Quang Binh City, Vcom Mega Mall.
Inside a luxurious restaurant, Vuong Minh, Tran Trung Dung, and Bao Han sat facing one another.
Once the waiter had left, Bao Han flushed slightly, shyly sticking out the tip of her tongue as she spoke in a soft voice:
“Male god, I just realized this place is super expensive.
Should we go somewhere else instead?”
A moment ago, she had been too distracted by eye-gazing at her handsome companion to remember.
This restaurant was notoriously pricey in Quang Binh City; in the past, her father only occasionally brought the whole family here to celebrate after signing a major contract, leaving an unforgettable impression ever since.
Now that Vuong Minh was treating her here, she worried it would put a heavy dent in his wallet and leave a bad impression.
Fortunately, Chairman Vuong, who had lived through two lifetimes and never once cared about money, waved his hand with supreme magnanimity:
“No need!
Since I said I’m treating you two lovebirds today, I naturally have to pick the best spot.
Bao Han, just order whatever you want without holding back.
Don’t worry about me not being able to afford the bill.”
“That’s right, Han Han, the Boss is loaded.
Let’s just eat like nouveau riches today!”
Dung chimed in to back him up.
Seeing this, Bao Han didn’t hesitate any longer and rattled off several dishes she had been craving from the menu.
After all, the Vuong family was genuinely wealthy, belonging to the top tier of Quang Binh City.
While her own family couldn’t quite match them, they weren’t far behind either.
A single meal wouldn’t break the bank, and at worst, she could find a way to make it up to him later.
As for Vuong Minh, he certainly wasn’t putting on a fake front to show off or waiting for someone else to compensate him.
The moment he ran into these two, he had already decided to treat them to a meal, and they had already “repaid” the value of today’s lunch manifold.
Speak of the devil.
As soon as the waiter finished confirming the order and went off to prepare it, Dung leaned in close with a mysterious, crafty grin:
“Boss, you’ve got to watch out!
I caught some wind of gossip: Playboy Hieu over in Class 2 of the Martial Arts Department broke through to Tier Four half a month ago.
He’s been running his mouth, claiming that once he consolidates his cultivation after the New Year, he’s going to put you in your place and challenge you to a duel to settle our past score.”
“Oh?”
Vuong Minh chuckled lightly, his expression relaxed and even showing a hint of disdain.
While casually unscrewing a bottle of mineral water to pour into his glass, he replied offhandedly:
“Let him fight if he wants.
He’s nothing more than a defeated opponent; even if he spends another hundred years training, he still won’t amount to anything.”
So utterly domineering!
Bao Han’s eyes instantly sparkled with heart-shaped infatuation, her heart pounding frantically as if it was about to burst out of her chest.
The young girl desperately suppressed her excitement, nonchalantly using her phone to secretly snap a picture of her male god’s divine side profile.
Sitting right beside her, Dung naturally caught sight of it, but knowing his girlfriend’s personality—she was just blindly chasing after an idol with zero romantic intent—he didn’t get mad.
Instead, his attention drifted back to the main topic:
“Boss, aren’t you worried at all?
Or perhaps…”
Before Dung could finish his thought, Vuong Minh slightly released a sliver of his mid-stage Spirit Channeling Realm aura.
It flashed and vanished instantly, not disturbing any of the neighboring tables, but just strong enough for the young couple opposite him to sense it.
He smiled gently:
“Don’t worry.
I broke through half a year ago, and I’m already on the verge of stepping into Tier Five.
If that punk Hieu knows what’s good for him, fine; if he dares to show up, I’ll just teach him another unforgettable lesson.”
Thud!
“Awesome, absolutely awesome!”
Getting his confirmation, Dung slapped the table in pure elation, his face flushing red with excitement as if he was the one who had just broken through to the mid-stage Spirit Channeling Realm:
“Boss, you hide things way too deep!
You didn’t even mention a major breakthrough like that, leaving me worried sick for days.”
“Ha, it’s just the mid-stage of the Spirit Channeling Realm, what’s such a big deal that I need to broadcast it?
You little brat talk too much—were you actually worried that trash Playboy Hieu could realistically beat me?”
So suave, so confident!
Is this what a true heaven-defying prodigy looks like?
— The fangirl once again had hearts floating in her eyes.
If Vuong Minh possessed a system right now, a series of notifications would probably be spamming his mind:
“Ding!
Worship and admiration emotion points +10!”
“Ding!
Fanboy/fangirl adoration emotion points +1 +1 +1…”
Because not only was Bao Han doing it, but the female student group chats in Martial Arts Class 1 and various other social circles within Quang Binh First High School were currently buzzing with frantic discussions about him.
Bao Han’s fingers hidden beneath the table were typing away furiously on her phone.
All in all, the objective of today’s lunch had been preliminarily achieved.
…
Once the food was served, the three of them happily clinked their glasses together, celebrating Vuong Minh’s rapid martial arts progress and his bright prospects of stepping into Victoria Academy right around the corner.
It had to be said that Dragon Imperial Court wasn’t the highest-end restaurant chain in Viet Quoc for nothing.
Every dish was a feast of color, aroma, and flavor, crafted from meticulously selected mutated beast meats and spiritual herbs that were as delicious as they were nourishing.
After just a few bites, they felt a warm current washing through their entire body, leaving Vuong Minh’s eyes lighting up as he dug in with gusto.
Of course, the price tag was equally brutal.
A normal meal for the three of them easily cost 5,000 Stellar Credits, completely out of reach for ordinary folks.
As the saying goes, ‘Literature takes poverty, but martial arts take wealth.’ Who would dare send their kids to a specialized martial arts class without financial backing?
Yet in the Martial Arts Department, nobody came from an ordinary background.
As the saying goes, ‘Literature takes poverty, but martial arts take wealth.’ Who would dare send their kids to a specialized martial arts class without financial backing?
And even if they did, what kind of results would they get?
Take Vuong Minh for instance: if his parents hadn’t spent a fortune every month buying mutated beast meat, nutrient solutions, and various strengthening supplements for him, could he possibly have reached Tier Four of the Spirit Channeling Realm at age eighteen?
Keep dreaming, buddy!
Digressions aside, back to the main matter.
In high spirits, the three of them ate with immense appetite until everyone was completely stuffed.
Only then did Vuong Minh stand up to bid farewell.
Dung looked a bit reluctant to let him go:
“Boss, it’s still early!
Why are you heading back so soon?
How about the three of us hang out a bit longer?”
Bao Han beside him also blinked her eyes, looking deeply tempted yet torn.
Seeing this, Vuong Minh smiled:
“Alright you two!
I’m not going to be a third wheel on your date.
I’m heading back to cultivate.”
Hearing that, Dung stopped pressing him and nodded:
“Alright then, Boss, see you later!
I’ll come over to your place to hang out another day!”
“Ok, bye!”
With a casual, suave wave of his hand to acknowledge the plan, a streak of red light descended from the sky like a rainbow, parking neatly not far in front of them.
“WHOA!
Aotearoa…
AETHERIS!”
For a split second, Bao Han experienced a swift change of heart, her eyes instantly filling with tens of thousands of little stars.
However, the moment she realized who owned the vehicle, her distraction vanished.
Watching the young master swagger toward the car without a care in the world, and seeing that Dung showed no trace of shock, Bao Han couldn’t suppress her curiosity any longer and rushed forward:
“Male god, is this your car?
How come I’ve never seen you drive it to school?”
“Hmph, our Boss likes to keep a low profile.
Unlike certain people who get some beat-up ride and can’t wait to parade it around and show off every single day.” — Vuong Minh’s little lackey puffed out his chest proudly, explaining on his behalf.
Only then did she realize that Vuong Minh had bought this vehicle over a year ago.
Aside from occasionally driving it out for a spin on holidays, he rarely used it simply because he feared drawing too much attention.
Truth be told, the lackey had guessed wrong.
Vuong Minh knew full well what kind of person his predecessor had been: a tsundere with a thin skin who loved showing off yet remained introverted and shy.
He had often wanted to use Dung to subtly flex, only for the other guy to completely misinterpret him and keep his lips sealed tighter than a vault, leaving the original host depressed for a long time.
Of course, the current Chairman Vuong didn’t need to sweat over such trifles.
Playing the gentleman, he let Bao Han pose inside the car to snap a round of photos to post on social media and flex on her girlfriends.
Only then did Vuong Minh bid the couple farewell once more, roaring into the sky aboard the AETHERIS.
Leaving the young couple staring wistfully behind.
“I wonder when my parents will buy me a ride like that?”
Seeing his girlfriend’s eyes glued to the receding vehicle, Dung wisely kept his mouth shut.
Even a cheap flying car cost at least 3 million Stellar Credits, let alone a luxury tier like the AETHERIS, which started at a baseline of 5 million before taxes.
Even with the Vuong family’s deep pockets, Vuong Thanh and his wife had to grit their teeth and hold back on spending elsewhere before daring to place an order for their precious son.
Even the two themselves drove ordinary models, which spoke volumes about how astronomically expensive it was.
If he and Bao Han stubbornly insisted on buying one, they’d literally be forced to eat dirt.
Furthermore, Vuong Minh was an only child, whereas his own household had many mouths to feed—who knew who would even get to use it if they bought one?
Across all of Quang Binh City, very few people owned flying vehicles.
Even within Quang Binh First High School, that punk Playboy Hieu—who dared rival his Boss for the title of one of the top two young masters of Quang Binh—only dared to drive a clunky, antique flying car from seventy years ago that required a month of maintenance for every single trip, yet he still dragged it out to brag and act insufferably smug all day long.
Knowing his own limits, Dung gave up on wild fantasies and quickly grabbed Bao Han’s hand to continue their shopping.
Along the way, the young couple’s phones buzzed incessantly with group chats chirping away in delight, spreading the epic legendary deeds of Young Master Vuong all across Quang Binh City.
Of course, Vuong Minh was unaware of all this, though he could easily guess it.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to treat Bao Han to such an extravagant meal.
He let Amy handle the autopilot back home, while deep in his mind, he kept turning over new thoughts.
Contemplating how to maximize the Violet Star’s capabilities, while figuring out how to maintain absolute secrecy and safeguard himself.
The Violet Star carried far too much significance and possessed powers far too heaven-defying.
If word got out, he and the entire Vuong family would undoubtedly plunge into an abyss of eternal damnation; he could never afford even half a point of complacency or carelessness.
To maintain secrecy, first, he needed to operate in the shadows without being flashy or reckless like today.
Second, he must never store any digital images or information whatsoever.
Perhaps he needed to deal with that elf assistant AI first—she knew far too much.
Operating the AETHERIS, Amy remained blissfully unaware of the dark depths of human nature.
If she knew Vuong Minh was currently plotting to wipe her memory or scrap her, she probably couldn’t help but curse out loud:
What a scumbag!
You look at me, you use me, and now you want to dump me?
The word “trash” isn’t even enough to describe your vicious character!