Nie Li belonged to the Heavenly Marks Family, a once-respectable aristocratic house that had long since begun to decline.
The head of the family was merely a One-Star Gold Rank Demon Spiritualist—a level that sounded impressive to outsiders, yet was painfully insufficient to maintain a noble family's former glory.
Their annual income hovered around six hundred thousand Demon Spirit Coins, but expenses consumed nearly all of it.
Just the school fees for the younger generation alone cost over three hundred thousand Demon Spirit Coins every year.
Add to that daily living costs, cultivation resources, and countless unavoidable expenditures, and the family constantly struggled to make ends meet.
In desperation, they had been forced to sell off portions of their family businesses just to survive.
Even so, the Heavenly Marks Family did everything in their power to send the younger generation to the Holy Orchid Institute.
Because everyone knew the truth.
Only if an outstanding genius emerged from the younger generation could the family ever rise again.
Nie Li understood this better than anyone.
In his past life, this family had collapsed completely—crushed by fate, war, and his own weakness.
This time… he would not allow that to happen.
A loud voice echoed through the halls.
"School ended!"
Students immediately poured out of the classroom like a released tide, laughter and chatter filling the air as they rushed down the stone steps. The rigid atmosphere from earlier shattered instantly.
Nie Li walked out calmly, his expression thoughtful.
Behind him, Karma stretched lazily, hands behind his head.
"Ahh… freedom," Karma sighed. "Coming to school today wasn't that bad."
Nie Li didn't reply, his gaze drifting toward the institute gates, his mind already calculating costs, resources, and the path ahead.
Money.
Elixirs.
Time.
Everything had already begun moving.
Karma glanced at him sideways, smirking faintly.
"So you're thinking about doing something, aren't you?"
Nie Li smiled—small, confident.
"Yes," he replied quietly.
And thus, as the sun dipped slightly beyond the tiled rooftops of the Holy Orchid Institute, the gears of fate began to turn once more.
The trading district of Glory City was already alive by the time they arrived.
Tall wooden buildings lined the streets, red-tiled roofs stacked upon one another like steps climbing toward the sky.
Vendors shouted from every direction, voices overlapping in a chaotic rhythm.
"All kinds of demon crystals! Don't miss it!"
"All young masters, please take a look!"
Nie Li walked ahead, eyes calm and observant, scanning the stalls without slowing his pace. To him, the marketplace wasn't noisy—it was information.
Behind him, Du Zhe and Lu Piao stared around in awe.
Karma strolled casually at Nie Li's side, hands in his pockets, gaze drifting lazily from stall to stall.
"Hmm," Karma hummed. "This street alone could bankrupt three small families if you blink wrong."
Lu Piao stopped abruptly in front of a display.
"Hey—how much is this?" he asked, pointing at a pair of gauntlets.
The merchant's eyes lit up.
"Sixty thousand Demon Spirit Coins!"
Lu Piao's face drained of color.
"Good heavens… that expensive?!"
The merchant puffed up proudly.
"This is Bronze Rank armor with a Snow Wind pattern inscribed on it."
He gestured dramatically as an imaging an elegant, vicious-looking Snow Wind Banshee, wings spread wide, eyes cold and sharp.
"The Snow Wind pattern was drawn using the blood of a Snow Wind Banshee at its prime. Snow Wind Banshees aren't easy to hunt! Their characteristics also give the armor strong attacking abilities!"
He jabbed his thumb upward.
"This is definitely suitable armor for Snow Wind–type fighters or demon spiritists!"
Karma leaned over slightly, whispering to Lu Piao with a grin.
"Brother, that's too expensive for your wallet."
Lu Piao swallowed hard.
"Bronze Rank armor alone costs sixty thousand…" he muttered. "Then Silver Rank and Gold Rank armor must be even worse."
He sighed, rubbing his chin.
"My monthly allowance is only about five hundred Demon Spirit Coins… forget it."
Karma snorted.
"Five hundred? That won't even buy the merchant's smile."
They moved on.
As they walked deeper into the market, Nie Li continued observing—prices, materials, the way merchants exaggerated their words.
Karma leaned closer to Du Zhe and Lu Piao, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
"Rule one of the markets," he said. "If the merchant talks too much, you're already being scammed."
Lu Piao blinked.
"Then what about the ones shouting the loudest?"
"Those are premium scammers," Karma replied solemnly. "Very experienced."
Du Zhe and Lu Piao laughed.
They passed another stall filled with weapons. Karma glanced once, then shook his head.
"Bent edge. Fake inscription. Polished too much."
He pointed lazily. "That one's been repaired three times."
Lu Piao stared at him.
"How do you know all that?"
Karma shrugged.
"When you have an enormous family business. You get to know a thing or too"
Nie Li didn't interrupt, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. Karma's instincts weren't wrong.
They stopped briefly as Nie Li examined a corner stall. His eyes lingered for a fraction of a second longer than before.
Karma noticed immediately.
"Oh?" Karma said lightly. "Something caught your eye?"
Nie Li looked away, calm as ever.
"Just confirming."
Karma chuckled.
"If it's something necessary for the cultivation then take it, money's not an issue. I will cover it."
Nie li looked at him. A small smile on his face.
"I need your money and influence for other things Karma." Making karma wonder what could that be.
They continued walking, the sun dipping lower as shadows stretched across the stone road.
Around them, merchants kept shouting, customers bargaining fiercely, and rumors quietly changed hands.
Lu Piao exhaled.
"So… everything here is ridiculously expensive."
Nie Li nodded.
Karma sighed theatrically.
Ahead of them, the marketplace only grew denser.
Nie Li slowed his steps slightly, his gaze sweeping across the bustling street with renewed focus.
Du Zhe noticed first.
"Hey, Nie Li… what are you looking for?"
Nie Li didn't answer immediately. His eyes paused, narrowed, then shifted again—measuring, calculating.
"Hm?" Du Zhe followed his line of sight.
Then his eyes widened.
"It's Shen Yue!"
Ahead, a small crowd had gathered beneath a canopy. At the center stood Shen Yue, his posture relaxed, expression confident as he examined a spread of goods laid out on a cloth.
Nie Li's expression remained calm, but his pace subtly adjusted.
Before anyone else could react, Karma clicked his tongue softly.
"Tch," he muttered. "Of course he's here."
As they drew closer, the atmosphere subtly changed.
A merchant on the side stiffened when he noticed Karma. His eyes widened for half a heartbeat—then he straightened instantly and bowed.
"Young Master Uzumaki."
Another merchant followed suit.
"Greetings, Prince of Glory City."
Karma waved a hand lazily, completely at ease.
"Easy, easy. I'm just looking around."
The surrounding crowd murmured quietly.
Lu Piao stared, dumbfounded.
"They're… bowing."
Du Zhe swallowed.
"That's influence."
Nie Li, meanwhile, was already observing Shen Yue's movements—and the item he was about to purchase.
Shen Yue's voice rang out confidently.
"Very good. I'm lacking a Bronze Rank gauntlet. Wrap this Bronze Rank gauntlet up for me."
"Okay!" the merchant replied enthusiastically, already grinning from ear to ear.
As the item was wrapped, Shen Yue casually raised his hand.
"Appear."
A faint glow shimmered as a storage ring activated. The crowd gasped softly.
Moments later, Shen Yue produced a neat stack of Demon Spirit Coin notes and handed them over.
"Here are sixty thousand Demon Spirit Coins."
The merchant's hands trembled as he accepted them.
From the side, Lu Piao stared, eyes wide.
"Sixty thousand… just like that…"
Karma tilted his head slightly, unimpressed.
"Hmm. Overpaid."
Lu Piao nearly choked.
"Overpaid?!"
Karma leaned closer and whispered,
"Snow Wind patterns are sloppy. Blood concentration is uneven. Looks good, won't last long."
Nie Li glanced at him—briefly surprised—then nodded inwardly.
As Shen Yue finished his purchase, a ripple of admiration spread through the onlookers.
"So cool…"
"Did you see that storage ring?"
"He's really from a major family…"
Shen Yue smirked, clearly enjoying the attention.
That was when Karma's gaze drifted away from the stall.
And landed on Ye Ziyun.
She stood a short distance away, sunlight slipping through the open street and catching in her purple hair as she spoke quietly with a few girls. Her posture was relaxed, expression calm—so composed that for a moment, she seemed entirely detached from the surrounding bustle of the marketplace.
Karma straightened slightly.
"Oh?" he murmured, lips curving. "Didn't notice her earlier."
Without a second thought, he started walking toward her.
Several nearby merchants stiffened when they noticed him moving, bowing instinctively as he passed.
"Young Master Uzumaki—"
Karma waved a hand lazily without even turning his head.
"Later, later."
He stopped beside Ye Ziyun, leaning just enough to invade her personal space, a familiar grin already in place.
"Well," he began smoothly, "what is the City Lord's delicate flower doing in a place like th—"
Smack.
The sound was sharp and unmistakable.
"Ow—!" Karma recoiled instantly, clutching his head. "Hey! What was that for?!"
Ye Ziyun crossed her arms, eyes narrowing as she looked up at him.
"That's for showing off in class."
Karma blinked, genuinely surprised.
"…It wasn't my fault."
She gave him a flat, unimpressed look.
"You were enjoying it far too much."
He scratched the back of his head, laughing sheepishly.
"Can you blame me? I was born with this burden."
Smack.
This one was lighter—but deliberate.
"Be serious," she said coolly.
Karma chuckled, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
"Alright, alright… crazy woman."
Ye Ziyun's eye twitched.
She raised her hand again.
"…What was that?" she asked sweetly.
Karma froze.
"…."
Behind them, a few steps away, Lu Piao and Du Zhe watched the scene unfold in stunned silence.
Lu Piao swallowed.
"He's… still alive."
Du Zhe, nodding solemnly.
"Impressive."
From across the street, Shen Yue had also noticed.
His expression darkened, fingers tightening at his side.
That Uzumaki…
Meanwhile, Nie Li, observing everything from a comfortable distance, couldn't help the faint smile that curved his lips.
Good, he thought quietly.
They're just like I remember.