Shen Zhaozhao's face still wore that pained expression of "I've been so worried about my family," but her wicked claws had already slowly reached into her storage bag, and under the gaze of countless burning and suspicious eyes, she pulled out a small jade bottle the size of a palm.

"Family members."

Shen Zhaozhao's voice, filled with the excitement of "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," instantly pierced through the buzzing discussions in the square.

She held the small jade bottle high and, with practiced ease, began to speak: "You are now only one step away from the opportunity you have been dreaming of. You have gritted your teeth and walked through ninety-nine steps. How can you let a mere swarm of mosquito worms stop you on this last step?"

Are you willing to accept this?

"Think about it, the opportunity of the Spirit Refining Spring is right in front of you, think about your future of rapid advancement in cultivation, think about your soaring ranking on the Azure Cloud Ranking!"

"Are you really going to give up this golden opportunity that's within your grasp just because of this final obstacle?"

"No, absolutely not!"

Shen Zhaozhao said resolutely, "I will help my family take this last step!"

She snapped the bottle shut, and an extremely cool aroma with a faint herbal scent instantly filled the air, invigorating everyone near the ring.

Shen Zhaozhao held a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round, and faintly emitting a pale golden light. "This is a mosquito-repelling pill that my second senior brother personally refined. It's the best of the best, with excellent medicinal effects and immediate results!"

"Just one pill, just one pill, and it will guarantee you a comfortable and safe soak in the Spirit Refining Spring for an hour!"

She paused, her eyes filled with the sincerity of "seeking benefits for her family": "I know that some people are thinking that this pill must be incredibly expensive, right?"

"wrong!"

Shen Zhaozhao suddenly waved her hand: "With such an opportunity before us, how can it be measured by worldly spirit stones? But in order to ensure that my family has no worries and can pursue the Great Dao with peace of mind, I'll give away the mosquito-repelling pills that were originally priced at 999 low-grade spirit stones each—"

"Today, just today, is the day of the grand wedding competition, a day of universal celebration! I'm offering my family members a friend's rock-bottom price!"

Shen Zhaozhao spoke clearly: "100 low-grade spirit stones!"

"You won't lose out, you won't be cheated. What you're buying is peace of mind, hope, and a smooth path to success!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd, who had been cowering in fear because of the "golden mosquitoes," was instantly ignited by this highly provocative "rock-bottom price"!

100 low-grade spirit stones?

A top-grade mosquito-repelling pill that can save lives and allow them to soak in the legendary "delayed-effect" spirit-tempering spring with peace of mind—at this price, what's the difference between it and getting it for free?!

Think of Shen Zhaozhao's living example, what if... what if that Spirit Tempering Spring works on me too?!

Upon realizing this, the crowd instantly erupted into a chaotic murmur.

"Don't push! Leave one for me!"

"I want three! The spirit stones are right here!"

"Senior Sister Shen! Look at me! I was here first!"

"Get out of my way! I want five!"

A moment later.

Before the scent of the mosquito repellent pills had even dissipated, the semi-transparent system screen in Shen Zhaozhao's mind suddenly popped up as if having a seizure, flashing wildly.

[Ding! Ding ding ding!!]

The system's cheeky voice, now filled with unprecedented shock and lag, announced: "[Detected... Host... Completed...]"

[...]

The text on the screen jumped and rearranged wildly like gibberish, and it took a full three seconds before a complete sentence was finally managed to be formed:

[Host detected engaging in epic-level unethical marketing: opportunistic marketing, crisis-driven rumor-mongering, panic pricing, and emotional manipulation!]

[Moral depravity score +4000 points!]

[Current Morality Points Balance: 4000 points!]

The system took a breath, its voice filled with a hint of awe: [Host... aren't you afraid those idiots will find out the Spirit Refining Spring is useless and come back demanding compensation?]

Shen Zhaozhao chuckled upon hearing this, her tone relaxed: "What's there to be afraid of? Soaking in the Spirit Refining Spring can strengthen the body, prolong life, and there's no harm in that, right? What if some unlucky soul actually has an epiphany while soaking in it? That would be a good deed for me~"

She hefted the bag, the nearly ten thousand spirit stones clinking inside with a pleasant tinkling sound: "Besides, I'm selling mosquito repellent pills, why are they asking me for compensation? Don't my pills repel mosquitoes?"

"Isn't this blatant lying? My second senior brother raised mosquitoes, how could he not avoid them with the pills he refined himself?"

system:【……】

The system remained silent for a moment, then a line of small text floated across the screen: 【Awesome (beep)】

Shen Zhaozhao was in a great mood and jumped off the stage with ease. As soon as her toes touched the ground, she met a pair of eyes full of resentment.

Pei Lang stood there with his arms crossed, his beautiful fox-like eyes drooping, complaining in a wronged tone, "Shen Zhaozhao, you're so unfair! There were so many mosquito repellent pills, and you didn't leave me a single one?!"

"I also want to try my luck at the Spirit Refining Spring!"

Shen Zhaozhao was amused by his appearance: "Why would you need to eat this when you're going to soak in the Spirit Refining Spring? Why don't you just go find my senior brother and get some medicine?"

Pei Lang: "???"

The boy blinked blankly, not keeping up: "...Stick together?"

Shen Zhaozhao: "Those mosquito worms were all made by my senior brother himself. If you have my senior brother's scent on you, would those mosquito worms dare to touch a single hair on your head? They'd be too busy dodging to move."

Pei Lang: "?!?!"

Pei Lang's mind exploded with countless questions, his handsome face blank... Stick to Senior Brother? Get covered in his scent?

He subconsciously imagined the figure of that immortal being amidst the green bamboo, and a surge of heat rushed to the tips of his ears, making him feel a little off.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!