Pay-to-Win Cultivation: I Get 10,000x Returns Chapter 98

Wang Yue took a deep, steadying breath, and the longsword in her grip erupted with blinding crimson light.

Thirty agonizing minutes later.

Wang Yue sheathed her sword and leaped back, her beautiful face flushed with varying shades of rage as she glared at Zhang Xian. There he stood, perfectly intact behind his fortress of puppets, casually dusting an invisible speck of dirt from his sleeve.

She felt a surge of violent sword intent trapped in her chest, screaming for release.

Watching Zhang Xian casually pop yet another pill, Wang Yue gritted her teeth so hard they audibly creaked. She snatched a jade vial from her robes and swallowed a high-grade Spirit Recovery Pill of her own.

"Zhang Xian," she hissed, her aura boiling around her like molten lava. "I have had enough of this cowardly turtle shell!"

Suddenly, a figure leaned dangerously far over the railing of the spectator stands, waving frantically in Zhang Xian's direction.

Yinyin!

Zhang Xian, who had been keeping one eye on the periphery the entire time, instantly locked gazes with her. She was nodding her head so vigorously she looked like a porcelain doll caught in an earthquake.

Finally.

A sharp, predatory gleam flashed in Zhang Xian's eyes. It had taken longer than he calculated, but his master had lived up to expectations. She had won.

Seeing Zhang Xian look away from her in the middle of a duel, Wang Yue felt a vein pulse in her temple. Fury overtook reason. She raised her sword, channeling every ounce of her remaining spiritual energy for one final, devastating strike.

CLANG!

The massive puppet shielding Zhang Xian suddenly dissolved into a stream of light and vanished into his system space.

"I concede!"

"Wha... what?" Wang Yue's sword froze in mid-swing, the energy sputtering out like a dying candle. She stood there, arm raised, completely petrified.

Zhang Xian cupped his hands toward the dumbstruck Wang Yue with a polite, infuriating smile. Then, without a backward glance, he turned and leisurely strolled off the dueling platform.

The spectator stands were silent as a grave. The shock was so profound it lasted for three full breaths.

Then, the explosion happened.

"Damn it! Is he playing with us?!"

"He dragged this out for thirty minutes just to quit?!"

"Zhang, you old devil! Don't you dare run away!"

"Elder Wang Yue, don't let him leave! Burn him at the stake!!"

Amidst the roaring torrent of curses and flying debris, Zhang Xian had already strolled out of range.

Lin Yinyin, like a swallow returning to its nest, threw herself into his arms. She pulled out a silk handkerchief and tenderly wiped the nonexistent sweat from his brow.

"Brother, you must be exhausted," she cooed, her voice amplified just enough for the front row to hear. "Let me rub your shoulders."

As she spoke, she deliberately snuggled deeper into Zhang Xian's embrace. She turned her head, locking eyes with the disciples cursing the loudest, and raised her voice to a sweet, piercing clarity.

"I'll give you a full-body massage when we get back!"

Hiss—

A collective intake of cold breath sounded from the stands.

"Damn that old thief Zhang!"

"He threw the match for a lap pillow! Is there no justice in this world?!"

Wang Yue still stood alone in the center of the arena, the wind rustling her robes. She had expected a battle to the death. She had prepared herself for the shame of defeat.

But this? Although the referee declared her the winner, she didn't feel a shred of joy. She felt hollow. Frustrated. Played.

At the exit of the martial arena, Li Fuxi leaned against an ancient pine, cradling her sword. She appeared uninjured, but her slightly erratic breathing betrayed the difficulty of her victory.

Seeing Zhang Xian and Lin Yinyin approach, she didn't ask questions immediately. She simply pushed off the tree and said, "To the airship."

Back in the safety of the ship's sword chamber, Li Fuxi turned on him, her expression severe.

"Why did you surrender?"

Zhang Xian’s playful smile vanished. He remained silent.

Lin Yinyin was equally puzzled, her large eyes darting between them, but she stayed quiet, instinctively sensing the gravity of the moment. Whatever her brother did, she would support him.

"Are you targeting Nangong Yao?" Li Fuxi frowned, piecing it together. "By losing, you fall into the third-place match. You must face her."

Li Fuxi stared hard at Zhang Xian, her tone dropping to a whisper. "No... you don't just want to fight her. You want to kill her."

Zhang Xian met her gaze and gave a faint, chilling hum of affirmation.

Li Fuxi and Lin Yinyin felt their hearts sink. They knew Zhang Xian well enough to know he didn't joke about killing intent.

Lin Yinyin's face paled. "Brother, did you enter this tournament just to..."

Suddenly, the anomalies clicked into place. Concealing his appearance, joining the Yunmiao Sect, the sudden drive to compete, the months of brutal cultivation, and the calculated loss today.

It was all for this one target.

"Is it because of what happened in that minor world?" Li Fuxi murmured.

"What minor world?" Lin Yinyin asked, confused.

Zhang Xian calmly reached into his robe and pulled out a worn booklet.

Unofficial History of Daliang.

Lin Yinyin flipped through a few pages. It chronicled the life of the Duke of Zhenguo, Zhang Xian: his first wife, the daughter of the Sword Saint; his second wife...

Zhang Xian recounted his story, omitting the small mountain village but laying bare the truth of the minor world—how its life force had been drained by the Cycle of Withering and Flourishing Forbidden Art.

Tears welled in Lin Yinyin's eyes. Her brother had carried such a heavy burden alone.

"Back then, when Master Wang Ya mentioned that Nangong Yao had ascended from that minor world, I sensed something was off about you. I dismissed it at the time," Li Fuxi sighed, shaking her head. "So, there is bad blood between you?"

"A blood feud," Zhang Xian said flatly. "Irreconcilable."

Li Fuxi wanted to press further, but looking at Zhang Xian's stone-cold profile, she swallowed her words. The details didn't matter. "Blood feud" was explanation enough.

A heavy silence filled the chamber.

"Nangong Yao is strong. You might not be able to defeat her, let alone kill her," Li Fuxi finally said. "She is the Sect Leader's nominal disciple. Even I barely won against her today."

"Master taught me well," Zhang Xian chuckled darkly. "On the dueling platform: life and death, no regrets."

"Brother..." Lin Yinyin gripped his robe, fear evident in her eyes.

"It's fine. She doesn't even remember an ant like me. Even if I can't win, I have ways to survive."

"Although I dislike Nangong Yao, she is still a disciple of my sect. I cannot condone her murder," Li Fuxi said, slowly rising to her feet.

She walked to the door, then paused and turned back, a complicated expression on her face.

"However... she possesses a superior-grade Metal Spirit Root, and her Heavenly Palace Azure Cloud Sword is unpredictable. I can replicate about eighty percent of her moves."

She looked Zhang Xian in the eye. "There is one month until the finals. I will spar with you."

"Brother, do your best! If we get exposed, we'll flee to the ends of the earth together!" Lin Yinyin flashed a bright, teary smile.

A warm current surged through Zhang Xian's chest. Even in this, they stood by him.

Three days before the finals.

A soft knock sounded on Zhang Xian's cabin door.

He opened it to find Lin Yinyin standing in the corridor. She wasn't wearing her uniform. Instead, she wore a buttoned-up short jacket and a knee-length, light apricot skirt.

Zhang Xian blinked. The outfit was incredibly familiar.

Lin Yinyin stepped into the room and twirled. "How is it, brother? This is what I wore when we first met at the mine. Back then, you thought I was a pervert for wanting to buy my 'underwear'!"

"It was a handkerchief," Zhang Xian corrected quickly, a smile breaking through his stress. "You little imp. What are you up to?"

"Brother, the happiest moment of my life was meeting you," Lin Yinyin pressed close, tilting her face up to his. "I'm already at the second level of the Golden Core stage now... I miss you."

"Master said with your Heavenly Spirit Root, if you cultivate the Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra to completion..."

"None of that matters right now. Not Nangong Yao, not cultivation," Lin Yinyin interrupted, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. "I can't wait for the Nascent Soul stage. I want you now."

Before Zhang Xian could speak, she rose on her tiptoes and sealed his lips with hers.

Moonlight spilled through the gauze curtains. Outside, the wind chimed against the jade pendants hanging from the eaves. The sword tassel by the porthole danced in the breeze, casting flickering shadows across the room.

[Ding! Current Favorability: 92.]

[Favorability of the first Daughter of Destiny has reached 90 points. System upgrade progress: 20%.]