Night descended upon Verdant Mist Peak, and gentle moonlight washed over the quiet mountain.
"Senior Brother, the chicken soup is ready."
A clear and pleasant voice broke the tranquility.
Mo Yu looked up to see Ling Wanqing approaching with a steaming bowl of chicken soup in her hands.
She wore the same simple attire as always.
For a brief moment, Mo Yu found himself studying her appearance.
With a thought, he opened her status panel.
[Name: Ling Wanqing]
[Luck: 10,000 (Gold)]
[Affection: 100 (Absolute Trust)]
[Description: Adopted and raised alongside Mo Yu since childhood. Due to past experiences, she possesses an extremely cautious personality and finds it difficult to place trust in others. She possesses the Innate Dao Embryo Physique, a rare constitution capable of greatly enhancing one's understanding of the Great Dao.]
A look of realization flashed through Mo Yu's eyes.
So that was the reason.
Her cautious nature explained many of her habits.
Even now, she rarely revealed her true thoughts and always maintained a careful distance from the outside world.
It was not because she lacked trust in him.
Rather, it was simply how she had learned to survive.
At that moment, the System's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Detected: Ling Wanqing has placed complete trust in the Host.]
[Milestone achieved.]
[Reward granted.]
[Immortal-Level Mastery: Formations, Talismans, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining.]
[Rewarded Immortal Artifacts:]
[Tian Shu Array Disk]
[Spirit Radiance Inscription Brush]
[Divine Smithing Qiankun Cauldron]
[Immortal Flame Pill Furnace]
A torrent of information instantly flooded Mo Yu's consciousness.
Countless principles concerning formations, talismans, alchemy, and artifact refinement surged through his mind.
Mysteries that would take ordinary cultivators entire lifetimes to comprehend unfolded before him with crystal clarity.
The vast sea of knowledge gradually settled, becoming part of his own understanding.
In a single moment, his attainments in all four fields reached the pinnacle of what the lower realm could offer.
Suppressing his surprise, Mo Yu inspected the System Space.
Sure enough, four new Immortal Artifacts had appeared.
An ancient formation disk.
A radiant spirit brush.
A magnificent forging cauldron.
And a pill furnace enveloped in immortal flames.
Curious, he examined their functions.
The Tian Shu Array Disk and the Spirit Radiance Inscription Brush served as powerful auxiliary treasures, capable of greatly enhancing the efficiency and quality of formations and talismans.
The remaining two artifacts were even more remarkable.
The Divine Smithing Qiankun Cauldron could automatically refine artifacts according to the user's intent.
As long as the necessary materials were provided and a clear design was envisioned, the cauldron would complete the entire forging process on its own.
Likewise, the Immortal Flame Pill Furnace could automate alchemical refinement with extraordinary precision.
Mo Yu's eyes brightened.
Although the knowledge he had just received allowed him to personally forge treasures and refine pills, possessing such convenient immortal artifacts would save an immeasurable amount of time.
For cultivators, time was often more precious than treasure itself.
The more he studied the rewards, the more satisfied he became.
This harvest was far greater than he had expected.
The System's mechanical voice echoed in Mo Yu's mind.
[Do you wish to plunder Luck?]
No.
[Luck unchanged.]
[Villain Points +1000.]
A faint smile appeared on Mo Yu's face.
As expected, defeating a protagonist-level figure yielded far greater rewards than dealing with ordinary supporting characters.
This time alone, he had obtained four Immortal Artifacts.
With a thought, he opened his status panel.
[Name: Mo Yu]
[Realm: Third Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm]
[Physique: Chaos Divine Body (1%), Pure Yang Holy Body]
[Cultivation Techniques: Heavenly Profound Scripture, Great Burning Heaven Art (Heaven-Rank Mid Grade, Upgradable), Chaos Yin-Yang Art (Upgradable)]
[Techniques: Indestructible Golden Body...]
[Treasures: Human Emperor Banner, Gathering Yin Soul Jade Box, Soul-Suppressing Flute...]
[Special Traits: Incomplete Immortal Bone, Netherworld Ghost Flame...]
[Luck: 15,200 (Sacred Dragon)]
[Villain Points: 8,600]
Since beginning the cultivation of the Chaos Yin-Yang Art, his Chaos Divine Body had reached one percent completion.
His stockpile of Villain Points had also grown considerably.
Eight thousand six hundred.
Enough to make a worthwhile purchase.
His soul strength was now sufficient to overwhelm most cultivators of the same realm. However, his weaknesses remained in body refinement, movement techniques, and combat arts.
He was among the strongest of his peers, but not yet untouchable.
A body cultivation technique would greatly improve his overall combat power.
"Senior Brother, why aren't you eating?"
Ling Wanqing's sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.
Mo Yu returned to reality and picked up a piece of chicken.
The meat was tender and succulent, infused with a faint trace of spiritual energy that lingered pleasantly on the tongue.
"Wanqing, your cooking has improved again."
Ling Wanqing's cheeks flushed slightly.
A bright smile bloomed across her face.
"As long as Senior Brother enjoys it."
Across the table, Chu Yuli carefully placed a piece of meat into Mo Yu's bowl.
"Master, please try this as well."
"Thank you."
Mo Yu nodded before glancing toward Su Meier, who remained comfortably nestled against him.
"Senior Sister, aren't you going to eat?"
Su Meier lazily waved a hand.
"You all go ahead."
Eating would only interrupt her cultivation.
Or more accurately, her preferred method of cultivation—which consisted mostly of lying around and doing absolutely nothing.
The small courtyard soon filled with laughter and conversation.
The atmosphere was warm and peaceful.
Ling Wanqing silently observed the scene before her, her heart filled with contentment.
Senior Brother had grown stronger again.
The heavenly tribulation earlier had made that abundantly clear.
A Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul.
And one that seemed even more powerful than the one he had possessed in her previous life.
At this rate, even his senior sisters might struggle to keep pace with him.
Suddenly, Chu Yuli tilted her head.
"What kind of person is Grandmaster?"
The question immediately drew everyone's attention.
Mo Yu answered without hesitation.
"Completely unreliable."
Su Meier yawned.
"And a habitual liar."
Chu Yuli blinked.
Really?
Ling Wanqing couldn't help but laugh.
"Master is actually a good person."
She paused before adding gently,
"Just don't take everything she says too seriously."
Mo Yu nodded in agreement.
"If Grandmaster ever asks you to do something outrageous, make sure to think twice before agreeing."
"I understand."
Chu Yuli nodded solemnly.
In her mind, everyone's reliability received a new ranking.
Master was naturally the most trustworthy.
Senior Sister Wanqing came second.
Senior Sister Meier was... questionable.
As for Grandmaster—
Chu Yuli decided it was best to remain cautious.
After dinner, Mo Yu returned to his room.
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the Gathering Yin Soul Jade Box resting on the sill.
The jade surface glowed faintly beneath the silver light.
According to the System, the artifact would condense a Divine Soul Pill every month.
Not bad.
The Immortal Artifacts rewarded by the System came already bound to his soul, eliminating any concern about others attempting to seize them.
"What is that?"
Su Meier raised her eyes curiously.
"I found it inside a secret realm."
Mo Yu casually explained.
"It can produce Divine Soul Pills."
Su Meier nodded.
Although a trace of suspicion flashed through her eyes, she chose not to ask further.
Everyone had secrets.
She was no exception.
Mo Yu stretched slightly.
"Senior Sister, I'm going to sleep."
Although cultivators no longer required sleep, he had no intention of abandoning the habit.
In his previous life, he had worked late into the night nearly every day.
If he couldn't enjoy sleeping after transmigrating into a cultivation world, what was the point?
"Go ahead."
Su Meier lazily narrowed her eyes.
"Don't mind me."
Mo Yu's expression twitched.
The problem was that she was currently occupying his arms and showed absolutely no intention of moving.
He briefly considered protesting.
Then he thought better of it.
Arguing with Su Meier was usually a losing battle.
With a helpless sigh, he sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes.
Since sleep was no longer an option, he might as well browse the System Shop.
With a thought, countless items appeared before him.
Cultivation techniques.
Physiques.
Treasures.
Pills.
Weapons.
Virtually anything imaginable could be found within the shop.
Then something caught his eye.
A limited-time offer.
Mo Yu raised an eyebrow.
Even the System was running promotions now?
Curious, he opened the page.
[Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength — Upper Volume]
Original Price: 100,000 Villain Points
Discount: 95% Off
Current Price: 5,000 Villain Points
---
[Binding Immortal Rope]
Original Price: 30,000 Villain Points
Current Price: 3,000 Villain Points
---
[Void Realm Undying]
Original Price: 10,000,000 Villain Points
Current Price: 1,000,000 Villain Points
Mo Yu's eyes widened.
Such discounts?
This was practically giving them away.
Without hesitation, his attention locked onto the first item.
The Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength.
A legendary body-refining technique.
Its reputation was famous even beyond cultivation worlds.
Any cultivator who had heard its name understood one thing:
Once mastered, it transformed the body into an overwhelming weapon capable of suppressing all enemies through sheer power alone.
At only five thousand Villain Points, it was impossible to ignore.