Chapter Ninety-One: The Gathering Storm (Part One)

Stretching his limbs, Qin Jing felt that every movement was light and ethereal, as if he were experiencing the transformation of an immortal. He knew this was a sign of his vastly improved physical constitution. With a thought, the sensation of touching the “God’s Forbidden Zone” resurfaced, and Qin Jing’s spirit swiftly asserted control over his body.

He understood that this feeling of approaching the “God’s Forbidden Zone” was another great harvest of his cultivation. People in the mythic world, unfamiliar with such scientific concepts, naturally could not attain this insight through the “life synthesis” during their transcendence. To master their upgraded bodies, they would need to spend untold time and endure countless battles.

Yet now, in just an instant, Qin Jing felt he had returned to normal. The weightless sensation vanished, but his strength and other qualities remained. He could gently tap the table without breaking it, or flick it and shatter it instantly. His mastery over his power was now complete.

Standing before the mirror, Qin Jing took another beauty-enhancing potion. His personal data settled as follows:

Qin Jing

Appearance: 95 (11)

Physique: 190

Vitality: 300

Just as Jenny had said, the second beauty potion raised his appearance score by about six points, while the bonus from his outfit in parentheses increased by one. Perhaps this meant “handsome people look even better in the same clothes”? In any case, Qin Jing felt that he was now undeniably a strikingly handsome man—not a superficial change, but one where the potion made his skin finer, his complexion healthier, and banished blemishes. Naturally, his appearance soared.

Still, considering he likely lacked the potential to become a “peerless beauty,” Qin Jing decided not to take a third beauty potion, preferring to save it for Susan. He wondered how Susan would change after taking such a potion.

His physique and vitality had more than doubled, the direct result of his successful cultivation. Yet Qin Jing realized these data did not fully encompass his combat prowess; even the thousandfold cloud aura he possessed could unleash extraordinary power.

Only now did Qin Jing prepare to return to the shop. But when he checked his phone, he was surprised to find it was already late morning the next day. There were several missed calls: five from Susan, one from Hathaway, and one from an unknown number.

He called Susan first. She had been worried due to his absence, but relaxed when he explained he had been secluding himself for cultivation and had now succeeded. Susan then updated him on shop matters—the villa in the backyard had begun construction, expenses were mounting, and Old Song next door held a small auction yesterday, selling many items. Today, Old Song asked Susan to pass on a message: the blue-and-white porcelain plate would be auctioned today, inviting Qin Jing to join them.

Hearing about the porcelain plate, Qin Jing immediately took notice. That object could be refined into a transcendent artifact, making it highly valuable.

After a ten-minute conversation, Qin Jing called Hathaway.

“Mr. Qin, I heard you intervened during the spiritual energy eruption at the art school?” Hathaway went straight to the point. “The Cold Sea authorities have now recorded your file, noting your remarkable skills and mysterious secrets during the spiritual surge. They found out I am your client and asked me for your information.”

Qin Jing frowned, feeling slightly displeased. Honestly, he had already shown enough respect to the authorities, even warning Lin En in the end. How had news still leaked?

“Oh? What did you tell them?”

Sensing Qin Jing’s irritation, Hathaway spoke carefully. “I told them you are a recluse, not disruptive to the existing order, and focused solely on being a merchant in the transcendent world. The authorities said their conclusion matched mine and hope I can arrange a meeting for them to visit you.”

Hearing this, Qin Jing felt reassured. This was his intention all along, so he had nothing to hide. His dealings with the authorities were purely business; as long as they harbored no ill intentions, he had no reason to be concerned.

Now that he had ascended to transcendence, Qin Jing instructed Hathaway to arrange a meeting with the authorities, specifying they could send only three representatives—namely, Lin En and his two teammates.

“Alright, I’ll pass the message along.”

After acknowledging, Hathaway hesitated briefly before asking, “Mr. Qin, did you gain anything from the spiritual energy eruption?”

Qin Jing asked with interest, “What, are you looking to buy something?”

Hathaway laughed. “Rumor has it the eruption at the art school is linked to secrets of the Isles of Penglai. We transcendents are naturally very concerned. If you have anything good, Mr. Qin, just let me know. Surely you trust me?”

Her words carried a trace of coquettishness—perhaps a result of her subjugation to the Tio gemstone—making her unconsciously place herself in a weaker position before Qin Jing.

Qin Jing was pleased with Hathaway’s response. Knowing he had a batch of “polluted” items on hand, he said, “Come by the shop later, and I’ll show you some things.”

Hathaway agreed without inquiring further.

As for the missed call from the unknown number, Qin Jing ignored it. Yet just as he ended the previous conversation, that same number called again.

Qin Jing raised his eyebrows and answered.

“Is this Mr. Qin? Hello, hello, I am Ma Junshan, president of the Cold Sea Transcendent Association. I wonder if you’ve heard of me.”

A hearty laugh came through the phone, sounding quite bold.

But Qin Jing was not inclined to grant the caller any special courtesy. He asked coolly, “President Ma, may I ask who gave you this number?”

He’d used this number since he was an ordinary person; it wasn’t especially private. Yet Qin Jing had heard of Ma Junshan, and the fact that such a figure had obtained his contact meant he was under close scrutiny—enough to make Qin Jing wary.

Upon hearing the title “President Ma,” Ma Junshan was delighted. “Zhou Jian is a close friend of mine. He couldn’t reach out to you directly, so he asked me to pass along a message.”

After finishing, Ma Junshan added enthusiastically, “I never expected Cold Sea to have someone like you, Mr. Qin. Zhou Jian said you can converse directly with spirits and command a fourth-tier ghost king. Remarkable! I admire you greatly, and hope we can be friends in the future.”