Seized by the System

Half a month later, the third year and seventh month of Shenyuan had arrived.

At the mansions located in the mountains south of the Qi City in China where William, the Son of Heaven resided in, jovial laughter and joyful song echoed within the courtyard under the cool shade of flourishing trees.

“Come, William, have another grape… These Element Replenishment Grapes are newly introduced to the market.”

“Alright sweetheart, you should eat them too.”

Robert, who was sitting at the corner of the gathering to furiously chug down some beer, frowned at the sight. Why would the circumstances differ so much among fellow geniuses?

Look at Vigilante A, who had been busying himself with cultivation or practice the Path of Heavenly Punishment every day. He has now advanced leaps and bounds to become the most powerful individual in this realm.

On the other hand, this nephew of his who once carried the title of the Son of Heaven had lost himself within the life of debauchery and the temptations of the female flesh. He had entirely wasted his innate talents.

Even if he had been wasting his time, he could still cultivate until the peak of Pond-level, and was only a step away from breaking to Lake-level.

Just imagine, if Willam was half as diligent as Vigilante A, he would probably already be a Lake-level powerhouse long ago, and would perhaps be much more than that!

Unfortunately, every individual had their own aspirations, and it is unwise to impose one’s standards on others.

The Nine Transformation Golden Core Technique was born and had caused shockwaves across the world. William had generously sponsored a huge amount of three billion USD to assist in the popularization efforts of the Technique.

Now, half a year had passed, and significant progress had been achieved across the globe. Almost a million people had cultivated at least until the first transformation.

Within that million were those with great Natural Traits, and those of the high socioeconomic class who were able to use their riches to advance their progress.

After some more drinking, Robert suddenly spoke, “I heard that the Venerable Dragon God opened a store named Magical Provenance in this city. Apparently, it allows those who cultivate the Nine Transformation Golden Core Technique to deposit, withdraw and trade magical energy.”

Without even looking up, William gave an answer as he sat surrounded by many gorgeous women. “Oh, I’ve heard about this long ago from a local jewellery dealer. He said that his three children have already opened up some accounts there, and whether if I wanted to open an account too… Thus, I’ve already opened accounts for all my sweethearts and myself.”

“That’s true. William is a really generous person. Not only did he help us to successfully cultivate that mysterious technique from the East, he also helped us to deal with these troublesome matters,” giggled the gorgeous women.

“Um, looks like you really don’t delay when it comes to important matters.” Robert could not seem to find an excuse to lecture his nephew, which had caused him to chug a new bottle of Laoshan beer in frustration.

“Of course. However, the magical energy saved there is still too little for a worthy purchase. Oh by the way, do you know what unit of magical energy is used there?” William asked.

Robert answered seriously, “Um, I’ve gone through their introduction. One unit is derived from the magical energy gathered by a Double Grade F after a normal 8-hour cultivation. The name of the unit is called Dan unit, as in 1 Dan unit of magical energy. ¹ It can be used to cast the smallest spell – Flame Spell.”

“Seems like you’ve put actual work in this, uncle. China has already started to establish the standards for the new era… This means that they are trying to define this era. I have thought about how this day would arrive, but I never expected it to come so quickly.” William shook his head.

“Actually, it is still possible for us to catch up.” Robert gazed at his nephew solemnly.

“Forget it. We have led the race for a few centuries now, it’s now their turn. This is the rise and fall, prosperity and decline that the Chinese people always talked about. It’s nothing to be shocked about.” William brushed it off without a care.

“You, you…” Robert choked on his words for a very long time, but he did not say anything else.

He knew long enough of his nephew’s personality. He had always wanted to enjoy his time whenever he could, and would never willingly waste his time on the boring cultivations and trainings.

This value was not necessarily wrong. According to the intel collected, most cultivators spend 80% of their time meditating. They only seem to live for a very long time.

Such a boring and dry life wojuld be worth it if the cultivators could actually achieve true longevity. However, many cultivators live an even shorter life than ordinary people.

Some went into deviatory psychosis, some got into trouble just because of what they possess, while others were too competitive for their own good…

The benefits cultivators enjoy were unimaginable by the ordinary people. Similarly, ordinary people could not even begin to picture the risk and danger that the cultivators face.

Misfortunes would befall cultivators out of the sky unexpectedly. This saying described the risk that cultivators face perfectly.

“Alright, alright. There are still so many capable people with high motivations out there, and it wouldn’t hurt America if she loses me, an idler of the upper class. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t been contributing. At least, this technique would never spread so fast in America if it weren’t for the support from my funds. No matter what, this technique did provide numerous children from the slums yet another reliable way of growth. This allows them to make a living just by selling their magical powers in the future. There’s no need for them to deal in hideous tradings anymore.” Smugly, William blew his own trumpet.

“That’s right, William is a renowned philanthropist.” Another round of flatters was heard from the group of beautiful women.

William spoke gleefully, “Hoho, this is what should be done by anyone who’s got great returns from society. The Dragon God’s speech rings true; in this world, only love and justice form the true and correct path of the world. A fulfilling and happy life can only be achieved if one follows the ways dictated in this true path.”

“Uh… Okay, I’ll have nothing to say to that. Nonetheless, the reason behind my visit today was my idea of opening a Magical Provenance here in America too…” Robert finally revealed the motive behind his visit.

William cared not in the least. “Oh. Tell me, how much do you need me to invest this time? I’ve been getting quite a good business in the jewellery industry lately. China really has a great number of rich people, and those ladies that love magical jewellery are the ones that spend mountains without batting their eyelids.”

Robert immediately felt a rush of embarrassment. At the same time, the dissatisfaction that brooded in his heart vanished almost instantly.

No matter what happened, this nephew of his really did see money as mere dirt.

To him, money seemed to have not much value. As long as the cause was correct and the money was spent with a purpose, he would definitely invest large sums of it.

This was not something that most rich and powerful people could do. It would be impossible for them to just give out a few hundred million USD. They would definitely require flawless and tight arguments and stringent investigation before the investment can be approved. They would never promise any funds just after a few exchanged sentences.

What if he was your blood-related uncle, you say? No! Even your blood-related father would never approve an investment so easily…

“We could first purchase a commercial bank and restructure it. We will transform their operations from currencies to adopt for magical energy directly…” In the end, Robert was indeed an American born within a kingdom of commerce. He had managed to spot the bright future of a magical energy bank early on.

William then gave a suggestion. “Oh, is that the case? Go on and purchase on then, just give me a call and tell me how much money you need. Still, I need to remind you what I’ve seen the Magical Provenance. They store magical energy in a humongous crystal that’s probably a top-grade artefact. You might not be able to buy a similar crystal…”

Robert was very confident. “Yeah, of course, I know about this. I’ve investigated this matter clearly beforehand. That’s a artifact that stores magical energy. I can let the Venerable Dragon God become a shareholder in our magical energy bank, and the subject of this agreement of shareholder will be this artifact that stores magical energy.”

“How brilliant. You’re truly my uncle! Your business sense and mind is as great as mine.” William was impressed.

“Um, what you said seems somewhat weird to my ears,” Robert sounded frustrated. “forget it, I’ll go and start working on it now. Just be prepared to transfer the funds to me.”