Immortality Starts With Investment

Ye Chen’s boldness was undoubtedly beyond An Miaoli’s expectations. It even made her feel a hint of anger, as if she had been slightly offended by a stronger individual. But she quickly realized she shouldn’t be angry. After all, Ye Chen had never done anything that offended her.

Whenever Ye Chen met her, he showed the utmost respect. He even extended kindness by giving her cultivation methods. He had protected An Yuyi. And now, he was even willing to offer the Divine Will Pool spot voluntarily.

Yet despite all that Ye Chen had done, he never boasted about it. He never used it as leverage, nor did he seek to gain any advantage in return. What right did she have to be angry? Simply because Ye Chen liked her?

But liking her wasn’t Ye Chen’s fault. An Miaoli, though she had never experienced romantic feelings, understood that love and affection often arise and fade unexpectedly.

…

An Miaoli looked at Ye Chen with a complicated expression and immediately shook her head. ”An Yuyi doesn’t need it! Fellow Daoist Ye should use it for yourself.”

If she hadn’t realized Ye Chen’s feelings, An Miaoli might have accepted the offer. Then, she would have given him other precious items in return as compensation.

But now that she was fully aware of his feelings, she could not accept it. Otherwise, what would that make her?

An Miaoli rejected the offer firmly. However, Ye Chen’s attitude was even more resolute. ”I have matters to attend to, and I will be leaving Divine Will City soon. I won’t be able to wait for the Divine Will Pool to open. If Senior An doesn’t want the spot, no one else will take it. It will remain vacant.”

Ye Chen’s stance was clear and firm. After all, whether it was the previous Divine Will Sect direct disciple spot or the current Divine Will Pool spot, neither were easy to give away. If Ye Chen went to the streets to find a random cultivator to give it to, Divine Will Sect would never recognize them.

Only people like Li Feihuang and An Yuyi, who already had connections to Divine Will Sect, were qualified to accept such a spot. Since Li Feihuang didn’t need it, An Yuyi was the only option. This spot had to be given away.

An Miaoli furrowed her brows slightly upon hearing this, as though she wanted to say something more. But before she could, Ye Chen spoke directly.

”Senior An, you also want Yuyi’s cultivation to improve and for her to achieve a top-tier Golden Core, right? You wouldn’t want Yuyi to miss the Divine Will Pool and fall behind, would you? Now, I am willing to give her the spot. Why refuse it, Senior?”

Ye Chen’s words left An Miaoli silent. Though she often said that one must accept defeat gracefully and allow her niece to face reality, if her niece could obtain the opportunity to enter the Divine Will Pool and compete for the Phoenix Blood in the future, it would undoubtedly be the best option. After all, her niece was the only bloodline left of her late brother. The only family she had in this world. As her aunt, An Miaoli naturally hoped for An Yuyi to grow stronger. The cultivation world was ever-changing, unstable, and dangerous.

An Miaoli couldn’t guarantee that she would be able to protect her niece forever. In such circumstances, the stronger An Yuyi became, the better.

After thinking this over, An Miaoli fell silent.

Seeing her silence, Ye Chen immediately seized the opportunity to speak up.

”Senior An, don’t overthink this. My offering of the spot is not part of any scheme or ulterior motive. There’s nothing I want from you in return. I don’t need you to help me or betray Divine Will Sect. I am offering this spot purely out of goodwill, and you need not worry about any consequences.”

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Upon hearing this, An Miaoli sighed inwardly. She knew full well that Ye Chen wasn’t giving her the spot out of opportunism or seeking to gain favor. Ye Chen was indeed offering it willingly. But at this moment, An Miaoli would have preferred if Ye Chen had been the kind of person who sought to gain from her. At least that would make things easier to deal with.

…

An Miaoli honestly felt she wanted to clarify things with Ye Chen. She wanted to make him stop entertaining any improper thoughts. There was simply too great a gap between her and Ye Chen in every way. And with An Yuyi standing in between, it was completely impossible.

But, despite her usual free-spirited nature, An Miaoli hesitated several times and still couldn’t bring herself to speak. After all, if she made things clear, she didn’t know how Ye Chen would react.

But if one day her niece went to find Ye Chen and he ignored her, that would be one thing. What if her niece became persistent and, in frustration, Ye Chen told her the truth? That would be a huge problem.

What if An Yuyi found out that Ye Chen never liked her, but instead liked her aunt? With her niece’s personality, An Miaoli couldn’t even imagine what would happen. So, after remaining silent for a long while, An Miaoli finally agreed to accept the spot.

”The Divine Will Pool spot is precious. As a senior, I cannot accept it without a return gift. I will prepare a proper gift for you in return.”

She emphasized the word ”senior” with more weight.

Seeing that An Miaoli was willing to accept, Ye Chen nodded without hesitation. The return gift wouldn’t affect the feedback. After all, Senior An had always been a person of integrity.

Upon sensing Ye Chen’s feelings, An Miaoli no longer wished to stay and talk with him. She feared that anything she might say could cause Ye Chen to misunderstand or become even more resolute in his feelings.

After using the Water Mirror Technique to record Ye Chen’s voluntary decision to give up the Divine Will Pool spot, An Miaoli solemnly thanked him and then bid him farewell, leaving.

Back at Divine Will Sect, An Miaoli immediately went to the Internal Affairs Hall and showed them the Water Mirror recording. The Internal Affairs Hall quickly registered the transfer and allocated the Divine Will Pool spot to An Yuyi. Her niece finally had the spot, and in the future, she would have the chance to compete for the Phoenix Blood and potentially achieve a top-tier Golden Core.

An Miaoli should have felt happy. But at this moment, her emotions were deeply conflicted. She was thinking about what kind of precious item she should prepare as a return gift for Ye Chen.

Upon returning to the Immortal Peak, An Yuyi had been eagerly waiting. The moment she saw her aunt, she ran over, beaming. ”Aunt, did Ye Chen forgive me?”

An Miaoli calmly nodded. ”Yes, he forgave you. He even gave you the Divine Will Pool spot!”

Upon hearing this, An Yuyi’s eyes immediately widened, and the joy in them was nearly overflowing. The Divine Will Pool spot was incredibly important to her. But what made An Yuyi even happier was that Ye Chen had chosen to give it to her. This spot, which was undoubtedly valuable to Ye Chen as well, implied something significant.

An Yuyi’s heart swelled with happiness, and feeling a bit shy, she asked, ”Aunt, did you bring up the matter of the dao partner?”

An Miaoli fell silent. She had always disliked lying. But looking at her niece, clearly in the throes of youthful infatuation, she couldn’t bring herself to tell her that Ye Chen didn’t like her. Ye Chen only wanted to be her uncle.

After hesitating for a moment, An Miaoli shook her head. ”I didn’t bring it up. You’re still young, and right now, your main focus should be on improving your cultivation. I don’t want you to rush into a dao partnership so soon. Once you reach Golden Core, you can travel the world and invite Ye Chen to join you. By then, you’ll both experience many challenges and dangers together. Naturally, you’ll become dao partners. Wouldn’t that be better?”

An Miaoli had no other solution to offer. She could only hope that Ye Chen would eventually abandon his bold ideas and slowly come to appreciate her niece’s qualities.

Upon hearing her aunt’s words, An Yuyi felt a pang of disappointment. But after hearing her aunt’s reasoning, she thoughtfully nodded. Indeed, when everyone reached Golden Core, she and Ye Chen could travel together outside Divine Will Sect. They could slay demonic beasts and explore ancient ruins together. Through all these experiences, they would naturally come closer. It seemed like that might actually be better...

An Yuyi, who had been uneasy for the past few days, was now filled with joy, her face radiating with a bright smile. And seeing her niece so happy only made An Miaoli feel even more troubled.

…

Meanwhile, in Divine Will City, Ye Chen had been waiting for a long time, and finally, the system’s notification sounded in his mind.