"..."
"..."
A man could be seen staring at the ceiling, as two children looked at his eyes with curiosity and innocence. The two had just stood there, looking at the dazed man. As the man's eyes fluttered open, he found himself in a lavishly decorated room with traditional oriental furniture adorning the space, in contrast with the modern structures that he was used to back in his old world.
"Mother! The unconscious mister has woken up!" The boy ran out, and a hint of fear could be heard in his voice.
"Mister... are you a demonic beast?" The naive little girl asked innocently, in contrast with the panicked boy.
"Eh...?"
As Ling Yan's eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he realized he was lying in a bed. Confused, he tried to remember what had happened before he lost consciousness. Just moments ago, he had been expecting to be transported and bathed in the warm embrace of the sun. But now, he found himself in an unknown house, suggesting he must have been unconscious for a while.
"Oh... I see that you're awake." A woman's voice resounded, signaling her presence entering the room.
The simple yet elegant woman slowly set foot inside, and with each step she took, it enhanced her gentle and soothing aura. She had donned a simple robe that complimented well with her braided hair. Her presence was comforting that even Ling Yan felt his nerves easing—she seems easy to talk to, he thought.
"Big sister, may I ask what has happened?" Ling Yan politely asked.
"Hoho, you're quite glib-tongued calling this aunt 'big sister'." The woman smiled, she appreciated Ling Yan's sentiment.
"The way I see it, big sister is still young and beautiful" Ling Yan continued, being courteous.
"Hah—is that so? Very well..." Giving up, the woman explained the situation.
It seems that this was the Huàn Yǐng (幻影) Village, an obscure village in the Tiān Fēng Dynasty just near the border of the Yàn Yún Dynasty. He was found unconscious outside the village by one of the farmers and had been brought over to where he was now. The woman seems to be the village head and was a cultivator at the Foundation-Establishment Realm—she was the strongest in the village, apparently.
"I find it odd, you were lying unconscious—yet you sustain no external injuries, how...?" The woman asked what was bugging her mind.
"That's..."
"Chief!"
Before Ling Yan could answer, a man shouted angrily—breaking into the room by slamming the door wide open. His physique appeared to be quite muscular and could be easily mistaken for a professional weightlifter back in Ling Yan's world.
"Chief, I was right! This scoundrel is definitely a spy from the Yàn Yún Dynasty! I just heard reports of cultivators from there prowling the area of the forest near our village!" A man voiced in anger.
"...leave, Deng Wei. You're being rude to our guest." The woman's voice was calm, yet carried immense pressure.
"B-but...! This person cannot be trusted!"
"..." The woman glared.
"...! Tch... fine...!"
The man bitterly left the room, murmuring hateful words through the wall—slowly fading into a state of silence. The woman heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed her temples as if she had just gotten rid of a nuisance.
"Is that really fine...?" Ling Yan couldn't help but feel worried.
"It's alright, he's always like that ever since his brother...ever since my husband died." She said with a solemn face.
"I see."
Ling Yan understood and decided not to pry any further. And as if to switch the mood, Ling Yan stood up and stretched his body—the woman couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
"In any case, I really owe you my life big sister—may I ask for your name?"
"Fu Lan."
"I see, I am Ling Yan—I am extremely grateful for this life-saving grace, big sister Fu Lan." Ling Yan bowed as if to show his gratitude.
After clearing his head, it seems that he remembered being knocked unconscious by the shockwave that was generated by [Jade Desolation Palm] just before it hit him. Ling Yan couldn't help but dread the idea of it striking him head-on.
"In that case, I will call you Little Brother Ling." Fu Lan playfully smiled.
"Little Brother..." Ling Yan couldn't help but have mixed feelings about it.
<<----------->>
"While the Qi in the surroundings isn't as dense as a Cultivation Pagoda—with the help of this gourd, I can easily absorb the Qi from the heavens and earth."
It was rather early in the evening as Ling Yan sat on a bed, in his newly given room by the village head. It was not as refined as the room he woke up with—but it was still comfortable and cozy. However, while that was the case, he was not sure how long he could stay here for free, so he decided to cultivate immediately. He had to make himself useful somehow, after all.
The Cleansing Qi Gourd, aside from it rejuvenating Ling Yan, it had also helped him absorb more Qi in cultivation as it seems to have the power to attract energy from the heavens and earth.
[The host is now eligible for Elementary Mortal Mastery, Requires 50 Psionic Stars]
"...!? So it costs Psionic Stars to upgrade..."
The sudden announcement from the system had caught Ling Yan off-guard, he did not expect that this would happen so soon. And as if to emphasize that, he had caught himself sighing with a perplexed look on his face.
Ling Yan hesitated to use almost all his hard-earned Psionic Stars. Nevertheless, he remembered that there were many benefits in upgrading his art—with great reluctance, he had...
[Confirmed]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching Elementary Mortal Mastery]
[Psionic Star Consumption is Reduced]
[Psionic Arts Feature Unlocked: Artifact Recycling]
[The host may now recycle any artifact into Psionic Stars. Additionally, the host's conversion of Psionic Stars of Cultivation Speed and Qi Purity is enhanced; therefore, the host's Psionic Stars that had been used from the following have been refunded.]
"This...!"
Ling Yan's eyes shot wide open—just as he was about to grimace about losing 50 of his Psionic Stars, it seems it was still worth spending that much on improving his mastery over the art. Now, this meant that even if he spent the same Psionic Stars on improving his cultivation speed and the purity of his qi, it would be more effective than before.
"Wait... if this is so..."
Ling Yan was left with a myriad of questions and couldn't sleep that evening.