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

The game ended, and Lin Jianyuan waved a hand to dismiss the board.

Attendants moved in silently, replacing the Go set with plates of exquisite spirit fruits and a pot of fragrant spirit wine. The four of them sat around the stone table, the atmosphere relaxing into a comfortable harmony.

Lin Jianyuan was truly a humble man. despite his terrifying cultivation, he carried a youthful sincerity and a free-spirited air that made him instantly likable. He laughed and chatted without putting on airs, trading barbs with Xia Chengyan and showing genuine respect to General Han Yichen.

Through their conversation, Zhang Xian learned that Han Yichen had been stationed in the Central Continent for nearly two years as the representative of the Great Xia Dynasty. He had brought a significant number of Southern Region cultivators with him to hold the line against the [Hatred].

As the wine flowed, Lin Jianyuan didn’t pry too deeply into Zhang Xian’s secrets. He stuck to discussing local customs and anecdotes of the Central Continent’s cultivation world. However, when the topic inevitably drifted toward Zhang Xian’s reputation, a mischievous glint sparkled in the Chairman’s eyes.

“Little friend Zhang, you’re so young, yet you’ve already surrounded yourself with quite the collection of beauties,” Lin Jianyuan teased, grinning. “You’re quite the ladies’ man. Hahaha!”

Zhang Xian felt a twinge of awkwardness and could only offer a polite, stiff smile.

Lin Jianyuan laughed heartily, wearing the expression of a man who had seen it all. “Don’t worry about it. Young men have vigorous energy. I understand completely!”

As he spoke, his gaze slid over to Xia Chengyan.

The prince was busy shoving a spirit fruit into his mouth. Feeling the weight of the stare, he swallowed hard and immediately put on a mask of righteous indignation.

“Uncle Lin, don’t look at me like that! I’m different from Big Brother. He’s an old lech— cough—I mean, a romantic. But me? I’m devoted. My heart belongs only to Little Zhu.”

“Oh?” Lin Jianyuan raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “Now you know to call me ‘Uncle Lin’? Just a moment ago, weren’t you happily calling me ‘Old Lin’?”

Xia Chengyan choked on his words. His face flushed red, and he hurriedly buried his head back in the fruit bowl, eliciting a round of light laughter from the table.

Three rounds of wine later, the casual atmosphere began to shift.

The smile on Lin Jianyuan’s face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn gravity. He set down his cup and looked directly at Zhang Xian.

“Little friend Zhang. Today, I invited you here not just to meet the prodigy of the Southern Region, but because I have a matter to discuss.”

Zhang Xian set down his chopsticks and straightened his posture. “Senior, please speak.”

Lin Jianyuan didn’t beat around the bush. His next words were a thunderclap.

“I want to invite you, along with Chengyan and Little Zhu, to venture deep into the heart of the Western Region and investigate the source of the [Hatred].”

Xia Chengyan’s head snapped up. He knew about the mission, but he was baffled. Given Uncle Lin’s protective nature, why would he ask a stranger he just met to join such a suicide run?

Zhang Xian’s expression remained calm. He waited.

“I heard from Little Zhu that the [Hatred] calamity in the Southern Region was ultimately resolved by your hand,” Lin Jianyuan continued, his tone sincere. “You possess experience and abilities in this field that others simply cannot match.”

He paused. “My original plan was to send Little Zhu and Chengyan. Little Zhu possesses the Heavenly Secrets Disk; she can deduce the path and act as the ultimate guide. But while she is clever, she lacks combat adaptability. And Chengyan… well, let’s not even mention him.”

“Hey!” Xia Chengyan slammed his hand on the table. “What do you mean ‘let’s not even mention him’? Explain yourself, old man!”

Lin Jianyuan ignored the outburst completely. “So, I want to ask you to go with them. I need you to use your experience and methods to safeguard them.”

“Of course, this journey is perilous. I will provide the finest equipment and life-saving treasures from the Alliance’s vault. If you encounter an unstoppable force, your priority is to run. This request is not a command. If you feel it is too dangerous, Little friend Zhang, you can refuse. I will not force you.”

Zhang Xian pondered for a moment, his fingers drumming lightly on his knee.

“Senior, there is one thing I don’t understand,” Zhang Xian asked. “With your cultivation base and divine abilities, why not go personally? Wouldn’t that ensure success?”

A complex, bitter smile tugged at the corners of Lin Jianyuan’s mouth. He sighed, his voice dropping an octave.

“To be honest… I have already been there.”

He looked toward the west, his eyes filled with a deep, haunting worry. “Not just once. Many times.”

“The truth is, the Western Region is already dead. We haven’t released the news because we don’t want to cause mass panic in the Central Continent.”

A profound sense of powerlessness washed over the Chairman. “The great Sects of the West have been shattered. Their mountains are scorched earth. The entire region is a graveyard. I tracked the traces of the [Hatred] deep into the wasteland, but it was like throwing a clay ox into the sea—it vanished without a result. The [Hatred] feels like it is everywhere, yet the source is nowhere.”

“Moreover, the situation here in the Central Continent is precarious. The Guiyuan Sect is nominally our ally, but in reality, they are snakes. They preserve their strength and secretly hinder our operations. As the Chairman, I must hold the fort at the center. I cannot leave for extended periods.”

He leaned forward slightly, a hint of urgency entering his voice. “My term as Chairman ends in three years. At that time, I will step down to become a regular council member. I will be restricted by the parliament’s votes. I hope that before I leave office, I can lay the groundwork to end this calamity.”

Xia Chengyan couldn’t help but interject, rolling his eyes. “Old Lin, I’ve said it before. When you founded the Heavenly Abyss Alliance, why did you have to set up this stupid parliamentary system? Being the Alliance Leader for life would have been way better.”

“Look at you now. You can’t even make a decision without a committee meeting. It’s suffocating. If it were me, I’d go crazy. If my dad knew I gave away my throne to a bunch of voters, he’d beat me to death.”

Lin Jianyuan smiled. It was a smile filled with a wisdom that seemed to transcend the era.

“Chengyan, that is called democracy. One man’s rule might bring momentary satisfaction, but it is not a long-term strategy. Pooling wisdom, gathering ideas from the many—that is how a civilization goes further.”

“Look at the Heavenly Abyss Alliance today. Look at Jinyuan City. It has become the number one city in the cultivation world. That has nothing to do with me. It is the result of the council’s collective effort.”

Zhang Xian listened silently, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the stone table.

Democracy. Term limits. Parliament.

The evidence was piling up.

“This matter is of great importance,” Zhang Xian said finally. “Please allow me two days to consider it before giving a reply.”

Lin Jianyuan nodded readily. “Good! Caution is a virtue. Take your time.”

The banquet dispersed, and Xia Chengyan escorted Zhang Xian to a secluded guest villa.

Seeing Zhang Xian’s contemplative silence, Xia Chengyan assumed he was worried about the dangers of the West. He slapped Zhang Xian on the back.

“Bro, don’t stress about it. Honestly, this mission was already set in stone. Little Zhu and I were supposed to go regardless. It only got delayed because that dog-thief Yang Poxiao ambushed us a while back. We were planning to head out next month anyway.”

Zhang Xian shook his head. “That’s not what I’m thinking about.”

His mind was racing with clues about the mysterious “Senior Transmigrator” and Lin Jianyuan’s connection to him. But he couldn’t explain that to the prince just yet.

He paused, then looked up, his gaze locking onto Xia Chengyan’s eyes.

“Chengyan. Can I trust you?”

Xia Chengyan blinked, then straightened up, his expression turning deadly serious. “Bro, what kind of question is that? Of course you can! I, Xia Chengyan, swear to the Heavens. Besides Little Zhu, you’re the only person I’d take a bullet for. Hell, I’d even give you the throne of Great Xia if you wanted it! I’d go through fire and water for you!”

“Uh, that’s not necessary. Keep the throne.” Zhang Xian waved him off. “Actually, I want to set up a [Myriad Spirits Rosy Cloud Formation] here in the Central Continent. I want to build a communication network that links back to the Southern Region.”

“What?” Xia Chengyan’s jaw dropped. He shook his head vigorously. “Bro, that’s impossible. The Central Continent is massive—way bigger than the South. That array back home took six major superpowers hundreds of years and an ocean of resources to build.”

Zhang Xian looked at him calmly, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

“Spirit Stones are not a problem.”