**Chapter 198: Put This On, And You’re All Mine!**
It’s needless to say that the main trio has to raise their favorability levels.
Yun Zhonghe may have his own Qiankun pouch, but he believes an extra equipment slot is crucial—it’s a necessity!
As for Tao Jiu’er, even if Yun Zhonghe didn’t need to boost her favorability, he’d surely not let her fall behind.
At this moment, Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu were caught in a dilemma about whether to buy something. Although they had a bit of spirit stones to spare, every single one was precious and should be spent wisely.
“Hey, Yu, how about I split my spirit stones with you, and you can buy a ring? We can store our stuff together.”
“Xue’er, that’s a good idea, but I think it’s more suitable for you to wear it. My strength is weaker than yours, and you’ll need to store more resources.”
The two good friends were politely giving in to each other.
They were so close that they felt one ring would suffice. Having one each would be too extravagant.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhonghe had already finished swiping his card.
“Thank you for your purchase, esteemed Purple Gold member! You have spent 900,000 spirit stones. Here are five low-grade magical item storage rings. Please take them.”
The sales clerk respectfully handed Yun Zhonghe five silver-white rings.
He slipped one on his own finger, then walked over to the ladies with the remaining four rings in hand.
At this point, Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu were still debating who should wear the storage ring they planned to co-purchase.
Yun Zhonghe decisively interrupted.
In the midst of their astonished gazes, he handed the rings over and said with a straight face, “One for each of you. Go ahead.”
“Eh? Brother Yun… what is this…”
Lin Zhongyu was dumbfounded.
Although she had received many benefits from Yun Zhonghe before, this was a storage ring—worth 300,000 spirit stones!
Is he really giving those away like it’s nothing?
Mu Jixue was even more dazed, her expression blank.
“No refusals! Take it! Your spirit stones are far too valuable and should be spent on your cultivation. Little things like this—leave it to me.”
Yun Zhonghe’s tone was firm, and there was no room for argument. He even grabbed Mu Jixue’s hand and solemnly slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
Mu Jixue: “Eh?!”
After finishing with Mu Jixue, Yun Zhonghe pulled Lin Zhongyu close and adorned her left hand’s ring finger with a ring as well.
Lin Zhongyu: “……!!!”
Both of them were spinning in a daze.
Yun Zhonghe was grinning from ear to ear inside.
Look at this! Huang Aotian and the female lead were so moved they couldn’t speak. Clearly, my decision was spot-on!
Seeing the two ladies staring at their rings in a dazed manner but not taking them off, Yun Zhonghe felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
He saved two ladies some cash, which in turn saved him money because the money spent would return to him in the form of improved cultivation, plus an extra bonus of favorability!
This was a win-win!
As for the last two rings, Yun Zhonghe turned to Su Xiaoxiao and Tao Jiu’er.
Su Xiaoxiao trembled, feeling Yun Zhonghe’s seemingly calm demeanor, but his gaze burned with intensity, as if he were going to s*ck something out of her.
This made her feel as though she could hardly breathe, afraid to gasp.
“Wuah… I… I…”
“Lil girl, you take this one.”
Yun Zhonghe gently took her hand and placed a silver-white ring on her left ring finger.
“Wu!!!”
At this moment, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold it together anymore. It felt like her whole body was being filled with a wave of scorching energy, and she thought she’d explode.
Why is he putting me on the list too?! Does he want to include me with Xue’er sister and Mommy Zhongyu?!
Is that it? Is that it? Is that it?
Her pupils shook violently, and Su Xiaoxiao’s brain overheated, causing her to plop backward like a fainting goat.
“Lil Xiaoxiao?”
“Lil sister!”
“Excuse me, customer?!”
Su Xiaoxiao’s emotional overload caused a stir in the shop, and Yun Zhonghe was equally dumbfounded.
Was his action really that frightening? They were friends, after all! Exchanging gifts is totally normal, right?
Only Tao Jiu’er could only smile bitterly, noticing the confusion and bewilderment in Yun Zhonghe’s eyes, and she felt a deep sense of helplessness.
“Jiu’er sis.”
“Mm? Am I getting one too?”
Tao Jiu’er joked, but surprisingly, Yun Zhonghe actually slipped the last storage ring onto her finger.
Yun Zhonghe looked into her eyes seriously: “Of course! Jiu’er sis is super important to me. I can do without anyone else, but not Jiu’er sis.”
Tao Jiu’er:!!!
As someone skilled at hiding her feelings, even she turned beet red, her heart racing.
“Smooth talker.”
She turned her back, not allowing Yun Zhonghe to see her flustered face.
Yun Zhonghe was confused.
He was clearly gifting something, so why did he get criticized?
Whether it was Mu Jixue, Lin Zhongyu, or Su Xiaoxiao…
Their reactions seemed quite average.
Could it be that his strategy was flawed?
Surely not…
—
In the days that followed, the group stayed at the Xuantian Mansion’s guesthouse. Besides necessary cultivation, they explored the massive place itself.
Xuantian Mansion was enormous. Despite seeming ten times the size of Cangzhou Mansion, its denser buildings and higher commercial index made it impossible to fully explore even in a month.
Here, every shop had its own unique flair, and browsing could potentially lead them to the perfect store for their needs.
For instance, Yun Zhonghe discovered a shop specializing in spiritual energy insights, and he was very intrigued.
Of course, the insights sold here couldn’t compare with the personal techniques of Senior Chen. They mostly just guided the cultivation of spiritual energy, helping to speed up training.
Some insights even incorporated pure spiritual energy, allowing cultivators to absorb them directly to fill their Sea of Consciousness.
Who knew spiritual energy cultivation could be so brutally simple? It truly opened Yun Zhonghe’s eyes.
But the price for these insights was also quite steep.
One could sell for 20,000 to 30,000 spirit stones each!
Yet, it was said that for an ordinary cultivator at the Initial Understanding stage, ten insights could elevate them to the next tier, from early-stage to mid-stage.
Though pricey, it would save a lot of time and effort.
Hence, spiritual energy insights were in high demand; appointments were even necessary, as those insights were written by cultivators with much higher spiritual realms and were rare commodities.
Now, for Yun Zhonghe, raising his spiritual energy was extremely difficult. Just reaching the late initial stage would take who-knows-how-long, relying solely on traditional cultivation methods.
He figured it would be wise to prepare some insights as assistance.
However, the cost was painful to bear, and considering he had to support a big eater, he felt his funds were rapidly depleting. He might even need to ask his family for a cash infusion.
Yes, when he said “big eater,” he meant Snow Cloud Sword. Ever since they formed a contract, even though her demand for spirit energy had eased, she occasionally still drained Yun Zhonghe, claiming it was “dessert after meals”—only a fully fed dragon could recover faster.
Her little mouth had an astonishing sucking power, almost withering his spiritual roots.
Eventually, Yun Zhonghe negotiated, and she agreed to ration her intake so he wouldn’t be completely drained, but under the condition that he provide her with Xuan Iron as a substitute.
With her appetite, a single meal could consume over 50,000 spirit stones worth of Xuan Iron. The last batch that Song Ziwei gave him barely fed her half a meal!
However, if he supplied her with Xuan Iron, one good meal would keep her well-fed for at least ten days or more, with just a midnight snack of a tiny bit of Yun Zhonghe’s essence for dessert.
Though nurturing costs a lot, Snow Cloud Sword was still quite a reliable ally—just a day before “class” at Xuantian Sect, she seemed to have leveled up!
She successfully transitioned from a magical item to a low-grade magical treasure!
A genuine low-grade magical treasure sword would normally cost tens of thousands, if not more!
Yet, Snow Cloud Sword leveled up by merely being fed a few spirit stones worth of Xuan Iron, along with a hefty dose of Yun Zhonghe’s spiritual energy.
This allowed Yun Zhonghe to significantly boost his strength before joining the Xuantian Sect.
Looking at it this way, Snow Cloud Sword didn’t eat as much as one would think!
