After Ye Chuan finished showering, he heard Bai Qianshuang say to him,
"Ye Chuan, Lan Xiaoke actually broke through to the Qi Refining Realm."
At this moment, Lan Xiaoke still hadn't grasped the situation, wearing an "OvO?" expression as if asking whether the Qi Refining Realm was some big deal. After all, she had only absorbed a tiny bit of energy for a short while and didn't even fully understand what cultivation was about.
In fact, Lan Xiaoke had broken through before Ye Chuan even finished his shower.
"Qi Refining Realm? Seriously?" Ye Chuan was momentarily stunned by Bai Qianshuang's words.
He then pointed at Lan Xiaoke, who was blinking dumbly, as if asking—
[This little thing?]
Ye Chuan glanced at Lan Xiaoke and confirmed that her aura had indeed reached the early stage of the Qi Refining Realm—she was a genuine Qi Refining cultivator.
Hearing Bai Qianshuang mention that Lan Xiaoke had achieved this level of strength just by casually dabbling in cultivation, Ye Chuan couldn't help but feel astonished by her speed.
After all, he had spent days idly grinding before breaking through. How had Lan Xiaoke managed it so quickly?
No wonder the system's description mentioned that while Lan Xiaoke was weak, her growth potential was high.
Was this what it meant?
"But if that's the case, why haven't you made any progress in decades?" This puzzled Ye Chuan. If Lan Xiaoke truly had such talent, why had she remained a low-tier ghost all these years?
He shot another glance at Lan Xiaoke, whose eyes were now filled with question marks.
Seeing her like this, Ye Chuan quickly figured it out.
The answer was simple—
She was lazy and a shut-in.
Lan Xiaoke never harmed anyone, never left the school building, and spent her days sneaking around ventilation ducts just to peek at people scrolling through their phones. As a ghostly NEET who didn’t cultivate or cause trouble, how could she possibly focus on training?
She probably got frustrated whenever someone scrolled past a video she wanted to watch.
"Then why aren’t you hurrying up and cultivating?" Ye Chuan said, seeing her clueless expression.
If she had some strength, would she have gotten caught and electrocuted like that?
"Cultivation is so boring," Lan Xiaoke muttered. Besides, now that she belonged to Ye Chuan, wouldn’t he protect her if she got bullied?
Listening to her grumbling, Ye Chuan stroked his chin and suddenly grinned.
"Alright, how about this? For every minor realm you advance, I’ll give you 5,000 bucks. Deal?"
"W-w-what?! How much?!!!!" Lan Xiaoke’s eyes nearly popped out.
Five thousand?
Five grand?!
"I’ll start cultivating right now!" Lan Xiaoke immediately latched onto Bai Qianshuang. "Coach Qianshuang, teach me! I wanna learn cultivation!"
Bai Qianshuang silently observed Lan Xiaoke.
Was she really interested in cultivation—or just the money?
"Fine," Bai Qianshuang finally agreed. "But you must join the Jade Void Sect and become one of its disciples. From then on, I’ll be your senior sister."
Bai Qianshuang was traditional at heart. While she was willing to teach Lan Xiaoke, she also insisted on formalizing the master-disciple relationship.
"Huh? What Void?" Lan Xiaoke didn’t quite understand. "So I’ll be a disciple now?"
Whatever—as long as she got paid!
Lan Xiaoke had become a ghost for two reasons: choking to death on instant noodles, and money. Right before her death, she had looted an in-game item worth a fortune but never got to enjoy the profits.
After decades of poverty, how could she not be resentful?
In some ways, her greed matched Ye Chuan’s.
Soon, Bai Qianshuang took Lan Xiaoke into a room to begin cultivation. Ye Chuan watched for a moment but didn’t feel like joining.
After all, he didn’t need to meditate to absorb spiritual energy—his system automated the process.
Sitting still for weeks on end was impossible for him. He had a life to enjoy.
Returning to his room, Ye Chuan had just sat down when a notification popped up on his phone.
[Quest: Increase Lan Xiaoke’s Favorability (Completed)]
[Daily Income Generation: 1,000 → 3,000, Medium Chance of Obtaining Ghost-Type Items]
[Obtained: Thunder Peachwood Sword (Mid-Grade)]
Ye Chuan hadn’t expected Lan Xiaoke’s favorability to rise.
What had he even done?
All he did was promise her 5,000 per breakthrough—and that alone was enough to make her like him more?
What a money-grubbing little gremlin.
[Item: Thunder Peachwood Sword
Mid-Grade Artifact
Deals bonus damage to ghost-type entities.]
A mid-grade artifact—slightly better than his Azure Peak Sword, though only by a small margin.
Ye Chuan summoned the sword. Its dark wooden body had a jade-like sheen, giving it an elegant appearance.
Not bad.
With Lan Xiaoke evolving into a cash-generating asset, she was proving to be quite the investment. Ye Chuan felt relieved he’d taken in this cowardly ghost.
If he’d been any later, she might’ve been electrocuted to death.
After sitting for a while, Ye Chuan stored the sword in his inventory and noticed the jade pendant lying quietly in the corner.
It was looted from his last raid, containing a dormant soul that required 200,000 to awaken—essentially a "ring grandpa."
"Since I found this in the ruins dated 2099, whatever’s inside this pendant might not be ordinary either." After some thought, Ye Chuan decided to awaken the soul.
"Come on, give me a wise old mentor. Help me soar through cultivation and become an immortal emperor."
Checking the appraisal cost and recalling the money he’d earned from Qiao Xin, Ye Chuan tapped confirm without hesitation.
As 200,000 was deducted, the pendant in his hand began glowing.
Ripples of light pulsed outward before coalescing into a solid form.
"Is it out? Ring grandpa? Or grandma?"
"Bzzzt—"
A blinding flash filled the room, forcing Ye Chuan to squint.
"Who threw a flashbang?!"
Just as he cursed internally, the light dimmed, revealing a figure slowly descending to the floor. To Ye Chuan’s shock, what appeared was a petite girl dressed in purple gothic attire.
Standing around 1.4 meters tall, she had knee-length twin tails and delicate, doll-like features.
Her eyes, filled with confusion and disdain, locked onto Ye Chuan.
"Such a feeble insect—was it you who awakened this great sorceress?"
Ye Chuan: "..."
He was speechless.
Wait, why did a jade pendant from the Tianxuan Continent summon a gothic lolita straight out of a Western fantasy?
Where was his wise old mentor?!
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
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."
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
