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

Chapter 215: The Great Adventure at the Animal Crossing Association Ruins

All eyes instantly converged on Zhiyin as she spoke.

“Deep in the Western Region,” Zhiyin continued, her tone solemn, “The Drifting King personally founded a Sect known as the Animal Crossing Association. It lies hidden in the deepest, wildest recesses of the primeval forest.”

Xia Chengyan frowned. “How come I’ve never heard of it?”

“You simply haven’t read enough books,” Zhiyin replied flatly.

“The Animal Crossing Association, is it?”

A playful curve lifted the corner of Zhang Xian’s mouth. The name felt incredibly… nostalgic.

“Shall we go take a look at this Animal Crossing Association?”

Lin Xiaozhu, however, let out a heavy sigh.

“It is useless. That Sect no longer exists. Near the Realm-Severing Light Wall, Chengyan and I once encountered their Sect Leader. He had completely fallen into madness, eroded by [Hatred] beyond all recognition.”

She shook her head, her expression grim. “Although he managed to escape with severe injuries, given his state, the Sect must have been destroyed long ago.”

Zhang Xian remained unconvinced. A sharp glint of light flashed in his eyes.

“We should visit the ruins regardless. Perhaps The Drifting King left behind clues to help us verify the source of the [Hatred]? It is certainly better than wandering aimlessly around here.”

Lin Xiaozhu and Zhiyin exchanged a glance. Finally, the former gave a slight nod.

“We will follow your lead. I know the general direction.”

A moment later, the flying boat emitted a low, powerful hum. Adjusting its course, it pierced through the thick smoke and the veil of night, speeding toward the legendary ruins left behind by The Drifting King.

…

In the days that followed, the young wolf girl, Lin Liuli, gradually began to regain her spirit.

One afternoon, Zhang Xian took the initiative to approach her.

“Little Liuli, do you want to learn some skills?”

Lin Liuli’s amber eyes instantly lit up. She nodded vigorously. “Yes! Benefactor!”

Zhang Xian didn’t waste words.

Whoosh.

A flame ignited around his body.

This was no ordinary fire. It burned a deep, mesmerizing dark gold. At its very edges, wisps of pure black flame coiled like vipers, spreading a scorching aura of absolute destruction.

“Watch closely,” Zhang Xian said, his voice calm.

He began to demonstrate.

His movements appeared slow to the naked eye, yet they contained infinite variations. The dark golden flames sometimes condensed into sharp spear points, and other times exploded into a sky full of fiery rain.

The black flame light at the edges was even more bizarre—it seemed capable of scorching the fabric of space itself, causing the surrounding light to warp and twist.

Lin Liuli watched unblinking, her mind completely immersed.

She possessed an innate Fire Spiritual Root and, as a member of the half-demon wolf clan, she held a natural affinity for this kind of feral, close-quarters combat.

After seeing Zhang Xian demonstrate it just once, she began to imitate him.

To the shock of Xia Chengyan and Lin Xiaozhu watching nearby, Lin Liuli’s learning speed was nothing short of astonishing.

Her comprehension was terrifyingly high, her body’s coordination far surpassing that of ordinary humans. Although her movements were still somewhat clumsy, she had grasped the essence.

After just a few simple practice sessions, specks of black light began to ignite at the edges of her flames, taking initial form.

Xia Chengyan watched, his eyelids twitching violently. He stared fixedly at the faint, unstable wisp of black flame hovering around Lin Liuli, his heart roiling with shock.

He recognized it.

The core of this technique was unmistakably Yang Poxiao’s ultimate move—the [Shadow Flame].

It was the same technique that had nearly cost him his life. That specific black flame, capable of incinerating the soul… he would never mistake it.

But what shocked him even more was the version Zhang Xian wielded.

In Zhang Xian’s hands, the technique was exponentially more powerful. The black flame was more condensed, more profound, as if it contained the true, unadulterated essence of destruction.

And Lin Liuli… she could actually touch the threshold of such a technique while only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

This talent is simply monstrous!

…

Over half a month later.

Lin Liuli danced across the deck, wielding the [Shadow Flame] with tiger-like vigor.

Her figure was agile, a blur of motion. As she leaped and dodged, dark golden flames coiled around her arms. The black light at the edges, though still weak, carried a sharp, murderous aura.

The pair of brown-black wolf ears atop her head stood alertly upright, trembling slightly with every movement.

However, the [Shadow Flame] consumed an immense amount of spiritual power and Divine Sense.

After persisting for only the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Lin Liuli’s face turned pale. Sweat poured down like rain. Her internal spiritual power was nearly exhausted, and the wisp of black flame finally dissipated.

“Whew.”

Her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the deck.

“Not bad. You lasted longer than the past few days,” Zhang Xian praised at the perfect moment. “That is enough for today. Go soak in the hot spring room to recover.”

Lin Liuli panted heavily, her small face flushed red, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

“Yes, Benefactor!”

Dragging her exhausted body, she walked toward the interior of the flying boat.

The upgraded flying boat now boasted several additional hot spring rooms. Xia Chengyan had tried one once; the comfort was truly transcendental. He had enthusiastically invited Lin Xiaozhu to bathe with him, only to be mercilessly rejected.

Watching Lin Liuli disappear down the hall, Xia Chengyan sidled up to Zhang Xian. He lowered his voice, speaking with a trace of disbelief.

“Big Brother! This girl’s progress is too fast, isn’t it? At first, I thought you were just coveting her beauty. I never expected you had actually taken a liking to her talent. How did you see that her potential was so good?”

Zhang Xian smiled mysteriously. “Of course, by looking with my eyes.”

He didn’t elaborate.

Joking aside, the System had flagged her as a 90-point Daughter of Destiny. How could her talent not be good? It was only after hearing the System’s prompt back then that he had decided to save her.

But Lin Liuli’s talent was indeed astonishing. In less than a month, she had soared from the seventh level of Foundation Establishment all the way to the peak.

The cultivation of half-demons was similar to that of humans, but their core lay in their innate demon core. As their realm improved, the demon core would continuously solidify and grow.

Upon breaking through to the Golden Core stage, the demon core would undergo a transformation—much like the Golden Core of a human cultivator—becoming the source of their power.

Xia Chengyan smacked his lips, sighing with emotion.

“Big Brother, the talent of this child bride of yours… even I feel somewhat inferior. It’s just a pity…”

He didn’t voice the latter half of his sentence, but the regret in his eyes was clear—pity she isn’t a fox demon.

Zhang Xian couldn’t be bothered to dignify that with a response.

…

Evening fell.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the horizon a bleak, vivid crimson. The flying boat gradually slowed its descent.

Lin Xiaozhu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Disk, walked to the front of the deck. Her expression was grave.

“We have arrived,” she said solemnly. “The Animal Crossing Association ruins are directly below.”

Zhang Xian spread out his Divine Sense, probing downward like a tide.

Below lay a stretch of primeval forest shrouded in heavy black mist. Ancient trees reached for the sky, their vines twisted and gnarled like dried muscles. Everything displayed an eerie, charred black color, completely devoid of life.

Deep within the forest, the vague outline of a massive ruin was visible through the gloom.

Collapsed stone halls, broken pillars, dried-up streams… the once-prosperous Sect had been reduced to nothing but broken walls and remnants.

“I will go take a look.” Zhang Xian stood up.

“Let’s go together!” Lin Xiaozhu chimed in. “I also want to see the traces left by Senior Drifting King.”

Zhang Xian nodded. “Alright.”

Sensing the flying boat hovering, Long Zhi, who had been in Secluded Cultivation, and Lin Liuli, who had finished resting, walked out onto the deck one after another.