Yu Ning sat in bed with a pale expression whiter than a blank sheet of paper. Even though he hadn't felt a change in his body, he was still rather surprised.
'The Spiritual Meridians of Twelve Oceans?! It was said that there was once an Energy Practitioner that possessed these meridians despite having Normal-tier low-grade spiritual roots. He was claimed to have soared through the sky and reached the Astral Halo Realm!'
Yu Ning's shuddered at the fact that he might be able to accomplish such a thing in the future if the system wasn't some scam. Without rest, he immediately opened the Spiritual Roots loot box.
He watched impatiently as the roulette animation played and the fanfare tune played once the black line landed on a dark green square.
Yu Ning heavily anticipated what he would receive.
[Congratulations! You opened: Normal-tier(High-grade) Mind & Water Dual Spiritual Roots!]
[Both gift box items have been used, do you wish to claim them?]
Yu Ning wasn't disheartened in the least at the fact that he received normal-tier roots, in fact, he was elated. He currently had no spiritual roots, so he had no say in the matter.
Beggars couldn't be choosers after all.
He read the last message and immediately agreed without the slightest hesitation. He nodded his head eagerly and the system screens closed. Without prior notice, he felt an extremely calm feeling wash over his body.
'What's happening?' Yu Ning was slightly afraid of the sudden changes happening to his body since he didn't fully believe in the system. He didn't think he'd truly yield any rewards from the system, despite it being rather interesting.
Yu Ning hurriedly positioned himself in the lotus position and focused, letting the calm feeling overwhelm him. Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, he could feel something taking root.
He could also feel his meridians changing all over. It was quite the magical feeling and something he believed no one else had ever experienced.
Yu Ning let the feeling overwhelm him for an unknown amount of time before he finally came back to his senses. He spared no time and entered his Sea of Consciousness, in order to view his Martial Soul.
He didn't believe it to have changed much, if not at all, but he was still curious. Contrary to his expectations, when he entered his Sea of Consciousness, his view was assaulted by a few things.
His Martial Soul had taken the form of a large eye once again, but the iris was now a mix between deep blue and dark purple. Yu Ning could even feel that the aura of mysteriousness around it had grown even deeper than before.
Regardless, its quality hadn't changed, leaving him mildly disappointed. Beside his Martial Soul, Yu Ning spotted two small trees that looked as ordinary as can be.
Minus the fact that they were extremely thin and had countless branches that were blue and purple colored. One tree had an aura of confusion and mysteriousness, while the other had an aura that calmed people and felt like a gentle lake of water.
Yu Ning slowly approached the trees and looked at them both in shock and disbelief. 'Spiritual Roots! Mind and Water Spiritual Roots! They're really here!'
Yu Ning couldn't believe that he was truly blessed with spiritual roots. He couldn't contain himself and tears ran from his eyes like unhindered rivers. After leaving his Sea of Consciousness with an expression of pure delight, he inspected his body.
He noticed that his meridians, which were once in bad health, had not only reached their peak in health, but even possessed a calm and magical air. Yu Ning even felt that his body had been strengthened!
'I truly have Rare-tier Middle-grade meridians now! And spiritual roots! Not to mention their dual spiritual roots, if I make myself known, there's not a single sect that wouldn't try to rope me in!'
Yu Ning knew that if he exposed himself, he'd be treated like a treasure, but he also knew that he'd be coveted for his secrets by the people that knew him already!
"Xie Shen!" Yu Ning spoke with gritted teeth and a seething temper. His emotions would always become turbid when he thought of Xie Shen, the origin of his anguish.
Yu Ning disregarded the thought of Xie Shen and turned towards the system. He was nearly intoxicated with the feeling of gaining power and wanted to gain more!
"Excuse me, do I truly have to slay others to acquire their souls and use them to open...loot boxes? Perhaps there's another way?" Yu Ning wasn't too avid about killing others, but he was a little more tempted when it came to the Lootbox System.
If it meant that he could acquire more power, then with enough convincing he might be persuaded to kill one or two people.
[Yes, you have to kill various beings to obtain their souls and use them for opening loot boxes. There are also rare quests that are given that will reward you with souls.]
The system's response brought a smile to Yu Ning's face. It meant that he didn't have to devote himself to killing people, or for that matter becoming a member of a Fiendish Sect or Cult.
But if he decided to completely stick to system-initiated quests, then he might make slow progress. After a while of conflicted thoughts, Yu Ning finally thought of a solution.
"Perhaps I can become a mercenary? I was told long ago that the minimum age to join is once you awaken your Martial Soul, which is at the age of twelve." Yu Ning voted this as a good idea, a great one in fact.
There was only one problem now.
'I have no cultivation base, nor cultivation techniques. And neither does this horrible orphanage. The only thing we have is a basic cultivation manual.' Yu Ning knew that before becoming a mercenary, he'd need power.
He dug underneath his pillow and pulled out a small manual.
'12 Meridians Refining Technique.' Yu Ning looked at the manual with a weird expression, trying to figure out whether or not he should try to practice it.
'I've never been able to practice this technique because I didn't have spiritual roots back then, but what about now? Even though its a simple technique that only strengthens my meridians and body, it can't be looked down upon too much.'
Yu Ning flipped through the manual before going back to the first page and reading the information.
"Draw 3 deep breaths and released 12 small breaths. Let the spiritual energy enter your body and temper your meridians." That's what Yu Ning read on the page. There was also a sequence of strange poses that when combined turned into an ordinary technique.
'It's known that at the beginning of Body Tempering Realm, one cannot absorb, refine, and contain spiritual energy. The best one can do is contain the spiritual energy for a short amount of time before it attacks ones insides.'
Yu Ning learned a fair share regarding cultivation despite not meeting the qualifications to walk that path. He knew that tempering one's meridians was a painful task, yet rewarding one at that.
'The path that bears fruit will remain entangled in various tribulations, and only the brave, bold, and arrogant may walk it and survive.' Yu Ning said this to himself as he stood up in his room and began following the breathing pattern.
At the same time, he began assuming the positions both mentioned and drawn within the manual as spiritual energy began to enter his body. His lips curved into a smile of delight as he felt himself moving forward.
'Doing two jobs at once is always better than one after the other!' Yu Ning figured doing such a thing would be harder than simply saying it, but he had the determination to persevere.
Within an hour of following the manual's techniques, his body was covered in dirty sweat and his dirty cloth shirt became even dirtier. His breathing was ragged and heavy, yet it continued to abide by the manual's rules.
Within two hours, Yu Ning's body was aching and his bones were quaking. He could feel his first meridian being continuously assaulted by the spiritual energy that entered his body. After practicing for so long, he finally reached his limit.
He fell onto the ground and laid there as his chest rose and fell heavily and he stared at the ceiling, nearly looking through it. Yu Ning nearly spaced out until he heard a familiar 'Ding!' sound.
A screen appeared in his retina, painting a smile of pure happiness on his face.
[Quest received:
Title: Become A Mercenary
Information: Reach a certain power requirement and become eligible to register as a mercenary.
Requirements: 3rd Stage of the Body Tempering Realm
Rewards: 10 Human Souls
Lootbox Conversion Rate: 5 HS = 1 Lootbox]
Yu Ning could hardly refrain from laughing heartily and jumping around his room after reading the quest information.
'My time to rise has come!'