Chapter 38 – Let Me See Who Dares

The one who spoke was Daoist Qingxuan.

Li Qingran met Daoist Qingxuan’s gaze with cold indifference and said icily, “I, Li Qingran, am innocent!”

For a brief moment, the entire square before the grand hall fell into silence. Everyone stared at Li Qingran in shock.

Where did she get the audacity to defy a Nascent Soul cultivator?!

To most disciples in the sect, an elder like Daoist Qingxuan was a revered figure, an existence akin to the natural order itself. Whether he was right or wrong didn’t matter—his word was law, and they were to obey without question.

If something seemed unjust, there were ways to explain it later. But to directly confront a Nascent Soul cultivator like this? That was nothing short of courting death.

Forget about authority—absolute power was the real law here.

If a Nascent Soul cultivator wanted to suppress you with his cultivation level, what could you do about it?

Sect Master Wu Duantian shook his head and sighed. “Li Qingran has a commendable temperament. Even under Elder Qingxuan’s pressure, she remains composed. But she’s too rigid—unyielding things tend to break. She’s not suited for survival in the cultivation world…”

“Innocent?!” Daoist Qingxuan let out a furious laugh. “You dare defy your elders? That alone is an unforgivable crime! Kneel before me!”

Boom!

A terrifying pressure crashed down upon Li Qingran.

Even as she gritted her teeth and resisted, she was still being forced down, inch by inch, about to kneel. But at that moment, a gentle force rose up to support her knees. It spread through her entire body, allowing her to withstand Daoist Qingxuan’s oppressive might.

It’s him…

Li Qingran’s heart warmed. As expected, he had arrived.

But there were seven Nascent Soul cultivators in Qingyun Sect, along with over a dozen Core Formation cultivators. If he stepped in for her, wouldn’t he be in danger?

She relied on him, yet she constantly worried for his safety.

I’ve troubled you again, Senior…

【It’s nothing.】

A cold voice whispered in her ear.

【As long as I’m here, who dares to humiliate you?!】

In the game, Chen Huai’an was awe-inspiring.

Outside the game, Chen Huai’an was utterly dumbfounded.

Ten minutes earlier—

Just as Li Qingran stepped into the grand hall, a flood of notification windows popped up on Chen Huai’an’s screen, just as he had expected.

【You have triggered Main Quest 1.0: Help Li Qingran sever ties with Chixiao Peak and survive this crisis. (This mission is extremely difficult. If you fail, your Virtual Girlfriend, Li Qingran, will remain at Chixiao Peak and ultimately perish in the sect’s dungeon.)】

【Please create your game character!】

Chen Huai’an’s mouth twitched.

Unbelievable.

He had already spent over a hundred thousand yuan on this game, and only now did it let him create a character?

If this damn game hadn’t popped up this window, he wouldn’t have even known he could make a character! He had thought his character was just some formless mass of Spiritual Qi—or worse, just a pair of floating hands.

“Let me see what’s going on here!”

Chen Huai’an opened the character creation panel and found that the customization options were quite limited—he could only make minor adjustments to his current appearance. Luckily, he looked decent enough. After a few tweaks, he actually had a bit of an immortal aura.

He scrolled to the hairstyle section.

His hand froze.

【Limited-Time Offer – Celestial Flowing White Hair: Wuxian. One-time purchase, permanent use! Only ¥998! Take home a top-tier white-haired style today!】

“…What the f***.”

Chen Huai’an’s expression became incredibly complex.

He had assumed the game wouldn’t push microtransactions here, but it didn’t even bother pretending otherwise.

There were over a hundred white-haired styles available.

And not just white hair—there were golden, red, silver, and thousands of different hairstyles!

The so-called "limited-time" white hair was actually the cheapest option. It looked suspiciously similar to Wei Wuxian’s ponytail, except bleached white.

He tried it on.

Absolutely stunning.

“998… not bad. Way cheaper than those 9998 ones. I’ll buy it.”

Chen Huai’an shook his head. As a devoted fan of white-haired characters, some sacrifices had to be made. Fortunately, he was wealthy now, so this amount was nothing.

Next up: outfits.

Without purchasing an outfit, he’d be stuck in the default burlap robe—not exactly the look of a grandmaster. He’d barely look better than a beggar on the streets.

He needed to buy a proper robe!

After careful selection, he chose a black Daoist robe—"Dijun"—with gold dragon embroidery on the cuffs. Price: ¥3,988, another limited-time offer.

The other Daoist robes all cost over ¥10,000, and some with special abilities were in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. Some even required Spirit Stones for purchase, though he had no idea how that worked. He couldn’t afford those anyway.

Now that he had a stylish outfit and flowing white hair, his character finally looked impressive. But compared to the Nascent Soul old monsters in the sect hall, who were covered in dazzling treasures, he still fell short.

That’s where the next microtransaction came in.

【Aura Effects】

Dragon Ancestor’s Protection – Gain a divine dragon’s blessing. When entering a scene, a dragon leads the way, surrounding you with awe-inspiring might. (Single-Day Pass: ¥9,988 / Monthly: ¥288,888 / Yearly: ¥3 million / Permanent: ¥3 billion.)

Golden Crow Chasing the Sun – Erupt with blazing solar radiance upon entry. (Single-Day: ¥8,888 / Monthly: ¥250,000 / Yearly: ¥2.08 million / Permanent: ¥2.5 billion.)

…

1999. Dragon Ancestor’s Seal – Summon a black dragon’s phantom. Today’s special price: ¥99.8 (Original price: ¥998/day).

Chen Huai’an: “…”

After a long pause, he chose the Dragon Ancestor’s Seal—the best bang for his buck.

As soon as he equipped it, a five-clawed black dragon’s shadow coiled around his character.

Not quite the full Dragon Ancestor’s Protection, but ¥99.8? A steal.

Besides, he was up against a Nascent Soul cultivator, not a bunch of Grand Immortals.

No need to go overboard.

There were more expensive things ahead.

Finally, the main event—cultivation boost.

Instantly reach Nascent Soul Peak – ¥660 million / One-day trial ¥88,000

Instantly reach Fusion Realm Peak – ¥1.88 billion / One-day trial ¥188,000

If this were before—especially before his last hospital visit—he would have scoffed at these ridiculous prices and cursed out the game developers.

But now?

He simply chuckled and clicked Nascent Soul Peak – One-Day Trial.

¥188,000 vanished from his bank account.

His character erupted in divine radiance, an overwhelming presence sweeping across the game.

Right at that moment, Daoist Qingxuan’s enraged voice echoed:

“Kneel before me!”

Kneel?

Make Li Qingran kneel?

Heh…

Chen Huai’an pressed his Communication Talisman and let out a cold laugh.

“As long as I’m here, let me see who dares?!”

Enhance your reading experience by removing ads for as low as $1!