"You wish..."
Xu Le didn't have time to pay attention. Half an hour later, Manager Zhou handed Xu Le a stack of documents and car keys. Xu Le politely declined Manager Zhou's invitation to dinner and got into the car without looking back. After getting in the car, he found a small card with a name and a phone number written on it.
Wang Ya, that should be the female model.
"Is it an unspoken rule in the industry?"
Xu Le chuckled, tossed the card out the window, stepped on the gas, and with a pleasant engine roar, sped off towards home.
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Chapter Twenty-Four: The New World (Original World)
Yulin City Suburbs
In a classically decorated courtyard, Xu Le was resting on a chair, while several shadow warriors around him slowly fanned him with large fans. Although it had been very hot recently, a tall locust tree in the courtyard provided shade.
Although he didn't know why the family had planted a locust tree in their house, Xu Le didn't care. He had bought the house a few days ago through Lu Siyun's friend's introduction. The house was top-notch in terms of both decoration and location, and it was also spacious. However, the original owner seemed to be unable to live there for some reason, so he wanted to sell it for 600,000 yuan. During the handover, Xu Le saw the original owner of the house. He was pale, looked like he had kidney deficiency, walked unsteadily, and had a panicked look in his eyes. Xu Le didn't care about these things. Anyway, the limitations of this world were there, and nothing could threaten his life.
Xu Le lay back in the chair, his consciousness already within the Astral Plane. Within the Astral Plane, he gazed upon countless worlds suspended in the void like stars. The lower they were, the weaker their radiance; the higher they rose, the stronger their light. At the highest point, dozens of worlds shone like suns, spreading their own light. Xu Le didn't want to enter such powerful worlds too soon. Firstly, his strength was too weak to gain many opportunities; secondly, it was too dangerous—he might be crushed by any being at any moment.
The most suitable world for him now would be one with ancient martial arts, where he could hone his skills. His body, after being modified, is a vast treasure trove, requiring specific techniques or training methods to extract it. The galaxy reversed, leaving only a silent void filled with orange and yellow hues—the most suitable world level for him. Red was too low, offering no benefit, and worlds below the yellow level were sufficiently safe.
Xu Le, who was contemplating whether to go to the known world or the unknown world, was suddenly drawn to a strange portal hidden deep within a group of portals. This world was a level two world (orange), but the light it emitted was somewhat faint. However, upon closer inspection, a wisp of blue light could be seen moving within it. If Xu Le hadn't had sharp eyes, he wouldn't have been able to spot this blue light at all.
It's rare for high-level origins to appear in lower-level worlds, but according to the records of the Gate of Myriad Realms, only when advanced life forms perish in this world, their power dissipates between heaven and earth and is absorbed by this world. Alternatively, it could be a treasure similar to a talisman, possessing the origin of a higher-level world, that descends to the lower realm. Regardless of the possibility, it's profitable for Xu Le.
He had just communicated with the spirit of the artifact and learned that this was an ancient world, but there were no records of it in Xu Le's world; it was a completely unknown world. The unknown presented challenges, but the thought that this world might contain treasures or the legacy of powerful figures made him incredibly eager.
go!
Xu Le locked onto this world, his consciousness returning to reality. He instructed the shadow warriors to collect some supplies. This was the advantage of having a deployment; he didn't have to lift a finger to collect resources. The shadow warriors were quite intelligent; with a little forgery, they could pretend to be ordinary people and buy things, eliminating the need for theft or robbery. One or two thefts were normal, but too many would arouse suspicion, so Xu Le had taught them how to use tools like Taobao to order directly online.
As for Xu Le, he took out the Rubik's Cube and continued to study it. He always felt that the imitation function was more than that, but the Rubik's Cube had no consciousness and could not tell him what functions it had. He could only explore it on his own, but so far he had only discovered the enhancement function.
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Hidden Immortal Mountain!
Deep in the dense forest, a young man in hemp clothing was searching for life. Carefully parting the bushes, he found a small, vibrant green grass with five leaves standing quietly among them. Upon seeing the grass, the boy's face lit up with joy, and he murmured, "Five-Directional Grass, finally found it. With this grass, I can definitely fetch a good price at the market, and then my sister's illness will be cured."
Overwhelmed with excitement, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He shakily picked up a small shovel, carefully shoveling it into the soil, avoiding several key spots. Then, the boy forcefully cut the roots, picked up the grass, and placed it in his basket. He then slung the basket over his shoulder and ran down the mountain.
He had to reach the market before sunset, otherwise it would close and he wouldn't be able to sell the herb. The Five-Directional Grass only survives for one day after being pulled; after that, its medicinal effect diminishes significantly, and after three days it becomes indistinguishable from the common roadside weeds. The boy had grown up in this area and knew this path very well. Although it was somewhat dangerous, it was the fastest way to reach the market, and no one had had any accidents here for many years; he shouldn't be an exception this time. The other routes down the mountain would arrive in the evening, and then it would be too late.
roar!
A powerful tiger's roar echoed through the forest, startling the boy from his reverie. A massive white tiger, twice the height of a person with piercing eyes, appeared on the path, its scars a testament to its past exploits and glory. Upon seeing the boy, the tiger lashed its tail against a nearby tree trunk, leaving a welt, and then slowly approached him.
One step, two steps! Finally, it stopped three or four meters away from him, its fierce gaze locking onto the boy.
The boy was so frightened by the sudden turn of events that his legs went weak. He wanted to run back, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he couldn't move an inch. Looking at the white tiger approaching him, its jaws wide open, the boy could clearly smell the stench from several meters away—the stench of countless creatures digested in the tiger's stomach. With a single, sharp bite, those sharp teeth would crush his head, his brains spilling onto the ground, most of his body going into the tiger's stomach, leaving only a few remains to be devoured by other wild animals.
Am I going to die here today?
The boy and the white tiger locked eyes. The white tiger seemed to be assessing whether the boy posed a threat and did not immediately attack. At that moment, the boy felt as if he were a small boat in a raging storm, about to be swallowed up at any moment.
Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind, a smiling woman appeared. The boy touched the basket on his back, thinking of his younger sister lying in bed, thinking of how he was all alone at home, thinking of who would take care of his sister if he died. The fear slowly faded, and he looked at the white tiger in front of him with a determined gaze.
At that moment! The boy transformed himself from prey into an enemy! He became an enemy capable of confronting the tiger.
Seeing its prey begin to show signs of resistance, the tiger knew from years of hunting experience that it couldn't continue like this. A defenseless prey would save it a lot of energy, but resistance would likely worsen its wounds, and if injured, it would lose its status as the king of the forest. So, the white tiger suddenly took a step forward, leaped, and pounced on the boy.
The boy was prepared. Seeing the white tiger pounce, he grabbed his basket and rolled to the side, narrowly escaping the fatal attack. He then quickly got up and ran towards the town.
Once they reached a town, even the fiercest white tiger would be killed by the soldiers. With this thought in mind, the boy's chest heaved as he gasped for breath and sprinted forward.
Seeing its hunt fail, the white tiger angrily swung its tail and chased after the boy. The boy ran very fast, but the tiger behind him was even faster, catching up in no time.
Almost there! Just a little further and we'd be in town!
The boy seemed to sense the tiger's presence behind him, not far away. His heart sank, but he continued running desperately, his survival instinct stimulating his body to unleash unprecedented power. But the tiger didn't seem to be following his plan; it pounced and knocked the boy to the ground.
The boy was tackled to the ground, his body slashed multiple times by pebbles. His large, bell-like eyes stared intently at him, and drops of foul-smelling saliva dripped onto his face, the nauseating smell making him feel vomit.
Is this the end? Little sister, I'm sorry, your brother can't save you!
The boy closed his eyes in despair, silently awaiting death. The white tiger, having lost all interest in playing with its prey, opened its jaws, ready to enjoy its meal.
"You beast, shut up!"
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Chapter Twenty-Five: Subjugation, Arrival at Qingquan Town
From the depths of the dense forest, a golden ray of light flew toward the white tiger with unstoppable sharpness, piercing through its right forelimb.
The white tiger, in pain, disregarded its prey beneath it, howled, and rolled on the ground, kicking up huge clouds of dust.
Hearing the noise, the boy slowly opened his eyes and found that the white tiger, which had been opening its blood-red mouth, was now rolling on the ground. Looking towards the direction from which the sound came, he saw a young man wearing a Tai Chi robe floating in the air, surrounded by golden lightning. The arcs of electricity kept flashing and hissing.
Soaring through the air! Controlling lightning!
Immortal!
Ignoring his injuries, the boy immediately stood up, knelt on the ground, and cried out, "Welcome, immortal! Please rid the people of this scourge!"
Are immortals really that highly regarded? It seems this is a world similar to ancient China, with a low level of productivity and widespread culture, and people holding a deep reverence for nature. Whether there are any supernatural powers remains to be investigated.
Xu Le's mind raced. He didn't react after hearing the boy's cries for help. He made a preliminary assessment of the world's level and thought about it for a long time, but only about a minute had passed outside.