Welcome to the City of Ten Thousand Rivers!

Wu Yu used an old-fashioned communication wristwatch; it lacked flashy features and looked quite ordinary.

But the upside was that it was cheap and fully functional.

He sat up and pressed the watch lightly.

A virtual screen rose up, data streams flickering across it, and the image revealed itself after a short moment.

On the other end was an office where a young man in a white shirt and glasses was writing something.

"Where is Manager Lin?"

Wu Yu asked.

The account name was "Lin Shouyuan," who was also Wu Yu's investor.

"Manager Lin is busy."

The young man looked up and asked, "Is this Mr. Wu Yu, number 427?"

"Yes."

Wu Yu nodded.

"Understood. We have verified that 20 million has been transferred to your bank card. Please provide the purchase information."

The young man held his pen, looking at him.

The latter pondered for a moment and said, "Black Crow Merchant Guild, External Metal-Attribute Heavenly Spirit Root, with a Mobius T2 Life Headband included as a gift."

"Thank you for your cooperation. The data has been uploaded."

The young man wrote a few things down and nodded, saying, "According to the investment agreement, the next batch of funds will be for cultivation techniques and resources. Specifically, one top-tier Qi Refining stage technique and 100 spirit stones."

"They are expected to be delivered to River City Advanced Academy within six hours."

"Thank you."

Wu Yu nodded.

The young man hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Per the agreement, I must inform you: you have applied for the highest-level investment agreement, so the requirements are the most stringent."

"Starting from tomorrow, you must refine essence into Qi within a total of one hundred days, reach the Transcendent state, and become a Qi Refining stage cultivator."

"After reaching the Qi Refining stage, your spiritual power purity will be tested! The use of Ascension Elixirs or other external agents is prohibited."

"Spirit stones and medicinal pills may be used normally, but they must not damage your foundation."

"No problem!"

Wu Yu nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

Previously, he might have been nervous, but now he had no such worries.

Cultivators open the Transcendent Gate through "refining essence into Qi" to become Qi Refining stage cultivators.

The key to this is spirit roots and resources!

The better the spirit root and the more abundant the resources, the faster one can refine essence into Qi.

But in this crazy era, beautiful roses carry poisonous thorns.

Cyber-technologies like [Ascension Elixirs], [Psionic Chips], and [Superpowered Dantians] often carry unknown consequences.

A large portion of the "Cyber-Transcendent Syndrome" widely spread throughout the City of Ten Thousand Rivers consists of mutated martial artists and cultivators who have fallen into demonic paths.

This was the reason Wu Yu had not recklessly used the headband and the external spirit root!

"By the way, I would like to request a scan of the headband and the external spirit root!"

Wu Yu said.

"Understood. We will equip the drone with scanning equipment."

The young man nodded and wrote a few more lines.

"This communication is now concluded. I wish you great fortune on your path to immortality."

As the voice faded, the virtual screen went black.

Wu Yu closed the communication, got up, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

While brushing his teeth, Wu Yu looked at the "sturdy man" in the mirror.

This appearance won't do; being too muscular is too conspicuous.

I remember...

After finishing his brushing, Wu Yu recalled something.

In a martial arts class, a teacher had once said:

"Is Transcendent blood and Qi not a convenient thing?"

Having stepped through the five stages of refining skin, flesh, bone, blood, and organs, every inch of a Transcendent martial artist's flesh and blood becomes extraordinary, possessing incredible power.

He acted on the thought!

The next moment, the sound of tigers and leopards roaring and thunder cracking exploded in the air!

Wu Yu's muscles and bones hummed in unison; his muscles tightened and his skeleton retracted, his aura instantly receding into his body.

He looked into the mirror again, and the person inside had returned to his previous, normal appearance.

Only his complexion was better, and the immense power had brought a tremendous change to Wu Yu's temperament.

"Very good!"

Wu Yu smiled, turned to take a shower, and changed into casual clothes.

Stepping out of his room, the neighbor's door happened to open as well, and a youth with messy hair walked out.

Seeing Wu Yu, he greeted him.

"Brother Wu, heading to school?"

"Yeah, off to work?"

Wu Yu nodded.

"Yeah, I really envy you for getting into the River City Advanced Academy."

The youth looked envious and strode away.

Wu Yu smiled but did not reply.

Descending the stairs, the two arrived at the entrance of the residential complex. Outside lay an old street.

A moment later, a black hovercar swept through the air and screeched to a halt at the gate.

"Bang!"

The door opened, and the interior was empty.

"So rich, calling an unmanned flying car just to get around."

The messy-haired youth looked at the old shoes on his own feet and turned to leave, his face full of jealousy.

Wu Yu sat in the car, and an electronic voice came from the front.

"Scan passed! Welcome, respected monthly subscriber!"

"Tianpeng 712 is at your service. Thank you for your recognition of Tianpeng Service."

Bang!

Closing the door, Wu Yu said, "River City Advanced Academy, North Gate."

"Understood! Connected to the River City traffic network."

"Please sit tight and do not use Transcendent power inside the vehicle, otherwise Tianpeng Corporation will hold you accountable..."

The hovercar started slowly and drove along the street.

Watching the light and shadows outside the window, Wu Yu pressed a button.

With a hiss, a small refrigerator opened, revealing various drinks inside.

Wu Yu picked up a can, opened it, and took a sip. The ice-cold, sweet water was refreshing, making him feel quite comfortable.

As it merged onto the main road, the hovercar's speed increased.

The scenery outside the window gradually blurred; people, houses, cats, and dogs flashed by as distorted streaks of light.

Music began to play inside the car—an unknown foreign track.

Wu Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, sipped his cold drink, and looked at his inventory with a sense of boredom.

"I wonder how long it will be before I enter the Mysterious Tower again."

"Three days, a week, a month?"

"In the videos I scrolled through before, there were ordinary people and Transcendent ones. I'm afraid those who climb the tower are also categorized by strength! When those Transcendent ones enter the Great Ruins, do they also get benefits like the [Newcomer Secret Realm]?"

His thoughts gradually wandered.

Wu Yu's eyes flickered as he suddenly noticed something wrong with a small pebble.

The [Bi Fang Sigil] on it had faded significantly!

"Hmm?"

He immediately took it out and held it in his palm.

Looking closely, about half of the [Bi Fang Sigil] remained.

"I haven't used this one in a long time, at least a day and a half."

Wu Yu focused his mind, and the [Bi Fang Sigil] on the pebble immediately lit up, returning to its complete state.

He touched the sigil, and deep in his heart, he seemed to realize something.

"So that's it, the pebble carrier is just too trashy! The [Bi Fang Sigil] will dissipate in 72 hours at most on a small stone."

"Perfect, I'll buy some talisman paper online to test it out. Perhaps I can learn the craft of a talisman master."

Wu Yu rubbed his chin and returned the pebble to his inventory.

Suddenly, the vehicle jolted.

Wu Yu hurriedly raised his head, discovering that the hovercar was speeding across a bridge over the river.

At the end of the bridge lay a brilliant shimmer of light!

A soft female voice drifted from the radio inside the car.

"Welcome to..."

"The City of Ten Thousand Rivers!"