Yvonne Zhu didn’t linger outside. After the car paused for a moment, it simply turned around and drove off.
Just as she reached the intersection, a white BMW happened to drive up from outside.
The driver was a man of about twenty, with a slightly gloomy look—none other than Jason Zheng, who had snatched the Small Foundation-Cultivating Pill from Joy Zheng last night.
When he saw the stretch Lincoln passing by, his face showed a hint of surprise and suspicion. "That car looks like it belongs to the Zhu clan, doesn’t it?"
"What’s the Zhu clan doing at our Zheng estate?"
He frowned slightly, his tone full of curiosity.
"Maybe it’s Yvonne Zhu herself, coming here just to see you." In the back seat, a boy about Jason’s age grinned and chimed in.
"Zhiyuan, you’re a celebrity in our circle now. Pseudo-Vajra—do you know how many people dream of reaching that realm? Looking at all of Oceanport, you’re a rare talent. When the Zheng family’s old patriarch gets back from out of town and hears about your breakthrough, he’ll definitely pay more attention to you. Your status in the Zheng family is bound to skyrocket!" The pretty girl sitting next to him covered her mouth and giggled.
As they spoke, their eyes were full of admiration and envy.
Before this, everyone knew Jason Zheng was just the son of a gardener in the Zheng family. He was only adopted by Leon Zheng, the family’s eldest son. That status was fine inside the Zheng household, but among the rich second-generation crowd, it always seemed a bit off—he wasn’t true blue blood, more like someone with an awkward background.
That’s exactly why Jason Zheng’s social connections in the circle have always been pretty weak.
Inside these old families, there aren’t that many people at the peak of Inner Strength, but there are still some. And that last step from peak Inner Strength to the Vajra realm may look small, but in reality, it’s like a giant chasm—almost impossible to cross.
If Jason Zheng had stayed stuck at peak Inner Strength, he’d never get much recognition from most people. But last night, when he broke through to Pseudo-Vajra in one go, the news spread fast and caused a stir in their little circle.
Among people their age, reaching this level was extremely rare. If he could keep going and officially make it to fifth-grade Vajra, he’d truly be a top expert!
"Exactly! Vajra realm, man—if I reached Vajra, my old man would’ve given me a company ages ago. No way I’d still be getting chewed out all the time like now."
The bespectacled guy in the back seat sighed wistfully.
"Oh, please. Like you could ever have Zhiyuan’s kind of talent? Dream on!" The pretty girl next to him shot him a look of disdain, then turned to the girl in the front passenger seat—who hadn’t said a word the whole time—and teased, "What do you think, Cindy?"
As soon as she spoke, even Jason Zheng—who’d been focused on driving—couldn’t help glancing at the girl in the passenger seat.
The girl was above average in looks and named Cindy Guan. From start to finish, she sat with her arms crossed, face full of pride.
The Guan family might not be as big as the Zhengs, but Cindy Guan’s standards were famous for being sky-high in their circle.
It wasn’t just because the Guan family had the infamous Butcher Tu—the Tiger-Leopard Butcher, a ruthless old master whose reputation made people tremble—but also because Cindy had a famously talented older brother named Austin Guan.
Austin Guan had already entered the Vajra realm while still young, and he was also a renowned overseas graduate. With all these accolades, Cindy benefited greatly, and the Guan family became a rising dark horse in Oceanport.
No one could say for sure what kind of power the Guan family might wield once Austin Guan fully matured.
Even though Jason Zheng had the Zheng surname, he’d never managed to catch Cindy’s eye—until now, when his Pseudo-Vajra breakthrough finally gave him a chance to invite her to the Zheng estate. Jason was secretly thrilled.
"Pseudo-Vajra is already impressive. A few of Grandpa Tu’s closed-door disciples are only at peak Inner Strength, and you’ve reached Vajra at your age—even if it’s just the pseudo realm, that’s still real talent." Cindy nodded, actually showing a rare hint of praise. "Of course, no matter how talented you are, you still can’t compare to my brother."
Jason Zheng smiled, "Of course I can’t compare to Austin. He’s the real genius—maybe he’ll be the one to change the whole power dynamic in Oceanport someday. I’m nowhere near his level."
"Exactly, Cindy. If I ever get the chance, I’d love to learn a thing or two from Austin myself."
Jason Zheng kept smiling, but inside he was a bit annoyed.
Being constantly outshined by someone else never feels good. But Austin Guan’s reputation and strength were so far beyond Jason’s that, even if he didn’t like it, there was nothing he could do.
On top of that, Butcher Tu was like a sword of Damocles hanging over him—Jason Zheng didn’t dare provoke him at all.
But I still have a whole bottle of pills left. Last night, just one of them helped me break through the shackles of Inner Strength and reach Pseudo-Vajra. There are more than forty left—once I finish them all, I’ll definitely reach fifth-grade, maybe even fourth-grade Vajra! When that happens, Cindy Guan, you’ll have to see me in a new light!"
Jason Zheng smiled coldly to himself, feeling a surge of pride now that his strength had grown—he was itching to show off in front of Cindy.
Thinking about this, Jason started considering when he could visit Joy Zheng again, to see if she had any more powerful pills.
If she did, he figured he could just spend another ten or twenty thousand yuan to buy them all!
"My brother’s been really busy lately. Maybe in a while, when he’s free, I’ll let you know." Cindy nodded.
"Hey, Cindy, I heard Zehao got badly hurt in Jingzhou and is still in the hospital? Why not let Jason help you deal with that problem?" The pretty girl in the back seat grinned.
"Yeah, Jason’s a Pseudo-Vajra now! With that kind of power, taking down a few punks should be no problem. Let him go teach a lesson to whoever hurt Zehao!" another friend chimed in.
Jason Zheng nodded eagerly. "It’s my duty!"
"Cindy, just tell me who it is and I’ll go take care of him today! I promise I’ll get justice for Zehao!"
Hearing this, Cindy Guan shook her head. "No need for now. Grandpa Tu’s already gone to Jinnan to find that guy, but he must’ve gotten wind of it—now he’s hiding out somewhere."
"Grandpa Tu’s still in Jinnan. Apparently, that guy acted because of Selina Shi."
Mentioning this, Cindy Guan rubbed her temples, a hint of annoyance in her eyes.
Selina Shi had arrived at the Guan estate a few days ago, and Cindy couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy toward her.