Eternal Heavenly Emperor

How many years the civilization of this world had existed was something Chu Hao definitely couldn't make clear; he only knew it was a very long time.

But despite such an expanse of time, the technology of this world had almost completely stagnated because the Martial Artists here were simply too powerful, so powerful that they suppressed the development of technology.

Although cruel, war indeed greatly propelled the development of technology, with numerous civilian technologies originally conceived for military purposes. But here, a powerful Martial Artist could smash a city wall with one punch and have a body robust enough to withstand sharp weapons, leaving no ground for technology to take root.

As far as Chu Hao knew, Martial Artists were divided into four levels: the Lesser Mahayana realm, Middle Mahayana realm, Great Mahayana realm, and Vajra Realm.

Aside from differences in strength, these levels also reflected in defense; it was said that when a Martial Artist of the Vajra Realm tensed their muscles, even a Martial Artist from the Lesser Mahayana realm wielding a peerless blade could at most make a few bloody marks.

Chu Hao's father was a Third Tier Vajra Realm cultivator, possessing a mighty strength of over three hundred thousand catties—reaching the Vajra Realm was also a basic condition for becoming nobility, and the entire Eastern Cloud City had no more than fifteen people with cultivation at the Vajra Realm. Being such a strong power made one able to roam the entire world.

This was also where Chu Tianyun got the courage to venture deep into Fire Cloud Mountain, yet he never expected to be trapped within it.

And Chu Hao?

Because he had been slow to react three times, he really wasn't cut out for martial arts, and he hadn't even stepped through the doors of becoming a Martial Artist, being entirely an ordinary 17-year-old.

"Martial arts, when it comes down to it, is quite simple, it's about enhancing the vitality and strength of cells, thereby giving a person tremendous power; it's just that on this world, it has been developed to the utmost limit." Chu Hao flipped through his memories, mumbling to himself, "On Earth, an ordinary person has only about a hundred catties of strength, and even the strongest weightlifter can lift no more than a couple of hundred kilograms, but here, even a thousand catties of strength is just the starting point of the Lesser Mahayana realm."

Actually, the training methods here were basically the same as on Earth, consisting of high-intensity workouts, but the difference lay in the various medicinal supports available in this world.

For example, Strong Muscle Powder was the best option for primary level Martial Artists to enhance their strength.

Mixing Strong Muscle Powder into a bath, soaking in it to absorb the medicine, then engaging in high-intensity training could greatly accelerate the strengthening of cells. The difference between using and not using Strong Muscle Powder could result in a two-fold, three-fold, or even ten-fold disparity in strength for the same person.

However, Strong Muscle Powder was expensive, so pricey that a dose cost fifty taels of silver, an amount most ordinary families could hardly afford—the monthly expenditure for a typical family of four was just ten taels.

Therefore, practicing martial arts has always been the privilege of the wealthy, unless one was a prodigy that could be accepted by an academy that waived tuition fees and provided medicinal supports needed for cultivation—Strong Muscle Powder was just one of them.

What he needed to do now was, of course, to buy Strong Muscle Powder first.

The New Year had just passed, and there was still half a month of holidays left. By the time the academy reopened, he would have undergone a complete transformation.

Chu Hao was a proud person, and pushing his own limits was his forte.

"Master, have you recovered from your illness?" Seeing Lin Yuqi and her brother leave in a huff, Housekeeper Uncle Yu asked, only to receive a cold glare. He hurried in to check the situation, only to find Chu Hao standing in the living room.

The 17-year-old, although slightly slender, exuded an intimidating presence that reminded him of the pillar of their household, Chu Tianyun, who possessed a similar aura.

Chu Hao revealed a slight smile. In his memory, Uncle Yu was utterly loyal to the Chu Family, an absolutely faithful servant. To the original Chu Hao, Uncle Yu was not just a housekeeper but also played the role of a grandfather.

"I have," he replied.

"I knew Master was blessed with great fortune and nothing could happen to you," Uncle Yu said, tears trailing down his face in happiness. He had no children of his own and had long regarded Chu Hao as his grandson.

Chu Hao felt a warm feeling in his heart. He was cold on the outside but warm on the inside; he would repay those who were kind to him tenfold, but towards his enemies, he was merciless and would repay any slights a hundredfold.

"Uncle Yu, go buy me some Strong Muscle Powder and also Strong Body Pills," he instructed.

"Master, are you going to start cultivating?" Uncle Yu was astonished.

"Father has passed away, and I will support the Chu Family," Chu Hao stated. Since he had inherited Chu Hao's body, he also took on the responsibilities that should be borne, not only preventing the Chu Family from declining, but instead elevating it to greater heights and giving a resounding slap to anyone who dared to mock the Chu Family.

Uncle Yu couldn't help but weep openly. Although the old master was gone, the young master's silly illness had suddenly improved. It was a pity—if only they had known, the old master wouldn't have needed to go to Fire Cloud Mountain for that thousand-year ginseng, a journey that cost him his life.

"Master, I know you want to catch up with others quickly, but the medicinal power of Strong Muscle Powder is so fierce—" Uncle Yu hesitated, his face full of uncertainty.

Chu Hao knew what he was worried about; after all, there are no gains without pains. While Strong Muscle Powder could swiftly increase bodily strength, not only was the process of absorbing its power excruciating, but its potent nature also caused significant damage to the body, which had to be healed using Strong Body Pills.

The difference between using and not using Strong Body Pills lay in the recovery time: With them, it would take three days, whereas without them, it would take ten. But regardless of whether they were used or not, the trauma caused by Strong Muscle Powder to the body couldn't be changed.

But Chu Hao was determined to quickly increase his strength, making Strong Muscle Powder an inevitable choice for him.

Strong Muscle Powder was already expensive, but Strong Body Pills cost even more, a hundred taels of silver each—indeed, practicing martial arts truly required substantial financial support.

"Uncle Yu, don't worry, I can handle it," Chu Hao reassured him. "How much savings do we still have in the household?"

"5484 taels of silver," Uncle Yu reported a precise figure without hesitation.

Such precision.

Chu Hao was slightly surprised, but felt moved at heart. Were it not for Uncle Yu holding the Chu Family close to his heart, how could he be so clear about the accounts?

What can you do with 5,484 taels of silver?

For an ordinary family, this is a huge sum of money. But when it comes to practicing martial arts... just one dose of Strong Muscle Powder costs 50 taels of silver, and a Strong Body Pill costs 100 taels. Using one every three days, that's an expenditure of 1,500 taels of silver a month. Five thousand taels of silver would only last a little over three months.

"Originally, we had savings of almost thirty thousand taels, but ever since Miss Lin moved in, our expenses have skyrocketed—" Uncle Yu explained.

Chu Hao smiled and said, "From now on, that woman has nothing to do with our Chu Family."

"Yes, young master," Uncle Yu agreed. As the steward of the Chu Family, he wished he could split one wen into two and was overjoyed to hear the news.

However, even without a gold-digging fiancée, the money was still far from enough. Martial arts practice isn't just a three-month affair.

Chu Hao said, "Uncle Yu, bring me the restaurant's ledger."

"Yes, young master," Uncle Yu hurriedly went to get the ledger.

When Uncle Yu brought the ledger over, Chu Hao opened it and immediately frowned.

The Chu Family had only one source of income, which was a restaurant, but last month's profit was only 300 taels of silver. That might seem like a lot, but after subtracting the operating expenses of the restaurant, there were only about 200 taels left, barely enough to buy one dose of Strong Muscle Powder and one Strong Body Pill.

After scanning last month's expenditures, Chu Hao immediately spotted something wrong with his strong calculating abilities.

There were 500 taels of silver that had evaporated.

As he looked further back in the accounts, he found that every month there was such "flying" money, and the farther back he went, the less the disappearing amount was and, correspondingly, the higher the restaurant's profits were, up until ten years ago.

Ten years ago, Chu Tianyun was personally managing the restaurant. But later, to find Spiritual Medicine to treat Chu Hao, Chu Tianyun handed the restaurant over to his brother-in-law, Liu Heng, to manage... It was clear now. Liu Heng had been cooking the books and lining his own pockets.

To be honest, the falsification of accounts was not particularly clever, but before, with Chu Tianyun busy all year round looking for Spiritual Medicine for Chu Hao, who had time to scrutinize the accounts carefully? And as Chu Hao was famously foolish, there was even less need to say anything.

A thief within is hard to defend against.

Chu Hao shook his head. Chu Tianyun had been quite generous to Liu Heng. Initially, Liu Heng was a good-for-nothing, knew only gambling, and even lost his wife betting. It was Chu Tianyun who stepped in to redeem her, then gave him a job in the restaurant, and once Chu Tianyun began searching for medicine for Chu Hao, he even entrusted the entire restaurant management to him.

Liu Heng's "salary" was very generous, too, with fifty taels of silver every month, which was more than enough for his family of four to live very comfortably.

Unexpectedly, they had encountered an ingrate.

Chu Hao closed the ledger and said, "Let's go take a look at the restaurant."

"Young master—" Uncle Yu hesitated, afraid that Chu Hao, being so young, would be bullied by Liu Heng.

"It's fine, let's go."

The two set off, and after walking for about fifteen minutes, they arrived at the Fortune Full Building, the only property and lifeline of the Chu Family.

It was only just past nine in the morning. The restaurant was customer-less, and seven or eight waiters were lazily sitting and dozing off until Chu Hao walked up to them. They quickly stood up, saying in unison, "Young proprietor!"

Chu Hao nodded and asked, "Where is my uncle?"

"On the third floor," said the waiters, pointing upstairs. A few of them seemed to want to say something but ultimately did not speak up.

Chu Hao didn't care and went straight upstairs. As soon as he reached the third floor, he heard a woman's giggling. He loudly coughed, and the laughter abruptly stopped. Then, an impatient male voice came from inside, "Didn't I say not to bother me?"

"It's me, Chu Hao," said Chu Hao in a deep voice.

After a moment, the door creaked open and a fat man who appeared to be in his forties came out. Upon seeing Chu Hao, he immediately put on a smile and said, "Ah, isn't this my dear nephew? Oh? Your illness is gone? That's really wonderful."

His words were cordial, but his eyes betrayed disappointment.

Simply put, if Chu Hao died, then the Chu Family would have no successor, and he would be the true owner of the restaurant.

Chu Hao entered the room, where another woman, heavily made-up, was adjusting her clothes—not his aunt. He pretended not to see her and threw the ledger onto the table, asking, "Why is last month's profit only 300 taels of silver?"

"Chu Hao, you're still young, you don't understand the difficulties of doing business," sighed Liu Heng, before starting to complain loudly about how hard he worked to make the restaurant successful, that if it weren't for him the restaurant would have closed down long ago.

Chu Hao smiled. Did he really think he was a fool? He tapped his fingers on the table and then said, "Uncle, your skill at falsifying accounts really needs improvement. With this level of deception, you're practically insulting my intelligence."

"Chu Hao, what do you mean by this?" Liu Heng immediately stiffened his face and said sternly, his heart thumping wildly.

"Starting today, Uncle, you no longer need to manage the restaurant on my behalf," said Chu Hao indifferently.