Immortality Starts With Investment

Chapter 596: Half-Step Great Completion Physique!

Encouraged by Ye Chen, another day passed. The Sect Master was spent, eyes glazed, patting Ye Chen's leg harder, pleading in her gaze. She'd once thought Fan Qinghe weak for shying from what others craved, lacking grit. Now, she understood—she couldn't take it either. Her mind, past thoughts of post-breakthrough strength, now craved only the ritual's end.

Yet Ye Chen's gentle, encouraging voice pressed on: "Sect Master, stuck at Unity for a century—is this your limit? Endure more now, grow stronger in Mahayana. The future you will thank the struggling you. Will you regret not pushing harder when you hit a future ceiling? A bit more could change everything. Will you give up?"

His words jolted her awake, but his relentless, monstrous Dao charms sparked fear. How long must she endure? Then, gently pressing her head, he added, "Just a little left. It'll end soon…"

A little?

Relieved, she rallied, persisting despite the strain.

Another day passed.

Her eyes, now fully white, pupils gone, her slowing mind clung to one thought: What's the fourth Holy Son's 'little'?! She was done, frantically patting his leg, trying to sever the link.

Ye Chen, satisfied, unleashed all remaining Dao charms in a final surge. The Sect Master gasped, collapsing beside Fan Qinghe. Both wore complex expressions—joy and pain entwined.

Ye Chen, trembling with contentment, stood, asking with concern, "Are you… okay?"

Too exhausted to speak, they forced smiles, raising hands in a V-sign to signal they were fine. The odd scene reassured Ye Chen—both were safe. Fan Qinghe's safety mattered, but now the Sect Master's did too.

In his mind, the system chimed:

"Congratulations, host, gift successful!"

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"Gift: All personal Dao charms!"

"2,500x feedback processing…"

"Detected: Gift critically vital to recipient, causing intense emotional impact…"

"Triggered maximum critical hit reward…"

Ye Chen grinned. The gift included the Sect Master's share—great news. Her maturity, strong capacity, and high loss rate (one-tenth retention) made her perfect, bypassing Fan Qinghe's capacity limits.

Without her lack of multiplier, Ye Chen might've ditched Fan Qinghe. She was the ideal third party.

The max critical hit wasn't surprising—Fan Qinghe's five-day leap from early to peak Unity, a centuries-long journey for others, plus full transformation, warranted it.

The pain was trivial. For cultivators, nothing trumped cultivation and aptitude. With 2,500x multiplier and max critical hit, Ye Chen eagerly awaited the feedback…

"Reward: 20,000x return of gifted Dao charms…"

"Reward: Dao Embryo!"

20,000x return?

Ye Chen's eyes widened, thrilled but slightly panicked. He knew his own profound foundation and the vast Dao charms he'd drawn in Unity. A 20,000x surge might leave him like Fan Qinghe and the Sect Master—eyes rolled back, collapsed.

But the second reward erased his fears. A Dao Embryo? Not a child, but the culmination of an Innate Dao Embryo physique reaching Great Completion at Quasi-Immortal level. His Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo could form one too. A Dao Embryo could hold endless universal laws, directly channeling the Great Dao's power in battle, rendering him nigh invincible. This was the Innate Dao Embryo's most terrifying trait.

Now possessing one, his physique hit half-step Great Completion—short of Quasi-Immortal yet already there. Against prodigies still evolving their physiques, it was like a father thrashing sons—bullying, plain and simple.

With the Dao Embryo, he needn't fear exploding from the 20,000x Dao charms. Humming lightly, Ye Chen watched Fan Qinghe and the Sect Master struggle upright, refining their charms with the Nirvana Scripture. Unhurried, he sat cross-legged, sensing his changes.

Through inner vision, a godlike Dao Embryo, resembling him, sat in his chest, effortlessly refining the monstrous 20,000x Dao charms. His perception sharpened, the world's veil lifted—like upgrading from 1000-degree myopia to 8K clarity. This would massively aid his Mahayana breakthrough.

The benefits didn't stop there. His sensitivity to Dao charms surged—universal charms rushed to him like mad. His physique's enhancement of Dao and laws grew fiercer. His Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo's techniques were already potent; now, with the Dao Embryo, their power multiplied. Even top-tier techniques like the Battle Secret, True Dragon Treasure Technique, and Imperial Dragon Qi gained amplified might.

In this moment, Ye Chen felt invincible, swelling with the illusion of unmatched supremacy.