Chapter 230: Swindled

A top-tier gift pack, fused from five others, was supposed to have a high chance of containing peerless treasures, top-tier weapons, or at worst, superior medicinal herbs—at least according to the system's description.

But reality slapped Chen Xuan in the face. Hard.

Previously, even the most mediocre pulls had granted him at least a hundred thousand gold soul coins. Now? Not even a single silver soul coin. All he got from five fused gift packs was... a blade of grass?

"System, be honest with me. Are you messing with me?" Chen Xuan demanded, hoping that maybe—just maybe—this grass had some hidden use.

The grass on the interface was barely a foot tall, glowing faintly green with no remarkable features. The information section was blank—no description, no name, nothing.

"Ding. Response to host: All items from top-tier gift packs are of treasure-grade quality. Please do not doubt this system."

Hearing that, Chen Xuan couldn't help but laugh in frustration. Treasure-grade? This was just a regular blade of grass. Not even a name, let alone a description. What treasure?

Adding the word "treasure" to a worthless item didn't magically make it valuable!

Chen Xuan felt ridiculous for even hoping. What name could a blade of grass have anyway? What use could it possibly serve? Was it supposed to help him attain an immortal body or something? Absurd.

"Forget it. I'll take the L this time. Next time, I won't believe a single damn word from you," he muttered angrily, cursing under his breath. Five gift packs wasted. Even if they had all given gold soul coins, that would've been a massive fortune.

"Hopefully, these four advanced packs won't screw me over too," he sighed, pinning his last hopes on the remaining red packs.

He opened them all in one go. Four streams of light shot out, each landing in its respective panel.

"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Million-Year Speed Soul Bone Set!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained a pair of Pure Mangekyō Sharingan!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Peerless Treasure – Dragon Spear!"

Seeing the first three items, Chen Xuan's breathing quickened, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

The other two rewards paled in comparison to the Mangekyō Sharingan. His heart pounded violently, unable to stay calm. This was exactly what he needed to break through his current limits.

Although he had integrated Hashirama cells, which prevented blindness from overusing the Sharingan, his current eyes were still a weaker version of the Eternal Mangekyō. He wouldn't get far without an upgrade.

To unlock the Rinnegan and reach the threshold of the Six Paths level, having a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan was essential.

And now, he finally had them. How could he not be ecstatic?

"What about the last pack?" Chen Xuan forced himself to calm down. There was still one more reward left—maybe another pleasant surprise.

He tapped the interface, and the last item's panel lit up with a golden glow so bright it was almost blinding. Squinting, he finally saw the item's details—and his excitement froze in place.

It read: Top Prize: 100,000 Gold Soul Coins!

"Wait... WHAT?!" Chen Xuan was dumbfounded, feeling as if the heavens had just smacked him across the face. His entire body stiffened.

"Are you kidding me? System, get out here! What the hell is this?!" He couldn't hold back anymore and started cursing up a storm, venting every foul word he knew at the system.

Yet, the system remained eerily silent, as if it had suddenly developed selective hearing, ignoring his tirade completely.

Outside, the coachman heard the outburst and shivered, pretending he hadn't heard anything. He thought he had picked up a lunatic.

After minutes of nonstop ranting, Chen Xuan's throat was dry. The system still didn't respond, as if it had crashed.

Left with no choice, he turned his attention to the items he had received.

The Million-Year Speed Soul Bone Set comprised six soul bones—left leg, right leg, left arm, right arm, torso, and skull—each with a million-year lifespan.

According to the description, once fully absorbed, this set would grant the wearer speed comparable to the God of Speed, essentially making them a deity in their own right.

It seemed tailor-made for Zhu Zhuqing, perfectly suited to her abilities.

"Wait, didn't Zhuqing go for the Speed God's inheritance trial? She might not even need these soul bones," Chen Xuan mused, recalling the message from Xiao Wu's letter.

He had his own path to godhood that didn't rely on soul bones, so he wasn't sure who else could benefit from them.

Jiangzhu was a support-type soul master—not a good fit. Chen Yiyi, with her weapon-based martial soul, also didn't seem compatible.

"Ugh, worst case, I'll save them for my daughter," he sighed, moving on to the next item.

The pair of Pure Mangekyō Sharingan matched his current eyes perfectly, offering seamless compatibility.

"Peerless Dragon Spear?" His gaze shifted to the long spear.

Measuring about three meters, the spear was entirely gold with dragon-scale patterns etched along its surface, giving it a fierce and regal appearance.

When Chen Xuan summoned it, he immediately felt its weight—nearly three thousand pounds. Even with his current strength, it was almost too heavy to hold.

Without using soul power or chakra, the weight was just manageable for him.

"Perfect. I've always needed a proper weapon. Now I won't have to rely on Susanoo as much," he muttered, storing the spear away.

After all, his close combat skills had improved significantly through constant training.

"Ugh, that top-tier pack still pisses me off." His mood soured again when his eyes landed on the blade of grass. What if he hadn't fused the packs? He might have gotten something better.

Lesson learned. Next time, he wouldn't trust the system's so-called upgrades.

Sighing, Chen Xuan picked up the green blade of grass, feeling another wave of irritation. It was useless, but also too wasteful to just throw away.

"Would be a waste to toss it," he muttered. Following the "don't waste, don't want" principle, he shoved the grass into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed.

The world had truly fallen apart. Chen Xuan never thought the day would come when he'd be desperate enough to eat grass.

But the moment he swallowed it, something unexpected happened. The grass dissolved instantly, releasing an immense surge of energy that flooded his body.

"W-What's going on?!" Chen Xuan's eyes widened as the previously depleted soul power within him surged to the brim, even spilling out through his pores.

The energy was too vast for his body to contain, far exceeding his limit. Yet it kept pouring out, unstoppable.

The entire carriage filled with a dense life force so potent that even the dead wood of the doors and windows sprouted fresh green buds, defying logic itself.

"Crap, when is this going to stop?!" Chen Xuan's face flushed red as his body overheated. The overwhelming energy distorted his organs, squeezing them painfully.

Life energy continued to burst from his body, stretching his pores to the size of beads.

"Shit!" Chen Xuan panicked. His bones and organs felt like they were being torn apart, and his body was covered in bloody fissures.

His skin cracked open in countless places, blood seeping out until he looked like a crimson-drenched mess.

"Damn you, system! Screw you to hell!" Chen Xuan screamed, his body riddled with deep wounds, exposing bone in some areas.

He nearly lost consciousness from the pain, biting down on his tongue to keep himself awake as blood filled his mouth.

All of this happened in mere moments, leaving the coachman outside clueless about the chaos unfolding inside.

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