Chapter 64: Spending Money Like Water

"Sold!" After examining the Fish Scale Armor's attributes, Li Nianlong's eyes gleamed with excitement. The +100 defense was one thing, and the 3% chance to reflect damage was negligible, but the fact that it increased his qi recovery speed by 5% was fantastic.

After reaching level 20, Li Nianlong recovered 1 point of qi every ten seconds, but with this soft armor, it only took 9.5 seconds. One shouldn't underestimate this saved half-second. If the qi recovery value were magnified—by a hundred times, a thousand times, or even ten thousand times—the time saved by the armor for Li Nianlong would be immeasurable.

In a battle between experts, 0.1 seconds could determine life or death. Sometimes, a lack of just 1 point of qi could be fatal. Calculated this way, the 0.5 seconds saved by the armor were enough to save his life five times over.

"How much is it? I'll take it!" Li Nianlong rubbed his hands together; such a divine artifact had to be bought!

The proprietress smiled gently. "One hundred thousand yuan."

"Not expensive at all." A hundred thousand yuan to buy a life was truly a bargain.

After settling the payment, Li Nianlong happily stored the Fish Scale Soft Armor in his inventory space and casually asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have anything else? Like an invisibility cloak?"

The proprietress chuckled, covering her mouth. "Host, you're truly humorous. Such things wouldn't be on the second floor."

"Well, alright then!" Li Nianlong grinned awkwardly and said, "Shopkeeper, give me twenty pillowcases, the second-floor enhanced version."

The enhanced pillowcases not only guaranteed a 100% peaceful sleep but also had a 20% chance of inducing pleasant dreams. Over time, they ensured a person's mood and spirits remained excellent. Although Li Nianlong didn't need them, Nalan Ruyue and the Moon sisters who would visit during holidays would benefit from them. As for wanting twenty pillowcases, it was naturally to replace all the pillowcases in his home so that no matter which pillow was used, one could sleep soundly.

"Alright, twenty pillowcases, for a total of one million yuan."

Expensive! Truly expensive!

No problem, big brother has money.

Leaving the tailor shop, Li Nianlong went to the props store and purchased a tiger mask. It had a great effect, with a 30% chance to intimidate opponents. If successful, it would reduce their attributes by 30%, and the effect was area-wide. It was practically a divine artifact, except for the exorbitant price tag of 100,000 yuan, which almost made Li Nianlong spit blood.

Gritting his teeth, he bought the tiger mask and then visited several other stores. Though there were plenty of good items, Li Nianlong felt he wouldn't need them anytime soon. After picking and choosing for a while, he finally bought ten time bombs from the weapons store. Each bomb had a destructive radius of fifty meters. Li Nianlong wasn't sure what he'd use them for, but having often seen explosions on TV, he was curious about time bombs and wanted to know how they worked.

Time bombs were not expensive, costing 5,000 yuan each. Ten of them amounted to 50,000 yuan, which he paid and then stored them in his inventory. He pondered whether to go to Dragon City and blow up the prince's palace. With his Stealth skill, he stood a good chance of planting bombs there.

Glancing at his current state and considering the success rate, Li Nianlong abandoned the idea. Ignoring the heavy security around the prince's palace, he didn't even know where it was.

Without detailed intelligence, blowing up the prince's palace would remain a fantasy.

Returning his focus to reality, Li Nianlong took off his night attire and tight-fitting suit, donned the Fish Scale Soft Armor, and put on the tiger mask. Stepping out of the bedroom, he stood in front of the mirror.

The tiger mask was a true simulation, making him look like a humanoid tiger when worn. The fierce, roaring tiger face exuded dominance and danger. No wonder it had a 30% chance to intimidate opponents; this appearance alone could scare a timid person to death.

The Fish Scale Soft Armor clung tightly to Li Nianlong's body, even covering his neck, leaving only his head and hands and feet exposed. Yet, the armor had excellent breathability, making it comfortable to wear without feeling stuffy, very refreshing.

Li Nianlong already had a model-like figure, and with the tight-fitting suit, tiger mask, and his inherent masculinity, he exuded an unusual wildness that could drive women worldwide mad.

"Not a bad look." Li Nianlong praised himself, took off the tiger mask, and put it in his inventory. It was only three o'clock in the morning, and with no desire to sleep, he decided to practice his skills. Whether it was Stealth or Heavenly Guardian, he practiced both. Since the two skills had different attributes and could be activated simultaneously, this saved him time.

However, both skills consumed a lot of qi. Even with the Fish Scale Soft Armor, it still took Li Nianlong 9.5 seconds to recover 1 point of qi. The consumption far outweighed the recovery, so he spent a large sum on qi replenishing pills. From three in the morning until six, he practiced, improving the proficiency of both Stealth and Heavenly Guardian, though his stomach was rumbling by the end.

Hearing Nalan Ruyue open the door, Li Nianlong stopped and checked his status, nodding in satisfaction.

Li Nianlong: Level 25: (13450/65000)

Strength: 158

Speed: 138

Qi: 359

Intelligence: 163

Remaining Points: 0

Talent: Seek Fortune and Avoid Misfortune: Born with the innate ability to sense fortune and misfortune, easily avoiding calamity.

Skills:

- Random Fists (Advanced 4%): Beat a master at his own game with unorthodox attacks. Increases strength by 30%, speed by 30%, lasts 30 seconds, no cooldown, consumes 20 qi points per use.

- Stealth (Advanced 19%): Renders user invisible. Speed decreases by 30%, 20% chance to remain undetected under disturbance. Cooldown 8 minutes, lasts 3 minutes, consumes 80 qi points per use.

- Heavenly Guardian (Basic 60%): Forms a layer of protective qi around the body, increasing defense by 100%. Lasts 1 minute, no cooldown, consumes 50 qi points per use.

Money: 7,928,005

Equipment: Omitted...

Special Items: Golden Bell Cover (7th Layer), Iron Sand Palm (9th Layer), Traceless Tread (9th Layer)

Life Skills:

- Architect (Grandmaster 78%): Proficient in constructing any building under a hundred stories, you are the grandmaster of architecture.

- Acupoint Specialist (Novice 0%): Relaxes the mind and body, alleviates ailments through acupressure, akin to a top-tier masseuse.

Permissions: Level 2 - Access to shops and training grounds.

After three hours of practice, the Stealth skill improved by 4 percentage points, while Heavenly Guardian, due to being at the Basic level, swiftly reached 60%. However, his funds plummeted with the purchase of various equipment and a large quantity of qi replenishing pills, leaving him with less than eight million yuan, truly experiencing the saying "spending money like water."

Today was August 30th, with school starting the day after tomorrow. As a teacher, Li Nianlong had to attend a general meeting at school the following day. Despite being a mere physical education instructor, absence would mean immediate termination.

While he didn't plan on staying, Li Nianlong didn't want to leave without notice. Having been a teacher for two years, he had good relationships with his colleagues and superiors and got along well with his students. If he were to depart, he would at least inform them beforehand and ensure the school found a replacement. Irresponsible departure wasn't his style.

After a shower and changing into fresh clothes, he descended downstairs just as Nalan Ruyue finished preparing breakfast. Their gazes met, and they shared a knowing smile.

Around five in the morning, Tianfu experienced its first autumn rain. Nalan Ruyue changed out of her dress into long pants and a white long-sleeved T-shirt paired with blue jeans. Her attire was youthful yet understated, elegant like a chrysanthemum, pleasing to the eye.

Li Nianlong's Fish Scale Soft Armor was now concealed beneath a white shirt and blue jeans. Standing together, they unintentionally matched like a couple, a perfect pair.

Perhaps thinking along the same lines, both Li Nianlong and Nalan Ruyue felt a bit bashful.

Scratching his head, Li Nianlong said, "It's raining today, so there won't be work at the construction site. Is there anything you want to do? I'll accompany you."

Nalan Ruyue's eyes sparkled with delight. After a brief thought, she smiled and gestured: groceries are running low, we need to restock; toilet paper is almost finished, we should get a pack; my period started last night, so we need to buy two packs of sanitary pads; soap, shower gel, shampoo... and we're running low on chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns...

Li Nianlong broke into a sweat. "Okay, got it. We'll go shopping after breakfast."

Nalan Ruyue nodded happily, set the table, and they sat down across from each other. Just as they were about to eat, Li Nianlong's phone rang.