42: The third fellow villager

Pushing open the towering gates of the One Pillar Reaching Heaven Palace, a graceful figure drifted over in the next instant.

Qin Dong smiled slightly, a warm tide welling up in his heart, accompanied by that refreshing and heart-cleansing fragrance.

It made him involuntarily feel an incomparable sense of peace.

"Is there a strange smell on you?"

"Did you go fooling around in some unhealthy place? Confess and be treated with leniency."

Qin Zixuan quickly broke free from Qin Dong's embrace, her clear, intelligent eyes scanning him up and down.

Though her tone carried reproach, it could not hide the concern flowing in her eyes.

"Rest assured, your husband is fine."

"Tsk tsk tsk, haven't seen you in so long, and my wife's progress has grown even greater."

He reached out a hand, lightly grasping Qin Zixuan's jade-like soft hand, while the other hand slowly moved toward her delicate waist, exploring up and down.

"During this trip to the Ji Family, your husband gained much."

"The twists and turns were bizarre; I must tell you all about it."

"But Madam, this is not the place for us to talk. Let's go inside and speak slowly."

"Hmph, as you wish."

"Anyway, as long as you return to me safely, it's fine."

"Hehe, thank you, Madam."

Qin Dong picked her up and slowly walked toward the inner hall.

Creak—the hall doors of the One Pillar Reaching Heaven Palace slowly closed, and numerous defense Formations lit up, entering an operational state... After five days, Qin Dong was refreshed and invigorated, as serene as a Saint or a buddha.

He slowly organized the gains from this trip to the Ji Family.

Host: Qin Dong

Cultivation: Late Stage Foundation Establishment Realm (14%)

Cultivation Techniques: Yellow Rank Cultivation Method x126, Profound Rank x24, Earth-Tier Techniques x2, Heaven Rank x1

Physique: Thick Earth Spirit Body

top-up points: 100,013

Although he hadn't purchased any high-grade Yao Beast blood in Longyue this time, he had top-up points.

As long as the top-up points were in his account, it wouldn't be a problem even if Li Jinian had to bleed some Heavenly Dao blood himself for him to bathe in.

"One hundred thousand top-up points should theoretically be enough for me to Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm."

"And those hundred-plus cultivation techniques—when I'm idle, I can flip through them to Cultivate my character."

Qin Dong licked his lips. Ever since he saw the Mirror Demon heavily injure a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a casual strike,

and the scene of the Ji Family Elder single-handedly sweeping through two thousand Cultivators, his mind was filled with a thirst for strength.

If it weren't for his lack of strength, why would he be hiding away on this One Pillar Supporting Heaven Peak?

Being a bit cautious didn't hurt.

And the System, which had been silent for a long time, now emerged, catching the scent of the top-up points.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for cumulative top-up points exceeding 100,000.]

[The System has unlocked the Lucky Draw function; the Cultivation Technique Roulette is now unlocked.]

A screen unfolded, and a glittering golden roulette appeared within the system space.

The roulette was engraved with a wide variety of Cultivation Technique prizes, with Yellow Rank and Profound Rank techniques occupying many spots.

"Maximum prize: Immortal-Tier Cultivation Technique!"

When Qin Dong clearly saw the grand prize on the roulette, his eyes immediately lit up.

One must know that the strength boost the Three Revolutions Nanhua Scripture gave him was truly immense.

If he managed to draw an Immortal-Tier technique, wouldn't he soar to the heavens right then and there?

However, the price of the roulette and the line of text at the very bottom pulled him back to reality.

"Single draw: 1,000 top-up points!"

"Ten-roll draw: 10,000 top-up points!"

Dark, this is way too damn dark.

After reading the results table, Qin Dong's eyelid twitched. At most, a hundred draws and he would be back to being penniless.

However, the System still had a tiny bit of conscience: the daily first draw for this roulette only cost two hundred top-up points.

"This isn't unacceptable."

What if he actually hit an Immortal-Tier technique?

No matter how you looked at it, at two hundred top-up points a pop, he was definitely coming out ahead.

[System, let's start with one draw.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the Great Host for receiving one 'Thank You for Playing'.]

Qin Dong: ... After a silent curse, Qin Dong closed the Lucky Draw roulette and opened the System Shop to browse.

Though it was a bit of a scam, the System was still quite reliable.

When he opened the System Shop again, it had updated with many strange and exotic items; although their grades weren't high, they were all unique.

In the coming period, Qin Dong only planned to properly digest these top-up points and spend his time Cultivating and being intimate with the beauty by his side.

Being an invisible person in the Sect, Cultivating low-key, and collecting a small monthly stipend.

It could be considered a life of an immortal couple.

"Core Disciple Qin Dong, please respond upon receipt!"

Just then, a transmission token landed outside the One Pillar Reaching Heaven Palace.

Qin Dong walked out of the hall and listened to the content of the transmission token, only then realizing the Sect was urging him to go and acknowledge a Revered Master again.

"Received, read, okay, understood."

Who would have thought that not long after his reply was sent out, an hour later,

another transmission token flew over.

Within this token was a voice full of vigor and majesty.

"Core Disciple Qin Dong."

"In view of the special circumstances regarding you and the Saint, the Sect has specifically designated a Golden Core Realm Cultivator to serve as your Revered Master."

"We hope you will Cultivate diligently and not affect the Saint's struggle for the honored position!"

After Qin Dong finished listening to the transmission, the token shattered with a pop.

Following this, a page of a painting slowly fell into Qin Dong's hand.

On the painting, a man wearing red battle armor stood proudly, like a peerless expert who looked down on everything.

"Lin Ce, 302 years of Cultivation, Golden Core Great Perfection, Body Cultivator Golden Core Great Perfection."

"He is actually a dual Golden Core Great Perfection existence."

After reading the brief introduction, Qin Dong couldn't help but secretly click his tongue. Such a young powerhouse hadn't even reached the period of declining vitality.

Within fifty years, he would surely condense a Nascent Soul and become a Nascent Soul True Lord.

Facing such an expert, Qin Dong felt a bit apprehensive, wondering if he could hide from the other's detection.

Fortunately, there was another piece of information below the introduction:

This Cheap Master of Qin Dong's currently had important business and had gone out; he would not be in the Sect for a short while.

To prevent the other party from seeing through his hidden cultivation, Qin Dong needed to make more preparations during this time—at the very least, he should Cultivate a few dozen more Aura-Concealing Techniques.

With a flick of his wrist, a large pile of Cultivation Technique Jade Slips fell before Qin Dong.

Picking up a Jade Slip at random, he began to read slowly.

In this way, Qin Dong's routine returned to normal.

Every day he would Cultivate, 'pay his taxes', and play the lucky draw.

In his leisure time, he would try to Cultivate new techniques on his own without relying on the System.

Over time, Qin Dong also developed the habit of reading Cultivation Techniques.

While others were fighting to the death for a dozen or twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, Qin Dong had already achieved Medicinal Pill freedom.

Qin Dong purchased a batch of High-Grade Spirit Stones and a pile of high-tier cultivation spiritual items from the system space, and the two of them went into secluded cultivation within the One Pillar Reaching Heaven Palace.

Meanwhile, the outside world was in a state of flux:

One month later, the Sect's new Disciple competition was in full swing!

For the first-place prize of three thousand Spirit Stones and the title of number one newcomer, the new Disciples fought fiercely, and even those new core-level Disciples joined the fray.

That battle was particularly intense, with many fights that people talked about with great interest.

Time passed, and half a month later, various Core Disciples within the Cloud Heaven Sect were constantly fighting for rankings to gain more cultivation resources, forming small cliques and factions, with endless conflict.

Many Disciples even died as a result.

Another month and a half later, the Ziyu Sect Saintess issued a wide invitation to various Prodigies, inviting well-known Prodigies from all over to gather for a Dao discussion meet.

At that grand event, Prodigies from all sides vied for brilliance, dazzling and magnificent, each competing to display their extraordinary talent and Aura, attracting many followers.

Another month passed, and the Secret Realm of the ancient Sect, the Senro Heaven Sect, quietly appeared, attracting many Disciples and Cultivators, including those from the Nine Sects, who flocked there.

Time flew by, and half a month later, the Senro Heaven Sect Secret Realm officially closed.

The returning Disciples from various Sects were physically and mentally exhausted, with an average loss of twenty percent, like a mess left after a storm.

A masked low-level Cultivator capable of setting up strange Formations unexpectedly gained a fortuitous encounter and toyed with several well-known Prodigies, becoming a new focus of attention.

A month later, the Saint of the Ten Thousand Demon Gate took action, challenging the Prodigies of the Human Race, consecutively killing twenty-seven male and female Prodigies, his fame shaking all directions.

Just as everyone was discussing this, the Saintess of the Star Arrival Sect suddenly acted.

The two were evenly matched and finally parted ways, both heavily injured.

Two months later, a mysterious force called Tianyuan became active frequently and was known by more and more people; they seemed to be plotting something.

Half a month later, the Star Arrival Sect and the Wuji Sect, two of the Nine Sects with long-standing grievances, finally began to order their respective subordinate forces to launch attacks on each other.

Disciples from both sides were like ignited powder kegs, attacking each other as the flames of war spread everywhere.

Within the Nine Sects, a certain Disciple surnamed Lin was exposed to have a net worth of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones and was constantly targeted... At the same time, strange people and events emerged one after another across Donglin Prefecture, as if every corner was playing out a different legend.

And the legend of Zhang Yizhi from before was gradually forgotten by people under the passage of time and the intervention of mysterious forces.

However, none of this had anything to do with Qin Dong; he only wanted to immerse himself in his cultivation, his heart as calm as still water.

Let the clouds and winds change; I alone remain as steady as Mount Tai... "Boom!"

A clap of thunder roared, and when Yao Yian opened his eyes, he found himself in a strange environment.

Looking around, what met his eyes seemed to be a dilapidated temple.

Cobwebs were everywhere, a broken statue lay in the center, and the ground was covered with debris and the bones of unknown animals.

"I'm not dreaming, am I? Wasn't I taking a nap?"

Yao Yian couldn't believe his eyes. He closed them again and snapped them open, only to find himself still in this strange place.

"Ha, heh, who's playing a joke, what the fuck."

"Is this for real? What's going on?"

Yao Yian stood up, his face written with the anger of being fooled.

He began to suspect if this was content staged by some TV show.

He carefully checked his surroundings to see if there were any props or people hiding nearby.

But after a search, he was disappointed; there wasn't a single intact thing in this temple.

But he wasn't completely without gains: a pile of rotten wooden boards, a simple broken wooden ladder, and a semi-rotten fruit placed on a tray in front of the statue in the center.

Yao Yian walked toward the temple entrance, wanting to see the scene outside.

He saw the sky was dim and dark, with ink-black clouds covering the entire sky. Before Yao Yian could take a closer look at the scene outside,

Boom!

A thunderclap came crashing down, the sound so loud it felt like it exploded right over Yao Yian's head.

Thunder! And then came the gale and torrential rain!

The wind howled, making a sharp sound like a shrieking ghost.

The downpour arrived in an instant, the sound of rain covering the inside and outside of the temple. Yao Yian cautiously dodged the rain and returned to the inner hall, only to find that even the inner hall of this dilapidated temple leaked.

With a bang, several tiles from the temple roof shattered and fell, and the heavy rain poured down.

With the rain pouring in, a little more time and the entire temple would likely be soaked in water.

Yao Yian didn't have time to think; he quickly scanned left and right, immediately set up the broken ladder, and picked up pieces of wood and debris nearby to block the leaks.

Boom!

Amidst the thunder, Yao Yian was very busy; he had just managed to block one spot when another started leaking.

After a period of frantic work, it finally stopped leaking.

Yao Yian's body was already extremely exhausted. Looking out of the temple again, the heavy rain continued, accompanied by thunder; it seemed the rain would never stop.

Gurgle gurgle.

Yao Yian picked up the semi-rotten fruit and took a bite. A foul, rotten taste hit his taste buds, but he was already so hungry that he swallowed it directly.

Yao Yian no longer had the energy to think about anything else. He instinctively lay down on a slightly drier pile of hay, his clothes completely soaked.

Although there was still a bit of rain leaking from above, at least he didn't have to worry about this place being submerged.

"Maybe this rain will stop soon."

In his exhaustion, Yao Yian fell into a deep sleep.

At dawn the next day, a stream of strange experiences was transmitted into Yao Yian's mind. The intense pain caused him to wake up instantly from his dream.

After digesting the memories, Yao Yian walked out of the ruined temple. Outside was a scene of vibrant life, with all things competing for growth.

This scene made Yao Yian unable to resist shouting out in excitement.

"I've transmigrated to a cultivation world!"

The joyful shout echoed far across the ground.

Just then, a young evil Cultivator with a sinister face, emitting Evil Qi, flew through the sky.

"Hmm? A Mortal down there?"

"Jie jie jie."

"Excellent, my myriad souls banner just happens to be missing a living soul."