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

The moment they stepped into the privacy of the courtyard, Lin Yinyin could no longer contain herself. She squared her shoulders and deepened her voice, mimicking Zhang Xian’s earlier baritone.

“Li Fuxi, be my woman.”

She dropped the act instantly, her face twisting into a playful grimace. “Brother, you’re so smooth. It’s honestly disgusting.”

She looked him up and down, her lower lip jutting out in a pout. “Now that you have Yun Wanqing, and now you have Master too… are you just going to toss Yinyin to the back of your mind?”

Zhang Xian couldn’t help but chuckle. She looked like a bristling kitten trying to be intimidating. He reached out, gently flicking the tip of her upturned nose.

“How could I? I could never forget our little Yinyin.”

The intimate gesture made her flush a sudden crimson. She fidgeted, glancing left and right to ensure the coast was truly clear. Then, she leaned in, pressing her body close to his. Her voice dropped to a husky whisper filled with shy anticipation.

“Brother… your match isn’t until the day after tomorrow. Master is meditating to recover right now… so…”

She trailed off, her face burning like a ripe apple. “How about we… tonight…?”

Zhang Xian looked at her bashful, inviting expression, and felt his resolve waver. Under any other circumstances, he would have agreed in a heartbeat. But right now, the burning heat in his dantian was a stark reminder that he had far more critical matters to attend to.

With great reluctance, he had to decline.

He lowered his head, planting a quick peck on her smooth forehead. “Another day, okay? Be good. Your brother needs to go into seclusion immediately. I have to see if I can resolve this False Core issue once and for all.”

Without giving Lin Yinyin a chance to argue or seduce him further, he turned and bolted toward his meditation chamber, the very picture of a man fleeing temptation.

“Zhang Xian!!”

Lin Yinyin stared at his retreating back, stomping her foot in frustration. Her face was beet red, her fists clenched at her sides.

“Just brushing me off like that? He must have eaten his fill over at Yun Wanqing’s before coming back! Hmph!!”

She shook a tiny fist at the closed door, feeling a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, yet utterly helpless to stop him.

Inside the meditation chamber, heavy silence reigned.

Zhang Xian sat cross-legged, cradling the Primordial Creation Pill in his palm. The pill emitted a misty, shifting glow that reflected the wild anticipation in his eyes.

“For you, I painfully turned down invitations from two peerless beauties today,” he murmured to the artifact.

Images of Yun Wanqing’s shy charm and Lin Yinyin’s pouting face flashed through his mind, but they were quickly incinerated by a fiercer desire. He had waited for this day for far too long.

He brought the pill to his lips and swallowed.

Boom!

A torrential force swept through his limbs and bones instantly. It didn’t melt; it detonated. It felt as if a thunderstorm had been unleashed inside his veins. The vast medicinal power acted like a divine carving knife, using his origin as the core to frantically reshape, sculpt, and perfect his being.

His False Core trembled violently. Impurities were purged in clouds of black smoke; structural flaws were optimized. An unprecedented sense of wholeness and solidity rose from his dantian.

Simultaneously, the artificial Wood Spiritual Root—painstakingly built from countless rare herbs and treasures—began to transform. Under the scouring of the medicinal power, it shed its mortal limitations, evolving into a genuine, High-Grade Wood Spiritual Root.

The metamorphosis didn’t stop there.

From the depths of his inner palace, four faint yet undeniably real sprouts emerged—Metal, Water, Fire, Earth!

Although they were currently of the lowest grade, their appearance meant he was no longer a single-element cultivator. He was now a genuine master of all five elements—a possessor of a Mixed Spiritual Root.

In the cultivation world, Mixed Spiritual Roots were often looked down upon as the mark of mediocre talent, as splitting one’s focus usually resulted in weak affinity across the board. However, Zhang Xian now possessed a High-Grade Wood Root as his anchor. The addition of the other four elements didn’t dilute his power; it completed it.

Moreover, even a low-grade natural root was infinitely superior to the artificial construct he had started with.

Zhang Xian looked inward, observing the flawless, perfectly round Golden Core spinning in his dantian. A faint, multi-colored spiritual light swirled around it in perfect harmony.

His eyes grew hot. He took a deep breath, attempting to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Whoosh.

Instantly, wisps of pure Five Elements energy rushed toward him as if summoned by a monarch. They flowed smoothly into his meridians, transformed and absorbed by the Golden Core without the slightest hitch.

An unprecedented feeling of comfort washed over him. It was as if he had been breathing through a straw his entire life, and suddenly, he could fill his lungs with pure oxygen. Every pore on his body seemed to cheer.

“This… this is what a real spiritual root feels like,” he whispered, his voice trembling.

The sensation was stark. It was like a peasant who had eaten nothing but chaff and wild weeds his whole life suddenly tasting a royal banquet.

The ‘False Core’ affliction that had plagued him for years was finally, completely resolved.

From this moment on, he was no longer a counterfeit genius who relied on external items and schemes to compensate for a cracked foundation. He was a Golden Core Perfected One, a true powerhouse with a High-Grade Wood Root and a complete elemental cycle.

As the euphoria settled, a trace of regret surfaced.

Aside from Wood, his other four roots were merely low-grade. Furthermore, due to the drug resistance built up from consuming excessive Immortal Ascension Pills and Marrow Cleansing Pills in the past, he couldn’t improve them with standard medicines for the time being.

But then, a confident curve touched the corner of Zhang Xian’s mouth.

He remembered his ace in the hole: the [Distinguished Disciple Halo (Limited)].

Although it was a one-time activation and was already locked onto his master, Li Fuxi, its effects were passive and permanent. The heaven-defying aspect of this halo was that it allowed him to share his master’s potential—including her spiritual root talents.

Li Fuxi currently possessed a Fourth-Grade Golden Core and top-tier Metal and Water Dual Spiritual Roots.

As long as she improved, he would improve.

He could already feel it—his new Metal and Water roots were slowly, rhythmically evolving, drafting off her talent.

He needed to quickly… satisfy his master. If he could help her break through to the Nascent Soul stage, he would benefit from the spillover immediately.

“I need to feed her well so I can drink the soup,” Zhang Xian thought, overjoyed at the prospect.

With his greatest weakness erased, Zhang Xian’s mind was clear and serene. He began to organize his objectives.

First: Win the Demon Sweeping Assembly. This was his promise to Heavenly Puppet Peak, and the rewards were non-negotiable.

Second: Travel to Penglai Immortal Island. He needed to find Lele, who should be with Su Ling and that mysterious Supreme Elder. Given that the Elder had gifted him the Creation Immortal Pill, logic and courtesy dictated he pay a visit to express his gratitude.

Third: The [Demon Nest]. This was the final target of his revenge plan. This enmity was irreconcilable; the nest had to burn.

Fourth: Yang Poxiao. The man might be crippled, but Zhang Xian knew better than to underestimate a protagonist archetype. Yang Poxiao had the real version of the Halo and terrifying potential. Since they were sworn enemies, Zhang Xian could not afford to leave even a spark of life in that fire. He had to pull the weeds up by the roots.

Finally: The System Upgrade. Progress had reached 80%. He was eager to see what functions would unlock at 100%.

“Currently, Liu Qingxuan, Li Fuxi, and Yun Wanqing are all hovering in the 70s for Favorability,” he mused. “After the tournament, I need to focus on pushing those numbers up.”

For two consecutive days, Zhang Xian remained in the meditation chamber.

He consolidated his realm, familiarized himself with the surge of new power, and practiced the operation of his Five Elements spiritual roots until they flowed like water. He drilled his coordination with his puppets until it was instinctual.

Only when the great bell rang, signaling the start of the finals, did he push open the stone door.

In the courtyard, Li Fuxi and Lin Yinyin were waiting.

Li Fuxi’s complexion was rosy and healthy, a stark contrast to two days ago. However, her aura was deliberately restrained, making her appear somewhat weak and frail to the untrained eye. Lin Yinyin stood by her side, alert as a little bodyguard.

Zhang Xian quickly checked her status with the System.

[Li Fuxi: Daughter of Destiny (77 Points). Current Favorability: 79.]

Good. Her lost destiny had returned, and she was even stronger than before.

Li Fuxi looked up, catching his analytical gaze. She smiled softly. “I’m fine. My injuries have completely healed—in fact, I am stronger than I was before. That pill of yours… it truly is a divine object that seizes the creation of heaven.”

Her voice lowered, carrying a note of strategic caution. “I am suppressing my aura. You displayed too much wealth and too many treasures the other day. Covetous eyes are already watching you. If I were to suddenly appear fully healed and powered up, it would only paint a larger target on your back.”