Chapter 19: Investor

“My eyes seem to have gained night vision.”

After returning to his room and finishing dinner, Li Yi cultivated for another day, but at night he suddenly realized that although he hadn’t turned on the light, he could see everything clearly—and this vision was strange, unlike his normal sight.

Colors had become peculiar, as if he’d activated a night-vision device.

"It seems my body has entered a new stage. This feeling is truly wondrous." Li Yi’s eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, like those of a predator in a night forest.

Many top predators in nature see better at night than during the day—a result of countless years of evolution, designed to increase hunting success and thus enhance survival and reproduction.

Similarly, after evolving, cultivators’ eyes gain night vision, signifying that they too are steadily ascending the food chain.

Li Yi did not continue cultivating; instead, he adapted to his new night vision.

After a while, he suddenly sensed something and turned toward the door.

“Who is it?”

He whispered sharply.

This bodily change wasn’t limited to his eyes—his hearing had also sharpened. He heard faint footsteps in the corridor and recognized they had stopped right outside his door.

And he felt no unease about this new ability; it felt more like an instinct.

“Li Yi, it’s me. Can you open the door?” A woman’s voice came from outside.

Zhao Xiaoxiao?

Li Yi immediately frowned. He had no favorable impression of Zhao Xiaoxiao; as Zhang Gao had said, she wasn’t someone who devoted herself solely to cultivation. She was a schemer among cultivators, always seeking to climb high and trample low, playing both sides, and cultivating connections.

Of course, such behavior wasn’t truly evil—after all, he was genuinely poor, and being looked down upon was only natural.

But Wu Zhen’s incident yesterday had left Li Yi deeply unsettled, since Zhao Xiaoxiao had been one of the participants.

“I’m going to sleep. Talk tomorrow.” Li Yi refused coldly without opening the door.

But Zhao Xiaoxiao didn’t leave. She continued: “I have something extremely important to tell you. Please open the door. Don’t worry—I mean no harm, and I’m alone outside.”

“Something extremely important?” Li Yi’s expression shifted. “Is it about me?”

“It’s about you,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said at the door.

Li Yi thought for a moment, then opened the door with cautious wariness.

Outside stood only Zhao Xiaoxiao.

“What is it? Speak.” Li Yi said.

“Let’s talk inside. It’s not convenient out here,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said.

Li Yi frowned. “What are you up to now?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao said seriously: “I think there’s been a misunderstanding between us. I truly have no ill intent in coming to you. Just trust me this once—if I do anything harmful, you can strike me immediately. I won’t resist.”

“Fine. I’ll see what you’ve come to say. If you can’t give me a good reason, don’t blame me for throwing you out,” Li Yi replied coldly.

Zhao Xiaoxiao stepped inside and immediately shut the door. She sat down on the nearby sofa as if she owned the place.

Li Yi didn’t know what game this woman was playing. He stood nearby, watching her with cautious suspicion.

Zhao Xiaoxiao smiled. “I’m a girl coming to see you at night, and I’m not afraid. Why are you afraid?”

“When you’re away from home, boys must learn to protect themselves. There are plenty of female thugs these days,” Li Yi said seriously. “Tell me why you came.”

He also turned on his phone’s voice recorder to preserve evidence.

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s smile vanished. She turned serious. “First, I want to apologize for yesterday’s incident with Wu Zhen. I hope you’ll be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against me.”

Li Yi said: “I’m not angry at Wu Zhen’s behavior, nor do I truly harbor resentment toward any of you. Such things have happened before, and they’ll happen again. But whenever they happen to me, no matter how many times, I will resist.”

“If pushed too far, it’s just a matter of trading lives. I know it’s reckless, even impulsive—but this is how a poor boy survives. My life is worthless, but yours may not be.”

“Before, I didn’t understand. Now I do.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao rose from the sofa and walked over. “But Li Yi, have you ever considered that your cultivation talent shouldn’t be wasted in the mud? You deserve a better future.”

“Whether it’s me, Wu Zhen, Lu Jue, or Zhang Gao—we’re never going to be on your level. You’re a genius. You’re stuck like this only because your family and life have shackled you. If someone could resolve those problems for you, I believe your latent potential would explode.”

Li Yi glanced at her. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“Today’s guidance session opened my eyes. I saw the true gap between cultivators. Wealthy people can afford cultivation pods and hire four teams of guides... My cultivation value is only seventy-five percent—not high, not low. My family background is ordinary. Together, these factors guarantee I’ll remain mediocre.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. “But I have my own way of surviving. So, I want to invest in you.”

“Invest in me? Why?” Li Yi frowned.

This was the first time in his life he’d heard someone say they wanted to invest in him—and from Zhao Xiaoxiao, of all people.

Zhao Xiaoxiao smiled. “I’ve already made it clear: your potential is enormous. It’s worth investing in.”

“Enormous potential?” Li Yi said. “Just because my cultivation value is a bit higher than yours?”

“A bit higher? Li Yi, you clearly don’t understand cultivation. You’re not just a bit higher—you’re three times higher. What does three times mean? It’s a chasm ordinary cultivators can never cross. And I believe you held back during your first cosmic energy guidance. Lu Jue estimated your value at 180%, but I disagree.”

“Your cultivation value has definitely surpassed 200%. I’ve only heard of such numbers before—I’ve never met anyone with them in person. So I’m willing to take a gamble.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao pulled a bank card from her pocket and offered it to Li Yi with both hands. “This contains all my savings: 1.37 million. It’s not much, but it proves my sincerity. If you accept my investment, from today on, I’ll do everything in my power to fund your cultivation, serve as your guide, and let you focus entirely on training without worry.”

Investor?

Li Yi suddenly remembered: this did happen among cultivators.

Some talented individuals were funded—even geniuses were heavily invested in by wealthy patrons.

The world had changed. Top cultivators could now sway outcomes. And this was only ten years after the Heaven’s Tilt. In twenty or thirty more years, the future would belong to cultivators.

Under this tide of change, investment fever naturally surged.

Zhao Xiaoxiao was nervous, but she felt her actions were right. Li Yi was clearly the protagonist of a novel—he would soar one day. If she just rode his coattails, she’d gain far more than through her own cultivation.

The room fell silent.

Li Yi said nothing. Zhao Xiaoxiao waited for his answer.

At twenty, Li Yi couldn’t claim he wasn’t tempted. He’d never encountered such a stroke of luck: not only could he receive over a million for free, but also gain a free laborer. Zhao Xiaoxiao had put it so well—she’d keep earning to invest in him, removing all his burdens so he could focus solely on cultivation.

Before this sincerity, past conflicts and grievances seemed negligible.

Whether Zhao Xiaoxiao would regret this later didn’t matter.

Investment always carried risk and reward.

But Li Yi quickly resisted the temptation. First, he wasn’t a genius; his cultivation value wasn’t 200%. Second, he couldn’t expose the mystery of the strange object—otherwise, Lao Ya and his gang would never let him go, and might even kill him. He currently had no power to deal with such threats.

And third—he disliked Zhao Xiaoxiao.

Today she invested in him; tomorrow, if she found a cultivator with greater potential, she might sell him out.

Trading short-term gain for so many hidden dangers wasn’t worth it.

Besides, Li Yi now earned over 200,000 per day. Zhao Xiaoxiao’s money wasn’t urgently needed.

With that, he made his decision.

“Zhao Xiaoxiao, I decline your investment,” Li Yi said bluntly.

“Why?” Zhao Xiaoxiao trembled, staring at Li Yi in disbelief.

She couldn’t understand why he refused.

There was no reason for it.

“Li Yi, don’t act on emotion. You desperately need investment. Don’t reject this because of past unpleasantness. In the adult world, there’s no hatred—only profit. Don’t be childish,” Zhao Xiaoxiao urged again, believing he was just sulking.

But Li Yi interrupted her: “No, you’re wrong. I’m not acting on emotion.”

“Then what’s your reason for refusing?” Zhao Xiaoxiao demanded, desperate to know why she’d been turned down.

Most cultivators eagerly accepted investment—it was free money.

Li Yi said: “No reason. If you have nothing else, leave.”

He offered no explanation.

“I... understand.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. “But I still hope you’ll reconsider. During our time working together, if you change your mind, just tell me—I’ll stand by my decision tonight.”

Li Yi said nothing.

Zhao Xiaoxiao sighed. “Then I won’t disturb you anymore. I’m going back.”

She didn’t linger. She turned and left Li Yi’s room.

“Bang!”

The moment Zhao Xiaoxiao stepped out, the door slammed shut behind her—no hesitation, no invitation to return.

“Looks like your mission today didn’t go well.”

As Zhao Xiaoxiao returned to her room, Lu Jue’s door opened next door. He stood there, smirking.

“I wanted to invest in Li Yi,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said.

Lu Jue shook his head. “Invest? You’re too late. Li Yi earned 220,000 today. If he works a bit longer, he’ll easily save a few million. Your capital is nowhere near enough to invest in him. Today’s guidance session was the start of his transformation.”

“You should’ve invested when you first met him. Too bad—you ignored him then because he couldn’t even afford a taxi ride. You missed a golden chance.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao said: “Yes, if I’d invested back then, Li Yi would’ve agreed. But I misjudged him.”

“It’s more than misjudgment. You insulted him. You ignored him when he was poor, and now you can’t even reach him,” Lu Jue laughed.

“Shut up,” Zhao Xiaoxiao snapped, stormed into her room, and slammed the door.