"Well, we'll see how you perform in the future. If you do well, maybe I'll give it to you."
Jiang Che withdrew the Stone Man's Tear from his hand.
Of course, the one in his hand was fake. A single Stone Man's Tear was worth a billion, and though he had billions of points to spare, he couldn’t just squander them recklessly, could he?
Not all of Qing'er's sisters had their bloodlines upgraded yet.
After Qing'er's bloodline was elevated to Imperial Blood, Jiang Che had also enhanced Xue'er's bloodline purity. The rest of the mermaids would definitely need their bloodlines upgraded too.
Each upgrade cost hundreds of millions. Rather than spending ten billion on Jia Ling'er, it made more sense to upgrade all the mermaids one by one.
"Really? Brother Jiang Che... can I ask... how many of these treasures do you still have?" Jia Ling'er tugged at Jiang Che's sleeve, swaying it playfully as she coquettishly pleaded.
"Such rare treasures are few and far between, even in my possession."
Jiang Che glanced at the system shop's inventory.
[Stone Man's Tear: Remaining 99+]
Jia Ling'er's breathing grew rapid at his words.
Not many!
She had to seize this opportunity. Right now, she didn’t need to compete with Jiang Che's other women for favor—she just had to outdo Qing'er and those mermaids.
"Brother Jiang Che, are you tired? Let me give you a shoulder massage, okay?"
Jia Ling'er began fawning over him. Even though she had been bullied earlier, the temptation of a bloodline upgrade was too great—great enough to make her abandon all pride.
"Ling'er, I actually preferred your previous unyielding attitude. Do me a favor and bring that back."
Jiang Che crossed his legs lazily.
Jia Ling'er: "..."
The girl's smile froze on her face. This man... was seriously hard to please.
Then, the sycophantic expression vanished, replaced by a haughty glare as she planted a hand on her hip and pointed imperiously.
"Ahem... This princess commands you to lie down properly! Let me massage your legs!"
Now enlightened, Jia Ling'er was quite clever—she was already learning how to handle Jiang Che.
And as luck would have it, Jiang Che happened to like this approach!
...
[Ding! Host has successfully spent 1 billion points to purchase 4 'Immortal Cloud Heart Scales.']
Watching his points drain away, Jiang Che felt a pang of regret. After all, there were still four mermaids left to upgrade—this was a necessary expense.
His women had to have at least an immortal-grade cultivation talent.
A single Heart Scale cost 300 million, so four should have totaled 1.2 billion. But after some haggling with the system, the final price was rounded down.
Soon after, he summoned Qing'er and the other mermaids.
"Brother Jiang Che!!!" Qing'er threw herself at him the moment she saw him.
But then she noticed Jia Ling'er by his side, and her cheerful expression instantly darkened as she scrutinized the princess.
This once-proud princess was actually massaging Jiang Che's legs?
Just as she suspected—the princess had fallen into depravity! Hehe!
"Princess Ling'er, would you mind moving? I want Brother Jiang Che to hug me!" Qing'er planted her hands on her hips, no longer showing the slightest reverence for Jia Ling'er.
"You—!" Jia Ling'er was fuming.
A tiger bullied by dogs, a dragon mocked by shrimp!
"Fine!" Jia Ling'er forced the word through gritted teeth.
There was no helping it—she was still in her growth phase and couldn’t afford to clash with Qing'er.
Jiang Che rubbed his temples in exasperation.
"Alright, alright, Qing'er, go play somewhere else. I have business to attend to."
He ruffled Qing'er's golden hair before turning his attention to the remaining four mermaids—Xue'er, Yun'er, Chun Chun, and Tong Tong.
"Here, take these four scales. They'll help you break through to Imperial Blood."
His words sent the four into ecstatic delight.
"Husband... You..."
"Young Master, Chun Chun loves you~"
No further words were needed—the Jialan Clan had just gained four more descendants of Imperial Blood!
The Jialan Clan's so-called precious Imperial Blood, which they guarded through parthenogenesis to prevent contamination, was now being mass-produced by Jiang Che.
Watching these ordinary-blooded mermaids ascend to Imperial Blood, Jia Ling'er felt an indescribable mix of emotions.
The more Imperial Blood there was, the less valuable she became as a princess!
Her only hope now was the Stone Man's Tear in Jiang Che's possession. She had to fight for it—only by obtaining it could she maintain her noble bloodline and remain the esteemed princess!
...
While Jiang Che was enjoying himself, the Jialan Clan was in an uproar.
"How is this possible?! Four more descendants with Imperial Blood? Where did they come from?!"
The sacred artifact in the Jialan ancestral lands had activated again. Last time, it was due to Qing'er awakening Imperial Blood, but now, four had appeared at once—how could they not be shocked?
"Wait, whose clansmen are these?"
The massive artifact projected an image.
"Isn’t that my daughter, Tong Tong? Tong Tong went to the lower realm... How did her bloodline upgrade?"
"Hold on! The same thing happened with Qing'er last time... All these newly ascended Imperial Blood descendants were sent to the lower realm!!!"
Someone sharp caught on.
"These clansmen were all sent to the lower realm to marry that Jiang Che. How could this be... Does Jiang Che have a method to help our ordinary-blooded Jialan clansmen break through to Imperial Blood?"
Astonishment!!!
The conclusion was obvious—it wasn’t like these sisters had stumbled upon some grand opportunity while adventuring in the lower realm, right?
"Heavens, even our Jialan Clan has no means to break through bloodline limitations. How does Jiang Che possess such a method?"
"The mortal realm is the origin of all worlds, the former seat of the ancient Heavenly Court. It must hold countless treasures of fortune, and Jiang Che is the Chosen One of Destiny..."
The Jialan clansmen were wide-eyed with shock. Even the Quasi-Emperors and Emperors were burning with envy.
They were all ordinary-blooded. No matter how talented they were, their bloodline limits capped their potential. But Jiang Che's emergence gave them hope.
"Ah? Qing'er and the others..."
At the very back, a beautiful mermaid covered her mouth, her eyes filled with utter disbelief and regret.
"How could this happen?" Her voice trembled.
She had been part of Qing'er's group, originally slated to be sent to the lower realm. But she had despised the idea of an arranged marriage, believing it would ruin her life. So when she learned Princess Ling'er was sneaking down, she volunteered to take her place.
Jia Ling'er had disguised herself as her and descended, while she stayed behind in the clan.
She had assumed her sisters would suffer in the lower realm—who could have imagined they’d encounter such heaven-defying fortune and ascend to Imperial Blood?
"If... if I had gone down with them... would I have gotten a share of the Imperial Blood too?"
But there were no "ifs" anymore. Jiang Che wouldn’t give her another chance.
Jiang Che's standards would only grow stricter. The only reason he had taken in Qing'er and the others was because he had a craving for exotic delicacies—otherwise, ordinary mermaids like them would never have had the opportunity.
The upheaval in the Jialan Clan naturally drew the attention of the Jialan Empress.
She had just returned from the Jiang Family, seething with anger and racking her brain on how to rescue her daughter, when she stumbled upon this scene.
Even she was stunned!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
] [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!"
