After transmigrating, Cao Zhen also knew that it might be impossible to return to his own world, at least not in the short term.
His parents had raised him, but he hadn't had the chance to be filial before being worked to death by the endless hours of a 007 job.
Now that he had become a second-level administrator, Cao Zhen thought of a way to be filial to his parents.
"Little Ma, you're not practicing Tai Chi correctly," Cao Zhen used his one-minute communication time with the tycoon Ma to pretend to be a wise man and speak in his mind.
The tycoon Ma, practicing Tai Chi in the courtyard, heard this and immediately looked all around, but found no one nearby.
"I am an immortal. This time, through the Skypiercing Mirror, I happened to see you, a mere mortal who still has some immortal roots, so I specifically made a point to remind you."
Cao Zhen once again switched into his charade mode. While he lacked confidence in tricking other wealthy individuals, Ma the tycoon was a different story.
This tycoon Ma had once gone specifically to visit the notorious swindler Wang Yunyun!
This was a tycoon who believed in supernatural powers and mysticism!
"Who is talking? Stop playing tricks like a ghost!" Ma the tycoon was on high alert, stealthily glancing around, while beckoning the several bodyguards nearby to his side.
"I, a god, only have one minute a day to communicate with the mortal realm. Mortal! Listen well to me! Your flowery punches and fancy kicks are useless! I will pass on to you a Breath Inducing Stage Cultivation Technique 'Green Lotus Heart Method'..."
Cao Zhen swiftly transmitted the method into tycoon Ma's mind and said, "Hurry and cultivate, you must not be negligent! Tomorrow I will seek you out again!"
The minute was not enough for Cao Zhen to communicate much more with tycoon Ma, just hastily passing on the Green Lotus Heart Method. This technique on the Earth with scarce spiritual energy would not allow someone to reach the Breath Inducing Stage but was enough to strengthen the body and increase one's vigor.
For a capitalist who believed that 996 was a blessing, Cao Zhen didn't like such people, nor would he genuinely help such capitalists achieve something like eternal life.
As long as it could strengthen the body and increase vigor, that would be enough to earn tycoon Ma's trust. Eventually, Cao Zhen could have this tycoon take good care of his parents on his behalf.
Tycoon Ma, unable to comprehend what he had just experienced, still practiced according to the method described by Cao Zhen, and suddenly, for the first time, truly felt the presence of qi.
"This... this is actually real..." Tycoon Ma, too excited to maintain any semblance of image, knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly towards the sky in all directions, "Thank you, noble god, for your guidance, thank you for your guidance..."
Cao Zhen, watching through China Cloud, lightly chuckled at Tycoon Ma's reaction. People don't want to die, especially such wealthy individuals—if there were a chance to prolong life, their bottom lines often become very low.
The day after contacting tycoon Ma, Cao Zhen corrected some mistakes in his cultivation. On the third day, Cao Zhen said to tycoon Ma, "Little Ma, my parents from my past life are still caught in the cycle of reincarnations. In this life, they are still my father and mother, residing in the human world. You help this deity take care of them."
By now, tycoon Ma had come to truly trust Cao Zhen. Every time he heard Cao Zhen's voice, he would eagerly kneel on the ground with palms joined, "Noble god, please command me."
Cao Zhen quickly gave out his parents' address before Tycoon Ma respectfully replied, "Disciple respectfully receives the decree," and kowtowed three times.
The minute of communication had elapsed. Realizing there was no further contact, Tycoon Ma quickly stood up and addressed his entourage, "Prepare the private jet. I need to go to Porcelain State."
Two hours later, Cao Zhen, through China Cloud, saw tycoon Ma arrive at his former home.
The house still looked the same, but the moment the doors opened, his parents, who he had not seen for months, now had hair that had turned almost completely white.
The spirited individuals from days past now wore a twilight of despondency in their demeanor.
"Dad, Mom..." Cao Zhen spoke subconsciously, only to realize that his voice couldn't carry through, while his parents, due to his death, had become very unwell in just a short span of two months.
During this time, Ma Yun rapidly explained the reason for his presence, though... he omitted the part about meeting an old immortal and simply said he wanted to hire them both to be M8s at the Grand Theft Network Group.
Seeing his bewildered parents, Cao Zhen began to take the upcoming competition more seriously—he must ascend to a higher-level China Cloud administrator, and the next users he needed to connect with were his own parents!
Even if he found himself in two vastly different worlds, as a son or daughter, one should strive to ensure their parents live well.
Watching for a while longer, Ma Yun not only offered his parents jobs with an annual salary of ten million each but also generously imparted to them the Green Lotus Heart Method he had learned, helping them to improve their health before briefly exiting China Cloud.
Pop pills! Cao Zhen knew to become a more advanced administrator, he must enhance his cultivation base, and pill popping was the fastest way to do it. If he had the money to buy all the materials outright, he could refine a furnace of Little Bodhi Pills or even the Big Bodhi Pill, which would use less extra experience to upgrade his divine skills and quickly increase his cultivation base, allowing him to enter Core Formation Stage and reach Perfect Completion Unification sooner.
Cao Zhen calculated the time; there was one more day before the competition at Starshine Peak. He decided not to continue his cultivation in seclusion and pushed open the stone door to step out of the "Next Day Cave."
The four disciples had been vigilantly guarding the outside of the "Next Day Cave", besides their time spent on eating and cultivating, ever since the last time their master nearly died during his seclusion; they were all worried history might repeat itself.
"Congratulations to Master for exiting seclusion," Ling Xi greeted with the three fellow disciples at haste, with Little Beiyan bowing respectfully, while Xiang Ziyu maintained his usual demeanor, holding a book and seemingly smiling foolishly.
After Yan Yourong finished her formalities, she couldn't wait to say, "Master, I have inquired. If the four of us pawn our belongings as live pledges at As Fate Pawnshop, we can get ten taels of Spirit Stones."
Ten taels? Cao Zhen understood; after all, these were live pledges that could be redeemed at any time. Such a high price likely came from the other party believing that Four Treasures Peak wouldn't have the money to redeem them.
"Our Four Treasures Peak's odds are ten to one!" Yan Yourong's normally frosty face appeared rather rosy due to the odds, "With our family's existing foundation of fifty taels, if we win, even after the house takes its cut, we would have nearly six hundred taels..."
"That much?" Little Beiyan's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Little Beiyan, calm down!" Ling Xi showed the demeanor of a senior disciple at this moment, touching Beiyan's head as she taught him with a tranquil expression, "Six hundred taels, though it's a large sum, you must possess the poise to stand unflinching even if a heavenly pillar crumbles before you. Otherwise, how can you cultivate immortality and strive against Heaven?"
Cao Zhen couldn't help nodding with admiration, "You truly are my senior disciple! That's what seeing the big world looks like! And you, You Rong, if we win, it's not just six hundred taels. I have two hundred taels here that I can bet on. If we win, it'll be two thousand six hundred taels..."
Thud! Ling Xi sat down on the ground with a bump, looking up at Cao Zhen with trembling voice, "Mas... Master... What did you just say... How... How much?"
"Before the house cut, it should be two thousand six hundred taels," Cao Zhen said, looking at Ling Xi who was sitting on the ground, "After the house cut, perhaps it could be two thousand five hundred taels?"
"Two thousand... two thousand..." Ling Xi turned to Little Beiyan and said, "Little Beiyan, help me up... my legs are a little... weak..."
"Sister, you just taught me about remaining calm before a crumbling heavenly pillar..." Little Beiyan began to help her up as he spoke, "Master, you are awesome. With just a word, you made sister's legs give out."
"Facing a cut of five hundred taels, of course, one can be undisturbed even if a heavenly pillar crumbles before them," Ling Xi supported herself to stand up slowly, her eyes brimming with tears, "But two thousand five hundred taels, that's even more terrifying than the collapse of a heavenly pillar, okay? Little brother, you don't understand! Our peak hasn't been this wealthy for a century! Once we have money, we must perform ancestral rites. It must be our ancestors manifesting to let Master's cultivation abruptly soar..."
"That's right! It must be the ancestors manifesting!" Yan Yourong nodded vigorously next to her, her frosty face streaked with tears, "Our Four Treasures Peak hasn't been this wealthy for two hundred years..."