Chapter 3

"Damn, Li Yao, no wonder they call you 'Invisible Hand'. The 2011 Mustang GT you modified can hit 100 miles per hour in three seconds. It's like a completely different car. I'm so damn excited I almost came!"

"..."

"1 minute and 59 seconds! 1 minute and 59 seconds! Oh my God, did I see that right? A new underground car god has been born!"

"..."

"Promise me, no more street racing. Be a proper car mechanic. No one will look down on you. One day, we'll have our own 4S shop!"

"..."

"Brother Yao, Brother Yao, please, I beg you, help me, one last race. Who else can run the entire Zhijiang Road in 1 minute and 59 seconds? I owe Scarface Qiang 300,000. If I don't pay up today, I'll die, I'll die!"

"..."

"Doctor! Doctor! Save him! He's only 23 years old!"

"..."

Amid the shrill screams, Li Yao suddenly jumped up from the floor, drenched in cold sweat.

The morning light shone through the window, and the holographic screen was still playing classic old songs. The young man stood there, dazed like a puppet for half a minute before gradually breaking free from the incredibly realistic nightmare.

This nightmare was his biggest secret, something he had never even told his father. Ever since he could remember, he had been having the same strange dream every few days, as if it were an indelible memory.

In the dream, although his name was still Li Yao, he had a completely different life. He lived in a very peculiar world, working as a "car mechanic" in a place called a "4S" shop.

At night, he was a formidable car tuner and street racer in a bizarre city, setting astonishing records in the roar of engines and the surge of adrenaline—until he raced to his death!

Although repeatedly dying in the dream was a painful experience, Li Yao did not resent it. On the contrary, he felt somewhat grateful. If not for the dream giving him another life experience, he would never have survived the perilous tomb of magical artifacts to this day.

Whether this was just a strange nightmare or a lingering memory from a past life, it didn't matter.

Yesterday's events are like yesterday's death; today's events are like today's birth.

No matter who Li Yao was yesterday, today's Li Yao is an ordinary middle school student in the Tianyuan World, the Starlight Federation, and Fuguo City.

—He is destined to become a master alchemist!

Taking a deep breath, he tidied up his room, washed up, and it was just past six o'clock. Li Yao put on his backpack, picked up the holographic screen, and strode out of the house.

Today was Monday, and he had to attend the morning assembly, so he needed to be at school by 7:30.

Chao Yang New Village was thirty miles away from the Chixiao Sect's Second High School, which he attended. He could take the "Underground Crystal Rail Line 3" and transfer to "Line 7," but it would cost him eight credits.

Li Yao didn't want to spend the money, so he stretched out his long legs and activated the "Spirit Snake Movement" technique taught at school, dashing toward the main city.

It was dawn, with the sun rising and the sky bathed in a golden glow, the time when spiritual energy surged.

From a distance, Fuguo City looked like a giant beast awakening. The various sects and powers had lifted their restrictions, emitting a rainbow of light.

Many cultivators were floating in the air, taking advantage of the transition between day and night to absorb the essence of the sun and moon. Their bodies were surrounded by eight-pointed symbols, and some had cranes, fire crows, and meteors circling around them, creating a grand and imposing scene.

Large floating ships trailed long plumes of exhaust, slowly moving through the sky, their exhaust trails forming a vast spiritual net in the blue sky and white clouds. Small, elegant private shuttles zipped through the gaps, emitting pleasant whistles.

—This was the morning in Fuguo City, the federal capital of cultivation!

Li Yao's movements were like a coiled spring, leaping twenty meters with each step, incredibly fast but rather awkward, drawing some curious glances from passersby. He paid no attention, focusing on his cultivation. In just half an hour, he reached the school, his head surrounded by white mist and his back covered in a layer of white sweat.

He didn't go directly to the school gate but darted into a narrow alley next to the school.

At the end of the alley hung a rusty iron sign that read "Old Wang's Secondhand Shop." Below it was a row of small, dense letters: "Specializing in all kinds of secondhand magical artifacts, also offering magical artifact modifications, armor repairs, spirit beast training, defensive array maintenance, and gate opening services."

As if he knew Li Yao was coming, a small window opened, revealing a bald head, the face of a shifty old man.

"Ha, I lost over two thousand last night playing cards and was worried about how to explain it to my old lady. But here comes the god of wealth! Little demon, what good stuff have you brought for Grandpa Wang this time?" The old man grinned slyly.

"Don't push it. Even if you lost your pants, don't think you can haggle with me!" Li Yao roughly swatted away Old Wang's outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, and despite feeling a bit pained, handed over the holographic screen.

Although he wanted to study the three-layer stacked crystal chip technology further, real money was more important. Attending a private high school was expensive, and the spiritual elixirs and auxiliary equipment needed for cultivation were even more costly.

No matter the era, the poor study literature while the rich study martial arts. The path to becoming a cultivator is paved with silver.

"Indeed, it's a good thing!"

Old Wang clearly knew his stuff. He took the holographic screen, glanced at it, and his eyes lit up with approval. Without testing it, he said, "Fixed price, 9,500 credits!"

A warm feeling washed over Li Yao. This price was significantly higher than the market value for secondhand goods, and Old Wang had given him a good deal.

Although the old man looked shifty and untrustworthy, he was one of the best people in Li Yao's memory, aside from his father. He always gave Li Yao a slight advantage in their transactions and occasionally provided him with well-paid jobs.

Without Old Wang's help, Li Yao wouldn't have been able to afford the high tuition fees of the private high school after his father's death.

"That's too much. 9,000 will do. Give the remaining 500 to Grandma Wang and tell her you won it playing cards—no need to thank me. Who would let an old man like you kneel on a washboard? I'm off to the morning assembly. Just transfer the money to my account!" Li Yao waved and bounced away.

Old Wang suddenly called out, "Wait, little demon."

Li Yao stopped and deliberately said, "Wow, old man, are you complaining that 500 is too little?"

"Spit! Back in my day, I was a top-notch magical artifact modifier, making millions in minutes. Do you think I care about your measly 500? I just want to tell you that the college entrance exam is only a hundred days away. You better study hard and aim for a good university. Don't think that just because you can fix magical artifacts, you're all that. The world is vast, and once you get to university, you'll realize that in front of true alchemists, your skills are nothing!" Old Wang scolded, his mustache bristling and his eyes glaring.

Li Yao felt another warm surge in his heart and clenched his fist. "I will definitely get into university, Grandpa Wang!"