Fang Zhen purified the molten gold, then used a pair of tongs to lift the crucible out of the electric furnace.

He poured the molten gold into a mold.

The size and volume of the mold were designed to form a one-kilogram gold bar once the molten gold was poured in.

The molten gold filled the mold, leaving the impurities behind in the crucible.

Fang Zhen switched to another pair of tongs, picked up the mold, and placed it into a bucket of cooling water on the side.

SZZZLE!

As the high-temperature metal entered the cold water, it made a piercing hissing sound as white steam billowed up.

A bucket containing over twenty liters of cold water was brought to a near boil in just five or six seconds, almost as if it had surpassed 100 degrees Celsius.

After waiting a moment, the gold cooled down.

Using the tongs, he lifted the mold from the bucket of cooling water. A one-kilogram gold bar had taken shape.

Looking at the gold bar—which was nearly square but was actually a flat rectangle, somewhat resembling a gold disk—Fang Zhen felt a sense of satisfaction.

Melting the Gold Ropes into gold bars didn't increase the total amount of gold—in fact, it was slightly lighter due to the impurities being burned off—but it was very practical.

He had too many Gold Ropes, and trading them directly would be illogical and suspicious.

Although privately cast gold wasn't as good as the national standard, it at least made it legitimate.

He could easily claim the source was loose gold collected from the countryside, or some other channel.

Gold was gold; there was no difference between one piece and another.

Once he obtained the proper trading qualifications, he could legally enter the circulation market.

At current gold prices, one gold bar was worth six to seven hundred thousand.

If he smelted a few more to keep in reserve, he wouldn't face a personal financial crisis again.

He would also have money to open a lab, or even purchase necessary supplies and factories.

Fang Zhen looked at the gold bar, quite pleased.

He took a short break, then continued working.

By evening, Fang Zhen walked out of the casting workshop, carrying a large backpack.

His body was slightly tired, but his Spirit was buzzing with excitement.

He had used over a thousand Gold Ropes to smelt seven one-kilogram gold bars.

Converted to RMB, the seven gold bars were worth between 4.3 and 4.9 million yuan.

Satisfied, Fang Zhen carried the bag of gold bars, locked the door to the casting workshop, got in his car, and returned home.

A night passed.

At 6:55 in the morning, Fang Zhen opened his eyes in his own familiar, soft, and comfortable bed.

He didn't feel the urge to laze in bed and got up immediately.

It wasn't an alarm clock that woke him, but the "Instance Life Game."

Ever since he started being able to enter the instances, he had become self-disciplined effortlessly, without having to consciously change or suffer for it.

After getting up and pouring a glass of mineral water from the water dispenser, he picked up his phone to check his messages.

His company's vice president, He Yilin, had sent some work reports. They were mainly about account reconciliations and tax filings, both regular and supplementary. She also informed him that they were making progress with the Modu Gold Exchange; things were in motion, and there should be a result within half a month.

Fang Zhen didn't want to get too involved in the daily affairs; as long as he was aware of the situation, it was enough.

Another message was from a newly added contact.

The sender's profile picture was of an athletically built woman, and she had sent a voice message.

He played the voice message, and a crisp, professional woman's voice sounded out: "Mr. Fang, regarding the private paragliding lesson you booked for today, you requested a high-intensity training session. It will start at 8:30 AM and end at 4:30 PM."

"I'm all set on my end. I'll be waiting for you at the base on the outskirts of the city at 8:30 sharp. I hope you can be on time."

Fang Zhen felt a bit more alert.

After he got home from smelting the gold bars yesterday, he still had some time, so he opened a local review app, found a paragliding club, and after a brief chat, purchased a private one-on-one course.

The terrain in the instance worlds included forests and rivers, and he estimated that mountains, deserts, or even oceans might appear in the future.

Besides wanting to acquire new vehicles, he also wanted to learn new skills to cope with the increasingly diverse instance worlds.

Paragliding was a very useful skill.

'If a horde of enemies cornered me on a cliff, a desperate situation where they thought I was doomed, I could just pull out a paraglider and coolly fly away right under their noses.'

'The thought alone is pretty satisfying.'

You could never have too many skills like that. The more skills you mastered, the better your chances of survival.

He wanted to rest for a few days, and learning to paraglide was both meaningful and a form of recreation.

He wasn't short on cash now, so he signed up for a private instructor.

He didn't know which instructor was the best; their profiles all looked great, each one seemingly more experienced than the last.

With no other criteria to go on, Fang Zhen, choosing between the most experienced instructor and the most expensive one, picked the female instructor who had the best figure, the largest chest, and looked the prettiest.

The person who had just sent the voice message was that very instructor: Wu Peini, with her hot body and beautiful face.

"OK, I'll be there on time," Fang Zhen replied.

He put down his phone and went to wash up and eat breakfast.

「An hour or so later.」

Fang Zhen drove to a paragliding club located more than twenty kilometers outside downtown Xiahai City.

He had never been here before. After his GPS guided him into the club's area, he found the scenery was quite lovely. Beyond a lush forest was a large, open grassy field. The green expanse was vibrant and full of life, yet clearly well-maintained and tidy.

It was a bright, sunny day. The green grass and blue sky gave it the feel of a hidden paradise, broadening one's mind and creating a sense of open relaxation.

'There's a place like this around Xiahai?'

Fang Zhen was a bit surprised; he had never noticed it before.

But that was to be expected.

Xiahai City wasn't small, and it was impossible for one person to know every single place.