Immortality Starts With Investment

Another half a month slipped by in the blink of an eye.

”Brother, I can’t take any more—this time, it’s truly the limit.”

Yao Yuezhi’s fair little face flushed a deep crimson. This time, she made no pretense; she had reached her absolute threshold, unable to absorb even a single drop more of cave heaven essence. The Qiankun Cauldron at her side fell eerily still, its spin halting entirely, faint wisps of misty vapor flickering in and out of existence around it.

Ye Chen’s endless stream of essence, having filled her domain to bursting, began to pool and clog the channels. The conduits strained under the pressure, trembling on the verge of collapse, faint illusory cracks spiderwebbing across them.

Yet for all her discomfort, Yao Yuezhi’s heart swelled with shock and joy. Though she had not broken the hundred-thousand-li limit as Ye Chen had, her domain had undergone a qualitative leap in tier.

A hundred thousand li remained the measure, but its sturdiness now defied belief. The spiritual resonance it could hold had multiplied a hundredfold from before. And the wonders did not end there.

Previously, after ascending to the fourth heaven via the remnant Stasis Secret, Yao Yuezhi’s grasp of time laws had already been stunned. Ordinary prodigies managed at most a twofold acceleration. Those hitting fivefold earned the label of peerless genius.

Yao Yuezhi herself, empowered by the Stasis Secret remnant, had barely squeezed out sixfold. As for existences like Celestial Prince, they might touch tenfold—or beyond. But now, the flow of time she could wield within her cave heaven had vaulted to a staggering twentyfold!

What did that mean? A year of cultivation inside equated to twenty years outside. After Half-Saint, breakthroughs demanded centuries of accumulation. With this absurd acceleration, she would soar, saving oceans of time. Mastering myriad daos and laws became a swift affair too, comprehended at breakneck speed under the temporal surge.

Of course, Mahayana cultivators no longer advanced through sheer hoarding. They required personal epiphanies of laws, shattering personal bottlenecks...

Time alone couldn’t force that. So for Half-Saints and beyond, the savings touched only the grind of Qi refinement. Insights into laws and the like still demanded patient, step-by-step toil. And under acceleration, one’s lifespan ticked away undiscounted.

Many cultivators perished before their natural ends. All because they burned through too much of their allotted years in accelerated domains. Yet all told, the pros far outweighed the cons.

Yao Yuezhi felt the surging vitality within her; her cave heaven’s power far exceeded her former self by countless measures, along with myriad subtle transformations, filling her with quiet elation.

At the same time, the Qiankun Cauldron, amid this metamorphosis, grew ever more intimately bound to her. It had nearly fused as one. As the core of her domain, it too underwent a peculiar evolution alongside her strengthened cave heaven.

Yao Yuezhi sensed that, when she later reached the seventh heaven and her domain ascended to a minor world, the cauldron would emerge far mightier. In the future, evolving into a supreme Extreme Dao Weapon might not prove impossible. All in all, her cave heaven now differed from her past self by heaven and earth. Should she face those three peak Half-Saints once more,

Yao Yuezhi brimmed with utter confidence to suppress them all. She had become a pinnacle prodigy in this world. With that thought, Yao Yuezhi no longer minded the dull ache in her abdomen. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Ye Chen, brimming with profound gratitude.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She understood all too well: her rise from ruin, surpassing her former heights to claim a place among the realm’s elite, stemmed entirely from Ye Chen’s gifts. His benevolence toward her, even if she poured out her entire life, could never be repaid.

...

Meanwhile, Ye Chen finally sensed that Yao Yuezhi truly could hold no more. Not feigned this time. The Qiankun Cauldron lay equally inert, refusing to stir—even under the Armament Secret’s prod. Whether from overload or her genuine limit, he couldn’t tell.

But in any case, he couldn’t risk bursting his little green tea wide open. Regret flickered in his eyes as he ceased urging his cave heaven’s essence forth. He severed the channels.

Yao Yuezhi caught the reluctance in Ye Chen’s gaze and mistook it for sorrow over the vast essence he’d lost. After all, she had truly drawn far too much. And Ye Chen couldn’t possibly be infinite.

Yao Yuezhi suspected his remaining domain had dwindled to less than a hundred thousand li. She longed to embrace him, to pledge something profound. But after such an onslaught, exhaustion pinned her down; she couldn’t muster a shred of strength.

She lay limply on the ground, her emerald eyes gazing up at Ye Chen with earnest sincerity. ”Brother, I know all the kindness you’ve shown me. In the future, I’ll never betray you. ”Brother, once I’ve recovered a bit of strength, let’s make a child together, alright? And the women you fancy, Brother, I’ll help you claim them all. For those who agree, I’ll teach them how to please you. As for those who resist, I’ll help you seize them too!”

”...”

Hearing Yao Yuezhi’s words, Ye Chen chuckled. He knew she had misunderstood. His regret stemmed not from her drawing too much, but from her drawing far too little. From nothing to something, then to a hundred thousand li. And finally to metamorphosis and sublimation...

The essence consumed in the process had been vast beyond measure. Yet even so, Yao Yuezhi had barely tapped a tenth of his cave heaven’s reserves. Perhaps not even that much. It was truly a pity.

But Ye Chen understood that Yao Yuezhi had given her all. He couldn’t fault her for it. What affair in the world ever reached perfection? The mere chance to gift cave heaven essence already counted as an unexpected boon.

Yao Yuezhi’s vows, meanwhile, warmed his heart; he scooped the limp girl into a princess carry, cradling her close. A conscientious little green tea like her was truly endearing. And at that very moment, a system prompt finally chimed in Ye Chen’s mind.

”Matching target’s multiplier has changed—updating...”

”Yao Yuezhi: Six thousandfold!”

”Heavenly Demon Body, Demon Spirit Cave Heaven!”

Ye Chen’s eyes lit up at once! Her domain’s elevation had boosted Yao Yuezhi’s multiplier, too. Evidently, the cave heaven’s enhancement had profoundly amplified her talents. What a delightful surprise. From five thousandfold to six? The feedback rewards would surely prove even richer.

...

And in tandem, a second system prompt rang out.

”Congratulations, host—gift delivery successful...”

”Gift: Cave Heaven Essence!”

”Feedback in progress...”

”Six-thousandfold feedback underway...”

”Detected: The host’s gift holds extreme importance to the matching target, triggering maximum psychological resonance...”

”Max critical hit feedback activated!”

”Feedback: Primordial Cave Heaven!”

Primordial Cave Heaven? What was that?

Ye Chen lacked the context, but the word ”primordial” alone carried an air of profound gravitas. He glanced downward at once.

”Primordial Cave Heaven: The origin source of all heavens and myriad realms! The Primordial Cave Heaven nurtures laws, derives all things; upon world sublimation, it evolves into the Ancestral Realm. Every wisp of overflowing origin essence births a newborn world, thereby spawning the heavens and myriad realms. The Primordial Cave Heaven knows no upper bound, expandable without end...”

”Upon the cultivator’s breakthrough to the fourth heaven, it enables acceleration or deceleration of the cave heaven’s temporal flow, even stasis across the entire domain, influencing it wholly...”

”Upon breakthrough to the seventh heaven, the Primordial Cave Heaven ascends to the nascent Ancestral Realm...”

”Within the Primordial Cave Heaven, newborn laws and principles manifest; cultivation therein halves effort for doubled gains...”

”Within the Primordial Cave Heaven, nascent cave heaven power flows; practice inside accelerates comprehension speeds...”

”The Primordial Cave Heaven stands indestructible...”

”The Primordial Cave Heaven harbors transcendent life-nurturing might; all spirit plants and exotic beasts thrive perfectly, bloodlines sublimate more readily, spawning myriad new species through derivation and gestation...”

”Primordial Cave Heaven...”