Quang Binh City, HLC Hotel.
Inside a luxurious suite, the incessant ringing of a telephone abruptly jarred a pair of sleeping lovers from their deep slumber.
“Connect the audio…”
The man grumbled irritably, ordering the AI to patch through the call while letting out a vulgar curse:
“Who the hell is calling to reincarnate early in the morning!
Sharp-beak, if you don’t give me a damn good reason for this, you’d better brace yourself for a beating!”
“Master Trinh, it’s already past noon…”
At the other end of the line, Pham Van Hot—better known by his nickname Sharp-beak—shivered instantly and offered a weak defense.
But Master Trinh had no interest in hearing it, cutting him off with brutal bluntness:
“Who gives a damn if it’s noon or midnight?
If this lord hasn’t woken up yet, then it’s still early morning.
Out with it, what’s the matter?”
Master Trinh, whose real name was Trinh Cong Hieu, affectionately gifted the moniker Playboy Hieu by his inner circle, was the second son of the Trinh family.
They were a highly influential clan in Quang Binh City, possessing power that was neck-and-neck with the Vuong family.
Because of this, he and Vuong Minh had been locked in a bitter rivalry since childhood, each refusing to yield an inch—truly a pair of evenly matched rivals where neither was willing to bow to the other.
With matching family backgrounds, equivalent aptitudes, and handsome appearances, the two should have become bosom buddies.
But whether due to conflicting chemistry or starkly opposite personalities, Playboy Hieu was flamboyant, extroverted, and constantly swapping out girlfriends like clothes.
Meanwhile, the Young Master Vuong was introverted and kept to himself—cultivating a public persona as a cold, aloof male god who disdained cliques and bullying, while privately indulging in otaku-like sessions with his AI companion Amy.
As a result, they never saw eye-to-eye and were practically sworn enemies at this point.
Especially back in their freshman year when they first entered Quang Binh First High School, Playboy Hieu had tried to establish dominance as the school’s top dog by coming to shake down Vuong Minh.
Unfortunately for him, back then Vuong Minh hadn’t yet indulged in endless otaku-like sessions with Amy, leaving his primordial essence completely pristine, his body untouched and bursting with boundless vigor.
With just a few moves, he beat Hieu black and blue until the punk was picking his teeth off the floor.
That only made Hieu hate his rival even more.
Knowing how much Master Trinh despised the topic, Sharp-beak naturally didn’t worry about being chewed out and hurriedly blurted out the gossip he had dug up:
“Master Trinh, it’s bad news!
I just heard that punk Minh broke through to Tier Four of the Spirit Channeling Realm half a year ago, and right now he’s about to reach Tier Five.
You’ve got to watch out!”
“What?!”
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Trinh Cong Hieu snapped wide awake instantly.
Throwing aside his sleepiness and the stunning, stark-naked woman lying beside him, he bolted upright:
“Who said that?
Is this intel accurate?”
“Master Trinh, it’s definitely true.
It was Charcoal Dung (Tran Trung Dung) who leaked it, and over in the girls’ chat, Bao Han from Class 1 confirmed she saw it with her own eyes.
There’s no way it’s fake.”
And since she saw it with her own eyes, it was hard to dispute.
Trinh Cong Hieu’s expression instantly darkened as if someone had killed his parents, turning pitch black and terrifyingly gloomy.
On the other end of the line, Pham Van Hot was equally anxious:
“Master Trinh, why don’t we lay low for a bit?
Let’s take a trip somewhere else after the New Year and only head back to school after a few days.”
“Absurd!
Since when does this young master need to run away from him?!”
Trinh Cong Hieu roared in displeasure, though the bulging veins on his clenched fists completely betrayed his inner anxiety.
A few days ago, before he even planned to settle scores with Vuong Minh, his old man had made it explicitly clear: everything required absolute certainty, especially during this critical juncture.
The admissions board of Victoria Academy placed heavy emphasis on the sparring records of applicant students.
If he took a loss, it would translate to a massive penalty that could jeopardize his entire future.
And what if he lost…
again?
Flashbacks from their freshman year flooded back, driving the young master into an even deeper frenzy.
Lying right beside him, the woman was exceptionally shrewd.
Reading the shifting expressions on his face, she slithered over like a water snake, draped her arms around his neck, and cooed seductively:
“Master Trinh, I just heard there’s going to be a massive tech expo in Sai Thanh Metropolis a few days from now, featuring the debut launch of several new flying car models.
Why don’t you take me to check it out?
And what about those LV handbags from the 2319 Spring collection?
Won’t you take me shopping for them?”
“Hmph—fine!”
Wrapped up by such a seductive beauty, Trinh Cong Hieu’s anger quickly subsided.
Putting on a reluctant front, he cleared his throat toward the phone:
“Alright, alright, you win—who told this young master to make a promise?
Sharp-beak, get your gear ready.
You’re coming with us to Sai Thanh after the New Year to broaden your horizons.
As for that bastard Gay Minh, I’ll settle accounts with him when I get back.
It won’t be too late.”
“Awesome, Master Trinh!
I’ll get ready right away!”
Getting a free trip to wine, dine, and carouse in Sai Thanh, Sharp-beak was naturally beaming with joy.
He babbled out enthusiastic affirmations before rushing online to show off.
He wanted to let all the nobodies at Quang Binh First High School know that Master Trinh was simply too busy romancing beauties to bother with them right now; otherwise…
hmph, hmph.
…
Just like that, a school storm was effortlessly glossed over and bypassed.
Unaware that he had narrowly escaped a bullet and been graciously spared by Master Trinh, Vuong Minh waltzed back home with his hefty fortune.
To his surprise, both of his parents were present at home, which left him rather perplexed.
With the New Year fast approaching, shouldn’t they be out busy making money to support Young Master Vuong?
What were they still doing lounging around the house?
Noticing Old Vuong walking with a slight wobble in his steps and guessing the underlying reason, Vuong Minh couldn’t help but sigh in profound disappointment as he offered some stern advice:
“Old man, aren’t you indulging a bit too much?
How are you supposed to run the company like this?
Exercise some restraint and focus on your cultivation to raise your tier.”
Vuong Thanh’s face darkened instantly.
Just as he was about to unleash his paternal authority so this brat would remember that tigers don’t roar to let empty forests claim owners, he watched the little punk smoothly bypass him and march straight up to his mother:
“Mom, do we have any spirit stones left at home?
Give me one, I want to seize the time to consolidate my realm.”
“We do!
Plenty of them!
Whatever my precious baby needs, just tell Mom.”
When it came to her treasured son, Nguyen Ngoc Linh naturally had zero concept of rejection.
She nodded in agreement without a moment’s hesitation, then turned her gaze toward the glowering Old Vuong in the corner:
“Darling, what are you still standing there for?
Go back to your room and get a spirit stone for our son.”
Vuong Thanh: “…”
It wasn’t that he begrudged the money; it was his poor heart that ached.
Though spirit stones were precious and the Vuong family didn’t have many—only storing around a dozen low-grade ones—they truly spared no expense when it came to Vuong Minh.
What rankled Old Vuong was the glaring double standard of holding a social status lower than the family dog in this household.
Facing the oppressive late-stage Spirit Channeling Realm aura of his wife, he couldn’t muster an ounce of rebellion.
Defeated and utterly depressed, he silently turned and walked away.
Left behind, the mother-and-son duo cheerfully continued chatting:
“Baby, where did you go today?
Did you have fun?”
“Just ran out to the coast for a breath of fresh air, bumped into Dung, grabbed a bite, and came back.”
Vuong Minh didn’t bother hiding it and answered truthfully.
Then, he abruptly changed the subject:
“Mom, could you have someone wipe Amy’s data later?
We don’t need to pay the maintenance subscription for the virtual assistant anymore either.”
He was doing this purely to safeguard his secrets after pondering it for a long time.
She understood youth all too well; young men always went through this phase.
When they were young, they didn’t appreciate the good things, treating lolis like precious treasures, only to realize once they grew up…
well, those who knew, knew.
Nguyen Ngoc Linh asked with motherly concern:
“What’s wrong, baby?
Is Amy not treating you well?
Do you want Mom to call someone from the company to reinstall her?
What kind of assistant model do you prefer—someone younger and prettier, or a bit more mature?
Tell me, and I’ll swap her out for you.”
Vuong Minh: “…”
A spoiled child is the mother’s fault!
There is absolutely no truer proverb than ‘a spoiled child is the mother’s fault’!
Being coddled to this outrageous degree, no wonder his predecessor had turned out to be a genuine good-for-nothing loser.
Having traveled across worlds and experienced vastly more, Vuong Minh had long since lost interest in trivial romantic distractions.
Right now, his mind was entirely consumed by cultivation—the addictive rush of growing stronger and pursuing eternal life was a thousand times more intoxicating than any woman.
With righteous conviction, the young master replied:
“It’s not that she’s bad!
I just want to focus all my energy on cultivation and reviewing my studies.
I don’t want to get distracted by other things.”
“Good, exceptionally good!
A real man should act like this!”
Old Vuong, holding a spirit stone the size of a mahjong tile, happened to walk over just in time.
Hearing this declaration, his face flushed red with excitement, and his previous grievances vanished into thin air.
My son, Vuong Minh, truly possesses the bearing of a Great Emperor!
Imagining his son effortlessly passing the Meridian Opening Realm in the future, then breaking through to the Core Condensation Realm to secure a seat as a council member or even higher, Mr.Vuong felt his feet floating on air, wishing he could sprint back to his room and hand over all remaining ten spirit stones to him.
Meanwhile, Mrs.Vuong remained deeply skeptical of this reasoning.
If he wanted to study and cultivate, wouldn’t having Amy’s assistance make things much easier and more convenient?
Nguyen Ngoc Linh offered some deeply meaningful advice:
“Baby, if you don’t want Amy to bother you, you can just configure her with restricted privacy modes; there’s no need to make such a hasty decision.
Or if you want her personality changed, I can have the company technicians reprogram her.
There are tons of special features; if you like, we can purchase a few more.”
Vuong Minh: “…”
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain.
But catching the knowing, smug look on his mother’s face, the young master wisely swallowed his words.
You couldn’t reason with her—it was genuinely impossible to reason with her.
He could only hope to change his parents’ perspective over time.
Ultimately, unable to defy such boundless maternal love, Vuong Minh reluctantly spared that particular elf assistant’s digital life.
Of course, slapping some strict restrictions on her later was still a necessity; he couldn’t afford to be careless.
Clutching the spirit stone, he sprinted back to his private training room, racing against every second to grow stronger and more powerful.
…
Quang Binh City, Vuong family training room.
After shutting down all surveillance equipment, Vuong Minh slowly retrieved the spirit stone.
Embarrassing as it was to admit, this was actually the first time Chairman Vuong was using a spirit stone to cultivate in this lifetime—though technically it was his second time interacting with one.
The first time had been just yesterday when Old Vuong pulled out a piece to power a Spirit Gathering Array to assist his breakthrough; the leftover fragments were still sitting on the array nodes without even being cleared away.
Quietly chanting an incantation to replicate a Spirit Origin Vein-Mending Pill so that his energy wouldn’t be overly saturated, Vuong Minh didn’t hesitate to deploy the Violet Star for decomposition.
10 seconds—faster than anticipated.
The replication also took about 10 seconds, yielding around 300 Star Points.
That was equivalent to 60 blocks of seawater, or about 1/17th of the Spirit Origin Vein-Mending Pill he had consumed earlier.
Naturally, true market value couldn’t be calculated that way.
In the real world, a single Spirit Origin Vein-Mending Pill cost a hundred low-grade spirit stones, whereas nobody would trade even a stray dog for seawater.
Having inadvertently become a massive nouveau riche tycoon, Vuong Minh didn’t hold back; he grabbed the spirit stone and immediately began his cultivation session.
Instantly, an incomparably pure wave of spiritual energy surged through his meridians and Dantian as he executed his cultivation technique, subsequently spreading outward to his four limbs and hundred bones to reinforce his sinews, channels, and flesh.
That warm, intoxicating, numbing wave of bliss drove Vuong Minh into a frenzy of unstoppable addiction.