Chapter 175: This Is Against the Natural Order!!

"Speaking of which, now that the Demonic Cultivator is dead, Qingran’s dungeon survival rate should have improved, right?"

Chen Huai’an opened the main quest panel and Li Qingran’s status panel—only to be shocked.

Their affection level had dropped to 19?!

Looking closer, he noticed something was different in the status bar.

[Li Qingran’s Affection Level: ♡19 (Secret Crush)]

"Wait… What’s with this heart? Does that mean a full 100 affection points turned into a heart?"

But why was the heart gray?

It looked just like a consumed game item.

Chen Huai’an scratched his head.

"Whatever. As long as I know that Qingran still secretly likes me, that’s enough."

Why not just make their feelings official?

Hah, such small thinking.

Being secretly admired—wasn’t that the best feeling ever?

Just imagine—

As twilight creeps over the windowpane, a girl’s gaze lingers in the dusk, stirred even before the evening bell tolls. Her eyes, like cherry blossoms soaked in morning dew, hover just behind you, trembling before shattering into fleeting fragments. Only her lashes remain, fluttering against her pale cheeks, casting the shadow of a butterfly’s panic…

Such a scene—only a girl in secret love would reveal!

It was absolutely not because his real combat strength was embarrassingly weak and he feared that one day he’d be exposed and unable to hold his head high in front of Li Qingran.

Shoving that thought aside, he focused on his main quest.

[Li Qingran’s Dungeon Survival Rate: 82%]

Killing just one mastermind had boosted it from 61% to 82%.

"Does this even make sense?! Should this even be possible?!"

And honestly, at the end of the day—

"What’s the difference between 82% and 0%?!"

"No, this isn’t enough. There have to be other ways to increase it."

Chen Huai’an narrowed his eyes.

Taking out more masterminds wasn’t an option for now—the enemy was hiding in their turtle shell.

Li Qingran’s strength couldn’t skyrocket overnight—this wasn’t a game where you could just boost her stats instantly.

He had already maxed out all her cultivation aids, from elixirs to spirit gathering formations.

The path of cultivation was real and had to be walked step by step—haste would only bring disaster.

His gaze swept across the room, landing on Yue Qianchi, who was drinking and dozing outside.

It was known that Yue Qianchi and many Sword Pavilion disciples were Li Qingran’s teammates.

And what did teammates do?

They helped and protected each other.

Thus—strengthening her teammates meant strengthening her protection.

According to the safety amplification principle, the stronger the team, the safer Qingran would be.

Chen Huai’an immediately had a plan.

"Yue Qianchi!"

He waved at the tipsy woman outside.

"Eh?"

Half-drunken, Yue Qianchi blinked in confusion, raising her flushed face, still dazed from the scent of wine.

Hic—!

A-Ancestor, you’re calling me?"

"Yeah. You."

Though confused, Yue Qianchi quickly straightened her clothes, tightened her belt, and—

Her already ample chest swelled even more, threatening to burst through her tunic at any moment.

She, however, remained oblivious, only staggering forward with a sloppy bow.

"Ancestor,

hic

~ you—

hic

—summoned this junior for… what reason?"

Chen Huai’an said nothing.

He simply opened the Virtual Girlfriend Shop—

And started spending.

A batch of 100 Supreme-Grade Great Rejuvenation Pills—Buy!

A batch of 100 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones—Buy!

A batch of 100 Supreme-Grade Essence Restoration Pills—Buy!

Mid-Grade Flying Swords? Buy! Three of them, just because.

Mid-Grade Thunderfire Talismans, Black Armor Talismans? Buy! 100 of each!

After a massive shopping spree, Chen Huai’an dumped the pile of resources right in front of Yue Qianchi.

With a grand wave of his hand—

"All yours!"

Yue Qianchi stared blankly at the mountain of treasures for a long moment.

Then, without warning, she slapped herself across the face—a crisp, loud smack, as if she’d put her full strength into it.

Chen Huai’an’s eye twitched.

Before he could say anything, Yue Qianchi dropped to her knees and bowed deeply.

"Ancestor—

hic

—I know you’re at least a thousand years old—

hic

—but if this is your wish… then I… I dare not refuse! This concub—

cough

—this disciple… accepts her fate!"

Chen Huai’an: "???"

Wait. What?!

He definitely didn’t mean that!

Seated in meditation, Li Qingran’s eyebrows furrowed slightly—she seemed on the verge of breaking out of her enlightenment.

Chen Huai’an panicked and quickly coughed.

"You fool! That is not my intention!"

Li Qingran’s furrowed brows smoothed out, and the corners of her lips curved upward.

Meanwhile, Yue Qianchi paled in shock, the drunken haze fading from her eyes.

Her lips trembled.

"Th-Then… does Ancestor wish to adopt me as a goddaughter first, and then…?"

She gasped.

"No! Ancestor! That would be against the natural order!!"

Chen Huai’an felt a chill run down his spine.

He turned slightly and saw a brewing storm of ice and snow in Li Qingran’s gaze.

"Shut up!" he snapped. "I merely see you as a promising junior and have granted you some opportunities. Take them, or don’t—it’s up to you!"

He reached out, ready to reclaim the resources.

But before he could, Yue Qianchi had already thrown herself onto the pile, hugging the loot tightly like a shameless rogue.

"Thank you, Ancestor! May you live ten thousand years!"

She kowtowed ten times in quick succession.

Chen Huai’an turned to look at Li Qingran.

The thin layer of ice on her face had melted away, replaced by a sweet, satisfied smile.

Chen Huai’an’s expression darkened.

At the same time, he exhaled in relief—but still scolded her anyway.

"You’re supposed to be in enlightenment—why are you paying attention to everything around you?! What are you, some kind of omniscient cultivator?!"

Li Qingran’s neck stiffened as if a small bird had pecked her, her back straightened like a taut bamboo stalk, and her serious expression immediately returned.

"Enough. Take your resources and go. Train diligently—do not grow arrogant."

Chen Huai’an rubbed his temples in exhaustion, waving Yue Qianchi away.

"Understood, Ancestor! This disciple will not grow arrogant!"

Yue Qianchi quickly stuffed what she could into her storage pouch and crammed the rest into her robes, then backed away carefully, as if afraid Chen Huai’an might change his mind.

The moment she stepped out of the room, a wild scream echoed through the air.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I’M RICH!! I’M FREAKING RICH!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Chen Huai’an: "……"

What happened to 'not growing arrogant'?!

He glanced at Li Qingran’s dungeon survival rate—

Sure enough, it had increased.

[Li Qingran’s Dungeon Survival Rate: 84%]

"It works!!"

Chen Huai’an clenched his fist, his eyes burning with determination.

At this rate, all he had to do was bribe everyone at Luoxia Peak, and Li Qingran’s survival rate would hit 100% in no time!

And how much would it cost?

A few million? A billion?

That was nothing.

Just as Chen Huai’an was celebrating his genius strategy, something changed.

The girl sitting behind him stirred.

Li Qingran… had broken through.

Thanks to her Supreme-Grade Dantian, she had retained a faint awareness of the outside world even during enlightenment.

But with her master by her side, she was able to let go of all distractions and fully immerse herself in her comprehension.

Images of Chen Huai’an’s sword techniques played in her mind, their trajectories growing clearer with every repetition.

Then—

A sharp energy surged from within her dantian.

Her brows twitched.

The bottleneck holding her back dissolved into her meridians.

Foundation Establishment Late Stage—achieved.

At the same moment, a notification popped up in Chen Huai’an’s vision.

[Your Virtual Girlfriend has reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage! A new Supreme Battle Order reward has been unlocked!]

Happy Lunar New Year! 🎉