The phone began to vibrate. After reaching the peak of the Crystalization Realm, Ye Chuan had also unlocked the breakthrough requirements for the Golden Core Realm.
Ye Chuan picked up his phone and glanced at it, then silently checked his account balance.
Should I avoid its edge?
"Come on, I’ve got plenty of money now. Let’s spend!" Ye Chuan was brimming with confidence, completely free from financial anxiety.
It’s all just numbers anyway.
Ye Chuan: I have no interest in money (or do I?).
[Conditions for Golden Core formation met. Please choose your condensation method—]
[Heavenly Dao Golden Core: Materials Five Elements Spirit Orbs—Metal (0/1), Wood (0/1), Water (0/1), Fire (0/1), Earth (0/1)]
[Linglong Immortal Grass (0/1), Dragon Claw (0/1), Nine-Revolving Mushroom (0/1), Dreamvine (0/1), Icefire Grass (0/1)…]
Rewards: Significant stat boost, enhanced Heavenly Dao comprehension, all-round improvement in divine abilities.
[Earthly Dao Golden Core: Materials Three Thousand Flames (0/1), Wood Spirit Grass (0/1), Celestial Metal (0/1)]
Rewards: Stat improvement
[Human Dao Golden Core: (Spiritual energy requirement already met. Can break through directly.)]
Rewards: None
Ye Chuan: "…"
Huh?
What the heck is this dense list?
Ye Chuan double-checked the breakthrough requirements and felt his scalp tingle. The materials needed were simply too many, most of which he’d never even heard of.
There was no way Ye Chuan would settle for a Human Dao breakthrough. After all, every major realm breakthrough had rewarded him with incredible treasures, whether it was an avatar or a Dharma Idol.
"Immortal Grass…"
Suddenly, he remembered his herb garden.
He could buy a lot of immortal grass seeds.
Ye Chuan opened the garden interface and saw that all the seeds were available for purchase. As long as it could be solved with money, it wasn’t a problem.
Time to spend.
Ding-ding-dang-dang! After buying the seeds, Ye Chuan tossed them all into the herb field and paid to speed up the growth. Now, all that was left were the five spirit orbs and the Dragon Claw.
"Why can’t I just buy these materials with money now? Do I have to go to the Tianxuan Continent to find them?" Ye Chuan twitched his lips but soon noticed a small arrow next to the materials.
He tapped it, and the screen switched to reveal that the alchemy furnace could refine the spirit orbs.
"Oh?"
[Backpack detects materials—Spirit Crystals, Metal-attribute spiritual energy (Chaos). Spend 1,000 Spirit Crystals to refine Five Elements Spirit Orb (Metal)?]
[Refinement success rate: 66% (Affected by pill quality, furnace quality, alchemy level, etc.)]
Only a 66% chance?
Ye Chuan had upgraded his furnace several times, anticipating that he might need it for the Golden Core breakthrough. Yet, the success rate was still only 66%.
At least the materials weren’t an issue—just Spirit Crystals and his own Chaos-simulated metal-attribute spiritual energy.
Ye Chuan glanced at his furnace—
[Furnace: Tianyuan Furnace (Supreme Grade, Tier 5)]
[Special Effect: +5% chance to upgrade pill quality]
"Hmm… I’ve still got a few hundred million. Might as well spend." Since starting his pill-selling business, Ye Chuan was no longer short on cash.
Time to splurge.
After dumping another 200 million into upgrades, the Tianyuan Furnace finally reached Supreme Grade, Tier 10.
[Furnace: Tianyuan Furnace (Supreme Grade, Tier 10)]
[Special Effect: +10% chance to upgrade pill quality, 5% chance to refund materials]
Let’s refine!
[Refinement success rate for Five Elements Spirit Orb (Metal): 99%]
Ninety-nine percent—not bad.
Satisfied, Ye Chuan pressed the refine button.
He felt a portion of his spiritual energy being drained as flames erupted from the furnace. After a flashy animation, the furnace finally settled down.
[Refinement failed.]
Ye Chuan: "?"
Seriously?
A 1% chance, and you still fail?
Are you kidding me?
"At least 1,000 Spirit Crystals isn’t too painful." Ye Chuan was glad he’d sold off all those trash-tier cultivation manuals earlier, leaving him with 16,000 Spirit Crystals.
With a 99% success rate, surely he could refine five orbs, right?
[Congratulations! You have obtained Five Elements Spirit Orb (Metal). It has been added to your backpack.]
[Item: Five Elements Spirit Orb (Metal)]
[Effect: Increases affinity with metal-attribute spiritual energy. A rare treasure.]
With the metal orb secured, Ye Chuan refined the remaining four in one go.
[Congratulations! You have obtained Five Elements Spirit Orb (Wood). It has been added to your backpack.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained Five Elements Spirit Orb (Water). It has been added to your backpack.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained Five Elements Spirit Orb (Fire). It has been added to your backpack.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained Five Elements Spirit Orb (Earth). It has been added to your backpack.]
The furnace, despite the hefty investment, proved reliable. Six thousand Spirit Crystals later, all five orbs were in hand.
"Now, just the Dragon Claw is left." Ye Chuan checked again—this one couldn’t be bought with money.
If that was the case, he’d have to visit the Tianxuan Continent.
Luckily, he had a save point in Tianqian City, home to a massive auction house. He could ask that woman—what was her name again? Qian Duoduo?
"The system really squeezed me dry this time. Feeling broke again." Ye Chuan sighed. After all this spending, not only was his cash gone, but he’d also burned through a chunk of his Spirit Crystals.
He could’ve taken the minimum guarantee and broken through directly, but for Ye Chuan, that wasn’t an option.
Why settle for less when you can have the best?
Putting away his phone, Ye Chuan looked up to see Wang Yanran sipping tea and chatting with Bai Qianshuang about mundane topics—favorite teas, preferred foods…
She seemed in no hurry to leave.
"She really likes it here." Ye Chuan glanced around. The house had room for Wang Yanran, but there was no need.
She wasn’t a tenant, so her staying wouldn’t yield any coins or items.
Occasionally dropping by for tea was enough.
"Ye Chuan, the three clients have sent their requests." Wang Yanran suddenly turned to him after checking her phone.
"Let me see."
Wang Yanran forwarded the transformation device requirements—
First order: "A pure black armored suit with a cape, emphasizing offensive power." Simple enough. Ye Chuan could whip this up in no time for about 30 million.
Second order: "Armor primarily in magenta and black, with green goggles. Functionality: ability to steal monster powers. Preferably with a 'DDDD…K' transformation sound effect?"
Ye Chuan let out a laugh, baffled.
Seriously? Colors were fine, sound effects easy, but stealing monster abilities? Since when was that an option?
Treating me like a wishing well?
"Oh, wait—it actually exists." Ye Chuan checked the skill options and found it listed.
The unlock price? 300,000.
"But this is premium content. Pay up 300 million first, then we’ll talk."