I Want to Resign

At midnight the next evening, Li Yi, Zhang Gao, Lu Jue, and the others began their guidance work again.

After their first experience, everyone was clearly much more practiced this time. Wu Zhen's injuries had improved considerably, and he did not wake midway through his meditation. He should be able to earn the wages he wanted today.

Li Yi, meanwhile, was thinking about how much money he should earn today.

More precisely, he was thinking about how much he could earn without arousing suspicion.

In the end, Li Yi decided to keep his daily income under three hundred thousand. It could fluctuate somewhat, but it absolutely could not exceed that limit. Three hundred thousand was the upper limit for a genius; any more than that would make people speculate in other directions.

Still, Li Yi sometimes wished he could guide Cosmic Energy without restraint.

Then he could take several million from the other party in a single day. After a few days, he would never have to worry about money again.

But in the end, Li Yi suppressed the greed in his heart.

Soon.

The day's work ended.

At six ten in the morning, everyone gathered in the cafeteria again to eat breakfast and collect their wages.

The others' wages remained unchanged: fifty-four thousand for six hours. Li Yi's wages, however, broke through once more, reaching an astonishing two hundred and eighty thousand. The amount shocked everyone again.

"As expected, Li Yi's potential still has room to be unearthed. I thought yesterday had involved an element of luck, but now it seems that so-called luck doesn't exist. He's a genuine genius, and judging by today, he still hasn't reached his limit." Lu Jue marveled inwardly.

"My guess last night was right. His cultivation value is at least two hundred percent. I made the right choice investing in him; I only missed the timing. At this rate, it won't take more than ten days or half a month for him to save up his initial cultivation funds. Once he has that starting capital, Li Yi's terrifying talent will fully reveal itself."

At that moment, Zhao Xiaoxiao was incomparably envious. She understood that the higher Li Yi's cultivation grew, the more chances he would have to make money. And the more money he made, the faster his cultivation would progress.

It was a virtuous cycle.

As for his poor family and the need to support his parents, those problems were nothing at all under Li Yi's rapid progress. They could easily be solved.

"This Li Yi..."

Wu Zhen's face was gloomy as he hid in a corner and ate. He had begun to understand that his chances of taking revenge on Li Yi were growing smaller and smaller.

He was even starting to feel inexplicably afraid.

With Li Yi's speed of earning money and cultivation value, it would be a blessing if Li Yi did not come looking for trouble. If Wu Zhen still failed to recognize the difference in their strength and charged forward, he would probably die horribly.

"I can't stay here any longer. I have to resign. Otherwise, once Li Yi awakens his Spirit Medium and gains a cultivator's methods, I'm afraid I'll be the first to suffer." After coming to his senses, Wu Zhen sensed an intense crisis.

He quickly finished eating, collected that day's wages, and then found supervisor Xu Ming.

"I'm not doing this guidance work anymore. I want to resign."

Supervisor Xu Ming understood why Wu Zhen was resigning. He did not stop him and readily agreed. After all, guides like Wu Zhen could be recruited at any time and were not worth retaining.

When the others failed to see Wu Zhen on the third day of work, they finally realized that he had secretly run away.

"Li Yi put too much pressure on him. He was frightened away."

Zhang Gao, Lu Jue, Zhao Xiaoxiao, and the others quickly understood what had happened.

Otherwise, why would anyone abandon such a well-paid job just like that?

"Running away was the right choice. Li Yi's eyes are even brighter today than when we first met him. His evolution is visibly fast. At this rate, it won't be long before he awakens his Spirit Medium and officially joins the ranks of cultivators. If Wu Zhen doesn't run now, he won't be able to run in a few days." Zhao Xiaoxiao thought this as she secretly glanced at Li Yi, who had just sat down.

Li Yi did not pay much attention to Wu Zhen's departure. He was constantly adjusting his condition so that he could quickly enter meditation.

"I have to earn a little more today too."

After entering meditation, he immediately began guiding Cosmic Energy into the Cultivation Pod before him. At the same time, he absorbed some of the pure energy from the Knife Coin's energy field into his own body.

He could work and cultivate at the same time, with food and lodging included. Li Yi fell in love with this job.

However, after he had meditated for more than three hours, Li Yi's consciousness suddenly sensed a change in the Knife Coin's energy field. The originally tranquil scene seemed to have waves stirred within it. Then energy surged like a storm. This mutation made it impossible for him to guide Cosmic Energy.

Moreover, the appearance of this mutation represented a bad omen.

The dead man's resentment residing in the incomplete Knife Coin had awakened again.

"What rotten luck. It seems I cultivated for too long last night, and something abnormal has appeared at this moment."

But Li Yi already had experience dealing with it. His consciousness had withdrawn from the Knife Coin's energy field in advance.

As long as he was not caught up in it, his consciousness could not be captured. He could wake from meditation at any time, avoiding nearly being killed as he had the first time.

"You inherently evil Earth Prisoner."

That familiar, furious voice appeared again. The incomplete Knife Coin's energy gathered into a transparent human figure with only its upper body. Compared with the first time, however, the figure seemed increasingly blurry, no longer as solid as before.

It seemed as though it might dissipate at any moment.

"It isn't an illusion. This resentment really has weakened considerably. Even so, its strength far exceeds my expectations. It seems I'll need to wait a long time for it to completely dissipate—or perhaps reach a certain cultivation level before finding a way to deal with it." Li Yi thought this.

But the incomplete resentment seemed to sense Li Yi. Roaring furiously, it lunged at him, as if it might break free of the Knife Coin's energy field at any moment and crush his consciousness.

"No way. Again?"

Li Yi was startled and immediately awoke from meditation.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

It had only been a false alarm.

He looked around.

Zhang Gao, Lu Jue, and Zhao Xiaoxiao were all meditating and guiding Cosmic Energy. Not far away, the dangerous middle-aged man who looked like a bodyguard merely sat with his eyes closed, completely motionless.

The surroundings were quiet.

No one noticed anything unusual about Li Yi, nor did anyone sense the strange object on him.

"What deep grudge does the resentment on that incomplete Knife Coin have against me? The moment it sees me, it goes mad and berserk, desperately trying to kill me. It was the same last time. Awakening it today means my remaining guidance work will be hindered." Li Yi thought this, but there was nothing he could do. It was only an incomplete strange object, so hidden dangers were normal.

The Knife Coin could no longer be used. He could only guide Cosmic Energy himself to complete the remaining two-plus hours of work.

After calming himself, Li Yi entered meditation again.

Without the strange object's help, he instantly went from a genius to a mediocrity. That feeling of freely obtaining Cosmic Energy never appeared again. Like everyone else, he could only fish for scattered strands of Cosmic Energy in the gray-white world. That tiny amount was not enough even to sell for money, much less support his own cultivation.

After persevering for more than two hours,

at six in the morning, everyone's guidance work ended again.

As usual, they went to the cafeteria to eat.

Supervisor Xu Ming brought his assistant to distribute that day's wages, but unlike yesterday, the wages were actually higher than usual.

"Xu Ming, shouldn't I be getting fifty-four thousand today? Why did you give me a hundred and ten thousand? Did you count wrong?" Zhang Gao asked in confusion.

Supervisor Xu Ming explained, "Because the employer may awaken from the Cultivation Pod after tomorrow, your guidance work may stop midway. To prevent everyone from suffering losses, we've decided to pay everyone an extra day's wages in advance. Our cooperation may also end tomorrow, so I hope everyone will be prepared."

"What? It's only been a few days, and you're already no longer hiring?" Zhang Gao exclaimed.

Supervisor Xu Ming explained, "Our need for a large number of guides was only temporary. If you want to apply as a long-term guide, you'll have to pass a selection process. At the very least, you need a guide's certificate. The only exception is a special talent like Li Yi, whom we can hire specially."

Zhang Gao was immediately disappointed. He had wanted to work here for ten days or half a month, but now it seemed there was no hope.

Lu Jue said, "We understand. After all, your offer is already twice the market rate. Only a short-term, urgent need for guides would justify that. But if you have similar work in the future, you can still contact me. Even three or five days would be fine."

"No problem. We've already collected everyone's information. If there's a need, we'll contact you all immediately," Supervisor Xu Ming said.

After taking her money, Zhao Xiaoxiao also looked regretful. "I'm going to be unemployed after only four days of work. Looks like I'll have to find another job again."

Supervisor Xu Ming then specifically sought out Li Yi and said, "Li Yi, your income today is a hundred and ninety thousand. Although it's much lower than the previous two days, we're still willing to settle tomorrow's wages at three hundred thousand for the day. So today, we're giving you a total of four hundred and ninety thousand."

"Hey, wait. We get the normal wages, while he gets special treatment? Isn't that too unfair?" A cultivator beside them who had just collected his wages immediately spoke up.

Zhao Xiaoxiao curled her lips. "If you had cultivation value like Li Yi's, others would give you extra subsidies too. You have no capital, so of course you're not worth preferential treatment. And you still had to ask? Aren't you embarrassed?"

The cultivator immediately understood after hearing this and left dejectedly.

The others only smiled without speaking. Zhao Xiaoxiao was right. Li Yi was being favored because the employer had seen his cultivation talent and was willing to pay more. Their mediocre cultivation values naturally failed to catch the employer's eye. Being paid even a little extra was already generous.

"Thank you, Supervisor. If there's work in the future, I hope you'll look after me," Li Yi said smoothly. After taking the money, he immediately offered a few pleasant words.

"You're too polite. Your cultivation value is very high, and we often need talents like you. As long as there's a demand, I'll contact you immediately. Moreover, I believe that at your cultivation speed, Li Yi, you won't need us to provide work for much longer. Plenty of people will be willing to invest in you. Perhaps after our employer finishes cultivating tomorrow, he'll be happy to sponsor you," Supervisor Xu Ming said with a smile.

Although he said that, Li Yi still felt somewhat dejected.

Such a good job would be gone tomorrow, and he had earned only nine hundred and ninety thousand in total.

Although that was not a small sum, Li Yi's expenses had also grown. He did not know how long it would last and could only plan to find another job later.

After Supervisor Xu Ming left, everyone's appetite worsened.

Everyone understood that going from luxury to thrift was difficult.

"Li Yi, what are you planning to do after you resign tomorrow? Continue looking for work, or go back and cultivate for a while?"

At that moment, Zhao Xiaoxiao came over with her tray. She seemed intent on easing the relationship.

Li Yi merely said calmly, "I haven't decided. Perhaps I'll cultivate for a while. The money I earned this time is temporarily enough, so I don't want to go out looking for work."

Zhao Xiaoxiao continued, "Cultivation costs a great deal. There's the Medical Pod, Nutrient Solution, guides, and even private tutors. You also need to keep that million to support your parents. How much can truly be spent on yourself? So, Li Yi, you should give me a chance and let me invest in you."

Although Li Yi had refused her last time, Zhao Xiaoxiao felt that the more he refused, the more confident she became in his future achievements. If he blindly accepted every investment, she would instead hesitate.

Li Yi shook his head. "I'm not interested in your investment. Invest in someone else. There are countless cultivators who need investment these days; there's no need to fixate on me. I only want to earn money by myself and don't wish to accept assistance."

"Then... all right." Zhao Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly inwardly.