Ye Chuan's current cultivation level was, after all, already at the late stage of the Enlightenment Realm. For someone like him who used to leap across major realms as easily as drinking water, dealing with a guy just one minor stage higher than himself naturally required little effort.
Back when he had just stepped into the early stage of the Enlightenment Realm, he hadn't spent much effort dealing with Qin Tianya, who was at the half-step into the Great Ascension Realm, let alone this old man before him now.
What Sacred Land, what Elder Qingxuan—to Ye Chuan, a casual swing of his sword was enough to settle it.
However, Ye Chuan still held back, severing only half of the other's soul power as a warning.
"Since you have withstood one strike from me, let this matter be settled," Ye Chuan said indifferently.
He was still quite interested in those hundreds of millions of spirit stones.
Now, this seems like the real big fish, doesn't it?
Elder Qingxuan lay sprawled on the ground, his body convulsing uncontrollably. Cold sweat had soaked through his snow-white robes, and his once ruddy complexion was now as pale as paper.
He could clearly feel as if his soul had been torn in two. Excruciating pain washed over his consciousness like tidal waves, making it impossible for him to muster even a trace of spiritual energy.
All the arrogance and sense of superiority from moments ago had completely vanished, replaced only by a bone-deep fear. Having lived for nearly a thousand years, he had never encountered such a bizarre attack—one that could ignore protective techniques and directly strike the soul. This was simply not a method a cultivator at the Enlightenment Realm should possess!
"Y-you... just who are you?" Elder Qingxuan's voice was hoarse and trembling, his gaze at Ye Chuan one of sheer terror, as if he had seen a ghost.
He had initially thought Ye Chuan's cultivation was at most below the Enlightenment Realm, yet the power of that single strike clearly touched upon realms above the Great Ascension!
No, it was even more bizarre than the Great Ascension Realm. Even the Young Master of his own Sacred Land didn't possess such a terrifying soul-attacking technique!
Xuanye and Xuan Yan, who had rushed in from outside, froze completely in place, their mouths agape wide enough to fit a fist.
The elder at the peak of the Enlightenment Realm, who just moments ago was invincible and suppressed the entire scene with his aura alone, was now writhing on the ground like a dead dog, screaming in agony?
And that child-like Ye Chuan had merely swung his sword casually, accomplishing something even their sect's patriarch might not be able to do!
The two exchanged a glance, seeing in each other's eyes the utmost shock and belated fear—thank goodness they hadn't dared to offend Ye Chuan earlier, otherwise they probably wouldn't even know how they died!
Hu Li peeked out from behind Ye Chuan, her little face full of admiration, her fluffy tail swaying gently behind her.
The boss is so amazing!
Ye Chuan retracted the demon sword back into his storage space, leisurely leaned back on the sofa, and even picked up the teacup from the table to take a sip:
"Alright, let's continue discussing business."
"Grandmaster..." Elder Qingxuan struggled to get up, but fell again due to the soul-wrenching pain. He could only barely lift his head, his tone now filled with reverence,
"It was this old fool who failed to recognize a true master earlier. I was rude and offensive. I beg Grandmaster's forgiveness! Regarding the matter of the Divine Sealing Cauldron... I sincerely request Grandmaster's consideration. The Sacred Land is willing to increase the reward further. Whatever Grandmaster asks for, we can discuss!"
He no longer dared to put on any airs of an elder. He only hoped Ye Chuan wouldn't hold a grudge for his earlier discourtesy. If the repair of the Divine Sealing Cauldron was delayed because of him, the Young Master would definitely not let him off easily.
Ye Chuan glanced at Elder Qingxuan still on the floor, his tone flat. "We'll talk about the reward later. First, help my guests up and clean up the mess outside the shop—don't let irrelevant people disturb my business."
"Yes! Yes! This old fool will do it immediately!" Elder Qingxuan hurriedly agreed. Enduring the pain in his soul, he struggled to his feet, even managing a somewhat ingratiating smile at Xuanye and Xuan Yan,
"Fellow Daoists, please, get up. It was this old fool who was discourteous earlier..."
Xuanye and Xuan Yan didn't dare to accept his courtesy, quickly waving their hands and helping Elder Qingxuan clean up the mess.
Elder Qingxuan also regretted why he had to act so pretentious earlier. As a result, he got thoroughly thrashed and couldn't even retaliate, especially since the Primordial Beginning Sacred Land still needed his help.
After the forging shop was restored to its general original state, Ye Chuan, propping his cheek with his small hand, looked at the now much more subdued Elder Qingxuan not far away and said,
"Hmm, that's about right. First, give me fifty million low-grade spirit stones as compensation for the shop's repairs."
Ye Chuan's words made Elder Qingxuan freeze.
How much?
Fifty million?
There's nothing of value in this shop, is there?
Realizing he was about to be fleeced, Elder Qingxuan's expression turned awkward. He asked Ye Chuan, "Grandmaster, I didn't actually damage the shop earlier, did I? Why would it require fifty million low-grade spirit stones?"
He could produce the money, but such an amount was still somewhat painful for him.
"You don't understand," Ye Chuan glanced at him. "It's worth that price."
"Why wouldn't I understand?"
"If you understood, you'd go repair that whatever cauldron yourself, wouldn't you? Why come and ask for me?"
This one sentence left Elder Qingxuan speechless. His beard twitched, and after struggling for a long time, he couldn't refute Ye Chuan. "Alright then..."
He took out a storage pouch, checked it briefly, and said, "There are five hundred thousand spirit crystals inside."
"Passable." After accepting the storage pouch, Ye Chuan looked at him again. "And then there's the compensation for my shop assistant's emotional distress. Make it a total of thirty million low-grade spirit stones, please."
Emotional distress compensation?!
Ye Chuan pointed to Hu Li beside him. Hearing this, even Elder Qingxuan couldn't help but speak up, "Grandmaster, our Primordial Beginning Sacred Land has come to invite you. Please do not make things difficult for me!"
"Who goes to invite someone by first letting out a 'puff' of aura that sends my guests flying and then scares my shop assistant the moment they enter?" Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Is this the hospitality of your Primordial Beginning Sacred Land?"
"If you're not convinced, call your boss over to have it out with me."
Elder Qingxuan took a deep breath. He was indeed in the wrong on this matter. After all, to maintain the Sacred Land's imposing image, he had acted that way. He never expected to be fleeced to death by this boy who looked five or six years old.
"Spirit crystals." He simply stopped arguing and directly handed the storage pouch to Ye Chuan.
"That's more like it. I haven't even charged you for lost business time, shop rent, or utilities yet." Ye Chuan's words made Elder Qingxuan shudder.
"That's enough. You can go back now." Ye Chuan waved his hand.
"Grandmaster, aren't you coming with me to the Sacred Land?" Elder Qingxuan asked.
"Did I agree to?" Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow.
"You...?!"
"You what 'you'? Keep it up and I'll extinguish your soul."
"I..."
"I what? At your age, you can't even speak properly. If you want something repaired, bring it here yourself. I don't take on-site repair jobs." Ye Chuan's few sentences infuriated Elder Qingxuan half to death.
"Fine, fine, fine! Our Sacred Land will bring the Divine Sealing Cauldron here. I hope you can handle the responsibility!" Elder Qingxuan didn't want to stay in this shop a moment longer. With a cold snort, he directly left the store.
As an elder of the Sacred Land, when had he ever suffered such indignity?
He felt that staying here any longer would shorten his lifespan!
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
