“Isn’t there any other way to obtain a Spirit Root?”
Is this battle order really unavoidable?
Does his money grow on trees?
In response to Chen Huaian’s grief and confusion, a system girlfriend store popped up in the interface.
The first thing that caught his eye was the dazzling golden Xuan Water Spirit Root, priced at 19.99 million ¥. This top-tier type of elemental Spirit Root was just the cheapest one; below it were various Spirit Roots with even more outrageous prices, with zeros longer than his life.
There were no ordinary Spirit Roots available.
This shop only sold top-tier ones.
Moreover, this Xuan Water Spirit Root was locked, meaning Li Qingran had to reach the Nascent Soul stage to unlock the purchase rights.
It was madness.
Wouldn’t it be better if he had 19.99 million to treat cancer?
If cured, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.
So, this game clearly didn’t intend for him to obtain a Spirit Root through purchasing!
“Huh, what else is there to say?”
Chen Huaian gave a bitter smile.
Thinking about how this damned game at least accidentally unlocked his gene lock.
Then, why not just pay?
Another large sum of money vanished from his EasyPay account.
Chen Huaian collapsed onto the sofa, feeling an emptiness more intense and enduring than even the most profound state of peace.
“Miao…”
A weak meow came from afar.
Chen Huaian immediately leaped up and rushed to the shoebox.
“Oh, little Nibag is quite resilient!”
Compared to its pitiful state earlier, the small black cat seemed much better, at least able to move within the shoebox. Though the wounds still looked severe, they appeared to have healed somewhat since before the bath.
“I’m truly a genius.”
This time, Chen Huaian spoke with certainty.
But then he shook his head and laughed bitterly, “Too bad my days are numbered.”
He didn’t notice the small black cat’s eyes fixated on his neck, a flicker of murderous intent in its dark pupils.
[…Eat him…]
[Once I eat him again, my injuries will heal…]
[A puny bird isn’t enough…]
“What are you looking at?”
Chen Huaian and the small black cat stared at each other.
Noticing Chen Huaian’s gaze, the black cat’s fierce look turned clear, its pupils round, and it mewed softly.
“Still uncomfortable?” Chen Huaian rubbed his chin, “How about…”
He turned around, exposing his back without any guard.
[Chance!]
The black cat arched its back, preparing to pounce.
Its fur stood on end, eyes brimming with killing intent.
But the next second, the man suddenly turned around,
holding a set of silver needles in his left hand and pinching its nape with his right.
The black cat’s eyes widened!
[Damn… What did this human do? Why can’t I move… Get this weak body moving, damn it!]
“Just need to reinforce the needles,” Chen Huaian said as he placed the small black cat on the sofa, wrapped it loosely in a towel, and began inserting needles.
He wasn’t sure if the cat had rabies.
Since it could already move, he decided to take precautions.
To avoid getting scratched and having to go to the hospital for rabies shots.
It would be expensive.
[Damn… The lowly human dares to wrap me in a towel…]
The black cat struggled fiercely, baring its teeth.
Chen Huaian was prepared and inserted needles into two acupoints.
The black cat’s eyes widened again.
What kind of trick is this?!
Again, it couldn’t move.
“They’re really useful,” Chen Huaian sighed as he inserted the needles, “If I can’t use them on people, I could get a fake veterinary license and open a pet clinic. I’d make a fortune, and those parents would even give me banners.”
“Speaking of which, is this a male or female cat?”
He lifted the tail to check.
“Oh, male… Then behave yourself and grow up. When the time comes, I’ll personally perform a sterilization surgery on you to prevent you from bothering other females…”
Black Cat: ??
[What did this human say? He wants to neuter me?]
[Unacceptable… Unacceptable!]
[Eat him, must eat him!!!]
But as Chen Huaian continued inserting needles,
the black cat suddenly felt its wounds healing quickly, the pain inside gradually fading. The silver needles brought warmth instead of pain, making it feel so comfortable it nearly fell asleep.
[This human… seems to have other uses besides eating… This needle technique can heal wounds? Interesting, there are still inheritors of the Golden Needle Secret Technique in this era…]
[Wait until he heals me, then I’ll eat him!]
[Then the Golden Needle Secret Technique will be mine!]
…
After absorbing the Immortal-grade·Mixed Heaven Nourishing Pill,
a window popped up in the game.
Chen Huaian noticed and felt a surge of joy.
He swiftly removed the needles from the black cat, tossed them back into the shoebox, and closed the lid.
The black cat: …
My injuries aren’t healed yet!
“Woof! !”
[Human, I’ll make you die!!!]
Chen Huaian ignored the black cat’s frantic scratching and raging inside the shoebox, focusing entirely on Li Qingran.
[Status: Cultivation, Dantian Formation in progress]
[Progress: 3679/5999 (Layer 6)]
[Lifespan Remaining: 273 years]
[Favorability: 50 (Veneration)]
“Wow, this status is impressive!”
Seeing Li Qingran’s lifespan extend to 273 years, Chen Huaian felt both relieved and envious. At midnight, the game refreshed his predicted lifespan to 129 days.
Chen Huaian didn’t believe it, but he was indeed short-lived, naturally envying those who could live longer. But he soon accepted it.
Game time matched real time.
Meaning, as long as he invested heavily and ensured nothing happened to Li Qingran, even if he died, as long as the game account wasn’t deleted by the company, Li Qingran would continue to exist for over two hundred years with his traces.
He suddenly felt that spending so much earlier wasn’t a big deal. Of course, assuming the game company kept their word.
He had heard many games shut down, leaving players’ investments wasted, with only garbage items as compensation.
What difference was this from destroying someone’s property?
Fortunately, he didn’t see the mafia-like notice—final interpretation rights belong to the game company.
At the same time, something strange happened around Li Qingran in her phone.
The curtains stopped moving, dust settled, and the Spiritual Energy fluctuated steadily. Chen Huaian saw golden, plant-like sprouts emerge near the girl, growing larger and spreading throughout the room, forming flower buds—something significant was about to happen!
[Li Qingran has entered the final stage of Dantian formation. A first-class Dantian can attract attention. Would you like to spend 88¥ to protect her?]
“New monetization strategy?” Chen Huaian sneered.
Not selecting to protect Li Qingran would certainly fail, and some old monster might snatch her Dantian… Whether they could succeed was another matter.
Fortunately, 88¥ wasn’t much, so Chen Huaian paid directly.
[Choose your protector form:
＜Physical Incarnation Protecting＞100,888¥ once.
＜Mount Taotie Protecting＞58,888¥ once.
＜Sword Spirit Protecting＞38,888¥ once.
＜Ultimate Protector Package＞35,888¥ once, including Xiao Zhu Xian Sword Formation, Xuanwu Formation, and Nine Yang Lightning Talismans x7.
＜Advanced Protector Package＞18,888¥ once, including Thunder Lock Dragon Formation and Nine Yang Lightning Talismans x1.
＜Intermediate Protector Package＞1,888¥ once, including Sky Piercing Sword Formation and Immortal-grade Lightning Talismans x10.
＜Basic Protector Package＞188¥ once, including Thunder Fire Burning Sky Formation, Immortal-grade Lightning Fire Talismans x10, and Nine Yang Purple Lightning Talisman x1.
＜Customizable Package, cart checkout payment＞(All limited-time offers, hurry while stocks last~?)]
Reading through the packages, Chen Huaian’s lips twitched.
He was too naive.
88¥ was merely the key to heavy spending.
Without paying the 88¥, one couldn’t even qualify to spend!
Now that he had paid, let’s see if he spends or not!
Fortunately, the additional items weren’t too extreme. The given packages were surely meant to help Li Qingran through this ordeal. Buying the expensive ones was just for show. He could predict that when the game officially launches, wealthy players would enjoy full-screen effects, and other players and electronic girlfriends would envy them, while regular players would choose cheaper, less flashy packages.
Choosing such a package wouldn’t affect game progression.
Chen Huaian considered himself not a fool, so he chose the basic protector package.
Oddly, he felt that an 188¥ package was reasonable.
This was a limited-time offer. How much would it cost otherwise? Such a greedy game was truly terrifying!
[BASIC PROTECTOR PACKAGE DEPLOYED!]
Chen Huaian saw a lightning-shrouded array rapidly form around Li Qingran’s small house, covering a radius of a hundred meters, then fading away.
Simultaneously, ten Immortal-grade Thunder Fire Talismans were affixed around the house, and a large, purple-lightning-inscribed talisman—Nine Yang Purple Lightning Talisman—was placed on the table in front of Li Qingran.
“Next must be a monster siege, right?”
Chen Huaian crossed his arms, fully aware of the game’s progression.
At this moment, Li Qingran’s Dantian reconstruction had entered the final stage, with the progress bar reaching 90%.
…
Cangyun Realm, Wanshan Mountain.
An area devoid of vegetation, a barren rocky plateau.
Deep within a dark pool concealed by overlapping mountains,
a pair of evil eyes suddenly opened.
“How fragrant! How delightful!”
“This scent is from the Dantian, an ultimate Dantian! Unbelievable, there’s still a prodigy capable of forming an ultimate Dantian in this era!”
“Hehehe! Heaven aids me! Truly heaven aids me!!!”
