I Can Control Resources

Two hundred billion. How many attribute materials could be evolved with that?

Gao Neng didn’t know.

He only knew that the last time he’d used over two hundred million from Li Tiannan, he had evolved one hundred attribute-infused Magnetic Crystal Ores. And those one hundred attribute-infused Magnetic Crystal Ores could be sold for a total of five billion.

An absolutely astronomical profit!

It was equivalent to a nearly twenty-fold return in one fell swoop.

Moreover, many of the Magnetic Crystal Ores from the last batch were small pieces. Overall, their quality was mediocre—just average.

But this time was different.

The Magnetic Crystal Ores from the depths of the Demon Abyss were all massive. They were also quite plump and smooth, truly the cream of the crop among Magnetic Crystal Ores.

Evolving such Magnetic Crystal Ores would certainly be very expensive.

But their price and attribute energy after evolution would be even more staggering.

HUM! Gao Neng shut the laboratory door. With a great wave of his hand, the entire lab was instantly filled with a vast expanse of raw materials—green, blue, red, black, and purple.

He had already spoken to Wu Qingjing and Yutian.

For the next three days, no one was to disturb him in this laboratory.

After these three days was the Alchemist convention. As agreed, Gao Neng needed to produce a large pile of evolved attribute materials.

"Time to begin!" Gao Neng looked at the materials that filled the entire laboratory. He knew that the days of hard work were ahead of him.

Two hundred billion!

To be spent in one go, in just three days!

’How thrilling!’

...

Sunlight... there was no sunlight.

There couldn’t possibly be sunlight in the Underground City, but there was a cold wind that blew chillingly. As for why there was a cold wind, that’s been explained before, and I don’t feel like explaining it again.

For the past three days, Yi Qinglian had found herself "coincidentally" passing by the laboratory’s entrance.

Three days ago, Governor Yuntian had approached her with a question: was she willing to come to the laboratory and participate in the research work?

Yi Qinglian certainly wasn’t short on money...

But she did lack resources.

Especially resources in the form of attribute materials.

And the Underground City’s laboratory was the largest resource base. According to Governor Yuntian’s own words, once selected, she would enjoy priority access to its resources.

This was part of the agreement between Yutian, Wu Qingjing, and Gao Neng.

After all, everyone understood the subtext.

Yi Qinglian hesitated for a moment over the matter but ultimately nodded in agreement. She even personally wrote out a detailed introduction for herself.

As the young miss of the West Alliance Yi Family and the future successor to the title of Saintess of the Bright Sect, she actually possessed a unique advantage when it came to researching attribute materials.

This was because she was one of the few in the top 300 of the Dragon List who held a dual status, belonging to both a great family and a powerful sect.

In this regard, even her older brother, Yi Qingge, couldn’t compare.

After all, Yi Qingge’s position within the Bright Sect was merely that of a Punishment Master. With such a title, he couldn’t actually access the true core secrets.

’It’s been three days. Has he not come out at all?’ Yi Qinglian gazed at the laboratory door and sighed. Over these three days, her emotional journey had been in constant flux.

On the first day, when she passed the laboratory entrance, her expression was filled with arrogance. Internally, however, she was constantly rehearsing what she would say to Gao Neng.

For instance: if Gao Neng really did invite her, how should she refuse at first? Then, she could reluctantly agree. That way, she could save face while still getting into the lab.

And so, on the first day, she passed by the laboratory entrance seven or eight times, pacing back and forth indecisively before finally leaving with a complicated mood.

On the second day, Yi Qinglian’s mindset had changed.

She decided that if Gao Neng actually invited her, she would agree first and ask questions later. After agreeing, she would then propose some conditions. After all, she was the future Saintess of the Bright Sect. To serve as an assistant to Gao Neng with such a status, she ought to get some sort of compensation and special privileges.

’He can’t take advantage of me, right?’

And so, clinging to the mentality that she *had* to get into the lab, she once again paced back and forth in front of the entrance eight or nine times. At one point, she even walked right up to the door.

But ultimately, she didn’t push it open.

Because both Wu Qingjing and Yutian had said that for these three days, without a direct order from Gao Neng, no one was to set foot inside the laboratory.

As for the result of the second day...

It goes without saying.

On the third day, Yi Qinglian was completely different. She arrived at the laboratory entrance early in the morning, her eyes slightly red.

She felt she had to see Gao Neng and have a good talk with him. ’At least you’re a man,’ she thought, ’you can’t hold a grudge like this, can you?’

’How could you be like this?’

’So what if I was a little headstrong?’

’That was in the past! I’m not headstrong anymore. I’m willing to follow you into the lab and do experiments, and you actually want to reject me? How could you possibly reject me?’

Yi Qinglian hadn’t slept well all night.

Because two days had passed, and she still hadn’t received any notification. Her, the dignified future Saintess of the Bright Sect, the young miss of the West Alliance Yi Family, was actually going to be barred from the laboratory?

’This can’t be happening!’

For four hours that day, Yi Qinglian stood motionless at the laboratory entrance. She felt she had reached her limit; surely Gao Neng could see her.

’I’m already apologizing here!’

’Why haven’t you run out to invite me?!’

’Four hours...’

’I’ve been standing in the cold wind. Isn’t my sincerity enough?’

Yi Qinglian waited that day until the dead of night, only to finally be dragged away by Yi Qingge, a miserable expression on her face as she left the laboratory entrance.

Today was the fourth day!

Wu Qingjing and Yutian had already begun preparations for the Alchemist convention.

The venue was the laboratory’s exhibition hall, where all sorts of figures were now converging. Among them were also people from the West Alliance Yi Family.

Wei Ya, Shaximo, Zhou Jin, and the others had arrived at the exhibition hall early that morning.

As for Yi Qinglian, she had chosen to once again come to the entrance of the attribute materials laboratory.

Starting at six in the morning.

She had been waiting at this very door.

Waiting...

And waiting!

For three hours!

"I can’t wait any longer. The three days are up, and the Alchemist convention starts today. The list of people entering the laboratory must have been finalized. Gao Neng really is rejecting me out of personal spite... He’s really going to refuse my entry into the lab!" Yi Qinglian gritted her teeth.

She believed she had written her introduction in painstaking detail. With a resume like that, Gao Neng truly had no reason to reject her.

In that case, the only possibility was...

’He’s using his position to settle a personal score!’

’That man is so petty!’

’He’s actually getting revenge on me over such a tiny, personal grievance!’

"I have to see him. I have to see him! If I let today pass, once the list is formally announced, it’ll be too late for anything!" Yi Qinglian’s personality was such that once she made a decision, she would absolutely not back down.

As for things like saving face...

That was rarely a major consideration for her.

She was headstrong.

But her personality was also remarkably clear-cut. If she liked something, she liked it; if she disliked it, she disliked it. She wore her every thought on her face.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

Yi Qinglian marched up to the laboratory door.

She prepared to push it open.

The two guards standing watch at the door immediately moved to block her.

"By order of the Governor, no one is to disturb Captain Gao’s experiment for three days!" one of the guards said, his tone icy.

"But the three days are up now!" Yi Qinglian retorted, her face flushed.

"..." The two guards looked at each other.

"Can I go in?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because those are the orders. Even if the three days have passed, until Captain Gao comes out, no one is allowed inside. Unless you have a written order from Governor Yuntian!" the two guards said, shaking their heads.

"Hmph!" Yi Qinglian stormed off.

However, as she left, her spirits sank even lower. She felt that Gao Neng must have heard her conversation with the guards.

And yet, Gao Neng still showed no intention of letting her in.

’What does that mean?’

’It means my suspicion was correct.’

’Gao Neng really is using his position to settle a personal score. He’s going to block me from participating in the experiment!’

’What should I do?’

’What on earth am I supposed to do?’

’Am I just supposed to wait out here forever?!’

Yi Qinglian was truly indignant. She felt this was no longer a matter of experiments and research. She felt she had to correct Gao Neng’s petty mindset of settling personal scores.

’The Alliance can’t develop if people act like this!’

"I have to get in. I must find a way in!" Yi Qinglian’s gaze hardened as her mind began to rapidly calculate the probability of forcing her way into the laboratory.

The two guards were both at the sixth rank.

They were considered decent power in the Underground City, but two sixth-rankers couldn’t stop her. She was at least eighty percent confident she could take them down with a sneak attack.

’However, the laboratory should have other defensive measures in place.’

’And there’s one more critical issue. Gao Neng ordered not to be disturbed, which must mean his experiments are extremely delicate.’

’If I really do charge in...’

’...will it affect anything?’

’I can’t actually force my way in. I can just cause a bit of a scene at the entrance to make him notice me. That should be enough. If he still refuses to see me, then I’ll... I’ll... I’ll go find my master!’ Once Yi Qinglian had a plan, she acted with swift decisiveness.

The power of a Dragon List Genius was not something a few guards of the same rank from the Underground City could possibly withstand.

What’s more...

Yi Qinglian launched a sudden sneak attack.

After a brief exchange.

The two guards’ defense was broken.

Yi Qinglian successfully opened the laboratory door and charged in like a cheetah. She saw a familiar figure standing inside a glass-walled room.

She prepared to shout.

But the shout never came. Her eyes had fallen on the contents of the glass room: red, green, blue, purple, gold, silver... all manner of attribute materials.

"Nine-leaf Golden Lotus!!!"

"Purple Sky Hundred Thunder Flower!!!"

"The Fire God’s... Blessing!!!"

"High-grade materials?!"

"These are all high-grade, and... and there are even supreme-grade materials?! So many... so many! There must be two or three thousand of them!!!"

Yi Qinglian was dumbfounded. She had already forgotten her reason for coming here. The scene before her had completely shattered her long-held understanding of the scarcity of attribute materials.

There were so... fucking... many!