After biting into the skewer, something surprising began to circulate in Mei Lianxue’s body. Intense energy flowed through her meridians and into her dantian, breaking through the peak of the Mortal Realm and elevating her to the Refinement stage, leaving her astonished.
“I broke through? Out of nowhere? How is this possible?” Mei Lianxue exclaimed, looking at the skewer in disbelief.
Curious, she took another bite and felt a surge of energy overflow, making her body increasingly warm, until the limit.
“Oh, it’s too much!” Mei Lianxue struggled, almost overwhelmed by the energy.
“Enough! I can’t handle all this!” She cried out, feeling completely filled with energy.
Looking at the skewer, she pondered, “How can a skewer have this effect? Something’s wrong... Could that person be a specialist?” She remembered Zhen Luoxian’s appearance, with his black hair and golden eyes.
“Could he be a specialist?” Mei Lianxue wondered aloud. “But why would a specialist be selling skewers?”
Confused, she ran back to her sect to alert her master.
Meanwhile, Zhen Luoxian was heading home when he received a notification from the system.
[DING DING DING]
[MISSION COMPLETED, HOST]
“Show my status panel.”
[NAME: Zhen Luoxian
AGE: 26
REALM: MORTAL
POINTS: 67
MISSIONS: SKewer Vendor - COMPLETED]
“How many points did I earn for completing the mission, system?”
[The host earned 50 points for the SKewer Vendor mission, totaling 67 points. Would you like to open the store?]
“Open.”
[SYSTEM STORE]
[CLEANING BROOM] 225 POINTS
[PRUNING SHEARS] 175 POINTS
[HAIR CLIPPER] 500 POINTS
[GRILL] 45 POINTS - NEW!!]
“Ah, your damn system! How am I supposed to get stronger by buying a broom? Explain!” Zhen Luoxian protested, frustrated.
“Looking on the bright side, host, you can keep your house very clean with it.”
“You must be kidding me,” Zhen Luoxian responded with disdain. “Sigh, okay. What will the next mission be? Raising pigs?”
[NO MISSIONS]
“What? I’ve never been out of missions for years. Are there no more daily tasks I haven’t completed? Can you help me get stronger now?”
[The host has completed all available missions up to now. The system will enter temporary hibernation. The store will remain available to the host.]
“What? Wait, come back here, you damn system!” Zhen Luoxian exclaimed.
“You make me do all these things and now you just disappear! Aah!”
“Damn it, at least I can still collect points by doing household tasks.”
Zhen Luoxian had bought a house from the system a few years ago. It was his first purchase with the points from the missions he completed. The house was large, with three bedrooms, a beautiful yard, and a fountain. Although beauty wasn’t his main concern, the house allowed him to earn points by doing domestic chores.
Somewhat disappointed with everything that had happened, Zhen Luoxian bought the grill. As a civilized man from Earth who loves barbecues, it wouldn’t be a waste.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Meanwhile, Mei Lianxue ran to her master with a skewer in hand.
“MASTER, HUFF, HUFF, HUFF!” She shouted, breathless, in front of the massive gate of the Blue Sky Sect.
A charming figure emerged, dressed in a beautiful blue dress. Her black hair and deep eyes revealed a powerful aura. It was Ling Xueyu, Mei Lianxue’s master, and a cultivator at the Seventh Stage of the Golden Core.
Ling Xueyu, surprised, thought: How did this girl break through the Mortal Realm so quickly? Mei had joined the sect just over three months ago, a remarkable feat. But breaking through to the next stage in such a short time is even more impressive.
“Mei, why are you so out of breath? What happened? We cultivators must always remain calm.”
“MASTER, I THINK I FOUND A SPECIALIST IN THE CITY!”
“A specialist? Why do you think so?”
“I bought a skewer from someone who seemed like a mortal, but right after taking a bite, I broke through!”
Ling Xueyu, initially skeptical, looked at the skewer and was stunned. For someone at the mortal stage, the aura of energy emanating from the skewer was imperceptible, but for a stronger cultivator, it was clearly a golden aura of pure energy.
“MEI, WHERE DID YOU GET THIS SKEWER? WE NEED TO GO TO HIM QUICKLY!”
“Master, I think he might have left. He was closing his stall when I bought my skewer,” Mei replied, still breathless.
“It’s late. We’ll look for him in the city tomorrow. Someone must know him!”
“We must find him, no matter the cost.”
Meanwhile, Zhen Luoxian was at his home, which was away from the city. He preferred peace and quiet. He was preparing his barbecue for the evening to enjoy the stars with his companion, a black dog he had bought from the system for 125 points. Although he didn’t know the breed, he assumed it was expensive.
While preparing the barbecue, the dog watched intently.
“Has the master become stronger again? Only his aura could erase me if there was any hostility,” thought the dog, named Rou, admiring his master.
“I know what you’re thinking. I felt it too, but remember, we’re not here to assess the master’s power. We’re here only to serve him,” a voice spoke in Rou’s mind.
It was the little golden fish in the fountain, speaking telepathically. Rou replied:
“You’re right. It’s better not to focus too much.”
Soon, Zhen Luoxian went to the patio to eat outside and watch the stars. He took a piece of steak from the barbecue and gave it to Rou, taking another piece for himself. As he enjoyed the barbecue and admired the stars, a loud noise near his house caught his attention.
Startled, Zhen Luoxian wondered what could have happened. Even though he was very frightened, after all, this was a world of cultivators where the strong dominate the weak, he decided to investigate.
Upon arriving at the scene, he found a beautiful lady with purple hair and a perfect face. Her body was slightly exposed due to torn clothes, which made Zhen Luoxian blush for a moment. However, seeing that she was injured, he tried to approach.
“Miss, are you okay?” Zhen Luoxian asked, astonished.
“Ugh,” the lady responded before fainting.
Zhen Luoxian noticed she had sword marks and severe burns; her wounds were deep and left her in critical condition.
In a hurry, Zhen Luoxian carried her to his nearby home. He feared that the person who fought with her might come after her again. She was severely injured, so he performed first aid to stabilize her. Zhen Luoxian had considerable medical knowledge, acquired through system missions. After getting her out of danger, he left her to rest and recover. Later, he planned to ask her what had happened and why she was so injured.
The next day...
“Argh, my head...” Yue Ling murmured, slowly waking up. The pain and weakness left her disoriented, and she struggled to remember what had happened.
Zhen Luoxian entered the room, holding a bowl of soup. “You’re finally awake. How are you feeling?” He asked with a relieved smile.
“Where am I? Who are you?” She asked, trying to get up, but her body protested, forcing her to lie back down.
“Where am I? Who are you?” She asked, trying to get up, but her body protested, forcing her to lie back down.
“I’m Zhen Luoxian. I found you lying and injured near my house. I took care of your wounds, but you still need a lot of rest.”
Yue Ling looked at him for a moment, realizing he didn’t seem to understand the gravity of her identity.
“My name is Yue Ling,” she said, hoping for a reaction that never came. Zhen Luoxian merely nodded, seemingly not recognizing the name.
Confused, she thought: “How does he not know who I am? I’m the heir of the Lunar Spirit Clan. Could he really just be a mortal?”
Zhen Luoxian, noticing she needed more rest, left the room so she could recover.
As soon as Zhen Luoxian left, Rou, the dog, appeared at the door, watching her with penetrating eyes.
“Little girl, I think you better behave,” Rou’s voice echoed in her mind, surprising her. She tried to gauge the dog’s cultivation, but what she saw was immense and boundless energy, causing her to fall to her knees in shock.
“A... a talking dog? And with that level of power?” She stammered.
“Don’t be scared,” Rou continued. “You’re a guest of the master, so we have no reason to harm you. Just a warning: the master prefers to live as a mortal and doesn’t like discussing cultivation. Keep that in mind.”
Yue Ling nodded, still shaken. “What is this place? Who is Zhen Luoxian really?” She wondered, now more intrigued than ever.