— Identity and Medical Report (Li Qingran) —
< Name: Li Qingran >
< Current Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Stage 1 >
< Identity: Former Inner Disciple of Chi Xiao Peak, Qingyun Sect >
< Age: 19 (Female) >
< Special Traits: Single Water Spiritual Root (Abolished), Taiyin Dao Body (Unawakened) >
< Condition: Foundation damaged, dantian shattered, body afflicted by fire poison, inner demons taking root, severe internal injuries (meridians destroyed), moderate external injuries >
< Biography: Once an inner disciple of Chi Xiao Peak, Qingyun Sect, she was framed and betrayed, leading to her falling out with her sect. Her cultivation was crippled by her Senior Brother [Lu Changtian], her spiritual root stripped by her master Daoist Qingxuan, her fire poison originated from a failed pill concocted by her Second Brother [Xiao Yifeng], and she was later expelled from the sect by her Third Brother [Yun Zimo] in collusion with outer sect elders. Her Fourth Brother [Zhang Hanxiao] lured her into a broken hut to leave her for dead. Her Dao heart has been seeded with demons—one planted by her enemies, the other born from her own despair. (Click to view detailed version) >
< Overall Evaluation: Life full of misfortune, flickering like a candle in the wind. >
—
After reading Li Qingran's identity and medical report, Chen Huai'an was completely dumbfounded.
"Bro, what is this? When did I get thrown into a female drama route?"
At most, he only had one debuff—cancer. Li Qingran had five!
And this girl… was way too miserable! What kind of grudge was this? All she did was stab the little junior sister's shoulder during a sect competition. It's the cultivation world—accidents happen! Yet the entire Chi Xiao Peak acted like they'd lost their minds and went full villain mode. Was there some deeper conspiracy here?
"No wonder she's cowering in that broken hut. If I hadn't come in time, she would've been done for."
Staring at the girl sitting cross-legged in the chair, eyes closed in meditation, Chen Huai'an couldn't help but project his emotions onto her. She didn't feel like data in a game—she felt real.
"She's cultivating like that? Her foundation's ruined and her spiritual root's gone. Can she even cultivate?"
He tapped her shoulder—respectfully, of course, not anywhere weird.
[Status: Cultivating]
[Cultivation Progress: 39/99]
"So I guess when spirit energy hits 99, she'll break through to Qi Refining Stage 2?"
Chen Huai'an guessed silently, not noticing the faint blush creeping up Li Qingran's ears.
He stared at her cultivate for half an hour.
Her progress didn't move. Worse—it dropped to 38.
The girl in the image furrowed her brows, lips pale and trembling. She looked heart-breakingly pitiful.
"She probably noticed her spiritual energy is actually decreasing…"
Chen started frantically looking through the game interface, searching for any way to help speed up her cultivation. With all those injuries, just sitting around was not gonna cut it.
After a long search, he didn't find a healing option. The "E-Girlfriend Shop" was still locked. Eventually, in the upper-right corner, he found something useful under an icon that looked like an array formation.
[Basic Spirit Gathering Array: Watch ad to activate 1 hour]
[Intermediate Spirit Gathering Array: Watch ad to activate 10 minutes]
[Advanced Spirit Gathering Array: ¥188/hour (watch ad required) ＜Crazy Thursday Discount (original price ¥488/hour)＞]
Below that were all sorts of arrays.
Like Invisibility Array, Mystic Armor Array, and the badass-sounding Slaughter Immortals Array. Some required purchases, others had ridiculously rare unlock conditions he couldn't even understand.
For instance, a top-tier array called "Tenfold Bloodfiend Heaven-Slaughtering Array" required twelve spiritual weapons minimum and a pile of exotic materials. Where the hell was he supposed to get those? Buy them? Game rewards? Make Li Qingran go collect them like a traveling frog?
"Special discount? And it's Crazy Thursday too?" Chen Huai'an ground his teeth.
By tomorrow, the price would return to normal. It'd be too late.
"Screw it!"
He slammed in ¥1888, then slumped in his chair, suddenly feeling oddly hollow. But that only lasted a moment. He didn't have many days left anyway—might as well enjoy what little he had.
If something could give him emotional value, make him feel alive again instead of like a half-buried corpse—then going broke was worth it.
Ten hours of advanced spirit gathering, all the way until midnight.
If Li Qingran wanted to cultivate, he'd give her the best shot possible.
But first, he had to watch an ad:
[The Dao is heartless, treating all things as straw dogs. How can we cultivators walk the heavens without a proper weapon? Treasure Pavilion Spiritual Arms—the top brand in weaponry. Limited-time offers in the cultivation world! Click below to claim your Heavenly Dao Subsidy and get up to 25% off! Trust Treasure Pavilion when you buy your next blade!]
Chen Huai'an: "…"
…
"...Sigh, failed again."
Inside the room, Li Qingran let out a weary sigh.
Her cultivation was crippled, foundation damaged, spiritual root gone. Even with the right techniques, she couldn't absorb energy properly. Spiritual energy was leaking out of her body. She could only slow the loss, not reverse it.
She was still practicing Chi Xiao Peak's unique art—Crimson Cloud Technique.
It was one of the faster Qi-Refining techniques in Qingyun Sect—lower-tier of a superior-grade method. If this couldn't fix her flow, her only hope was a Spirit Gathering Array.
Fortunately, she was good at setting up those. Three years ago, her Fourth Brother Zhang Hanxiao had helped her once during a sect mission. Since then, she'd been giving half her monthly spirit stone quota in exchange for arrays. Over time, she became quite skilled.
A basic Spirit Gathering Array required at least 100 lower-grade spirit stones.
Intermediate arrays needed 500 mid-grade stones, or 50 high-grade.
An advanced array? That needed spirit crystals. Only elders and sect leaders could afford them.
Right now, she didn't even have dust, let alone stones.
Then—
"Clink—!"
Something hit the ground.
Li Qingran looked down—and her eyes went wide. Her mouth formed a perfect "O".
Ten spirit crystals.
Clear, emerald blue, the size of a baby's fist, radiating intense energy.
There was no mistaking it.
These were the same spirit crystals her master Daoist Qingxuan would break apart reluctantly—now just dropped on the floor?!
Senior… you're wasting treasures!
And then—eight softly glowing golden array flags appeared from nowhere.
Top-tier, celestial-grade flags, meant to maximize material efficiency and prevent spiritual waste.
They circled her like guided by an invisible hand—
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!—forming a fully functional Advanced Spirit Gathering Array.
Buzz—!
At that moment, the array activated.
The spirit crystals' energy burst forth, wrapping around Li Qingran like a vortex.
Trapped inside the array, the spiritual concentration skyrocketed—first forming mist, then liquid. Even without activating her technique, spiritual power surged into her body.
She needed a gathering array.
The senior gave her the best one.
Li Qingran's eyes grew hot—nearly teared up.
From the house, to clothes, to food, to talismans, to this—
This senior had already given her far more than she could ever be worth.
She'd even wondered if he wanted to use her as a furnace vessel. But even that made no sense. Just ten spirit crystals could buy a few willing Foundation-stage virgins for such a task.
She realized—this might be her true fate.
This "senior" must be some traveling immortal—leaving fortune behind not for gain, but simply to plant karma and accrue merit.
The only way she could repay him—was to cultivate hard, and never waste his efforts.
"Senior… rest assured. Qingran won't let you down."
She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and resumed meditation.
Every second inside this advanced array was precious.
She wouldn't waste a single drop of his goodwill.
…
[Status: Cultivating]
[Cultivation Progress: 41/99]
[Affection: 20 (Respect)] (Higher affection may trigger random gifts)
"Still feels kinda slow," Chen Huai'an muttered, scratching his head.
He absentmindedly poked her shoulder again, checking her progress.
In the end, he comforted himself—"Well, at least she's not losing spirit energy anymore. What more can I ask?"
He figured cultivation would take a while.
Still, he moved the Thunderfire Talisman from the roof to the door—just in case.
Once that was done, he couldn't bring himself to lock the phone screen. He set it beside him and opened his laptop.
He used to have no desire to make money—he thought it was pointless.
But now his mindset had changed.
For this game.
For Li Qingran—
This string of data that added a splash of color to his dying life—
He had to earn money.
In this internet age, and as a terminal cancer patient—
what better way to make money than by showing the world his story?
He was going to start streaming.
But first, some prep:
Get a medical certificate, shave his head to fake chemo…
No need for makeup. He already looked sick enough.
As for the stream's content—he'd already made up his mind.
> "Flip the finger to fate.
Smirk at the face of death."
He was going to climb Mount Tai.
On his failing legs.
As a bone cancer patient.
(The sacred Mount Tai stretches 10 kilometers across, its summit piercing the clouds at 1,300 meters above sea level.)