Let's go with the first one.

Ye Chuan's display of such lavish spending made Mu Qianqian wonder if he had somehow acquired a large sum of money again. However, after a brief thought, she couldn't figure out which nearby sect might have fallen victim this time.

"Among these materials are some extremely rare and precious ones. The price might be considerably higher than you imagine, Immortal."

"Mhm, calculate it for me."

Hearing Ye Chuan's bold manner, Mu Qianqian very much wanted to say this wasn't like buying groceries, but out of professional courtesy, she naturally wouldn't utter such impolite words.

Wearing a faint smile, Mu Qianqian instructed a nearby attendant to come over.

The two of them calculated briefly, double-checked the figures, and then presented the total to Ye Chuan. "Here you are, the total comes to fifteen million spirit stones."

"I'll take it," Ye Chuan said.

"Aren't you going to review it?" Mu Qianqian hadn't expected Ye Chuan to buy everything without even checking the price.

"Your Treasure Pavilion wouldn't try to cheat me, would you?" Ye Chuan laughed. Besides, he needed the materials. Spirit stones weren't much of an issue; after all, he had 'borrowed' so much in the Western Glory Divine Continent that his reserves were still quite substantial.

"Very well, I'll go prepare them immediately. Please wait here for a moment, Immortal." Mu Qianqian promptly stood up to instruct people to pack the materials for Ye Chuan. Meanwhile, Bai Qianshuang, who was sitting nearby, was utterly stunned.

"Husband... when did you become so wealthy?" Bai Qianshuang asked.

Although she knew Ye Chuan had a fair amount of spirit stones, casually spending over ten million without batting an eye truly exceeded her imagination.

"While traveling in the Western Glory Divine Continent, I encountered a few generous individuals and sects. They saw my exceptional talent, my potential for greatness, and insisted on giving me all their resources, saying they wanted to lend me a helping hand," Ye Chuan explained.

"I didn't want them, but they even died right in front of me. I had no choice but to accept their belongings."

Bai Qianshuang tilted her head.

Were people in the Western Glory Divine Continent really that nice?

After a while, Mu Qianqian returned carrying a jade tray with a storage ring placed on it. "All the materials are inside."

However, she also asked, "What about the forging materials at the auction..."

"We'll decide when the auction happens," Ye Chuan said. He had been thinking about getting into forging, and with so many materials now, it was better to get some practice first.

[Obtained: Sunset Ink Gold, Heavy Silver Cold Iron, Blazing Essence Iron, Yellow Jade White Sand, Profound Ice Stone, Wind Split Stone... Items have been placed in the backpack.]

After obtaining what he wanted, Ye Chuan casually asked another question.

"It feels like business here isn't as good as in Tianqian City."

Having just closed a big deal, Mu Qianqian was in high spirits. Hearing Ye Chuan's remark, she merely smiled gracefully. "Immortal Ye, that's because the cultivators in Profound Crystal City have all gone to see the Profound Crystal Abyss."

"Profound Crystal Abyss?"

"I wonder if the Immortal knows the origin of Profound Crystal City. The city is actually built atop a Profound Crystal ore vein," Mu Qianqian explained.

"The Profound Crystal Abyss is a minor pocket paradise formed by the convergence of that Profound Crystal ore vein. It opens once every hundred years. It just so happens that the opening period is approaching, so naturally, the cultivators' focus isn't on the Treasure Pavilion."

"A minor pocket paradise, meaning a secret realm? What's inside?"

"There are high-purity Profound Crystals, especially the Profound Crystal Mother Stone, which is excellent for forging magic treasures and artifacts."

Ye Chuan acknowledged with a hum. After understanding the general situation and inquiring about the opening time, he left the Treasure Pavilion with Bai Qianshuang.

He also acquired a new token on the way out.

After exiting the Treasure Pavilion, Bai Qianshuang walked beside Ye Chuan and asked curiously, "Husband, do you want to participate in the minor secret realm?"

"Could give it a try," Ye Chuan said.

"Then I'll accompany you," Bai Qianshuang said, linking her arm with his.

"Alright."

In the following time, Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang browsed the market stalls for a while, buying some small trinkets as if they were simply out shopping, before it was about time to log off.

Save, log off.

Return to the real world.

...

Back in Bai Qianshuang's room, Qianshuang had no intention of resting and instead seized the time to contemplate her inherited knowledge. Ye Chuan also began tinkering with forging.

Of course, opening the equipment forging interface on his phone again, Ye Chuan couldn't just keep producing 'Gediao' (a likely game-specific term for a basic/low-quality item).

"Alright, let's get a bit more serious this time."

Seeing the [+] symbol on the phone interface, Ye Chuan glanced at the materials in his backpack, randomly picked a few combinations that seemed decent, and tossed them in.

As usual, a drawing interface appeared.

It was for designing the weapon's appearance himself.

"Everyone at home uses swords... might as well make a sword too." Just as Ye Chuan was thinking this, he suddenly stroked his chin. "Actually, I don't necessarily have to make a sword, do I?"

When it came down to it, aside from Qianshuang, there wasn't a true sword cultivator in the family.

Ye Chuan used swords mainly because he encountered many sword-wielding enemies, and his backpack was stuffed with sword trophies. In actual fights, he relied more on spells.

He stood up and walked out of the room. Coincidentally, Lan Xiaoke was sitting in the living room, eating potato chips while binge-watching a show, one hand scratching her soft belly, the picture of laziness.

"Ye Chuan, what's wong?" Lan Xiaoke asked, seeing Ye Chuan come out of the room and stare at her. She scratched her head. "Want some again?"

"No," Ye Chuan said. "I've recently learned how to forge equipment. Do you have a favorite type of weapon?"

Lan Xiaoke blinked. "Weapon type?"

"Yes, describe one."

"I want equipment that, when I whip it out, can instantly kill all enemies on the scene," Lan Xiaoke said.

"Alright, I'll make one for you."

"You weally can make it?! You'we not joking?"

"You know it's a joke too, right?"

The response to Lan Xiaoke was a karate chop from Ye Chuan, landing on the girl's head.

A good sound meant a good head.

"A few days ago, I weally liked the feeling of punching those bad guys with my fists. Ye Chuan, can you make me a pair of gauntlets?" Lan Xiaoke asked.

"What cultivator uses gauntlets?" Ye Chuan said.

"Pwease, Ye Chuan, pwease!" Lan Xiaoke hugged Ye Chuan's waist and started acting cute. "I want them, I want gauntlets!"

Feeling wave after wave of impact against his chest, Ye Chuan could only say,

"Fine, I'll make them for you."

"I want pink gauntlets. They should be cute yet majestic, free-spirited yet precise." Lan Xiaoke held up one finger.

Ye Chuan: ?

Although Lan Xiaoke was being fussy, Ye Chuan still sketched a draft on his phone: a pair of pink rabbit-themed gauntlets.

"How's this?"

"Missing a certain feeling."

"How about this one?" Ye Chuan drew another one with white fur balls.

"A bit too cute."

Ye Chuan had to draw them one by one. After Lan Xiaoke looked at seven or eight drafts, she suddenly shrank her neck. "I think the first one was pwetty good after all. Let's go with the first version."

After saying that, she very self-consciously covered her head with her hands, bracing for a hit.

Ye Chuan: "..."

Are you messing with me like I'm some Japanese client?