Chapter 362: The Decacrown

Chapter 362: The Decacrown

After Sophia left, Ji Xinghuo said to Zhao Manying, "Manying, let's split the ether crystals acquired with this fund fifty-fifty."

He had contributed two-thirds of the money they wagered.

According to this ratio, out of the over 2,400 billion in compensation, he would get 1,600 billion, leaving Zhao Manying with the remaining 800 billion.

"You're too generous," Zhao Manying exclaimed. "Giving away 400 billion with just a word, treating money like dirt."

"What's there to be polite about when you're my girlfriend?" Ji Xinghuo smiled.

"Alright," Zhao Manying replied, her eyes sparkling as she accepted without hesitation.

Ji Xinghuo continued, "The 1,500 billion that Li Xuan lost to me, along with the profits from the match, should add up to more than 2,000 billion. I plan to entrust this money to a fund or an e-commerce platform for the long-term acquisition of ether crystals."

There were several large e-commerce platforms within the Asia-Pacific Community that engaged in online transactions involving Variants, artifacts, and ether crystals.

2,000 billion was indeed a large sum, but compared to the cash flow of these e-commerce platforms, it wasn't that extravagant.

However, if used solely for purchasing ether crystals, it might take three to four years to spend it all, and it would also drive up the transaction price of ether crystals.

This would require professionals to handle the operation.

Zhao Manying nodded, "I've endorsed an e-commerce platform before and have a good relationship with them. They have a great reputation, and I can help you get in touch and set up a detailed discussion."

"Contact them now," Ji Xinghuo said.

He wanted to get this matter settled as soon as possible, without wasting too much time and energy on it.

Half an hour later, Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying were invited to the headquarters of the e-commerce platform, where the CEO personally received them with great enthusiasm. The CEO seemed like they had been blessed by a windfall, offering them an extremely favorable service contract.

The e-commerce platform would be fully responsible for acquiring the ether crystals, guaranteeing a markup of less than 10% and no commissions or handling fees.

Ji Xinghuo wouldn't need to make any advance payments; he would just need to settle the account once every quarter to receive the ether crystals.

Moreover, the other party promised that their acquisition range wouldn't be limited to the domestic market; they would also open channels abroad to speed up the acquisition process.

This was practically a free service.

Of course, Ji Xinghuo understood what the other party wanted in return. After finalizing the contract, he met with the owner of the e-commerce platform that evening, and their conversation was very harmonious, with both parties exchanging contact information.

A few days later...

Sophia returned to Chang'an.

She had said she would be away for a week, but she came back after just five days. When she met Ji Xinghuo at his home, there was a hint of fatigue on her face, but her eyes sparkled with excitement and impatience.

"Mr. Ji, mission accomplished!"

Sophia waved her hand, and two bodyguards placed two large boxes in front of them before opening them.

The boxes were filled with ether crystals!

The dazzling light illuminated the entire living room, causing one to unconsciously hold their breath.

Ji Xinghuo had seen this once before when he traded with the Spirit Guest, so he remained relatively calm.

Zhao Manying, on the other hand, couldn't help but be astonished.

"Each box contains 2,000 ether crystals, for a total of 4,000. Mr. Ji, please count them," Sophia said proudly.

Ji Xinghuo casually picked up an ether crystal—a standard hexagonal column, about 10 centimeters in length, semi-transparent, with faint energy flowing inside that reflected a faint rainbow light.

Ether crystals were the crystallization of ether energy.

They occurred naturally in the Star Realm, but most of the ether crystals in circulation were artificially created.

Thus, their shape, size, and contained energy were identical, adhering to a unified production standard.

"Four thousand?" Ji Xinghuo was a little surprised.

This was a thousand more than the 3,000 Sophia had previously promised. It seemed that she had paid a lot to obtain "Absolute Hit."

"I have a friend who collected a batch of ether crystals, and I bought them all," Sophia replied nonchalantly.

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Whether Sophia had bought them from a friend or tapped into the reserves of the New Roman Empire, it didn't matter to him as long as he got the ether crystals.

"This is the Variant."

Ji Xinghuo took out "Absolute Hit" from his pocket and handed over the arrowhead-shaped Variant.

Sophia could finally no longer contain her excitement, carefully taking the Variant.

Her hands were even slightly trembling.

"Please allow me to appraise it," Sophia said cautiously.

"Go ahead," Ji Xinghuo replied casually.

A transaction worth 2,000 ether crystals was worth being extra cautious.

This time, Sophia had also brought an expert in Variants from the Empire with her.

After a lengthy half-hour examination, utilizing various tools for probing and detection, and comparing it to other Variants, the expert finally dared to conclude, "Your Highness, it is indeed Absolute Hit."

Sophia heaved a sigh of relief, having been anxious the entire time. Although she knew Ji Xinghuo was unlikely to deceive her, she couldn't shake the fear that either he or she might have misjudged. Now that the Empire's top Variant expert had confirmed it, there was no doubt.

"My apologies for making you wait, Mr. Ji," Sophia said apologetically.

"It's quite alright," Ji Xinghuo smiled, understanding that without the aid of his Myriad Star Eyes, such a lengthy inspection was only to be expected.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Sophia exclaimed happily. "I will gather the rest of the ether crystals within three years and spend all of your 200 billion funds."

"Thank you for your hard work, Princess Sophia," Ji Xinghuo expressed his gratitude.

"It's the least I could do," Sophia replied.

After some pleasantries, Sophia, unable to contain her excitement, hastily departed with the Variant in hand.

"Come, come!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed, pulling Zhao Manying's hand, "Let's count together and see if there are indeed 4,000 ether crystals here."

"I've counted them, and the number is correct," Zhao Manying assured him.

With her True Eye and Quantum Intellect, a mere glance was all she needed to obtain precise data, even without seeing the entire contents of the boxes. She could match the quantity with the fluctuations in etheric energy.

"This is the first time I've ever seen so many ether crystals," Zhao Manying marveled as she picked one up, "It's far more awe-inspiring than just seeing the number in a bank account."

"Yes..."

Ji Xinghuo nodded in agreement.

Ether crystals were akin to gold before the opening of the Star Gate, even more precious and valuable. And now, gold had been reduced to mere industrial raw material.

The two proceeded to manually count and divide the crystals.

Of the batch, 2,000 crystals had been exchanged for Absolute Hit, and the remaining 2,000 had been acquired separately. Ji Xinghuo took 3,000 crystals for himself, leaving 1,000 for Zhao Manying, who promptly deposited them into the Etheric Research Institute.

The Etheric Research Institute, situated within the Star Realm Department, was one of the safest places in the country, brimming with experts. It was convenient for her daily cultivation needs, allowing her to withdraw and deposit crystals as she pleased.

Ji Xinghuo also deposited several hundred crystals into the institute, intending to store the rest in his Dimensional Stomach when the opportunity arose.

Afterward, he resumed his cultivation.

Unlike his previous rush to attain the Legendary realm, Ji Xinghuo took a more relaxed approach this time, reducing his daily cultivation time to around 10 hours. He struck a balance between work and rest, spending more time with Zhao Manying and accompanying her to away games.

He also frequently guided his eldest sister, Ye Dongyun, in her cultivation, sparred with his second brother, Zhong Ming, and supervised the training of Wang Zizheng and Liang Qiu Feiyan, with notable results.

Even so, Ji Xinghuo's stellar power continued to grow rapidly.

On average, he gained 1,500 points of stellar power each month.

As December drew to a close, Ji Xinghuo's stellar power surpassed the 26,000-point mark. With just three more months of cultivation, he would reach the boundary between the first and second segments of the Legendary realm.

In the second segment, the stellar power of Legends further compresses and increases in density.

This leads to the ability to externally release stellar power.

Ji Xinghuo estimated that once he attained 30,000 points of stellar power, he would be able to externally release it. However, he intentionally slowed down his cultivation pace.

In every stage of an Extraordinary's journey, the upper limit of their stellar power is determined by the number and quality of the Variants they fuse with.

After his ascension to the Legendary realm, he had only fused with one Variant, 'Overload'.

This was insufficient to significantly raise his stellar power limit, and although he had one more fusion opportunity, Ji Xinghuo had been searching for a long time and frequently purchasing Variants of various grades. Through his Myriad Star Eyes, he could appraise them and see the fusion success rates, but he hadn't found a satisfactory Variant yet.

Only one, 'Shadow Clone', had a fusion success rate of 88%, which was quite promising.

Shadow Clone was a Superlimit Variant.

It would greatly enhance his strength, and Ji Xinghuo was quite tempted by it.

However, considering that it would become increasingly difficult to find expansion artifacts after reaching the Legendary realm, and that powerful and compatible Variants were scarce, Ji Xinghuo decided against fusing with Shadow Clone.

He wanted to save that last fusion opportunity for the 'Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Body'.

The Leader had promised to obtain it within the next year.

"I'll cultivate until I reach the upper limit of the first segment of the Legendary realm, and then I'll wait for the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Body," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself, "If I come across any leads on expansion artifacts, I'll search for them in the Star Realm, and while I'm at it, I can visit Ren Jie in Peach Blossom Gully. It's been half a year since I last saw her..."

At the thought of Ren Mian, Ji Xinghuo felt his blood stir and his body heat up. He glanced around sheepishly.

"The Sword Immortal reigns supreme!"

In the Tian Qin National Stadium, hundreds of thousands of spectators cheered loudly, standing to watch the three-dimensional projection in the center of the stadium, and rooting for Zhao Manying.

Today was the final match of the Domestic Super League to decide the season's champion.

A best-of-seven series.

Zhao Manying's Imperial Star Team had already won three consecutive games and was about to clinch the fourth, sweeping their opponents out of the competition.

Ji Xinghuo sat in the front row, cheering for his girlfriend.

In the projection, Zhao Manying held the Jinghong Sword and flew at high speed in the sky, her figure graceful and surrounded by colorful sword lights. Like a tidal wave, she attacked her opponents, almost single-handedly crushing their entire team.

Despite their desperate efforts, under the overwhelming sword lights, her opponents fell one by one.

When the opposing team's core member was slain by the sword lights, the entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers.

The battle was over!

Zhao Manying claimed her fourth career championship trophy and achieved a four-peat, a first in the history of the Domestic Super League.

Including six International Invitational titles, she had become the "Decacrown."

And it was a consecutive ten championships!

In the past four years, she had won every tournament she participated in, with a win rate of over 95%. Even in the few games she lost, it was due to the map's special mechanics, and she herself had not been defeated.

Such a terrifying win rate and honor placed Zhao Manying on par with "Pathfinder" Jeffrey, and many commentators believed she had already become the best player in history.

Almost all the spectators in the stadium were fans of the Imperial Star Team.

More so, they were fans of Zhao Manying.

After defeating her opponents, she did not immediately exit the Spiritual Realm. She hovered in mid-air, the Spirit Sword smart ring retracting to her wrist, and sheathed her Jinghong Sword, appearing calm and composed. She waved at the camera, revealing a mesmerizingly beautiful smile that captivated the world.

"Wow..."

"Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal..."

At that moment, countless viewers across the country and the globe cheered for her, frenziedly shouting her name and nickname.

Ji Xinghuo sincerely felt happy for Zhao Manying.

As he watched his girlfriend on the screen, he suddenly perceived some emotions that others couldn't detect. She seemed less than enthusiastic.

Despite her brilliant smile, there was a hint of boredom in Zhao Manying's eyes.

Even a hint of indifference.

"The loneliness of invincibility..."

Ji Xinghuo smiled, understanding Zhao Manying's thoughts.

She had no rivals in the professional league anymore, and she didn't even need her teammates. She could take down the opposing team all by herself. Defeating these far weaker opponents time and again felt like a mere formality, with no pressure, surprises, or excitement. Doing it repeatedly made her feel bored.

Just as those clubs had said when they pressured the league, Zhao Manying had disrupted the balance of the Super League.

She had sucked away all the popularity of the entire league.

The Imperial Star Club was raking in huge profits, while the other teams had become stepping stones, losing their competitiveness.

Competitiveness was the lifeblood of the league. If every match had a predictable outcome and the champion of each season was known from the start, then apart from die-hard fans, most viewers would lose interest.

This was also detrimental to Zhao Manying's growth.

The entire audience erupted into a frenzy of celebration.

The members of the Imperial Star Team exited the Spiritual Realm and stepped onto the platform, accepting the host's interview amidst the enthusiastic cheers.

Then came the award ceremony for the season, and the atmosphere in the stadium reached its climax.

However, Ji Xinghuo was deep in thought.

Although Zhao Manying disguised it well and gave thoughtful answers during the interview, earning the praise of all viewers and winning the "Golden Crown" for the most valuable player for the fourth time, some people still noticed her lack of enthusiasm.

But most people didn't think too much about it, as Zhao Manying still had two years left on her contract.

There was no way the Imperial Star Club would let her go.

By the end of her contract, Zhao Manying would undoubtedly have won two more league championships and the upcoming International Invitational next week.

Fans had already begun to fantasize about it.

"Two years..."

Ji Xinghuo, sitting in the front row, watched her, feeling the enthusiasm of the audience around him and listening to their discussions. He shook his head.

"These two years should be spent striving for the Legendary realm instead of wasting them in the league." Ji Xinghuo stroked his chin, "Manying's buyout clause is over 30 billion, and we can both afford that."

However, the thought of giving the Shi family that much money annoyed him.

Ji Xinghuo had an idea: "Why don't we just acquire the Imperial Star Club and make it a family asset? The value of the Imperial Star Club has skyrocketed in recent years, and it's a quality asset, but would Shi Hongyi be willing to sell?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end