10 million spirit stones

I Will Take Pay

"Huh?" The woman raised her gaze, looking at the mortal before her, confusion flickering in her ice-blue eyes. She didn't understand what he was talking about.

Ray took a deep breath, struggling to stand. His body was beyond exhaustion after enduring her confinement skill. The only thing keeping him on his feet was sheer willpower. If not for that, his body would have collapsed long ago.

It was nothing short of astonishing. He had pushed himself past his limits, hurling hundreds of weapons at the serpent in battle. A mere mortal relying solely on determination after his body had given up such tenacity was rare. The woman in front of him saw this but chose not to voice her admiration. Still, she was undeniably impressed.

"Huff… I will take pay…" Ray exhaled, his voice heavy but unwavering. "And… I will become the second leader of the sect. I will build the strongest sect in the world. Believe me your life will change." He looked straight into her eyes, his gaze deep and resolute.

The woman suddenly burst into laughter. Her crystalline blue eyes gleamed, her entire body trembling. It was unclear what thoughts raced through her mind, but amusement was evident.

Ray frowned.

Is she laughing at me again? How disrespectful…

He was about to turn away, his near-depleted body barely holding together, when suddenly

"Alright… from now on, you are the sect leader."

Her voice still carried amusement, but beneath it was an unmistakable layer of seriousness. Pride and honor shone in her eyes, even though she had spoken the words as if in jest.

Ray halted mid-step, locking eyes with her.

Honestly, he would have never lowered himself to this extent, but knowing that he only had five years left to live forced him to make desperate choices. He needed power fast.

Becoming a Great Emperor in five years? That was nothing short of a fool's dream. Even with heavenly talent, it took cultivators millions of years to achieve such a feat.

His only hope was his Automatic Cultivation System a completely unreasonable yet miraculous cheat. It doubled his cultivation speed each time he upgraded it. From two days of normal cultivation to potentially millions of years' worth in a single day.

All he needed were Spirit Stones the currency fueling cultivation. First, he needed to confirm whether they truly existed in this world. But if his system displayed them as currency, it had to be real.

Yet earning such a vast amount on his own? Impossible.

Well, technically not impossible, but accumulating that much in just five years? Laughable.

The best way? Creating a powerful organization.

A sect would be the most efficient path forward.

Ray had calculated everything. This was the best course of action. He had been given a second chance at life, and this time, he had ambition.

He would change the cultivation world.

He would create a world where relationships mattered more than strength, where there was more to life than endless battles and cultivation.

Looking back into the woman's eyes, he asked, "Do you know anything about Spirit Stones?"

"Huh? You know about Spirit Stones?" She raised an eyebrow, surprised.

A mortal possessing knowledge of cultivators' currency?

"Of course, I know," she said, quickly brushing off her initial surprise. Maybe he had overheard it somewhere.

She explained calmly, "Spirit Stones are crystals infused with pure Qi, used by cultivators as rare resources. They can be absorbed for cultivation, and they also serve as currency in the cultivation world, exchanged for treasures, pills, artifacts… everything."

Ray listened intently.

He was overjoyed.

So they really are a currency just as I thought… Finally, I have confirmation.

With this knowledge, his cultivation journey could begin. If he hadn't found out, things would have been much harder. But now? Now, everything had become possible.

He needed to earn them fast.

"I will take pay," Ray suddenly declared, looking at her.

"…Ehhh?" The woman blinked, raising her eyes at him.

Didn't she just grant him the vice sect leader position? An honorable title? And yet, he was still demanding payment?

Just how greedy and arrogant was this guy?

Seeing her reaction, Ray clarified, "If you had made me sect leader, I would've worked for free. But now that I'm only the second-in-command, of course, you need to pay me a salary. I'll definitely be worth it."

His face reddened slightly whether from his body's exhaustion or embarrassment, even he wasn't sure.

The woman stared at him for a long moment, saying nothing.

"The future of my sect is looking bleak," she thought to herself, shaking her head.

"Sigh… How much do you want?" she asked directly.

"As much as you think I'm worth," Ray replied. In truth, he had no clue about the value of Spirit Stones. He didn't know what was considered a fair amount.

She glared at him, feeling an urge to kill him. There was something infuriating about him something that made her want to snap his neck.

Yet… she held back.

It was an odd feeling. A part of her instinctively knew that if she harmed him, she would lose something far greater.

"Here."

She tossed a storage ring at his face.

"10 million low-grade Spirit Stones. That's everything I have."

She crossed her arms. "Not a single one left on me now."

Ray, momentarily forgetting his exhaustion, raised his hand and caught the ring.

10 million…

He was stunned.

I didn't know it would be this easy to get this many Stones… I can literally upgrade my cultivation so many times in one go… Damn…

For a moment, his eyes turned into money signs, and saliva almost leaked from his mouth.

But he quickly controlled himself.

He couldn't act like a hungry beggar in front of her at least not visibly. That would be a disgrace.

He looked at the woman again, realizing the meaning behind her words.

"All I have"…

She valued him that much? She had given him everything she possessed.

What a prideful and arrogant woman…

Ray smirked to himself.

Even in his past life, he wouldn't have had this level of arrogance to bet everything on someone like him.

And yet, she did.

Like she could see something in him that even he couldn't.

"Vice Sect Leader Ray Darkheart."

He raised his head, his smirk widening.

"You will never regret this decision. And one day, you will look back at this moment the day that changed your destiny."

With a confident smirk, he gave a refined, elegant bow not lowering himself, but making just the right gesture of respect.

The woman smirked back.

Changed my destiny huh...i wish she wisperd to herself in very low voice.

But outside

"We'll see about that."

Her voice held amusement, but also something deeper.

Then

Chink.

A great ice sword appeared, its blade stabbing into the ground.

She placed both hands on its hilt, standing firm, relying on the sword.

A strong wind blew through the area, making her icy-blue hair dance in the air.

She stood there a vision of pride, power, and authority.

And then, she declared:

"As of now, you stand in the presence of Nyxiel Glacialis… YOUR SECT LEADER."

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