Chapter 10: Blessing Key (Level 2)

The cultural relics bureau's notice fell like a boulder into a lake already churning with hidden currents, instantly sparking a towering wave!

The residential plot of Tianhai Group, once hailed as its most promising project, suddenly appeared on the initial list of protected exploration sites, with an estimated exploration period exceeding twenty-four months! This meant the project was indefinitely suspended, the massive upfront investment lost entirely, and more critically, the bank loans secured against it instantly became high-risk assets!

The news spread through financial markets like a virus.

At three p. m., as the stock market opened, Tianhai Group's share price plummeted like a kite with its string cut, diving straight down! Sell orders surged while buy orders were scarce, panic spreading everywhere!

Lower circuit!

Less than ten minutes after opening, Tianhai Group's stock was firmly locked at the lower circuit limit! The sell-one column piled up astronomical sell orders, desperately waiting for a sliver of a chance to trade.

And this was merely the beginning.

Almost simultaneously, several influential financial media outlets and self-media influencers received an anonymous "explosive leak"—detailed evidence of Zhao Kun, Tianhai Group's heir, repeatedly embezzling massive company funds for personal extravagance and illegal offshore sports betting, including clear bank statement screenshots, partial testimonies from intermediaries (with key details redacted), and Zhao Kun's betting records on the gambling platform!

"Tianhai Group Hit by Policy Black Swan, Stock Hits Lower Circuit!" "Misfortune Never Comes Alone! Heir Zhao Kun Exposed for Embezzlement and Gambling Addiction!" "Internal and External Crisis! Tianhai Group Drowned in Quagmire!"

Each shocking headline, paired with seemingly irrefutable evidence, instantly ignited the entire internet! The livestream's "prediction" came true, and with this concrete bombshell, Tianhai Group and Zhao Kun were plunged completely into the abyss of public opinion!

Bank collection calls began frantically bombarding Zhao Tianhai's phone; cooperating suppliers called urgently for updates, demanding shorter payment terms or immediate settlement; shareholders panicked like ants on a hot pan, demanding an emergency meeting immediately…

At Tianhai Group headquarters, in the Chairman's office.

Zhao Tianhai's face turned ashen, veins bulging on his forehead as he smashed the crystal ashtray in his hand onto the floor, shards flying everywhere! "Find out! Track it down! Who's behind this? And that disobedient son—bring him back to me, bound!!" He roared at his subordinates, voice hoarse with despair and rage.

Meanwhile, Zhao Kun hid in his usual private club, staring at his phone screen filled with revelations and torrents of abuse about himself, his face pale, trembling all over. He tried contacting his "friends," but found calls either unanswered or immediately hung up. The coldness of human nature was laid bare in this moment.

He knew—he was finished. His father's company would likely be dragged down with him.

…

Yunding Mansion, study room.

Qin Feng lounged comfortably in an ergonomic chair, multiple screens before him displaying Tianhai Group's catastrophic stock trend, the raging online public opinion, and Chen Yongming's real-time reports on Tianhai Group's internal chaos.

Everything unfolded exactly as he had scripted.

He felt no great sense of revenge, only a calm control over the situation. Crushing a noisy fly wasn't worth excessive excitement.

【Ding! Detected that the Host successfully utilized personal ability and system assistance to deliver a devastating blow to a specific target (Tianhai Group/Zhao Kun), greatly demonstrating the System Owner's authority, meeting upgrade criteria!】【Quan Neng System upgrading…】【Upgrade successful! Current system level: 2!】【Congratulations, Host! Unlocked new feature: Blessing Key (Level 2)!】

The system's notification chimed suddenly, carrying a cheerful rhythm.

Upgraded?

Qin Feng's spirit lifted instantly; he summoned the system interface.

The overall hue of the screen seemed deeper, blue tones subtly tinged with purple, appearing more mysterious and noble. Above the eight core function zones appeared a standalone button emitting a soft white-gold light, bearing an abstract "Fu" character glyph.

【Blessing Key (Level 2): Independent feature unlocked upon system upgrade to Level 2. Grants one active blessing opportunity daily, applying a random positive status effect to the Host or a designated target (weaker than Shenji Blessing, but stable and no cooldown). Effects include but are not limited to: Vigor, Quick Thinking, Minor Fortune, Charm Enhancement, Learning Efficiency Boost, etc. Note: A little daily fortune makes life better.】

One daily blessing! Though weaker than 【Shenji Blessing】, it had no cooldown and guaranteed output! This was the ultimate daily lubricant for life!

Qin Feng didn't hesitate—he activated it immediately.

"Use Blessing Key, target: myself."

He focused his intent on the white-gold button.

The button pressed gently; a gentle white light descended from above (visible only to him), merging into his body.

Instantly, the lingering fatigue from last night's planning vanished; his spirit became exceptionally full, his mind sharply clear and lively, even the colors of the view outside the window appearing slightly more vivid.

【Blessing effective: Vigor (slight), Quick Thinking (slight). Duration: 24 hours.】

The effect was immediate!

Qin Feng nodded in satisfaction. This Level 2 system benefit was highly practical.

He continued reviewing the system interface and noticed that some existing functions had also changed with the upgrade.

The cooldown timer for 【Shenji Blessing】 changed from "unshown" to "(6/7)"—meaning the cooldown had shortened by a day? The reward quality of 【Fixed Point Check-in】 seemed slightly improved? Beneath the 【Perfect Lottery】 prize pool appeared a new "Points Exchange" sub-option, showing he possessed 1,250 points (accumulated from previous "Thank You for Participating" draws and check-ins), usable to exchange for low-tier items or skill experience books. In the 【Self-Improvement】 interface, after "Spiritual Attribute" appeared "(19/20)"—suggesting he was nearing a minor bottleneck.

More importantly, the icons for the two unopened functions, 【Super Technology】 and 【Wealth Prediction】, glowed noticeably brighter, with faint progress bars beneath them: 【Super Technology Unlock Progress: 12%】, 【Wealth Prediction Unlock Progress: 8%】.

"It seems wealth accumulation, spending, and successfully completing certain 'grand feats' all advance system upgrades and unlock progress," Qin Feng understood. This collapse of Tianhai Group was clearly recognized by the system as a major event aligned with the "Shenhou" and "Peak" pathways.

At that moment, Chen Yongming called, his tone unusually grave:

"Mr. Qin, we just received word—Zhao Tianhai has activated unconventional connections and is urgently tracing our IP and fund sources; he's desperate! Also, Zhao Kun… he's vanished. Our people lost track of him."

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow slightly, unalarmed.

Desperate lashing out? Before his absolute power—his system and nearly 800 million in cash (remaining ~580 million after property purchase)—any such petty retaliation was futile struggle.

As for Zhao Kun's disappearance? A homeless dog could stir no storm.

"Understood," Qin Feng said calmly. "Continue monitoring. Also, anonymously submit the most irrefutable evidence we hold regarding Zhao Kun's embezzlement to the economic crime division."

Since the opponent wanted to play hardball, he'd raise the stakes of the game.

After hanging up, Qin Feng felt the Blessing effects of "Vigor" and "Quick Thinking" coursing through him, his gaze returning to the screen's grim green lower circuit lock on Tianhai Group's stock.

A slow smile curved his lips.

This storm was far from over.

And his Shenhou path, amplified by the system upgrade, had just accelerated.

He picked up his phone, watching the explosive surge of followers and private messages on the "Feng Qi" livestream backend—some seeking collaboration, probing for information, even… admirers.

His world was expanding, becoming vast and dazzling at an astonishing pace.

"What will tomorrow bring?"

He murmured softly, eyes brimming with anticipation.