Immortality Starts With Investment

”The color-changing function helps adapt to various environments. The cultivation world is full of dangers, and it can aid in concealment at critical moments,” Ye Chen explained with a serious tone.

An Miaoli’s deep, luminous eyes studied him for a long moment before she nodded, reluctantly accepting the explanation.

”Then give it a try, Senior! How about black first?” Ye Chen suggested eagerly.

An Miaoli didn’t respond verbally. With a thought, the white spiritual artifact covering her body instantly turned black.

Ye Chen’s eyes lit up. In white, Senior An’s ethereal aura was amplified, exuding a pure, almost alluring charm. Black, however, was different—it accentuated her sleek, slender figure, perfectly balanced and elegant. She radiated a cool, mature, imperial aura.

Thanks to Ye Chen’s meticulous design, the texture varied with color, and the black silk even gleamed faintly, making her breathtakingly stunning.

”Senior An, you could try purple next,” Ye Chen continued. ”I also designed additional features, like adjustable silk density. Depending on the situation, you can alter the weaving pattern and coverage area—like a fishnet style or stopping at the calves…”

He elaborated on the functions, keen to test the artifact’s quality.

Unfortunately, An Miaoli declined. The black silk reverted to a ribbon as she spoke calmly, ”I’ll pass this to Yuyi. If there’s nothing else, I’ll return to my cultivation.”

Clearly, the top-grade spiritual artifact Ye Chen had gifted was a bit beyond her comfort zone. Ye Chen wasn’t discouraged—there was time to ease her into it.

But seeing her in the black silk had stirred something. ”Senior, I feel the Nether Toxin hasn’t been fully purged. There might be some remnants, and lately, it’s been flaring up, hindering my cultivation,” he said earnestly.

An Miaoli frowned, her misty eyes fixed on him for a long while. Just as Ye Chen thought his ploy might fail, she nodded. ”The Nether Toxin is no small matter—it can affect your immortal path. Come to my cave abode, and we’ll examine it.”

Ye Chen broke into a grin, following the expressionless An Miaoli toward her cave abode.

…

Two hours later, An Miaoli slowly withdrew her secret technique. The black spiritual artifact on her hand reverted to a silk ribbon. She spoke calmly, ”It should be fully purged this time.”

Ye Chen, feigning guilt, replied, ”I’m not sure why, but I do feel much better. I’m so sorry for offending you again, Senior.”

An Miaoli shook her head. ”No matter. It’s all for Yuyi. Just treat her well. As for you and me, a clear conscience is enough.”

Ye Chen nodded earnestly. With that, An Miaoli politely showed him out. He didn’t linger, thanking her again for her ”life-saving” aid before leaving.

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On the way back to his cave abode, Ye Chen was in high spirits. Though there was no critical hit this time, the system had rewarded him with two hundred top-grade spiritual artifacts—a massive haul.

The system was smart, providing practical items like spirit robes, spirit crowns, and offensive artifacts, all easily sellable. Top-grade spiritual artifacts fetched at least ten thousand spirit stones each, with high-function ones going for tens of thousands. Two hundred artifacts meant millions of high-grade spirit stones. He’d struck it rich.

This trip had not only ”purged his toxin” for a refreshing body and mind but also netted him a fortune. Absolutely exhilarating.

During the process, though, he noticed An Miaoli’s insistence on propriety, or rather, her need for a justifiable excuse. When his hand ”lost control” and reached for something, it was blocked by a divine light. Clearly, he’d need to provide a convincing reason to satisfy her sense of righteousness if he wanted to deepen their dynamic.

…

Time flowed like water.

In the following weeks, Ye Chen settled into a routine of gifting and cultivating. His wealth grew steadily, rivaling even Deity Transformation cultivators in terms of assets.

His only regret was failing to find a portable cave abode. With the upcoming trip to the Great Chu Empire, where he’d gain the imperial aura infusion slot, his cultivation would skyrocket.

Reaching Nascent Soul and heading to the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land wouldn’t take long. Located at the heart of the Great Yan Continent, the Holy Land was far away, and he’d need to bring along any female cultivators willing to follow him. A portable cave abode would be essential.

In the cultivation world, spirit stones were essential, but they didn’t solve everything. Many treasures required luck to encounter. Ye Chen could only hope the Great Chu Empire’s treasury held something suitable for gifting, ideally triggering a critical hit for a portable cave abode.

During this time, his ”Nether Toxin” kept flaring up, requiring regular purging. Every ten days or so, he’d need a session, or he’d feel uncomfortable and unmotivated to cultivate.

Senior An was diligent in her care for juniors, rarely refusing when she had time. But the process remained strictly professional—he could only be ”purged,” unable to touch anything.

Recalling yesterday’s session, Ye Chen noted An Miaoli’s usual ”clear conscience” line, followed by a specific request to pay more attention to An Yuyi. Apparently, Yuyi was feeling insecure, which worried her aunt.

Ye Chen felt a bit helpless. It wasn’t intentional neglect, but An Yuyi’s multiplier was just too low for him now. Even with a critical hit, it wasn’t impressive. Still, given how much An Miaoli had done for him, he owed her the courtesy of showing some care for her niece.

As he mulled this over, his cave abode’s transmission talisman flickered. Opening the door, a Quiet Wonder Peak deacon respectfully handed him a jade slip. ”Elder Ye, this was sent by the Heavenly Evolution Pavilion.”

Ye Chen nodded with a smile and took it. The Heavenly Evolution Pavilion always sent big clients lists for auctions or new arrivals. Scanning it, he found most items useless and unappealing. But then, his eyes lit up—a treasure caught his attention.

It was a spirit treasure-grade portable cave abode, equipped with a fourth-grade defensive array capable of withstanding a hundred Nascent Soul-level attacks. Crafted from top-tier materials, it boasted functions like autonomous spiritual energy absorption, body purification, and concealment. Most remarkably, it was forged using an ancient beast bag as its core, allowing it to house living demon beasts—a truly priceless feature.

However, it had flaws. It was second-hand, and its defensive array had been damaged in a great battle, with some array patterns eroded beyond repair. Now, it could only withstand late Golden Core attacks. There were other minor issues too. In modern terms, it was a ”wrecked car.”

But Ye Chen was intrigued. Its ability to sustain demon beasts made it perfect. If he bought and gifted it, he might trigger a critical hit for a portable cave abode capable of housing people. It was worth a shot.

With the portable cave abode issue potentially resolved, Ye Chen’s mood lifted. Soon after, An Yuyi bounded over excitedly, asking if he was attending the auction and whether they could go together…