Mount Fuji was too cold. Although the hot springs were comfortable, and Chiba Yuki and Red Wisdom took turns giving him massages, it was ultimately no match for the lively atmosphere back home.

The weather in Sichuan Province had cleared up for many days, with the last traces of snow all but gone. There were signs of a warm spring on its way, with flowers beginning to bloom.

With things settled on Chiba Yuki’s end, Li Xiang stopped going over. Instead, he spent his days at home participating in the program auditions, engaging in his Cultivation, sipping tea and wine, teasing his cute little pets, and doing farm work and chores around the house.

He also replanted some vegetables, especially lettuce. It could be grown year-round, had a short growth cycle, and was his absolute favorite, whether stir-fried, used in hot pot, or wrapped around sizzling, greasy slices of grilled meat.

Having just reached Tier Nine, Li Xiang needed to take some time to settle in and solidify his foundation. Besides, with the New Year fast approaching, he decided not to run around anymore.

It was the Chinese New Year, a time for universal celebration. He decided to stop going out to torment the tycoons of other countries, considering it a small holiday gift to them.

Li Xiang kept busy with various tasks during the day and focused on his Cultivation in the dead of night. As his Spiritual Power deepened daily, he had a sudden realization: he might have been doing things wrong before.

He had previously been hunting for special Earth Veins everywhere. While he had gained many benefits, including several Saint Tier Extraordinary Items, he now understood that these special Earth Veins could protect their respective regions during the Apocalypse and even offer opportunities to the local people.

If he dug up all the special Earth Veins, the future of Earth would be in jeopardy.

Earth belonged to all Earthlings, not just him alone.

Now that his strength and Realm had improved, it was only natural that his perspective would broaden as well.

Fortunately, aside from the one in Japan, the Earth Veins he had excavated before weren’t too far from his home. At worst, he would just have to bear the karma and provide them with extra protection during the Apocalypse.

As for those within China, he hadn’t destroyed them. On the contrary, he had repaired them, allowing three Divine Level Earth Vein Spirits to reawaken, which would be a great boon for the future.

The program auditions were in full swing, drawing more and more participants and curious tourists. Business at Li Xiang’s various shops boomed, and his tea and liquor were nearly sold out, forcing an emergency restock.

Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui were swamped, juggling the program auditions and the shop’s business.

However, despite being busy, they felt happy. It was a completely different feeling from their previous jobs, simply worlds apart.

Of course, they didn’t neglect their cultivation either, training hard for two or three hours every night. Only after working up a hearty sweat would they shower, which helped them sleep even more soundly.

Lei Jiaming led the security guards in maintaining order and handling various miscellaneous tasks. He was constantly busy but enjoyed every moment of it.

A few days later, Jiang Cai’Er suddenly returned home for the holidays. Li Xiang was quite surprised and asked, "How come you’re on break so early this year? No make-up classes?"

In previous years, the break didn’t start until a day or two before the New Year.

Jiang Cai’Er whispered, "A student at the county’s No. 2 High School jumped from a building."

"Huh?" Li Xiang was stunned for a moment. "Why?"

Jiang Cai’Er said in a low voice, "Probably too much academic pressure. It was a senior boy. I heard he got bad results on a diagnostic test, was criticized by his teacher, and then got yelled at by his family when he got home. He couldn’t get over it and just jumped out a window. Our teachers warned us not to talk about it or spread it around."

Li Xiang was speechless. ’The Apocalypse hasn’t even arrived, and he’s already croaked. Was it really that serious?’

Jiang Cai’Er felt a pang of guilt. Last year, she had posted photos of herself grinding practice problems in the early hours of New Year’s Day to one-up her classmates. Now, she couldn’t help but feel a little responsible.

"I’m never posting anything like that again."

Li Xiang gently patted her back and pulled her into a comforting embrace. It had been a whole year. The student’s suicide had nothing to do with her. Besides, she didn’t know him, and he wasn’t even from her school. It was just a toxic environment, and the boy’s ability to handle pressure was too low. ’In the Apocalypse, people like that would have a hard time surviving anyway.’

Jiang Cai’Er said, "You handle pressure so well. The Apocalypse is less than nine years away, and you’re still preparing for a village gala."

Li Xiang shrugged. "That just goes to show the importance of entertainment. You have to balance work and rest to go the distance. Otherwise, when the Apocalypse comes, no one will be able to hold on; they’ll all be jumping off buildings."

"Besides, this isn’t just pure entertainment. We’ve incorporated many elements of intangible cultural heritage into our village gala, which is a form of cultural preservation. During the Apocalypse, culture will be incredibly important for people. It can strengthen unity and boost morale. An optimistic attitude and an unyielding will are the best weapons against the Apocalypse."

Jiang Cai’Er’s eyes sparkled.

Li Xiang added, "I think the county’s No. 2 High School is my cousin’s school. I’ll ask her about it later."

Sure enough, that afternoon, Li Xiang’s cousin Shen Wenqian and his younger cousin Shen Zimo arrived, dragging their luggage. They had come on their maternal grandfather’s three-wheeler and were planning to stay at Li Xiang’s house for a few days.

Li Xiang, of course, welcomed them warmly. He brought out good cigarettes, fine liquor, and all sorts of delicious snacks for his grandfather and cousins, then personally prepared rooms for them.

He had plenty of empty rooms, so they each got their own.

While they were having snacks, Li Xiang asked about the student who had jumped. Shen Wenqian couldn’t help but sigh. "He was a senior. I met him a few times in the student council. He even told me my news report for the sports meet was well-written and eloquent. I never thought..." Her eyes turned red as she spoke.

And so, Li Xiang found himself consoling someone else.

Li Xiang later learned more about the incident through other channels. He and a few leaders from the county’s political consultative conference went to the deceased’s home with some gifts to offer their condolences—a small gesture to show they cared.

But an incident like this reflected poorly on the community, so efforts were made to contain the news and keep it low-profile. Even within the deceased’s own residential complex, many families were unaware of what had happened.

After all, in the city, residents of the same complex often don’t interact much with each other.

Some people had seen an ambulance and then a police car arrive in the middle of the night from their windows, but that was it. There was no news after that.

The incident was soon no longer spoken of. However, that winter break, all junior high and high schools in the county canceled their make-up classes.

Shen Wenqian and Shen Zimo were, of course, also going to perform in the gala this year. They had moved into Li Xiang’s house specifically to rehearse.

Li Xiang brought out the ingredients he had been saving up—cooking beef, venison, and all kinds of seafood. He treated his cousins to a different lavish spread every day. The other women also came over to eat together, and the food was even better than what you’d find at a grand hotel.

In short, he had delegated all the work to his subordinates, leaving him to handle logistics and prepare food and drinks.

Then, his Little Aunt and her son, his cousin, also came back. His aunt brought her new husband and stepdaughter, while his cousin brought his girlfriend and her parents. This whole large group also moved into Li Xiang’s house.

With so many rooms, there was more than enough space for everyone.

Li Xiang’s maternal grandparents also came to visit for a few days. With so many people around, the house was bustling with excitement, and his paternal grandmother was absolutely delighted.

Jiang Cai’Er’s six hundred drones arrived. Li Xiang called over Lei Xiaonan and others to help unbox, assemble, and calibrate each one.

The second phase of the Shelter had been designed with areas like a drone hangar and a robot dog kennel, which were classified as armories. It didn’t take much effort to hastily install an automatic charging platform.

It wasn’t a deluxe renovation, just rough concrete walls, but drones didn’t need fancy finishing anyway. Keeping the space ventilated and dry was all that mattered.

Jiang Cai’Er used the "Quantum Computer" to "hack" all six hundred drones, turning them into her loyal wingmen. With a single thought, she could control all of them by herself.

She could also multitask, simultaneously controlling the robot dogs and other devices, including the Extraordinary Spirit Armor, the Purple Mirage Armor.

Li Xiang had originally wanted to buy her some more robots, but he felt the technology wasn’t mature enough yet. He decided to wait. In a few years, it would surely be more advanced.

Night fell. Inside a tunnel in the second phase of the Shelter, an electric gate opened automatically. WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~ A dense swarm of drones flew out, their flight control top-notch. They performed all sorts of special effects in the sky above Li Family Village, stunning the villagers from all the surrounding areas.

The drone show became a special attraction, and many tourists would wait until evening to watch it before heading home.

Many media outlets from the county, and even quite a few from the province, scrambled to report on it.

Xu Xuan and Zhang Youyou also came over to join in on the fun.

Li Family Village became a model for new rural development.

Six days later, on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, at 6:30 p.m., the second Li Family Village Spring Festival Gala officially kicked off amidst a festive atmosphere.