Oh No, You've Become Someone Else's Golden Finger
[With your Spirit Transformation cultivation, your Divine Sense is incredibly sharp; you knew him before even seeing his face.]
[The person who arrived wasn't Shen Yuerong.]
[But we're old acquaintances, Shen Silan.]
[In the third and fourth simulations, this Nascent Soul True Lord was a powerful backer of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association, someone you could only dream of. Now, he's just an ordinary figure before you.]
Shen Silan bowed to you and said,
"This fellow Daoist must be the expert who joined forces with Yuerong to orchestrate the Mystic Marrow Jade scheme a year ago?"
You nodded and asked,
"Shopkeeper Shen not in Qingyang City?"
[Shen Silan said,]
"The price of Mystic Marrow Jade has calmed down, and Yuerong sold off all her stock at the last peak. She not only fulfilled her fellow Daoist's request but also earned Nascent Soul resources for her to advance to the Nascent Soul stage."
"She originally intended to stay in the city to await her fellow Daoists' return, but a sudden fortuitous opportunity arose, so she returned to the Azure Great Dao Azure Dragon Upper Domain to cultivate in seclusion."
["Before leaving, she specifically handed over the matter to her fellow Daoist."]
You picked up your teacup, took a sip, and nodded to yourself.
[This Shen Yuerong is indeed a seed of Great Dao; she didn't covet power after getting the money, but instead turned to striving for her future. She didn't waste the brocade pouch you left her.]
Shen Silan took out a Spirit Stone bag.
"Fellow Daoist initially invested 3.5 million in principal. After deducting some losses incurred by the Chamber of Commerce, the total here is 41.2 million Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Please verify."
[You scanned the Storage Bag with your Divine Sense, and seeing the mountain of Spirit Stones inside, your breathing became much easier.]
Even the shadow of failing to snag a bargain in the Domain of Chaos was dispelled.
[Even though you are already a Spirit Transformation Divine Lord and Alchemy Master with a net worth of nearly 100 million, who could refuse an extra Forty Million out of nowhere?]
[You calmly put away your Storage Bag and handed Shen Silan Medicinal Ingredient List Jade Slip.]
[Naturally, it's still the usual sweeping up of Qi-Gathering Pills, Qi-Consolidating Pills, and other conventional medicinal materials.]
[After all, it will be another two years before the Little Toad can be self-sufficient.]
[Shen Silan took the list and glanced at it. Although surprised by your huge demand for low-grade medicinal herbs, she didn't ask any further questions and immediately sent a message to the warehouse to prepare the goods.]
[Two hours later, you walked out of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association with Storage Bag full of Qi-Gathering Pills, Qi-Consolidating Pills, and other medicinal herbs.]
Standing on the bustling streets of Qingyang City, you felt a sense of utter boredom.
[In the past, whenever you visited a major city, you would always go to the Azure Dragon Merchant Association and make a large purchase.]
[But now that you've reached the Spirit Transformation and made a fortune in the Domain of Chaos, the branch warehouse in the Azure Yang Central Region only has so many things left; you can't find anything rare or eye-catching anymore.]
[The entire Azure Dragon Domain has nine major Central Region, and that's the limit; it can no longer provide you with many effective cultivation resources.]
[If you want to advance further, you either need to go to the prosperous Azure Dragon Upper Domain, or, like in the Domain of Chaos, rely on your fists and luck to fight for your life.]
You look up at the southern horizon.
[Or perhaps, it's time to make a trip to the Myriad Demon Domain?]
[Hehehe, Myriad Demon Domain, your emperor has returned.]
[... You feel you've been greatly corrupted by the system. You're not that arrogant.]
[Hmm... isn't that right...?]
Lu Ping: "..."
Dear System, your evaluation has completely changed my perception of you.
I'm clearly playing the role of an old silver coin user, how am I being arrogant?!
You have returned to the Azure Cloud Sect.
[After all, it's the largest sect in the Azure Yang Central Region, with a profound foundation. The resources in its sect's treasury are naturally incomparable to those of these shops outside.]
[You activated your Escape Light and sped back to Xiaolai Peak.]
[After returning to your cave abode and settling down, you took out the Grand Supreme Elder's jade tablet, infused it with Spiritual Power, and activated the Little Smart Communication Formation.]
[When you left a year ago, you posted a long-term quest on the sect's quest website to protect the Wuming. Now it's a good time to see how it goes.]
[The screen lights up, you open the list of completed tasks, and a detailed final report pops up.]
The quest was accepted by an inner disciple in the late Golden Core stage named Li Shi.
[This kid's report is extremely well-organized. It not only lists the movement of people and the presence of Evil Cultivators around Red-Silk Mountain on a monthly basis, but also remembers Wuming how many hours Wuming chants scriptures each day.]
[Of course, Li Shi didn't omit a single word about the most crucial core task.]
[The report details how Wuming, after entering Red-Silk Mountain, cooperated with his two companions and advanced step by step.]
[The final battle against the Evil Cultivator was fraught with peril.]
[Li Shi followed the order to secretly protect the sect, remaining Concealment behind the scenes, only intervening quietly at the critical moment to manipulate the situation, allowing them to avert murderous intent and overcome difficulties.]
[Finally, a Recording Stone with the serial number submitted to the Merit Hall for record-keeping was also attached.]
[Full-process work record keeping, logical closed loop!]
[You look at this textbook-perfect performance review report and marvel at it.]
[If this talent were to travel back to Blue Star, he'd be a chosen one, a genius with an extraordinary physique. He'd be a master at any Big Company, capable of creating stunning PowerPoint presentations!]
[Options pop up.]
[A: I'll give you ten Contribution Points as a reward, and then complete the second quest.]
[B: It's a waste to keep such a talent in the Inner Sect. Just grab Xiaolai Peak and put him and Little Toad Crow-Crow together in a three-shift assembly line.]
[C: You were so moved that tears welled up in your eyes, and on the spot, you sent Li Shi an electronic certificate titled "Azure Cloud Sect Annual Best Workaholic" via Little Smart Communication Formation: "Little Li, your good fortune has arrived! This elder has decided to promote you to Chief Executive Officer of the Xiaolai Peak Red-Silk Mountain Office, granting you the privilege of working 007 all year round, and striving to make Xiaolai Peak the first pilot site for the modernization of a sect."]
Lu Ping looked at the screen and nodded in deep agreement.
What leader wouldn't like a subordinate who knows how to leave a record of their work?
If it weren't for the fact that Xiaolai Peak had too many secrets, he would have really wanted to transfer this kid over to be his full-time secretary.
Moreover, these work habits are surprisingly similar to my own when I was a beast of burden on Blue Star.
If Lu Ping hadn't witnessed so many of Blue Star's business models being replicated in this world, he would have almost thought this person was from the same hometown.
Alright, let's give her a little something to encourage her.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You casually allocated ten Contribution Points as an extra bonus, and then completed the second step of this task.]
[The mission is set eleven years later in Broken Sunset Valley. The mission objective remains the same: to secretly Guard Wuming.]
[As for the prerequisites for accepting the mission, it is naturally "having successfully completed the Red-Silk Mountain Guard mission".]
[By setting up these exclusive requirements, the job was effectively tied to Li Shi.]
You're such a clever little devil.
[As you look at the new mission generated on the screen, a strange feeling suddenly arises in your heart.]
[Issuing a series of quests, setting exclusive prerequisites, secretly assessing candidates and distributing extra rewards... your actions sound exactly like those of a plot-driven NPC.]
[Thinking deeper, paving the way for future generations in the shadows, protecting them and resolving deadly situations at crucial moments... you even seem a bit like the Golden Finger grandpa behind some destined protagonists.]
[Oh no, after all these years of transmigrating, the old silver coin's character hasn't collapsed, but instead, he's become a link in someone else's cultivation path?]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Seek Within One’s Own Heart, and don't be misled by external influences. Whether you're a tool or an old man, just follow your heart in planning.]
[B: This petty Wuming is disturbing your Dao Heart; let it go. Since it might become a threat, it's better to eliminate it secretly before it grows too powerful, thus preventing future trouble.]
[C: The more you think about it, the more something seems off. Suddenly, you clap your hands and laugh wildly: "Oh no! Thinking about it carefully, that monk Wuming is Wuming, with rosy lips and white teeth. Could he be playing the role of a tragic heroine in a tale of love and betrayal?!" You immediately send a message to Li Shi to add more drama: "Little Li, adjust the protection strategy! Immediately switch to a domineering and forceful love route. It's getting cold, let Great Forest Temple go bankrupt! Make sure to capture the handsome monk and keep him in Keeping a Beauty in a Golden House on Xiaolai Peak, keeping him by your side day and night to chant sutras and atone for his sins, and putting on a fierce performance of 'The Domineering Elder's Beloved Monk'!"]