Chapter 304: Chapter 286: What Is the Price?

At night, the full moon hung high in the sky.

Zhen Sheng City, No. 1 Zhen Sheng Bay.

The light golden curtains swayed slightly, and the soft light filled the spacious and luxurious living room.

“I hereby announce the champion of the 12th Zhen Sheng City Idol Contest is…”

“Mu Shunying!”

On the luxurious leather sofa, a figure moved slightly and then slowly opened his eyes.

This was an exceptionally handsome man.

He had a well-proportioned build, a face with deep and sculptural features, dressed in a loose white bathrobe, reclining on the leather sofa, exposing his fair collarbones and perfectly contoured muscles.

The man’s eyes appeared somewhat confused, looking towards the source of the sound in front of him, which was a massive hundred-inch giant screen television.

“Mr. Mu Shunying, after dominating as champion for nine consecutive years, how do you feel? What are your future plans?”

The camera moved away from the host in a black suit, revealing a dazzling man, tall and handsome, wearing a white and gold-embroidered tailcoat that gleamed under the lights. A gentle breeze stirred the tails of his coat like clouds.

Surrounding him like stars encircling the moon were three Spirit Beasts known for their beauty—a Spirit Snow Leopard, a Flame-Glow Night Cat, and Venus’ Snake.

The Spirit Snow Leopard was pure white, its body line was not exaggerated but carried a sense of explosive beauty, with fur that shone like ice crystals.

The Flame-Glow Night Cat, small and slender, was wreathed in a blue-golden glow; the flames at its tail flickered incessantly with its movements, with eyes playful and lively.

The petite Venus’ Snake coiled on the man’s shoulder, with scales emitting a charming pink pearlescent luster, its eyes deep and mysterious, as if it could see through everything.

The three Spirit Beasts were not only inherently beautiful, but their temperament was also extremely spiritual and elegant, forming a picturesque scene with this handsome man.

“First place.”

The man extended his right index finger, slowly raising it with a supremely confident and sunny smile: “My goal has always been to be first.”

“I will forever be beautiful, forever radiant, I will become the synonym for ’beauty’!”

Then, applause and cheers erupted like thunder, as young men and women below the stage, with tears in their eyes and as if enchanted, cheered for him.

“…”

Watching his radiant self on the TV, Mu Shunying on the sofa remained very calm, his lips not even twitching. Then he slowly stood up, walked to the kitchen, opened the double-door fridge; the cold light fell on his face, reflecting the contents inside—no delicacies or fine wines, only a few cans of cheap beer and some scattered fast food items.

Mu Shunying mechanically picked up a can of beer, popped it open with a “pshh” sound, and walked back to the living room, then slowly approached the gigantic floor-to-ceiling window.

From this hundreds-meter-high building, he overlooked the night view of Zhen Sheng Bay, with neon lights and streams of cars forming a scene full of brilliance, the city’s prosperity fully reflected.

However, such beautiful scenery, Mu Shunying’s gaze involuntarily fell on the reflection on the glass.

In the reflection, his handsome face remained perfect, but upon closer inspection, the dark circles under his eyes and the weariness of his face were unmistakable, the few strands of white hair at the temples and the nasolabial folds beside his nose appeared especially glaring under the night scene lights.

He stared blankly at his reflection, his Adam’s apple moving, and a flash of panic swept through those black gemstone-like pupils.

The can of beer slipped from his hand, falling to the ground, and the yellow liquid soaked the expensive carpet.

Without any hesitation, Mu Shunying quickly walked back to his room, sat in front of the dressing table, flipped his wrist, and several luminous injection potions with Protective Umbrella Company’s logo appeared on the desk.

He picked up one of the potions, expertly adjusted the dosage in the syringe, aimed it at his arm, and injected it without hesitation.

As the potion entered his body, a warm energy quickly spread, and his tired muscles seemed to instantly relax.

He didn’t stop, continuing to inject the other potion.

This time, the effect was even more pronounced, Mu Shunying’s fatigue on his face visibly disappeared, his skin gradually became smooth and tight again, even the emerging nasolabial folds were smoothed out, and the unsettling dark circles under his eyes completely faded away.

Looking at himself in the mirror, his lips finally curved into a faint smile, he examined himself in the mirror for a while, furrowed his brows, and then pulled out a sharp silver pair of scissors from his Spiritual Artifact, patiently trimming the glaring strands of white hair at his temples one by one.

The reflection in the mirror finally became flawless, as if it had once again merged with the radiant self on the TV.

But then, uneasiness appeared in his eyes again.

He returned to the living room, looking at the three companions lying in front of the TV.

The Spirit Snow Leopard’s fur was no longer as crystalline as before, its eyes not as pure as they were, instead they appeared somewhat cloudy;

The Flame-Glow Night Cat was no longer so lively and active, its blue-golden tail flame flickering weakly, alternating between bright and dim;

Venus’ Snake curled up, its scales with a hint of dullness, no longer as dreamy as before.

Among the three Spirit Beasts, the Spirit Snow Leopard aged the most, followed by the Flame-Glow Night Cat, with Venus’ Snake being the least affected.

Mu Shunying sat beside his companions, the three Spirit Beasts gathered around, affectionately nudging him with their heads.

A flash of guilt seemed to pass through the man’s eyes.

“…Sorry.”

As he spoke, he took out several large injection potions, injecting them into the three Spirit Beasts without a hint of hesitation, slowly pushing the plunger.

Over an hour later, they once again became radiant, just like on the TV.

But the man knew in his heart, this was just an illusion.

“I will continue to be beautiful.”

“No matter what it costs…”

The man murmured to himself.

Just then, the rejuvenated Flame-Glow Night Cat started running around the living room, leaping and stepping on the remote, the TV screen flickered, displaying what seemed to be an interview program.

To the left sat a female host, and to the right was an elderly man in a white coat, behind them on the big screen played a video of an extremely handsome black-haired youth, standing atop a hot and dangerous volcano, dark golden flames burning in his eyes.

“Professor Song, how do you view this youngest Intermediate Researcher in the history of Zhen Sheng City?”

“A rare talent,” the elderly man answered without hesitation, “Genius is no longer sufficient to describe him, I would call him a rare talent not seen in a century.”

The host continued to ask, “So, you’re saying, Lin Guang is an individual… or perhaps just with the assistance of others, he completed this paper, deciphering the ’White Phoenix Parrot’ evolutionary path?”

“You should know, that’s a path that can ascend from Green to Purple, though most people cannot afford the necessary Spiritual Materials, it undoubtedly gives them a goal and hope, so far as to say it could elevate the overall strength of the Great Xia Spirit Masters.”

“Moreover, Lin Guang is a genius Spirit Master with outstanding cultivation accomplishments, in Zhen Sheng City the likes of whom haven’t appeared for decades, a commoner genius who can rival, even defeat, noble family geniuses.”

“No one doubts how long he’ll stay in the ’mortal’ phase, some even optimistically believe he’ll glimpse the Realm of the True Master sooner than Museum Master Hua Bo…”

“I don’t understand matters of battle,” the old man waved his hand, “But when it comes to research, I am certain that since he became an Intermediate Researcher at only seventeen, becoming a Senior Researcher is a certainty, and perhaps obtaining the title of Spirit Beast Doctor isn’t a difficult task.”

“I understand your doubts, but consider this, remarkable talents like these, even hundreds of years from now, will always be remembered for their existence.”

“I see, I see.”

“Now, let’s see what comments are being made on the program that follows.”

“…”

From the TV screen behind, the man didn’t remember anything that was said.

—Even in the distant future, there will always be someone who remembers.

That handsome face once again displayed a hint of unease in his eyes.

A form of jealousy flickered, consuming him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep