Pay-to-Win Cultivation: I Get 10,000x Returns

The next day, the Martial Arts Plaza was a cauldron of noise, the fervor far eclipsing the previous day. Every gaze was locked onto the massive central arena.

Today’s main event was the undisputed highlight: Yunmiao Sect’s Zhang Xian versus Guiyuan Sect’s Yang Poxiao. This was no longer a simple grudge match; it was a collision of face between two major powers, heavily burdened by the blood debt of Li Fuxi’s grave injuries.

When Yang Poxiao stepped onto the stage, a collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

The image of him being devastated by Li Fuxi’s Jade Shattering technique was still fresh in everyone’s memory. Yesterday, his aura had withered, his life force nearly extinguished. Yet now, he stood brimming with vigor, spiritual power surging around him like a rising tide. He had fully recovered to his peak state.

Only Yang Poxiao knew the exorbitant price of this miracle. To achieve such terrified recovery speed, he had gritted his teeth and burned a massive amount of points to purchase an extremely precious Earth-Grade pill from the System Store last night.

What made his heart bleed even more was his defensive Earth-Grade Spirit Treasure. Li Fuxi had utterly annihilated it yesterday—damaged beyond all repair. The financial loss added three more degrees of pure hatred to the glare he directed at Zhang Xian.

Yang Poxiao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the ache in his wallet. His sharp gaze locked onto Zhang Xian.

For some reason, facing this False Core cultivator triggered an inexplicable sense of familiarity—and threat. After racking his brain last night, he had finally reached an epiphany.

Ha! So that’s it.

If I am the Son of the Plane, the one carrying a System and destined for the summit, then isn’t this guy the typical ‘trash-to-god’ protagonist template?

Yang Poxiao’s gaze drifted to the stands, noting Lin Yinyin watching Zhang Xian with undisguised concern. He thought of the self-sacrificing Li Fuxi, and the rumors about the Southern Region’s number one beauty, Yun Wanqing.

A mix of sour jealousy and twisted amusement bubbled in his chest. Not bad at all. His harem-building skills are solid. Quite the protagonist style.

Unlike himself. He had followed his stunning master, Long Zhi, for nearly half a year and hadn’t even managed to graze her hand.

But the thought quickly passed, replaced by blazing ambition. Once I become invincible in the Central Continent and stand at the peak, what peerless beauty won’t be mine? Long Zhi, even Yun Wanqing… they will all eventually prostrate themselves at my feet.

He looked at Zhang Xian with a gaze full of condescending pity. “Zhang Xian. You had the chance to become a warlord of this region, to enjoy the blessings of beautiful women. Unfortunately, you were born in the wrong era and met me, Yang Poxiao.”

Yang Poxiao raised his chin slightly, adopting a grandiose posture. “Today, I’ll show you what it truly means to be chosen by destiny. You are nothing but a stepping stone on my path to the summit.”

Zhang Xian listened to the monologue expressionlessly, his heart completely unmoved.

Although the man in front of him was technically a fellow transmigrator, they clearly weren’t from the same generation. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Yang Poxiao’s dialogue was incredibly cringey.

Zhang Xian had no intention of bonding over their shared origins. He simply replied in a flat tone.

“A protagonist? I’ve never seen a protagonist who betrays his sect and calls a thief his father.”

“You—!”

The smugness on Yang Poxiao’s face froze instantly. It was as if his most painful scar had been ripped open.

Long Zhi’s icy gaze and her public expulsion of him yesterday pierced his heart like renewed thorns. All his superiority and self-consolation crumbled before that single sentence.

“Seeking death!” Yang Poxiao roared, humiliated rage consuming his reason.

A colossal greatsword, broad as a doorframe, appeared in his hands. It ignited with towering flames, carrying enough heat to boil the seas as he charged fiercely toward Zhang Xian.

He held nothing back. His dual Thunder and Fire spiritual roots erupted at full power. Purple lightning coiled within the sword light, the pressure far surpassing the level he had displayed against Li Fuxi.

Zhang Xian’s eyes narrowed. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Four streaks of light shot out from behind him, instantly manifesting into four puppets with distinct auras. They took up positions in the four cardinal directions.

Metal. Water. Fire. Earth.

And in the center stood Zhang Xian, holding a verdant Wood-attribute spirit sword.

The Five Elements gathered!

“Holy shit! Five Elements Puppets?!”

“He’s controlling four puppets plus himself?! And they’re all different elements?!”

“That… that level of divided attention is monstrous!”

The spectator stands exploded. Controlling multiple puppets wasn’t unheard of, but simultaneously manipulating four puppets of different attributes—each executing complex, element-specific sword techniques—was unprecedented.

Even more terrifying were the weapons. Every single sword in the hands of the five figures emitted the heart-stopping fluctuations of a Spirit Treasure.

Five Spirit Treasures!

“Hiss—!” Even the big shots on the VIP platform sucked in a cold breath. Hu Yanqing frowned deeply, and Xia Xuanyin looked genuinely astonished.

Deploying five attribute-matched Spirit Treasures at once wasn’t just “wealthy.” It was fiscally obscene. Where did he find the mental bandwidth to refine that many treasures?

Facing Yang Poxiao’s berserk Thunder-Fire strike, Zhang Xian and his four puppets instantly locked into formation. The power of the Five Elements flowed in a continuous cycle, generating an endless defense that forcefully blocked the assault.

“Hmph! Parlor tricks!”

Yang Poxiao was startled but unafraid. His thunder and fire grew more violent, his sword techniques grand and sweeping. Despite fighting one against five, he didn’t lose ground.

His combat experience was undeniable. He quickly realized Zhang Xian’s main body was the weak link and focused the torrent of his attacks there.

Just as the offensive reached its peak, the corner of Zhang Xian’s mouth lifted into a cold smile. A thick stack of talismans appeared in his hand.

“Here it comes!” Yang Poxiao’s pupils contracted, alarm bells ringing in his head. The memory of Hu Yanzhi being pummeled to death by cash-fueled explosions two days ago was still vivid.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Zhang Xian was utterly unsparing. He flung out three Earth-Grade talismans immediately. A storm of elemental attacks rained down on Yang Poxiao.

Yang Poxiao roared, weaving thunder and fire into a violent defensive sphere, forcefully intercepting the bombardment.

The exchange continued for several rounds. Zhang Xian’s Earth-Grade talismans burned away at a terrifying rate, but Yang Poxiao’s spiritual power was also draining rapidly.

However, as a Pill Refining Grandmaster, Yang Poxiao was prepared. He swallowed a High-Grade Spirit Recovery Pill he had refined himself, his aura instantly snapping back to its peak.

Haha! Idiot! Yang Poxiao laughed internally, calculating the exchange rates. My Recovery Pill costs a few hundred mid-grade spirit stones to make. That handful of Earth-Grade talismans you just wasted is worth hundreds of thousands!

Let’s see how deep your pockets really are. He was certain Zhang Xian’s supply was finite. This whale-style combat couldn’t last.

Sure enough, after several more waves, Zhang Xian’s offensive noticeably weakened.

A flash of triumph crossed Yang Poxiao’s eyes. Ran out of tricks, didn’t you? Once your wallet is empty, you’re dead!

He relaxed slightly, preparing to launch his fatal counterattack.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.

The Spirit Treasure swords in the hands of the Metal Puppet and Water Puppet blazed with a blinding, unstable light.

Not good! He’s going to self-destruct the Spirit Treasures!

Yang Poxiao’s scalp went numb. He knew Zhang Xian had a history of blowing up treasures, but that was usually a desperate measure to save one’s life.

He never imagined Zhang Xian would treat self-destructing Spirit Treasures as a basic attack. What kind of bankrupting, pay-to-win madness was this?!

BOOM!

Two Spirit Treasure-grade longswords detonated instantly.

A chaotic flood of Metal and Water spiritual power erupted like a breached dam. And the epicenter of that expensive destruction was precisely where Yang Poxiao stood.