"It's nothing." Bai Qianshuang realized her emotions were off. She patted her expressionless face and gave Luo Xi a slight nod.
"Are you really okay?" Luo Xi couldn't help but sweat a little when she saw the faint red mark on Bai Qianshuang's delicate cheek.
It looked painful.
But since Bai Qianshuang didn’t want to talk about it, Luo Xi naturally wouldn’t pry.
……
Several days passed in a flash.
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened. Ye Chuan didn’t even log into the Tianxuan Continent—he just claimed his daily rewards and left it at that.
Meanwhile, Luo Xi spent her time learning the basics of cultivation from Bai Qianshuang, and at night, Ye Chuan would help infuse her with spiritual energy.
Luo Xi’s progress wasn’t slow. In just a few days, she had reached the mid-stage of the Qi Refining Realm and could now perform basic spells.
"Chuan, this is amazing!"
In an open training area, Luo Xi stretched out her palm, where frost crystals began to gather.
This was a practice room Ye Chuan had built inside their house using the renovation system—a vast, empty space spanning over a hundred square meters, perfect for practicing spells and techniques.
Luo Xi had long stopped questioning how a house that looked no bigger than a hundred square meters from the outside could contain such a massive room. She simply chalked it up to Ye Chuan’s cultivation abilities.
Everything made perfect sense.
"Chuan, does this mean I can fight those monsters now?" Luo Xi asked excitedly.
"You want to fight them?" Ye Chuan replied.
"Yeah!"
"You don’t really need to." With a snap of his fingers, dark mist swirled beneath Luo Xi’s feet, coalescing into over a dozen shadowy beasts—giant wolves, eagles, and stags, each radiating a terrifying aura.
"…?!" Luo Xi blinked in surprise.
"These are the ‘Pokémon’ I tamed from the rift last time. Since their strength scales with my cultivation level, you don’t need to worry about your safety," Ye Chuan explained with a chuckle.
"Don’t worry."
Normally, Ye Chuan wouldn’t have enough mana to sustain so many shadow beasts, as each one continuously drained his reserves.
But there was one problem—
The Holy Grail.
A legendary-tier artifact gifted by Lilith, granting him infinite mana.
No worries about running out.
No hacks, just pure, hard-earned pay-to-win.
Fights? Always a gang-up.
Take it up with my Pokémon.
"No way!" Luo Xi clenched her fists, as if psyching herself up. "I’ll train hard so I won’t hold you back! Hmph, maybe I’ll even surpass you one day. Then I’ll be the one protecting you!"
Watching the girl’s adorable display—pointing her finger and flashing a bright grin—Ye Chuan couldn’t help but laugh as he crossed his arms.
"Sure, let’s see if you can actually protect me by then."
Just as Luo Xi was beaming, she suddenly felt something on her finger. Looking down, she saw a delicate, intricately crafted ring.
"A ring?" She examined it curiously before tilting her head. "Did you buy this for me?"
"Yep. A proposal ring. Pack your things tomorrow—we’re getting married. Bring your household register."
"Huh? Chuan, is this really how you propose?" Luo Xi immediately pulled out her phone.
"Let me ask Mom—she has the household register."
As she was about to message Luo’s mother, she noticed Ye Chuan’s amused expression and gasped. "Chuan! You’re messing with me, aren’t you? This isn’t a real proposal!"
Ye Chuan smirked. "You just turned legal. You really wanna marry me already? Think you’re ready?"
"Jerk!" Luo Xi threw a flurry of weak punches at him.
"This ring is a storage artifact. Try using it," Ye Chuan explained.
Storage?
Though confused at first, Luo Xi quickly learned how to operate the spatial ring under Ye Chuan’s guidance. "Wow, this is so convenient! Now when I set up my street stall, packing up will be a breeze!"
Before she could finish, Ye Chuan flicked her forehead. "You’re a cultivator now, and you’re still thinking about street vending?"
"Eheh, old habits die hard." She gently touched the ring, her expression softening. "Hehe… Chuan, I really love it. Thank you."
"Then how are you gonna repay me?"
"I’ll cook something delicious for you~"
"Deal. Feed me now."
"Chuan, let’s go outside first…"
After a bit more training, evening arrived before they knew it.
"The auction’s about to start. I should log in and check it out." Ye Chuan sat on the bed. He had been idling the past few days, waiting for the auction. Now that it was finally happening, he figured he might as well see how much his cultivation manuals would sell for.
Tianxuan Continent, booting up!
……
……
The next moment, Ye Chuan opened his eyes inside an inn in Tianqian City.
"Meh, it’s alright." He patted the mattress behind him. Definitely not as comfortable as home, but since he didn’t plan on staying overnight in the Tianxuan Continent, it didn’t matter.
Time to head out.
"Honored Immortal, will you be extending your stay? Today marks the fifth day," the innkeeper called out as soon as he heard footsteps descending the wooden stairs.
"How long does the auction last?" Ye Chuan asked.
"Just one day."
"Then no need." Without another word, Ye Chuan strode out of the inn.
The streets outside were packed. The moment he stepped out, he was met with a sea of people crowding the pathways.
"This is insane." Ye Chuan couldn’t help but mutter. He had expected a large turnout, but not to this extent.
What a spectacle.
"Let’s head to the auction first." He made his way toward the Treasures Pavilion.
A maidservant approached him as soon as he arrived. "Esteemed guest, do you have a reserved seat? If not, you may only observe from the outer area."
"Reserved seat?" Ye Chuan hadn’t been aware of that.
Not that it mattered—he was only here to see how his items fared, not to buy anything.
If he took a liking to something, he could always… borrow it from the winning bidder later.
Still, he pulled out a token. "I have this Treasures Pavilion pass. Does it get me a seat?"
"Ah, a distinguished member! Of course, right this way." The maidservant guided him to an entrance. "You may proceed here."
"Got it." Ye Chuan hadn’t expected the perks to be this good. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
