Immortality Starts With Investment

After leaving Yao Xi’s side, feeling thoroughly content, Ye Chen finally had the time to check the system’s feedback.

”Gift successful!”

”The gift was ’Purple Mist Heavenly Gate Method.’”

”Processing feedback...”

”Thirty-fold feedback in progress...”

”Detected that the gift you gave is extremely important to the recipient...”

”Reward: Ten Earth-level upper-tier cultivation methods with no dissemination restrictions.”

The system’s notification made Ye Chen, already feeling refreshed, smile even more brightly. It seemed that An Miaoli truly was his good fortune. Not only had she given him the world’s strongest Western Emperor Scripture for Foundation Establishment, but now the return gift of the ”Purple Mist Heavenly Gate Method” had turned into ten Earth-level upper-tier methods without dissemination restrictions.

Such methods, with no restrictions on sharing, could fetch at least several dozen times the price of those with limitations at an auction. For sects or large families, a cultivation method without dissemination restrictions was as valuable as adding another line of inheritance.

Now, Ye Chen had ten such methods. Once they were all sold, he would easily make tens of thousands of top-grade spirit stones. The sum was beyond what could be described as ”profitable”—it was a fortune beyond imagination.

Ye Chen had already made up his mind. Once he reached the Golden Core stage, he would go to Divine Will City and pay his respects to An Miaoli properly.

This woman was undoubtedly the greatest treasure that heaven had sent his way. In the days that followed, Ye Chen’s life returned to a peaceful rhythm. Each day was mostly devoted to cultivation. And every week, he would deliver gifts to Yao Xi.

Ye Chen had prepared many things for Yao Xi. In addition to magical treasures, he had also given her the second-tier alchemy manual from the top alchemist of the Divine Will Sect. Along with that were various medicinal pills.

Yao Xi’s feedback, in turn, had granted Ye Chen not only a full set of top-tier magical treasures but also the complete insights of a second-tier alchemist. The cultivation resources he now possessed were nearly complete, and all of them were of the highest grade.

This was something other Foundation Establishment cultivators could scarcely even dream of. Most cultivators who break through to Foundation Establishment begin with nothing. Even if they had accumulated some spirit stones during their Qi Refining period, those were barely enough to meet the demands of Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Thus, newly-advanced Foundation Establishment cultivators would typically have to scramble to earn spirit stones. It would take them years of hard work to accumulate enough before they could finally focus on their cultivation in peace.

Yet, Ye Chen had effortlessly bypassed this arduous process. As a result, his cultivation progressed rapidly!

Of course, Ye Chen was greatly pleased with this. Yao Xi, on the other hand, was experiencing a bittersweet mix of emotions. Every time she received Ye Chen’s gifts, she was both happy and resentful.

The happiness, naturally, came from the delightful surprises Ye Chen constantly brought her. But the resentment came from how utterly excessive Ye Chen was. Now that they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators, there were no more worries to attend to.

Yet, Ye Chen still made a point of staying just outside her door. It left her in a strange and uncomfortable position, feeling somewhat conflicted and her emotions in turmoil.

After spending three months delivering all the gifts he had prepared for Yao Xi, Ye Chen finally decided to give her some time to herself. He then turned his attention to his master...

Although Ye Chen had already encountered the two-hundredfold feedback from An Miaoli, he had not forgotten his master.

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Even though his master had not taught him much, the help she had provided was exceptionally important. In fact, Ye Chen could say with certainty that, without his master, he would never have dared to give so many gifts to female cultivators during his Qi Refining stage.

His master’s presence had saved him a great deal of time, and Ye Chen was determined to show his gratitude and build a stronger bond between them. So, as soon as the system cooldown ended, Ye Chen made his way to the mountaintop.

”Master, your disciple has something to ask.”

Moments later, the courtyard door opened automatically, and Ye Chen entered with a smile.

Gu Yunyun, standing in the courtyard, gazed at Ye Chen with a slightly displeased expression. The night before, she had been in deep meditation, refining her mindset for a long time, and only finished after sunrise.

Although a Golden Core cultivator could easily go without sleep for a month, she had been hoping for a quick rest.

Just as she lay down, Ye Chen arrived.

”Can’t you ever rest?” she thought inwardly.

Ye Chen, unaware of his master’s feelings, respectfully presented his gift. ”Master, this is a gift I brought back for you from Divine Will City.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunyun furrowed her brows slightly, looking at the gift Ye Chen was holding.

It was a red dress, a magical treasure of the highest quality.

”Master, this dress is made from the first strands of spirit silk produced by the second-tier Jade Spirit Silkworm. It requires thousands of these strands to craft a single dress. It’s incredibly light, almost weightless. When worn, it feels like nothing, and it also bears an engraved second-tier star array...

”When cultivators wear it while resting, the dress will automatically absorb star energy, nourishing the body. I’ve heard that even female Golden Core cultivators in Divine Will City wear similar nightwear when they sleep!”

Ye Chen earnestly explained the features of the exquisite red dress.

Yes, this was sleepwear. The reason Ye Chen bought it was simply out of filial piety, and had nothing to do with the fact that the skirt was short, with a low neckline.

Gu Yunyun listened to Ye Chen’s explanation, somewhat surprised. A magical treasure-level dress? Her disciple was indeed quite wealthy...

Still, she felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that Ye Chen had remembered to bring her a gift. Since Ye Chen returned, it seemed like he had been constantly going to Yao Xi to deliver gifts, and everyone in Green Cloud Sect knew about it.

For a disciple whose mind was full of women, it was gratifying that he had remembered his master and brought her a gift. It made all of her past efforts seem worthwhile.

The effects of the magical dress were also quite fitting for Gu Yunyun’s need to absorb star energy at night. And the bright red color of the skirt perfectly matched her aesthetic.

Gu Yunyun gently nodded. ”Since this is your first time showing filial respect, I will accept this gift. However, even though you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, you must not slack off. Continue to cultivate diligently. Foundation Establishment is not the end; it is merely the beginning!”

Ye Chen was delighted to see his master accept the gift so easily.

At the same time, the system’s voice echoed in his mind: ”Gift successful!”

”The gift was the top-tier Spirit Silkworm Nightdress...”

”One hundred times feedback in progress...”

”Reward: Top-tier magical treasure set: Imperial Spirit Set...”

”The Imperial Spirit Set consists of the Imperial Spirit Sword, Imperial Spirit Robe, Imperial Spirit Boots, Imperial Spirit Hat, Heartguard Mirror, and Imperial Spirit Gloves...”

”The set can ignore curse-type spells, immune to toxic mists, impervious to all poisons, increases spirit energy recovery speed, enhances speed, and conceals one’s aura...”

Looking at the long list of functions for the Imperial Spirit Set, Ye Chen’s heart surged with excitement. As expected of the one-hundredfold feedback from his master—although there was no critical hit, the reward was still incredibly powerful.

It was at least several times stronger than the set he had received from Yao Xi. This only strengthened Ye Chen’s determination to show even more filial respect toward his master.

Gu Yunyun watched Ye Chen set down the gift but then hesitate to leave. She furrowed her beautifully arched brows and asked, ”Do you have something else to say?”

Ye Chen shook his head. ”No, nothing else.”

Gu Yunyun was still hoping to rest, so she waved her hand. ”If there’s nothing else, leave. I need to meditate.”

Her clear dismissal made Ye Chen feel a bit disappointed as he had to leave. He had originally hoped to stay a bit longer, wondering if his master would try on the new dress.

Given her figure, it would be a stunning sight to see her in the Spirit Silkworm Nightdress—such a beautiful image was too tempting to imagine. But alas, he had no such luck... his master was being so distant.

...

After Ye Chen left, feeling a bit down, Gu Yunyun finally curiously picked up the nightdress. When she clearly saw its style, her eyes narrowed in thought.

Was this truly something a disciple should give to their master? What was Ye Chen thinking?

However, remembering the expression on his face when he had given her the gift, Gu Yunyun began to wonder if she was overthinking things...

Could it be that in Divine Will City, female cultivators commonly wore such dresses, and they were often seen in shops, so Ye Chen had simply bought one?

After a moment of hesitation, Gu Yunyun allowed her robes to fall away. With graceful and light movements, she slowly donned the gift Ye Chen had brought. When she looked at herself in the mirror created by the Water Mirror Technique, Gu Yunyun blushed slightly.

Was the dress a bit too small? But it was indeed very comfortable...