Distinct footsteps echoed in dissonance as Han Rui and his underlings descended an impressive spiral staircase, seemingly sinking into the very abyss. Unlike Han Rui who wore a causal smile and Mexiue who maintained an air of aloofness, Zhanghuo couldn’t stop himself from complaining with each step he took.

“I’m supposed to be enjoying a passionate night with my hot wife, not escorting some punk and random…” Zhanghuo paused as he gazed at Meixue, then he sighed while raising his head slightly. “O heavens, what sins have I committed to be punished like this?”

Han Rui’s giggles echoed to Zhanghuo’s annoyance, but bull couldn’t do anything to the seemingly ordinary young man.

I know I was tricked and all, but how did he survive my attack back then? Zhanghuo pondered, his fierce eyes lingering on Han Rui’s back.

After putting two and two together, he realized Han Rui had goaded him into making the bet. However, he still couldn’t figure out how Han Rui survived.

He turned toward Meixue, before sending a message enshrouded with qi. “Woman, tell me more about this human.”

Meixue glanced at the bull for a moment, before turning away. Zhanghuo’s eyes blazed with fury as he sent another message, “Woman, how dare you ignore me! Do you know who I am?”

“Aren’t you master’s servant just as I am?” Mexiue replied without turning.

Her words extinguished the rising flame in Zhanghuo’s heart. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the right words to say.

At that moment, Meixue’s voice filled his ears again. “Even now, you still have no idea how fortunate you are.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Zhanghuo cocked his head backwards, wearing a slight frown.

“Do you think you had any chance of winning from the beginning?” Meixue hissed, unable to hide the derision in her voice. “I can infer that you had once sparred with our master—”

“And I won,” Zhanghuo interjected.

However, Meixue scoffed while shaking her head. “Even fools aren’t as simple minded as you are. Do you honestly think you stood a chance against him? It’s fair to say master purposefully let you win,” she said confidently. “He let you win an insignificant battle so that you’d get drunk on your victory, so that he could enact his plans for today. It’s only normal someone like yourself is unable to understand why you lost.”

Meixue turned toward Zhanghuo, and the duo locked gazes. “You should be grateful to your ancestors for giving you such a precious opportunity.”

The young lady turned away and said nothing further. Meanwhile, Zhanghuo’s gaze shifted between the young lady and Han Rui, as he fell into deep thought.

Just what did he do to brainwash this woman to this extent? She’s talking about him as if he’s some god. I beat the crap of him years ago, to the point he became my personal slave for a couple of hours. You’re telling me that was all an act? Zhanghuo thought, frowning as he recalled the moment his axe struck Han Rui.

Back then, I definitely heard a crack when my attack connected. He subconsciously tapped his chest while opening his mouth, and an axe escaped from the bull’s opened mouth. It rapidly expanded by the second, until it reached its original height and weight.

Are my eyes deceiving me? Zhanghuo’s lips quivered as his eyes bugled out of their sockets. A lattice of deep cracks lined the surface of the once lustrous weapon which looked on the verge of shattering.

“This is a unity-immortal ranked weapon, forged by an immortal grandmaster for crying out loud. Why does it have so many cracks on it like some cheap porcelain plate?” He whispered.

The axes trembled along to his shaking arms, and the cultivator halted his steps. Zhanghuo’s eyes shifted between the cracked weapon and Han Rui several times as they slowly turned wet.

“This is unfair,” he muttered, while inhaling deeply.

Han Rui and Meixue paused in their tracks, turning toward the colossal bull.

“Hey, what’s wrong? It sounded as if you were going to cry,” Han Rui said, confused by the sudden turn of events.

“Shut up, human! Who do you think you’re talking to…?” Zhanghuo paused, choking on his words as he stared at the axe again, and his eyes became wetter.

“Who do you think I am? Why would I cry…” tears streamed down Zhanghuo’s face before he could finish his statement, but the bull didn’t bother cleaning his face as he bawled without control.

Han Rui and Meixue exchanged looks, each equally confused by the sudden turn of events. Han Rui gave a gentle nod toward the young lady, and they both approached the sobbing bull.

“Hey big guy, there’s no need to cry,” Han Rui said while patting Zhanghuo. “We all lose bets occasionally. Don’t worry, I’ll let you go home soon,” he said while comforting the bull.

Su Meixue, on the other hand, reframed from touching Zhanghuo. Instead, she simply stood behind Han Rui, her mockful eyes lingering on the crying bull.

“Who is worried about that?” Zhanghuo barely managed to squeeze out his words. “Do you know what I had to sacrifice to get this treasure?”

Han Rui awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he noticed the cracked weapon. Is he only realizing that it was his weapon that cracked earlier? I guess that’s how much confidence he had about winning. I should give him something, Han Rui thought as he continued comforting the sobbing bull.

“System, how many fame points do I need to scan his weapon?” Han Rui asked mentally.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

[No need! It’s not even worth scanning!]

A bashful smile graced Han Rui’s face as he reached into clothes once more. In a flash, the baseball bat returned.

“Ahem, you can use this for now. I’m sorry about your axe. I didn’t know it meant so much to you,” he said.

Zhanghuo stared at the wooden bat and his tears intensified. “If you’re going to mock me, then leave me alone. What am I supposed to do with some random twig that can be broken with a mere snap?”

Meixue shook her head, unable to hide her disdain. What an Idiot, she thought, but she had no intentions of enlightening the bull.

Meanwhile, Han Rui continued to placate the sobbing cultivator. “C’mon, don’t be like that. It might not be as shiny as your axe, but you can still use it to whack some sense into your enemies. Try it first. You just might like it.”

Zhanghuo cleaned his watery eyes as he took a second glance at the wooden bat. Unlike this irksome woman, he does seem to be genuinely sorry. Or is he faking it?

He stared into Han Rui’s eyes, and he couldn’t detect the slight hint of guile hidden within them.

“I’ll accept the bat for now, but I expect you to compensate me later,” he said as he reached for the handle. “After all, a person of my stature shouldn’t be using a mere... huh?”

Zhanghuo froze midway through his statement as his grip tightened around the bat’s smooth handle. Han Rui and Meixue had disappeared; instead, he found himself amidst gigantic trees which seemed to shoulder the heavens. One tree was large enough that he could neither estimate its width nor height, and even its depths were too much for his feeble mind.

“Where is this place?” Zhanghuo muttered to himself, as a gentle breeze tussled his fur. His curious eyes darted in all directions, but he couldn’t make sense of where to go.

At that moment, a voice laced with fury filled his ears. “Who the hell are you to hold me?”

Zhanghuo subconsciously lowered his head, his eyes focused on the bat. An ethereal, scholarly young man in pure white robes had replaced the top of the bat, and Zhanghuo held on to his wisp-like tail.

Zhanghuo blinked multiple times, tempted to clean his eyes. “Who—?”

The distinguished scholar slapped the bull across his face, sending him hundreds of feet into the air. Another slap followed, sending the bull crashing to the ground.

“You’re the bastard that was calling me a random twig, yeah? Let’s see how this random twig will fuck you up!”

The spirit rolled up its sleeves as it spat to the side.

“S-S-Senior, please wait!” Zhanghuo begged, but another slap landed squarely on his face and the right side of his face swelled.

“Senior, I was wrong. You’re great and mighty! My stupidity didn’t let me see your greatness!” Zhanghuo prostrated on the ground, not daring to meet the eyes of the scholar.

“Come here,” the scholar said, beckoning the bull over with his right arm.

Zhanghuo shot to his feet, running toward the illusionary figure. Another crisp slap descended on the face of the bull as soon as he arrived, sending him flying several meters away.

“Come here,” the scholar gestured again.

Zhanghuo stood up, tears streaming down his swollen face. He ran toward the spirit once more, and another slap sent him and his teeth flying in different directions.

“Come here,” the scholar instructed a third time.

This time, the bull lay on the ground, mooing toward the heavens as tears and snort poured out from his eyes and nose. All he wanted was to consecrate his wedding with his wife, but misfortune after misfortune had struck him since he was summoned by Han Rui.

“Look at this punk ignoring me,” the scholar said, as a cruel smile twisted his refined features. He flicked his right hand, and roots emerged from the ground, tying up the sobbing bull in a flash.

The scholar appeared next to Zhanghuo again. “By the time I’m done with you, you learn how to behave,” he said with a mischievous smile.

He flicked his hand again, another root emerged from the ground. This time, it struck the behind of the tied-up cultivator to the amusement of the laughing scholar.

Meanwhile, within the spiral staircase, Han Rui silently observed Zhanghuo who had fallen into a trance.

He must be making acquaintances with the scholar right now. The scholar is a really shy guy, but I’m sure they will get along nicely, Han Rui thought, before turning toward Meixue.

“It doesn’t look like he’d wake up anytime soon, or would you rather wait?” Han Rui asked, walking ahead of the bull.

“I would prefer to go with you, master. This oaf… I mean, this bull can catch up with us later,” Meixue said with a courteous bow.

“All right then, let’s go,” Han Rui said before taking the lead once more.

The duo continued the journey in silence, descending further and further down the barely lit path. Thirty minutes later, the duo arrived in an expansive space teeming with life.

“This is beautiful,” Meixue muttered softly, her eyes lingering on a serene waterfall surrounded by lush flowers.

Hundreds of bioluminescent flowers gently floated on the surface of the crystal-clear pool below the cascading waters, while formless entities prowled the depths of the wonderland.

“No one will disturb you here,” Han Rui said, glancing at Meixue. “You can use any of the herbs to aid your advancement, and if need be, the water is fantastic too,” Han Rui said with a warm smile.

“Thank you master,” Meixue declared, bowing.

“I have other matters to attend to. Good luck,” Han Rui said as he turned to leave.

Meixue maintained her bow, and only raised her head when she couldn’t hear Han Rui’s footsteps anymore. Then, she focused on the waterfall once more.

“Master has given me such a great opportunity. Failure is not an option,” she muttered solemnly as the bead appeared in her hand. She approached the waterfall in slow and deliberate steps, her eyes brimming with unyielding determination.

Meanwhile, Han Rui quietly ascended the stairs while whistling a catchy tune. He came across Zhanghuo along his journey, but he didn’t pay much attention to the motionless bull. Like that, he returned to the main area of the manor.

“What a day,” Han Rui sighed as he collapsed on a nearby chair. “I wasn’t expecting to get two new underlings, but I guess this is better than nothing.”

A playful smile parted his lips as he suddenly sat upright. “System, I haven’t forgotten about you. Where are my upgraded rewards?”

[Your rewards are the friends you made along the way!]

Han Rui rolled his eyes as he stared at the flashing panel. “Tell me who is being cringy now?”

[You have no sense of humor! Moving on…]

[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating a challenger!]

[Calculating new rewards…]

Han Rui bit his lower lip as he muttered, “Please grant me something I can use. Please…”

[Calculations completed!]

* The host has received ten thousand essence washing pills!

* The host has received ten celestial ranked treasures!

* The host has received five Immortal level cultivation techniques!

* The host has received twenty Celestial level cultivation techniques!

* The host has received twenty Mystic level cultivation techniques!

* The host has received twenty Celestial bones!

* The host has received three Celestial physique beads!

* The host has received four Divine physique beads!

* The host has received three Immortal physique beads!

* The host has received the egg of an Immortal level beast!

[Several items in item shop have been upgraded!]

[The host has received one thousand fame points!]

“Damn,” Han Rui cursed out as he reclined in his chair once more. “I got excited for nothing again.”

Most people in the sacred martial world would kill to have one of the items gifted by the system, yet none of them caught the eyes of the young man.

[Don’t be disappointed! You can always try your luck within the shop!]

Han Rui ignored the system’s notification as he grumbled silently to himself.

[That reminds me, I believe it’s high time you started your grand mission!]

Han Rui sat upright a second time, his eyes burning with passion. “System, you’re not pulling another prank on me right now, right? You really mean it, right?”

[Host, it’s time for you to establish yourself as the number one kingpin above and beneath the heavens!]