1: Chapter 1 The Last Mortal

The lights in the corridor outside the Intensive Care Unit were a pallid, dismal white.

Lin Yuan leaned against the cold wall, clutching a thin notice of critical illness that felt as heavy as Mount Tai. "Acute Myeloid Leukemia"—those three words were like red-hot iron brands seared into his retinas. His sister, Lin Wei, was only sixteen. Chemotherapy had already stripped away her beautiful hair, and now even the last targeted drug had been declared ineffective.

The attending physician's words still echoed in his ears: "...Unless there's a miracle, or you find 'Spirit Marrow.'"

'Spirit Marrow' was the most precious medical resource in the era of Spirit Qi Awakening. Produced in the Kunlun Secret Realm, it was a commodity with a price but no supply. On the black market, Lin Yuan had to count the zeros behind the price per gram three times just to be sure. Even if he sold himself along with the old house his parents left behind, he couldn't even scrape together a fraction of the cost.

He closed his eyes, and his sister's weak yet smiling voice seemed to ring in his ears again: "Brother, it's okay. I heard that praying to the gods is very effective now. Why don't you go pray to the God of Wealth?"

Pray to the gods?

A bitter arc tugged at the corner of Lin Yuan's mouth. Indeed, in the tenth year of the Spirit Qi Awakening, myths had been confirmed, and the heavens full of gods and Buddhas had returned. But what did that have to do with a mortal like him? The queue in front of the Temple of the God of Wealth could stretch beyond the Third Ring Road, and a single stick of "High Incense" was priced in the five figures. The meager faith and offerings of ordinary people might not even trigger a system notification for a deity.

He was just an ordinary financial analyst, skilled at analyzing K-line charts, evaluating corporate financial reports, and searching for fleeting arbitrage opportunities in a sea of data. Once, he thought that by relying on his own intellect and hard work, he could hold up a piece of the sky for his sister in this new era. Now, that sky was about to collapse.

"Make way, make way! Everyone move!"

A flurry of hurried footsteps and clamor interrupted his despair. Several people wearing expensive custom suits, with faint flows of light swirling around them, rushed over surrounding a stretcher. On the bed lay an elderly man whose face was a sickly gold and purple, his breath as thin as a thread. The medical staff acted as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

"It's Chairman Wang from the 'Dingsheng Group'! I heard he suffered a cultivation deviation and damaged his Nascent Soul!"

"Quickly, invite Divine Physician Liu from 'Spring Return Valley'! No, contact the Human World Office of the Great Emperor of Verdant Radiance and Longevity at 'Miaoyan Palace' directly! Money is no object!"

Amidst the commotion, Lin Yuan saw someone who looked like an assistant lift an emerald-inlaid jade tablet and whisper urgently into the air: "...Yes, activate the emergency faith channel. Apply for the usage rights of the 'Nectar Universal Salvation' divine ability of the 'Great Emperor of Verdant Radiance and Longevity.' Deduct the faith points from our company's public account. Immediately! Now!"

As soon as the words fell, a hazy, life-filled pillar of cyan-green light seemed to pierce through the hospital ceiling, precisely enveloping Chairman Wang. The gold and purple on the old man's face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his breathing became steady and strong.

A chorus of low gasps of wonder and envious sobs echoed in the corridor.

Lin Yuan watched silently. These were the rules of the new era: money, power, and a sufficient weight of "faith points" could buy direct intervention from the gods—the right to extend one's life. And he had nothing.

He turned, wanting to return to his sister's ward to look at her one last time.

However, a figure silently blocked his path.

It was a man in his thirties wearing an exceptionally well-tailored charcoal-grey suit. His smile was as standard as if measured with a ruler, but the gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses was as sharp as a falcon's. He held a tablet computer in his hand, its screen displaying complex flowing data curves.

"Mr. Lin Yuan?" The man's voice was gentle yet possessed an undeniable penetration. "A pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My surname is Zhao, Zhao Wuyong, Senior Manager of the Divinity Investment Department at Lingxiao Capital. Perhaps we can talk about how to save your sister."

Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.