Pay-to-Win Cultivation: I Get 10,000x Returns Chapter 96

The final streak of sword light dissolved into nothingness over the Heavenly Palace Peak arena.

"Winner of Group Wu: Li Fuxi!"

As the referee’s voice rang out, a wave of awe swept through the spectator stands.

Standing on the periphery of the crowd, Zhang Xian watched from afar as his master, Li Fuxi, sheathed her blade with valiant, effortless grace.

Opposite her, Lin Yinyin rubbed her reddened wrist, her small face scrunching up in grievance.

"If this had been a real fight for your life, you would have died a dozen times over," Li Fuxi stated calmly.

"I know," Lin Yinyin pouted, looking as if she were seconds away from tears.

"Master really doesn't know the meaning of mercy." Zhang Xian shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle.

Pushing through the bustling throng, Zhang Xian headed straight for the fourth martial arts arena.

"Look, it's that Old Thief Zhang!"

"I heard he won against Song Fei by picking up scraps. She was already heavily injured, yet he struck with full force—damn, it was brutal!"

"Why isn't he studying his next opponent? What's he doing running over here?"

The whispered insults of the disciples drifted into his ears, but Zhang Xian turned a deaf ear to them all.

He had just arrived at the ring's edge when a deafening roar of cheers erupted.

On the stage, Nangong Yao, clad in a sweeping dark robe, wielded her longsword like a striking viper. Amidst flashes of golden light, every move she made ruthlessly targeted her opponent's vitals.

Her opponent was a male cultivator with dual Earth and Fire spiritual roots. Although his cultivation was slightly inferior, his defense was watertight. Every time he parried, he condensed a reddish-yellow spiritual energy shield before him.

According to the intelligence provided by that old geezer, Nangong Yao possessed a superior-grade spiritual root and was at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage.

Her opponent also held dual superior-grade spiritual roots but was only at the fifth level.

"You got this, Martial Aunt Nangong!"

"Hold the line, Senior Brother Liu!"

"It's already been over a hundred moves, and Martial Aunt Nangong still hasn't secured the win."

"Senior Brother Liu is a once-in-a-century genius of our Yunmiao Sect; he won't lose so easily!" Some infatuated female fans cheered frantically.

Zhang Xian stood at the edge of the crowd, his gaze burning like a torch as he fixed his eyes on the two clashing figures. He quietly triggered his system.

[Nangong Yao, 50-point Daughter of Destiny. Current Favorability: 0.]

"Her score dropped. Seems she hasn't been doing too well these past few years."

Zhang Xian sneered inwardly. He remembered clearly that when they first met, this woman's destiny value was at 60 points.

While he was lost in thought, he suddenly sensed two familiar auras approaching.

Turning his head, he saw Li Fuxi and Lin Yinyin had arrived at the ringside without him noticing.

"Master, Yinyin. You made it."

Li Fuxi spoke indifferently, "We came to observe the next opponent."

Lin Yinyin, however, leaned in close and whispered, "But you, Big Brother... why aren't you watching the matches in Groups Bing and Ding? What are you doing here?"

"Shh!" Zhang Xian made a silencing gesture, turning his gaze back to the dueling platform.

The battle on stage was reaching a fever pitch.

Nangong Yao's sword techniques grew increasingly fierce, each strike accompanied by the piercing shriek of tearing air.

Although her opponent was retreating step by step, his defense remained steady. The coordination of his Earth and Fire roots produced a synergy far greater than the sum of its parts.

"Master, who do you think will win?" Lin Yinyin asked softly.

Li Fuxi kept her eyes fixed on the stage. "Within ten moves."

As if to confirm her judgment, on the eighth move, Nangong Yao's momentum shifted abruptly.

Her figure flashed like a ghost, and her longsword erupted with blinding golden light. A single thrust fractured into countless sword shadows!

Crack!

The spiritual energy shield the opponent had hastily condensed shattered like paper.

The barrage of sword light forced the male cultivator back.

Pfft!

Three beams of sword light slammed into his body. He violently spat out a mouthful of blood, tumbled off the stage, and passed out cold.

"Senior Brother Liu!"

Several disciples cried out in grief and indignation. They rushed over, frantically lifting him onto a stretcher-type artifact before hastily fleeing the scene.

"Holy shit!"

"So cruel. That blow will keep him bedridden for at least half a year." A disciple's eyelids twitched as he spoke, staring at the shocking bloodstains left on the ground.

"Winner of Group Geng: Nangong Yao!"

Nangong Yao sheathed her sword. Her gaze inadvertently swept over Li Fuxi and the others below the stage before she turned and walked away coldly.

"So powerful," Lin Yinyin sighed. "Those sword shadows... I definitely wouldn't be able to withstand them."

"The Heavenly Palace Azure Cloud Sword is one of our sect's supreme techniques. It can only be cultivated at the Golden Core stage," Li Fuxi explained calmly.

"Master, in the semifinals half a month from now, can you defeat her?" Zhang Xian suddenly asked.

"Victory is assured."

Tsk tsk. Master is as confident as ever.

Zhang Xian sighed inwardly, hoping she wouldn't crash and burn like she did during the Muling Sect incident.

However, Master was already at the peak of the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, and she possessed two Spirit Treasures. Her chances were indeed very high.

He quickly calculated the odds in his mind.

According to the tournament schedule, his potential confrontation with Nangong Yao would most likely happen in the third-place match.

As long as Master could win, and he managed to lose at just the right moment...

Bitch.

When that time comes, on the day of the third-place match, it will be the moment we settle our accounts.

The semifinals were scheduled for half a month later.

Although Li Fuxi verbally expressed full confidence, she proactively suggested returning to the flying ship to cultivate.

"Mainly because the sword chamber on the flying ship is beneficial for cultivation... and I can also guide you both along the way."

This was Li Fuxi's excuse, though her eyes darted away slightly as she spoke.

Zhang Xian was naturally happy to agree. Master's haughty yet bashful demeanor was quite adorable.

"This disciple couldn't wish for more." He bowed, unable to hide the amusement in his eyes.

Thus, the trio returned to the flying ship to cultivate.

And naturally, in the evening, they ended up in the hot springs together.

When they grew tired from practicing in the sword chamber, maids would immediately come forward to offer spiritual fruits and melons.

Knowing his master's preferences, Zhang Xian had plates of desserts and various snacks presented one after another. The two women ate with sheer delight.

They sipped on Earth-grade Green Qiao tea.

Zhang Xian had gifted them each a portion, and now his system space was overflowing with returns—more than they could ever finish.

Although Green Qiao tea wasn't as effective as the Immortal Ascension Pill in enhancing spiritual roots, it improved comprehension—a far more mysterious and difficult aptitude to raise.

Zhang Xian felt the tea's fragrance flow between his lips and teeth, a cool sensation rushing straight to his spiritual platform. Concepts that were once obscure now unraveled before him, clear as the lines on his palm.

He had long since mastered the Green Wood Nurturing Core Sutra.

Unfortunately, he had previously given this cultivation method to Liu Qingxuan under the pretext of helping her comprehend it, so he hadn't triggered a critical return from the system. It seemed the potential of that technique had reached its limit.

However, his Azure Emperor's Rejuvenation Art had improved significantly.

He had also exchanged contribution points within the sect for a copy of the Green Tide Life and Death Art. He had seen Lu Rending use it during the previous tournament; it was both offensive and defensive, truly a rare superior-grade technique among Wood-attribute methods.

With his enhanced comprehension, cultivation progressed at a terrifying speed.

The Green Tide Life and Death Art was practically self-taught. In just three days, he had already mastered most of this technique—something that would typically take ordinary cultivators months just to begin learning.

Apart from cultivation techniques, he hadn't neglected his practice of puppetry.

After advancing to the Golden Core stage—even if it was only a first-grade False Core—Zhang Xian's spiritual sense had spiked in power.

Originally, he could barely control one puppet. Now, he could simultaneously command two.

Moreover, his Earth-grade puppet was exceptionally profound, displaying a cultivation realm one level higher than his own.

"Not enough..."

Late at night, Zhang Xian stood alone on the deck of the flying ship, gazing at the star-filled sky.

To defeat Nangong Yao, this was far from sufficient.

Although that woman's destiny value had decreased, her seventh-level Golden Core cultivation and years of combat experience were not to be underestimated.

"Brother, coming for a bath?"

Lin Yinyin's message interrupted his brooding thoughts.

"Coming!!"