"Is there no other way to obtain a spiritual root?"
Is this battle order really necessary?
Does Chen Huaian's money grow on trees?
In response to Chen Huaian's frustration and confusion, the system girlfriend store popped up on the screen.
The first thing that caught his eye was the golden-glowing Mystic Water Spiritual Root, priced at 19.99 million ¥. This top-tier elemental spiritual root was the cheapest option available. Below it were various other spiritual roots with even more outrageous prices, their zeros longer than his lifespan.
Ordinary spiritual roots? Nonexistent.
This store only sells the best.
The kicker? The Mystic Water Spiritual Root was locked. Li Qingran had to reach the Nascent Soul stage to unlock the purchase option.
This is insane.
If he had 19.99 million ¥, wouldn't it be better to spend it on curing cancer?
If cured, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.
So, the game clearly doesn't intend for him to obtain a spiritual root through purchase!
"Haha, what else is there to say?"
Chen Huaian let out a bitter laugh.
Thinking that this darn game had, by sheer coincidence, unlocked his genetic potential.
Well then, time to spend!
Another large sum of money vanished from his e-payment account.
Chen Huaian slumped on the sofa, the overwhelming sense of emptiness not only hitting harder than post-enlightenment clarity but also lingering far longer.
"Meow…"
A weak cat's cry sounded.
Chen Huaian immediately sprang up and rushed to the shoebox.
"Well, little booger, you're quite resilient!"
Compared to its earlier pitiful state, the black kitten seemed much better now. At least it could move inside the shoebox, though its wounds still looked severe. On closer inspection, they seemed to have healed slightly since before the bath.
"I, Chen Huaian, am truly a genius."
This time, Chen Huaian used a definitive tone.
But then he shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Too bad I won't live long."
He didn't notice the kitten staring intently at his neck, a flash of murderous red light flickering in its pitch-black eyes.
[Eat… eat him…]
[If I eat him again, my injuries will heal…]
[A measly bird isn't enough…]
"What are you looking at?"
Chen Huaian and the kitten stared at each other.
Noticing Chen Huaian's gaze, the kitten's fierce expression instantly softened, its slit pupils rounding out as it let out a soft "meow."
"Still not feeling well?" Chen Huaian rubbed his chin. "Alright then…"
He turned around, exposing his back without a care.
[Opportunity!]
The black cat arched its back, ready to pounce.
Its fur bristled, eyes boiling with killing intent.
But the next second, the man suddenly turned back,
a set of silver needles in his left hand,
his right hand gripping the back of the kitten's neck.
The kitten's eyes widened in shock!
[Dammit… what did this wretched human do? Why… why can't I move… this weak body, move, damn it!!!]
"I only gave you one round of acupuncture earlier. Now, I'll reinforce it!" Chen Huaian placed the kitten on the sofa, wrapped it in a towel, and began the needle treatment.
Who knows if this kitten has rabies?
Since it's already moving, better be careful.
Wouldn't want to get scratched and have to go to the hospital for rabies shots.
What a waste of money.
[Damn it… a lowly human, daring to wrap me in a towel…]
The kitten struggled fiercely, baring its teeth.
Chen Huaian was prepared. He inserted needles into two specific acupoints.
The kitten's eyes widened again.
What kind of technique is this?!
It couldn't move. Again.
"This is so useful," Chen Huaian muttered while inserting needles, shaking his head in amazement. "Even if I can't use this on people, I could fake a veterinary license, open a pet hospital, and make a fortune. Parents would even send me banners of gratitude."
"By the way, is this a male or female cat?"
Chen Huaian lifted the tail to check.
"Oh, a male… Then grow up well, and I'll personally neuter you when the time comes. Can't have you harassing other female cats…"
Kitten: ???
[What did this human say? He's going to neuter me?]
[This is outrageous… outrageous!]
[I must eat him!!!]
But as Chen Huaian continued the treatment,
the kitten suddenly realized its wounds were healing rapidly, the pain inside its body gradually fading. The needles didn't bring pain but instead transmitted a warm flow of energy, making it feel so comfortable it nearly fell asleep.
[This human… seems to have uses beyond being eaten… This acupuncture technique can heal injuries? So, in this era, there are still inheritors of the Golden Needle Secret Art? Interesting…]
[Then I'll eat him after he finishes healing me!
The Golden Needle Secret Art will be mine~
Hohohoho…]
…
[Your electronic girlfriend has finished absorbing the Immortal Grade·Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill]
A pop-up appeared in the game.
Chen Huaian caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and felt a surge of joy.
He quickly removed the needles from the kitten, tossed it back into the shoebox with a flick of his wrist, and the lid snapped shut with a loud "snap."
Kitten: "…"
You didn't finish healing me!
"Meeooww—!!!"
[Human, I'll kill you!!!]
Ignoring the kitten's furious scratching and jumping inside the shoebox, Chen Huaian focused entirely on Li Qingran.
[Status: Meditating, Dantian forming]
[Cultivation Progress: 3679/5999 (6th Layer)]
[Remaining Lifespan: 273 years]
[Affection: 50 (Reverence)]
"Wow, she's on fire!"
Seeing Li Qingran's lifespan extended to 273 years, Chen Huaian felt both relieved and envious. At midnight, the game's reminder refreshed, predicting his remaining lifespan to be 129 days.
Chen Huaian didn't believe it, but he knew he was indeed short-lived, so he naturally envied those who could live long. However, he quickly made peace with it.
The game's time matches real-world time.
This means that as long as he keeps spending money to ensure Li Qingran faces no accidents, even if he dies, as long as the game account isn't deleted by the company, Li Qingran's character will continue to exist for over two hundred years, carrying his legacy.
Suddenly, he felt that all the money he'd spent wasn't such a big deal. Of course, this is assuming the game company doesn't pull any shady moves.
He'd heard of many games shutting down abruptly, rendering all the money players spent and the characters they nurtured worthless, with only useless compensation items from other games by the same company.
How is this any different from destroying someone's property?
Fortunately, when he entered the game, he didn't see the rogue disclaimer—"The final interpretation right belongs to the game company."
At the same time, in the game, Li Qingran's surroundings began to change.
The curtains stopped swaying, the dust around the cottage settled, and the spiritual energy fluctuations stabilized. Chen Huaian saw golden, plant-like sprouts emerging around the girl. Their growth spread rapidly, soon covering the entire room, and buds began to form on the sprouts—it seemed something extraordinary was about to be born!
[Li Qingran has entered the final stage of dantian formation. A first-grade dantian is prone to attracting attention from all directions. Would you like to spend 88¥ to protect Li Qingran?]
"A new cash-grabbing scheme?" Chen Huaian smirked with disdain.
If he didn't choose this, Li Qingran's dantian formation would surely fail, and some old monster would appear out of nowhere to steal her dantian… Could it be stolen? Well, the game's developed by them, so they can script any "accident" with a line of code.
Fortunately, 88¥ wasn't much, so Chen Huaian paid without hesitation.
[Please choose your guardian form:
100,888¥ per use.
58,888¥ per use.
38,888¥ per use.
35,888¥ per use, includes a Minor Zhuxian Sword Formation, Xuanwu Formation, and 9 Yang Five Thunder Talismans.
18,888¥ per use, includes a Thunder Shackle Dragon Formation and 1 Yang Five Thunder Talisman.
1,888¥ per use, includes a Soaring Sword Formation and 10 Immortal Grade Five Thunder Talismans.
188¥ per use, includes a Thunderfire Heaven-Burning Formation, 10 Immortal Grade Thunderfire Talismans, and 1 Yang Purple Thunder Talisman.
After scrolling through the list of packages, Chen Huaian's lips twitched.
He had been too naive.
The 88¥ was just the key to unlocking the spending spree.
Without paying that 88¥, he wouldn't even have the right to spend more!
Now that he'd paid the 88¥, the question was: to spend or not to spend?
Fortunately, the additional options weren't too outrageous. The packages offered were clearly designed to help Li Qingran overcome this crisis. Buying the expensive ones was just for showboating rich players. He could even predict that if the game officially launched, by this stage, rich players would be treated to full-screen special effects, while other players and their electronic girlfriends would watch in envy, drooling. Most regular players would likely opt for the basic guardian package with minimal effects.
Choosing such a package wouldn't affect the game's progression.
Chen Huaian wasn't a fool, so he naturally chose the basic guardian package.
Oddly enough, someone who felt 15¥ for takeout was expensive now thought the 188¥ package was quite reasonable?
And this was only the limited-time offer price. How much would it cost originally? Pay-to-win games are truly terrifying!
[Basic Guardian Package deploying!]
Chen Huaian watched as a thunderous formation rapidly formed around Li Qingran's cottage, covering a radius of 100 meters before fading away.
At the same time, 10 Immortal Grade Thunderfire Talismans were placed around the cottage, while inside, on the table in front of Li Qingran, a massive talisman—nearly the length of an adult's arm—was placed. It glowed with purple lightning, covered in intricate, mysterious patterns: the Yang Purple Thunder Talisman.
"Next up must be a monster siege, right?"
Chen Huaian crossed his arms, already anticipating the game's progression.
Li Qingran's dantian reconstruction had now entered its final stage, with the progress bar at 90%.
…
Cangyun Realm, Wanshan Mountains.
A barren, rocky wasteland.
In a dark, deep pool hidden by towering peaks,
a pair of sinister eyes suddenly opened.
"Such a sweet scent! Such a sweet scent!"
"This… this is the scent of a dantian, a peerless dantian! Unbelievable, in this era, there's still a genius capable of condensing a peerless dantian!"
"Hehehe! Heaven favors me! Truly, heaven favors me!!!"