Pay-to-Win Cultivation: I Get 10,000x Returns Chapter 70

Morning light pierced through the clouds as Zhang Xian pushed open the cabin door. Liu Qingxuan was still in a deep, heavy slumber.

Not far from the entrance, a maidservant stood silently, having remained unmoving throughout the entire night.

"How is Master doing?" Zhang Xian asked.

"The True One is well," the maidservant replied. Her eyes glowed with a soft white light, projecting Yun Shang's current field of vision directly into Zhang Xian's mind.

In the misty hot spring pool, Li Fuxi sat with her back to the observer, completely immersed in the water. Her wet hair clung to her slender, unclothed back.

"Ahem, no need to show me that."

"The True One regained full consciousness during the night," the maidservant's voice remained flat and emotionless. "The residual impurities of the Passion Poison will likely take about three days to be completely cleansed."

"That's good to hear." Zhang Xian finally let out a sigh of relief. "By the way, I noticed Supervisor Liu is still very weak. We neutralized the Joy Poison yesterday, so why is she still like this? Could there be lingering side effects?"

"Supervisor Liu remains unconscious due to a backlash from the Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra," Yun Shang explained through the puppet. "When her cultivation reached minor completion and she lost her virginity, it was accompanied by intense pain. Furthermore, a portion of her cultivation realm has been transferred to the person who took her primordial yin."

Zhang Xian froze. No wonder he had felt so refreshed and clear-headed upon waking; the backlash from consuming his essence blood during the battle had been largely replenished. But the cost to Liu Qingxuan...

"As the name suggests, the Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra requires three turns for entry-level, six for minor completion, and nine for major completion. These correspond to the Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul stages. Losing one's virginity before major completion damages the technique's efficacy and causes the practitioner's realm to fall. The higher the cultivation level, the greater the damage."

"Supervisor Liu stopped her cultivation after reaching the sixth turn. With enough rest, her realm will gradually recover."

Zhang Xian nodded slowly. No one had ever explained this to him. Now he understood why Li Fuxi had been so adamant about Lin Yinyin reaching the Golden Core stage as quickly as possible.

He thought of how Liu Qingxuan hadn't said a word about the risks during their intimacy. He realized only now how great her sacrifice had been. Zhang Xian immediately ordered the maidservant to watch over her and alert him the moment she showed signs of waking.

Afterward, he began taking stock of the vessel’s resources. To break the Joy Swastika Formation, the ship had fired its spirit energy cannon three times. Each shot consumed 600 high-grade spirit stones. Defending against Jian Chen's attacks had cost another 1,000.

The high-grade spirit stones gifted by Yun Wanqing were gone. Zhang Xian had to contribute an additional 2,000 from his own pocket just to keep things running. This ship truly burned through money. Compared to these expenditures, the daily maintenance cost of five high-grade stones seemed like a light drizzle.

With Liu Qingxuan unconscious and his master's situation delicate, Zhang Xian kept the vessel hovering in mid-air near the ruins of the Muling Sect, activating the concealment array. He spent the rest of the day replenishing backup spirit stones at various points on the ship.

Evening fell before Liu Qingxuan finally stirred. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her pale face looked small and fragile against the brocade quilt.

She opened her eyes to find Zhang Xian sitting by her bed. A bowl of freshly prepared soup rested on the small table beside him. Zhang Xian gently brushed her damp hair away from her temples.

"You're awake? Come, have something to drink."

"Mmm." With his support, Liu Qingxuan sat up. She sniffed the steam rising from the bowl. "Return-to-Origin Spirit Milk... This is a bit wasteful, isn't it?"

"What waste? Why didn't you tell me about the Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra? If Captain Yun Shang hadn't told me, I would never have known."

"I never intended to cultivate it to major completion anyway," Liu Qingxuan whispered, her voice faint as she nuzzled her head against Zhang Xian's palm. "But you! Your spiritual foundation isn't even stable. How dare you consume your essence blood at the Foundation Establishment stage just to activate an artifact for me? Do you know that lost essence blood is almost impossible to compensate for?"

"Coming to the Muling Sect was my idea. How could I let you take the risks?" Zhang Xian smiled. "Besides, my family has vast wealth. A little essence blood is no big deal. I'll replenish it in no time."

"Always boasting," she murmured, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "Last night, I kept wondering how you would help us detoxify... I never imagined you wouldn't take advantage of the situation until the very end. That was when I finally confirmed my feelings."

"Haha! Really? To be honest, when Yun Shang told me there was a way to detoxify you... I did feel a bit disappointed."

"So you finally admit it! You little pervert!" Liu Qingxuan lightly punched his arm.

"Me? I wonder who shattered the Taiyi Clear Spirit Formation with a single finger? Yun Shang set it up for nothing."

"Don't bring that up! That... that was because the residual poison hadn't cleared yet!" Utterly embarrassed, Liu Qingxuan tried to hide her face under the quilt.

Seeing her shy demeanor, Zhang Xian leaned down and kissed her deeply until she was breathless.

"You shameless rogue!" she squeaked, hiding under the covers again.

Zhang Xian laughed, but seeing her pale complexion, he decided not to tease her further. He placed a jade vial in her hand. "These are for you."

Liu Qingxuan looked inside—it contained a Marrow Cleansing Fruit and an Immortal Ascension Pill. She gasped, finally understanding how Lin Yinyin and Li Fuxi had improved their spiritual roots so rapidly.

She gripped the vial tightly. "I'm not with you for these things."

"I know," Zhang Xian said gently. "But now that you're my woman, I won't let you suffer. These things are nothing. Don't refuse me in the future."

Hearing the words "my woman," a wave of joy washed over her. "So you had designs on me all along... Wait! You had Marrow Cleansing Fruits this whole time? You pretended to give me a damaged one just so you could 'research' it with me! How utterly shameless!"

"Exactly! It was all to get closer to you. Now I’m done pretending; I’m coming clean! I suppose I should thank that bald monk for giving me a helping hand."

She chuckled softly but winced as the movement tugged at the dull pain in her dantian. Zhang Xian quickly channeled gentle spiritual energy into her until the pain eased.

"What do we do next?" she asked softly.

"I plan to report this to the sect and let them handle it. Do you know who that Jian Chen is?"

"I rarely leave Green Wood Peak, so I don't know him, but your master seemed familiar with him," Liu Qingxuan said. "I'll send word to my father. The sect has elders skilled in divination; they can help locate Jian Chen."

"Good idea. By the way..." Zhang Xian hesitated. "Regarding the Immortal Ascension Pill..."

"I understand. Sudden enlightenment, right?" A knowing smile danced in her eyes. "I won't even tell my father."

[Ding! Successful pill gifting triggered return reward: 100 Immortal Ascension Pills.]

[Immortal Ascension Pill: Earth-grade. Consuming can greatly improve a cultivator’s spiritual root quality. Effects diminish with repeated consumption.]

[Ding! Successful Marrow Cleansing Fruit gifting triggered return reward: 100 Marrow Cleansing Fruits.]

[Marrow Cleansing Fruit: Earth-grade material. Direct consumption improves spiritual root quality. Effects diminish with repeated consumption.]