the grand armchair behind her.

But she acted as if she hadn't heard it, scrambling out from behind the desk.

At a distance of three steps from Shen Ji, with a "thud," her knees hit the ground heavily, her forehead pressed tightly against the cold floor!

The title of "Manager" was stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken.

She bit the tip of her tongue hard, trading extreme pain for a trace of clarity, her voice trembling with fanaticism, carrying extreme respect.

"This humble one, Ji Mengxue, pays respects to True Person Shen!"

Shen Ji retracted his fingers, and the golden light faded.

"Shens Spirit Material Shop will be fully managed by Hu Wansan from now on. If he needs anything in business, Manager Ji should cooperate fully."

He looked at the woman prostrate on the ground, not daring to even lift her head, his tone calm.

"I am his backer."

Backer.

Ji Mengxue shook violently.

These two words were heavier than any threat or promise.

She didn't care about the overturned chair or the soiled ledger, quickly adjusting her posture to prostrate with the most humble attitude, her voice resolute.

"True Person, rest assured! From today on, Manager Hu's business is my business! I will exhaust everything I have, without a single word of complaint!"

Shen Ji nodded and left.

Hu Wansan followed behind, looking at his boss's back, his eyes turning red again.

Shen Ji walked to the door, didn't stop, and left behind three words.

"Take care of yourself."

— —

February 12th, night was approaching.

Outside Yunzhou City, a brilliant golden rainbow tore through the clouds, fast as lightning, heading straight south.

A Golden Core cultivator, walking through the void with their physical body!

Shen Ji stood in the high sky with his hands behind his back, his protective spiritual force isolating the gale.

His target for this trip was a Nascent Soul expert's relic located six hundred miles south of the Tianxuan Sect, deep in the desolate mountains.

There, he would find the Grade 5 flying sword he had used in the simulation — the Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword.

Relying on the memories from the simulation, he found the entrance to the relic with ease.

It was a dilapidated mountain gate shrouded in powerful restrictions, hidden among the desolate mountains.

With his Mid Golden Core Stage cultivation and the [Eye of Array Breaking], the restrictions here were nothing more than slightly complex locks in his eyes.

Shen Ji decisively opened the system panel and swapped the traits most suitable for clearing the secret realm.

[Name: Shen Ji]

[Cultivation: Mid Golden Core Stage]

[Current Luck Value: 141]

[Currently equipped traits 8/8: Wealth Returns After Being Spent (Gold), Supreme Sword Bone (Gold), Phantom Raid (Purple), Thirteen Gale Strikes (Purple), Sword Dao Insight (Purple), Shift Image (Purple), Iron-Walled Mind (Blue), Eye of Array Breaking (Blue)]

Without hesitation, Shen Ji activated [Eye of Array Breaking], and the formation restrictions at the entrance of the secret realm shattered instantly.

A dazzling light screen appeared before his eyes.

Shen Ji took a quick step and stepped directly into the light screen!