It was Lin Yue's birthday.
As she got ready, she picked up the cheapest comb on the table.It wasn't the most elegant or extraordinary gift, nor did it carry any mark of rarity.But to Lin Yue, it held a different meaning.
In the past, Adrián had given her extravagant, unique presents—items that cost fortunes or defied common sense.Lately, however, his gifts had grown simpler, humbler.Perhaps, Lin Yue thought, he had finally understood that ostentation would never win her heart.
A faint smile appeared on her lips as she wondered what this year's gift would be.
Meanwhile, Adrián Valmont sat in his custom-made ergonomic leather chair.
There were no cauldrons on his desk.No talismans.No complicated rituals.
Only a jade abacus, several contracts, and three cups of coffee — a botanical cultivation product that was already generating secondary profits.
A secretary entered carrying a stack of reports.
—Mr. Valmont, morning shift production.
—Numbers. No epic — Adrián replied without looking up.
—Four thousand units of the Basic Stability Pill.—Costs reduced by 1.5% after optimizing the synthesis of cold marrow extract in the alchemical reactor of Sector C.
At that moment, the system vibrated softly.
[Mission: Deliver a gift to Lin Yue, provoke the hero, accept humiliation]
Adrián closed his eyes for a moment.He glanced at the pile of pills on his desk.
None of this held personal value for him.
—This one will do — he murmured, picking up one of the newest pills.
Without realizing it, he was about to make a monumental mistake.
The sect's main courtyard was decorated with jade lanterns and silver-threaded embroidered fabrics.
Disciples stood in perfect rows, bowing respectfully as Lin Yue walked with the calm grace of someone destined to become the sect's second-in-command.
A gentle breeze swayed the banners while the scent of incense mixed with fresh flowers filled the air.
It was a day of absolute solemnity: the birthday of the Saint.
Ye Chen knelt before her, panting, sweating, his robe stained with mud and beast blood.He held a bouquet of Blood Lotus Flowers, whose price was nearly his life.
His eyes shone with pride and desperation.
—Happy birthday, Yue — he said hoarsely. —These flowers only grow at the Cliff of Oblivion. I almost died… but it was worth it.
Lin Yue smiled politely, though her gaze searched for someone else.
Among the lanterns and the crowd, Adrián Valmont appeared, walking with the calm of someone reviewing a report at his desk.His steps were measured, indifferent, as if the ceremony were nothing more than paperwork.
He stopped in front of her, slipped a hand into his robe, and pulled out a recycled cardboard box.
—Ah, right. Happy birthday — he said flatly. —Here.
Inside was a single Basic Stability Pill, one of the four thousand produced that morning.
No divine glow.No overwhelming energy.Just efficiency.
Ye Chen couldn't hold back.
—A basic pill?!
The disciples' murmurs swelled into a crescendo as Ye Chen pushed the box toward Lin Yue with a challenging smile.
—Open it, Yue — he insisted quietly. —Come on. I want to see what kind of gift this… "Valmont" gives you.
Some disciples clapped eagerly, others whispered encouragement.The Saint hesitated, taking the box into her hands.
Ye Chen stepped back, fists clenched. The anticipation thickened in the air.To everyone present, it was merely a common pill—an insult, perhaps.
But the moment Lin Yue lifted the lid, the lantern light seemed to reflect differently.
The elders observing from their elevated tribunes took a subtle step back, exchanging grave looks.
—Is that…? —one of them whispered.
Ye Chen frowned. His heart skipped a beat.
He immediately recognized it—the same Stability Pill he had managed to craft weeks earlier.The one that had raised his cultivation level.The one that… this "loser" now possessed.
—Impossible… —Ye Chen muttered. —How… him?
The crowd fell silent.
—It must be his grandfather — Ye Chen thought bitterly. —There's no other explanation. No one else could have given him access to this.
Adrián, meanwhile, didn't even look up.
His expression remained the same careless blend of calculation and indifference… though in truth, he didn't remember for a single second the real rarity of the pill he had just given away.
To him, it was just another object.One of four thousand produced that morning.
His mind was focused on fulfilling the system's mission: provoke the hero, create controlled chaos, and continue optimizing his empire.
He didn't know that the elders, Ye Chen, and every disciple present would immediately recognize its value.That what meant nothing to him was, in the cultivation world, a treasure appearing only once every hundred years at auction.
A murmur of astonishment spread through the courtyard as Lin Yue opened the box.Disciples leaned closer, breathless with curiosity, while the elders watched silently from above.
Adrián barely glanced up.He smiled slightly, unaware of the earthquake his carelessness had just triggered.
The system vibrated again, activating the mission:
[Secondary Mission: Provoke the Hero]Required Action: Defeated but not eliminated
Adrián spat on the ground, raised his gaze with infinite arrogance, and muttered:
—How dare you, simple peasant… compare yourself to me?
Ye Chen didn't wait for explanations.
He leapt forward, his Qi roaring, his heart burning with humiliation.The clash was immediate.
Fists tore through the air.Qi trembled through the ground and walls.Blows split Adrián's brow and lip open.
Yet he dropped to his knees, bleeding… smiling faintly, satisfied.
Because the fight had no real meaning.
Adrián didn't want to defeat Ye Chen.That was never his goal.
His mission was to provoke him.Expose him.Force him to reveal his true lack of control, while Adrián himself remained calculating, almost detached from the chaos.
Every blow he took was an investment:blood for information, pain for strategic advantage.
—Enough! —Lin Yue intervened, stepping between them with the calm authority of someone who could stop storms with a gesture.
Her presence formed an invisible wall even the hero could not cross.
—No more.
Ye Chen stopped, panting, fists trembling, unable to ignore the silent warning radiating from the Saint.
Adrián wiped the blood from his face with casual indifference, looking at Lin Yue with his usual imperturbable calm—as if the entire world were acting according to a script he understood better than anyone else.
—What an annoying system… it keeps getting worse —he muttered to himself.
Then he turned and walked away without looking back, leaving behind a furious Ye Chen and a courtyard full of stunned disciples.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Even the elders slowly nodded.