I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

The sky remained unchanged, overcast and gloomy, as if time had ceased to have any effect on this world.

An Xin slept fitfully for a while, only to be woken up by the sounds of men in the living room.

"I'm so hungry... Gu Shuohan, is there really nothing to eat here?" Wei Ran's pitiful voice rang out.

"I told you there wasn't any left, but look for yourself! Is there a kitchen here? Don't you know that ghosts only feed on incense and candles? And this is Master Zou's personal disciple..."

“I’m here…Here, these are from Xinxin for you, one serving for each of you!” Ao Jue brought out a large wooden board from An Xin’s room. On the board were soy milk, pancakes, and a glass bottle of spiritual liquid. “The food is for breakfast, and this bottle of spiritual liquid is one bottle per person per day, so please use it sparingly! Xinxin said that there are many people now, so everyone needs to be more economical.”

“Yes, originally we only needed to raise 2, but now we have to raise 5 plus 4... and we also have to supply the auction house from time to time! I’m so worried for Xin Xin…” Di Ting also floated out of the room, took out the warm jade, and summoned the ghost generals, “You four ghost generals, you should all behave yourselves and not cause trouble for Xin Xin. Each of you will also have a daily quota of one glass bottle of spiritual liquid! Go and get it.”

After everyone, including the ghosts, had divided the supplies and started to enjoy them, An Xin gracefully came out of the room.

Today she wore a Lanxi robe made by Scroll, layers of sheer fabric, the gradient blue-purple making her appear ethereal and otherworldly. Her loosely tied hair flowed gracefully as she moved.

An Xin stretched lazily, banishing the dreamy atmosphere from the minds of each man.

A few low laughs echoed in the living room.

"Here, these are robes!" She took out five sets of black robes and handed them to the men in the living room one by one. "These are robes that can automatically fit the body and are not afraid of attacks from those below the Golden Core stage. If they are slightly damaged, they can automatically repair themselves."

An Xin then took out training clothes suitable for the ghost generals: "I only have a general understanding of the ghost cultivation system right now, but I can't tell the difference between you guys. You'll have to learn and cultivate with Di Ting for now. You can't be of much help to me for the time being."

“But my lord…” Mulan’s phoenix eyes were filled with guilt and confusion, “My… my lord, we came here to be your guards!”

“Good Mulan, I know, but you can’t even beat me. When the time comes, will you protect me, or will I protect you?” Patting Mulan’s taller body, An Xin said with admiration, “Xiao Jiu is a good teacher. If you study hard, there will be plenty of spiritual liquid. You will improve your abilities quickly. I believe in your intelligence and perseverance!”

Mulan bowed respectfully: "Yes, Master!"

An Xin realized that not letting them call him "Lord" was already the biggest concession... Actually, calling him "Master" was also quite shameful...

"Here you go first, I'll buy the Ghost General's later!" She handed the peace tokens to the men, telling them to study them carefully, especially the various information about this world.

"I'll go to the auction house first to finalize the contract. Second Brother, come with me today, it'll be a good opportunity to learn more! You have no idea how many times I've thought about you in just one day!"

The men all looked at Li Qingchuan's beaming smile, their hearts churning with emotions.

An Xin continued, "You only realize how few brain cells you have when you need them! We didn't dare to say much yesterday, afraid of giving ourselves away. If we were as intelligent as our second senior brother, things might have gone much more smoothly."

“Indeed! When it comes to cunning, he can’t compare to my second senior brother!” Wei Ran nodded sincerely.

"It's good that I can help my junior sister!" Li Qingchuan glanced at the others, still wearing a smile.

"Of course we can help! Senior Brother is the most skilled and knowledgeable person here. He's incredibly meticulous and logically sound. Having you by our side is like having a super brain! Now, put on your robes and cloaks, and we'll set off!" An Xin took out a lot of food and handed it to Ao Jue. "Distribute the food when it's time. If they have any questions about cultivation or formations, please give them your guidance! Don't be shy!"

Donning her cloak, and seeing Li Qingchuan already in position behind her, An Xin waved and left the suite.

"Senior brother, don't look back, and don't worry about whether anyone is following us. Let's just act cool! These are the auction house's black-clad guards, probably just testing us. Ignore them!"

An Xin spoke very softly in Li Qingchuan's ear, afraid of being overheard. But she didn't notice at all that Li Qingchuan's ears were already so red they were practically bleeding.

"Hmm!" Li Qingchuan gave a soft "hmm" and got out of the elevator with An Xin.

………………

Netherworld Auction House

"Manager Qian, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." An Xin bowed to Manager Qian, who was standing on the first floor with a beaming smile.

"No, no, An Qian, Ma Hou, please come with me." Qian Lai thought about how the spiritual liquid he drank yesterday had finally loosened his cultivation level, which had been stagnant for decades. He was excited and thrilled at the thought of soon reaching the Body Condensation Realm and having a new physical body.

"Manager Qian's soul has become much more solid."

"Yes, it's all thanks to you and the spiritual liquid!"

"congratulations!"

"Congratulations! Take a look at the contract. Do you have any questions?" Qian Lai handed the contract to An Xin in the small meeting room.

She quickly flipped through it and then handed it to Li Qingchuan.

After discussions and confirmation on a few minor issues, the two parties signed a contract.

“Great, it’s a pleasure to work with you… By the way, could we exchange contact information?” Qian Lai was the first to pull out his “nothing to do” card.

“Okay!” An Xin also took out her “nothing to worry about” card and tapped it against his.

Just after the "nothing happened" sign, money started rolling in.

"Excuse me, please wait a moment, my employer is calling!" He apologized and immediately switched to the "nothing's wrong" sign.

……

When the "Nothing Happened" sign was closed, Qian Lai's spirit began to flicker.

An Xin took a look, quickly poured him a glass, and urged him to drink it, waiting for him to calm down for a while.

Qian Lai said helplessly, "The city lord wants to see you and says he wants to cooperate with you..."

"City Lord?"

"Yes, he just returned to the city lord's mansion yesterday. It must have been the young city lord who gave him the spirit liquid he won..." Qian Lai took another sip of the spirit liquid and said angrily, "That city lord is the most troublesome and domineering! He always meddles in things that make money. He did that with the newly developed communication network, and now he's even trying to steal the spirit liquid from us!"

"Manager Qian, please calm down." An Xin poured him another cup. "Tell me about this city lord!"

"Alright, his name is Quan Yuli, and he's the manager of Linyou City, one of the four main cities! He's incredibly domineering, his thirst for power is at its peak, and he's also eyeing every money-making opportunity. It's a perfect match for his name!" He took another sip of the spiritual liquid. "His strength is quite high. 99% of the ghosts in Linyou City are at the Soul Core Realm, but he's been reborn and has even cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao rules of the Netherworld are flawed; there's no tribulation lightning, and no spiritual energy to continue his cultivation, so he's remained at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, unable to advance. The boss said he wants to get involved in the spiritual liquid business this time, firstly for power and profit, and secondly because the spiritual liquid can help him cultivate."

“Even if he cultivates, there’s no tribulation lightning here, so he can’t advance in rank!” An Xin actually knew that Quan Yuli was the man who colluded with Anna. He had a way to go to the Spirit Realm, so he might be able to advance in rank there. She asked this question because she wanted to see what information the Netherworld Auction House knew.

“He does have his own methods, but I’m afraid I can’t say for sure. In fact, there are no more than two people in the entire Netherworld whose cultivation level surpasses Quan Yuli’s. If he really wants to get involved with this spiritual liquid, it will be very difficult for us… We probably can’t do much with power or force… That’s why I was so angry when my boss contacted me earlier.”

"What did your employer say?" Li Qingchuan, who had been silent all along, asked.

"The boss said that the city lord's message to him was that he wanted to cooperate with you. However, he doesn't want Quan Yuli to get his way, so he asked me to let you know first and then send the Black-Clad Guards to protect you."

"The Black-Clad Guards are enough for now. We also brought several ghost cultivators at the Human Qi Refining Realm with us this time. Unless the City Lord takes action personally, no ghost can get close to our CEO Gu," An Xin announced with great confidence.

"Manager Qian, could we join forces to hold a promotional event?" Li Qingchuan remained calm and composed as always, showing no sign of panic or helplessness, exuding complete control. "Since we've already signed an exclusive supply contract, let's not worry about others. But wouldn't it be better to promote the spirit liquid and clarify our mutual stance? For example, the four major cities and high-level ghost cultivators, as well as the nobles at the pinnacle of power in the capital (not a city, but a special area similar to the cabinet and the highest-ranking officials)."

"Ma Hou, do you mean... to expand our influence? Didn't President Gu want to develop in a low-key manner?"

"But now someone's objecting! There's only so much of the spiritual liquid, and we can't let others interfere with the research and development. So we'll take advantage of the situation and muddy the waters..."

"...Ah...I understand! I'll discuss it with the master right away!" Qian Lai looked like he had just realized something. His soul flickered, and he activated the peace token to contact Fu Mochen.

"We'll be going now, we have things to take care of. Let's keep in touch!" An Xin stood up first.

Qian Lai nodded repeatedly.

As soon as they left the Netherworld Auction House, An Xin immediately gave Li Qingchuan a thumbs up and said admiringly, "I knew that taking my second senior brother out was definitely reliable. He's amazing!"

Li Qingchuan gently patted the top of An Xin's hood and said tenderly, "That's all the senior brother can do to help you..."

"That's good! It turns out this world is so miserable. The rules of Heaven are incomplete, there's no spiritual energy, no extra energy, it's an abandoned world. I was thinking that these ghosts and monsters couldn't be reincarnated, but at least they wouldn't have to suffer the judgment and punishment of the Ten Kings of Hell. I didn't expect them to suffer even more. It's very likely that even if their souls are scattered, they won't be able to leave this world. Even the ghosts and monsters who have been reborn can't go to other worlds. Reaching the Foundation Establishment stage only means they have a longer lifespan..."

"Why does Kwon Yuri have the ability to go to our world?"

"This is something I can't figure out either. Senior brother, is it possible that he obtained some secret technique or forbidden art? That he could use an array to sacrifice himself and cross the boundary? Moreover, Anna's advancement might very well have been arranged by him! But why Anna again?" An Xin felt a strange and uneasy feeling rise up at the same time whenever Anna was mentioned.

"It's very possible that he's still the city lord here. If he uses some criminal ghosts as sacrifices, no one will suspect anything. As for Anna, I have no idea."

"Should we go and check out his city lord's mansion?" An Xin asked Li Qingchuan with eager anticipation.

Fortunately, they were all wearing cloaks and hoods, so they couldn't see each other's expressions.

Li Qingchuan rationally said, "It's not feasible for now. The city lord's mansion is definitely more heavily guarded than other places. I was thinking, could we arrange the promotion meeting at the city lord's mansion? That way we can take advantage of the situation!"

An Xin's gaze toward Li Qingchuan grew increasingly intense: She really wanted to keep her senior brother in the Qiankun World forever, taking him everywhere she went. He was simply the strategist of her dreams!