I've already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and you're saying I didn't time travel?

Chapter 109 I Never Regret

Southwestern Türkiye.

Antalya.

"Damn the Great Qian people!"

"How dare they?!"

"How dare they?!"

With an angry roar, the valuable vase was smashed to pieces by Ouzi on the spot.

The surrounding servants trembled and dared not utter a sound.

Ouzi was like an enraged lion, his pupils wide open and his expression extremely ferocious.

Fifty tons!
That's nearly fifty tons of styrax!

The family's inventory from the last ten years or so was all here, and they bought it all at once!
Three times the market price, hahaha.

Thinking back to how happy he was back then, he really wanted to strangle himself!

What's three times?
Given the scarcity of styrax and the frenzy of demand from outsiders, it could sell for thirty times the price, let alone three times!

He could even accumulate all this styrax as a hidden treasure to be sold slowly, thus laying the foundation for his entire family to grow and expand, and it was not impossible for him to eventually rise to power in politics.

But this path to heaven was abruptly severed right before his eyes. How could he not feel hatred? How could he not go mad?!

"I'll remember this debt! Sooner or later, you'll pay me back in full, with interest!!"

Owz gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table.

Just then, a series of rapid braking sounds came from outside.

Immediately, a large number of armed police officers rushed in from the outside and fiercely blocked every entrance and exit.

Seeing this, Ouzi was momentarily filled with doubt and surprise.

Then, Director Mehmet, whom they often paid homage to, strode in with an air of indifference.

“Ouz, you’ve done something wrong. Confess honestly and don’t waste my time.”

Owz's face suddenly turned pale, and he quickly stepped forward to ask:

"Me? My business? What business of mine? Director, please explain more clearly."

As he spoke, he pulled out a bunch of gold jewelry from his pocket and stuffed it directly into the other person's hand.

Director Mehmet casually put the gold jewelry away.

The surrounding police officers seemed oblivious to what was happening.

He stroked his neatly groomed beard and said in a low voice:

“Your over-harvesting in the styrax-producing area has been discovered. The higher-ups have ordered you to immediately return the over-harvested styrax, or your entire family will be punished.”

When Owz heard this, he was completely dumbfounded:
"But, but all our goods are sold out. Where can we get them back now?"

"Then there's no way."

Mehmet said calmly:

"Either you return the styrax, or you return the equivalent purchase price."

"We'll refund the amount!"

Owz's heart was bleeding.

Despite seeing heavily armed police officers around him, he had no choice but to make this decision.

"According to market retail prices, it costs 15,000 lira per kilogram, and then factoring in the costs you've incurred over the years—"

"Fifteen thousand?! How could it be fifteen thousand?!"

Ouzi, filled with shock and anger, abruptly interrupted:
"Yesterday, styrax was only 400 lira per kilogram. How could it be 15,000 lira today?!"

"Yesterday is yesterday, today is today, the world is different now, otherwise why do you think someone would be investigating you?"

Mehmet scoffed.

"But, but we simply can't come up with this money."

"Then you'll have no choice but to come with us."

"Wait! I can still mine over there. I can use what I've extracted to offset the price!"

"I almost forgot to tell you, there's an order from above that all the styrax trees have been nationalized."

"But we paid a high price for the logging rights..."

"Gone."

"What about compensation? At least give us some compensation!"

"Haven't you compensated enough for the excessive logging you've done over the years?"

"but……"

"Alright, let's talk about it in the station. Take them all away."

……

Honduras.

Primeval forest.

Styrax processing plant.

The balding factory owner's heart bled as he looked at the stacks of orders.

"With so many orders, considering the prices, how much are we going to lose? How much are we going to lose?!"

"How about... we postpone those orders for Daqian and not sell them to them?"

The manager next to him suggested.

The factory owner's mind stirred slightly:
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate? We've already signed a breach of contract agreement with them. If they delay or even fail to deliver the goods, the penalty alone will amount to over a billion yuan."

"Don't worry, my boss."

The manager said with a smile:

"Not to mention that they are far away in the East and have no way to deal with us, even if they really come to our country to file a lawsuit, we cannot possibly lose because of the rarity and value of styrax."

The enormous profits inherent in these things mean the government would never allow them to be sold at low prices. From the very beginning, we have been perfectly safe and have no need to worry about those Asians causing trouble for us.

"That seems to make sense."

After thinking for a moment, the factory owner and the manager exchanged a smile.

"Then let's raise the price tenfold, no, twentyfold! The profits will be enough to triple the factory's size, and we'll have no problem monopolizing the entire North American styrax market!"

The factory owner, brimming with ambition, had his aged face flushed with the sight of this promising future.

Just then, a series of booming sounds suddenly came from outside, accompanied by screams and screams.

With a loud crash, the iron gate not far away was smashed open, and a number of SUVs rushed in recklessly.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of burly men carrying weapons got out of the off-road vehicle.

Upon seeing the guns in their hands and the number 18 tattoos on their bodies, the factory owner and manager turned pale.

The 18th Street Gang is one of the two major gangs that run rampant throughout Honduras. They almost completely control the distribution channels of cocaine on the black market. They are deeply rooted, powerful, and even collude with officials and the president.

"Hey Carlos, you guys are doing a great job running this factory."

The burly man leading the group chewed his gum, looked around, and said with a smile:

"Remember to run this business well for me from now on, don't try to be clever, or else..."

With a "bang," he casually shot and killed the manager next to the factory owner.

The manager collapsed on the spot, his face filled with disbelief.

The factory owner looked at his corpse, horrified and wanted to scream, but quickly covered his mouth, his lower body slowly becoming wet.

The big man patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile:

"I don't like people who are too smart. I only need one smart person like myself. Just work hard for me from now on, and I won't treat you unfairly."

Then, he turned his head and said to those behind him:
"Lumpilla, Copan, I'll leave this to you. I'll go check on the other factories."

"Got it, boss."

……

Southern part of the United States.

Lower Mississippi River Valley.

North American sweetgum tree growing area.

Dozens of police cars were parked on the roadside, and large numbers of federal police officers rushed into the forest.

"Get down! Hold your head!"

"Squat down immediately!"

"Or we'll shoot!!"

……

Upon seeing a large number of police officers rushing into the woods, the large number of ordinary people who were illegally mining styrax scattered in all directions.

“Go! Go! Go!”

"Run! Run! Run!"

"Fuck FBI!"

"son of a bitch!!"

The beams of powerful flashlights swept across the forest continuously, and warning gunshots and cries of pain from falling down could be heard from time to time, along with occasional screams of being captured.

Regardless, a large amount of styrax was still illegally harvested.

There was even an entire sweetgum tree that was lifted onto a pickup truck and urgently transported away.

Late that night, chaos erupted near maple-producing areas across the United States.

……

Britain.

South London.

Woolwich.

Two groups of young gang members are making a deal in an abandoned factory.

"Here's the money you wanted. Check it yourselves."

The bald man's side immediately took out two boxes and pushed them over the table.

The long-haired man in the leather jacket opposite him took the box, quickly counted the contents, and nodded to the person next to him.

Immediately, someone took out two large nylon bags of goods and pushed them across the table with great effort.

The other party quickly accepted it.

Upon opening the nylon bags, one was surprised to find bundles of ginseng inside, totaling one hundred kilograms in two bags.

"Weigh it first, then check its authenticity."

Immediately, someone took out a smart screen handheld scale produced by Daqian, with a weighing capacity of 100 kilograms.

Both bags were weighed, confirming their weight, and the bald, burly man felt a little relieved.

Immediately afterwards, someone shouted:
"No! These ginsengs are not right! We've been scammed!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present drew their weapons.

The bald, burly man pointed a gun at the other side and asked:
"Something's not right? Could they have given us counterfeit goods?!"

"They gave us American ginseng, not ginseng!!"

Upon hearing this, the bald, burly man immediately burst into a tirade of curses:
"You dare to try and fool me with American ginseng?!"

The long-haired man in the leather jacket was completely stunned:
"But American ginseng is the same as ginseng! The ginseng sold here refers to American ginseng!"

The bald, burly man was enraged:

"Ginseng is ginseng! American ginseng is American ginseng! I only recently learned Chinese, do you think I can't read? You bastard!"

"You think I haven't learned Chinese? You trash, you worthless bastard!!"

"You son of a bitch! Get the goods replaced right now!"

"You bastard! Where are we going to find ginseng for you now?!"

"You bastard! You're not leaving here today without the ginseng!"

"Go to hell, you idiot! If you want ginseng, why don't you go to Daqian?!"

……

United Nations camp.

Private lounge.

Barack, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes, a subtle glint of light flashing in them.

Feeling the faint energy within his body and the benefits he had gained throughout his entire being, Barak was overjoyed:
"In just over half a day, I successfully broke through to the Ming Jin level."

"Was it the honey I took earlier that had an effect? ​​Or am I some kind of unparalleled genius suited for martial arts?"

He moved around a bit in the room, becoming more and more accustomed to his body after breaking through to the Ming Jin level. Before long, he heard the sounds of striking and training coming from next door as well.

"Is it possible..."

Barack opened the door, puzzled.

Then Alfonso, who was also one of the world's top billionaires, walked out of his room looking very energetic.

Alfonso is over sixty years old, much older than him. He must have taken silver wing honey before, and his body seems to have recovered a lot, like a young man.

Unexpectedly, after obtaining the martial arts manual, I broke through to the Ming Jin level so quickly.

Upon seeing Barack, Alfonso's eyes gleamed:
"Looks like you've just been promoted too."

Barack laughed and said:
"My health has always been very good, so such a rapid breakthrough is quite normal. I didn't expect your breakthrough to be so fast as well; it's quite beyond my expectations."

"Young man, don't be too complacent. If I were thirty years younger, I would definitely be a top master in my own right!"

Why not give it a try?

"That's exactly what I was thinking too."

The two looked at each other and smiled, then walked together toward the training room not far away.

Seeing this, the bodyguards nearby looked troubled and had no choice but to quickly follow.

Three minutes later.

Alfonso walked out with a smile, only bearing a few more footprints.

In contrast, Barack behind him was bruised and battered.

Back in his room, he angrily threw the pillow on the floor.

"That old man actually ate two servings of honey!"

"You just wait! Once I get to the island, I'll find a way to pick a few Silver Qi Grasses to avenge today!!"

Barak gritted his teeth and angrily resumed his cultivation.

……

TIKTOK.

Today, the most popular videos and live streams worldwide are related to martial arts techniques.

Some people demonstrated cultivation techniques on the spot, some taught the techniques, some analyzed and researched the origins of the techniques, some sold various training clothes for cultivation, some experimented with the auxiliary effects of various drugs on cultivation... Some people practiced dual cultivation on the spot and were then banned.

In short, all videos and live streams that are related to martial arts see their click-through rates skyrocket.

People are also happy to share their spiritual journey.

However, the most popular thing that day was someone's live stream of spiritual practice.

That's right, he is Sun Ge, the newly rich cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

As the person who recently purchased the Silver Spirit Grass at a high price and has been consuming it continuously, people are eagerly anticipating what kind of effects his martial arts training will produce.

Now, he is demonstrating this through live-streamed practice sessions.

In less than a day, he broke through the Dark Force realm on the spot!
Seeing this, all netizens were stunned.

Because they had actually practiced, they knew how terrifying this speed was; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them unparalleled geniuses.

Despite his frail health, which made it difficult for him to even break the thinnest piece of wood, he has now encountered such a tremendous change, and people immediately thought of the Silver Gang Grass that he had broken.

A peerless medicine!

A truly peerless elixir!
Then, thinking back to the innate being who made a public appearance in the Daqian video, the first innate being to appear in this era.

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned red.

But ordinary people can only be envious.

Meanwhile, the wealthiest individuals and even government officials from various countries have all sent messages to Daqian.

Whether purchased with money or traded in other ways, everyone wanted to obtain the Silver Gang Grass from the Great Qian Dynasty.

However, Daqian could only express its inability to help, because most of the Silver Gang Grass was used for scientific research. Except for a very few close associates who were willing to trade or give away a small amount of Silver Gang Grass extract, they refused all others in person.

……

Magic City.

Ji family villa.

"Weiwei, you've seen the situation outside. It's not that I'm unwilling to help you get the extract of Silver Gang Grass, it's just that this stuff is extremely scarce right now. Even for me, it's very difficult to get my hands on it."

"Even so, I still managed to find one for you, but it came with conditions."

Facing Ji Yuwei sitting on the sofa, the tall and refined Ji Yunshen took out a bottle of Silver Gang Grass extract from his pocket, raised it and placed it on the table. The bottom of the bottle touched the table and made a crisp sound.

Seeing the coveted medicine before her, Ji Yuwei didn't reach for it. Instead, she looked at her father opposite her and calmly asked:
"What conditions?"

Ji Yun Shen said calmly:

"Strictly speaking, it's not really a condition."

"This medicine was given by the Wang family. Do you remember Uncle Wang? He has liked you very much since you were a child. It just so happens that his son, Wang Shengyu, just graduated from Oxford Law School this year. He plans to arrange for you two to meet and have a chat. This bottle of Silver Gang Grass extract is a gift for your meeting."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuwei's expression immediately became very complicated.

She knew that the Wang family and her family had a very good relationship; in fact, her family even had to rely on the Wang family for certain business dealings.

Now, the first thing they offer is a bottle of Silver Gang Grass extract, which is hard to find elsewhere. Although they say it's just a nice gift, what kind of gift is this expensive?
The meaning behind this...

But if she refuses, what will happen to her cultivation?
What should she do about the distance between her and that person?
If one simply goes to the appointment, pretends not to know the underlying meaning, and then repays in other ways later, would that be acceptable?

In an instant, Ji Yuwei's mind raced through a hundred thoughts.

Finally, she let out a long breath, her gaze resolute, and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Wang, but please reply for me."

Ji Yun Shen raised an eyebrow in surprise:

"It's just a meeting, nothing more. Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"You'll regret this."

"I never regret it."

……

Floating continent.

The night is already deep.

A cold wind blew across the fields.

Inside the cave, the campfire provided warmth.

On Sunday, it lazily lay at the entrance of the cave, with most of its body inside, its two sharp teeth sticking outwards, and a slight snoring sound could be heard as it breathed in and out.

Qi Xuan sat in front of the campfire, his brows slightly furrowed.

After the live stream ended today, he conducted a large-scale search of areas he had not yet visited, as usual.

With Sunday as his mount, he could travel much farther and explore a wider area than before.

However, even after the exploration ended not long ago, he still has not found anything today.

Nearly a week has passed since he unexpectedly obtained the [Nangong] token in the beehive that day, and he has not found any clues related to the natives within a radius of a hundred miles.

It was as if the natives had vanished on the spot, or perhaps they had never been here at all.

"This shouldn't be happening."

“Since there is a token and an iron cluster, there must be other traces as well.”

"Or is my exploration range too conservative, and I should go to more distant places?"

"So which direction should we explore next? Should we keep going north? Won't we just stray further and further off course?"

Qi Xuan felt a bit of a headache, like he was alone in a canoe on a vast ocean, not knowing which way to row to see an island.

"Alright, let's stick to the plan for now. If we can't find it, so be it. I don't necessarily need to find it."

"Anyway, my cultivation level is constantly improving. Only half a month has passed, and I'm already at the fourth level of Qi Refining. At the latest, I'll be able to successfully establish my foundation in three months."

"Moreover, you can also win all sorts of random prizes from time to time, which keeps increasing your wealth and strength."

"Time has always been on my side."

After mentally preparing himself, Qi Xuan temporarily put the matter out of his mind and then opened the lottery page.

After drawing the "Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill", he has accumulated 80 draws in the past three days, and has 20B left. If nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely get the second Bronze Pool pity tonight.

I glanced at the top right corner.

290B!

In other words, we received 270B today.

Wow, ever since the technique was revealed, his popularity has been steadily rising. His daily earnings have never fallen below 200, which means that on average, he can get a bronze-level character every five days.

What were once considered very precious second-grade spiritual items now seem somewhat cheap.

"No, you can't have that kind of thought."

"Second-grade spiritual items are still extremely precious. Even a second-grade talisman is a trump card that many Qi Refining cultivators hold in their hands."

"Not to mention the possibility of drawing other items."

"In this way, at least before I step into the Foundation Establishment stage, my personal safety should be largely guaranteed, and I won't be killed on the spot by some random monster I encounter."

Having prepared himself mentally, Qi Xuan didn't delay any longer and immediately started the lottery draw.

"Let's start with a 10-pull to fill the gacha pool!"

The lever was pulled sharply.

Accompanied by a low, whirring melody, the ten orbs of light quickly fell to the ground.

Four ordinary objects, six spiritual objects.

Two spiritual materials, two Rejuvenation Pills, one Guaranteed Hit Talisman, and one Fire Avoidance Talisman.

"Wow, this haul is quite good."

Although I got a lot of good stuff from the previous 80 draws, the Guaranteed Hit Talisman and Fire Avoidance Talisman are still quite powerful.

Hunting that Tier 3 Golden-Eyed Wyvern requires a guaranteed hit rune.

Previously, he had only narrowly escaped the Thousand Flame Beast's fatal attack thanks to the fire-avoidance talisman.

Not bad.

Qi Xuan put his things away and looked at the pool, a surge of excitement rising in his heart.

"Let's see what guaranteed prize I can get this time!"

Pull the lever.

Ten orbs of light fell.

Three ordinary items and seven spiritual items, six of which are of the first grade and one of the second grade.

Qi Xuan never had any patience, so he directly ordered the guaranteed second-grade item from the Bronze Pool.

"This is... a talisman?"

He looked at the jet-black, second-grade spirit talisman from left to right.

I quickly learned about its function.

The 【Track Talisman】 can accurately track the location of a target based on only a trace of their remaining aura. If it cannot pinpoint the exact location, it will point to the place where the target frequently appears.

Its effects are limited to those below the Golden Core stage, its range is limited to a radius of ten thousand miles, and it is subject to interference from various concealment equipment such as stealth talismans.

It looks very effective, but he doesn't seem to need it.

Just like the Yin-Yang Jade Crane Technique, it looks very powerful, but it's rather useless to him.

Qi Xuan was about to throw the Thousand-Mile Tracking Talisman into his personal space when he suddenly seemed to remember something.

Wait, tracking?
Wouldn't that mean we could use the [Nangong] token?

A look of wild joy suddenly appeared in Qi Xuan's eyes.

Just when we were worried about not being able to find any trace of the natives, this thing came at just the right time!
Qi Xuan felt very excited, but it was already night and it was dangerous outside, so he decided to wait until tomorrow to use it.

He put away the tracking talisman and then clicked on the remaining orbs of light.

Of the six spiritual items, three are spiritual materials, and the remaining items are a talisman, a medicinal powder, and a pill.

The talisman was the same warning talisman we had used before; it was a genuine, high-quality item.

The medicine powder is called "Soul-Destroying Powder," and it's incredibly potent; one dose and the person is gone.

As for that pill, it also has great uses.

This pill is called the Qi-Replenishing Pill, and it is used to provide spiritual energy to enhance cultivation.

"After taking this Qi-replenishing pill, the ten days I need to reach the fifth level of Qi Refining should be shortened to seven days."

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Qi Xuan was quite pleased.

Without further delay, he took the Qi-replenishing pill and immediately began refining and cultivating.

He has already obtained the abilities of the fourth level of Qi Refining, so it's about time to look forward to the abilities of the fifth level.

(End of this chapter)