The heavenly court group

Hu Mang's compensation for the engineering accident had already been mostly spent on his earlier treatment.

The four testing Law Artifacts cost tens of thousands apiece, with the pricier ones exceeding a hundred thousand. The most expensive, the "Divine Sense detector," was a custom-made Spirit Artifact that cost a full 130,000! Its specifications allowed it to measure Divine Sense data at the Nascent Soul level.

There were cheaper ones, of course, costing a few thousand or ten-odd thousand. But Hu Mang really wanted to understand the differences between the cultivation systems of the two worlds, so he gritted his teeth and bought the top-of-the-line model.

Another 300,000-plus was gone.

Of course, he had saved quite a bit while working overseas, particularly from fighting in underground arenas, which had left him with a substantial sum.

His savings totaled more than three million.

The problem was that all that money was in overseas accounts.

After his accident, he had fled immediately, before anyone could react, without touching a cent. He knew the money would surely be watched.

Over the years, Zheng Qingbo had built him up as Port Surumai's number one Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had killed plenty of people and offended even more.

And whether deliberately or not, that old hand Zheng Qingbo had used him, an outsider, as a gun turret, leading to him being ambushed more and more often after leaving the ring.

That had made Hu Mang extremely wary, and he didn't trust this so-called fellow countryman one bit.

All these factors had left his personal stash inside Heavenly Gate genuinely depleted.

"What now? Ask my mom for some?"

Hu Mang muttered to himself.

"Better not. I'm too old to bring myself to ask."

He emptied all the Spirit Stones and Lightning Crystals he had earned in the other realm out of his Storage Bag, piling a faintly glowing "little crystal mountain" right on his bed.

"I made the equivalent of twenty million Spirit Coins on this trip, but having money I can't spend is a real headache."

"I definitely can't use the mid-grade Spirit Stones or the Lightning Crystals. Could I find a way to sell off some of these low-grade Spirit Stones? That seems a bit risky too-"

Hu Mang toyed with a low-grade Spirit Stone the size of a coin.

The Spiritual Qi in Azure Mysterious Realm's low-grade Spirit Stones was four or five times that of Heavenly Gate's.

If he sold a large quantity, people would definitely grow suspicious.

His underworld contacts were all overseas, while his contacts inside Heavenly Gate were concentrated among the people he knew from his academy days.

For a transaction in a small circle like that, without a reliable acquaintance to bring him in, he was bound to be led into a slaughterhouse.

"What a headache. I've still got a pile of equipment to buy."

Hu Mang had a major shopping spree planned. Besides all kinds of higher-grade "lightning-warding equipment," he also needed Spiritual Power pipelines of various specifications, Spiritual Qi relay stations, and the like.

Since nobody was managing the old engineering works inside Demon-Subduing City, and there weren't even any security or confidentiality measures, it seemed he could alter the wiring.

Once he had made those changes, the city's Demon-Subduing Mechanism would no longer have to "perish together with heaven and earth" as it had before in order to activate.

He could activate it whenever and wherever he needed.

By then, in all of Demon-Subduing City, barring those whose combat power exceeded its upper limit, he would basically have the final say.

But that also meant sinking several hundred thousand more into it.

"My head hurts~~"

Hu Mang muttered to himself.

Where could he get the money?

"Hm?"

Hu Mang whipped his head around and saw his "dad" standing in the doorway with a smile.

His Divine Sense couldn't detect him!?

"You need something?"

Hu Mang narrowed his eyes deeply.

If this guy hadn't been unable to leave the house, he would have been tempted to kill him to keep him quiet.

"Father Hu" smiled and shook his head.

"I've read all the cultivation methods you gave me. Would you like me to explain them to you?"

Hu Mang froze and asked doubtfully:

"You really understood them?"

"Father Hu" nodded, then shook his head.

"According to my statistical analysis, there are twenty-one incomplete cultivation manuals in total. Using the algorithms at my disposal, seven of them have a cultivation success rate above 35%, while eleven have a success rate of around 25%. But after successful cultivation, the success rates for making the corresponding subsequent additions to the methods are 14.5% for the Grand Primordial Sword Instruction, 11.5% for the One Qi Method..."

"Father Hu" rattled off a string of numbers.

Seen this way, all those incomplete manuals were trash.

"...In summary, the cultivation requirements for these methods are extremely stringent. Seventeen types of the Spiritual Qi they require do not exist on Earth Star. In particular, the method for cultivating all three Dantians at once requires a 'wave-particle duality' in Spiritual Qi that industrial Spiritual Qi is almost incapable of matching."

"My overall assessment is that these methods might allow for deeper cultivation on a planet with extremely abundant resources. But in this realm, please cultivate them with caution."

"Moreover, these methods are excessively geared toward killing. Please cultivate them with caution and within the bounds of Heavenly Gate's laws."

"However, among them is a 'Divine Ability method' that I estimate has a 75.1% success rate. Would you like me to explain how to cultivate it?"

"75.1%? That high?" Hu Mang thought back. He didn't remember any method being that easy to practice.

"Which one?"

"'Lesser vehicle divine ability of the Chan school—the incomplete Nine-Character Great Hand Seal': the Lin Character Instruction, the Bing Character Instruction, and the Jie Character Instruction. I can assist you in deducing the Dou and Zhe Instructions as well."

"The remaining four Instructions can also be cultivated through further deduction."

Hu Mang blinked, unable to stop himself from wondering if something was wrong with his ears.

"Wait, the method you just mentioned was the lesser vehicle divine ability of the Chan school, that Nine-Character Great Hand Seal?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't that method require the Buddhist route of 'lodging at a monastery and observing precepts'? You can't cultivate it unless you pass the three hurdles of observing precepts, accumulating blessings, and purifying karma. Didn't the manual say so?"

"We don't have any Buddhist temples in Heavenly Gate where you can 'lodge,' do we?"

"According to my calculations, this method cultivates both Buddhism and Daoism and is not exclusive to the Chan school. Besides, there are other ways to bypass the three hurdles of observing precepts, accumulating blessings, and purifying karma. Would you like me to explain it to you in detail?"

"..."

Hu Mang blinked and was just about to speak when his phone rang again. He casually answered it, only to hear Chen Xiaosan shouting at the top of his lungs-

"Second Brother, Second Master, why aren't you online yet? How many times have we called for you in the group? You didn't forget about it, did you?!"

Hu Mang really had almost forgotten.

"Hang on. I'll be right there."

After hanging up, Hu Mang pondered for a moment. Although he didn't believe what the other party had said at all, a Dao Law Intelligence probably wouldn't lie, would it?

So he ventured:

"Um, Dad, can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"You won't forget our conversation, will you?"

"Father Hu" smiled and shook his head. His gaze paused on a spot on the bed for a moment, and he turned to leave.

"Wait."

A thought occurred to Hu Mang, and he called him back.

"Do you want this?" Hu Mang picked up a Lightning Crystal and asked.

"According to my agreement with Lady Hu, I should not accept any payment for explaining cultivation methods to you in any form. That rule is engraved in my 'divine repository.'"

Hu Mang stared at him for a moment. Unable to see any trace of deception in his smile, his gaze gradually softened, and he tossed the Lightning Crystal over.

"It's fine. Just consider it a filial gift."

"Congratulations to Second Brother on successfully entering the sea of business, then turning over a new leaf and coming ashore again. @Giant Spirit God, congrats, congrats~" Northern Heavenly King of Great Learning

The moment Hu Mang entered the group chat, he saw a message that made his vision go dark.

"Congratulations to Second Brother on successfully entering the sea of business. @Giant Spirit God, congrats, congrats~" Southern Heavenly King of Growth

"Congratulations to Second Brother on entering the sea. @Giant Spirit God, congrats, congrats~" Western Heavenly King of Broad Vision

"Congratulations to Second Brother on turning over a new leaf. @Giant Spirit God, congrats, congrats~" Eastern Heavenly King of Upholding the Nation

"You guys sure know how to pick out the important bits. As I recall, none of us five walking disaster majors studied journalism." Giant Spirit God

"Oh, right. Among our five walking disaster majors, we really are missing a journalism major. How about we recruit one?" Northern Heavenly King of Great Learning, also known as Chen Xiaosan, replied seriously.

"Then would he be Nezha or Yang Jian? Wouldn't that be a bit too impressive?" Western Heavenly King of Broad Vision, Fourth Brother, asked.

"No one can be more impressive than me!" Southern Heavenly King of Growth, also known as Gu Yunshu, replied seriously.

"How about adding Monkey Sun?" Eastern Heavenly King of Upholding the Nation, Fifth Brother, countered.

"You're joking. We're official members of the heavenly court. How could we just let some rebel join?"

"His official rank later on seemed to be a tiny bit higher than ours."

"Contract workers. They were all contract workers..."

After a round of nonsense, the Four Heavenly Kings finally got down to business.

"Are we jumping straight into a game, or interrogating Second Brother first?" Chen Xiaosan asked.

"Can't we interrogate him while we play, and get our upper and lower bodies moving together?" Fifth Brother asked.

"You've got to be kidding. Do you think Second Brother would be the one doing you, or would you be doing Second Brother?"

"Either way is fine."

Hu Mang sighed. He knew the conversation would turn dirty again if it went on, so he sent over his earlier "test report."

"There was a minor engineering accident. I came back to the country for a little surgery."

"Holy shit."

"Holy shit."

"Holy shit."

"Holy shit."

"What exactly happened? If you need anything, brother, just say the word!" Gu Yunshu replied seriously.

Hu Mang sent over today's test report as well.

"It's nothing. The surgery was a success, and I've reached Foundation Establishment again. I'm taking the Foundation Establishment exam tomorrow."

"Glad you're okay. Then what are we waiting for? Holy shit, pulling an all-nighter online before an exam—I'm getting that feeling again! Ohhhhhh~~~" Chen Xiaosan

Before long, the five of them went online and started up an old game jokingly said to date back to before the founding of the nation, called Heavenly Gate Journey to the West.

As Hu Mang controlled the Bull Devil King and hacked away at minor monsters, he glanced at his phone. Sure enough, all four of the others in the five-person group had sent him private messages.

"Second Brother, how's your recovery going? Need money?" Gu Yunshu

"Second Brother, what happened? Why didn't you tell us about something this serious?" Chen Xiaosan

"Second Master, what happened to you? Did the surgery leave any aftereffects?"

"Damn, I thought I had it bad enough with the four-piece middle-class bankruptcy package on my back. I didn't think you had it even worse." Fourth Brother

Hu Mang chatted with them off and on.

But soon, a thought occurred to him.

Which of these four was the rich guy again?