Deep in the Luo Family's estate in the Virtual Universe lay its rear courtyard, the most central and mysterious part of the entire family.
It was not only home to several of the family's ancestors and its head, but also the heart of the Luo Family's power and wealth. The affairs handled there by even an ordinary family member could involve the transfer of hundreds of billions or even trillions of Ganwu Coin.
Since the Luo Family was founded, only a few dozen family members had ever been allowed into this area. Its exclusivity was clear.
Tang Ping followed Baikaluo, curiously looking around.
He had only ever heard tales of the rear courtyard. Now that he had finally stepped into this mysterious place, he found that it was nothing like the opulence outside. There were no ostentatious displays of gold and jewels, nor any grand palaces or imposing buildings. Instead, the grounds were lush with exotic flowers and plants, and several rare beasts ambled leisurely about.
The air carried a faint fragrance of grass and trees, lending the place a sense of tranquility and elegance.
The two followed a winding stone path uphill. Before they knew it, they had passed through the clouds.
Half an hour later, a vast hall built entirely of white jade came into view. It stood about a hundred meters tall and was spacious enough to hold more than ten thousand people. Luminous Star Stones were set into the surrounding walls, bathing the entire space in light as bright as day.
On a raised platform at the far end of the hall stood a woman in an elegant gown.
She had a graceful figure and a dignified bearing, with the composure of someone who had weathered the passage of time. Even from a distance, she exuded an air unlike anyone else's.
Tang Ping recognized her at once. He had seen Xu Xin's portrait in the Luo Family's album and had secretly admired her bearing even then.
After another ten minutes, the two finally reached the foot of the platform.
Only then did Tang Ping notice that Luo Xiaoyu was already seated below. When she saw him, a hint of delight flashed in her eyes. Clearly, she had been waiting there for quite some time.
"Greetings, Madam! Tang Ping has arrived." Baikaluo bowed respectfully, his voice full of reverence.
Xu Xin slowly turned around and smiled warmly. She gestured for Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu to sit. "Please, have a seat." As soon as she spoke, an exquisite jade chair appeared out of thin air behind Tang Ping.
"Thank you, Madam." Tang Ping sat down and calmly looked up at Xu Xin on the platform.
Xu Xin's gaze swept over the two of them before she spoke. "Babata has told me about you, and Luo Feng specifically asked me to pay closer attention to the family's talented youngsters.
"I called you here today for nothing important. I simply wanted to chat and see whether you were having any difficulties with your cultivation or your daily lives.
"Also, since you'll soon be heading to the Ganwu Secret Realm, the family will provide you with some assistance in case you have trouble adjusting to your new surroundings."
Luo Xiaoyu instinctively looked to Tang Ping. She was rather traditional and usually deferred to her husband in front of others, so naturally, she waited for him to decide what to say.
Tang Ping thought for a moment, then stood and bowed slightly. "Madam, my wife and I have been fortunate to receive the family's care and support over the years. Our lives are stable, and our cultivation is going well. We have no difficulties for now. If the family ever needs us, we'll do everything we can to help. We'll repay the family's great kindness, even at the cost of our lives!"
He knew how to offer the right pleasantries. If it came down to a matter of life and death, he would certainly put his own and Luo Xiaoyu's safety first. But when speaking with Xu Xin, he still had to show the proper respect.
Xu Xin merely smiled faintly at his words.
She had weathered nearly two hundred years of hardship and seen the fickleness of human nature. She understood the weight of promises like "even at the cost of our lives." As far as she was concerned, even if her investment in Tang Ping and his wife only led them to lend the family a little help when needed, it would have been worth it.
Besides, if they simply didn't come to resent the Luo Family, that would already be a good outcome. In all her years in business, she had encountered far too many ingrates.
After a brief pause, Xu Xin stopped beating around the bush and announced, "Since you're not having any difficulties, I'll get straight to the family's support for you.
"Luo Xiaoyu, you're a third-tier student at the Ganwu Secret Realm, so the family will give you ten million Ganwu Coin. Once you break through to Universe Level, report it to the family and you'll receive another one hundred million Ganwu Coin."
She paused, then turned her gaze to Tang Ping. "Tang Ping, you're a special-grade student at the Ganwu Secret Realm, so the family will give you one hundred million Ganwu Coin. Once you break through to Universe Level, report it to the family and you can claim another one billion Ganwu Coin."
At her words, Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu both widened their eyes slightly. The support was far more generous than they had expected.
Before they could react, Xu Xin offered an even greater surprise. "In addition, I've decided that each of you may choose one treasure from the family vault. Once you've made your selection, the family will have it shipped directly to the Ganwu Secret Realm.
"The vault contains weapons and battle suits up to the fourth tier, each worth more than one hundred million Universe Coin. Whether you can pick a good one will depend on your judgment. Good luck!"
One Universe Coin was worth 3,333 Ganwu Coin, so one hundred million Universe Coin was worth over three hundred billion Ganwu Coin!
However, those weapons had all been brought back by Luo Feng during his travels through the universe and had been gathering dust in the vault ever since. They might as well be put to use by promising family members rather than left sitting idle.
Having said her piece, Xu Xin turned and walked behind the platform.
Given her status, coming in person to arrange all this was already an enormous honor for Tang Ping and his wife. There was no need for her to stay and invite them to dinner just to get closer to them.
As soon as Xu Xin left, two notification chimes sounded in quick succession from Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu's Personal Terminals:
"Ding! The Black Dragon Empire's Galaxy Bank: Ten million Ganwu Coin has been deposited into your account. For investment services, please visit..."
"Ding! The Black Dragon Empire's Galaxy Bank: One hundred million Ganwu Coin has been deposited into your account. For investment services, please visit..."
The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help laughing.
The family sure was generous! The Luo Family had our loyalty!
Afterward, they consolidated the funds in their accounts under Tang Ping's name. Including their previous savings, their total assets instantly reached an astonishing 220 million Ganwu Coin. Adding the 1.2 billion Black Dragon Coin in their stock portfolio—which was worth 1.2 million Ganwu Coin, since one thousand Black Dragon Coin equaled one Ganwu Coin—their total net worth came to 222.12 million Ganwu Coin.
With so much money at their disposal, the first thing they thought of was ordering the resources needed to break through to Universe Level.
Now that they were students at the Ganwu Secret Realm, they could buy resources directly from Ganwu Mall. The only drawback was that resources purchased under a student identity could only be used by the student. To let family members use them, they would have to submit a special application.
They had not yet registered as a married couple at the Ganwu Secret Realm, so they couldn't share resources for the time being and had to buy them separately.
Fortunately, students received discounts on resources. The top-tier S-grade Breakthrough Package cost Tang Ping 12.6 million Ganwu Coin with his special-grade student discount of thirty percent, while Luo Xiaoyu's third-tier student discount of ten percent brought her cost to 16.2 million Ganwu Coin.
Together, they spent 28.8 million Ganwu Coin—nearly eight million less than the original price. It was an excellent deal.
After deducting the cost of their breakthrough resources, they still had nearly 200 million Ganwu Coin left in their account. Tang Ping thought it over and decided to open an account with the Cosmic Galaxy Bank first.
Backed by humanity's five supreme powers, the bank had an excellent reputation. It followed an "absolute confidentiality" policy, required a minimum deposit of 100 million Black Dragon Coin, and even had an emergency response system for top-tier clients. If necessary, it would go so far as to destroy an entire planet to protect an account's privacy.
With nearly 200 million Ganwu Coin in deposits, Tang Ping was immediately upgraded to a three-star client.
Next, he founded an investment company in his own name, called Lay Flat Investment Company, and transferred one hundred million Ganwu Coin into it as startup capital.
Tang Ping had already decided on the company's investment strategy: it would invest in real estate on Earth and buy shares in Galaxy Liquor and Galaxy Tea.
But he also knew that investing such vast sums could easily trigger financial upheaval if he wasn't careful. It might send Earth's housing prices soaring several times over, or directly affect the share prices of the two companies.
That was the influence of a Universe Level powerhouse. Every word and deed could set off a financial storm without him even realizing it.
Terrifying indeed!
Before you continue