Chapter 71: Cybernetic Blessed Land

A place where you could improve your cultivation just by standing still—in the Xianxia version, this would be called a Cave Heaven and Blessed Land!

Even someone like Ji Xingyao, a Core Disciple of the Azure Phoenix Sect, wouldn’t qualify to enter such a place. Only the patriarchs who ruled their sects could live in such a haven.

But here, in the Cyberpunk version, it was just an abandoned underground factory that nobody wanted.

If Lu Yan didn’t seize the opportunity now, he’d be a fool.

Quentin rubbed his hands together excitedly.

“The property tax for the factory is 50,000 credits per month. But if you’re really interested in renting it, I might be able to negotiate a discount.”

While quietly absorbing the Spirit Energy around him, Lu Yan asked:

“What if I wanted to buy the factory outright?”

Quentin coughed awkwardly, his expression turning slightly uncomfortable.

“To be honest, sir… I wouldn’t recommend purchasing this factory.”

“Why not?”

Quentin gave another dry cough, then explained with a somewhat evasive tone:

“Truth be told, this factory is a total mess on paper.

Back when it was profitable, several major gangs in the Lower District and surrounding caves all invested in it. But once the City Tax Bureau slapped it with a massive fine, the whole place was seized—and all their investments went up in smoke.”

Lu Yan frowned. “What does that have to do with me buying it? I’m not responsible for their fines or losses.”

“Of course not!” Quentin waved his hands frantically.

“The factory’s ownership belongs to the City Tax Bureau now. Those small factions don’t have the guts to reclaim it.

But here’s the real problem—when the factory got seized, those factions used the opportunity to dump a bunch of their internal debt onto its ledger.

On paper, those bad debts were handed over to the City Tax Bureau with the factory’s assets. Everyone just turns a blind eye and lets it sit.

But if you buy the factory and the ownership changes hands… those ‘cooked books’ won’t work anymore. You’ll be stirring up a whole hornet’s nest of gang politics.”

After this explanation, Lu Yan finally understood.

Those factions had pulled a classic “accidental fire destroyed the evidence” scheme and used the factory seizure to wipe their slates clean.

If he bought the factory and transferred ownership, that illusion would collapse—and with it would come unwanted trouble.

“Forget it. I was just asking casually.”

Even though Lu Yan’s stay in the Cyberpunk version had been extended, a one- or two-year lease on the factory would be more than enough.

Who knew how long it’d be before he returned to this version again?

“How long do you plan to rent it for?” Quentin asked in a low voice.

“Half a year.”

Quentin pulled out his personal terminal and began calculating.

“If you’re using industrial-grade Spirit Energy, you’ll also have to pay Spirit Energy tax based on usage. For a transmission system of this scale, that’s at least 30,000 credits a month.

So all told, you’ll need to prepare around 500,000 credits.”

Quentin looked at Lu Yan, hopeful.

Lu Yan frowned slightly. That sixth-generation Spirit Energy battery he had was only worth about 100,000—not nearly enough to cover the full cost.

The Cyberpunk world didn’t lack Spirit Energy. What it lacked was stable and gentle Spirit Energy.

In terms of properties, spiritual qi from the Xianxia version was the definition of gentle and stable—even ordinary people could absorb it to temper their bodies.

If he just sold a few spirit stones, making up the 500,000 shortfall wouldn’t be difficult. After all, sixth-gen batteries made from refined spirit stones were already worth a fortune.

But after thinking it through, Lu Yan decided not to sell his spirit stones.

The Lower District was chaotic, and faking an identity to rent an abandoned factory was no big deal. But selling spirit stones—an extremely rare resource—would draw too much attention.

He’d come here to avoid potential trouble, not to invite it.

With spirit stones off the table, he had to find another way to gather enough credits.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lu Yan looked at Quentin, then lightly patted his enormous muscular “kirin arm” with a warm smile.

“Tell me, do you want to become a real compiler?”

“I have some rare compiler knowledge. I’ll sell it to you—for 500,000 credits.”

---

Half an hour later, Quentin hurried out of the underground factory to handle the paperwork, his face carefully expressionless—but his eyes practically gleamed with excitement.

Inside the factory, Lu Yan silently watched Quentin’s retreating figure. A shadowy ghost silently followed after him.

The “rare knowledge” Lu Yan had mentioned was none other than the converted version of ‘Introduction to Formations’, now titled Foundations of Spirit Energy Code.

He had cross-checked Quentin’s existing materials, carefully removed any sensitive or high-level formation techniques, and only kept the basic, non-confidential coding content.

Even just this portion was enough to crush a half-baked compiler like Quentin with sheer depth.

The moment Quentin saw the trimmed-down Foundations of Spirit Energy Code, he agreed to the deal on the spot.

To a half-rate compiler in the Lower District, nothing was more valuable than a genuine compiler manual.

Quentin even personally covered all the processing fees for leasing the factory and offered to handle the formalities on Lu Yan’s behalf.

But what Quentin didn’t know was that, as he walked away, an invisible ghost was tailing him the entire time.

Lu Yan was well aware he’d exposed quite a bit to Quentin—his lack of common knowledge, his mysterious background—it was enough to raise suspicion.

Even though he’d previously intimidated Quentin, there was no guarantee the fear would last.

To be safe, Lu Yan assigned a ghost to follow him. If Quentin showed any sign of revealing Lu Yan’s identity, he’d be eliminated—and Lu Yan would simply move to another cave.

Fortunately, none of those concerns came to pass. Everything progressed far smoother than expected.

After a quick visit to the City Tax Bureau, Quentin successfully secured the lease. However, his attempt to negotiate a tax reduction failed.

The City Tax Bureau staff were corporate employees from the Central District. To them, Lower District citizens were barely worth a glance—they didn’t bother hiding their disdain.

In the end, Quentin had no choice but to fork over the full 300,000 credit property tax.

Once all the paperwork was complete, the underground factory was officially Lu Yan’s.

After the handover, Quentin quickly took his leave, eager to return to his shop and dive into the Foundations of Spirit Energy Code.

The massive factory doors closed behind him with a resounding thud.

In the pitch-black interior, Lu Yan took out his Soul Banner.

Ghostly figures slipped through the concrete walls, confirming there were no surveillance devices anywhere in the building.

Then, Lu Yan activated the factory’s Spirit Energy Transmission System.

Spirit Energy surged forth, flooding every inch of the factory.

Standing at the center, Lu Yan began to circulate his cultivation technique. A massive vortex of Spirit Energy formed around him, spiraling into his body.

As his technique spun faster and faster, his mana accumulated at a visible rate.

The bottleneck of the Qi Refining Realm shattered in an instant.

(End of Chapter)