Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 126 - You're Different From Other Girls

After discussing the details with Wang Yanran and receiving the money, Ye Chuan returned to the classroom.

As soon as he sat down, he felt a gaze upon him.

He turned and saw Luo Xi lying on her desk, her face resting on her arm, her eyes downcast, as if she wanted to say something.

Her eyelashes fluttered as their eyes met.

"Chuan Chuan," she began, moving closer to him, her eyes slightly downcast, "what were you talking about with her? You seemed so happy."

"Wang Yanran also wants to buy my medicine, so we were discussing the details," Ye Chuan explained with a smile. 

Seeing Luo Xi's uncharacteristic sullenness, he poked her cheek gently.

"What's wrong? Didn't I tell you there's nothing going on between us? Are you jealous?"

"You're different from other girls," Ye Chuan added softly.

Hearing this, Luo Xi's mood immediately brightened, and she couldn't help but smile, burying her face in Ye Chuan's arm. "Hmph, no, I'm just a little sleepy."

…

During class, Ye Chuan, now flush with cash, took out his phone and started planning his Crystallization Pill refinement.

Now that he was rich, he wanted to reach the Crystallization realm as soon as possible so he could continue leveling up through idle cultivation.

"Anything within the first three grades is fine, I'm not being picky," Ye Chuan thought, considering the uncertain probability of the Crystallization Pill. He decided to be conservative.

But then he thought, he had nine million yuan now, why couldn't he get a First-Grade Crystallization Pill?

Spend!

Spend like an immortal!

To cultivate, you must first go crazy.

No spending, no success.

Ye Chuan immediately started refining pills.

After spending over a million, he stared at his backpack, filled with Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth-Grade Crystallization Pills.

Not even a Fourth-Grade, let alone within the first three grades.

"This can't be happening," Ye Chuan muttered, his lips twitching. This was a million yuan, enough for a down payment on an apartment, gone without a trace.

If it weren't for his newfound ability to earn money easily, he would be heartbroken.

"Twenty-four thousand a day, seven hundred and twenty thousand a month, one million is just a month and a half's rent," Ye Chuan said, trying to console himself that it was just a small amount of money.

He had to broaden his horizons. Strength meant more money, right?

But still, a month and a half's allowance!

Ye Chuan gritted his teeth and spent another two million on ingredients.

He was already here, giving up now would be a complete loss.

As he kept accelerating the pill furnace, a golden light suddenly flashed!

He got it!

[Congratulations! You have obtained a Second-Grade Crystallization Pill. Added to backpack.]

Second-Grade!

"Second-Grade is fine, second-Grade is fine," Ye Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. His goal was within the first three grades, and getting a Second-Grade pill after thirty attempts was considered lucky.

He would just use this to reach the Crystallization realm.

But as he was about to use the Second-Grade Crystallization Pill, his gaze fell on the dozens of other pills in his backpack, and he hesitated.

You only live once.

What if he got a better one next time?

He had a long lifespan ahead of him as a cultivator; this was his only chance to build a solid foundation. Wouldn't he have plenty of money after becoming stronger?

He could use the money to make more money.

"..." Ye Chuan pondered, looking at his balance, then at the pill furnace.

He'd take a gamble!

Ye Chuan upgraded the pill furnace twice.

[Pill Furnace: Nine Fire Li Flame Furnace (Top-Grade Tier 2)]

[100% chance of successfully refining a Crystallization Pill, 0% chance of failure, 0% chance of furnace explosion, 5% chance of increased pill quality (Success rate is affected by pill quality, furnace quality, alchemy level, etc.)]

Spend!

Ye Chuan threw in more ingredients, almost all the money he had received from Wang Yanran.

As notifications kept popping up, he watched the flashing colors, his heart sinking with each failed attempt.

He was running out of ingredients, but he hadn't even gotten a single Second-Grade pill.

Could he really lose it all?

This was eight million yuan.

"Give me a good one!"

Finally, on one of the last attempts, a dazzling golden light erupted from the furnace!

[Congratulations! You have obtained a First-Grade Crystallization Pill. Added to backpack.]

[Congratulations! Your Nine Fire Li Flame Furnace has triggered the pill quality upgrade, and your First-Grade Crystallization Pill has been upgraded to a Nine Fire Crystallization Pill (Top-Grade).]

Huh?

Not only did he get a First-Grade pill, but the furnace upgrade had also triggered, increasing its quality?!

Ye Chuan almost jumped up.

This damn system…

"What's wrong, Chuan Chuan?" Luo Xi asked, seeing his sudden reaction.

"Nothing."

Ye Chuan calmed down and quickly checked the pill in his backpack.

[Item: Nine Fire Crystallization Pill (Top-Grade)

Use to break through to the Crystallization realm and gain a Divine Ability.]

[Requirements met. Can proceed with Crystallization.]

This was amazing!

He could gain another Divine Ability.

But this wasn't a suitable place for a breakthrough. Every major realm breakthrough would trigger a Heavenly Tribulation.

He could go to the high-voltage power tower again, but he had a better idea.

The Tianxuan Continent!

Death in the Tianxuan Continent wasn't real death, and with Holographic Adventure unlocked, he could break through there without any risk. 

Even if he couldn't withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, he wouldn't die!

"Suddenly, buying Holographic Adventure seems worth it."

Ye Chuan put down his phone, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Spending eight million didn't even hurt anymore.

"Am I being brainwashed? Why does this feel so worth it?" He thought to himself, but he should also buy some fixed assets and enjoy life. 

Otherwise, the money would eventually be devoured by the system.

He'd buy a car first, he wouldn't consider buying a house for now.

With over a million left, he could get a decent car.

Then Luo Xi wouldn't have to walk to school anymore.

"Chuan Chuan, what are you thinking about?" Luo Xi asked, seeing him lost in thought.

"Nothing, just remembering how I used to borrow your bicycle to go to school when I had no money," Ye Chuan chuckled. 

Luo Xi used to have a bicycle, and she would let him ride it, with her on the back, to school.

Then, one day, they crashed into a stone and broke the bike. They hadn't dared to tell their parents and had secretly walked to school for over six months.

Thinking of those memories made him feel a bit sentimental.

"That old bicycle? You still remember that?" Luo Xi asked. 

Back then, afraid of her parents blaming Ye Chuan, she had claimed that she broke the bicycle herself.