Xu Mu looked down at Luo Fengchan. "Senior, I hope you can understand. If this cultivation technique was something we found, we'd definitely give it to you. The problem is, my master exchanged a Heaven-grade technique for it. None of us are philanthropists."
Luo Fengchan took a deep breath. She felt Xu Mu had a point—it was, after all, a Heaven-grade technique. No one would be that generous.
Luo Fengchan clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly, realizing her qi had already recovered by a third. So, she turned to Xu Mu and said, "Let's set aside the matter of the technique for now. Let's first settle the issue of you insulting me earlier."
Just then, ice spikes materialized around Xu Mu, trapping him airtight.
"Senior, why must you do this? I was just starting to change my opinion of you."
Xu Mu said helplessly, "You're still inside my formation. Aren't you afraid of falling for it again?"
"My qi is now within my body. Tell me, do I trust my qi or you?"
Luo Fengchan stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze proud. "Xu Mu, kneel down now, kowtow three times, and we'll call it even. Otherwise, you'll suffer plenty of physical pain."
"Now I finally understand why no one wants you. With a personality like yours, if I were them, I wouldn't want you either,"
Xu Mu couldn't help but laugh.
"Xu Mu! Do you really think I don't dare to kill you?"
A blue glow appeared on Luo Fengchan's fist as she swung it toward Xu Mu. "Since you won't kneel, I'll make you lie down first!"
As she swung her fist, the ice surrounding Xu Mu automatically dispersed.
Bang!
Xu Mu caught Luo Fengchan's fist with one hand.
Luo Fengchan's eyes widened in disbelief. She could feel the qi she had just gathered rapidly dissipating again.
Xu Mu repeated his earlier move exactly, lifting Luo Fengchan with one hand, tearing open her athletic pants again, pinning her to the ground, then pulling back the waistband's elastic and snapping it.
The act itself wasn't painful, but it was immensely humiliating.
"Xu Mu!"
"Shout again!"
Xu Mu snorted coldly.
Smack!
Another snap.
Luo Fengchan struggled frantically, but her qi had completely vanished, leaving her no match for Xu Mu.
"Xu Mu, just kill me. A warrior would rather die than be humiliated!"
Luo Fengchan had given up, tears of shame streaming down her face.
Trapped in this formation, unable to escape, and unable to take the technique, she might as well be dead.
"Senior, if you don't attack me and treat me with a bit more respect, everything can be negotiated."
Xu Mu released Luo Fengchan and sat on the ground nearby.
Seeing Xu Mu move away, Luo Fengchan quickly took a new pair of athletic pants from her spatial ring. "What's your proposal?"
Xu Mu crossed his arms and said casually, "Will you still attack me?"
"As long as you come up with a solution that lets me take the technique away, I swear I'll never attack you again."
Luo Fengchan raised her hand and vowed. "I'll even treat you like a younger brother. If you ever need help in the future, you can count on me."
Compared to a Heaven-grade technique, what was a little humiliation?
Besides, there was no one else around. Even if Xu Mu shamelessly spread the word, she could just deny it completely.
"Does your sect have any other Heaven-grade techniques?"
Xu Mu looked at Luo Fengchan and asked.
"We have one more, but we certainly won't trade it. Qian Shui Yuan was originally lost to us. If we exchange it for another technique, we'd essentially lose that one too. What would be the point of the exchange?"
Luo Fengchan sat cross-legged on the ground, drawing circles in the dirt with her finger.
"Out of consideration for my sister, I'm willing to make one more concession. This is the last time. If you still won't accept, then there's no point in further discussion."
Xu Mu felt that Luo Fengchan was becoming a hassle. He couldn't just kill her, and they would inevitably meet again in the future.
"What is it?"
"I'm willing to give you Qian Shui Yuan for free, without asking for any technique in return. But you must agree to one thing: whether it's Qian Shui Yuan or your sect's current Heaven-grade technique, I get twenty slots for cultivation."
Xu Mu looked at Luo Fengchan and explained, "Simply put, I can let anyone I choose cultivate either Qian Shui Yuan or the Heaven-grade technique within your sect."
"I understand what you mean. You're saying you have twenty slots for cultivation."
Luo Fengchan said calmly, "And what happens after the slots are used up?"
"After that, the technique is truly yours. Even if I want to cultivate it myself, you can refuse."
Xu Mu clarified.
Luo Fengchan thought it over carefully and realized Xu Mu's proposal was indeed the best option.
Heaven-grade techniques required exceptional talent; not just anyone could master them.
"I can agree to your terms, but I have a few additional conditions."
Luo Fengchan held up one finger. "First, cultivation can only take place within our Han Xian Sect. The technique cannot be taken out."
"That's only fair. I'll leave the technique in your care. If anyone from our side wants to cultivate it, they'll travel there in groups."
Xu Mu nodded.
"Second, after you cultivate our technique, you must not become an enemy of our Cold Immortal Sect. Even if there is a conflict and you fight against us, you are not allowed to use our techniques. Otherwise, you will have to come and help us."
Luo Fengchan continued speaking to Xu Mu.
"Alright, I agree."
Xu Mu felt that with Xu Ningbing as a connection, it would be unlikely for him to oppose the Cold Immortal Sect in the future.
"Third! We must find a neutral third party to guarantee this. No one can go back on their word—for example, using up your twenty slots and then pestering me endlessly."
Luo Fengchan was mainly wary of Xu Mu’s master. What if she came causing trouble at the sect later?
Xu Mu, on the other hand, feared that the Cold Immortal Sect might refuse to hand over the technique afterward. Even if she hadn’t brought up this third point, he would have suggested it himself.
"Alright, tomorrow we’ll go find Wei Jingzhi and ask him to witness this."
Xu Mu said after a moment of thought.
"With Senior Wei as our witness, I feel reassured."
Luo Fengchan nodded to herself.
Xu Mu canceled the illusion array, and the two of them reappeared in the bedroom.
Ye Tong hadn’t gone to sleep yet. She sat up from the bed and asked, "Honey, is everything settled?"
"Yeah, it’s all done."
Xu Mu nodded, then said to Luo Fengchan, "You can leave now."
"It’s already past midnight. How can you let such a young child go home alone?"
Ye Tong, still in her pajamas, got out of bed and took Luo Fengchan’s hand. "Sister, don’t go tonight. Stay here and rest."
"I’m not a little kid!"
Luo Fengchan looked up at Ye Tong.
"Alright, alright, you’re a little grown-up right now. But even so, you can’t be walking around at night."
Ye Tong led Luo Fengchan to the bedside. "Tonight, you’ll sleep with me."
"Honey, if she sleeps with you, where will I sleep?"
Xu Mu walked over and asked.
"You’ll sleep on your side. There’s plenty of space—it’s not like we can’t fit."
After saying this, Ye Tong smiled at Luo Fengchan. "Sister, how about you sleep in the middle with us?"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
