Master of Kaidan
Chapter 240 Once, I Was a Big Shot too

Chapter 240: Chapter 240 Once, I Was a Big Shot too

"???" Listening to Old Li’s words, Feng Xue immediately had a string of question marks appear on his forehead. However, he couldn’t help the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile.

But he didn’t agree or refuse immediately. Instead, he asked naturally, with suspicion,

"Will sharing this Kaidan’s power draw the attention of the Kaidan Ancestor or the Kaidan source, leading to unnecessary hostility?"

"Rest assured, it won’t. The nature of group Kaidan is to flourish in multiple places. As long as you don’t foolishly attempt to snatch that core position, it’s easy to join in. In the end, we’re just boosting our combat power."

As Old Li spoke, he seemed worried that Feng Xue didn’t know what a group Kaidan was, so he gave him a detailed explanation. Although Feng Xue already understood this aspect, Old Li’s explanation clarified the role of his "Transmission Station" a bit more.

After weighing the pros and cons, Feng Xue thought he still had plenty of time to observe how to benefit from someone else’s Kaidan. So he replied:

"Okay, when do we set out?"

"I’m negotiating with a gate now. Recently, all major organizations have been busy with real-world activities. Some smaller portals are short of money, so renting a gate will probably be cheaper than usual. Conservative estimates put it at around eight million. Prepare the money, and by the latest, we can depart tomorrow night. If you’re interested, we can notarize it to ensure no intentional harm will come to others. I’ll have everyone sign it, so it maximizes safety."

Old Li was fairly reliable in these matters. Thinking about his newly acquired Squeezing Driver, Feng Xue quickly finalized the contract with Old Li.

...

A day later, East Mountain District, Seventh Layers...

"What the hell!"

Old Li looked at Feng Xue, eyes almost popping out of his head in astonishment. Feng Xue found it amusing, even though he had anticipated the other party would be shocked. Seeing this expression still made him feel a sense of pleasure.

"Didn’t you say you hadn’t assimilated it yet?" Old Li stared at Feng Xue’s chest—specifically at the transition of the black, white, and gray flame—looking as though he thought Feng Xue was joking. Feng Xue spread his hands nonchalantly:

"I said it was almost done..."

"You’re really fast at this..." Old Li grinned. He wanted to say more, but a surprised voice came from behind:

"Old Li, you should have told us sooner that a big shot was leading the team!"

Old Li’s expression became awkward for a moment. However, he introduced the well-dressed young man to Feng Xue:

"This is Qing Ming, and the one who doesn’t like to talk is Lu Gen. They’re code names. You should pick one for yourself so that it’s easier to communicate when we get there."

"Just call me ’Libra.’ By the way, is everyone here?" Feng Xue casually gave his public Kaidan name. Old Li didn’t show any emotion upon hearing this, as if he genuinely didn’t know what a Libra Kaidan was, and said carelessly:

"We’re waiting for one more person. Once he’s here, we can set off."

As Old Li spoke, a man in a white tunic walked over. He seemed quite amiable but had a stiff walking style, giving off a slight feeling of the uncanny valley.

"He’s here!" Old Li waved, introducing the white-clad man to the three nearby and not forgetting to say to the three:

"This is Impermanence. The name sounds a bit ominous, but he’s a good guy."

"What do you mean by ominous? White Impermanence brings wealth, you know?" Impermanence rolled his eyes at Old Li and started greeting everyone like a social terrorist.

Feng Xue observed everyone. Though identification wasn’t possible, the size and shape of their Kaidan Flames gave away some characteristics.

The weakest among them seemed to be Old Li. His flame was just like a candle in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any moment. Qing Ming’s flame shape wasn’t very tidy, it was crude and not round at all. He must have just completed assimilation recently.

Lu Gen, who didn’t like talking, seemed like a thirty-something office worker. The flame was ordinary in shape and color. It was unclear whether it wasn’t digested yet or if he used something like Feng Xue’s [Orca] Authority.

As for Impermanence, he was quite interesting. His flame was a cool tone, resembling a phosphorescent flame. It burned not violently but with great texture, possessing obvious color contrast, a typical sign of complete assimilation. Although not the strongest, he seemed to have the highest Kaidan completion among the group.

The group of five, except for Old Li, didn’t know each other well, but Impermanence’s continuous chatter kept things from going cold. This held only until a building guarded by several people with unfriendly expressions came into view.

After all, with all major forces focusing on real-world activities, anyone guarding now was certainly a gatekeeper.

There wasn’t much to say about the crossing process. Pay first, enter the gate. However, when everyone reached reality, Feng Xue quickly initiated the Complete Heaven Shifting Star Skill.

Not only him, even Old Li and everyone reacted almost simultaneously. Qing Ming even punched hard, and a scream came from a distance.

"This door has surveillance!" Qing Ming clicked his tongue. Impermanence shrugged and said:

"At least it wasn’t an ambush, which indicates this door isn’t frequently used. But seriously, what kind of accent do you have?"

"That’s normal. Parallel worlds always have some differences. In Yan Country, the dialect changes every ten miles. Given the time span of thousands of years, understanding is good enough." Old Li spoke in a "Funan"-like accent, glancing around, and suddenly released a wave of peculiar fluctuations. The originally distinct aura of the four suddenly became less conspicuous, like ordinary passers-by.

"The application of the Hermit Authority? Looks like Old Li’s Kaidan intensity isn’t strong, but his application is impressive!" Feng Xue thought, but then heard Impermanence say straightforwardly:

"Wow, Old Li, your micro-control isn’t bad. How did you end up like this?"

Old Li’s expression darkened at the words, but he noticed everyone watching him, so he revealed a bit:

"My Kaidan, it’s called Qigong Master."

Feng Xue and Qing Ming instantly understood, Lu Gen hesitated but also seemed to get it. Only Impermanence stared at the others, bewildered:

"Why do you all get it? What’s up with Qigong Master?"

"In short, Old Li used to have a very strong national-level Kaidan, enough for him to laze around on the merit book for a lifetime. Then the Kaidan collapsed, and he didn’t have any other Kaidan..." Lu Gen, the office worker-looking individual, said with a somewhat nostalgic tone. Old Li showed a cooperative look of memories he’d rather forget.

Who would have thought a Kaidan spanning nearly a billion people would collapse in just a few months?