Immortality Starts With Investment

The golden-robed elder’s face had turned pitch-black. He had a close friend whose daughter had recently taken a Dao companion—an heir of an ancient immortal clan passed down through generations.

Though the young man’s talent was decent, he was hardly noteworthy in this era and most likely had no chance of contending for the Immortal Path. Yet the son-in-law treated his father-in-law with utmost respect, showering him with gifts so lavishly that he had nearly emptied his own treasury.

As a result, that friend never missed an opportunity to boast. And here he was?

Ye Chen, scheming to deceive his daughter, had now set his sights on the elder’s Enlightenment Tea. The golden-robed elder even suspected something darker.

Ye Chen had gone to such lengths to approach his daughter—knowing full well the elder would take the blame—yet still treated her with such enthusiasm. It wasn’t just about claiming his daughter. He probably intended to seize the entire Heavenly Emperor Hall as well.

Given the vengeful streak Ye Chen had already shown, it was entirely plausible. This was nothing short of wolfish ambition. The mere thought of his future grandchildren bearing the surname Ye—of a little yellow-haired child arriving hand-in-hand with Ye Chen to ”visit” him—sent the elder’s blood pressure soaring.

And then the nightmare deepened: one day, the Heavenly Emperor Hall no longer bore the Yan surname, but Ye. Ye Chen standing at the gates with an impatient sneer: ”What are you doing at my house, old man?”

Veins bulged on the elder’s forehead. He had to protect both his daughter and the Heavenly Emperor Hall. He would never allow such a future to come to pass.

…

The elder made no move to fetch the Enlightenment Tea leaves. There were only two precious pieces left. Ye Chen did not deserve them. He needed to drive the boy away at once.

With feigned calm, the golden-robed elder waved a hand. ”No matter. If you can’t drink it, then don’t force yourself. You gifted Qingcheng the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade, and I am truly grateful. The Yan family’s Heavenly Emperor Hall will never repay kindness with ingratitude. This fragment of the immortal artifact Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron is the gift we have prepared. See if it meets with your approval!”

With those words, the elder raised his hand and entered the phase of repayment. A deep-brown fragment the size of a fist appeared before them, suspended in midair. Tiny specks of starlight glittered across its surface. Traces of an immortal artifact might flowed from it, endless starlight flickering within.

Yet as a mere fragment, its aura was far from overwhelming—less than one ten-thousandth of a complete immortal artifact’s presence. Still, it carried an indescribable profundity, unmistakably extraordinary.

An immortal artifact fragment?

Impressive, but hardly earth-shattering. Ye Chen already had piles of immortal artifacts inside his cave heaven.

Seeing Ye Chen’s unimpressed expression, the elder promptly began his introduction.

”This is a remnant of the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron. It can gather cosmic origin energy. If you keep it within your divine soul, your efficiency in absorbing and refining cosmic origin energy will increase by at least threefold.

”Moreover, it offers some assistance in comprehending Heavenly Position Laws, and once you reach Great Saint and elevate your cave heaven into a true world, placing this fragment inside will accelerate the accumulation of world power foundation!

”Its value is in no way inferior to the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade. For a Mahayana cultivator, it would be a supreme treasure!”

Ye Chen’s eyes lit up as he listened. From the Saint realm onward, he would need to refine world power. If this fragment could triple his absorption and refinement speed…

The elder had been vague about the later functions—clearly useful, but limited. Still, boosting Saint-realm cultivation speed alone was already quite good.

Most importantly, this was only a fragment. If he could gift it away and trigger the emergence of a complete immortal artifact. Its effects would increase by at least ten thousandfold…

The Heavenly Emperor Hall really did have some good stuff. This old man truly was capable of dropping gold coins.

Seeing the flicker of interest in Ye Chen’s eyes, the elder sneered inwardly. In his view, Ye Chen had gone to such pains to approach his daughter and insist on entering the Heavenly Emperor Hall for one reason only: to take advantage. This fragment would be more than enough to satisfy him.

”Since you seem pleased, Ye Chen, then this item is yours!”

With that, the golden-robed elder flicked his finger, sending the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron fragment floating directly toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen glanced at Yan Qingcheng. She smiled warmly, clearly encouraging him to accept.

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Without further courtesy, Ye Chen reached out and grasped it firmly. He examined it closely.

An immortal artifact fragment—indeed somewhat extraordinary. Merely holding it gave him a strange, subtle sensation. It even seemed to offer a faint enhancement to severing the Dao.

The golden-robed elder watched Ye Chen inspect it and felt a pang of reluctance. The fragment would have been greatly beneficial for his daughter’s future cultivation. Without it, the Heavenly Emperor Hall’s Origin Pool would no longer be able to accumulate cosmic origin energy.

But compared to fully repaying the debt and driving Ye Chen away—ensuring he never bothered his daughter again—every sacrifice was worth it.

The golden-robed elder rose at once and spoke directly to Ye Chen. ”The gift has been given. Ye Chen, you must be eager to return to Great Yan Continent by now… or perhaps to visit the cave abode of one of your many female companions?”

He was driving the guest away. And to ensure Ye Chen left for good, he decided to escort him personally. The farther the better. Once he returned, he would relocate the entire Heavenly Emperor Hall.

Ye Chen’s lips curved into a faint smile. He had barely arrived, yet this old man had tried to chase him off multiple times. The one who had been sabotaging him all along was definitely this old bastard.

Yan Qingcheng frowned the moment she heard her father’s words. Her father was being far too heartless. The immortal artifact fragment was valuable, yes—but how could it possibly compare to the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade? He had gone too far!

Before she could speak, however, Ye Chen stood with a gentle smile and turned to her.

”The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade I gave you, Fairy Yan, was never given in expectation of repayment. But I know you carry a grateful heart. If you were unable to repay the kindness, it would weigh on you and hinder your cultivation—that would be a pity. So I accept this item now. You no longer owe me anything. Please cultivate in peace from here on…”

Yan Qingcheng grew anxious at once. The immortal artifact fragment was nowhere near the value of the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade. Not to mention that Ye Chen had also imparted to her the Martial Ancestor’s Dao-Severing Method, repaired and gifted her the Heavenly Emperor War Chariot, and given her so many treasures before. How could this possibly cancel the debt?

Yet Ye Chen said these words clearly to ease her burden. He had given her so much, yet he still considered her feelings. Ye Chen was truly too kind and pure-hearted. By comparison, her father—who kept trying to drive him away—felt truly chilling.

Yan Qingcheng opened her mouth to speak. But Ye Chen gave her no chance. He continued calmly, ”Since this item now belongs to me, allow me to gift it back to you, Fairy Yan. It will be greatly beneficial to your future cultivation. Please do not refuse. Consider it my return gift…”

With those words, Ye Chen flicked his finger lightly. The immortal artifact fragment—which he had never stored away—flew straight toward Yan Qingcheng. She stared at the approaching fragment and froze.

Ye Chen had accepted her father’s gift of thanks, declared the debt settled, and freed her from any pressure to repay. Yet in the very next moment, he turned around and gave the same fragment back to her as a return gift.

Back and forth like this, the pressure she had felt from receiving his earlier kindness suddenly vanished. It was as though everything had been evened out between them. But clearly, Ye Chen had never wanted the immortal artifact fragment for himself. From the beginning, he had only wanted her to keep it…

Thinking of how her father had repeatedly tried to chase Ye Chen away, treated him coldly, and even served inferior spiritual tea to brush him off, while Ye Chen not only showed no anger but remained unchanged in his sincerity—still wanting to give her anything good he had—Yan Qingcheng’s eyes reddened uncontrollably, tears threatening to spill.

Her father had truly gone too far. She immediately wanted to refuse. This immortal artifact fragment rightfully belonged to Ye Chen. But seeing the resolute look in his eyes and the gentle smile on his face—remembering how firmly he had insisted on gifting things before—she knew she could not refuse him.

Then, very quickly, she understood. If Ye Chen did not want the fragment, so be it. Its effect was only a threefold increase. Far better for him to cultivate together with her in the Origin Pool later. As for its other functions… they were marginal at best. After all, it was merely a fragment, not a true immortal artifact.

So Yan Qingcheng nodded solemnly. ”In that case… thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Ye. Please remain in the Heavenly Emperor Hall and enter seclusion here. By the time you achieve sainthood, I should have already succeeded in severing my Dao. There is also something I would like to show you then.”

With that, she glanced at her father. Ye Chen clearly harbored no ill intentions—only goodwill toward her. If her father still tried to drive him away now, she would truly become angry.

…

The golden-robed elder stared at the immortal artifact fragment now in his daughter’s hands. He sensed the deep emotion radiating from her and saw the faint trace of reproach in the look she gave him. He felt utterly dumbfounded…

The immortal artifact fragment he had personally given away had been turned around and gifted right back to his daughter by Ye Chen? What was this if not borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha?

Yet his daughter was moved to tears by Ye Chen, while she blamed him instead. In that moment, the elder’s head spun. Something inside his mind seemed to explode.

This was bad… truly bad… His daughter had really been brainwashed by this yellow-haired brat. Ye Chen—this despicable scoundrel!

…

Ye Chen, meanwhile, paid no attention whatsoever to the elder’s darkening expression. The instant Yan Qingcheng accepted the immortal artifact fragment, a system prompt rang clearly in his mind.

”Congratulations to the host for successfully gifting a gift…”

”Gift given: Fragment of the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron!”

”Seven-thousandfold feedback in progress…”

”Detected that the gifted item is extremely important to the matched target…”

”Top-notch critical hit feedback triggered!”

”Feedback received: Immortal Artifact—Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron!”

Ye Chen’s lips curved upward…

It was settled!

As expected, gifting the fragment had summoned the complete original. He continued reading the description:

”Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron: Attracts and captures the deepest origin energy of the cosmos, melts and refines it into the purest form of energy…”

”Cultivating within the cauldron increases the speed of absorbing and refining cosmic origin energy by one hundred times the original rate…”

”Any excess cosmic origin energy is autonomously condensed by the cauldron into crystals!”

”Beyond cosmic origin energy, the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron accelerates the attraction and capture of various other energies—including immortal qi!”

”Placing the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron within a cave heaven or world allows it to directly draw in various energies from the outside…”

”…”

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow as he read. Truly worthy of an immortal artifact—its effects were ferocious, utterly dwarfing those of the mere fragment.

Moreover, Ye Chen realized that the three cultivation-type immortal artifacts he now possessed complemented one another perfectly!