“What…?”
Qi Yao stood frozen in place, momentarily unable to process what had just happened.
Not far away, the bearded man, firmly immobilized where he stood, swallowed with great difficulty. He asked in a trembling voice, “Who… who exactly are you, sir?”
Ever since this mysterious man appeared, the surrounding air seemed to have solidified into iron. He couldn’t struggle, not even an inch, and speaking had become an arduous task.
His two men were even worse off, their bodies rigid as iron and frozen in awkward mid-lunge poses. They looked rather comical.
At this moment, no matter how slow-witted the bearded man was, he could sense that something was terribly wrong.
The man before him was simply terrifying!
He had never encountered such strength in a backwater like Azure Cloud Town.
Qi Yuan withdrew his gaze from the wooden grave marker and cast a casual glance at the bearded man.
“You are Xu Biao, the Hall Master of the Black Tiger Gang?”
Xu Biao’s heart skipped a beat. Cold sweat began to bead on his temples as he replied fearfully, “Y-yes… that’s me. Senior, if you have any instructions, please just say the word. This humble one will certainly comply.”
With the mission target confirmed, Qi Yuan wasted no words. A casual point of his finger made Xu Biao, the Black Tiger Gang Hall Master who had terrorized Azure Cloud Town for decades, explode on the spot.
He burst into a cloud of blood mist, leaving no remains.
【Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the novice mission. The system will now begin repairing your dantian and meridians…】
The notification sounded in his ear, but Qi Yuan felt not a shred of accomplishment. In fact, he almost felt like laughing.
If he was right, the unfortunate man in the grave was the system’s intended host, who also happened to be called Qi Yuan.
Some unknown mistake had bound that man’s Trash-to-God System to him instead.
Because the intended host had not awakened the system or received its starter pack in time yesterday, Xu Biao had killed him easily. Grass was already growing on his grave.
In the usual story, the intended host would have used the system to make a glorious comeback and crush his enemies—a perfect wish-fulfillment hero. Instead, he had died unnoticed. What rotten luck.
Thinking of this, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly.
For now, this useless system did him no good. He could only try a few missions and see whether it would start working properly later.
Just as his thoughts wandered, a warm current flowed through his meridians and spread throughout his body, gradually converging into his dantian.
Qi Yuan was taken aback for a moment before immediately sensing the internal changes.
The strength of his meridians seemed significantly enhanced compared to before, capable of bearing far more true essence. His dantian’s qi sea had also expanded considerably, its capacity now in no way inferior to that of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator.
Well now! The system’s reward actually had real effects!
Confirming that these changes held no hidden drawbacks, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but show a look of pleasant surprise.
His dantian and meridians had not needed repair, but the system had strengthened them anyway, indirectly increasing his cultivation potential.
After all, physical constitution was considered a form of innate talent. He was already among the top-tier geniuses in terms of aptitude. Now, with the system’s enhancement pushing him even further, it was truly an unexpected boon.
It seemed this dumb system wasn’t completely useless after all.
Even if the process was somewhat dull, the rewards were quite sweet indeed.
Having tasted this benefit, Qi Yuan began to look forward to the rewards from future missions.
Right then, a timid voice suddenly reached his ears.
“Thank you… thank you for avenging my brother, Senior…”
Qi Yuan turned and looked at the teary-eyed young girl before him.
The intended host’s younger sister was about thirteen or fourteen, dressed in simple clothes. She was frail and pale from poor nutrition. Grief lingered in her expression, but her delicate features already showed the promise of beauty.
Feeling Qi Yuan’s gaze upon her, a faint blush rose on Qi Yao’s fair and youthful face. She nervously lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes directly.
Though she had no cultivation, her upbringing in a cultivation clan had taught her something. This stranger had killed Xu Biao, a Qi Refining third-layer cultivator, with a gesture. He was no ordinary cultivator.
Especially that profound aura about him—deep as an abyssal pool—it even stirred within her an impulse to prostrate herself in worship.
Qi Yao vaguely sensed that this man before her was anything but ordinary; he was perhaps even more formidable than her own Qi family’s Foundation Building realm ancestor…
To mortals, Foundation Building realm cultivators were already akin to immortals or deities—lofty existences one could only gaze upon from afar but never hope to reach.
As for higher realms… those were simply unimaginable.
“It was merely a trivial effort; hardly worth mentioning.”
Qi Yuan gave a faint smile and spoke in a gentle tone. “No need to call me ‘Senior.’ Just call me Brother Qi.”
Given the way this system worked, the intended host’s sister was a key character. There would surely be more missions involving her; it made sense to get to know her now.
As soon as he had confirmed the intended host was dead, he had decided to bring Qi Yao back to the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary and keep her firmly under his control.
As someone accustomed to ruling from above… he detested any variable beyond his control.
Qi Yao paused. After a moment’s hesitation, she lowered her voice to a shy whisper.
“Brother Qi… thank you…”
Qi Yuan nodded slightly. Then, casually and without hesitation, he dispatched the two Black Tiger Gang lackeys who had been knocked unconscious by his Golden Core realm pressure earlier.
He had managed to stand out amidst fierce competition and ascend to become the Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary precisely because he wasn’t soft-hearted or merciful.
Even when facing seemingly insignificant enemies… one must never let their guard down.
Only by leaving no enemies behind could he prevent future trouble.
Just then… mission information once again appeared on Qi Yuan’s system interface.
【New Mission: The Path of Escape (Difficulty: Four Stars)】
【Mission Description: After experiencing perilous battles… you have defeated Xu Biao (Qi Refining third layer), Hall Master of the Black Tiger Gang, while still possessing a mortal physique… thus stepping back onto the path of cultivation once more… However, your act of slaying Xu Biao is about to provoke frenzied retaliation from the Black Tiger Gang…】
【Mission Objective: Escape Azure Cloud Town with your younger sister Qi Yao and survive the Black Tiger Gang’s pursuit.】
【Additional Reward Condition: Eliminate Li Hu (Qi Refining fifth layer), Leader of the Black Tiger Gang.】
【Mission Rewards: 100 Reversal Points; 5 High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills; 200 Low-Grade Spirit Stones; unlock Epiphany function.】
【Additional Reward: Moderately improve the host’s abysmally poor spiritual root aptitude; acquire talent: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.】
Huh?
As he read the text, Qi Yuan’s expression gradually grew peculiar.
This dumb system remained as delirious as ever.
Ignoring all those nonsensical, mismatched descriptions earlier… the key to completing the mission lay in achieving the “Mission Objective.”
At this very moment, images began surfacing in his mind depicting himself being chased down by a group of weaklings who didn’t even possess cultivation…
Of course, the mission itself posed absolutely no difficulty whatsoever. Even just for the reward of improving his spiritual root talent alone, he would hold his nose and go through with it…
But how could he give the Black Tiger Gang’s fifth-layer Qi Refining leader the courage to chase a cultivator at Golden Core perfection?