This old man is indeed not simple

However, Xu Mu knew that things dependent on luck couldn't be explained.

He had drawn prizes enough times, but this was the first time he had obtained a Heaven-tier cultivation technique.

So, he continued drawing.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining 20 cultivation points.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining 10 attribute points.]

……

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining 20 cultivation points.]

……

Xu Mu rolled his eyes. Was the system being this stingy?

Or had his luck run out after drawing the Heaven-tier technique?

Out of eleven draws, aside from the initial Heaven-tier technique, the remaining ten were all minimum rewards.

Xu Mu refused to believe it. Since he still had a ten-draw left, he clicked the draw button again.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining 20 cultivation points.]

……

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining 10 kilograms of gold.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining a Divine-tier ability: Appraisal Mastery.]

Holy shit!

Xu Mu was stunned. He hadn’t expected his luck to be this good today.

Another Divine-tier ability—though "Appraisal Mastery" sounded a bit underwhelming.

Still, being Divine-tier, it would surely prove useful in the future.

The remaining draws were all minimum rewards, but for Xu Mu, the two ten-draws today had been incredibly valuable.

After finishing, he began reviewing everything he had obtained.

This time, he had acquired another Heaven-tier technique: Spirit Vein Armament.

On top of that, he now possessed a Divine-tier ability, Appraisal Mastery.

And, of course, one kilogram of gold.

Aside from these three items, everything else had been minimum rewards—220 cultivation points and 120 attribute points in total.

Without hesitation, Xu Mu immediately allocated all the points.

Black text appeared before his eyes once more:

[Congratulations, host, for advancing to Dark Force Late Stage.]

Xu Mu clenched his fist, feeling his physique growing stronger.

He quickly checked his status panel.

Name: Xu Mu

Identity: Villainous Saint Physique, HR Manager of Xu Corporation

Realm: Dark Force Late Stage

Physique: 250

Spirit: 250

Cultivation Value: 30 (Max 200)

Destiny Power: 95

After reviewing his stats, Xu Mu nodded in satisfaction.

Compared to the original villainous Xu Mu, this was a world of difference.

First, he examined his new Divine-tier ability, Appraisal Mastery.

Once he understood its uses, he was shocked.

He had assumed it was just for appraising antiques, but this ability could identify all kinds of treasures—weapons, jade, even cultivation techniques.

Even if he didn’t know a technique, he could now evaluate its strength based on spiritual resonance.

Xu Mu nodded slightly. This ability wasn’t as useless as he’d thought.

Next, he studied the new Heaven-tier technique, Spirit Veil Armament.

After reading its description, he was astonished—it was a buff-type technique.

Having played many games, he knew buff skills were always top priority.

From what he could tell, this technique enhanced combat power, making it undeniably powerful.

After getting up, Xu Mu walked to the living room.

He felt that mastering several high-tier techniques had already made him formidable.

The only thing he lacked now was his own cultivation level.

The analogy he thought of was weapons: techniques were like bullets, while his cultivation level was the caliber.

No matter how strong the bullet material, a small caliber would limit its power.

But with a large enough caliber, even an ordinary iron ball could cause devastating damage.

Xu Mu had planned to make breakfast, but before he could enter the kitchen, Ye Tong had already woken up and followed him out.

Lately, Ye Tong had come up with a strategy—whenever Xu Mu left the room, she would get up too.

That way, he couldn’t possibly drag her back upstairs if they were both already dressed.

"You’re awake?" Xu Mu greeted her with a smile.

"I’ll make breakfast," Ye Tong said, her cheeks slightly flushed as she hurried to the kitchen. "I have work later too."

Xu Mu nodded lightly.

……

When Xu Mu arrived at the company, he had barely sat down before Xu Shou called him into his office.

Entering the chairman’s room, he noticed Xu Ningbing was also there.

"What’s up?" Xu Mu asked, lounging on the black leather sofa and crossing his legs as he looked at Xu Shou.

"Last night, our ads started rolling out. Did you see the news?" Xu Shou asked with a grin.

"No," Xu Mu shook his head. He was too busy to pay attention to such things.

"Over 90% of the comments are bashing us, calling Xu Corporation shameless plagiarists," Xu Ningbing said, turning to Xu Mu.

Xu Mu pulled out his phone and checked the news about Xu Corporation—nothing but scathing insults.

Only a handful of people praised the ad, saying the piano music was beautiful.

Most of these were Shen Wanning’s fans.

However, the majority of her fanbase was questioning why she would endorse a "copycat" company.

As a result, Shen Wanning’s reputation had taken a hit.

"This morning, our products hit the shelves. Do you know the sales numbers so far?" Xu Shou grinned, holding up three fingers. "Three thousand."

Xu Mu stroked his chin in thought.

For a small factory, selling three thousand units of a new product would be decent.

But for Xu Corporation, three thousand was an abysmal failure.

The investment had been massive, and with sales this low, they wouldn’t even cover the medical company’s payroll.

"By the way, tonight, the Jiang City Commerce Department is hosting a banquet. Entrepreneurs from Yang City will also attend," Xu Shou glanced at Xu Mu. "You’re coming with me."

"Yang City businesses will be there too?" Xu Mu asked curiously.

"Exactly. Economically, Jiang City might lag behind Yang City, but we’re still the provincial capital," Xu Shou waved dismissively. "You can go now."

"Alright."

As Xu Mu was about to leave, he suddenly stopped.

He remembered he had nearly 100 Destiny Power points saved up.

He planned to enhance Xu Shou further—he couldn’t just leave his father at Bright Force Early Stage.

Using his Divine Eye for a quick scan, Xu Mu was instantly stunned.

What the hell was up with Xu Shou?

Name: Xu Shou

Identity: Chairman of Xu Corporation, Jiang City

Favorability: (Maxed)

Destiny Level: 2 (Max 10)

Realm: Dark Force Early Stage

Physique: 70

Spirit: 35

Xu Mu stared at the panel in disbelief.

It had only been a few days—he couldn’t have misremembered.

Last time, after restoring Xu Shou’s meridians, he had been at Bright Force Early Stage.

How had he jumped to Dark Force Early Stage? That was an entire major realm!

No wonder Xu Shou had been grinning all day.

This old man was definitely not simple.

"What’s wrong? Something else on your mind?" Xu Shou asked, puzzled by Xu Mu’s dazed expression.

"I forgot what I was going to say," Xu Mu replied before leaving the office.

He decided to wait a few more days.

If Xu Shou could rapidly improve his cultivation on his own, Xu Mu would allocate his Destiny Power to others instead.

……

Afternoon.

Xu Mu hadn’t even left the office when Xu Shou pushed the door open and walked in.

“Let’s go, kid,” Xu Shou said with a smile the moment he entered.

“Alright,” Xu Mu nodded. After all, it was just a banquet—one of those events where they’d rehash the same old discussions about development.

The main purpose was to create a networking space for entrepreneurs.

No surprise, Lin Yang, the so-called "King of Soldiers," would probably be there too.

The two took the elevator down together.

Xu Mu stole a glance at Xu Shou. This was, after all, the first time they were heading out together for work.

Xu Shou stood a few centimeters shorter than Xu Mu, just over six feet tall.

But his frame was far more solid.

Once, Xu Shou had mentioned to Xu Mu that he’d served in the military, which explained his rugged, resolute face.

But now, Xu Mu was starting to doubt Xu Shou’s real identity.

If he was just a soldier, why were his meridians severed?

…