Universal Exchange System

Clearwind City, the City Lord's Mansion.

The reception hall was filled with the fragrance of tea.

Lin Chen sat in a chair, looking somewhat dazed.

A contract lay spread across the table in front of him.

"Lin Chen, as long as you sign the contract and give up your spot, I'll give you three hundred thousand gold coins right away."

The City Lord of Clearwind City smiled as he lifted his teacup and took a light sip. A hint of mockery flickered in his eyes.

Lin Chen looked at the contract on the table, and his calm gaze wavered.

The Lin Family had once been one of the three great families of Clearwind City.

Three years ago, disaster struck the Lin Family.

He was the only one who survived.

No one knew that the soul in his body was no longer the one that had once belonged there.

From then on, the Lin Family's businesses had been steadily devoured.

Now, only the family estate remained.

He had been just thirteen at the time, utterly powerless to stop it.

The worst of them all was the City Lord before him, who had "looked after" Lin Chen under the pretext that their families had been old friends.

In truth, he had been the one who snatched the most, both openly and behind the scenes.

And now, he even wanted to take away Lin Chen's last hope.

The Green Mountain Sect's testing spots were designated by the sect itself.

But as City Lord, he naturally had ways to manipulate things.

As long as Lin Chen signed the contract, the spot would belong to the City Lord's family.

He raised his head and looked at the City Lord, feeling helpless.

It was the same everywhere: the strong preyed on the weak. That truth had never changed.

Seeing Lin Chen hesitate, the City Lord of Clearwind City darkened his expression.

"Lin Chen, you're still not satisfied with three hundred thousand?"

He furrowed his brow and held up his palm. "Five hundred thousand. That's an astronomical sum, enough to let you enjoy the rest of your life."

Truthfully, he had seized no less than two million gold coins' worth of assets from the Lin Family.

Now he wanted to buy out Lin Chen's future for just five hundred thousand.

In his dreams!

Lin Chen pushed the contract back. "Lord Qin, the Green Mountain Sect testing spot was bought with my parents' lives.

"It's also the last thing I have left of them. I don't want to sell it..."

"What did you say?"

Lord Qin slammed his teacup onto the table, his expression frighteningly dark.

Lin Chen's resolve was unwavering. "I said I won't sell my spot!"

With that, he stood up and turned to leave.

He had barely taken a few steps when he heard a teacup smash behind him.

"Lin Chen—"

Lord Qin drew out his voice. "On the one hand, I've looked after you for the past three years and made sure you could grow up in peace.

"On the other, I'm willing to pay five hundred thousand gold coins for your spot and secure your future. And you're still not satisfied?

"As your elder, I'm giving you good advice. Don't be so ungrateful!"

Lord Qin had become a master at wielding threats and temptations.

He thought frightening a sixteen-year-old boy would be easy.

But the soul living inside Lin Chen's body came from another world.

He wasn't the least bit afraid of such tricks.

He turned back and looked coldly at Lord Qin. "The Green Mountain Sect has a rule: anyone who holds a testing spot is considered a disciple of the sect.

"If anyone dares to harm them, the Green Mountain Sect will retaliate!"

"You... What kind of person do you take me for?"

At those words, Lord Qin's tone immediately softened.

"Lin Chen, you're young. You don't understand the cultivation world.

"You have a Five Elements Waste Spirit Root. Even if you make it to the Green Mountain Sect, the best you can hope for is to become a servant disciple.

"Wouldn't it be better to live comfortably at home than to do the hardest, most exhausting work as a servant disciple?"

Truth be told, those words really did make Lin Chen waver.

By the standards of the cultivation world, no matter how long someone with a Five Elements Waste Spirit Root trained, they would never surpass the Qi Condensation Realm.

And for cultivators, the Qi Condensation Realm was only the entry level.

It wouldn't extend their lifespan. At best, they could live free of illness and disaster.

Rather than spend a lifetime beneath others, he might as well take the money and enjoy a carefree life in the mortal world.

There was no denying that Lord Qin was skilled at manipulating people.

Seeing Lin Chen's resolve falter, Lord Qin immediately came out from behind the tea table and grabbed the contract.

He strode over. "Lin Chen, if you sign it, then besides the five hundred thousand gold coins, I can also find you several wives and concubines, so your Lin Family can flourish again.

"Besides, I can hand the cloth shop over to you, so you'll have no worries about the future."

One tempting promise after another rained down like sugar-coated cannonballs.

As he spoke, he held the contract out to Lin Chen.

But Lin Chen wasn't swayed by such empty promises in the least. "I said I won't sell."

He had been only thirteen when he transmigrated here, alone and helpless. Why had he managed to survive until now?

It was all thanks to this spot.

Put plainly, it was thanks to the Green Mountain Sect's protection.

If he signed the contract today and handed over his spot,

he would lose that protection.

Would he be able to hold on to the five hundred thousand gold coins he received?

The answer was no.

He would never be able to keep them.

He might even lose his life because of it.

Seeing Lin Chen refuse again, Lord Qin finally lost his patience.

"Lin Chen, you dare to make a fool of me?"

He roared and grabbed Lin Chen's right hand. "You're signing today, whether you like it or not!"

Lin Chen struggled with all his might.

But with his gaunt frame, how could he possibly be a match for Lord Qin?

As his hand was dragged closer and closer to the contract, despair filled his heart.

If he signed that contract, he would surely lose his life.

[ Ding! Strong resistance detected from host. Universal Exchange System activated. ]

At the sound, Lin Chen's heart leaped with joy.

Three years since transmigrating, and the system had finally arrived.

[ System binding successful. Currency System established. ]

[ Exchange System activated. ]

[ One Spirit Stone can be exchanged for one year of cultivation. ]

[ Host is still in the beginner Body Tempering stage. A special discount applies: gold coins can be used for exchange, with one gold coin buying one year of cultivation. Spirit Stones will be required starting at Body Tempering Peak. ]

"Looks like I made the right choice!"

Even after the beginner stage, one Spirit Stone for a year of cultivation was still a bargain.

The sects held a tight grip on the channels for obtaining Spirit Stones.

Just for the Spirit Stones alone, he had to enter the Green Mountain Sect.

What's more, the sect had renowned masters to guide him and all kinds of cultivation techniques.

So the value of the spot in his hands was beyond measure.

It was only because he lacked proper cultivation techniques

that it had taken him a whole year of training to reach Body Tempering Layer 1.

Of course, that was also because he had no money and no resources.

Now that one gold coin could buy a year of cultivation, what was he waiting for?

He didn't have much on him. All he had left was ten gold coins.

He called out in his heart, "System, exchange ten years of cultivation for me."

Even a moment's hesitation would have been disrespectful to the system.

[ Ten gold coins deducted. Exchange successful. ]

Lin Chen felt a wave of scorching energy instantly spread throughout his body.

Everywhere it passed, his flesh and bones were tempered with frenzied force.

It was as if he had truly cultivated for ten years.

All the experience and results of that cultivation merged into his body in an instant.

Body Tempering Layer 2!

Body Tempering Layer 3!

Body Tempering Seventh Layer!

In the blink of an eye, his strength multiplied several times over, and every physical attribute shot upward.

The hand Lord Qin had gripped suddenly surged with strength, wrenching itself free.

Lord Qin staggered, nearly falling over.

Before, Lin Chen had been alone and outnumbered, and it hadn't been wise to openly fall out with Lord Qin.

Now, he had no choice.

"Lord Qin, I said I wouldn't sell. What do you think you're doing?" Lin Chen glared at him.

Lord Qin's face turned ashen. His gaze flickered several times before he finally took a deep breath and forced down his anger.

He played his last card. "Lin Chen, if you sign the contract, I can make the decision to return all the Lin Family's businesses to you and give you an extra one million gold coins. What do you say?"

Truthfully, he didn't dare openly lay a hand on Lin Chen. Doing so would bring annihilation upon the Qin Family.

But his illegitimate son had come of age. If he couldn't get the spot, how would he explain himself?

That was his only son, after all!

Seeing Lin Chen leave without even answering him, Lord Qin's expression turned as dark as water.

He clenched his fists, and only after a long while did he loosen them.

"Since it's come to this, don't blame me. As long as I keep it discreet, no one will find out. I'll spend some money to pull strings and get another vacant spot. It shouldn't be difficult."

A cold smile appeared on Lord Qin's face. "Someone..."