“Creak.”

The prison door opened again. The two Half-Saints from Aoshi Holy Sect who had been trapped dragged their weakened bodies out. After adapting to the sunlight, their hearts immediately filled with mixed emotions.

They’d broken through the Nine-Bend Formation in the Southern Wasteland, fought fierce beasts in the Northern Desert.

Both were seasoned veterans who had experienced countless battles. When had they ever imagined that one day they would become prisoners and be ransomed?

Sigh.

A stain for life.

“You two,” Jun Changxiao said. “Come play often in the future.”

“…”

The two Half-Saints left the Eternal Sect under their companions’ escort. As for coming to play often… ghosts would come play!

“Creak!”

The prison door closed again, blocking out all sunlight.

Senior Prisoner Number One, Zhao Doudou, huddled alone in the corner, secretly wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

Cellmates had changed batch after batch, yet he alone still persevered.

This was too much bullying!

If time could flow backward, Zhao Doudou would rather impersonate a Martial Emperor or Martial Saint than ever dare to impersonate Jun Changxiao again.

“Sect Master, that guy is quite pitiful too. Why don’t we just let him go?” Li Qingyang couldn’t bear it and said.

Jun Changxiao said, “Sure.”

“No! I won’t leave!”

From inside the prison, Zhao Doudou clutched the iron bars crying and shouting, “I want to continue staying here! I want to eat fried rice!”

Although being imprisoned felt terrible, Liu Wanshi’s fried rice had already invaded his stomach and soul like illegal substances. As long as he got food, he’d be happy to sit through his entire sentence!

“There’s no saving him.”

Li Qingyang walked out.

Just then, he saw Tongling Cat with its tail raised high, following behind Little Demon Immortal, eyes flashing with expressions of wanting to be picked up, held high, and thrown down hard.

“Sigh.”

Li Qingyang shook his head helplessly and said, “No one who enters the Eternal Sect is normal, including small animals.”

What a brilliant summary!

…

Aoshi Holy Sect ransomed their people back for two million spirit stones.

Mainly because they brought a negotiation expert. Sect Master Jun couldn’t out-talk them, so he gradually conceded step by step, lowering from six million to two million.

One million per head was the predetermined price. Opening with six million just gave the other side room to bargain.

As for Haoguang Holy Sect’s Vice Sect Master—at a glance, he clearly didn’t understand commerce. Sect Master Jun fooled him into directly offering four million. If not scamming him, who would they scam?

Speaking of bargaining, back on Earth, Jun Changxiao once encountered a street vendor selling leather shoes. Real leather, one thousand yuan. Sect Master Jun asked if he’d sell for twenty—sold! So he bought the leather shoes for twenty yuan. After wearing them for two days, the glue came loose and he developed athlete’s foot.

This was a sad story.

“Sigh.”

Recalling the past, Jun Changxiao sighed and said, “When can I go back?”

Although he had no family on Earth, at least there he could surf the internet, watch movies, see graceful beauties walking back and forth on bustling streets, and with his current cultivation, he could even follow the internet connection to find readers who gave bad reviews and personally return their razor blades.

“If you yearn for it, there will be an echo,” the System said. “As long as the host keeps developing and refreshing, perhaps you could refresh a spaceship, traverse the universe, and return to the Milky Way.”

“Whoosh!”

Jun Changxiao knew this guy was deliberately urging him to spend Contribution Points, but he still looked up at the sky and said, “I hope that day can come.”

…

The millions of natural spirit stones dug from the vein were all used to restore Old Wei and Old Ding’s cultivation. However, earning six million artificial spirit stones meant the loss wasn’t too great.

“Swish!”

Jun Changxiao put the Heavenly Treasure Nurturing Device into his spatial ring. Inside, only the lonely root stem of the Pure Heart Sacred Lotus remained. Even with 1.5x acceleration, it would still take thousands of years to mature.

“If the Temporal Secret Realm had unlimited time, putting the nurturing device inside could at least save considerable time.”

“Simple.”

The System said, “Just refresh a higher-level secret realm and the problem’s solved.”

Jun Changxiao said suspiciously, “You urge me to spend Contribution Points every day. Are you taking kickbacks?”

“Sigh, I thought I hid it very deeply, but the host still discovered it,” the System said helplessly.

Jun Changxiao’s facial expression petrified.

Big brother, with your relentless urging, ghosts would think you hid it deeply!

“Since that’s the case, I can only confess.”

After a brief silence, the System said, “Actually, every time you spend Contribution Points in the Shop, I can take a small portion as kickback to improve system functions.”

“In other words.”

“I can continue existing because the host keeps spending.”

“What if I don’t spend?”

“What happens when batteries aren’t changed for a long time?”

“They die.”

“If the host doesn’t spend, the system can’t receive power. I’ll disappear, even… completely vanish.”

“I see,” Jun Changxiao said.

The System said, “If the host dies, the system dies. If the host doesn’t spend, the system also dies. So I have my difficulties too.”

“Every family has scriptures hard to recite.”

Jun Changxiao said, “I can understand your difficulties.”

In that moment, standing in the sunset, their shadows seemed to split into two—one his, one the System’s. Both were bound by shared fate, in the same boat.

“If the host still needs me, if you want to continue cheating, quickly buy something! The battery is almost out!”

“Okay.”

Jun Changxiao opened the Advanced Shop, randomly clicked on an item, and just as he was about to confirm the purchase, suddenly shook his head mischievously and said, “Trying to trick me again? Dream on!”

System: “…”

So I performed all that for nothing!

“Buy it!”

“Buy your grandpa!”

“Every word I just said was true. If even half a sentence was a lie, I’ll write the former Sect Master’s surname backward!”

“Backward your grandpa!”

…

Six million artificial spirit stones certainly couldn’t compare to over two million natural spirit stones, so Jun Changxiao very generously threw them all into the Spirit Stone Machine. Disciples could receive fixed monthly distributions or exchange them with Contribution Points.

Thus, the Task Pavilion filled with disciples all competing to exchange spirit stones to break through faster!

This also greatly stimulated their enthusiasm for completing tasks.

After all, monthly distributed spirit stones were limited. To obtain more, they could only exchange completed task Contribution Points.

“Monk.”

One day, Jun Changxiao stopped before Du Nan, who was cleaning the inner courtyard, and said, “Have you thought through what this Sect Master said before?”

“Amitabha.”

Du Nan pressed his palms together and said, “This poor monk has been contemplating it constantly, but still cannot understand Benefactor’s words about cultivating the heart before cultivation, saving oneself before saving others.”

“If you can’t understand this, forget about saving others,” Jun Changxiao said.

“Ashamed, ashamed,” Du Nan said.

Jun Changxiao said, “My Eternal Sect lacks Buddhist cultivators like you. Are you interested in joining? Room and board included.”

“Apologies.”

Du Nan said, “This poor monk has already entered the Empty Gate.”

“Fine then.”

Jun Changxiao shrugged and said, “This Sect Master’s Great Vajra Sutra can only continue being stored, waiting for someone with fate to comprehend it.”

“Wait!”

Du Nan’s expression changed dramatically as he said, “Benefactor Jun just said…”

“Swish!”

Jun Changxiao produced a yellowed secret manual with “Great Vajra Sutra” written on it, seriously introducing it to the camera: “Great Vajra Sutra—one of Buddhism’s supreme Buddhist teachings. Only one copy remains on the entire Xingyun Continent. Truly essential reading, study, and cultivation material for Buddhist disciples!”

“What did Benefactor say two sentences ago?”

“Fine then.”

“Two more sentences back!”

“My Eternal Sect lacks Buddhist cultivators like you. Are you interested in join…”

“Joining!”

“Here.”

Jun Changxiao tossed the Great Vajra Sutra over.

Du Nan hurriedly caught it, then carefully opened it, only to see written inside: Once you truly integrate into the Eternal Sect and sing “Clang Clang Clang” with this Sect Master, I’ll bestow upon you the Great Vajra Sutra.