A Future Fraught with Hardship

The nights in Mingyang City are beautiful.

Yes, this cage that countless people cannot escape in their entire lives is, no matter how you look at it, both captivating and awe-inspiring.

Once you raise your head, even the most averse to this capitalist, cultivation-themed city will have to admit this.

This place is ultimately a place with highly advanced cultivation technology.

This vast and magnificent city is composed of countless wonders, skyscrapers, and various basic structures created by the combination of Daoist magic and technology.

Company buildings of various shapes and sizes, neon lights everywhere...

Even if you searched through all of Lü Yuan's memories from his previous life, you couldn't piece together a place that could compare to this one.

Roads, buses, flying swords, modern magic boats, neon-lit immortal cultivators—different aesthetics converge here.

The towering Bright Yang Tower, which stands majestically in the heart of the city and whose top is out of sight, immediately comes into view when you look up.

Even above that, Lü Yuan could occasionally see glimmers of light illuminating the entire cloud layer, inspiring endless imagination.

He knew that it was a behemoth from a giant corporation; the Immortal Dao Technology's space carrier, [Radiant Heavenly Sun], was "breathing" once again.

Judging solely from the scale of the aftershocks, Lü Yuan could determine that this must be a colossal entity, no less massive than the Bright Yang Tower.

But because it had quietly remained here since Li Yelan's arrival over the past hundred years, it created those strange occurrences.

Therefore, the residents of Mingyang City have become accustomed to its existence and have gradually stopped paying attention to it or being surprised by it.

"How come I never noticed before? Mingyang City is so beautiful..."

Having already gotten off the bus and parted ways with Wang Yan, Lü Yuan, who was walking home, tilted his head back and murmured softly.

His eyes reflected the city's bustling image, dazzling and spectacular.

It was so enormous that it made you feel excited just taking a breath.

Yes, how come I never noticed before that this place looked like this?

Why?

Walking alone on the night road, the neon lights illuminating his face, made Lü Yuan, who had just thought of this, chuckle to himself.

How could I have asked such a childish question?

What else could it be?

Was it because it wasn't discovered? Or did this scene never exist before?

Of course not.

I hadn't noticed it before, only because the weight of survival and the unseen future made it hard to breathe, even for myself.

I always keep my head down, worrying about everything—the future, my prospects, my life...

There are too many worries that prevent me from paying attention to the outside world.

Now, all of that has vanished. After several months of what could be described as happy days, he has finally begun to relax.

That's why I started to discover the beauty of this city.

"It really is so enchanting, I wish I could stay in this happy time forever..."

Lü Yuan's eyes were somewhat unfocused, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.

But he knew it was impossible; yes, life like this couldn't go on forever.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a hurry, wanting to get gold coins from Lin Qi and Wang Yan right now.

"Aside from that one meeting, as 'Tiansuzi,' she hardly interfered with me at all."

"This shows that she probably didn't want to disrupt my normal developmental trajectory."

Therefore, although the future is bright, the difficulties ahead are still numerous.

"That day on the [Bright Yang Tower], Li Yelan said that I had to win all the 'battles' between now and getting into junior college--"

"All..."

Lü Yuan chuckled softly, "In other words, this must include at least all kinds of legal competitions and contests from elementary school to high school."

"And then, in every high school exam, he crushed all the geniuses from the other forty-one cities."

"Should I say this is asking the impossible...?"

He said this, then took out his phone and looked intently at the three trending topics that he had glimpsed on the bus not long ago.

"Top 1: The once-every-five-years Forty-Two Cities Joint Dharma Combat Tournament has been confirmed to be held in Zaiwu City in 3070!"

"Top 2: It is expected that elementary schools in Jiugang City, led by Jiugang Junior High School, will send exchange teams to our city early next year to participate in the full-scale competition!"

"Top 3: The final martial arts competition of Mingyang City in 3066 will officially open in a month, and registration for all levels has begun--"

This is why Lü Yuan said it's unreasonable to ask someone to do something against their will; one major competition after another is coming...

Can't people even get a rest?

"Furthermore, given my current rate of improvement, I'm almost guaranteed to be placed in the weight class of the upperclassmen in every competition."

Lü Yuan sighed, regretting that he couldn't fry fish. "So we can't slack off and give up on our cultivation just because we can outperform our peers."

"This remaining month is probably one of the few times I can relax."

Lü Yuan has a clear understanding of the future; he knows that beating his peers is like an old man playing with children.

However, when facing older students, the advantage in cultivation level will be almost completely negated.

That's why he wanted to collect more of Lin Qi and Wang Yan's gold coins, and use this time to further strengthen himself.

"Speaking of which, this time the gains were quite significant... both my swordsmanship improved, and I acquired a visualization diagram--"

"The things these two people have are both incredibly useful."

Lü Yuan yawned. "It wasn't for nothing that I got so into character these past few days; I almost fooled myself..."

"I just don't know where the limits of Lin Qi's thing are, and whether Wang Yan really has an old man."

"Never mind, we can explore these things later."

"Anyway, they can't run away. My potential and the foreseeable opportunities that are no less than, or even greater than, theirs are enough to keep them by my side."

This is actually why Lü Yuan never asked the two about the specifics of their opportunities.

Was he really acting for his friend, as he had just told Wang Yan?

That's probably not the case.

Lü Yuan simply gave what he thought Wang Yan and the possible old man would want to hear, in order to gain favor.

How could he possibly believe in something so unreliable?

In reality, he didn't ask simply because he was confident. From the perspective of their intertwined interests, as long as he didn't do anything wrong, neither of them would give up betting on him.

Given this situation, Lin Qi and Wang Yan will eventually come to the truth with him.

If that's the case, why dig too deep and exhaust all resources?

One must always have a long-term vision and strive to maximize profits; otherwise, wouldn't all those years spent in this world of capitalism have been wasted?

"Wait a minute, why do I suddenly feel like I'm dealing with some kind of villain who deceives the protagonist's feelings?"

"..."

"Surely not, I'm not that despicable. After all, I genuinely offered benefits first, then showered you with gold coins."

"And I'm genuinely willing to lend them a hand in the future."

Coming to my senses, I looked towards the road home...

Lü Yuan let out a soft breath, inwardly mocking himself with amusement.

Then, we continued walking through the deep night of Mingyang City.