Adam Brooks responded, then went into the storeroom again: “The secret technique is here, and here’s the competition video you wanted—none of this was easy to find, especially this video. The match you wanted was from years ago. I had to ask several enthusiasts before I found it.”

Ethan Foster was in the Immortal Realm, cut off from the human world, with little access to information. The only reason he knew about this particular match video was because he’d read about it in another “secret technique” book, so naturally he was far behind the human world.

Ethan Foster grabbed the disc and the book, shoved fifty mid-grade immortal jades at Adam Brooks: “Damn it, stop whining, don’t think I don’t know you? This is enough, right?” Adam Brooks slipped them into his own pocket: “Heh, it’s enough, it’s enough!” The two had similar personalities and had been doing business together for a long time, so they were very relaxed with each other.

Ethan Foster pulled out a large bundle from his sleeve: “Twenty-five batteries, charge them for me, I’ll pay you next time.” This guy was a gaming addict, claiming to have gone thirty days without shutting down his device, so of course he burned through batteries fast. “No problem.”

The “universe in the sleeve” was just a third-level immortal technique, which any immortal above the third level could learn. Unfortunately, Adam Brooks had been in the Immortal Realm for decades and was still a lowest-level first-tier immortal.

Ethan Foster put away the disc and book, tucked them into his sleeve and wrapped them with immortal energy to avoid being discovered. He waved goodbye to Adam Brooks: “Old Luo, I’m off. I’ll come find you again in two days.”

Having completed his second deal of the day, Adam Brooks was in a great mood. He tidied up his things and reset the formation at the entrance of his cave. Standing in the center of his abode, he took a deep breath, gathered his energy inward, and his sharp black Armani-style suit suddenly puffed outward. The space around him, centered on his body, collapsed inward, then suddenly burst outward with a muffled pop like opening a wine bottle, and Adam Brooks vanished from the Immortal Realm.

Chapter 02 Small Business

……

“Splash!” Into a pool of icy water, Adam Brooks cursed angrily: “Damn it, my seven-hundred-standard-immortal-jade suit is ruined!”

“Mama, why is that uncle taking a bath in the fountain?” a cute little girl tugged her mother’s hand, pointing at the soaking wet Adam Brooks standing in the fountain at the center of the plaza. The street was packed with people—Adam Brooks was in the human world’s winter!

……

The reason Adam Brooks could come and go from the Immortal Realm undetected was because he had a special skill that allowed him to sneak out. Adam Brooks was a once-in-five-thousand-years unlucky immortal: a Tribulation Immortal. In the Immortal Realm, Tribulation Immortals had a nickname: “Salted Fish Immortal.” They got this name because after ascending, they were useless for a long time—so useless that even after three hundred years, they might not advance from second-tier to third-tier immortal.

But every five hundred years, a Tribulation Immortal would face a great tribulation. If they survived, they could “turn over like a salted fish,” and their power could even surpass that of an ordinary immortal who had cultivated for five hundred years! The chance to turn things around every five hundred years was rare, and the Immortal Realm was not safe—most Tribulation Immortals vanished before ever reaching that moment.

Those who entered the Dao through martial arts were called Xuan Immortals, the most gifted in martial prowess. Those who entered through magic were Ling Immortals, the most gifted in spellcasting. Those who entered with a ghostly body were Soul Immortals, and those with a demon body were Demon Immortals—these two types, whether in martial or magical talent, were both below Xuan and Ling Immortals.

There were also the legendary “True Immortals,” whose martial power was no less than Xuan Immortals and whose magic was no less than Ling Immortals—seen only once in a thousand years!

There were some rarer types, such as Tribulation Immortals and Virtue Immortals. The reason for the appearance of Tribulation Immortals was unknown, but they were even rarer than True Immortals, because before their five-hundred-year tribulation, they were almost completely useless. So every Tribulation Immortal would receive a compensation from the heavens. It might be a life-saving technique, a powerful artifact, or a magical abode. Adam Brooks’s compensation was this secret technique that allowed him to sneak out of the Immortal Realm undetected. It was precisely because of this technique that he dared to brazenly engage in smuggling.

As for Virtue Immortals, they entered the Dao through virtue. People of great moral character could also become immortals—there were countless legends since ancient times, like those who sacrificed themselves to save others being taken to heaven by golden dragons. Virtue Immortals had extremely high cultivation, but very weak combat power. However, because of their high status, they were a very prominent type in the Immortal Realm, holding a third of the positions in the four-tiered official system of “Palace, Terrace, Court, and Supervision.”

……

City A, the famous electronics mall. Wearing a cheap Youdannu casual outfit, Adam Brooks’s face was flushed red as he angrily yelled at the shop owner: “This is the latest energy-saving technology you promised? Damn it, it didn’t even last four hours! I demand a refund!”

“Refund?” The female stall owner, who looked a lot like Sister Furong, stared at him as if he were a visitor from Mars: “Why don’t you ask around? In this whole market, when have I, Sister Hanpang, ever given a refund? Look, look!” Her sausage-like chubby fingers slapped a tattered sign: “No returns or exchanges after sale! Black and white, clear as day…”