Chapter 6: A Penny Proves Deadly for the Beauty—Part 1

Escaping from her courtyard, Qianque Xi took advantage of the lingering daylight to slip out of the Qian residence. She made her way to a secluded corner where no one would notice her and gazed at the two gold coins in her hand with delight.

“But how do I put these in?” she wondered. The coins were in her possession, but how could she transfer them into her mind? Should she just shove the coins directly into her head? But there was no crevice in her skull—how could she force them in? Should she break it open? A shiver ran through her.

Yet, it wasn’t mere wild imagination. As Qianque Xi prepared to insert the coins into the Universal System, a voice whispered in her ear: “Do you wish to integrate the coins into the system? Once integrated, they can only be used for purchases and to enhance your level; they cannot be withdrawn. Confirm or cancel?”

“Confirm!” Though it was only one coin, this moment marked the first step toward reclaiming her brilliance. Taking a deep breath, she nodded firmly and silently affirmed the decision.

With a swift whoosh, the coin vanished from her hand. Watching the progress bar tick upward slightly, signaling her impending rise to a one-star martial artist, Qianque Xi clenched her fist and let out a triumphant “Yes!”

However, as a surge of power rose within her, coursing through her meridians, it reached a broken point, stabbing her with sharp pain that nearly made her cry out. Yet, the energy retracted just as suddenly.

Still, drenched in cold sweat and feeling as if she had just been pulled from water, Qianque Xi collapsed weakly to the ground. Taking deep breaths, she felt as though she had narrowly escaped death.

Only then did the system’s neutral voice speak again: “Host’s meridians are fractured, and the dantian is shattered. Without repair, cultivation cannot advance. Based on your condition, you may purchase the following: Red Phosphorus Pills; Third-grade Golden Pills; Millennium Heart Preservation Pills; Marrow-cleansing Golden Pills; Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk; Rebirth Pills; Fate Pills; Nine-Transformation Golden Pills...”

The system not only spoke but also displayed a screen before Qianque Xi, listing the required elixirs with illustrations and detailed descriptions.

The Red Phosphorus Pills were the cheapest but least effective. To fully repair herself, Qianque Xi would need ten of them—ten whole pills—each costing one hundred gold coins.

The Third-grade Golden Pills possessed formidable power; after consumption, they could mend all her tendons and dantian, restoring any martial artist below the master level fully.

The Millennium Heart Preservation Pills and Marrow-cleansing Golden Pills not only healed and restored cultivation but also purified the marrow, returning the body to its innate state and enabling exponential progress... However, each pill cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins!

Following these were the Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk, Rebirth Pills, Fate Pills, and even the Nine-Transformation Golden Pills—each prohibitively expensive, ranging from half a million to over a million gold coins. Clearly unaffordable!

The effects were impressive, but the cost was unbearable. Qianque Xi felt as if she had been given a window of opportunity only to be forced to climb a three-meter wall with bare hands and fight countless battles just to reach her goal.

After calculating, the cheapest way to heal her meridians was through Red Phosphorus Pills—a staggering one thousand gold coins. Having struggled to obtain even two coins, the thought of needing a thousand brought her to the brink of tears.

“Forget it, I don’t want it anymore. Isn’t it enough just like this?” Qianque Xi flung her sleeve and muttered in frustration.