Ten thousand top-grade spirit stones?
That’s ten thousand top-grade spirit stones!
How much would they have to pay out? Could the entire Unreturned City even gather that many spirit stones?
"My goodness, I heard Chen Chang'an was rich, but I never imagined he had this much?"
"Where’d you hear that?"
"The auction house. Before Chen Chang'an went to the Forest of No Return, he bought a Spirit-Nourishing Herb for ten thousand high-grade spirit stones."
"Holy shit, that’s insane?"
"I thought that was already unbelievable, but now he’s gone and bet ten thousand top-grade spirit stones. The city lord is going to lose his shirt over this."
"By the way, what did Chen Chang'an bet on? What were the odds?"
"Not sure, but the payout must be huge. Even at ten-to-one, that’s a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones!"
Everyone was stunned by Chen Chang'an’s wager. Even if Unreturned City’s daily revenue was substantial, how could they possibly cover such a loss?
And most importantly—these were top-grade spirit stones. Who could produce so many at once?
Wei Fengtang’s face twisted into a bizarre expression, somewhere between laughter and tears—utterly contorted.
"Ahem!"
Wei Fengtang cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down before asking, "May I ask… what exactly did you bet on?"
"Oh, I bet on myself successfully advancing to the Violet-Gold Medal rank."
Boom!
The moment those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted again. Everyone who had placed bets had seen the odds for this.
This was a one-in-ten-thousand payout! Tempting as it was, no one had dared to wager on it.
The bookmakers had set those odds precisely because they were certain no one could pull it off—especially not Chen Chang'an.
Who in their right mind would bet on something so impossible?
Yet who could’ve predicted Chen Chang'an would place a bet on himself?
Wei Fengtang was drenched in cold sweat. As the overseer of the Medal Arena, he was responsible for the betting operations.
This was a catastrophe. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to strangle the idiots who had accepted this bet.
Ten thousand top-grade spirit stones? Were they out of their minds?
"A billion! That’s a billion top-grade spirit stones!"
"Good heavens, I’ve never even seen a top-grade spirit stone in my life, and Chen Chang'an just won a billion from a single bet?"
"It’s over. Will Unreturned City even belong to the same people after this?"
"A billion top-grade spirit stones—won’t the city lord be left in nothing but his underpants?"
"Watch your mouth! You think the city lord won’t take his anger out on you?"
"I’m just a nobody. A man of his stature wouldn’t bother with the likes of me."
The murmurs of the crowd made Wei Fengtang wish he could drop dead on the spot. How was he supposed to explain this? The city lord would skin him alive!
A billion top-grade spirit stones—he couldn’t pay that even if he sold himself into slavery!
Wait.
Hold on.
A thought suddenly struck Wei Fengtang.
"Chen Chang'an, you said you bet on yourself advancing to the Violet-Gold Medal rank, correct?" Wei Fengtang asked.
"That’s right."
"Good, good. That’s perfect."
Relief washed over Wei Fengtang’s face as he smiled. "But you haven’t actually achieved the Violet-Gold Medal yet. You still have to complete the final challenge."
"Which means the payout can’t be settled right now."
"Once you successfully advance, the city lord’s estate will honor the bet."
Chen Chang'an blinked. He’d actually forgotten about that. Still… it was only a matter of time. No need to rush.
"Fine. A few more days won’t hurt," Chen Chang'an said with a nod.
"Now, I think the final advancement trial is going to get a lot more interesting."
"Oh? Why’s that?"
"Think about it. Does the city lord’s estate want to pay out a billion top-grade spirit stones?"
"Of course not. Only an idiot would."
"So the only way to avoid paying is to make sure Chen Chang'an fails his advancement. It’s a shame, but a billion is a billion."
"You’re saying the city lord’s estate will send even stronger opponents to stop him?"
"Exactly! No doubt about it."
Anyone with eyes could see Wei Fengtang was already scheming. A billion top-grade spirit stones was an astronomical sum. Even if City Lord Asura wanted to keep his word, did he even have that much?
The only solution was to stop Chen Chang'an at all costs.
Chen Chang'an didn’t linger at the Medal Arena. With his hundred consecutive victories complete, all that remained was to wait for the final advancement challenge.
When he stepped out, his vision was met with an endless sea of people.
The area outside was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, and the moment the crowd spotted Chen Chang'an, they erupted into cheers.
Their gazes burned with fervor and excitement—the adoration of the strong, the reverence for a living legend!
Chen Chang'an glanced at them and gave a slight nod.
Boom!
That simple gesture alone sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Though many of these people were ruthless killers with no moral compass, that didn’t stop them from worshipping strength.
Chen Chang'an’s fame in Unreturned City had reached unprecedented heights, his prestige unmatched.
If there was one person in the city whose popularity could rival Chen Chang'an’s, it was the enigmatic City Lord Asura.
Just as the crowd was about to chant his name, Chen Chang'an vanished.
He left the Medal Arena and returned directly to the House of Joy, eager to check on the condition of the simple-minded youth.
"Congratulations, congratulations!"
"Chen Chang'an, you’re now the undisputed legend of Unreturned City."
"A flawless hundred-win streak with the Platinum Medal."
"You’re truly a monster."
Chen Chang'an glanced at the proprietress. Her sources were impressively fast.
"It’s too early for congratulations. I haven’t advanced to the Violet-Gold Medal yet."
"But you’re only one step away," the proprietress said with a smile.
"Mm. Was the item delivered? How’s my friend doing?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Well… you’d better see for yourself."
"Alright."
Without further conversation, Chen Chang'an returned to his courtyard.
Gu Xian'er’s face lit up when she saw him. "Young Master, did you succeed?"
"Yes. Just the final step remains."
"Da Huang, what about the boy? Was his soul successfully restored?" Chen Chang'an asked.
Da Huang nodded. "It’s done. The bloodlust energy has been purged as well."
"But he’ll probably need a couple more days to wake up."
"Though… I can’t guarantee he’ll remember his past."
"He might, or he might not. Don’t get your hopes up too much."
Whether he could recall memories of his past life didn’t matter to Chen Chang'an. What truly concerned him was whether the person before him was indeed the reincarnation of Wu Mingdao.
"I hope everything goes as I wish."
"If this person truly is Wu Mingdao, I will restore everything he once had—his talent, his strength, his confidence!"
"I will make him witness the fall of the Fengtian Imperial Dynasty with his own eyes!" Chen Chang'an said coldly.
"When do you plan to go to the Fengtian Imperial Dynasty?" Da Huang asked curiously.
"Now is not the time. When the moment is ripe, I will go without fail!"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
