You're Different from Other Girls

After finishing his discussion with Wang Yanran and securing the payment, Ye Chuan returned to the classroom.

As soon as he sat down, he felt a pair of eyes quietly watching him from the side.

Turning his head, he saw the girl next to him resting her head on the desk, her cheek pressed against her arm. Her beautiful eyes seemed to want to say something, but in the end, they just drooped slightly.

When their gazes met, Luo Xi’s eyelashes fluttered.

"Chuan Chuan," she called out softly, shifting her face slightly closer to his, her expression dimming a little. "What did you two talk about outside? You looked really happy."

"Wang Yanran also wanted to buy my medicine, so we just went out to discuss it," Ye Chuan explained with a smile. Seeing the unusually subdued girl, he reached out and poked her soft cheek.

"What’s wrong? Didn’t I tell you there’s nothing between us? Are you jealous?"

"You’re different from all those other girls."

Hearing his words, Luo Xi’s mood instantly brightened. The corners of her lips curled upward uncontrollably as she buried her face against his arm. "Hmph, no. I’m just a little sleepy."

During class, after the money had come in, Ye Chuan pulled out his phone and started tinkering with the matter of the Core Formation Pills.

Now that he had suddenly come into wealth, he naturally wanted to seize the momentum and push his cultivation to the Core Formation realm. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to continue passively leveling up.

"Within third-grade quality, I won’t ask for more," Ye Chuan muttered to himself. Considering he had no idea about the success rate of refining Core Formation Pills, he figured it was better to be a little conservative.

But then another thought struck him—he had nine million in hand now. Why couldn’t he aim for a first-grade Core Formation Pill?

Spend!

Spend like an immortal!

To cultivate immortality, one must first go mad.

No spending, no success.

Ye Chuan immediately started refining.

After tossing over a million into the process, he stared silently at his inventory—rows of fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade Core Formation Pills.

Not a single one was even fourth-grade, let alone within third-grade.

"Is it really this rigged?" Ye Chuan’s lips twitched. This was a million yuan—enough to buy a house—gone without even a splash.

If money weren’t so easy to come by now, his heart would’ve been bleeding.

"Twenty-four thousand a day, seven hundred twenty thousand a month. A million is like a month and a half of rental income," Ye Chuan sighed, then silently consoled himself that this was just pocket change.

He needed to broaden his horizons. With greater strength, wouldn’t he earn even more?

It was just a measly month and a half of spending money!

Gritting his teeth, Ye Chuan dumped two million worth of materials into the refining process.

He was already in this deep. Backing out now would mean pure loss.

As Ye Chuan kept accelerating the cauldron’s refining speed, the interface suddenly flashed with golden light!

It’s here!

[Congratulations! You have obtained a second-grade Core Formation Pill. It has been placed in your inventory.]

Second-grade!

"Second-grade is fine, second-grade is fine." Ye Chuan let out a long exhale. His goal was within third-grade, and getting a second-grade pill from thirty batches of materials could be considered lucky.

Time to step into the Core Formation realm.

Just as Ye Chuan was about to use the second-grade Core Formation Pill, his gaze fell on the dozens of other pills in his inventory, and his hand paused.

You only live once.

What if the next batch hits the jackpot?

With a long lifespan ahead in immortal cultivation, laying the foundation was a one-time opportunity. Once his strength improved, wouldn’t money come easily?

Why not let the money grow?

"..." Ye Chuan fell silent. He glanced at his remaining balance, then back at the cauldron in front of him.

Go big or go home!

Ye Chuan immediately upgraded the cauldron twice.

[Cauldron: Nine-Flame Liyan Cauldron (Supreme-Grade Tier 2)]

[Core Formation Pill Refining: 100% success rate, 0% failure rate, 0% explosion rate, 5% chance of pill quality upgrade (Success rate depends on pill quality, cauldron quality, and refining level.)]

Spend!

Ye Chuan threw in more materials, nearly exhausting the money Wang Yanran had given him.

As the notifications kept popping up, Ye Chuan silently watched the colors flashing on the screen.

The materials dwindled, but not a single second-grade pill appeared.

Ye Chuan’s heart grew colder with each glance.

Had he lost it all?

This was eight million.

"Give me something!"

Finally, in the last few attempts, the cauldron erupted with dazzling golden light!

[Congratulations! You have obtained a first-grade Core Formation Pill. It has been placed in your inventory.]

[Congratulations! Your Nine-Flame Liyan Cauldron has successfully triggered the pill quality upgrade. The first-grade Core Formation Pill has been upgraded to Nine-Flame Core Elixir (Supreme-Grade).]

Huh?

Not only did he get a first-grade pill, but the cauldron’s upgrade chance had also landed on it?!

Ye Chuan nearly jumped out of his seat.

Holy—

"What’s wrong, Chuan Chuan?" Luo Xi asked, confused by his sudden reaction.

"Nothing."

Ye Chuan steadied his breathing and immediately checked the pill in his inventory.

[Item: Nine-Flame Core Elixir (Supreme-Grade)

Using this will allow you to break through to the Core Formation realm and comprehend an additional divine ability.]

[Requirements met. Ready for Core Formation.]

This was it. This was the real deal.

An extra divine ability.

But this wasn’t the right place to break through. Every time Ye Chuan advanced to a major realm, he attracted the heavens’ wrath.

Going back to the high-voltage tower was an option, but Ye Chuan had a better idea.

The Tianxuan Continent!

Death there wasn’t permanent, and after unlocking the full-dive adventure mode, he could attempt his breakthrough there. Even if he couldn’t withstand the heavenly tribulation, he wouldn’t actually die!

"Suddenly, buying the full-dive adventure doesn’t seem like a waste anymore."

Putting down his phone, Ye Chuan felt immensely satisfied.

The eight million didn’t feel like a loss anymore.

"Have I been conditioned too much? Why does this feel like money well spent?" Ye Chuan mused silently. Still, he figured he should invest in some assets and enjoy life a little. Otherwise, the money would just tempt the universe’s money-sucking beasts.

First, a car. A house could wait.

With over a million still left, Ye Chuan decided to upgrade his ride.

That way, Luo Xi wouldn’t have to walk to school anymore.

"Chuan Chuan, what are you thinking about?" Luo Xi asked curiously, noticing his daze.

"Nothing. Just remembering the days when I was broke and borrowed your bike to get to school," Ye Chuan chuckled. Back then, Luo Xi had a bicycle, and she’d let him ride it to carry her to school.

But one day, they accidentally crashed into a stone pillar and wrecked it. Too scared to tell their parents, they spent the next half-year walking to school together.

The memories made him sentimental.

"That Phoenix-brand bicycle? You still remember that?" Luo Xi smiled. It had been years, and she’d even taken the blame back then, afraid her parents would scold Ye Chuan.