13: Are you teaching me a lesson?

Dragon Perch Residence, one hundred meters underground, private high-tech laboratory.

The space here was grander than any hall above ground, filled with a cold, ultimate sense of future technology. There was not a trace of Spiritual Qi in the air; instead, it was pure, sterile air, filtered over a hundred times.

In the center of the laboratory, Lin Tian floated in mid-air with his eyes closed. There were no energy fluctuations around him, yet he exuded an invisible force field that seemed to control everything.

Around him, hundreds of miniature robotic arms, each no bigger than a fingernail, were performing dazzlingly precise operations at a speed that surpassed the limits of human neural response. At times, they welded energy circuits thinner than hair, like threading a needle, and at other times, they acted like the most delicate surgical scalpels, performing molecular-level cutting and recombination on a suspended alien beast genetic sample.

Each of these hundreds of robotic arms was executing completely different and highly complex instructions, yet they cooperated seamlessly, collectively assembling an extremely intricate miniature energy core.

This was the Cultivation method of the S-rank Mental Secret Art—"Soul Forge."

It did not strengthen Mental Energy through meditation, but rather through this extreme multi-threaded, ultra-precise manipulation to temper the "quality" of Mental Energy, refining it into a Divine Thought that was as precise, resilient, and omnipotent as a god's.

If any Mental Energy Great Master were here, they would likely suffer from a splitting headache and mental collapse just by controlling three robotic arms simultaneously.

Yet, Lin Tian controlled hundreds, still with ease and a calm expression.

This was the terrifying effect produced when the Heaven-Defying Soul talent brought by the Pangu Body combined with top-tier secret arts... Meanwhile, at the Huaxia Long Family's exclusive interstellar landing pad in Yanjing Headquarters.

A limited edition anti-gravity sports car, with sleek lines, entirely crafted from rare memory metal, and worth enough to buy an entire district of Jiangnan City, slowly descended under the guidance of its intelligent System.

The cabin door opened, and a pair of long, beautiful legs, perfectly curved to a breathtaking degree, encased in top-tier handmade black silk, stepped out first.

Immediately after, Su Mucheng's exquisitely beautiful face, enough to drive any man mad, appeared in Yanjing's slightly dry air.

She looked up at the magnificent headquarters base before her, which seemed to have walked out of a sci-fi movie and pierced the clouds, and even her beautiful eyes, which usually captivated all, couldn't help but flash with a deep sense of shock.

Is this the tip of the iceberg of the power possessed by the Huaxia Long Family, this behemoth that stands at the pinnacle of the world?

Compared to this, her proudly acclaimed Su Group Headquarters Building seemed like a three-story country villa.

Behind her, four burly bodyguards with bulging temples were equally awed by the sight before them, unconsciously tightening their grip on the weapons at their waists.

"Welcome, Ms. Su Mucheng," a reception staff member in a black suit with a capable demeanor, who had been waiting there, said with a professional smile, "Please follow me, Your Excellency, number zero heir, is waiting for you."

However, on the way to the reception room, Su Mucheng, this proud daughter of heaven who commanded influence in Jiangnan City and was revered by countless people, felt an unprecedented sense of being disrespected and offended.

At the first checkpoint to enter the base, she and her four bodyguards were subjected to three extremely strict biometric scans, from irises to genetic sequences, with nothing omitted.

Next, her four Grandmaster-level bodyguards were required to surrender all their weapons, including the toxic capsules hidden in their teeth, and were left in the outer reception area.

Finally, even she herself was scanned from head to toe by a precise instrument. Only after confirming that she had no listening, recording, or offensive devices on her was she allowed to enter the core reception area.

This series of procedures, though polite, was filled with an unquestionable assertiveness.

The pride belonging to a proud daughter of heaven in Su Mucheng's heart was stung. She suppressed her displeasure and followed behind the reception staff, her heart growing colder...

In a top-floor reception room with a minimalist decor that subtly revealed luxury beyond monetary value, Su Mucheng finally met the legendary "number zero heir."

The moment she saw Lin Tian, even though she was mentally prepared, her breathing couldn't help but hitch.

He was a thirteen-year-old boy, dressed in simple white casual clothes, casually leaning on a sofa, reading an ancient paper book.

His features were so handsome that he didn't resemble a Mortal, as if he were the most perfect work of art sculpted by a god with utmost care. His black eyes were as deep as if they contained the entire starry sky; looking into them, it felt as though one's Soul would be drawn in.

On him, there was a composure and indifference, like an ancient divine abyss, completely incongruous with his astonishingly handsome appearance and his seemingly tender age.

What a… peerless Young Man!

Su Mucheng's mind was momentarily dazed.

But she quickly composed herself, forcing herself to calm down. In her heart, her previous judgment became even more firm.

"Indeed... he's a peerless young man spoiled by his Family, only knowing how to indulge in pleasure. Three hundred billion, what a grand gesture, just to buy my submission and satisfy his perverse possessiveness?"

Thinking this, the hint of awe in her heart was instantly replaced by deep disgust and disdain.

Lin Tian put down his book, gestured for Long Ling'er to serve tea to the guest, then went straight to the point, asking in a calm voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation:

"Young Miss Su, tell me about your trouble."

Facing this direct question, Su Mucheng did not immediately begin her prepared, tearful plea.

Instead, she picked up the teacup, took an elegant sip, and adopted a reserved and arrogant posture, seemingly trying to gain some initiative in this "transaction."

Lin Tian watched her demeanor, raised an eyebrow slightly, and without urging, simply asked, "Why should I help you?"

Here it comes!

Su Mucheng sneered inwardly, knowing the main topic had arrived. She put down the teacup, straightened her proud chest, which was enough to make any man's Bloodline surge, and presented her well-prepared, supposedly flawless argument.

"Your Excellency Lin Tian, I believe you are clearer than I am that the Su Group's crisis is not just a corporate crisis."

Her voice carried a deliberately cultivated, compassionate tone.

"Given your status and the Long Family's power, saving the Su Group is merely a matter of lifting a finger. But this simple act of lifting a finger will save not only a company but also a spark that Huaxia has painstakingly ignited in the field of cutting-edge bio-genetics! It will also save the livelihoods of tens of thousands of families behind the tens of thousands of employees under the Su Group!"

She stood up, walked to the French window, looked at the city below, which resembled matchboxes, and spread her arms, raising her voice in a tone that was almost preachy and self-righteous.

"With great power comes great responsibility!"

"As one of the world's top powerhouses, do you not believe that protecting our own Huaxia industries and providing a haven for these ordinary families is your... social responsibility?"

Her words were impassioned and righteous.

She cleverly tied her Family's commercial interests to grand concepts like "national righteousness" and "social responsibility," attempting to morally blackmail the legendary being before her.

After speaking, she turned around and looked at Lin Tian with a scrutinizing and expectant gaze, awaiting his "enlightenment."

However, facing her self-righteous "sermon," Lin Tian's face showed none of the agreement or guilt she had anticipated, not even a hint of emotion.

He smiled.

He leaned on the soft sofa, his slender fingers gently tapping his knee, a playful curve on his lips, as if watching a comical performance.

He looked at Su Mucheng's face, which was full of "righteousness," and found it amusing.

"Interesting."

"You want me to do something for you, but you want to give me a moral lesson first?"