High Martial: I Grind Professions

He had been forcibly yanked from the critical meditative state of condensing his shadow Primordial Power.

Beneath Saphis’s tightly shut eyelids, his eyeballs spun violently. His sharp brows instantly furrowed into a knot of pure malevolence.

He utterly loathed being disturbed like this during his cultivation.

He forced down his anger and coldly opened his eyes.

His eyes were so deep they bordered on pure darkness.

Deep within his pupils, a dark vortex that seemed capable of devouring everything spun slowly.

The violent rage in his eyes subsided a fraction only when his icy gaze fell upon the caller’s name—"Hodge."

But the impatience and annoyance remained clearly etched upon his pale features.

This "Hodge" was one of his many lackeys who was at least somewhat useful.

He was a low-level service personnel at a branch of the Source Net.

Saphis had assigned him the specific task of keeping an eye on Isabel’s movements.

"Hmph." With a slight mental command, Saphis accepted the call.

HUMMM!

A slightly blurry virtual projection rapidly solidified before him.

The figure in the projection was short and stooped, dressed in the gray uniform of a Source Net service personnel.

He had a flat nose, shifty triangular eyes, and a fawning, almost subservient smile plastered on his face. It was Hodge—a nobody who wouldn’t make a single ripple if tossed into the sea of people on Alka Star.

"L-Lord Saphis." The virtual figure of Hodge nervously wrung his scrawny hands.

His triangular eyes carefully observed Saphis’s face, which was as dark as a thundercloud.

His voice was a mixture of deliberately obsequious fawning and unconcealable fear.

"I know you are cultivating at this hour, My Lord, and I wouldn’t dare disturb you for the world, but... but after thinking it over, I decided I absolutely must report this to you at once!"

Saphis’s thin, bloodless lips pressed into a straight line. His voice was ice. "Speak. You’d better have a reason good enough to justify interrupting me, or else..."

He left the threat unfinished, but its silent weight crashed down, making the projected Hodge recoil violently.

It was as if that icy killing intent could pierce the virtual projection and strike his very soul.

"It’s... it’s about Lady Isabel!" Hodge squeaked, afraid to be even a second too late. His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, yet it was tinged with the thrill of reporting a sensational secret.

"Just now! It was just now! While I was patrolling Zone B, I saw it with my own two eyes! Lady Isabel went into the villa of a new young man, all by herself! She stayed for quite a while before coming out!"

The name "Isabel" sent distorted ripples across the seemingly placid surface of Saphis’s mind.

An imperceptible flash of heat sparked deep in his eyes before being instantly smothered by a deeper malevolence and icy possessiveness.

He gave a slight lift of his chin. No words were spoken, but the invisible pressure urged Hodge to continue.

"Do you know who he is?" Saphis asked, his expression remaining icily calm.

And yet, the dark purple energy that had been swirling steadily around the chamber suddenly faltered.

"Not... not yet, I don’t know his name," Hodge stammered, swallowing hard. "I only know he’s a newcomer who was just certified by the Source Net branch today and officially moved in. Judging by his aura... he seems to be a Venerable?"

"Villa number?" Saphis’s voice was devoid of any inflection, which only made it more menacing.

"Villa 11, Zone B," Hodge answered quickly, his shifty eyes glinting with a desire for praise.

"Mm." Saphis let out a cold grunt and waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing a fly. "I know. You’re dismissed."

The words had barely left his lips when the projected image vanished, as if it had never been there at all.

The cultivation chamber was once again plunged into dead silence.

Bathed in the glow of the dark purple energy, Saphis’s face looked even more pale and sinister.

’Zone B, Villa 11... a newcomer...’ He chewed on the words under his breath.

Without the slightest hesitation, Saphis closed his eyes, his consciousness instantly plunging into the vast, boundless Virtual Cosmos.

With a swirl of light and shadow, his virtual avatar materialized inside a grand hall steeped in an air of ancient nobility.

Dark-gold pillars were embossed with intricate star charts, and the mirror-like floor reflected the illusory Star River flowing across the domed ceiling.

This was a permanent residence he had purchased in the Virtual Cosmos at great expense, a testament to the heritage of the Yingge Clan and his own status.

He was in no mood to admire it. With a flicker, his form reappeared at a hidden communication node deep within the hall.

He sent out a specific pulse with his powerful consciousness. Soon, a virtual figure whose features were obscured appeared before him.

"Look up information on a new member of the Source Net," Saphis’s voice echoed coldly through the virtual space.

"Joined today. Residence is Villa 11, Zone B, in the core area of the Alka Star Source Net branch."

The shadowy figure wasted no words, quoting a price directly: "Five million Primordial Stones. Information on internal Source Net members is highly classified. That’s a fixed price, no haggling."

"Five million Primordial Stones?!" Even the face of Saphis’s virtual avatar twitched.

That sum was nearly enough to purchase a high-quality Tier One Star Lord Level weapon!

"Lord Saphis, you know the rules," the shadowy figure’s voice was flat.

"Looking up information on a Source Net member, especially a new resident in the core area, requires pulling a lot of strings. There are risks involved. Five million Primordial Stones is the price, and that’s already considering you’re a regular client."

A cold glint flashed in Saphis’s eyes. In the end, the fires of jealousy and his burning curiosity won out over the pain of spending the Primordial Stones.

Gritting his teeth, he instantly transferred the huge sum from his virtual account.

After confirming receipt of the payment, the shadowy figure let out a low laugh. "A man of action! Young Master Saphis, wait just a moment. I’ll have your results shortly."

With that, the shadowy figure distorted and vanished from Saphis’s sight.

The wait seemed to stretch on endlessly. Saphis stood alone in the empty, luxurious hall, a palpable, oppressive aura radiating from him.

A few minutes later, the shadowy figure reappeared.

Wasting no time, a specially encrypted stream of data was transmitted directly into Saphis’s consciousness.

"Pleasure doing business with you." With that, the figure vanished once more.