Chapter 176 The Familiar Feeling of Paying

[Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng', are you sure you want to purchase the UR Specter Growth Bundle I? This bundle costs 128,000 game coins.]

Confirmed. Received in inventory.

[Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng', are you sure you want to purchase the UR Specter Growth Bundle II? This bundle costs 248,000 game coins.]

Confirmed. Received in inventory.

[Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng', are you sure you want to purchase the UR Specter Growth Bundle III? This bundle costs 668,000 game coins.]

Confirmed. Received in inventory.

Since the game's invasion and the global open beta on Blue Star, Lin Xi hadn't experienced such a refreshing spending spree in a long time.

Before, it was direct top-ups; now, it was spending directly. Either way, money was being exchanged for game bundles. This familiar feeling was damn wonderful!

As expected, it's just a game; as long as you pay enough, whether man or ghost, they all have to step aside.

She bought six growth bundles in one go, spending several million game coins.

Even though they were just ordinary growth materials—of which Lin Xi already had plenty in her inventory—she refused to miss out on these extra pay-to-win items. It felt like getting them for free.

She first fed them to level up—Level 10, Level 20—reaching the maximum level a one-star could attain. Then, a bundle that had previously popped up, been minimized, and forgotten by Lin Xi, jumped out again.

[UR Specter Star-Up Bundle I. This bundle contains a UR-rank rarity star-up selection unit, priced at 12,000,000 game coins.]

Twelve million?!

Only twelve million!

What an honest merchant.

Currently, UR Specters were purely a matter of luck—hard to pull and hard to encounter, let alone pulling duplicates for star-ups.

If someone had said this before, anyone who had played the game would likely have complained or even called them crazy!

Since the game gave her this chance, she'd be a fool not to take it!

Opening the bundle, there was indeed a substitute material for upgrading UR Specters. Lin Xi used it without hesitation, then continued to level up, triggering various growth bundles.

[Congratulations Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng' for activating the UR Specter Star-Up Bundle (II). This bundle can substitute the materials required for a Specter's 3-star upgrade. Price: 42,000,000 game coins.]

Buy!

[Congratulations Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng' for increasing your Specter's level and successfully activating the Specter Star-Up Bundle (III)... This bundle is priced at 99,990,000 game coins.]

[Congratulations Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng' for increasing your Specter's level and successfully triggering the Specter Star-Up Bundle (IV). This bundle is priced at 160,000,000 game coins.]

One hundred and sixty million.

Hmm, finally a price worth looking at.

Now that the top-up channels were closed, game coins were king. Although she didn't know how much the SSR and S-rank Specter pop-up bundles would cost, Lin Xi secretly hoped the game would price them higher.

That way, no one else could afford them, and there wouldn't be a second max-star SSR or UR Specter.

Taking the fourth bundle without hesitation, Lin Xi's UR Specter, the Ghostly Fetus, had already surpassed three stars and was heading toward four, becoming the highest-starred high-rarity Specter in her hands.

Just as Lin Xi finished settling the payment for this pop-up bundle, a long-unheard voice from the pay-to-win system flashed in her mind.

[Ding! Large consumption of game coins detected. A single transaction exceeded 100 million. Activating Consumption Mission.]

[Ding! Consumption Mission (I): A single transaction exceeding 1 million, and a cumulative consumption of over 2 million game coins within three orders. (This mission only counts shop and bundle expenditures; leaderboard spending is excluded.)]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Consumption Mission (I). Reward: 1x SSR Specter Star-Up Substitute Material.]

Seeing this reward, Lin Xi's eyes couldn't help but light up, almost as if they were glowing.

This... has the game gone crazy? Has the system gone crazy too? They've started giving away star-up substitutes.

With this, she could upgrade her Xi Niang's stars too and see if she could max her out!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering an opportunity and successfully activating Consumption Mission (II).]

[Ding! Consumption Mission (II): A single transaction exceeding 2 million, and a cumulative consumption of over 10 million game coins within three transactions.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Consumption Mission (II). Reward: 3x SSR Star-Up Substitute Materials.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering an opportunity and activating Consumption Mission (III).]

[Ding! Consumption Mission (III): A single transaction exceeding 10 million, and a cumulative consumption of over 50 million game coins within three transactions.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Consumption Mission (III). Reward: 5x SSR Star-Up Substitute Materials.]

...

For a while, the electronic voice of the pay-to-win system rang incessantly in her mind. The scene was somewhat familiar, exactly like when she was managing a certain Commercial Street.

While the game invasion was happening, some players were resisting, some were quietly watching the spectacle from the sidelines, and others were praying to be as lucky next time and not have players from their own country selected; suddenly, a world-shaking announcement appeared in mid-air, accompanied by a thunderous sound.

The massive server-wide announcement was more eye-catching than any before. The black-and-red font was bordered with gold and even had sparkling effects. At a glance, it reeked of pay-to-win, making everyone envious.

[Server-wide Announcement: Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng' has gathered the power of the stars and collected feminine ghostly energy, successfully nurturing a UR-rank Specter to max stars. With a max-level True Self Breakthrough and the activation of its True Self form, this is hereby announced. Let the whole server celebrate!]

[Server-wide Announcement: Player 'Lin Xi Yi Meng' has worked diligently and tirelessly to successfully raise the SSR-rank Specter Xi Niang to max stars. Her combat power has increased significantly!]

In an instant, whether it was the Specters within the game invasion or the struggling players, they all stopped what they were doing in a silent pact because of these two server-wide announcements. They turned back with looks of surprise, shock, or disbelief at the scrolling announcements in mid-air.

This?

This isn't scientific! It makes no sense!

Setting aside the max-star, max-level, and even True Self Breakthrough of a UR-rank rarity Specter, what was up with that Xi Niang? Did this thing have some sort of buy-one-get-one-free nature? Upgrade one and get two?

"Damn it, how on earth did she do it?" The Divine Son of Specter Control kicked over the chair in front of him in anger. He had just confidently beat his chest and said that Lin Xi Yi Meng couldn't possibly fully develop a UR-rank Specter, yet before the game invasion was even over, he was immediately slapped in the face.

Even Xi Niang was directly maxed out. Thus, his Tamamo Nine-Tails had completely lost its ability to compete.

In a one-on-one fight, it was nearly impossible for a three-star SSR Specter to win against a max-star SSR Specter.

Could it be that Lin Xi Yi Meng spent all her game coins? It was only a billion; did she spend it all on equipment?

While thinking, the Divine Son of Specter Control suddenly seemed to remember something and slapped his thigh.

Oh, for heaven's sake, the Yimeng Auction House!

Damn it, it must be that auction house and those players from the Dragon Country. With so many national rewards and so many survivors in the Dragon Country, they might actually be able to pool enough together.

If he had known, he wouldn't have been so greedy for those small gains, only to end up sending game coins to Lin Xi Yi Meng. The Divine Son of Specter Control was filled with such regret that his intestines turned green.

Noticing the gazes of several guild executives around him, the Divine Son of Specter Control coughed twice and said with feigned composure, "It doesn't matter. It's just max stars. She must have gathered everything through that auction house of hers."

"We can also start a similar auction house, sell the things we don't need, and get some coins back."