Traveling Between Two Worlds: From Bread for Maids to Fantasy Overlord

The next morning, Huang Yiming took Su Qingyue, Ling tide, and Qin Hu to the city's antique market. The market was bustling with activity, filled with antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jade and emeralds, and a constant stream of people, including knowledgeable collectors and curious tourists.

Huang Yiming activated the system's perception function and, following the fluctuations of the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant, walked step by step deeper into the market. Ling Xi also used the power of her spiritual plants to sense the aura of the jade pendant and said softly, "Yiming, the aura of the jade pendant is not far ahead, and it's very weak, as if it's being covered by something."

The group quickened their pace and arrived at a shop called "Treasure Pavilion." The aura of the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant grew stronger and stronger. Huang Yiming looked up at the shop sign, a cold smile playing on his lips—this Treasure Pavilion was a property under the Lin Group. After Lin Shao went bankrupt and ran away, it was acquired by a mysterious businessman. It seemed that the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant was very likely here.

Stepping into the Treasure Pavilion, the luxurious interior was filled with all sorts of jewelry and jade, a dazzling array, each piece incredibly valuable. Upon seeing the group enter, the shop assistant greeted them with a professional smile: "Gentlemen, what would you like to see? We have the latest jade jewelry, all rare and exquisite pieces."

Huang Yiming smiled faintly: "We are looking for a Spirit Heart Jade Pendant, and we heard that you have one here."

The shop assistant's expression changed slightly, her eyes flickered, but she quickly regained her smile: "Sir, you're joking. We've never had any Spirit Heart Jade Pendants here. Have you come to the wrong place?"

Huang Yiming's eyes turned cold. He could clearly sense that the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant was in the backyard of the shop, and the shop assistant was obviously lying. "I'll ask you one more time, where is the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant? Don't force me to take action." He released a slight amount of spiritual energy from his body, and the pressure of the seventh level of Qi Refining instantly swept across the entire shop. The shop assistant turned pale with fright and retreated repeatedly, unable to keep up the act any longer.

"Sir, I...I wouldn't dare lie to you. The Spirit Heart Jade Pendant is indeed here with us, but the boss instructed that no one is allowed to see it, much less sell it," the shop assistant said, trembling.

"Who is your boss?" Huang Yiming asked in a deep voice.

"I don't know. The boss never shows up; he just occasionally sends someone to manage the shop," the shop assistant said.

Huang Yiming said no more, and with a flash, headed towards the backyard of the shop. The shop assistant tried to stop him, but Qin Hu blocked his way, rendering him unable to move. In the backyard, the door to a secret room was tightly closed, and the aura of the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant was emanating from within. Huang Yiming stepped forward, gathered spiritual energy at his fingertips, and gently pushed, opening the door to the secret room.

Inside the secret chamber, there was an exquisite jade box. Inside, a pure white jade pendant, radiating a faint spiritual aura, lay quietly—the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant. Huang Yiming stepped forward, picked up the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant, and felt its cool touch. The rich spiritual plant energy it contained instantly surged into his body, making him feel completely refreshed.

Lingxi walked to his side, looked at the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant, and her eyes lit up: "That's right, this is the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant lost by the Spirit Clan. With it, my spiritual plant power can be greatly enhanced, and I can also sense the aura of evil cultivators."

Huang Yiming handed the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant to Ling tide: "Since it belongs to the Spirit Clan, I'll return it to you. With it, you can better protect yourself."

Lingxi accepted the jade pendant with a happy smile on her face. She looked at Huang Yiming deeply and said gratefully, "Thank you, Young Master Huang."

Just as everyone was about to leave, an arrogant voice came from the doorway: "Stop! How dare you steal from my territory? Are you tired of living?" Everyone turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a suit with an arrogant face walking in with a group of bodyguards.

The middle-aged man, Zhao Tian, ​​was the new owner of the Treasure Pavilion and a rising star in the urban jewelry industry. Through opportunistic means, he had acquired numerous properties from the Lin Group and harbored ambitions to monopolize the city's jewelry market. His eyes lit up when he saw the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant in Huang Yiming's hand, and his tone became greedy: "Kid, hand over your jade pendant and apologize to me, and I might spare your lives. Otherwise, I'll make sure you have no place to stand in this city!"

Huang Yiming sneered, "This jade pendant belongs to the Spirit Clan, not you. Why should I give it to you? Besides, this Treasure Pavilion is originally the property of the Lin Group. You acquired it through unfair means, and you still have the nerve to act arrogantly here?"

"Insolence!" Zhao Tian's face darkened, his tone arrogant. "In the city, my word is law. I said this jade pendant is mine, and it is mine! Get them! Take them down and snatch the jade pendant!"

The bodyguards behind him immediately rushed forward, pouncing on Huang Yiming and his group. Seeing this, Qin Hu immediately met them head-on, his movements agile and swift, knocking each bodyguard to the ground with a single punch within minutes, leaving them groaning in pain. Zhao Tian's expression changed drastically; he hadn't expected Qin Hu to be so capable. His tone held a hint of fear, yet he still refused to back down: "Kid, if you dare touch my men, I won't let you get away with it! Let me tell you, I've already united all the jewelers in the city, and we'll soon monopolize the entire jewelry market. Then, no matter how much money you have, you won't be able to buy a single decent piece of jewelry!"

Huang Yiming chuckled dismissively: "Monopolize the jewelry market? With that, you think you can?" As he spoke, he took out a large pile of jade and gemstones from the fantasy world from his storage space and placed them on the table. These jade and gemstones were rich in color and full of spiritual energy, more precious than any jewelry in the city, instantly illuminating the entire secret room and radiating a dazzling light.

Zhao Tian and the shop assistants were completely stunned when they saw the jade and gemstones on the table. Their eyes were wide open, and their faces were full of disbelief. "This... what kind of jade is this? How can it be so beautiful and contain such rich spiritual energy?" Zhao Tian said, trembling. He had been in the jewelry industry for so many years and had never seen such top-quality jade and gemstones.

"These are jade and gemstones from the fantasy world, hundreds of times more precious than the jewelry in your city." Huang Yiming said calmly, "Don't you want to monopolize the jewelry market? I'll tell you today, if I want, I can completely cut off the business of all the jewelers in the city; if I want, I can easily become an invisible tycoon in the global jewelry industry."

Zhao Tian's face turned deathly pale. He finally realized he had messed with the wrong person. Once these fantastical jades and gems entered the market, they would completely crush all the jewelry in the city, and his painstakingly built jewelry empire would collapse instantly. "Mr. Huang... I was wrong. I shouldn't have been arrogant, I shouldn't have coveted the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant. Please forgive me! I'm willing to return the Treasure Pavilion to you and never monopolize the jewelry market again!"

Huang Yiming sneered, "Now you know you're wrong? Too late. You acquired businesses and bullied your competitors through unfair means; you deserve to pay the price." He took out his phone and dialed Su Qingyue's assistant's number: "Pass the word down: immediately acquire all the jewelry businesses in the city—those who are willing to submit will be generously rewarded; those who refuse will be utterly crushed. I want to control the entire city's jewelry market."

"Yes, Mr. Huang!" the assistant replied respectfully.

Zhao Tian collapsed to the ground in terror, his face filled with despair—he knew he was completely finished. Huang Yiming ignored him and turned to leave the Treasure Pavilion with Su Qingyue, Ling Xi, and Qin Hu. Just as they stepped out the door, Ling tide suddenly spoke up: "Young Master Huang, I sensed an aura of an evil cultivator nearby, and it's exactly the same as the aura on the token we found earlier."

Huang Yiming's eyes turned cold. He looked in the direction Ling tide pointed and saw a dark figure fleeing rapidly. The figure's movements were strange, clearly belonging to a member of an evil cultivation group. "Chase them! We can't let them get away. We must find out their background!"

The group immediately gave chase to the shadowy figure. The figure ran incredibly fast, weaving through the alleys of the antique market, and was about to disappear from sight. At that moment, Lingxi activated the power of the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant, sending a beam of green spiritual energy towards the figure, which wrapped around his ankle. The figure staggered, slowing down. Huang Yiming seized the opportunity, catching up in a flash, grabbing the figure by the collar, his tone icy: "Speak! What faction are you? Why are you looking for the Spirit Heart Jade Pendant? And what is your relationship with the Qingyun Sect and the Black Stone Sect?"

The shadowy figure's face was deathly pale, its eyes filled with a sinister glint. Suddenly, a smirk appeared on its lips as it bit into the poison in its mouth, its body instantly stiffening and lifeless. Huang Yiming frowned—he hadn't expected the other party to be so ruthless, preferring death to revealing any information. He searched the shadowy figure's body, finding only a "You" token identical to the previous one, nothing else.

"It seems this evil cultivation group is very good at keeping secrets," Su Qingyue said softly, her tone grave. "They would rather die than reveal any information, which clearly indicates a larger conspiracy is behind it."

Huang Yiming nodded and put away the token: "No matter what their conspiracy is, we must find out as soon as possible. Now let's go back first. I need to cultivate the Qi Condensation Flower as soon as possible and break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining—only by increasing our strength can we deal with the crisis ahead."

Just as everyone was preparing to return, Huang Yiming's phone suddenly rang. It was his mother calling, her voice urgent: "Yiming, where are you? Your father suddenly fainted and is in the hospital now. Come back quickly!"

Huang Yiming's expression changed drastically, and he panicked. He hurriedly said, "Mom, don't worry, I'm coming right away!" After hanging up the phone, he said to Su Qingyue and the others, "Qingyue, Lingxi, Qin Hu, my dad has fainted. I need to go to the hospital. You guys go back first and be careful."

Before anyone could respond, Huang Yiming activated the system's teleportation function and instantly headed towards the hospital. His heart was filled with worry—his father had always been in excellent health, so why had he suddenly fainted? Could it be related to the evil cultivators? A series of doubts flooded his mind, prompting him to quicken his pace.