Natives Become Tycoons

"See you in a year." Chi Xin stood before the entrance of the Slaughter Arena, bidding farewell to Qi Tian.

Qi Tian nodded, smiling as he replied, "See you in a year."

After the two parted ways, Qi Tian logged out of the Virtual Universe Network and returned to his hotel room in reality.

Stepping out of his room to find the lobby empty, he figured the others were likely still immersed in the virtual universe.

He decided to head to the bathhouse, intending to try the luxurious medicinal bath provided by the hotel.

Inside the steam-filled bathhouse, the emerald-green water of the pool billowed with heat while emitting a delicate, refreshing fragrance.

The water in this pool was infused with hundreds of special medicinal ingredients, capable of enhancing the strength of even Planet-level individuals who soaked in it.

However, as Qi Tian was already at Universe-level 9, this effect was negligible to him.

Yet, as his body relaxed, the soothing sensation brought about by the medicinal stimulation of his flesh felt just like a massage; as a means of pure enjoyment, it was quite pleasant.

"Comfortable."

"Cultivation requires a balance of work and rest. The purpose of becoming stronger, aside from wanting to control one's own destiny, is also to enjoy everything life has to offer."

Qi Tian, his sturdy frame bare, sat leisurely in the pool, eyes closed in enjoyment.

"Beep..."

While he was soaking, Qi Tian's Smart Optical Computer chimed with a notification. He opened his eyes and projected the screen; it was a message from the bank.

"Respected client, your account has received a remittance of 1 trillion Universe Coins."

The moment he saw the content of the message, Qi Tian sat bolt upright, his entire demeanor sharpening. Looking at that long string of digits, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Truly, the world is unpredictable. Not long ago, I was just a penniless planetary native who had just stepped into the universe; in the blink of an eye, my net worth exceeds that of most Domain Lords."

"With this money, I can finally begin the initial stages of my faith propagation plan."

Qi Tian pondered this as he sent messages to Mikita, Qi Jingshi, and the others, asking them all to meet at the hotel shortly.

He stood up to rinse off, dressed, and exited the bathhouse. He went to the restaurant, had the maid open a few bottles of fine wine, and instructed the butler to prepare a grand feast.

Virtual Universe, Slaughter Arena.

Qi Jingshi and the other two descended from the meditation room on the second floor.

"Big Brother, you say that external deacon from the Virtual Universe Company was so polite to us—could there be some kind of conspiracy?"

Qi Shangye looked at the solemn-faced Qi Jingshi with worry, recalling the attitude Weitz had shown while recruiting them, his heart filled with apprehension.

"I don't know, but we should be careful. Mr. Mikita once said that Domain Lords are powerful beings who hold sway over hundreds of thousands of life planets; there is truly no reason for them to be so courteous to us."

Qi Jingshi replied calmly, but the words of Qi Tianshou, who was walking beside them, shattered their doubts.

"Didn't you hear that Lord Weitz's first sentence when we met was asking if our surname was Qi?"

Qi Jingshi and Qi Shangye were both stunned, turning their heads simultaneously to look at the burly man walking between them.

"What do you mean?" Qi Jingshi asked.

Qi Tianshou looked at the two of them as if they were fools, glancing left and right.

"You two usually claim to be so smart and calm, yet you can't even figure this out? It's obviously because of the Buddha Lord."

"With the Buddha Lord's aptitude, becoming a powerhouse is a certainty. He must have displayed such overwhelming talent recently that the Virtual Universe Company took notice, and we are just basking in his reflected glory."

Qi Jingshi looked at the brother he had grown up with and offered a rare word of praise.

"Tianshou, I never thought you'd actually use your brain."

Qi Tianshou shook his head and said, "What do you mean 'use my brain'? Isn't this just common sense?"

It had to be said that in Qi Tianshou's heart, Qi Tian's image was perfect.

No matter how incomprehensible a situation might be, as long as it was attributed to the status of the Buddha Lord, all problems would be easily resolved.

"Beep."

Just as the three were discussing Weitz's recruitment, their Smart Optical Computers chimed simultaneously.

"It's the Buddha Lord looking for us. Let's go, log out of the virtual universe."

After reading the message, Qi Jingshi spoke to the others, his body instantly vanishing from the spot as he returned to the real world.

Mikita had been chatting with friends at a mercenary tavern on Mengyu Planet, but upon receiving the message, he immediately returned to the hotel.

"Mr. Mikita, you've returned."

Qi Shangye had just opened the door when he saw Mikita arriving at the presidential suite, greeted by a maid, and he immediately hailed him.

"Mm, the Buddha Lord is looking for us. Are you two heading there as well?"

Qi Shangye nodded, and the two, guided by the maid, headed toward the restaurant.

At this moment, Qi Tian was eating appetizers at the dining table. Seeing the two approach, he nodded toward them.

Once all four had gathered, Qi Tian instructed the butler to serve the meal.

After enjoying a hearty meal, Qi Tian brought the group into the parlor to discuss matters.

"How has your cultivation been these past few days?" Qi Tian asked, looking at the four of them.

"Buddha Lord, Tianshou and I have been fighting in the Decisive Battle Space as you instructed, and we have now reached 7 stars."

"That's right, though it's a pity that suitable opponents aren't always available. We fought over a hundred matches on the first day, but later on, once people saw our rating—Planetary Grade 9 with a Domain—they refused to fight us anymore."

Hearing the replies from Qi Jingshi and Qi Tianshou, a smile appeared on Qi Tian's face as he spoke.

"That is only natural. Your talents are quite good; you must not look down on yourselves just because of your status as 'natives.' The royal descendants of the Beihua Empire are not necessarily stronger than you."

Qi Jingshi nodded with a smile upon hearing this, while Qi Tianshou wore an expression full of fighting spirit.

"Shangye, what about you?"

"Reporting to Buddha Lord, under the guidance of Mr. Mikita, I have already stepped into the Domain of Wind."

As Qi Shangye spoke, there was no joy on his face, clearly feeling ashamed that he had entered the Domain so much later than Qi Jingshi and the others.

"This is a good thing; you must continue to work hard."

Qi Tian said, then turned his head to look at Mikita, who had been roaming the universe for over a thousand years and had long since reached a point where he didn't need much instruction from Qi Tian.

"Buddha Lord, the goods are still in transit. With nothing to do these past few days, I have mostly been gathering rumors at the Mercenary Tavern."

Qi Tian nodded and raised his hand to operate his Smart Optical Computer, transferring 500 million Universe Coins into Mikita's account.

"Beep."

Just as Qi Tian finished the transfer, Mikita received a notification on his Smart Optical Computer.

After checking the message, Mikita saw the string of zeros following the 5 and, at first glance, assumed it was 500 million Noah Coins.

"Buddha Lord, why did you transfer back the 500 million Noah Coins I gave you earlier?"

Mikita looked up at Qi Tian and asked in confusion, but then he looked down again at the unit following the number: it was Universe Coins.

"This..."

Seeing such a massive sum of money hit his account, Mikita was momentarily stunned.

500 million Universe Coins, calculated at the 1:3000 exchange rate with Noah Coins, amounted to 1.5 trillion Noah Coins.

This was a sum that even a top-tier powerhouse at Universe Grade 9 would have to struggle for half a lifetime to save.