Immortality Starts With Investment

At those words, a faint smile curved across Fan Qinghe’s face—which had grown even more enchanting since her last transformation, every glance and smile utterly captivating.

”There’s no need to worry. Ye Chen will come. What I need to do now is cultivate diligently so that I take a little less from him when the time comes.”

Fan Qinghe spoke with quiet confidence. Ye Chen truly loved her. And her Protector was nothing short of miraculous—his reserves seemed inexhaustible. No matter how much he gave to sate her, his battle prowess remained undiminished, and he continued to dominate the world. His cultivation speed was just as astonishing as ever.

Only the three of them—master and disciples of the Heavenly Desire Sect—knew the truth. Outsiders spread rumors that she had completely submitted to the Heavenly Emperor’s heir without ever tasting his essence. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only had she been fully nourished, but her master had also benefited, achieving a transformation that propelled her into the Mahayana realm.

Still, Fan Qinghe felt Ye Chen was carrying too heavy a burden—feeding both her and her master. She had to cultivate harder, do whatever she could to ease his load.

At the same time, she had made a firm decision deep in her heart. If she truly achieved perfect transformation and obtained the Heavenly Desire Immortal Body one day, she would spare no effort to help Ye Chen seize Immortal Qi. She would help him ascend to immortality. She could follow him into the immortal realm and ascend later—it would not matter.

Besides, her Protector refused to claim her before her perfect transformation, unwilling to hinder her cultivation. To repay him, she had spent this time earnestly learning from her master, absorbing knowledge and experience. Her grandmaster, in particular, had been exceptionally warm toward her, generously imparting valuable insights. She was certain that, when they met again, Ye Chen would be pleased.

...

Hearing this, the sect master finally relaxed. Yet she could not help herself and asked in a slightly fawning tone, ”Then this time... may I watch from the side again?”

Fan Qinghe could not suppress a soft laugh. Watch? Her master had done far more than watch—she had settled in comfortably. But Ye Chen had thoroughly enjoyed it. Since he refused to take her before her perfect transformation, letting her master take her place and bring him pleasure was hardly unacceptable.

So Fan Qinghe nodded lightly. ”As long as he’s willing, I have no objection.”

Delight instantly bloomed across the sect master’s face. She inwardly sighed with relief—she had not taken this disciple for nothing.

Moments later, however, hesitation returned. The sect master bit her lip, wavered several times, then finally spoke. ”Your grandmaster has been stuck at the peak of the Third Heaven for nearly fifteen hundred years. Lately, she’s felt the immortal path is hopeless and has fallen into despair. I can sense she’s on the verge of qi deviation. I was an orphan she picked up and raised. She cared for me from childhood. And when you were little, she adored you too—she even held you in her arms.

”The thought of her succumbing to deviation—losing cultivation at best, becoming crippled or even perishing at worst—breaks my heart. So I wanted to ask, Qinghe, this time, could we let Grandmaster take just a little? Not much—just enough for the basic transformation I received. I’ll take less myself...”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Even the sect master felt embarrassed saying this. She was already ashamed enough living off her disciple’s leftovers. Now she wanted to bring her own master into it.

But she had no choice. Her grandmaster had truly been good to her, guiding her immensely along the path of cultivation. Though she knew the grandmaster’s frail, sickly appearance was an act, the sect master could not bring herself to refuse her. So she steeled herself and asked.

Fan Qinghe’s lips twitched. She had suspected this all along. Her grandmaster had never emerged from seclusion in the past.

Fan Qinghe had barely met her twice. Yet the moment her master broke through thanks to her Protector, the grandmaster came out of seclusion and began hovering around her, showing excessive concern.

Fan Qinghe had long guessed the woman’s intentions. But it simply would not do. Even if Ye Chen had enough to spare, Fan Qinghe was unwilling. She knew her place all too well. She was already parasitic enough—and she had dragged her master into it too.

Ye Chen tolerated it only because he loved her. If they added a grandmaster who had been empty and unfulfilled for fifteen hundred years...

Even if Ye Chen loved her deeply, he might grow hurt. And if that led to resentment toward her, Fan Qinghe could never accept it. Compared to the master who had raised and cared for her, her feelings toward the grandmaster were far more distant.

Fan Qinghe shook her head, her expression troubled. ”Master, extraordinary as Ye Chen is, he is not an endless well. Every drop you and I take comes from his hard-earned cultivation. I already feel ashamed bringing up your needs this time... If we added Grandmaster as well, I truly fear he would grow angry.”

Her worry was genuine—she dreaded Ye Chen becoming upset and abandoning her. Among female cultivators, many supported their clans even after taking a dao companion, often subsidizing their younger brothers’ cultivation. Here, not only did she draw from him, but her master did too. Adding the grandmaster would make them scarcely different from those parasitic figures.

The sect master’s mature, alluring features grew serious. The fate of their Heavenly Desire Sect had never been in their own hands. Top-tier geniuses rarely indulged in women. Encountering this generation’s Heavenly Emperor’s heir had been their sect’s greatest fortune. If greed drove him away, it would be a catastrophic loss.

After a moment’s hesitation, memories of her own master’s kindness flooded her mind. The sect master clenched her teeth. ”Qinghe, you’re right. All three of us drawing from him at once would be far too much. Then I will take nothing. When the Heavenly Emperor’s heir arrives, speak directly of your grandmaster. If she breaks through to the Half-Saint realm, it will benefit our entire sect. As for me... I was being greedy. Reaching Mahayana in this lifetime already fulfills me.”

Fan Qinghe’s delicate brows immediately furrowed. No woman wanted to offer others to her man. Her master was one thing—she was family. But if it were the grandmaster this time, she too would surely settle in fully.

After all, how vast was the power of laws within a Third Heaven Mahayana cultivator? If they drew as before, it might take a year or two. Intimacy would be inevitable.

Fan Qinghe wanted to refuse, yet seeing her master’s expression, she could not bring herself to do so. Just then, both women sensed a majestic aura approaching from beyond the mountain gate. Their brows arched in unison.

”It’s the aura of the Heavenly Emperor’s heir! He’s here!”

Speak of the devil, and he appeared.

Joy surged through Fan Qinghe and the sect master. They immediately prepared to fly out and greet Ye Chen. Yet the moment they emerged from the cave abode, they saw the sect’s founder drifting toward them—her figure commanding, hips as wide as her shoulders, waist remarkably slender, her mature aura like that of a fully ripened gourd.

Fan Qinghe felt a twinge of unease. She worried the grandmaster had come to press the matter of drawing from her Protector. Soon, however, astonishment replaced her concern. The grandmaster had come to bid farewell.

”Our Heavenly Desire lineage has never controlled its own destiny. Qinghe, I envy you. Cherish this chance. I have been trapped at the Third Heaven for fifteen hundred years. I tried every method, yet could not break through the barrier. My condition has begun to deteriorate.”

”Therefore, I intend to venture into the Land of Fallen Immortals, seeking any hope of advancement. The future of the Heavenly Desire Sect rests with you both... Do not worry. Our sect still has the peak Saint King—my own master—who sealed herself long ago... If trouble arises, you may awaken her...”

As the grandmaster’s words faded, both Fan Qinghe and the sect master stood stunned...