Chapter 59: Striking it Rich, Really Striking it Rich This Time

Inside the immortal cave, the ten disciples had successfully completed their breakthroughs and were now taking out the agreed-upon spirit stones to hand over to Ji Qingwan.

Suddenly, they felt an oppressive and suffocating pressure descend upon them.

This pressure was as tangible as a physical weight, leaving them gasping for breath.

Ji Qingwan’s expression changed drastically. She abruptly raised her head, her gaze sharp as lightning, and looked toward the entrance of the cave.

There, two figures had appeared from nowhere.

One figure was petite and delicate, resembling a young girl of seven or eight years old. Yet her eyes were as deep as the ocean, seeming to hold endless ages of vicissitudes.

The other figure was a woman with an alluring and graceful silhouette, dressed in pink robes. She looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old, yet she exuded an elusive air of mystery.

A chill ran through Ji Qingwan’s heart as she instantly recognized the identities of these two newcomers.

"Your disciple Ji Qingwan pays respects to Ancestor Qing璃 and Ancestor Hongluan!"

Ji Qingwan hastily reined in her racing thoughts and bowed respectfully.

The other disciples snapped out of their daze like awakened dreamers and hurriedly bowed in unison, "Greetings, Ancestors!"

Their voices were laden with awe and terror.

Ancestor Qingli swept a casual glance over the group, her gaze lingering on Lin Fan for a brief moment.

Her youthful face betrayed no expression whatsoever.

Ancestor Hongluan, on the other hand, sized Lin Fan up with rising interest, her beautiful eyes flashing with an unusual brilliance.

She nodded slightly and said, "Rise, no need for formalities."

With that, Ancestor Hongluan gently waved her wide red sleeve, as if wielding some mystical power.

An invisible wave of spiritual energy rippled through the room like water.

Spiritual light flickered, dreamlike and illusory.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

...

The sound of bodies collapsing echoed one after another.

Except for Lin Fan and Ji Qingwan, the ten people who had been standing in the room suddenly felt their limbs go weak.

Their eyes rolled back, and unable to control their bodies, they collapsed heavily to the ground.

Before losing consciousness, their faces still retained expressions of terror and bewilderment, as if they had no idea what had just happened.

Some remained in the postures they had held moments before, while others were twisted in various awkward positions.

For a moment, a bizarre atmosphere permeated the room.

Lin Fan’s pupils shrank abruptly.

The strength of these Nascent Soul ancestors was indeed unfathomable!

Ji Qingwan’s face turned as pale as paper.

"It’s over, it’s completely over this time!"

Ji Qingwan wailed internally, spinning around like an ant on a hot pan.

Why on earth had the two ancestors suddenly descended upon this godforsaken place?

Even using her toes to think, she knew it must be because they had discovered Lin Fan’s heaven-defying ability!

The ability to help others break through their realms!

This was simply a mobile treasure trove; which cultivator wouldn't be green with envy upon seeing it?

Especially Ancestor Qingli, whose lifespan was nearing its end and who was urgently in need of a breakthrough to prolong her life!

Now look at this—fat sheep Lin Fan had completely fallen into the tiger's den!

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Nangong Miaoyu standing behind Qingli and Hongluan, and a pain like a needle prick stabbed at her heart.

That bitch Nangong Miaoyu!

It must have been her!

It was definitely she who had brought the ancestors here!

Otherwise, why would the ancestors suddenly visit her rundown cave out of the blue? Usually, the ancestors were never this diligent!

This was clearly a case of ill-intentions behind the visit!

What should she do now?

Ji Qingwan’s brain worked at top speed, like a high-speed machine desperately searching for a countermeasure.

Protect Lin Fan?

Difficult!

Too difficult!

Before two Nascent Soul ancestors, her early Core Formation cultivation was nothing more than a joke!

Not protect him?

That was even less of an option!

Lin Fan was her cash cow, her future hope! He was her hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, and now...

Now she could only take it one step at a time.

Ji Qingwan took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

Lin Fan raised his eyes and met the gaze of Ancestor Qingli.

Ancestor Qingli flashed a charming smile at him.

This smile seemed to carry a certain magic, making Lin Fan feel as though he were bathed in a spring breeze, his entire body relaxed and comfortable.

He even had the illusion that he was not facing a thousand-year-old monster, but an truly innocent and carefree young girl.

"You are Lin Fan, the one who possesses the special constitution that allows others to break through?"

Ancestor Qingli spoke, her voice crisp and melodious.

Yet Lin Fan felt an inexplicable flutter in his heart.

This voice seemed to carry a bewitching power, making him involuntarily want to submit.

"Replying to the senior, I have a sys—"

The moment Lin Fan opened his mouth, he almost blurted out the word "system."

He was startled and forcefully swallowed the rest of the sentence back down his throat.

"I do indeed possess a special constitution that can help others break through bottlenecks."

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.

"However, helping others break through causes me immense damage. The higher the cultivation realm and the harder the bottleneck, the greater the toll it takes on me."

He continued, his voice trembling slightly.

"Therefore, a certain amount of spirit stones is required as a supplement to make up for my consumption."

Only after finishing did Lin Fan realize that he had actually spoken his inner thoughts aloud.

A wave of panic washed over him.

These Nascent Soul ancestors were indeed unfathomable!

Her voice and her smile both carried a bizarre power that could make someone unknowingly lower their guard and speak the truth.

Fortunately, he had reacted in time and not completely exposed the secret of the system.

Hearing Lin Fan's words, a trace of hard-to-detect excitement flashed through the eyes of Qingli and Hongluan.

Yet their faces remained calm and composed, as if everything was entirely under their control.

"How many spirit stones are required as a supplement to help a Nascent Soul cultivator break through?" Ancestor Hongluan parted her vermilion lips, her voice soft and alluring.

A chill ran through Lin Fan's heart.

It's here!

He knew the real test had arrived.

"This... this junior does not know either." Lin Fan feigned panic as he lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly.

Of course he didn't know the exact number of spirit stones required, since he had never tried helping a Nascent Soul ancestor break through before.

However, the higher the cultivation, the more lifespan needed; for the Nascent Soul stage, the figure would undoubtedly be astronomical.

And Nascent Soul cultivators were the ones least lacking in spirit stones.

Therefore...

"However, if the consumption is too great, this junior might simply drop dead on the spot, so..."

Lin Fan’s voice grew softer and softer until it became almost inaudible at the end.

With his head lowered, Lin Fan calculated his options.

Asking for spirit stones was a technical skill; he certainly couldn't ask for them directly, but he figured these two would definitely not want him to drop dead on the spot and would inevitably offer a substantial amount of spirit stones for him to absorb.

"Take these and see if they are enough!" Ancestor Qingli reached for her waist.

However, following her movement, a dazzling radiance suddenly lit up before Lin Fan's eyes.

Crystal-clear spirit stones materialized out of thin air, suspended in front of Lin Fan, emitting a soft and rich glow.

These spirit stones were a size larger than the low-grade spirit stones Lin Fan had seen previously. Each one was the size of a pigeon egg, crystal clear from inside out.

They looked as though they were carved from the finest mutton-fat jade, with shimmering, colorful lights slowly flowing within them—a breathtaking and magnificent sight.

What shocked Lin Fan even more was that the spiritual energy exuded by these spirit stones was so dense it was almost tangible.

"These are medium-grade spirit stones. One medium-grade spirit stone is worth a hundred low-grade spirit stones. Here are ten thousand medium-grade spirit stones, which translates to one million low-grade spirit stones." Ancestor Qingli’s voice remained crisp and melodious, but to Lin Fan, it sounded like heavenly music.

"One... one million?" Lin Fan felt his tongue tying itself in knots, and he gulped hard.

One million low-grade spirit stones! This was an astronomical fortune he wouldn't even dare to dream of! He had to remember that after working himself to the bone helping others break through previously, the spirit stones he earned amounted to only a few thousand at most.

And now, with a casual wave of Ancestor Qingli's hand, it was one million! This wasn't just a pie falling from the sky—it was a falling mountain of gold!

Lin Fan felt his heart was about to leap out of his throat, and he desperately fought back his excitement, forcing himself to maintain his composure.

"I'm rich, I'm really rich this time!" Lin Fan screamed wildly in his heart, feeling that his life had reached its absolute peak.