You should know that Brian Lane spent seven hundred years of arduous cultivation and only broke through to the Core Formation stage twenty years ago, reaching the realm of Shattering Core and Refining Infant. Among the second-generation disciples of the Divine Sect, fewer than fifteen have managed to condense Qi into a core. Edward Lewis was originally a vampire embraced by thirteen drops of blood, later cultivated into a Zombie King, and with the combined effects of his Blood Refining Technique and the True Explanation of the Great River, his overall strength even surpassed that of Earl Hopkinson, reaching the level of a vampire prince. This time, if he could form the Grand Dao Golden Core, he would be able to use Samadhi True Fire to forge artifacts, and could also cultivate powerful high-level Grand Dao Golden Core spells—his strength would undoubtedly leap forward. Although he did not deliberately pursue great power, anyone would be overjoyed at such a breakthrough in cultivation.

Chapter Six

Next, Edward Lewis used the excuse of traveling to hide away for more than a month. During this month, Edward Lewis practiced Samadhi True Fire and refined protective magical artifacts. There was no shortage of materials; on Mount Diancang, Edward Lewis nearly drained Brian Lane dry, so he had collected plenty of materials for artifact forging and pill refining. He also knew that, as a first-time artifact refiner, he wouldn’t be able to make anything truly valuable, so he didn’t dare use the most precious materials. Over the month, he wasted countless materials, but finally managed to make a wrist guard that would transform into a shield to protect him when attacked. He also used two pieces of top-grade celestial jade to make two protective talismans, inscribed with several defensive formations, intending to give them to his parents.

Generally, when a cultivator forges an artifact for the first time, there will be elders from their sect to guide them. It’s hard to control the strength and heat properly the first time, and it’s also difficult to successfully set up formations in the artifact with one’s primordial spirit. But Edward Lewis was alone and unwilling to return to Mount Diancang, so he had to figure it out by himself. This month brought considerable gains; he had become proficient in various artifact forging techniques, could use them skillfully, and the speed had increased greatly. He thought that in the future, he could forge artifacts at home without any worries.

When he got home and put down his luggage, Mrs. Lewis immediately started lecturing him. Edward Lewis was already mentally prepared and kept silent. After a while, Mrs. Lewis remembered that over the past month, the older brothers and sisters had sent over some photos of girls, so she hurried to show them to Edward Lewis. Frightened, Edward Lewis blurted out, “I’m going to take a shower,” and fled in panic.

Edward Lewis turned on his computer and went online. He usually did some trading and managed his investments online. Who would have thought he actually had a talent for investing? After returning from Mount Diancang, Edward Lewis bought some stocks and even registered his own investment company—money? Not a problem. If he spent all of Brian Lane’s, there was still plenty left. The little vampire, with none of the pride of the blood clan, shamelessly equated his master’s possessions with his own. The old gentleman had spent five years in Xi’an, and when he had nothing to do, he started a company. After five years of operation, it had grown to a modest scale. After the old gentleman left, the company was left to Edward Lewis, who merged the two companies into one. He rarely went to the company, managing affairs via email—of course, if he happened to be walking nearby, he would occasionally drop in for a look.

The company’s manager usually sent Edward Lewis an email every week to report on the company’s status, only calling his cell phone if something urgent came up. After more than a month offline, he had no idea how things were going. Opening his inbox, he found four new emails. He read them one by one—nothing major, everything was normal. Only the last one mentioned the most important matter: acquiring a company, with a transaction amount of over five million, and asked if Edward Lewis wanted to take a look.

Should he go or not? Edward Lewis pondered. Hmm, it was about time to fulfill his responsibilities as a boss. Besides, staying at home lately meant being tormented by his mom all the time—that was his main reason for wanting to go to the company: to escape.

He sent an email to the company’s general manager, Henry King, telling him he would come to the company the next day, then turned off his phone and went to sleep. The next morning, Edward Lewis got up early and dashed out before his mom could catch him. He grabbed a bite to eat at a street stall, checked the time—it was still early—so he wandered around a park for a while before hailing a taxi to the company.

Edward Lewis’s company was called “Yalin,” with total assets of about thirty million. The headquarters was in a thirty-story building, and the company rented the entire eighteenth floor—Edward Lewis’s own decision, to commemorate being Brian Lane’s eighteenth disciple. Henry King arrived at the company early in the morning. Fortunately, he always checked his email before bed, or he wouldn’t have known Edward Lewis was coming today—such an urgent matter, and he was only notified by email. Actually, Edward Lewis didn’t think it was necessary to inform anyone at the company of his visit; it didn’t matter either way, so he just sent a casual email. Early that morning, all the employees were notified in advance that the long-absent boss would be coming today. The male employees scrambled to tidy up their messy desks, stacking files neatly, straightening their ties and suits, and smoothing their shirts; the female employees shrieked as they rushed to the restroom to touch up their makeup—touching up makeup so early in the morning! Most people weren’t very familiar with the rarely-seen boss, but the male employees all knew they had to leave a diligent impression, and the female employees all knew he was a diamond bachelor. After a flurry of chaos, everything was in perfect order before Edward Lewis arrived.