Calamity of Tomorrow

Hearing what Zhou Bai had said, everyone else looked at him as if they were looking at an idiot.

Christina, equally puzzled, said, "Zhou Bai, you could have just asked straightforwardly. Giving such a lousy excuse seems idiotic."

"Hmph," Zhou Bai thought to himself, "you simply don't understand. Having used 'Special Abilities' for so long, and after sharing so many meals with brother Zheng Wentian, you still haven't grasped the hidden rules of 'Special Abilities'? It provides justifications based on the other party's existing thoughts and surroundings, and helps them concoct a reason for themselves, something that seems sensible to them."

"If I just ask them outright, the reason they come up with would be too random and uncontrollable."

"So, I have to provide them with a reason, no matter how absurd or preposterous it may be. As long as they believe it, I can control the situation more easily, allowing me to fleece them over the long term with less effort."

"I was so naive back at the Dao School, only knowing about eating, nothing like the masterful touch I have today."

Christina realized with an air of sudden enlightenment, "So there's so much more to pulling off a scam."

"What do you mean, scam? Tina, if you don't know how to speak properly, better not to say anything at all," Zhou Bai retorted angrily. "This is called investment, financial innovation. It's about the rich leading the way for us to become wealthy. And I ask you, is there anything in this world more profitable than investing in me? This world has only eternal interests, not eternal friends. Only those who lend me money can be my eternal friends."

Zhou Bai and Christina's conversation remained unheard by the others.

However, upon hearing Zhou Bai's intention to borrow points, Yan Hai laughed mockingly, "Do you think we're easy marks? We may be wealthy, but we're not fools to throw our money at anyone who comes along with a simple spiel. That wouldn't be wealthy; that would be stupid."

Sitting in the primary seat, Yan Shan said coldly, "Give him a beating and throw him out."

Zhou Bai immediately shouted, "Wait! Maybe 100,000 points is a bit much, but how about 10,000 points? If you let me borrow 10,000 points, this is a project backed by Jijian Pavilion, and the heads of the four major schools will be there for the opening ceremony..."

Seeing Yan Shan's cold gaze, like that of a predator about to strike, Zhou Bai cried out again, "5,000! Just 5,000 points!"

Zhou Bai added, "How about this then, 3,000 points? Would that work?"

Yan Hai and Yan Yan were furious to the point of laughter, feeling that the person before them was here to humiliate and fool them.

Yan Shan snorted coldly, stood up, and said, "So someone's brought this scam to my doorstep... I..."

"2,000 points!!"

Yan Shan suddenly got up and walked over to Zhou Bai, while everyone else watched with glee, expecting a spectacle.

"Ha, it's been a long time since Young Master Yan got this angry."

"This will be interesting to watch."

"Hehe, this kid's done for. Wonder how Young Master Yan will toy with him."

Just as everyone was ready to enjoy the drama, Yan Shan suddenly pulled out two bottles of pills from his robe, "These two bottles of Ice Heart Pills are worth about 2,000 points, take them."

Yan Shan's brother, Yan Hai, eyes wide with fury, stepped forward. He moved as swiftly as a breeze up to Yan Shan and objected, "Brother, it's clear he's a swindler. Are you really giving him things?"

Yan Shan replied curtly, "Brother, what are you doing? I'm making an investment. This man looks trustworthy; don't stand in my way."

"Trustworthy?!" Yan Hai looked at Zhou Bai, who was smirking at his side, and clutched at Yan Shan's hand, "He's just after your points! Don't be fooled."

Yan Shan glared back, annoyed, "Are you suggesting I can be tricked? Can't I see through a scam that even you've noticed? Didn't you hear him? The project is backed by Jijian Pavilion. The heads of all four major schools will attend the opening. 40% annual interest. Don't block my path to fortune."

Zhou Bai chimed in, "That's called pooling resources. With everyone's strength combined, we could buy the whole of West Mountain City. The more money, the more we earn."

"That's right," Yan Shan confirmed.

Yan Hai looked at Zhou Bai with raw fury and helplessness, "What trickery are you using to deceive my brother? I'll kill you!"

Yan Hai's Primordial Spirit force surged, streaks of lightning appearing in the air, crackling loudly; he looked like the legendary God of Thunder, shining with a brilliant radiance.

But in the next moment, he was slapped away by his brother Yan Shan and sent flying into the wall, leaving a large crater: "I told you to stop getting in the way of my investment."

Yan Shan hurriedly stuffed the pills into Zhou Bai's hands.

Zhou Bai took them with a displeased expression, "Tsk, so many valuable possessions, and you only lend out 2,000 points at a time. Still, that's better than that beggar Zheng Wentian."

Then he continued, "I'll accept the pills then. We're brothers now. If there's a good project in the future, I'll come to you for money."

Seeing Zhou Bai receive Ice Heart Pills worth 2,000 points and still display a disappointed look, and then seeing Yan Hai knocked aside by Yan Shan, everyone was shocked, utterly unable to understand why Yan Shan would truly give such a valuable item to someone who so clearly seemed like a swindler.

Meanwhile, Christina in Zhou Bai's sea of consciousness watched him take the pills, excited and delighted, "Nice job, Zhou Bai. Just like that, you've earned 2,000 points. Brilliant."

The more powerful the enemy Zhou Bai faced with his 'Special Abilities,' the lower the upper limit of what he could borrow; the wealthier the enemy, the higher the borrowing limit.

Cultivation levels and wealth, these were the benchmarks for how much Zhou Bai could ultimately borrow.

Yan Shan was strong; a cultivator of the seventh realm was considered high-ranking among humans, yet he was also very wealthy. Compared to him, a regular seventh realm cultivator would be a beggar.

Therefore, after some probing, Zhou Bai was able to borrow Ice Heart Pills valued at 2,000 points from him. When checking the system for a price, he found that they could sell for over 40,000 laziness points.

Although that was a lot, it was still a long way from his goal of 770,000 laziness points.

Especially since Zhou Bai remembered that even if he reached a 40% conversion rate and entered the fourth realm, unlocking the divine pattern and cultivating star points would require laziness points.

Considering the final ninth star point of the previous fading pattern had cost him a whopping 1 million laziness points,

If the new divine pattern's star points were the same, his deficit of laziness points would be enormous.

Just then, Yan Hai stood up, surrounded by surging lightning dragons, blasting apart a large amount of steel and concrete, and roared, "Bro, you hit me for a swindler?!"

Yan Shan frowned, a hint of doubt crossing his mind, but that doubt was quickly replaced by clarity under the influence of 'Special Abilities.'

Facing the puzzled gazes from everyone around, Yan Shan explained, "I just felt that this young man seemed genuinely sincere. When it comes to investing, I don't look at the project; I look at the person. If the person is good, then any venture will succeed. And my judgement of character is always accurate. This young man will certainly..."