Inside the tavern, "Cheers!"Inside the tavern, the lights flickered, and the crisp clinking of glasses mixed with the aroma of wine permeated the air. Qin Tian, Xiong, Poison Widow, and Allen sat around a table, each with a relaxed smile on their faces."Brother Qin Tian, congratulations on your successful breakthrough!"Allen's hand, holding the cup, trembled slightly, spilling a few drops of wine onto the tablecloth.He only now realized that Brother Qin Tian had just broken through to the Fifth Order. Upon learning this, he was even more astonished. Brother Qin Tian, at the Fourth Order, could kill a Fifth Order master with a single strike and displayed various incredible abilities. Now that he had reached the Fifth Order, wouldn't his combat power be even more terrifying?"Brother Qin Tian, thank you." Vivian raised her wine glass, smiling like a flower, "Not just congratulations, but also thanks for saving our lives."If it weren't for Qin Tian, Allen would have fallen into Black Cloud Commerce's ambush, and she and Luo Xiu would have been silenced by Xia Shangji for not revealing the location of the Spiritual Spring.Qin Tian was the savior of their entire team.Luo Xiu's fingers tightened around his wine glass, his eyes, usually sharp as blades, rarely showing such warmth: "Thank you."He was not good with words, but he etched this gratitude deep in his heart—Qin Tian not only saved them but also allowed everyone to share the Spiritual Spring. This generosity was more admirable than his strength.Qin Tian smiled and clinked glasses with everyone, then tilted his head back, draining the wine in his cup.He still had a good impression of Allen and his two companions.Allen was kind and sunny, completely devoted to his companions, and a true lucky charm. His adventurous experiences sounded like the Goddess of Luck was chasing him, spoon-feeding him opportunities.Luo Xiu was taciturn, but his character, like his blade intent, was sharp, cold, and pure. As a fellow swordsman, Qin Tian greatly admired Luo Xiu.Vivian was lively and meticulous, the housekeeper of this small team. Without her, Allen and Luo Xiu would soon become cosmic vagrants."Allen, what are your plans next?" Qin Tian asked."To the Dawn Road!" Allen's eyes instantly lit up, his voice full of longing, "I want to become a great adventurer like Columbus and Magellan, lighting up new landmarks on the star map, and hopefully, a planet can be named after me!"In this process, he might encounter various unknown and complex difficulties, but at the same time, he would gain valuable experience and wealth.And make many like-minded friends.Adventuring and roaming the starry sea with his companions—this was the life he most looked forward to.Qin Tian tapped his fingertips on the table: "The Dawn Road is indeed worth exploring, but are you ready?"Interstellar adventure looks romantic, but in reality, it burns money like water.A decent spaceship, maintenance costs, professional tools... none of them can do without money.Forcing your way through without money isn't an adventure; it's vagrancy.And Allen and his team, who were even planning to sell the Spiritual Spring's location to Black Cloud Commerce for money, were clearly short on funds.As soon as he said this, Allen and Vivian fell silent, and Luo Xiu's hand, holding the cup, also paused.Indeed, they were too poor.Most of Allen's fortuitous encounters had transformed into cultivation, with very little that could be monetized. Selling the Spiritual Spring's location was also to raise money to buy a basic spaceship.Seeing their predicament, Qin Tian smiled: "How about this, I'll subsidize a portion for you."Hearing this, Vivian's eyes lit up, "Really, Brother Qin Tian, you're willing to subsidize us?""Mm." Qin Tian nodded, "Back in the Mining Beast's lair, if Allen hadn't lured it away, I wouldn't have been able to collect the crystals smoothly. By all accounts, I should show my appreciation."He paused, then said casually, "Let's start with two billion."Two... two billion?"Two... two billion?" Vivian's wine glass nearly slipped from her hand, and Luo Xiu's Adam's apple bobbed sharply.Allen's eyes widened even further, suspecting he'd misheard: "Brother Qin Tian, how much did you say?""Two billion." Qin Tian repeated, "If it's not enough, I'll add more.""Enough, enough! This is too much!" Allen quickly waved his hands. He felt unworthy of even twenty million, and two billion felt like a huge mountain pressing down on him."Two billion isn't much. Compared to the value of those energy crystals, I'm still getting a bargain." Qin Tian smiled."That's not the same."Allen knew very well that even without him luring away the Mining Beast, with Brother Qin Tian's various miraculous abilities, he would eventually acquire the energy crystals. Moreover, without Brother Qin Tian, their team would have long been eliminated by Xia Shangji, and they wouldn't be sitting here drinking now."Alright, no need to refuse. This amount of money is nothing to me."Qin Tian smiled: "To be honest with everyone, I have a company under me. Its annual profit isn't exceptionally high, but it's still in the hundreds of billions."?Hundreds of billions!"Hundreds of billions!" Allen's eyes nearly popped out, Vivian's mouth formed an "O" shape, and even Luo Xiu suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock.With annual profits in the hundreds of billions, Brother Qin Tian's financial power was even more terrifying than Black Cloud Commerce.At this moment, Poison Widow also looked at Qin Tian incredulously. She knew Qin Tian's identity as a military colonel, but she didn't realize he was also a super-rich individual worth tens of billions.Can soldiers also be so wealthy? No, this must be an asset his master's family allocated to him.The children of great families are indeed different!Poison Widow firmly believed that Qin Tian must come from a mysterious bloodline family; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to possess various seemingly unrelated magical abilities, as well as that terrifying symbiotic spiritual plant.And the company matter further solidified her judgment."But—" Allen still wanted to decline, but Vivian pressed his hand, smiling like a fox who had stolen candy: "Brother Qin Tian, then we won't be polite! If we discover business opportunities on the Dawn Road in the future, we'll definitely notify you immediately!""Good, I look forward to your good news." Qin Tian smiled and raised his glass.This was one of the reasons he was willing to invest—Allen was a person of great fortune. Such a lucky adventurer would likely encounter some opportunities in the future, such as discovering new planets or finding civilized relics, etc. If he could benefit from it, what he would gain would far exceed two billion.Since Qin Tian had said so, Allen no longer dwelled on it, a joyful expression spreading across his face. Two billion, how should this money be spent? It was truly a happy dilemma.At this moment, Vivian's eyes were frighteningly bright, as if little gold coins were clinking and falling.With this money, the team could not only purchase the most top-tier adventure ship but also equip various weapons and gear. Luo Xiu's battle saber, her own staff, and Allen's armor could all be upgraded. Most importantly, she finally wouldn't have to lose sleep over how to earn money all day long.Heaven knows how frustrated she, as the financial manager, was with two carefree, gluttonous, and constantly troublesome teammates by her side."Brother Qin Tian, I toast you!"Vivian raised her wine glass and drained its contents.Qin Tian smiled and drank along.After his strength surged, even this slightly bitter wine tasted a bit sweet. He was just signaling the bartender for more when his vision suddenly blurred.Had he forgotten something?Qin Tian frowned, his peripheral vision catching sight of a Black-Robed Man walking by, and his eyes suddenly widened.Holy cow, how could he have forgotten him!Thud! The Black-Robed Man collapsed to the ground. Beneath his robe, his face was pale, and he was too weak to even lift a hand."Cough, cough."Qin Tian awkwardly rubbed his nose. After cultivating for over a ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) week, he had forgotten about the Black-Robed Man in the Yang Space.The Yang Space had the drawback of energy siphon, constantly absorbing the power of living beings within it. And the Black-Robed Man had been thrown in there when his spiritual energy and mental power were almost depleted.Fortunately, the Black-Robed Man was a Sixth Order Spiritual Energy User, and before entering the Yang Space, he had also given the Black-Robed Man a simple treatment to replenish his spiritual energy. Otherwise, this guy would have truly been sucked dry."Master... Master."The Black-Robed Man lay on the ground, trembling, his heart filled with awe and fear.He was just a hair's breadth away from being buried in that strange space.And at this moment, his master released him, timing it perfectly, just as he was on the verge of collapse. Clearly, this was a show of force."Mm."Qin Tian placed his hand on the Black-Robed Man's head. Green light shimmered, and life energy flowed into the Black-Robed Man's body like a warm stream. His parched spiritual pulse were slowly nourished, his depleted spiritual energy began to circulate again, and his overdrawn physical strength also underwent Quick Recovery. Even his nearly depleted, precarious mental power, like a long-awaited rain after a drought, showed a glimmer of vitality, no longer on the verge of collapse as before."Thank you, Master, thank you, Master!"A dignified Sixth Order master, yet at this moment, he was like a traveler who had trudged through the desert for a long time and finally found a sweet spring. His body trembled slightly with excitement.He knelt heavily, his forehead almost touching the ground.That prostrate posture showed no humiliation, only the relief of surviving a disaster and an inexpressible gratitude. His voice trembled uncontrollably, yet every word was clear, each word seemingly squeezed from the depths of his lungs.At this moment, he no longer had any of the cold arrogance of a Shadowmoon Tower steward. The malevolence around him was completely dissipated, leaving only absolute submission to Qin Tian. It was not a forced submission, but a heartfelt awe and gratitude after walking through the brink of life and death.But his actions made Qin Tian feel a bit awkward."Cough, cough, this is our first formal conversation. First, introduce yourself." Qin Tian said seriously."Yes, Master."The Black-Robed Man did not stand up, remaining in a kneeling posture, his forehead almost touching the ground. His voice, hoarse from his near-death experience, was exceptionally clear:"My name is Ye Chen. My codename in Shadowmoon Tower is Evil Moon."He paused, then continued: "I currently serve as the Third Steward of Shadowmoon Tower, in charge of the intelligence network in the five major star regions surrounding Baiquan Star. If Master has any commands, Ye Chen will not hesitate to die."Evil Moon, that name sounds quite impressive."Tell me more about Shadowmoon Tower." Qin Tian asked.Ye Chen remained in a kneeling posture, his voice much steadier, clearly familiar with Shadowmoon Tower's structure:"Shadowmoon Tower's core high-level personnel are divided into three tiers—the highest is the Tower Master, whose identity is mysterious and is said to have reached the peak of the Seventh Order. Fewer than five people in the entire Tower have seen his true face; below the Tower Master are three personal guards, all top-tier experts at the peak of the Sixth Order, who directly obey the Tower Master and are responsible for the most core assassination missions within the Tower; further down are we, the steward level, with a total of seven, each in charge of intelligence and assassination networks in different star regions. I am the Third Steward, responsible for the five major star regions in the eastern Qingmu Star Region."He paused, then continued: "In terms of intelligence coverage, Shadowmoon Tower is based in the Qingmu Star Region, and its reach has extended to the three surrounding major star regions. Within the Qingmu Star Region alone, there are seventy-two intelligence stations and three hundred sixty hidden posts. From the movements of Xingdao (Star Pirates) groups to the core decisions of major forces within the region, as long as one is willing to pay the price, clues can be found.""As for the number of members..." Ye Chen's voice lowered slightly, carrying a hint of the coldness belonging to an assassin organization, "There are a total of three thousand seven hundred registered official members, of which sixty percent are Third Order, thirty percent are Fourth Order, three hundred twenty-four are Fifth Order or above elites, and including myself, there are ten Sixth Order assassins."He added: "These members are usually scattered throughout the star regions, lurking as ordinary people, and only act when they receive secret orders from the Tower Master or a Steward. Shadowmoon Tower has stood for a hundred years without falling, relying on this intelligence network spread across the star regions, and these assassins who can transform into death-seeking spirits at any time."Qin Tian tapped his fingertips on his leg, thinking to himself, it's indeed not simple.A Seventh Order peak Tower Master, three personal guards of the Tower Master, seven Sixth Order Stewards, plus nearly four thousand members—such a force was enough to cause quite a stir in the Qingmu Star Region.However, the stronger Shadowmoon Tower was, the more satisfied Qin Tian became.Firstly, he could leverage Shadowmoon Tower's intelligence and assassination resources through Ye Chen, making it easier to obtain information. In the future, if he wanted to deal with someone,He just needed to place an order with Shadowmoon Tower, without the need for Li Qi's Dark Division members to travel far to execute missions.Secondly, when the Dark Division infiltrates Shadowmoon Tower in the future and completes the usurpation, this powerful organization will fall under his control.This would save him a lot of time, energy, and financial resources."You will continue to stay in Shadowmoon Tower in the future."Qin Tian slowly spoke.Ye Chen suddenly looked up, filled with trepidation:"Master, your subordinate would rather serve by your side and help you solve problems."Qin Tian looked down at Ye Chen, raising an eyebrow slightly, his tone faint:"I forgot to tell you something. The Soul Imprint in your mind allows me to clearly know your current thoughts, so go ahead and laugh, don't hold it in."Whoosh! Upon hearing this, Ye Chen's face instantly stiffened, cold sweat immediately broke out, and he stammered:"Ma—Master, I—"Qin Tian chuckled. For Ye Chen, returning to Shadowmoon Tower was naturally the best option. After returning, he would still be the powerful Third Steward.It was just that this guy's acting was truly superb. If it weren't for the Soul Imprint, he would have really been fooled."Remember my contact information, you can leave now." Qin Tian told Ye Chen his communication number.Ye Chen repeatedly memorized it until the string of numbers was deeply etched into his mind, then respectfully kowtowed three times on the ground."Master, if you have any commands in the future, Ye Chen will go through fire and water, not hesitating to die."This was sincere.Qin Tian nodded. With the Soul Imprint in place, Ye Chen's loyalty was unquestionable. However, even the most loyal person would have their own little thoughts and occasionally needed to be disciplined.With all matters settled, the journey to Baiquan Star was finally drawing to a close.Counting it up, Officer Yan Qing would arrive tomorrow.

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