79: Arrival in Lhasa

Jiang Yuan took out the drone and gently pushed the joystick.

As a buzzing sound arose, the drone whistled out of the cliff and hovered over the lake surface.

The images relayed back on the monitor were enough to take any visual enthusiast's breath away.

He controlled the drone to perform a set of high-difficulty traversing camera movements.

The lens skimmed rapidly across the turbulent lake surface, then suddenly pulled up, passed through the stone gate, and shot straight into the sky.

The magnificent feeling of that God's-eye view instantly made one feel as small as a speck of dust.

Retracting the drone, he switched to the nikon z9.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, the sound of the shutter clicks rose and fell.

Every photo not only captured the light and shadow but also the sound of the wind and the heartbeat of the moment.

After taking the last shot, Jiang Yuan put down the camera, rested his hands on the railing, and quietly looked into the distance.

The wind messed up his hair, but it couldn't disturb the calm in his eyes.

Along this journey, from the Sea of Clouds at Mount Tai to the snow of Changbai Mountain, and from the human activity in Western Sichuan to the wilderness of Northern Tibet.

He suddenly understood the true meaning of the ancient saying: “Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.”

Wealth was merely confidence, but the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas before him were the true dividends granted by life.

This kind of spiritual cleansing and enlightenment couldn't be bought with billions in savings.

Just as he was immersed in his own world, a slightly reserved voice came from behind him.

“Um... excuse me, Handsome Guy?”

Jiang Yuan turned his head.

It was a group of young men and Girls, who, judging by their attire, seemed to be college students on a graduation trip.

Their faces were slightly red from the high-altitude UV rays. They held phones and an entry-level mirrorless camera, their eyes showing clear foolishness and anticipation.

“Could we trouble you to take a group photo for us? Our tripod broke.”

One of the Girls pointed to the “very expensive” camera hanging around Jiang Yuan's neck and said, slightly embarrassed.

“Sure.”

Jiang Yuan didn't refuse and casually took their mirrorless camera.

“Come on, step back a little. Don't block the Elephant Trunk.”

“The guy in the middle, squat down slightly.”

“Yes, just like that. Say 'Cheese'.”

He gave a few simple instructions: composition, focus, press the shutter.

Relying on his top-tier Photographer's intuition, he could instantly capture the best light, shadow, and expressions, even with an unfamiliar camera.

“Done.”

Jiang Yuan handed the camera back to them.

The group huddled together to look at the screen and immediately let out gasps of surprise.

“Holy crap! The composition is amazing!”

“That's incredible! It looks better than everything we've shot so far!”

“Handsome Guy, you must be a professional Photographer, right?”

Facing their flattery, Jiang Yuan simply smiled faintly and waved his hand.

“Just a quick shot. Enjoy your trip.”

After speaking, he didn't linger, turning and walking toward the brabus parked in the distance.

“Hey! Thank you!”

The sound of thanks behind him was scattered by the wind.

Jiang Yuan pulled open the car door and returned to the constant-temperature, comfortable cockpit.

Start the engine, shift gears, step on the gas.

The white off-road vehicle kicked up a cloud of dust and drove away from this divine land.

Next stop, Lhasa.

As the last ray of sunset disappeared below the horizon, the surrounding scenery gradually began to show signs of human life.

Traffic on the road increased, and the signs on the road markers became clearer.

Finally, as night completely fell.

Jiang Yuan drove across the Lhasa River Bridge.

On the Red Hill in the distance, a magnificent red and white palace shone brightly under the illumination of lights.

The Potala Palace.

That monument of faith, standing tall on the Roof of the World, suddenly and unexpectedly burst into view.

Jiang Yuan slowed down the car, looked at the palace, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Lhasa, I've arrived.”

But this was not the end; it was the starting point of his life.

Just then, the system prompt sound, which had been silent the entire way, suddenly exploded in his mind.

Without any warning, a series of crisp notification sounds struck like a barrage of cannon fire.

[Ding! Detected Host has completed the phase long-distance crossing.]

[Check-in locations being tallied... Seda (Completed), Mount Sap (Completed), Namtso (Completed), Lhasa (Completed).]

[In view of Host's perfect performance, all rewards are being issued concurrently, resulting in a critical hit effect!]

Jiang Yuan felt the data stream in front of his eyes refreshing wildly.

[Reward 1: Cash 10,000,000,000.00 RMB (Fund source legalized, no risk).]

[Reward 2: Doomsday-Class Heavy Armored RV (System Modified/Street Legal Edition) x1 (Already parked in a nearby parking lot at the Host's current location).]

[Reward 3: Top-Tier All-Round Mastery (Includes max level in all known human skills such as language, combat, survival, driving, and medicine).]

[Reward 4: Pilgrim's Blessing (Passive Skill: Affinity with All Things, allowing barrier-free telepathic communication with any creature).]

[Reward 5: Pure Water x1 bottle (1000 drops. Effect: One drop can cure all physical illnesses/hidden injuries, reviving the dead and regenerating flesh and bone).]

Before Jiang Yuan could fully digest this wave of nation-level wealth and god-tier items.

A line of blood-red characters on his retina caused his pupils to shrink suddenly.

[Special Ultimate Challenge Quest Issued: Above the Summit]

[Quest Description: Strictly forbidden to carry ice axes, ice shoes (crampons), or auxiliary ropes. Limited to solo, unassisted free climbing, without supplemental oxygen, to the summit of Mount Everest.]

[Time Limit: 30 days.]

[Quest Rewards:]

1. Peak Human Body (Breaking the genetic lock, surpassing the limits of carbon-based life forms).

2. Revival Coin x9 (Full state resurrection on the spot after death, no side effects).

3. Holy Water of Immortality x1 (Eternal life).

4. Cash 30,000,000,000.00 RMB.]

Jiang Yuan took a deep breath of the thin, cool air of Lhasa, and his heart pounded violently a few times.

This set of rewards was indeed a bit too “over the top.”

No wonder the system had played dead the entire trip; it was holding back for something big here.

While the ten billion in cash was shocking, it seemed the most “unassuming” compared to the subsequent rewards.

What truly set his heart ablaze was that special quest.

Solo, unassisted, one ice axe to climb Mount Everest.

To ordinary people, this was a suicidal act with a zero chance of survival, but to him, possessing “Constitution 80” and “All-Round Mastery,” it wasn't impossible.

Success would mean achieving true transcendence and becoming a sage.

Nine Revival Coins, plus the Holy Water of Immortality.

This wasn't just having nine lives; it meant achieving eternal life.

Faced with such temptation, let alone Mount Everest, he would venture through a mountain of knives and a sea of fire.

Fortunately, there was a one-month time limit, and it was still a distance to Mount Everest Base Camp, so there was no need to rush.

Just as Jiang Yuan was calculating the quest details.

The phone resting on the center console started vibrating wildly.

The screen lit up, and a message from Gu Xinyu popped up. Her panic was palpable even through the screen.

“Brother Jiang!!!”

Clearly, as the person responsible for managing some of his finances—his partner—the sudden appearance of an astronomical sum in the account had terrified her.

After all, one billion and ten billion are concepts of entirely different dimensions.

The former is a rich man; the latter is capital.