The Post Sky Tipping Era

"My eyes seem to be able to see in the dark now."

After returning to his room and cultivating for another day following his meal, Li Yi was suddenly startled to discover that he could see everything clearly at night even though he hadn't turned on the light. Moreover, his vision was strange, unlike the normal sight he had before.

The colors had become somewhat special, as if he had turned on a night vision device.

"It looks like my body has evolved to a new stage, this feeling is truly amazing," Li Yi's eyes sparkled in the darkness, like a fierce beast in the jungle at night.

Many top predators in nature have better vision at night than during the day. This is the result of countless years of evolution aimed at increasing the success rate of night hunting to better survive and reproduce.

Cultivators too, after undergoing evolution, gained night vision, indicating that they were constantly improving their position in the food chain.

Li Yi didn't continue his cultivation. He was adapting to his new nighttime vision.

After a while, he suddenly sensed something and looked towards the door.

"Who's there?"

He asked in a low voice.

The change wasn't only in his eyes; his hearing had also become sharper. He heard faint footsteps in the corridor and deduced that someone had stopped at his door.

And the emergence of this ability didn't seem wrong to Li Yi. 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 didn't have a good impression of Zhao Xiaoxiao. Just like Zhang Gao had said, Zhao Xiaoxiao was not the kind of person who put all her mind into cultivation. She was an opportunist among cultivators, always trying to curry favor and manage her connections.

Of course, such behavior wasn't really reprehensible. After all, he was truly poor, and it was normal to be looked down upon.

However, the incident with Wu Zhen yesterday made Li Yi very uncomfortable, especially since Zhao Xiaoxiao was also one of the participants.

"I'm about to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow," Li Yi replied coldly, refusing to open the door.

Zhao Xiaoxiao, however, did not leave. She continued, "I have something very important to talk to you about, please open the door. Don't worry, I have no ill intentions this time, and I'm the only one here at the door."

"Something very important?" Li Yi's expression shifted as he asked, "Does it have anything to do with me?"

"It's about you," Zhao Xiaoxiao said from outside the door.

Li Yi thought for a moment and finally opened the door cautiously.

Indeed, Zhao Xiaoxiao was alone at the door.

"What's the matter? Speak," Li Yi said.

"Let's talk inside your room. It's not very convenient out here," Zhao Xiaoxiao said.

Li Yi frowned, "What are you up to now?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao spoke earnestly, "I feel there's been some misunderstanding between us, and I really have no bad intentions in coming to find you this time. You can choose to trust me this once. If I do anything unfavorable to you, you can strike me at any moment, and I won't resist."

"Fine, I want to see what it is you want to talk about this time. If you can't give me a good explanation, don't blame me for throwing you out," Li Yi replied indifferently.

Zhao Xiaoxiao entered the room and immediately closed the door behind her. She sat down on the sofa next to her as if she made herself at home.

Li Yi didn't know what this woman was up to; he just stood by, watching her with caution.

Zhao Xiaoxiao then smiled and said, "I'm a girl who's not afraid to come find you this late at night, what are you afraid of?"

"When living away from home, boys should also learn to protect themselves. It's not like there aren't any female hooligans these days," Li Yi seriously stated, "Now tell me the purpose of your visit."

At the same time, he turned on the recording function on his phone to keep evidence.

Zhao Xiaoxiao's smile faded, and she spoke earnestly, "First, I want to apologize for Wu Zhen's actions yesterday, and I hope you won't hold a grudge against me."

Li Yi replied, "I'm not angry about Wu Zhen's actions or about holding a grudge against you people. Such things have happened before, and I believe they will happen again. But as long as they happen to me, no matter how many times, I will always resist."

"Backed into a corner, it's nothing but a life-for-a-life exchange. Although I also know it's reckless, even impulsive, it's the way a poor kid survives. After all, my life isn't worth much, but I can't say the same for yours."

"I didn't understand before, but now I can."

Zhao Xiaoxiao then stood up from the sofa and approached him, saying, "But have you ever thought, Li Yi, that with your talent for cultivation, you shouldn't be mired in this muck? You should have a better future."

"Neither I, Wu Zhen, Lv Jue, nor Zhang Gao will ever truly be on the same path as you. You're a genius. The reason you're in this mess is that you're held back by family and life. If someone could help you with these troubles, I believe your untapped potential would be tremendous."

Li Yi glanced at her, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Today's cultivation session opened my eyes to the true disparities between cultivators. Rich people can afford Cultivation Cabins and hire multiple guides... My Cultivation Value is only seventy-five percent, not high but not low either, and I come from an average family background. All these factors combined mean that I'm destined for mediocrity," Zhao Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and continued, "But I also have my way of surviving, so, I want to invest in you."

"Invest in me? Why?" Li Yi furrowed his brow.

This was the first time in his life he'd heard someone say they wanted to invest in him, especially coming from Zhao Xiaoxiao.

Zhao Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "I've already made it clear just now. You have great potential and are worth the investment."

"Great potential?" Li Yi replied, "Just because my Cultivation Value is a bit higher than yours?"

"Higher? Li Yi, it seems you really don't understand much about cultivation. You're not just a little ahead of us, you are three times ahead. Do you know what that concept implies? It's a chasm that we, ordinary cultivators, can never cross. Moreover, I believe you held back during your first cosmic energy guidance. Lv Jue estimated your cultivation value to be one hundred and eighty percent, but I think differently."

"Your cultivation value must have exceeded two hundred percent. I've only heard of such high cultivation values, but never encountered one in my life. Hence, I'm willing to take a gamble."

Zhao Xiaoxiao took a bank card out of her pocket and handed it to Li Yi with both hands: "This contains all my savings, a total of one million three hundred and seventy thousand. It may not be much, but it should prove my sincerity. As long as you accept my investment, starting today, I will do my utmost to provide you with funds for cultivation and serve as your guide, allowing you to cultivate with peace of mind."

Investor?

Li Yi remembered, indeed, such a thing could happen to a cultivator.

Some talented individuals receive sponsorship, and even some genius cultivators get heavily invested in by big bosses and tycoons.

Because the world has changed, the top cultivators can now influence the course of events, and this is just ten years after the Sky Tipping. What about twenty, thirty years later... The future is definitely an era ruled by cultivators.

Under the winds of the times, the craze for investment naturally emerged.

Zhao Xiaoxiao was also very tense at the moment, but she felt there was nothing wrong with her actions today. Li Yi was bound to soar to great heights like a protagonist in a novel. By then, just by being in his good graces, she would far surpass any benefits she could gain from cultivating herself.

The room fell silent at this moment.

Li Yi remained silent, while Zhao Xiaoxiao waited for his response.

Faced with this situation, twenty-year-old Li Yi found it hard to say he wasn't tempted. He had never encountered such good fortune in his life, where he could not only receive more than a million for free but also gain a laborer. Zhao Xiaoxiao put it quite attractively: he could keep making money for investment without any worries and concentrate on cultivation.

In the face of such sincerity, all the previous conflicts and contradictions seemed to be negligible.

As for whether Zhao Xiaoxiao would regret this later— that seemed rather unimportant.

Investment is inherently risky; it can yield profits or losses.

But Li Yi quickly resisted the temptation. First, he wasn't a genius, and his cultivation value wasn't two hundred percent. Second, he couldn't expose the secret of the mysterious object, for if he did, Crow and his gang would definitely not let him off the hook. It could even result in fatal danger, and he currently lacked the means to deal with it.

Of course, there was a third reason—he found Zhao Xiaoxiao repulsive.

If she was willing to invest in him today, she might sell him out tomorrow in the presence of a cultivator with greater potential.

For a moment's benefit to bring so many risks was not worth it.

Moreover, Li Yi could now earn over two hundred thousand in a single day, so Zhao Xiaoxiao's money wasn't urgently needed by him.

Having thought it through, he made his decision.

"Zhao Xiaoxiao, I refuse your investment," Li Yi said unapologetically.

"Why?" Zhao Xiaoxiao trembled slightly, looking at Li Yi in disbelief.

She couldn't fathom why Li Yi would turn down her investment.

There seemed to be no reason for it.

"Li Yi, don't be impulsive. You are in desperate need of investment. Don't refuse just because of some previous unpleasantness. In the adult world, there is no hatred, only interests. You shouldn't be impulsive," Zhao Xiaoxiao tried to persuade him again, thinking that Li Yi was acting on a whim due to his youth.

But Li Yi interrupted her: "No, you're wrong, I'm not being impulsive."

"Then what's your reason for refusing the investment?" Zhao Xiaoxiao was eager to know the reason for her rejection.

Most cultivators are happy to accept investments, after all, it's akin to picking up a fortune.

Li Yi said, "There's no reason. If you have nothing else, you may leave."

He didn't offer an explanation.

"I... see," Zhao Xiaoxiao inhaled deeply. "But I still hope you'll consider carefully. During the time we work together, if you change your mind, just tell me. I will still stand by my decision tonight."

Li Yi didn't respond.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiaoxiao let out a sigh: "Well then, I won't disturb you any further. I'll take my leave."

She didn't persist any longer and turned to leave Li Yi's room.

"Bang!"

As soon as Zhao Xiaoxiao was gone, the door closed behind her without any hint of reluctance.

"It seems your action today didn't go too smoothly," said Lv Jue, opening the door of his room next to Zhao Xiaoxiao's, standing at the threshold with a half-smile.

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

Lv Jue shook his head and replied, "Invest? You're too late. Li Yi earned two hundred and twenty thousand today. With a bit more work, saving up a few million won't be a problem for him, and your capital is simply not enough to invest in him. His job as a guide today is just the beginning of his transformation."

"Unless you had invested when you first met him, too bad you looked down on someone so poor they couldn't even afford a taxi fare and wouldn't even bother to give the time of day, completely missing a great opportunity," Lv Jue continued with a smile.

"Yes, if I had invested then, Li Yi would definitely have agreed. But unfortunately, I misjudged," said Zhao Xiaoxiao.

"It's not just a simple misjudgment. You also offended him. Previously, you were aloof, and now he's out of your reach," said Lv Jue with a chuckle.

"Shut your mouth," Zhao Xiaoxiao, flustered and infuriated, strode into her room and slammed the door shut with a bang.