“Fang Ping, you’ve improved again. Does this mean that you have 520 credits now?”

　　Old Man Li was full of bonhomie, chortling, “You’ve achieved Rank-2, you should have received your 100 credits…”

　　Fang Ping interrupted, “Instructor Li, you even know I have 520 credits. With so many students here, do you really monitor everyone’s credits?”

　　Old Man Li protested, displeased by the implication, “Let’s put it this way. As the instructor in charge of the logistics department, I must have a grasp of basic information such as this!”

　　Fang Ping was rendered speechless. After a while, he asked, “Instructor, do you still have Body-honing Pills here?”

　　“Yes! Of course I do!”

　　Old Man Li perked up instantly. Fang Ping was indeed an excellent customer!

　　He wanted to buy pills for which there was practically no demand!

　　Buying two pills in advance before achieving Rank-2 was one thing, but here he was again for more pills after the fact. One could do anything if one had money, indeed!

　　Body-honing was actually supplementary in martial arts.

　　A martial artist’s main objective was to hone their bones. When the bones were strong enough, the body would strengthen to match them.

　　In contrast, honing one’s body without honing one’s bones was pointless.

　　“Instructor Li, see, I only have 520 credits now. Now I want to redeem some Body-honing Pills. Can you quote me a cheaper price?”

　　“Eh? You want to…”

　　“20 credits for a pill. I’ll max out my credits!”

　　Old Man Li looked suspicious. “You’re going to max out all your credits? What do you need so many Body-honing Pills for?”

　　Fang Ping said immediately, “Instructor, don’t you know that I digest pills extremely fast? I recently discovered there’s a disadvantage to that though. My bone-honing is progressing faster, but my body can’t keep up with it.

　　“Sigh, I have no choice but to waste my money on Body-honing Pills.”

　　“So there’s that sort of disadvantage to it…”

　　Old Man Li knew about Fang Ping’s unique condition. He commiserated with a sigh, “I see. Well, nothing’s perfect.”

　　He felt some sympathy for Fang Ping after his explanation.

　　Buying Body-honing Pills was honestly a waste of money.

　　All things considered though, rapid digestion of pills and hastening the bone-honing process was a good thing. There were advantages and disadvantages to everything.

　　To Old Man Li though, the advantages were more apparent judging from recent events.

　　“20 credits is impossible. I’m the one who decides here. For 520 credits, I’ll give you 18 Body-honing pills and that’s the limit!”

　　“Only 18 pills? Instructor, I’ve bought so many pills from you…” Fang Ping protested.

　　“You’re not in a position to make demands. Anyway, that’s as low a price as I can give you. Don’t think you can keep taking advantage of me all the time, boy.”

　　Fang Ping felt a bit depressed. The old man definitely was not easy to deceive.

　　Previously, his Wealth had exceeded the 20 million mark.

　　From the beginning of his holiday until now however, he had honed 70 bones as well as 8 of the bones in his upper limbs. After he added in the 0.5 million that Sun City had awarded him, he would only have 18.5 million left.

　　Now that he had received his 100 credits, his Wealth had risen once more to 20.5 million.

　　After he had purchased 18 Body-honing Pills, which were priced at 1 million each, the system would add 0.7 million to his Wealth for each pill, giving him 12.6 million in total.

　　After deducting the 10.4 million which came with his 520 credits, he would earn 2.2 million Wealth points altogether.

　　Fang Ping gritted his teeth and was about to agree to Old Man Li’s price, but said all of a sudden, “Instructor, I want to buy 18 pills with cash. Could you sell them to me at the price of 0.8 million each, in that case?”

　　“Oh?”

　　Old Man Li looked at him in surprise. After a moment, he asked, “Are you sure?”

　　“I’m sure!”

　　“It’s not out of the question. You’re an MCMAU student. If you really want to buy them with cash, I should give you a 10% discount… A 20% discount, on the other hand, is out of the question. 18 pills cost a lot. If I sell them to you at 0.9 million each, that’ll be 16.2 million in total.”

　　“Instructor, do you know how to do math? If I exchange 0.9 million yuan into credits, it’s still 30 credits. I can buy a Body-honing Pill without the discount. Now that I’m purchasing them with cash, you should give me another 10% discount on top of that. 0.8 million isn’t completely unreasonable, is it?

　　“If the price is set at that, it will be 14.4 million in total, right?

　　“After you round it off, the total will be 14 million. That shouldn’t be a problem for you, should it?”

　　“…”

　　Old Man Li suddenly felt as if there was nothing he could say.

　　His customer had come to redeem pills in exchange for his credits, then had suddenly decided to pay him in cash. Now he wanted a discount on top of it all.

　　Old Man Li eyed Fang Ping for a while before asking curiously, “What are you hoarding your credits for?”

　　“I’ll use them later. Just tell me if it’s all right first.”

　　“This…”

　　Old Man Li hesitated for a while. Finally, he nodded. “This is the only time I’ll allow this. Don’t tell anyone else.”

　　Truth to tell, nothing would come of it if Fang Ping really were to tell anyone about this transaction. Body-honing Pills had been not been a popular item from the start anyway.

　　“Thank you, Instructor!” Fang Ping was thrilled. He then continued casually, “Then let me have 180 Normal Vitality Pills first…”

　　Old Man Li was rendered totally speechless and confused. What in the world was happening here?

　　Fang Ping disregarded his reaction. The Body-honing Pills he redeemed would not be easy to sell, as there were very few who needed them.

　　On the other hand, if he redeemed Vitality Pills which were more popular, he could sell them for cash that he could use to buy Body-honing Pills. Besides, Old Man Li had given him a 20% discount so he would have enough money.

　　This way, he could earn some profit from his transaction—several million Wealth points, no less, and some cash as well.

　　One had to make the most of a good thing after all!

　　Fang Ping would have to depend on his credits to make his scheme work, though. Without credits, he would not be able to carry out his plan.

　　Old Man Li shook his head despite his confusion. “520 credits aren’t enough for 180 pills…”

　　“Instructor, didn’t you just say that you’ll give me a discount? See, one Body-honing Pill costs 30 credits, so it’ll be 540 credits for 18 pills, which is equivalent to 180 Normal Vitality Pills, right? I’m not paying less, I’m just converting one pill to another…”

　　“But…”

　　“Instructor,” Fang Ping interrupted, “You tell me, am I wrong? It’s like that, isn’t it? You can’t simply shortchange me for the pills!”

　　Old Man Li was still confused. Something was wrong here, was it not?

　　‘I only gave you a discount on the Body-honing Pills because they’re unpopular. The Vitality Pills though, they’re popular items!’

　　Old Man Li stared at Fang Ping hard for a while, befuddled. After a moment, he said, “You want to sell the Vitality Pills you’ve purchased to see if you can earn more than 14 million from that while saving some money at the same time, isn’t it?”

　　“You’re brilliant, Instructor!” Fang Ping flattered Old Li extravagantly. Truth to tell, earning money was not his main objective; he was after the price difference he could add to his Wealth.

　　Of course, he would earn money regardless. Even if he sold the pills at 88 thousand each, he would still earn 15.84 million in total for 180 pills – an amount far higher than 14 million.

　　“Fang Ping!” Old Man Li said sternly, “The school didn’t provide you with pills so you could sell them! I’ve closed one eye when you did that previously. If this goes on, you’ll be punished!

　　“Selling hundreds of Vitality Pills to people outside the school is a big deal…”

　　Fang Ping said dramatically, “Instructor, I don’t want to do this or sully the reputation of martial artists, but the school knows about my situation. My family can’t afford to provide for me.

　　“I’m different from Zhao Lei and the others. I have to watch my expenses. A student like me has no way of earning money, so I can only think of something I can do in school.

　　“I’ve worked hard to earn my credits, I can only spend what I’ve earned.

　　“If I can’t earn credits, tell me, would I be able to obtain pills to sell? Am I right?

　　“I don’t have a choice. If you don’t tell, who will prosecute me for this? I’m not retailing the pills outside the school, am I right?”

　　This tragic speech had its effect on Old Man Li. Fang Ping was right; he would not be able to do all of this without the credits he had earned.

　　Old Man Li sighed and said, “I’ll let it slip this time. You’ll be caught eventually if you continue selling pills in such large quantities!”

　　Old Man Li did not say that just to scare Fang Ping. Something would definitely happen to the boy if he continued what he was doing.

　　It was still all right if he sold them to his classmates like he was doing now. If he sold them to someone outside the school and got caught, he would not only be punished, he would be rendered completely bankrupt or worse for selling so many pills.

　　“I’ll be careful! I will!” Fang Ping was overjoyed. He would earn another massive amount of Wealth!

　　Old Man Li did not waste any more time. He gave Fang Ping 180 normal Vitality Pills. With just that small transaction, Fang Ping’s Wealth increased by 2.2 million and was now 22.7 million in total.

　　“Cool!”

　　Fang Ping was elated. He did not wait, dashing out with the pills.

　　“Boy, your Body-honing Pills…” Old Man Li called after him.

　　“I’ll come after I sell the pills!” Fang Ping yelled as he ran. Very soon, he vanished from sight.

　　Old Man Li shook his head. His staff, who had witnessed the entire incident, whispered, “Old Li, is this appropriate? He’s redeemed hundreds of Vitality Pills in total…”

　　Old Man Li waved aside their concerns. “Only because he has the ability to do so. It’s fine as long as the market isn’t disrupted. A few hundred pills aren’t that big a deal, anyway.”

　　“But…”

　　“I know my limits!”

　　The staff workers did not dare say anything else. Old Man Li sighed. Fang Ping’s family circumstances definitely were a factor in why he allowed the youngster to get away with what he was doing.

　　It was hard for a child from an average family to distinguish themselves.

　　The way Fang Ping could earn so many credits, redeem pills with them, and sell them to earn the price difference… that was indeed a result of his own skill.

　　If he did not possess such skill, he would not be able to do any of that with the mere 50 credits the school gave him.

　　…

　　“Hey, Fu Changding, does your family need Vitality Pills?”

　　“What?”

　　“Vitality Pills. Do you want any?”

　　“Again!” Fu Changding sounded surprised even over the phone. “Don’t be stupid! You exchanged the credits awarded to you for pills again, didn’t you?”

　　“You guessed it! Are you at school?”

　　“No, and I wouldn’t buy any, even if I were. My family has enough pills.”

　　“F*ck. Why am I wasting my breath with you then? I’m going to look for someone else.”

　　“…”

　　After hanging up, Fang Ping thought for a while and called Zhao Xuemei. After a few questions, Zhao Xuemei declined; she was the only one in her family who used pills in cultivation.

　　Fang Ping had no choice but to ask for Yang Xiaoman’s and Chen Yunxi’s phone numbers. Both of them were rich as well.

　　When he finally got through to Yang Xiaoman, he found out she had come back to school already.

　　Without further ado, Fang Ping walked to the next villa and knocked on the door.

　　…

　　“180 Normal Vitality Pills, 6 Rank-1 Vitality Pills, 3 Rank-2 Vitality Pills.

　　“They should be 21.9 million according to the market price. I’ll offer you a cheaper price—21.5 million. What do you say, Yang Xiaoman?”

　　Yang Xiaoman was at once amazed at the number of pills in Fang Ping’s possession, and contemptuous of Fang Ping’s suggestion. She said exasperatedly, “Do you think I’m stupid? The market price is the market price. Do you think that I’m like you, and I have to buy pills at the market price?

　　“I know you sold pills to Fu Changding at a 12% discount, which is 19 million in total…”

　　Fang Ping said, disgruntled, “I’m stupid? It should be 19.27 million…”

　　“Fang Ping, do you need to do that? 19 million. Take it or leave it. I can’t be bothered to get involved in all this.”

　　“Yang Xiaoman, your family is rich. Do you know what 0.2 million means to poor kids like us?

　　“It means that my mom will have to work for 30 more years. We can’t compare with people like you from wealthy families…” Fang Ping pleaded tearfully.

　　At last, Yang Xiaoman gave in and willingly paid 19.3 million for Fang Ping’s pills.

　　After the transaction, Fang Ping was 4 million wealthier.

　　The system priced Normal Vitality Pills at 70 thousand each, with the Rank-1 pills priced at 0.2 million, and the Rank-2 pills at 0.5 million, so this meant 15.3 million Wealth points in total.

　　With each consecutive transaction, Fang Ping earned 4 million Wealth points after deducting the costs, elevating his Wealth to a total of 26.7 million.

　　After he got the money, Fang Ping did not hesitate but went straight to the logistics department.

　　…

　　Fang Ping had over 28.3 million in cash with him.

　　“Instructor, I’ll take 20 Body-honing pills. Is 15 million enough?”

　　Old Man Li eyed him. After a moment, he said, “If you try to bargain again, boy, you can scram now!”

　　“Haha… I’ll stop bargaining. You promised to sell me 18 pills for 14 million previously. I’ll add 10 more pills to that for a total of 22 million. How’s that?”

　　“28? Do you really need that many?”

　　Old Man Li furrowed his brow. If Fang Ping’s body really had failed to catch up to his bones, he still would not need that many Body-honing Pills.

　　“Instructor, I didn’t skimp on the cash. Rest assured, I won’t sell them this time. There’s no one I can sell them to anyway.”

　　“It’s good that you know your limits.”

　　Old Man Li shook his head. It was exactly as Fang Ping had said—Body-honing Pills were not popular. Not only were they expensive, but most people would also have no occasion to use them.

　　After spending 22 million in cash and acquiring 28 Body-honing Pills, Fang Ping’s Wealth total did not change.

　　…

　　After leaving the logistics department, Fang Ping heaved a sigh.

　　“I don’t have any more credits, but I still have 6.3 million in cash. As for pills, all I have left is 28 Body-honing Pills, one Rank-2 Vitality Pill, and some Healing Pills.”

　　He scanned his stats again and felt somewhat satisfied with the increase of his Wealth.

　　Wealth: 26700000

　　Vitality: 350cal (366cal)

　　Mentality: 310Hz (319Hz)

　　Bones Honed: 70 bones (90%), 6 bones (40%), 130 bones (30%)

　　“If I hone all of them with the aid of the system, I’ll need 33 million Wealth points.

　　“But I’m honing my bones by myself in the past month, and this has saved a lot of points.

　　“I’ll use a Body-honing Pill per day. Tsk, tsk, I’m being really extravagant, using 28 pills in a month. After a month, I should be able to finish honing my upper limbs, I hope?”

　　Fang Ping made some mental calculations. At the end of it, he could not help but feel rather powerless.

　　If he really wanted to go ahead with his plan, he would be left with almost no Wealth points or pills by the time he achieved Peak Rank-2.

　　The remaining few million in cash plus a Rank-2 Vitality Pill might not be enough for him to break through to Rank-3.

　　His combat techniques could not be neglected either.

　　“The way I’m spending money… If my company doesn’t turn a profit, I’ll be bankrupt!”

　　Fang Ping was trying to break through as soon as possible because of Bai Jinshan’s words. A Catacomb entrance might very well appear in Nanjiang soon

　　Although no one would force him to return to the province when the time came, Fang Ping did not wish to sit on the sidelines and watch Nanjiang suffer huge losses, when he had the skills to provide aid.

　　He might not be able to contribute much as a lower-ranked martial artist, but he could still contribute something.

　　At times, Fang Ping was still rather sentimental.

　　…

　　“There’s never enough money or Wealth. Sigh, life is hard!” Fang Ping sighed quietly again. He had assumed that by cultivating on his own until he was at Peak Rank-2, he would be left with sufficient Wealth to hone his combat techniques.

　　Now, however, he was trying to break through in a hurry. To do it in as little time as possible, he had no choice but to pay a large sum for it.

　　For the funds needed to hone his combat techniques, he would have to see if he was able to wheedle some out of Lu Fengrou—his mentor was extremely wealthy.

　　Fang Ping did not return to his hostel but headed off-campus. He still had to purchase a car and wanted to drop in at his company to see how things were going.

　　After so many days, his company surely had to show some improvement, however small.

　　Fang Ping had acquired a bit of a reputation now, and no one in the university city would be inclined to deliberately mess with him.

　　The company had not seen any profit up until now, even after he had invested some ten million into it, and Fang Ping was getting quite anxious.