48: Before the ceremony begins

Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh as he watched his sister's triumphant expression, as if she had accomplished something monumental.

"Yes, our Yao Yao is the best."

The siblings followed the crowd and entered the campus they hadn't seen in five years.

The large sports field, the rostrum, and the black Awakening Stone, taller than a person, in the center.

Everything was so familiar, so familiar that Lin Yu felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had only left yesterday.

The sports field had already been divided into areas by class, densely packed with students. Below the rostrum were rows of seats, filled with parents who had come to observe the ceremony.

And on the rostrum, the front-row seats were reserved for VIPs.

Leaders from the City Education Bureau, the school administration of Linzhou No. 1 High School, and some well-dressed, distinguished men and women.

They all wore various badges on their chests.

Those were the emblems of major enterprises, top universities, and powerful guilds.

They were there to "recruit people."

Every year, the Professional Awakening Day was a talent war without gunpowder. A promising talent was enough to make these major powers fight tooth and nail.

"Brother, look! First row of the rostrum!" Lin Yao excitedly tugged at Lin Yu's sleeve, lowering her voice, "That middle-aged man in the blue suit with slicked-back hair, do you see him?"

Lin Yu looked in the direction she pointed.

The man was chatting and laughing with the City Education Bureau leader beside him, his demeanor calm, clearly indicating his high status.

On his chest, he wore a silver, wing-shaped badge.

Fengxing Technology.

One of Ninghai Province's three major potion manufacturers.

And one of the targets Lin Yu planned to strike in his current scheme.

"His name is Feng Rui, and he's the Vice President of Fengxing Technology," Lin Yao continued to whisper, providing information. "I heard his son, Feng Siyuan, is also in our graduating class and is awakening today. He's here today for both business and personal reasons—to recruit talent for the company and to see his son."

Lin Yu nodded.

So that's how it was.

No wonder he could sit at the same table as the city leaders.

Just then, the man named Feng Rui seemed to sense something, and his phone vibrated.

He picked up his phone and glanced at it; the smile that had been on his face instantly froze for a moment, then transformed into a clear expression of disdain and contempt.

He quickly typed a reply on his phone, his brow slightly furrowed, seemingly very displeased with the sender of the message.

Lin Yu was too far away to see the content on the screen.

But he could guess.

The wind had already reached here... On the rostrum.

Feng Rui almost laughed out loud as he read the urgent message from his subordinate.

【President Feng, it's bad! A massive quantity of 'Windwalkers Breath potions' has suddenly appeared in the black markets of Ninghai Province's seven major cities! The quantity is unknown, but preliminary estimates suggest it's at least the total of our one-month shipment! And the price... the price is only half of ours!】

Massive quantity?

And only half the price?

Feng Rui's first reaction was: counterfeit.

Outright fakes!

Every year around Awakening Day, there would be these scammers, desperate for money, who would imitate their potions with inferior materials, trying to make a fortune on the black market.

But such scams only fooled newcomers who had no connections.

Any professional with a bit of insight wouldn't fall for it, would they?

Such a fuss over nothing.

His fingers quickly tapped on the screen.

【You bother me with such a small matter? Let the black market managers deal with it themselves.】

【Just a bunch of idiots driven mad by greed.】

As soon as the message was sent, the other party called directly.

Feng Rui frowned, glanced at the school leader who was smiling at him, nodded apologetically, got up, and walked to the corner of the rostrum before impatiently answering the phone.

"What is it! Didn't I say not to disturb me with such trivial matters!" His voice was very low but full of anger, "My son is awakening today; that's the big deal! Do you understand!"

The subordinate on the other end of the phone sounded anxious.

"President Feng! They're not fakes! Our people have already obtained samples, and after emergency appraisal, the efficacy... the efficacy is exactly the same as what we produce! In fact, the wind element energy inside is even purer than ours!"

"Impossible!"

Feng Rui denied it without even thinking.

His expression became somewhat distorted due to this certainty.

"Are you joking with me? What is the core material of the potion? It's wind element crystals! In the entire Ninghai Province, no, in the entire Eastern Theater Front of the Abyss Domain, over ninety percent of the channels for wind element crystals sent back are monopolized by our Fengxing Technology!"

"I know exactly how much stock I get each month! What are they using to make them? Air!"

This was his greatest confidence.

Technology could be cracked, formulas could be leaked.

But raw materials could not be conjured out of thin air.

Without enough wind element crystals, even with a formula given by an immortal, one couldn't produce a single qualified Windwalkers Breath potion.

Therefore, this was absolutely impossible!

"But President Feng, the fact is, it's happening! The black markets in seven cities are all stocking them simultaneously. This is definitely a premeditated attack! We must act immediately, otherwise..."

"Shut up!"

Feng Rui roughly interrupted his subordinate.

He felt his authority was being challenged.

"I'll say it again, those are absolutely fakes! They're using some method to temporarily simulate the illusion of wind element energy! After I'm done with my son's matter, I'll deal with you bunch of incompetents!"

With that, he hung up the phone directly, his face resuming its calm smile, and he walked back to his seat.

It was as if that phone call was just a harmless disturbance.

A clown's performance, unworthy of even a second of his attention... In the crowd on the sports field.

Lin Yu took in all of Feng Rui's subtle actions.

From his disdain upon seeing the message, to his anger when answering the phone, and then his arrogance after hanging up.

Everything was within his expectations.

Arrogance is the original sin.

Especially for a giant who has monopolized for too long and has forgotten the cruelty of the market.

They don't believe anyone can challenge their authority.

Even less do they believe anyone can overturn their card table.

Very good.

This is exactly how it should be.

By the time they truly react, the stock market avalanche will have already begun.

And he just needed to wait quietly, waiting for the moment of harvest.

"Brother, look at President Feng, his face looks so bad, did something happen at his company?" Lin Yao asked curiously.

"Maybe."

Lin Yu answered casually, refocusing his attention on the rostrum.

The Awakening Ceremony was about to officially begin.

Amidst a stirring piece of music, the Dean of Linzhou No. 1 High School walked onto the rostrum and began his annual routine speech.

It was nothing more than platitudes, encouraging students and looking to the future.

The students were drowsy, but the parents were all focused.