Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Just one more and the number would be ten million.
Qin Fen’s fingers gently thrummed against the cashiers check for nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars.
The large hall was silent, except for the thrumming that Qin Fen did with the check.
Qin Fen drew in a deep breath. In the past, he had only heard of people using money to subdue others. He never really encountered it until now.
“This is a lot of money.” Qin Fen took two steps forward. He carefully placed the check onto the table. “With it, one can buy a top-grade house in the Golden district. This amount of money can also allow a person to live their entire life without worrying about food. It’s just that….”
Qin Fen took two steps back. He stood ramrod straight with his waist and back. “It is just that, from my perspective, this amount of money is incapable of purchasing a single strand of hair on Jiajia’s head.”
Qin Fen’s words were neither servile nor overbearing. He maintained his courtesy while possessing the firmness that a man ought to have.
Song Zhenting smiled and didn’t say a word. He opened up the checkbook in his hand once more. He wrote another check and tossed it to Qin Fen. This time the check had eight nines on it.
There was a mere change of paper, but the value of this paper was increased tenfold.
It was just a dollar from being a hundred million!
This amount of money could buy a mountain mansion. At the same time, it could buy a series of stores on the street of a bustling downtown city. One could live a free, easy, and happy life with this money.
“It looks like you, sir, really have investigated me. I really am short of money.” Qin Fen shook his head over and over. He took this check, which could make countless people crazy, and placed it upon the desk right before Song Zhenting. “However, I didn’t come here for a check and the number on it.”
Song Zhenting didn’t even bat an eyelid as he wrote a third check.
There were nine nines now. Just one dollar short of one billion dollars!
This amount of money wasn’t so simple as to grant their ability to buy a mountain mansion. As long as one took a fancy for a beautiful female celebrity, one likely only needed to curl a finger, and the female celebrity would come to the bed. This amount of money could grant a life even better than those of emperors.
Qin Fen held this mountain of gold, and his face carried a slight smile that was neither servile nor overbearing. “The way you do things, sir, has made me recall an old story. Someone made a television program once, and in this program, they asked all the men with sweethearts present. They asked if given ten thousand dollars, would they break up with their girlfriends? It was very clear that this question was ridiculed by everyone. However, as the show’s host raised the price to a hundred thousand, a million, ten million, many men were swayed. The host said that there was no love that could not be bought in this world. If one couldn’t buy it, it meant that the money wasn’t enough….”
Song Zhenting slowly nodded. He too had heard this story before.
“However, I want to say, I am sorry.” Qin Fen gave a very courteous bow. He placed the check of one billion dollars before Song Zhenting. He looked at him, his eyes without any fear at all. “I am not selling my love. Even if you gave me a blank check, I will still give this answer.”
Song Zhenting’s ten fingers clasped together. His two thumbs circled up and down. “You believe that you can be a match for Jiajia?”
Qin Fen smiled. It was yet another discussion about qualifications!
“When it comes to me being a match for Jiajia, I don’t have the say. Instead, we have to look at what Jiajia believes.” Qin Fen was neither cold nor warm as he pressed Song Zhenting’s words back to him.
When faced with this possible father-in-law, Qin Fen would be lying if he were to say that he felt no pressure.
Compared to the other young men, who possessed backgrounds, Qin Fen knew that he could describe himself as backward both economically and culturally. The money he held in his hands wasn’t even enough to compare with even a scrap of the first check he had been given.
The more things are like this, the more Qin Fen knew that he couldn’t show weakness. He was already destitute, having nothing at all. If he tossed away the confidence and firmness of a man, then that would only allow people to look down on him.
“From my perspective… Jiajia doesn’t need to be asked about this issue.” Song Zhenting placed hands on the armrest of the rattan chair. He quietly looked at Qin Fen. “I will be the one to answer this. If a woman marries you, you should provide her with a place to live, at the very least, right? That’s right, I’m talking about a house. Do you have one? It doesn’t need to be a mountain mansion, nor doesn’t need to be a detached Villa. A condo near downtown is fine as well.”
When Song Zhenting and spoke to this point, his two hands pressed against the armrest of the rattan chair. He sat up straight, and the two elbows of his arms propped against his thighs. His two hands supported his chin as he quietly stared at Qin Fen. “You don’t even have two hundred thousand in your bank account. You won’t even be able to buy a decent size house in downtown, right? What can you give Jiajia? You can’t give her anything. You can only give her love, which can’t be seen, can’t be touched, can’t be eaten, can’t be drunk, and can’t be worn. You want her to suffer hardship with you? Young man, tell me if things are like this, okay?”
Song Zhenting’s voice was quite pleasant to the ears. His voice possessed the attraction that even announcers lacked. His slow words didn’t contain even a hint of a threatening tone. He launched his attack in completely a logical style.
Qin Fen stood in his original spot, secretly praising the methods of this possible father-in-law. In just a few sentences, the man had pressured Qin Fen to be at a disadvantage.
“You, sir, are correct.” Qin Fen raised his arms and slowly spread open his palm. “I don’t have much money right now, and I have suffered through many hardships in the past. I have done a lot of work that you probably consider as a complete waste of life. However, these are the most valuable experiences of my life. It is these experiences that have taught me how to be a man. They let me know that I can still rely on my two hands to create my own future.”
Qin Fen’s ten fingers, which was spread open, slowly clenched together with force. “I am so young. I possess unlimited potential for growth. Since you have investigated me, sir, then you should know something. Just several months ago, I lived a life where I was so poor that I didn’t know when I was gonna get my next meal. As the months passed to the present day, I now have nearly two hundred thousand in my bank account. So….”
“You are being too….” Song Zhenting raised his arm in a very decisive wave. “I know very well of the method used to make money. The Sky Battle Net, right? Don’t believe that you can avoid others from truly investigating your profile even if you hide your own face online. Therefore, you don’t need to trick me. As you win more and more without losing, the number of people spending money to challenge you will grow smaller and smaller. Believe me. It won’t be long before all your challengers completely disappear.”
Qin Fen didn’t have a way to open his mouth and retort. Whether it was the two-star or three-star, it was the fact that fewer and fewer people were challenging him. In addition, they paid him far less money than challengers in the past.
As for four-star martial artists, these people were of a mental age that was much more mature. The number of challengers was very few.
Currently, Qin Fen was at the five-star meteor level—the initial stage of the meteor level. The number of martial artists who would spend money to challenge him was likely none at all.
A faint smile emerged in Song Zhenting’s eyebrows. “It isn’t as easy as you think to create the future.”
“Then you should know, sir, that I also have a sect.” Qin Fen revealed what was practically his final card. “Whether it is the sect-challenge or something else, I can make money all the same. In addition, I can also go kill terrorists. For example, Scarlet Scorpion. After the Federation confirms everything, I can obtain a considerable amount of money.”
“Killing terrorists.” Song Zhenting nodded in acknowledgment. “It is indeed a path to making money. However, it is dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Do you think that it is fair to Jiajia for you to risk your life to make money? As for your sect on the battle network, I am afraid that it will soon disappear.”
“Disappear?”
Qin Fen looked at Song Zhenting with great skepticism. The Song Family would lose face of such a large expert were to make a move against the small Dragon Hall. Dragon Hall could only have its reputation surge if an expert were to do such a thing. Even if the sect were trampled flat, its reputation would surge greatly.
“It’s not me.” Song Zhenting pointed at the door with his two index fingers. “There are all these people going through this test. I am confident that they are very interested in destroying the likelihood of a rival. What do you think?”
Qin Fen’s hands and feet instantly went ice cold. The frigid air rushed from his spine to his mind.
Qin Fen used the Sky Battle Net to make money, to find his older brother, as well as an important source of money to marry Song Jia. But just a few sentences, Song Zhenting cut off Qin Fen’s path to making money.
“What is wrong?” Song Zhenting used the index finger and middle finger of his right hand to hold the three checks he had written before. He pushed them all toward Qin Fen. “Pick up these three checks, and give up on Jiajia. I can make you a guarantee. No one will make a move toward Dragon Hall. Am I right? Your sect is called Dragon Hall, right?”
Qin Fen smiled. Large families were truly amazing! With just a few casual sentences, Song Zhenting was able to completely crush all of one’s efforts to dust in a mere flash.
Qin Fen looked at the three checks on the tea table. He smiled in extreme delight. If it had been three months ago, it would be very hard to tell what sort of outcome Qin Fen would choose when faced with this threat and this lure. However, now was different!
Ever since Qin Fen’s body had fused with that bizarre liquid metal, Qin Fen never thought of giving up when faced with the challenge, no matter how difficult the challenge, even if the challenge where it was impossible for him to win. Instead, the desire to do battle would rise greatly in his chest.
“Uncle Song.” Qin Fen copied Song Zhenting, using his middle finger and index finger to hold the checks on the tea table. He pushed them back once more. “Jiajia has already cried for my sake. I absolutely won’t let her cry a second time for my sake.”
“Since this is the case….” Song Zhenting’s tranquil eyes suddenly turned sharp. In the next instant, the gaze that was cast upon Qin Fen’s body contained a pressure that was akin to two large mountains pressing down on him. Such weights cause Qin Fen to suffocate from his chest. The dense and cold words rang in his ears. “For the sake of Jiajia, I can only have you disappear.”
Song Zhenting had yet to make his move, but his aura, which soared to the heavens, filled the entire room.
Qin Fen could feel that what he faced was not a man but an enormous demon from ancient times. Each and every one of this demon’s movements could cause the oceans to heave with waves a hundred feet high. This was true even with the demon’s thumb. On the other hand, Qin Fen was like a small boat in the middle of a tsunami. He could easily be completely buried into the depths of the great ocean, at any time, by the hundred-foot wave.
The difference in strength between the two sides was far too great. When facing Song Zhenting, Qin Fen felt himself to be like a young child, who just entered kindergarten, and this young child was facing the world’s boxing champion. This was the difference between the two.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Five seconds. Ten seconds….
One minute….
Song Zhenting retracted his aura. He sat back to his seat once more. He picked up a peanut from a plate and gave a sudden shake of his wrist. The peanut, crisp enough to be eaten, let out a screeching sound as it streaked through the air. It drew a stream of air behind it, visible to the naked eye. It looked like a bullet moving in slow motion.
Within this narrow space, just how much might would a bullet, propelled by the explosion of gunpowder, possess?
The casual shots of the shelled peanuts by Song Zhenting didn’t possess the power of a true bullet, but its might surpassed that of a real bullet.
When faced with the sudden attack, practically no young expert would choose to face it head-on in a frontal clash. The best option would be to retreat and evade.
Song Zhenting’s eyes carried quite the expectation. He wanted to know just what sort of response Qin Fen would come up with. Would he merely be a silly brazen fool?
When faced this shelled peanuts, which was like a bullet, Qin Fen didn’t dare to be the slightest bit negligent. His right foot fell to the ground together with his left foot, causing the earth to shake. His left arm moved before his chest, and his right arm soared vertically up from within his left arm in a sudden explosive punch!
Flood Fist! Soaring Cannon!
The air rang out with the sound akin to a car’s tire suddenly exploding. The shelled peanut was smashed by the fist, which was akin to a cannon of the battlefield, and the peanut shell suddenly turned into debris that scattered to the ground.
Even Song Zhenting could feel the ground beneath his feet tremble as the power of the cannon fist of the Flood Fist was unleashed. A hint of the glow called astonishment flashed within his eyes.
At such a young age, Qin Fen was able to strike with the fundamental fist technique that was the Flood Fist to such vigor, to such imposingness! This was truly something rare among the rare.
Of course, this wasn’t what truly caused Song Zhenting to feel shocked.
The fist just now was clearly done with the power of a five-star martial artist. However, Song Zhenting didn’t doubt even the slightest that this five-star martial artist would ultimately win against a six-star martial artist.
Even a six-star martial artist might not be able to understand the true essence of the soaring cannon. However, from the grace of the soaring cannon just now, it was clear that this young man understood it. This young man successfully took the true essence of this fist and completely unleashed it.
What was truly rare were the two types of powers contained within the fist.
The Dragon Elephant Prajna Art! The Golden Bell Shield? The Iron Mantle? This was all wrong. It seemed to be the Unbreakable Diamond Body?
Song Zhenting was completely certain of the existence of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art. Qin Fen had used the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art of the five-star meteor level.
However, this is not what the fist completely unleashed with. There was a true energy that protected the fist, not allowing the shelled peanut to pierce the body. It was not the protective art of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art, instead, it was a different protective divine art.
Song Zhenting suspected that it was the Golden Bell Shield for a time, however, he quickly rejected the speculation. He also rejected the speculation that it was the Iron Mantle.
As for the Unbreakable Diamond Body, one of the super protective divine paleo martial arts? Song Zhenting didn’t dare to completely confirm this judgment, just as before.
It was in the instant that Qin Fen had struck with the soaring cannon that Song Zhenting really did sense the aura of the Golden Bell Shield. He also sensed the aura of the Iron Mantle, and he also sensed the aura of the Unbreakable Diamond Body. However, no matter the aura, none were pure. It felt as if all protective divine arts of paleo martial arts were fused together.
Fusing all protective cultivation arts together? Song Zhenting didn’t dare believe in such an occurrence.
As he, who was of a family of the martial dao, understood a fact far better than anyone else: any protective divine art possessed its own uniqueness. There were practically no compatible aspects between them.
This was also why people would only choose one protective divine art to cultivate in. They didn’t choose two or three because cultivating in more than one was a waste of time. They could only use one during combat.
The protective divine art that Song Zhenting cultivated in was the product of the Earth Martial God Song Wendong’s grandmaster level insight into martial arts. Song Wendong own had simply fused together the Golden Bell Shield, the Iron Mantle, the Thirteen Cross Defenders, and the Purple Yang True Body to create the Diamond Body of Earth!
Song Zhenting possessed great pride in regards to this Diamond Body of Earth. It was very rare for someone to be able to fuse to protective divine arts together. This protective divine art of his was the product of fusing four protective divine art of paleo martial arts. Its might was assessed by Song Wendong to be even greater than that of the Unbreakable Diamond Body.
However, Song Zhenting felt something weird about the protective divine art upon Qin Fen’s body just now. It was as if there was extreme chaos, as if there wasn’t any fusion at all, but also as if it was going through a fusion. However, this fusion gave off the feeling that it was a hideous mess.
“You….” Song Zhenting fixed his eyes on Qin Fen. He suddenly realized that he hadn’t sufficiently investigated Qin Fen. How could a destitute young man access the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art’s deeper levels? The levels past the third stage?
