ng Hao stood beneath the looming shadow of the Sixth Peak’s pavilion, bathed in the pale light of spirit lanterns swaying gently in the sumr breeze. The soft murmur of wind brushing against ancient tiles created a faint rustling, as though the mountain itself whispered its secrets.
Inside his sea of consciousness, he reviewed the astonishing changes brought by the system’s simulated cultivation. From the re first level of the Golden Core Realm, he had now, in one fell swoop, ascended to the seventh level. His core pulsed with rich spiritual energy, his veins thrumd with power like rivers of molten gold.
Yet despite this success, ng Hao couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.
"Sigh... I can’t afford to get too arrogant just because of this." His thoughts were laced with caution. "After all, I’ve only been in this world for less than a week. To rise to the seventh level of the Golden Core Realm so quickly... it’s already a miracle. But I mustn’t let it blind ."
Though his cultivation had skyrocketed, ng Hao’s feet remained firmly grounded in reality. The Dao path was long and treacherous, and a single misstep could undo everything. Recklessness was not a luxury he could afford.
"Still..." he mused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stepped into the long corridor of the Sixth Peak. The glow of crystal stones embedded in the walls cast silver light across his sharp features. "What I should be focusing on now is Li Yao’s mother. She’s the key to reaching the Nascent Soul Realm. If I want to keep advancing... I need her."
As the thought settled in his mind like a sword unsheathed, ng Hao raised his hand.
"System," he said calmly, his voice echoing faintly through the empty corridor. "Claim the cultivation."
[Ding! Initiating reward claim. Stand by.]
Suddenly, the spiritual atmosphere shifted. The air around him began to ripple violently, as though reacting to the imnse influx of power. The next mont, a torrent of spiritual energy surged toward him from all directions like a cyclone of pure elental force, forming a spiritual tornado that threatened to pierce the heavens.
Qi roared and spiraled like a storm.
ng Hao’s eyes widened slightly. "Damn it, System! What is this?! Didn’t you say the new feature would keep hidden? You call this hiding?!"
But just as panic was about to flash across his features, he suddenly felt a cool mbrane wrap around his body. A transparent, do-like barrier ford—smooth, stable, and completely isolating him from the outer world.
The tornado of spiritual energy slamd into it, but to outsiders, nothing could be seen beyond that shimring veil. His presence, his aura, his breakthrough—it was all concealed behind the system’s protective cocoon.
ng Hao exhaled softly, his sharp gaze calming once more. "Hmph... Looks like the system really is doing its job this ti."
The tornado of energy continued to spiral around him, endlessly absorbed into his core. For ten minutes, the spiritual pressure in the area was enough to make any ordinary cultivator vomit blood. But inside the barrier, ng Hao stood upright, calm, and composed, like a sovereign standing before a throne of power.
Finally, as the last thread of energy was drawn into his dantian, the mbrane cracked faintly like breaking glass—and then vanished.
A long breath escaped ng Hao’s lips.
He had done it.
From Golden Core First Level... to Golden Core Seventh Level, all in one hidden breath.
His aura was now vast, refined, and unfathomably dense. If soone were to probe him without his permission, they would feel only a Golden Core cultivator at the third or fourth level—his true strength now perfectly masked.
A smile of quiet confidence tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Alright," ng Hao said aloud, his voice calm yet laced with quiet determination. "It’s ti to find Li Yao. Through her, I must make contact with her mother. That woman... she’s the key to my breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm. I can’t afford to waste ti now."
His words dissipated into the still air, but his resolve burned bright. With purpose in his stride, he turned and began making his way down the corridor. Each step echoed faintly against the polished jade floor, the sound soft but resolute.
Outside, the first rays of dawn were spilling over the mountain ridges like liquid gold. The vast sky was painted in gentle hues of lavender and amber, the early sun rising over the peaks of the Heavenly Jade Sect. Light filtered through the high archways, casting elegant shadows across the courtyard tiles—each one inscribed with faint talismanic patterns from the sect’s ancient formation array.
The air was fresh, tinged with the subtle fragrance of dew-drenched spirit herbs blooming in the gardens below. Spirit birds, creatures of vibrant plumage and cultivated intelligence, flitted between tree branches and sang lodious notes that rang like silver chis in the morning breeze. ng Hao had already stepped far ahead of it.
His aura, though hidden beneath layers of suppression, surged within him like a tide barely restrained. The power of a Golden Core Seventh Realm cultivator coursed through his ridians, refined and tempered, ready to be unleashed at a mont’s notice. Yet outwardly, he appeared serene—just a handso young man strolling through the ancestral halls of the sect.
As he approached the towering, rune-engraved doors at the far end of the corridor, a faint glimr of jade light flickered across their surface in response to his presence. With a soft rumble, the heavy wooden doors parted slowly, granting passage like loyal sentinels.
ng Hao stepped across the threshold and out into the open courtyard.
He had exited the residence of Sixth Peak Master Su Lan—the very woman who, only hours ago, had attempted to control him... and ended up conquered herself.
To the outside world, she was still the cold and untouchable Nascent Soul cultivator, aloof and revered. But to ng Hao, she was now sothing far more intimate. The connection forged between them last night wasn’t sothing that could be undone with distance or denial.
As the wind tugged gently at his robes and sunlight kissed his skin, ng Hao narrowed his eyes slightly.
The path forward was clear.
Now, it was ti to take the next step.
His... spouse, in all but na.
The mont he stepped out into the courtyard, two figures turned their heads in unison.
The first was Li Yao.
Dressed in a flowing pink robe embroidered with sakura blossoms, her figure was delicate yet alluring, like a flower blooming at the edge of danger. When she saw ng Hao walking toward her, her lips parted instinctively.
"Junior Brother—"
But the words died in her throat.
Her pupils dilated. Her breath hitched.
Her eyes, wide and stunned, locked onto ng Hao’s figure like chains forged in obsession. It was as though she were seeing him for the first ti—no, like seeing a celestial immortal descending from the heavens.
His charm had transcended mortal standards. He was ethereal now—his features sharp and radiant, his very aura drawing others in like gravity.
And Li Yao wasn’t the only one frozen.
Beside her, her master—Chang Yue—stood equally srized.
Even though Chang Yue existed currently in soul form, her spiritual perception was even sharper than that of the living. And the mont her gaze fell upon ng Hao, her ethereal eyes trembled.
"Disciple," she murmured in awe, unable to tear her gaze away. "Why does he suddenly look so... so divine?"
Li Yao, upon hearing her master’s words, snapped out of her trance. Her body trembled slightly, and her brows furrowed in frustration.
"Hmph! Master, don’t say such things!" she scolded inwardly. "Stop staring at him like that! He’s mine! Only I can look at him that way—not even you are allowed!"
Jealousy surged through her heart like wildfire, even toward her own master. In her eyes, ng Hao was the most important person in her world, the center of her universe—and anyone who tried to touch that light would be scorched.
At that mont, a crisp [Ding!] resounded in ng Hao’s mind.
[Ding! Favorability detected. Two new increases registered.]
The system panel unfurled before his eyes, showing detailed stats in radiant golden text:
[Na: Li Yao]
[Age: 21]
[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Realm, 6th Level]
[Luck: Blue Grade]
[Charm: 150 (Average Human Charm: 100)]
[Favorability Toward Host: ★★★★★]
(She loves you the most and is utterly obsessed with you. In her eyes, you are the most important person she has ever had in her life. She would defy heaven and earth, wage war against the world, or even lay down her life if you so desired.)
A second chi followed imdiately.
[Na: Chang Yue]
[Age: 5,678]
[Cultivation: Middle Void Refining Realm (Currently in Soul Form)]
[Favorability Toward Host: 3.5 stars]
(She is on the verge of falling completely for you. Currently, she is overwheld with lust and desire. You are the most beautiful man she has seen in her entire immortal life, both in soul and form. She wishes to make you her personal sex slave and crown jewel of her future harem.)
ng Hao blinked.
For a mont, he was completely speechless.
"...What the hell, System?" he muttered in disbelief, rubbing his temples. "That old spirit wants to make her... what now?"
Before he could even recover from that absurd revelation, another notification chid in his mind with radiant fanfare.
[Ding! Hidden Mission Completed!]
[Host has received their first 5-Star Favorability from any individual.]
[As a reward, a new function has been unlocked—
System Mall!]
A virtual scroll unfurled before him, pulsing with golden light.
ng Hao’s eyes lit up with interest.
"System Mall, huh?" he muttered under his breath, the beginnings of a smile forming on his lips.
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