Descending to the Nether Again The Mermaid Maiden of the Garula Tribe

"Ancient Heavenly Court? Heavenly Court Token!"

After emerging from the Heavenly Court trial grounds, Chu Yuan was filled with confusion. The so-called Heavenly Court was entirely unfamiliar to him, yet the name alone was intimidating enough.

"I've obtained this Heavenly Court token. Once I break through the Divine Ascension stage, I can return here to challenge it again!"

"This token might very well be a key. Every time I advance to a higher realm in the future, I’ll return to face trials here, eventually inheriting the entire Heavenly Court’s legacy?"

As the protagonist of the new era, Chu Yuan had naturally read plenty of xianxia novels.

He had long since noticed that he was different from others—it seemed he possessed the destiny of a protagonist. After all, every time he ventured into secret realms or explored dungeons, he always obtained rare treasures. Even when facing the soul of a Martial God attempting to possess him... he managed to turn calamity into fortune.

"Am I really fated to be the protagonist? But this doesn’t add up... My cultivation speed is absurdly fast, I’m no trash, and there’s no scheming woman who’s broken off an engagement with me. My sect hasn’t been annihilated by enemies either... Aside from my parents dying young, what part of me resembles a protagonist?"

Chu Yuan felt a bit frustrated.

"Oh right, I just obtained a cultivation technique and a Heavenly Origin Pill!"

The technique was naturally an Emperor-grade one, titled the "Nine Revolutions Heavenly Emperor Scripture." When Chu Yuan tentatively practiced it, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his cultivation speed was significantly faster than when using the "Human Emperor Sutra."

He immediately switched to the new technique.

"A pill placed alongside an Emperor-grade technique must be an incredibly precious treasure."

Chu Yuan carefully retrieved the "Heavenly Origin Pill" from his system space.

Unbeknownst to him, Jiang Che had already swapped his Heavenly Origin Pill for a "Vitality Pill." Though the names differed by just one character, their effects were worlds apart!

One was a fifth-grade pill, the lowest tier among mid-grade elixirs, while the other was a top-tier immortal-grade treasure.

"Huh? This is strange... Why does this Heavenly Origin Pill look a bit off?"

Chu Yuan examined the pill in his hand but found nothing unusual.

"System, scan this pill for me. Check its medicinal effects."

[Ding! Scanning the pill requires 10,000 Ironhead Points.]

Chu Yuan: "..."

He was truly fed up with this opportunistic system.

"Whatever, I’ve got plenty of points. 10,000 is nothing."

[Ding! Scanning pill... Scan complete.]

[Heavenly Origin Pill: Fifth-grade pill. Can greatly enhance the user’s vitality. Non-toxic...]

"What? A fifth-grade pill???"

Chu Yuan was dumbfounded. This was a pill stored alongside an Emperor-grade technique—how could it only be fifth-grade?

Was this a joke?

Even the Foundation Establishment Pills he casually popped like candy were fourth-grade!

[It is indeed a fifth-grade pill. However, the Heavenly Origin Pill is extremely rare, as it requires Heavenly Origin Qi to refine. The system originally intended to extract the Heavenly Origin Qi from the pill, hence the offer of 5 million Ironhead Points for its recovery. Based on the pill’s actual medicinal effects... it’s not worth that price.]

Chu Yuan was speechless.

Despite being sharp-witted all his life, he had been thoroughly duped this time.

He had never doubted his system before. Though it could be frustrating at times, the benefits it provided were immense.

Unlike Jiang Ruoxu, Chu Yuan, as the Chosen of Destiny, possessed an exalted status. Even bound to a subsystem, every act of defiance earned him hundreds of thousands of points, sometimes even breaking a million!

Meanwhile, poor Jiang Ruoxu, despite his best efforts to show off, couldn’t even come close to Chu Yuan’s efficiency.

With the same system pricing, Chu Yuan’s experience was naturally far superior to that of lesser "leeks."

"Dammit, I should’ve just sold the Heavenly Origin Pill. Could’ve gotten 5 million Ironhead Points for it."

Chu Yuan sighed regretfully, smacking his thigh before tossing the "Heavenly Origin Pill" into his mouth. As expected, while the effects were potent, they fell far short of his expectations.

...

"The Heavenly Court trials... It seems Chu Yuan’s future is boundless. He must be the chosen heir of the Ancient Heavenly Court."

Though Jiang Che wasn’t deeply familiar with the Ancient Heavenly Court, he knew a thing or two.

Back when the Nine Heavens were still undivided, it had been a supreme force of the mythical era, its treasures beyond counting.

"Hah... Chu Yuan’s luck is truly heaven-defying. No doubt the heavens’ favorite son."

Honestly, even Jiang Che felt a pang of envy. Such fortune was downright outrageous.

"But no matter how many opportunities he gets... in the end, he’s just working for me!"

A sly grin spread across Jiang Che’s face. As long as the system remained bound to Chu Yuan, no matter what heaven-defying treasures he obtained... Jiang Che had plenty of ways to "reclaim" them.

"Still, the speed at which this guy earns points... Truly befitting the Chosen of Destiny."

Jiang Che clicked his tongue in amazement. A single act of defiance from Chu Yuan could net him millions of points, and every time he scammed Chu Yuan, the gains were similarly staggering.

Young Master Jiang's top-tier pretentiousness, his Chaos Immortal Physique, and the Mark of the Immortal... at least a third of the credit goes to Chu Yuan!

To be fair, if anyone dared to try and kill Chu Yuan... Jiang Che would be the first to object.

"Heh... So, am I also a part of this kid's destiny? Giving him a system, bestowing him opportunities, and protecting him as he grows?"

Jiang Che chuckled—it was nothing more than a paradox.

Hadn't he "sponsored" plenty of chosen ones before?

Though there was indeed an element of reaping benefits, unlike capitalists, this wasn’t one-sided exploitation. It was mutual gain.

Every chosen one bound to a subsystem had genuinely benefited from him.

...

"Come, come, let your husband see if your cultivation has improved."

Jiang Che had Xiao Wanwan seated on his lap, with Xiao Sisi and Xiao An'an on either side. After Xiao Wanwan was subdued, the three Xiao sisters had all fallen for him.

The joy of triplets was absolutely incomparable to twins—unless, of course, we were talking about the legendary quadruplets... but damn, quadruplets? Even a sow doesn’t birth that many in one litter!

"Brother Jiang Che, I’ve broken through another minor realm. Can you reward me with a feast?" Xiao An'an blinked her big eyes. Despite having long surpassed the need for food through cultivation, she still acted like a glutton.

"An'an! All you ever think about is eating. Jiang Che’s time is precious—it should be spent on more important things!"

Xiao Wanwan, sitting on Jiang Che’s lap, shot her sister a glare. Right now, her top priority was to earn Jiang Che’s favor, striving for his doting and affection—even if it meant dragging her sisters into it.

And then, she’d take revenge on Yu Wan'er!

They say two tigers can’t share one mountain, and a household certainly can’t have two fiery, bratty girls who explode at the slightest provocation!

Jiang Che rubbed his temples. None of these three sisters were easy to handle, especially Xiao Wanwan, who was always bickering with Yu Wan'er... Since they were both his women, he couldn’t openly favor one over the other. The only solution was to drag them both together and give them a good spanking.

"Young Master Jiang, reliable intel suggests... the Southern Abyss Sky will initiate its second teleportation at midnight tonight. The experts arriving this time are said to... all be high-level Transcendent Realm cultivators, including members of our Jialan Clan..."

The mermaid auntie, Jia Yue, had appeared beside Jiang Che at some point, speaking softly.