"See you in a year." Chi Xin stood at the entrance to the Slaughter Arena and said goodbye to Qi Tian.
Qi Tian nodded and smiled as he returned the farewell. "See you in a year."
After they parted, Qi Tian logged out of the Virtual Universe Network and returned to the hotel in the real world.
When he stepped out of his room and saw that no one was in the lobby, he figured the others were probably still immersed in the Virtual Universe.
So he went into the bathhouse, intending to try the luxurious medicinal bath provided by the hotel.
Steam billowed through the bathhouse. The water in the emerald-green pool gave off heat and a pleasant fragrance.
The bathwater had been infused with hundreds of special medicines. Even Planetary Level cultivators could improve their strength by soaking in it.
But Qi Tian was already at Universe Level 9. The effects were negligible for him.
Still, with his body relaxed, the medicine stimulated his flesh and gave him a soothing sensation, as if someone were massaging him. It was quite nice as a way to unwind.
"Feels great."
"Cultivation requires a balance between work and rest. The point of becoming stronger is not only to take control of my own fate, but also to enjoy everything."
Qi Tian sat leisurely in the bath, his muscular body bare, eyes closed as he savored the moment.
"Beep..."
While he was soaking, his Smart Optical Computer chimed with a notification. Qi Tian opened his eyes and brought up the projection screen. It was a message from the bank.
"Dear customer, your account has received a transfer of 1 trillion Universe Coins."
The moment he saw the message, Qi Tian sat bolt upright, instantly wide awake. As he stared at the long string of digits, he couldn't help but marvel.
"Life really is unpredictable. Not long ago, I was a penniless native from a backwater planet who had just entered the universe. Now, in the blink of an eye, I'm richer than most domain lords."
"With this money, I can begin putting my plan to spread the faith into action."
As Qi Tian pondered, he sent a message to Mikita, Qi Jingshi, and the others, asking them to meet him at the hotel shortly.
He got up, rinsed off, and dressed. Then he left the bathhouse and went to the restaurant, where he asked the maid to open a few bottles of wine and instructed the butler to prepare a feast.
Virtual Universe, Slaughter Arena.
The three of them came down from the Meditation Room on the second floor.
"Big Brother, that external steward from the Virtual Universe Company was so polite to us. Do you think he has some kind of ulterior motive?"
Qi Shangye looked worriedly at Qi Jingshi, who walked beside him with a solemn expression. Remembering how Weitz had tried to recruit them earlier, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"I don't know, but we should still be careful. Mr. Mikita said that a domain lord is an immensely powerful being who controls hundreds of thousands of life planets. There's no reason for one to treat us so politely."
Qi Jingshi answered calmly. But Qi Tianshou, walking beside them, dispelled their doubts with what he said next.
"Didn't you hear Lord Weitz's first question when he met us? He asked if our surname was Qi."
Qi Jingshi and Qi Shangye both froze, then turned to look at the burly man walking between them.
"What do you mean?" Qi Jingshi asked.
Qi Tianshou looked from one to the other as if they were idiots.
"You two always talk about how smart and levelheaded you are, but you didn't figure this out? It's obviously because of the Buddha Lord."
"With the Buddha Lord's talent, it's only natural that he'll become a powerful expert. He must have displayed astounding talent lately and caught the Virtual Universe Company's attention. We're just benefiting from being associated with him."
Qi Jingshi looked at the friend he'd grown up with and, for once, praised him.
"Tian Shou, I didn't know you could think things through."
Qi Tianshou shook his head. "What's there to think about? Isn't it obvious?"
There was no denying that Qi Tian was perfect in Qi Tianshou's eyes.
No matter how incomprehensible something seemed, once he attributed it to the Buddha Lord, everything fell neatly into place.
"Beep."
Just as the three were discussing Weitz's attempt to recruit them, their Smart Optical Computers all chimed with notifications.
"The Buddha Lord is looking for us. Come on, let's leave the Virtual Universe."
After reading the message, Qi Jingshi said this to the other two. His body vanished from the spot, and he returned to the real world.
Mikita had been chatting with friends at the Mercenary Tavern on Mengyu Planet. After receiving the message, he immediately returned to the hotel.
"Mr. Mikita, you're back."
Qi Shangye had just opened the room door when he saw Mikita returning to the presidential suite, greeted by the maid. He promptly greeted him.
"Mm. The Buddha Lord wants to see me. Is that why you're here too?"
Qi Shangye nodded, and the two followed the maid toward the restaurant.
At that moment, Qi Tian was eating appetizers at the table. When he saw them approach, he nodded to them.
Once all four had arrived, Qi Tian instructed the butler to serve the food.
After they'd enjoyed a fine meal, Qi Tian led them to the sitting room to talk.
"How has your cultivation been going these past few days?" Qi Tian asked the four of them.
"Buddha Lord, Tian Shou and I have been fighting people in the Decisive Battle Space, just as you suggested. We've both reached seven stars."
"Exactly. It's a shame we can't always find suitable opponents. We fought over a hundred matches on the first day, but after that, people saw that our ratings said Planetary Level 9 with a Domain and stopped fighting us."
Qi Tian smiled when he heard Qi Jingshi and Qi Tianshou's answers, then spoke.
"That's only natural. You're both talented. Don't look down on yourselves just because you're natives. The imperial heirs of the Beihua Empire may not even be as strong as you."
Qi Jingshi smiled and nodded, while Qi Tianshou looked eager for battle.
"What about you, Shang Xie?"
"Buddha Lord, with Mr. Mikita's guidance, I've already entered the Wind Domain."
Qi Shangye spoke without a hint of happiness on his face. Clearly, he felt embarrassed that he had entered the Domain so much later than Qi Jingshi and the others.
"That's a good thing. Keep working hard."
Qi Tian spoke, then turned to look at Mikita. He had been traveling the universe for over a thousand years and no longer needed Qi Tian to say much to him.
"Buddha Lord, the goods are still on their way. I've had nothing to do these past few days, so I've mostly been hanging around the Mercenary Tavern, picking up bits of gossip."
Qi Tian nodded, then tapped on his Smart Optical Computer and transferred 500 million Universe Coins to Mikita's account.
"Beep."
As soon as Qi Tian finished the transfer, Mikita's Smart Optical Computer chimed with a notification.
After reading the message, Mikita saw the string of zeros after the 5 and, at first glance, thought it was 500 million Noah Coins.
"Buddha Lord, why did you transfer the 500 million Noah Coins I gave you back to me?"
Mikita looked up at Qi Tian and asked in confusion. Then he glanced down at the currency unit after the number. It was Universe Coins.
"This..."
Mikita stared at the enormous sum that had just appeared in his account, stunned.
At an exchange rate of 1:3,000, 500 million Universe Coins came to 1.5 trillion Noah Coins.
Even a top expert at Universe Level 9 would have to spend half a lifetime earning that much.
Before you continue