Strongest Businessman of the Cultivation World

"I am sorry."

Before Xin Ruo's apology registered in his mind, Ikasa was drenched wet by the water ball she hurled.

The metal coated brain began to spark as soon as it came into contact with the water ball.

Ikasa looked at Xin Ruo with anger.

"What the hell are you doing?"

He yelled as he hurriedly tried to wipe away the water.

"It will not work. You shouldn't have come into contact with that object in the first place."

Ikasa looked up at Xin Ruo, perplexed. It did not sound like something she would say but it came from her mouth. He wondered if the person before him really was Xin Ruo!

Then he saw her energy outline glow brighter. Her energy signature was even stronger than that of Mu Shi, a legitimate Path Finder!

Ikasa did not have time to ponder as the metal Brain in his hands began to make weird buzzing sounds.  Electric currents began to dance on its surface and they jolted Ikasa and Moony. As the time passed, the currents only became wilder and brighter.

Moony quickly jumped out from Ikasa's arms, sensing the danger. Ikasa also tried to throw away the Brain but he could not disconnect it from his chest socket in time.

The Brain exploded before his chest like a bomb, sending sharpnels everywhere. His ears rang from the loud blast and his vision darkened.

He did not hear Feng Yan's panicked yelling nor did he hear Moony's concerned growls. He could only feel pain from his chest as the shrapnels embedded themselves into his skin, muscles and bone.

In his mind, Ikasa saw the figure of the hunchbacked old man. His forehead was scrunched with annoyance and his face looked hideous from anger. As if just noticing Ikasa, the frown on his face disappeared but his eyes were still full of fire.

[This should definitely be the work of Absolutes! They cannot tolerate modern civilization. Remember, boy! Don't trust the Absolutes!]

And then the vision disappeared and he lost his consciousness.

—---

Unknown amount of time had passed since the huge explosion happened. Ikasa stirred from his rest when he heard the loud voice of Feng Yan scolding someone.

"You idiot girl! Just what did you do!"

Ikasa was suddenly reminded of where he was and what had happened.

'Fuck! My Status Panel viewer was destroyed by Xin Ruo's water ball!'

The realization made him extremely frustrated and annoyed. He felt like Xin Ruo deserved every bit of scolding Feng Yan dished out and some more. He waited for Feng Yan to finish his admonishment.

"You stupid little girl! I don't know what you were thinking."

Feng Yan scolded.

'Yes! She is a stupid girl who doesn't thinks! Scold her well, Old man!'

Ikasa supported him in  his mind.

"Have I not warned you a thousand times to keep your Bloodline ability sealed?"

'Yes, has he not warned… Eh what? Bloodline ability'

Ikasa almost said the words aloud. He grew bewildered as the scolding had taken an unexpected turn!

'Is he talking to Xin Ruo or someone else?'

The young man pretending to be unconscious wondered.

He activated his Spiritual Vision and saw a blue outline standing next to Feng Yan. She was indeed Xin Ruo. Her energy signature was much lower than when she attacked him with a water ball.

Myriad questions surfaced in his mind upon seeing her.

He wanted to know why she attacked him? How a beginner Sense Trainer manifested a ball of water in this rift where even Path Finders struggled to use their abilities?

But right now, he was more interested in their conversation. These people had been beside him for the longest period of time. Yet, he had never heard of this Bloodline ability.

He closed his eyes and paid rapt attention to their conversation.

"I didn't do it, Father! It activated on its own as if someone else was controlling my body!"

Xin Ruo helplessly tried to present her case to Feng Yan. The old man did not seem convinced. He responded to her claim with cold silence.

A few breaths later, Ikasa heard him sigh loudly.

"What… What would I do if those bitches from the Mystic Water Empire discover you? How will I face your mother?"

Feng Yan spoke with a choked voice.

Ikasa was surprised to hear him sob. But he was flabbergasted by the mention of the Mystic Water Empire. The reclusive empire occupied the entire Sea of Serenity. More importantly, this empire was twice as big as the other two empires!

So, Ikasa was naturally astonished to know that Xin Ruo had a connection to some force of the Mystic Water Empire.

Ikasa saw Xin Ruo approach Feng Yan and hug him. He could not hear their quiet whisperings from the distance.

Though he was disappointed that he did not get to know more about her bloodline ability, he was already satisfied to discover its existence. Now that he knew about it, he could slowly extract information about it from the duo.

Ikasa dropped his charade and slowly got up. He felt something was wrong with the situation.

'Wait? Why am I not in pain?'

He belatedly discovered that there was not a single injury on his body. If not for his tattered robes, he would've thought that the explosion never happened!

Seeing him get up, Xin Ruo and Feng Yan rushed to his side. Xin Ruo bowed her head apologetically. Before Ikasa could admonish her, she took out a parchment glowing with blue colored energy.

"I - I am sorry. I don't know what happened but I was suddenly possessed by a powerful being. She healed you and then she asked me to pass you this map."

She did not give Ikasa a chance to speak. Ikasa stared at her as he  wordlessly took the rolled parchment from her hands. Neither father nor the daughter succumbed to his inquisitive stares.

When they refused to talk about the Bloodline, he decided to wait until they were out of the Rift to broach the subject. Just as he had his secrets, they were entitled to keep theirs a bit longer.

Ikasa then turned his attention to the map left behind by the mysterious powerful being.

He gently unfurled the beast skin parchment. His eyes were instantly drawn to the cross that glowed with golden blue color.

"Is this perhaps… a treasure map?"

Ikasa asked the two with bewilderment. He did not expect to receive this in exchange for losing a useful gadget.

Xin Ruo nodded while Feng Yan just raised his hands, like he didn't know anything about it.

Ikasa turned his attention back to the map. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the map also showed his location!

He quickly got up and changed his location. The small pointer marking his position also moved!

"This is a GPS!"

Ikasa exclaimed with joy. He forgot about the metal brain for a moment as he immersed himself in the wonders of the map. Not only did it show the topography of the Rift, it also clearly marked the locations where Steel Beasts roamed.

"What is GPS?"

Feng Yan asked, moving closer to inspect the map with Ikasa.

"It is a device that can show your live location."

Ikasa answered without looking up from the map. At first, he wanted to petulantly hide the map from Feng Yan, who did not share the secret of the Bloodline with him, but then he realized how childish his actions may seem.

He was also mindful of their current situation. They were in a Rift and if he wanted to harvest any treasures, he needed the old man's help.

So, Ikasa made space for Feng Yan and they carefully studied the map together.

"If we go north and then turn west here, we can avoid most of the beasts."

Feng Yan quickly found a route with minimal dangers and hardships. As a seasoned veteran of the military as well as adventuring, the old man had a good understanding of the map. Ikasa did not need to use his half baked knowledge to come up with a suitable route.

'So what? He is my employee! I may not have a good understanding of the map, but I have gathered people who can fill my shortcomings.'

Ikasa smirked as he rolled the map. He turned to the girl and instructed.

"Xin Ruo, keep an eye on kids. I think they will also awaken their Spiritual Sense soon. Your Father and I will come back with treasures as soon as possible."

The young woman silently accepted his command. She still felt guilty over the whole thing even though it was not her fault. As such, she avoided looking at Ikasa.

Ikasa could not see the complex emotions due to the limits of the Spiritual Vision. He cheerfully set off with Feng Yan on his first treasure hunt in this Rift!

—---

In the space above the dark sky, the figure of a humanoid water elemental formed from minute droplets. The other Absolutes sensed her return.

The Absolute of Water was clearly in a good mood, having achieved her objective.

"Don't you think you were a bit too hasty? You shouldn't have given him the location of that place so soon."

The Absolute of Earth criticized the decision. Other Absolutes were also disgruntled but they kept quiet.

The Absolute of Water was unfazed by their complaints. She smiled and said, "We promised him answers. He deserves to get at least a few, correct?"