[Ding——]
[Congratulations, Host, on completing Main Mission One. Your rewards have been placed in the System Inventory.]
Dabai’s notification roused Lin Chen from his meditative state.
When he opened his eyes, he discovered three people gathered around him—all familiar faces.
He had no attention to spare for examining his rewards just now. Figuring out how to handle the situation before him was far more pressing.
“Wow! So this is what having a Heavenly Spiritual Root is like. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone draw qi into their body right after entering the sect!”
Xue Yi’s expression was full of envy.
Ordinarily, he might have moved closer for a better look. But Lin Chen’s current condition…
After entering the Qi Refining realm, the body expelled some of its impurities. Consequently, the smell coming from Lin Chen was rather difficult to describe.
Lin Chen noticed it too.
Having gone an entire day and night without eating, he was now both hungry and exhausted.
[And smelly,] Dabai silently added, twisting the knife.
[…]
Accompanying Xue Yi were Luo Yun and Wang Xiu.
The Law Enforcement Elder had visited once during Lin Chen’s meditation and instructed them to protect him while he cultivated.
Even without those instructions, they would have done so.
Lin Chen had already attracted the sect’s attention. The Elder had probably arranged for someone to watch over him secretly long ago.
Wang Xiu cast a Cleansing Spell on Lin Chen.
“Congratulations, Shidi, on successfully stepping onto the immortal path.”
Lin Chen gave him a grateful look.
At this particular moment, he truly needed that spell.
“That Cleansing Spell is so convenient! Unfortunately, it’s a Foundation Establishment technique, so I still can’t learn it…”
Xue Yi’s bright, sparkling eyes shifted away from Lin Chen and settled upon Wang Xiu.
His innocent, utterly unpretentious manner made everyone laugh.
Lin Chen’s stomach growled loudly.
He was ravenous. Everyone present was a cultivator, so naturally they heard it, but Lin Chen felt no embarrassment.
“Thank you, both Shixiong, and you too, Xue Yi, for protecting me while I cultivated.”
“Why are you always so polite? Aren’t we friends? Thank the two Shixiong if you want, but what are you thanking me for?”
Now that the unpleasant smell was gone, Xue Yi finally approached and patted Lin Chen on the shoulder.
“You must be tired. Why not let one of the Shixiong take you back on a flying sword? It’ll save you the trouble.”
Wang Xiu and Luo Yun immediately fell silent.
Among sword cultivators, there was an unwritten rule: only one’s Dao companion could ride upon one’s bonded sword.
Of course, some people were less particular about such things.
Xue Yi had not yet decided upon his cultivation path, so naturally he knew nothing of this custom.
He had merely made the suggestion out of kindness.
Lin Chen shook his head and declined.
“I already feel bad enough for taking up so much of your time. How could I trouble you any further? Besides, it isn’t far.”
Seeing his determination, the others could only bid him farewell.
After returning to his bamboo residence, Lin Chen fetched a bucket of water and bathed.
Although Wang Xiu had already used a Cleansing Spell on him, Lin Chen still felt as though the sticky sensation clinging to his skin would not disappear.
Only after bathing did he finally feel comfortable.
Having drawn qi into his body, he felt lighter and more refreshed than ever before.
His skin had become fairer and softer, while the calluses formed on his hands through years of farmwork had vanished.
He seemed almost reborn.
[Dabai, does this count as joining the sect?]
If he remembered correctly, he was not yet officially a disciple of Yuntian Sect.
[It does. Yuntian Sect already assumes that Host will join. Even if you ultimately decide to leave, the mission won’t be considered a failure.]
[Doesn’t that count as exploiting a bug?]
[Rather than worrying about that, Host, why don’t you take a look at your mission rewards? The System Shop and Lottery functions have both been unlocked. Aren’t you curious about all the wonderful things inside?]
Dabai seemed even more excited than Lin Chen himself.
[Host, all you need to do is concentrate your spiritual consciousness within your sea of consciousness, and you’ll be able to enter the System Space!]
Lin Chen followed its instructions.
Only then did he discover that entering the System Space did not mean physically transporting his entire body inside.
Only his consciousness entered; his body remained outside.
The first thing he saw was a panel resembling a character-status screen from a game.
Upon examining it, he realized it displayed his own information.
[Name: Lin Chen
Age: Eight
Points: 10
Cultivation: Qi Refining, Level One
HP: 110/110
Magical Artifacts: None
Cultivation Technique: Withered Wood Returns to Spring Art (Not Cultivated)]
Lin Chen would wager that even a newly created character in an ordinary video game would have a less empty status panel than his.
Below the panel were several buttons, including the Shop and Lottery functions Dabai had mentioned.
A mere thought was enough to switch between their interfaces.
[The Shop provides items corresponding to Host’s cultivation realm. Since you’re currently at Qi Refining Level One, only a few low-level pills and talismans are available for now.]
There were only two types of first-grade pills: Spirit-Restoring Pills and Hemostatic Pills.
Opening their descriptions revealed their functions, which were precisely what their names suggested.
Spirit-Restoring Pills replenished spiritual energy, while Hemostatic Pills were used to treat injuries.
Above them were the talismans.
There were more varieties of talismans than pills. Besides offensive and defensive types, there were also talismans with various practical functions.
[Isn’t this a bit of a rip-off? One mission only gives ten points. A single pill costs five, and even the cheapest talisman starts at ten.]
[Mission rewards are determined by difficulty. Later missions will award more and more points.]
[And don’t underestimate these low-level pills, Host! They’re the finest of their grade. As far as this System knows, hardly anyone in this world can refine pills completely free of impurities.]
Anything produced by the System was guaranteed to be excellent!
[Even so, I can’t afford them right now. I might as well learn alchemy myself.]
[Host, don’t do anything foolish! Those few hundred low-grade spirit stones you have won’t be enough for you to squander.]
[There are four great scams in the cultivation world: “I can refine pills,” “I can forge artifacts,” “I can make talismans,” and “I can set up formations.”]
[Don’t be fooled by those high-level alchemists who casually earn millions of low-grade spirit stones. The initial investment is enormous, the risks are high, and one careless mistake can blow away your entire fortune.]
[They’re just as poor as sword cultivators!]
[Besides, alchemists usually don’t have particularly high cultivation and lack the ability to protect themselves. Host, let’s just concentrate on being a healer.]
Lin Chen had only been speaking casually.
At worst, he could try alchemy later, once he had money to spare.
He left his remaining ten points untouched, intending to save them for emergencies.
Then he turned his attention to the Lottery interface.
Wonderful.
Five hundred points per draw.
Dabai’s voice grew rather faint, as though even it felt embarrassed.
[Host, everything in the prize pool is good! Just look! Even the worst prize is a Heaven-grade spiritual artifact.]
[Take that Yellow-grade magical artifact Huaiyu Zhenren gave you. Any artifact here could completely obliterate it. Instantly, too! It wouldn’t even get a chance to come face-to-face with its opponent!]
Magical treasures were classified, from lowest to highest, as magical artifacts, treasure artifacts, spiritual artifacts, immortal artifacts, and divine artifacts.
Each category was ranked according to the four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
Every grade was further divided into upper, middle, and lower quality.
An item surpassing upper quality without quite reaching the next grade was called supreme-grade.
In the previous era, spiritual artifacts had not been particularly rare. Spiritual energy had been extraordinarily abundant then. Golden Core cultivators could be found everywhere, and even Nascent Soul cultivators were commonplace. It had truly been an age when Nascent Soul cultivators walked everywhere, and Golden Core cultivators were as numerous as dogs.
For reasons unknown, however, the spiritual energy of the cultivation world had gradually grown thinner. The Qianyuan Great World had entered a period of decline. For ten thousand years, not a single cultivator had ascended.
In some smaller sects, Nascent Soul cultivators had already become their greatest fighting strength.
While explaining the grades of magical treasures, Dabai had also casually mentioned a little of the Qianyuan Great World’s history.
But none of that was something Lin Chen needed to worry about just yet.
Back to the matter at hand.
[Isn’t there a beginner’s gift pack? Even games give new players a starter pack when they first begin,] Lin Chen asked.
[You can respawn in a game. You can’t do that here!]
[But I can give Host one free lottery draw. As for what you get, that’ll depend entirely on your luck!]
The Lottery interface consisted of a large spinning wheel.
The prizes displayed upon it were indeed generous.
Immortal artifacts, divine artifacts, and god-level cultivation techniques—everything one could wish for was there.
Lin Chen glanced at the probabilities, which were about as thick as a fingernail clipping.
Then he looked at the Heaven-grade spiritual artifacts, which occupied a full third of the wheel.
The corner of his eye twitched.
Surely only a true Child of Destiny could draw one of those grand prizes.
Lin Chen spun the wheel.
He would leave everything to fate.
[You never know! The fact that Host was able to bind with this System proves that you possess tremendous fortune—]
Before Dabai could finish speaking, the pointer stopped squarely within the section occupied by Heaven-grade spiritual artifacts.
The atmosphere abruptly turned awkward.
Only after a long silence did Dabai finally speak.
[It’s all right, Host. Heaven-grade spiritual artifacts are still extremely powerful. Even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators might not possess one.]
[We’ve only just reached Qi Refining. It’s more than enough for us!]
Lin Chen silently placed the Lottery System on his blacklist.
If he had that many points to spend, he would be far better off using them in the Shop.
Five hundred points.
Given the System’s usual behavior, who knew how many missions he would have to complete to earn that much?
| 师弟 | shīdì | Junior male fellow disciple within a shared teacher’s lineage or sect. Junior status is generally determined by discipleship seniority, not necessarily by biological age. |
| 师兄 | shīxiōng | Senior male fellow disciple within a common master’s lineage or sect. Seniority usually reflects the order of discipleship or sect hierarchy rather than age alone. |
| 真人 | zhēnrén | Literally “true person” or “perfected person.” A Daoist designation for someone who has attained spiritual realization and cultivated harmony with the Dao. In cultivation fiction, a respectful title for an accomplished cultivator; the cultivation realm associated with it depends on the setting. |