Bai Qianshuang was well aware that she had already received countless favors from Ye Chuan. If she were to ask for spirit stones now, she would likely come across as insatiably greedy in his eyes.
Yet, Bai Qianshuang truly needed spirit stones to replenish her spiritual energy. The ambient qi in this world was so sparse it was like searching for a needle in a vast ocean, whereas spirit stones could genuinely help her recover her strength. With enough of them, she might even be able to break through to higher realms.
Just as Bai Qianshuang was wrestling with her thoughts, her eyes filled with conflict, Ye Chuan suddenly spoke up. "If there's spiritual energy inside, why don’t you take all of them?"
With that, he shoved the entire pile of spirit stones into her arms.
"B-but… I have nothing to give you in return," Bai Qianshuang stammered, caught off guard by his generosity. She shook her head, feeling the weight of her unpayable debts to him. Gratitude like this could never be fully repaid.
"It’s fine. Just staying here is repayment enough for me," Ye Chuan replied with a warm smile. "A girl as lovely as you is a sight for sore eyes."
His sincere, selfless grin was like a pebble tossed into the tranquil lake of Bai Qianshuang’s heart, sending ripples across its surface. Clutching the spirit stones tightly, she abandoned any pretense of reluctance and declared solemnly,
"I, Bai Qianshuang, hereby swear an oath to the heavens—I shall protect you until the end of your natural lifespan. Should I break this vow, may my soul be extinguished."
Ye Chuan blinked in surprise at her earnest vow.
Wait, I just gave you some spirit stones. Are you really this moved?
Then again, compared to high-level cultivators, a mortal’s lifespan of less than a hundred years was but a fleeting moment—barely enough time for a single meditation session. It seemed Bai Qianshuang intended to guard him until his dying breath.
Well—that—sounds—perfect!
Now that he had also begun cultivating, who knew how many years he might live? If this golden goose kept laying eggs every day, things were looking up!
"Ahem, Qianshuang, your oath might be a bit too grand," Ye Chuan coughed lightly, trying to sound serious. "All I did was give you some spirit stones and snacks."
"Too grand?" Bai Qianshuang hesitated. Had her intensity frightened him?
"Uh…" Seeing her innocent confusion, Ye Chuan quickly backtracked. "Well, maybe not. After all, even a drop of kindness deserves an ocean of gratitude. It’s only natural you’d feel this way."
Bai Qianshuang nodded in agreement. Exactly.
"Don’t worry about it. I’ll go see if I can dig up anything else from my childhood stash. You focus on absorbing the energy from these spirit stones first." With that, Ye Chuan swiftly left the room.
Bai Qianshuang stared blankly at his retreating figure before shifting her gaze to the spirit stones in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she immediately began drawing in the spiritual energy.
But a second later, her eyes flicked to the snacks beside her.
Soon, the room was filled with the sight of a young girl meditating cross-legged while sucking on a lollipop, diligently absorbing qi.
……
Back in his own room, Ye Chuan pulled out his phone and checked the app.
[Newbie Mission: Gain Bai Qianshuang’s deeper favor (Completed)]
[Daily Income Generated: 3000 → 4000, Medium chance of obtaining cultivation-related items]
[Acquired: Cultivation Acceleration Card, added to inventory]
Whoa!
Four thousand!
Four grand!
Ye Chuan’s face nearly split from grinning. As expected, this method yielded the best rewards. He immediately opened his inventory to check the other prizes.
[Item: Cultivation Acceleration Card
Effect: Grants 10 days’ worth of passive cultivation experience upon use.]
Ten days?
Ye Chuan thought for a moment. If he recalled correctly, he was only seven or eight days away from reaching the Qi Refinement stage.
Time to push forward!
[Cultivation Acceleration Card successfully used.]
[You have reached the Qi Refinement stage.]
Instantly, Ye Chuan felt a transformation throughout his body. He looked at his arm, where veins pulsed with crimson spiritual energy, flowing like blood through his entire being.
"Boom!" A surge of fiery red qi erupted from his palm, blazing like a flame.
With a mere thought, he could manipulate its size freely—expanding or shrinking it at will.
Now at the Qi Refinement stage, he could effortlessly control the spiritual energy within him.
[Name: Ye Chuan
Realm: Early Qi Refinement
Special Physique: High-Grade Fire Mystic Body
Spiritual Root: High-Grade Fire Root
Status: Auto-cultivating. Time until Mid Qi Refinement: 7 days (Affected by cultivation technique, spiritual root, and physique efficiency.)]
Playing with the fireball in his hand, Ye Chuan couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of earning four thousand a day.
Too much to spend. Way too much.
But now, he needed to figure out how to further increase Bai Qianshuang’s favorability.
Maybe loot something from an adventure?
Eager to unlock more rewards, Ye Chuan didn’t hesitate to spend a thousand on a text-based adventure to fish for treasures to gift her.
Now that he had some power, he should at least last a little longer.
[Landing Point: Tianxuan Continent
[You appear inside a cave on the Donghua Divine Continent. Though it’s pitch black, your fire qi allows you to illuminate the surroundings. You choose…]
[1. Search for an exit]
[2. Scout the area]
[3. Wait on the spot]
A cave?
Ye Chuan pondered. Might there be some loot inside? Even if he died, it wouldn’t matter, right?
Might as well scout around—it wasn’t like there was an obvious way out.
[You begin searching the cave and discover a treasure-filled chest deep inside. You choose…]
[1. Plunder the chest]
[2. Ignore it and leave]
Treasure?
No brainer. Ye Chuan immediately selected "Plunder the chest!"
[You loot the chest and obtain several spirit stones. Continue looting?]
Loot!
[You continue looting and obtain a Tiger Strength Pill1. Continue looting?]
Loot!!
[You keep looting and find a spirit crystal. Continue looting?]
Loot!!!
[You greedily keep looting, but your actions attract the attention of a presence in the cave. Hearing footsteps, you turn to see a Foundation Establishment-stage wolf demon. You choose—]
[1. Flee]
[2. Beg for mercy]
[3. Fight]
The moment Ye Chuan saw "Foundation Establishment," he mashed the flee option.
No way was he fighting something a whole major realm above him. He wasn’t some protagonist who could casually defy realms.
[You attempt to flee, but your speed is no match for the wolf demon. It quickly catches up and swipes you to death with a single claw.]
[You have died.]
[Adventure concluded. Items retrievable: 3]
Dead.
"Still acceptable," Ye Chuan muttered. "But why is it always a wolf demon?"
He checked his inventory for the spoils.
[Item: Spirit Crystal
A higher-purity spirit stone. Exchange rate with regular spirit stones: 1:100.]
Huh. Not bad.
Would this one be enough to restore Bai Qianshuang to her peak?
As for using it himself—
Ye Chuan pondered for a moment but ultimately gave up. He lacked the patience to sit still and absorb spiritual energy. Yet, soon after, another thought struck him.
Could he simply click to use this spirit crystal directly?