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

Su Yunmiao’s avatar let out a sigh that seemed to carry the dust of a thousand years.

She pointed toward the withered old man sitting at the eye of the formation. His hair was white as crane feathers, his face youthful yet marred by the gray pallor of decay.

“That is Qin Mian, Supreme Elder of the Penglai Immortal Sect. He was the first to discover the encroaching traces of the Seven Emotions. To prevent them from ravaging the mortal world, he chose to feed himself to the demons. He forcibly merged their essence into his own body, acting as a living prison for over a millennium.”

Her voice dropped a fraction. “But Elder Qin Mian’s lifespan is at its end. Once his Dao dissipates, the Entities will break their chains and seize his empty shell. A peak cultivator puppeted by cosmic malice will descend upon the Southern Region. It would take only a wave of its hand to erase nations.”

Zhang Xian’s gaze shifted instinctively to Su Yunmiao’s true body, his eyes burning with a silent question: Why not the others? Why not you?

As if reading his thoughts, the avatar explained calmly. “Su Ling is a construct; a puppet body cannot house the Seven Emotions.”

She gestured to the middle-aged man with the resolute jawline. “He is the current Sect Master. He attempted to shoulder Qin Mian’s burden years ago. The attempt nearly shattered his soul and drove him mad instantly. He has yet to fully recover.”

Finally, she looked at her own meditating true body.

“As for me, I am already the jailer for another entity: [The Entity of Love]. Splitting my mind further is impossible. My cultivation is slightly inferior to Elder Qin Mian’s; I cannot suppress two at once. The final stray entity, [Obsession], required a new vessel.”

She looked at the girl in the center.

“Lele has cultivated the Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra to perfection. Her Dao Heart is flawless, empty, and clear. In the entire Southern Region, she is the only candidate capable of containing [Obsession]. When she learned the truth, she accepted the burden without hesitation.”

Zhang Xian felt an invisible hand crush his heart. He stared at the frowning silhouette of his sister.

“And if… if she fails?”

“Then [Obsession] will devour her consciousness,” Su Yunmiao said starkly. “She will no longer be Xingxiu. She will no longer be Lele. She will be a calamity wearing her face.”

The air in Zhang Xian’s chest turned to lead. “How long?”

“It is impossible to say. [Obsession] has festered inside Qin Mian for centuries; it is ancient and powerful.” Su Yunmiao shook her head. “Perhaps ten years. Perhaps fifty. During this time, her soul will be drowning in illusions constructed by the entity. She will see nothing of the outside world.”

“We four must maintain the ‘Four Symbols Absolute Seal’ to nurture her spirit and hold the line. As she strengthens her will against the intruder, we will slowly lower the barriers… until she is strong enough to refine the entity herself. Only then can she leave seclusion.”

Zhang Xian fell silent.

He looked at the girl who was mere yards away, yet separated from him by a chasm of duty and danger. He knew he had no right to object. She was saving the world.

But why did it have to be her?

After a long silence, he took a deep breath. He flipped his hand, and a device glowing with starlight appeared in his palm—the Earth-Grade ephemeral artifact, the [Void Breaking Shuttle].

He tapped the air, anchoring a spatial coordinate right there, inside the forbidden zone.

“Elder Su,” Zhang Xian said, his voice heavy with steel. “If anything—anything at all—happens to Lele, notify me. I do not care if I am at the ends of the earth. I will come.”

Su Yunmiao’s eyes widened slightly. To burn a priceless teleportation artifact just to set a marker? The sheer waste spoke volumes of his devotion.

Zhang Xian stared through the seven-colored barrier one last time. He etched the image of her furrowed brow into his memory.

“Let’s go,” he finally said, turning away. “Take me back.”

Back in the sunlit courtyard of the guest island, Zhang Xian took a moment to compose himself. Grief was useless; resources were power.

He retrieved an exquisite jade box from his storage.

“Elder Su,” he said, offering the box with both hands. “I once promised Inspector Zhiyin that I would return your kindness twofold. You gifted me a celestial pill to save my life. Today, I return two. Thank you for the aid you have given me.”

Su Yunmiao accepted the box politely. When she cracked the lid, however, the majestic surge of medicinal fragrance made her pupils contract.

“Primordial Creation Pills?”

Even with her thousands of years of cultivation, her voice cracked. She stared at the two pills, her eyes shimmering with disbelief.

“You… you actually possess such legends?”

Zhang Xian nodded, keeping his expression neutral. “I do.”

Su Yunmiao inhaled sharply, struggling to suppress the shock. These were pills capable of rebuilding a shattered foundation, knitting together a broken Nascent Soul, or defying the heavens to reshape a cripple into a genius. They were priceless.

“I have ended up owing you a favor instead,” she said gravely, closing the box. “When Lele succeeds and leaves seclusion, I will personally stand guard and ensure she consumes one of these to consolidate her foundation.”

[Ding! Gift Successful. Triggering Critical Return: x200.]

[Received: Primordial Creation Pill x200.]

Perfect.

Zhang Xian suppressed a grin. Emotional moments were important, but so was shearing the sheep. He had just turned two pills into an arsenal capable of mass-producing geniuses.

He didn’t stop there. He pulled out a brocade sack containing a Mid-Grade Spirit Treasure and several jars of Qingqiao Spirit Tea—tea so rich in energy it was practically liquid jade.

“And these are just small tokens of respect for you, Elder. Please, keep them. As for Lele…”

He paused, his tone shifting into the casual arrogance of a man whose wallet was bottomless.

“Don’t worry about her resources. When she gets out, I’ll personally outfit her with a full set of the best gear money can buy. I won’t let her touch anything below Heaven Grade.”

Su Yunmiao stood there, holding the Spirit Treasure and the tea, blinking.

She looked at the casual way he handed over fortunes. She heard the absolute certainty in his promise to “outfit” a cultivator like he was buying dolls for a child. Even as the Founder of a sect, she felt a momentary vertigo at his sheer financial horsepower.

This boy is… obscenely wealthy.

She cleared her throat, remembering her dignity. “Ahem. Very well.”

[Ding! Gift Successful…]

Ignoring the system notifications cascading in his mind, Zhang Xian turned serious. “So, regarding the war in the Southern Region… Penglai is truly out of the fight?”

Su Yunmiao’s avatar nodded solemnly.

“We are. The [Obsession] and [Love] entities here have been growing for a millennium. They are catastrophic threats, far beyond the ‘newborn’ [Desire] entity roaming the Southern Region. We are holding a sword that hangs over the entire cultivation world.”

She looked at him.

“Consider the war outside a trial for your generation. If you cannot handle a single infant Entity, you will have no hope against what lies here.”