In the early morning, as the sun's first light touched the corner of the city, Ye Chenfeng awoke in his villa. An elite among elites, he thrived on just four hours of sleep, enough to power him through the day.
Ye Chenfeng recalled an old acquaintance, a trailblazing entrepreneur who once chose self-employment to escape the relentless 996 and 007 work culture, where there was no end to overtime or any semblance of work-life balance. She used to complain about how she now barely managed four hours of sleep, a stark drop from the six hours she once enjoyed. Ye Chenfeng once thought her stories were exaggerated but had come to realize they were far from it.
"I really didn't expect it," he muttered aloud.
"What didn't you expect?" Ying Su's sudden appearance startled him.
"Damn! You scared me," Ye Chenfeng said, his heart thumping.
"Where have you been?" Ying Su asked softly.
"A friend of mine might be in danger. I'm going to check on him," he replied casually.
"In danger? But how do you know? I didn't see you make any calls," Ying Su probed, puzzled.
Calls? The realization struck him—he'd forgotten his phone in the car he blew up to aid a senior. Ye Chenfeng shook his head, feeling the mental fog that seemed to worsen since he gained power.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Is your Dark Magic Spring still with you? The one tainted with your dark magic?"
Ying Su, who had received the Black Magic Spring from him before he left, raised an eyebrow. "Black Magic Spring? That's an interesting name. What do you need it for?"
"If I use it to practice, who knows what might happen," Ye Chenfeng said, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Handing him the small bottle, Ying Su commented, "It's supposed to aid in practicing black magic, right? It could help me too, given my shadow affinity."
Ye Chenfeng took the bottle, an idea forming. He wanted to see if it would augment his shadow abilities while he practiced his ice and fire skills. "Keep this in return," he said, passing a different bottle to Ying Su. Her eyes widened in shock.
Ye Chenfeng's intuition about the Holy Spring's potential seemed correct. It wasn't just for boosting cultivation. In the future, it might even hold the key to restoring life, much like the Parthenon's top healers. While his small stock of Holy Spring wouldn't create a significant effect, it was better off with Ying Su than idly sitting with him. He could always reclaim it if needed, especially if it exploded in a magical reaction.
Ye Chenfeng carefully poured a portion of the Black Magic Spring into another space magic tool. He felt conflicted as he looked at his white jade pendant. This pendant, unlike Mo Fan's mysterious loach, could only assist in cultivating a single element, leaving his other systems neglected and weak.
He pondered what would happen if he combined the pendant with his Holy Sword, which he'd summoned out of curiosity. Despite its majestic gold being absent, it held a strange power. Ye Chenfeng pressed them together, frustrated when nothing happened and tossed them onto the table.
He muttered, "Damn, what a waste of time."
He barely noticed the jade pendant and sword beginning to move. The pendant twitched, as if pulling the space magic tool holding the Black Magic Spring closer. The Holy Sword, not to be left out, rattled its hilt and joined in.
"Finally!" Ye Chenfeng gasped as he saw them come to life.
The remaining Black Magic Spring, stashed in the bedroom, floated in and was absorbed by the two objects, shattering the bottle in the process.
Ye Chenfeng watched in disbelief. How ravenous were these things?
Suddenly, the sword started spinning, sending a chill down his spine. He feared it might rip through space itself, but it stilled after a moment, satisfied. Ye Chenfeng touched the emptied space magic tools—both were drained of their power, now useless ornaments.
His heart sank. Thirty million gone. Just like that, vanished without explanation.
"My thirty million..." he muttered in despair.