The Might of a Sword

The project manager's voice, cold and synthesized like a machine's, came through the phone receiver like a heavy hammer smashing against Lin Fan's already overburdened nerves.

"Lin Fan, come to the company immediately and bring your personal belongings. You're fired."

The call was cut off cleanly and decisively, leaving only the dial tone, which sounded exceptionally jarring in the deathly quiet room.

Lin Fan stood frozen, holding his phone, the color draining from his face at a visible rate, his mind a complete blank.

Fired...

Those two words were like a curse, instantly draining him of all strength. He had only just recovered from the shock of the official personnel showing up at his door, and reality's iron fist had struck again with even greater ferocity.

Why? Was it because he hadn't completed the requirements on time yesterday? Or was it because the manager had disliked him for a long time and was using this as an excuse? Or... was it because Chen Jing and their investigation had affected the company?

Countless speculations churned in his mind, eventually coalescing into a chilling despair that spread rapidly from his heart to every limb and bone.

He was unemployed.

In this city of soaring prices, he had lost his only source of income. Rent, utilities, living expenses... and those two mouths at home waiting for him to "provide" for them...

What would he use to support two Sages? Was he really going to take Master Tongtian and Goddess Nüwa out to starve?

A sense of powerlessness and panic, unlike anything he had ever felt before, enveloped him tightly. He slowly put down his phone, his body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes staring blankly at the mottled ceiling, feeling as if his twenty-plus years of effort and perseverance had become a ridiculous joke at this very moment.

"...Little friend Lin Fan?" Nüwa's gentle yet concerned voice rang out, pulling him back from the edge of the abyss of despair.

Lin Fan stiffly turned his head, seeing Nüwa looking at him, her pure eyes filled with worry. Even Tong Tian, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, indifferent to the outside world, now opened his eyes, his deep gaze falling on Lin Fan's pale face.

"What has happened?" Tong Tian asked, his tone still flat, but with a hint less coldness than before.

Lin Fan opened his mouth, trying to force a smile, but found his facial muscles too stiff to obey. His voice was hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor, "N-nothing. It's just... my job is gone. I was fired."

He tried to say it lightly, but the slight tremble in his voice betrayed the storm raging within him.

"Fired?" Tong Tian frowned slightly, seemingly not fully grasping the specific meaning of the word, but combining Lin Fan's current state with their previous brief exchanges, he understood the general implication. "Meaning to lose the... source of livelihood provided by that 'company'?"

"Mm," Lin Fan lowered his head, not wanting the two Sages to see him in such a pathetic and vulnerable state.

Nüwa sighed softly, her sigh filled with pity for the difficult situation of the younger generation. Although she was a Sage who governed creation, she could still perceive the hardships faced by humanity struggling to survive in the mortal world.

Tong Tian remained silent for a moment. He looked at Lin Fan's dejected appearance, his struggle to suppress his sadness, and recalled Nüwa's earlier words, "Do not involve him," as well as the bowl of instant noodles Lin Fan had provided, which, despite its "heavy turbid energy," had allowed him to recover some vital energy.

Karma.

The word surfaced in his mind.

He, Master Tongtian, who had intercepted a sliver of opportunity, valued karma above all else. Lin Fan, at his time of hardship and weakness, had provided basic shelter and food; this was the cause. Now, Lin Fan had lost his livelihood and fallen into difficulty because of them; this was the effect.

If he did not repay this karma, his mind would not be at peace.

"Because of us?" Tong Tian asked directly.

Lin Fan blinked in surprise, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "Not entirely... but it's related, isn't it? They probably think I've caused trouble..." He didn't say it explicitly, but the meaning was clear.

Upon hearing this, Tong Tian's eyes grew cold. So, they were indeed the cause of him being implicated.

He stood up and walked to the window, his gaze piercing through the thin curtain, as if he could see the "ants" still monitoring the place outside. If not for the appearance and investigation of these people, Lin Fan might not have lost his job so quickly.

"Such trivial mortal matters, why should they be of concern?" Tong Tian turned around and looked at Lin Fan, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable certainty. "Lost is lost. Since I reside here, I will not let you worry about your livelihood."

Lin Fan looked up sharply at Tong Tian, his eyes filled with disbelief and a sliver of faint hope. He wouldn't let him worry about his livelihood? This ancestor... was he going to go out and work? Or perhaps...

Before he could sort out his thoughts, he saw Tong Tian's gaze fall upon the old mobile phone on the table.

"This object can connect to external information and conduct 'takeaway' transactions, is that not so?" Tong Tian asked.

"Y-yes." Lin Fan was confused.

"Connect it to that 'computer'," Tong Tian commanded, pointing to the computer that had just been banned due to "cheating software." "I need to observe this world's... rules of 'wealth' circulation."

Although Lin Fan was full of doubts, he complied. He connected the phone to the computer with a data cable and, following Tong Tian's instructions, opened several mainstream financial and commodity trading websites, as well as some news information pages.

Tong Tian leaned down, his deep, abyss-like eyes fixed on the rapidly scrolling data stream on the screen, the complex K-line charts, the dazzling array of product information, and various financial news. His gaze was terrifyingly focused, as if he were not browsing web pages but deciphering a supreme formation diagram containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

Lin Fan and Nüwa watched quietly from the side. Nüwa's eyes held a hint of curiosity; she was also quite interested in how Tong Tian would solve the problem of "livelihood."

Time ticked by, and the only sounds in the room were the occasional clicks of the mouse and taps of the keyboard. Tong Tian browsed at an extremely fast pace; wherever his gaze passed, vast amounts of information were instantly absorbed, understood, and analyzed by his powerful true spirit.

He saw the flow of global capital, the fluctuations in commodity prices, the rise and fall of countless enterprises in the market, and the ways ordinary people obtained "wealth" through so-called "investment" and "trading."

The economic rules of this mortal world gradually became clear in his eyes—a virtual value system based on credit, expectations, supply and demand, and complex games. Although it was completely different from the bartering or spirit stone and spirit material-based trading methods he knew, its core still revolved around grasping "information" and "rules."

And grasping information and rules was precisely one of his greatest strengths. Even without his magical powers, a Sage's deductive abilities and insight into the essence of things were far beyond that of ordinary mortals.

His gaze finally settled on a page displaying the real-time trading prices of international precious metals. Gold, silver... these things considered hard currency in the mortal world were fluctuating dramatically with news of certain international events.

At the same time, he noticed an inconspicuous financial news brief mentioning rumors of a high-grade gold mine discovered in a small African country. However, due to its remote location and unstable situation, the news had not yet been fully digested and confirmed by the market.

Tong Tian's finger tapped lightly on the mouse, a cold yet wise light flashing in his eyes. He quickly constructed models in his mind, connecting and deducing the scattered pieces of information...

A moment later, he straightened up, looked at Lin Fan, and calmly instructed, "Transfer all the 'money' you can access into this 'trading account'."

He pointed to the interface of a securities trading software on the screen, which Lin Fan occasionally looked at but had never dared to operate.

Lin Fan was startled. "All... all of it? Senior Tong Tian, this... this is stock trading! The risk is huge, and my little bit of money..."

His meager savings were his last lifeline!

"No need for further words, just do as I say," Tong Tian interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Buy this." He clicked the mouse, selecting a seemingly unremarkable, even sluggish, stock of a mining company indirectly related to the rumors of the African gold mine.

Lin Fan looked at the stock's green K-line chart and its pathetic trading volume, his heart aching. This was clearly a penny stock! Investing in it would mean losing all his money!

"Senior, this..."

"Hmm?" Tongtian shot him a look. Although there was no overt threat, the pressure emanating from his very being made Lin Fan swallow the rest of his words.

He gritted his teeth, recalling Tongtian's unbelievable abilities and the sword light he'd seen flash in his eyes... Perhaps this Sage could also create miracles in the financial market?

Might as well try a long shot!

Lin Fan steeled himself, his hands trembling as he transferred the few thousand yuan in his bank account to his securities account. Then, following Tongtian's instructions, he bought the mining company's stock with his entire capital.

The moment the transaction was complete, Lin Fan felt utterly drained. He had gambled his entire fortune and his life on this internet-addicted Sage's sudden "investment advice."

Tongtian looked at the successful transaction notification, his face expressionless. He simply sat back down on his yoga mat, closed his eyes, and rested, as if he had just done something trivial.

Nüwa watched all this, a thoughtful look in her eyes, but she did not intervene.

Time crawled by in a state of suppressed anxiety and unease.

Lin Fan fidgeted restlessly, refreshing his stock software every few seconds. Seeing the stock price, which was almost a straight line with no fluctuations, his heart sank.

As expected... it wasn't going to work? Even a Sage isn't omnipotent...

Just as he was about to give up in despair, an urgent news pop-up suddenly appeared on his computer screen!

Breaking News! Confirmed! Super-large, high-grade gold deposit discovered in Country XX, with astonishing reserves!

International gold prices surge in response!

Related mining sectors rally collectively!

Lin Fan's heart leaped! He stared intently at the screen, his fingers trembling as he refreshed the mining company's stock page.

Then, he saw a sight he would never forget in his life--

The once lifeless, ignored stock, as if injected with a powerful stimulant, saw its trading volume explode. The stock price shot up like a rocket, a straight line soaring upwards! The percentage numbers flickered wildly, turning from green to red, and then continuing to climb: 10%... 20%... 50%... In just a few minutes, it directly hit the daily limit!

Lin Fan's mouth fell open, his eyes wide as saucers. He was completely petrified.

Hit... hit the limit?! A few thousand yuan, turned into... in a few minutes...

He couldn't believe it as he calculated the floating profit on his account, finding it hard to breathe.

How... how was this possible?! He had just bought a stock on Tongtian's instructions! Could that rumor... be true? And it just happened to be confirmed at this exact moment?

Was it a coincidence?

Lin Fan suddenly turned his head, looking at Tongtian, who was still sitting cross-legged in the corner, eyes closed, as if the outside world had nothing to do with him.

That's it! It wasn't a coincidence!

It was Tongtian! Amidst the vast, chaotic, and unverifiable stream of information, he had precisely captured that inconspicuous rumor and, with his transcendent deductive abilities, predicted that this news would be confirmed and the market would react violently!

This wasn't investment, this was a... dimensional reduction attack! It was the perfect demonstration of a Sage's insight and information processing capabilities in the mundane financial market!

A sword strike!

No need to unsheathe, not even to think, just by grasping the rules and analyzing information, hearing thunder in silence, determining profit and loss in invisibility!

Is this the might of a Sage?!

Lin Fan looked at the doubled amount in his account, trembling with excitement. All his previous despair and gloom were shattered by this sudden "windfall"!

However, compared to Lin Fan's ecstasy, Tongtian remained calm. He didn't even open his eyes to look at the results, merely speaking calmly, uttering words that sent Lin Fan into an icy abyss:

"This kind of wealth-gathering technique is ultimately a minor art, disturbing the order of this realm's operation. It should not be used often."

He paused and added, "This time, it is only to repay the karma of your shelter and to resolve your urgent need."

Lin Fan's ecstatic mood instantly cooled. He understood Tongtian's meaning. This kind of "precognitive" operation was essentially exploiting information asymmetry and extraordinary abilities to disrupt market fairness. While it could be used once in an emergency, frequent use would inevitably attract greater attention and trouble, possibly even disrupting economic order.

Even Sages acted with restraint.

"Th-thank you, Senior Tongtian!" Lin Fan suppressed his excitement and lingering fear, thanking him solemnly. This money would be enough to support him for a long time and gave him a glimmer of hope for "peaceful coexistence" with these two Sages.

Nüwa also nodded slightly and said to Tongtian, "Senior Brother, your actions are most commendable."

Tongtian said no more, sinking back into his meditation.

Lin Fan looked at the still-frozen game interface on his computer screen, then at the astonishing profit in his securities account, his feelings complex and indescribable.

He had a roommate who was a Sage capable of "seeing the rise and fall with a glance," but he had also lost his ordinary life.

And just as he was feeling fortunate about his regained "livelihood," outside the rental apartment, inside the surveillance van disguised as an ordinary vehicle, Chen Jing was staring at the screen displaying the abnormal trading data from Lin Fan's securities account, her brows tightly furrowed.

"Team Leader, Target Lin Fan's account made a full-position purchase of 'Mining Development' five minutes ago. The stock immediately hit the daily limit due to positive news. The timing of his operation... is incredibly precise," the technician reported, his voice filled with disbelief.

Chen Jing looked at the near-perfect entry point and the soaring curve, her eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Once might be a coincidence, but twice?

The inexplicable "eye attack" at the unfinished building, and now this "god-tier investment" accurate to the millisecond...

What kind of ability did that man named Tongtian possess?

She picked up the encrypted communicator and reported in a deep voice, her tone more serious than ever:

"Report, new abnormal situation detected at target 'Shelter.' Target Two (Tongtian) is suspected of possessing... extremely high-level information processing and predictive capabilities, its influence has begun to touch the financial sector. Request to raise the risk assessment level and coordinate with the economic security department for analysis..."