"Qi Refining Realm 5th Layer!"
A man had exclaimed happily. What he could not achieve after a week of cultivation, he had done so in only two days. Normally, this would already be considered a 'genius talent' in the Tiān Fēng Dynasty.
"I barely have any Psionic Stars, however..."
It seems he had used most of his Psionic Stars on cultivation speed, which explained why he had broken through so fast.
"Hah..." Ling Yan sighed heavily.
Feeling a rumble in his stomach, Ling Yan spread his crossed legs, stretching them before standing up. It was time for dinner.
He had spent most of his time indoors cultivating and also discovering the new changes in the system. However, he made sure to spend some time socializing with the locals—most of whom treated him with kindness and courtesy, as they seldom encountered outsiders.
"Little Brother Ling... are you there?"
"Big Sister... I'll be there in a while."
Needless to say, his life was peaceful, so much so that he was still not convinced of sacrificing his cultivation realm this early—it was too soon to part with all the villagers, he thought.
At least, that's how he convinced himself to stay for longer. In truth, Ling Yan, over the past two days, had always enjoyed talking and spending time with the gentle Fu Lan—and he knows deep down that that was mostly the reason for his hesitation.
<<----------->>
"Brother Deng Wei... what should we do?"
"That scoundrel is here to make trouble! I'm going to teach him a lesson." The man, Deng Wei, exclaimed.
Hunting in the nearby woods, Deng Wei, who acted as the leader of the hunting team for the village's food and supplies, told his men. The forest was eery, as the two dozen team trodded in vigilant steps.
"But the chief...?"
"How can a random outsider steal my Lan'er!?" He shot his glare at his subordinate, projecting his anger.
Deng Wei addressed Fu Lan in such a way that disregarded her position—devoid of the usual polite speech that he had shown her. It seems that Deng Wei had her sights on Fu Lan for a while and this information had become the local gossip in the village. Of course, Fu Lan didn't mind and ignored them mostly.
"If he comes out of the village, I'll be the first to lecture him—I'll cripple and torture that pitiful man." Deng Wei scoffed.
"How will you deal with the chief's cultivation, Deng Wei?" Mei Hui, Deng Wei's right-hand man, snapped him back to his senses.
"Tch...! Then we'll just have to attract some beasts to kill him."
That's right, if there was anything that gave fear to the big and burly Deng Wei, it was their village chief who, despite her soft-spoken nature, could easily crush him with a single palm. She had inherited the cultivation base of her late husband just before he died of illness, after all.
<<----------->>
"Hey! Mister let's play!"
"Mister~ show us more of those!"
The two young children nudged at Ling Yan's sleeves with wide eyes and beaming smiles—apparently, he had become close with the both of them despite their initial fear. Especially the young boy, who was amazed at Ling Yan's 'otherworldly skills'.
"Those were all tricks I spent with a Psionic Star..."
Ling Yan grimaced, now that he had looked back on it—he was stupid to spend his lifeline just for party tricks. He could not help but sigh at the fact that he had just wanted to inflate his ego by impressing children.
They were presently situated in the lavish dining hall of the village manor—a space not overly expansive, yet infused with a distinct sense of style and refinement. Each item of furniture and ornament bore an air of considerable expense, meticulously maintained. Apparently, his room had been repurposed from a storage area—a place where the previous chief had stored his prized collection of swords.
Fu Lan greeted Ling Yan with a smile, as she prepared the dishes. For the past two days, Ling Yan had been living with this family—and he found it hard to part ways just like that.
"We're lacking herbs and spices today... so I'm afraid the meal is not that delicious." Fu Lan frowned as if it was a serious matter.
"Oh... then I think I can help with that."
These 'spices' were nothing ordinary, and Ling Yan was aware of that because of the system. These were spices that were found deep in the forest where demonic beasts were rampant, and they were usually used for festivities only—they were precious spices, after all. Knowing this, Ling Yan didn't mention it. However, he had always wanted to repay her kind intentions.
"That's...! There's no need!" Fu Lan refuted the idea.
"Big Sister Fu Lan, it's time I work for all these rare things that you have given me... no?"
"...!"
It seems that Fu Lan realized what Ling Yan had meant. She did not expect Ling Yan to notice—to notice that these herbs and spices were of great help in cultivation and recuperation. Although Fu Lan didn't know why Ling Yan's aura grew at an astonishing rate—she had just assumed he was healing from internal injuries and had decided not to hold back on treating him back to health.
She was really hesitant and was not amicable with the idea of Ling Yan going out to venture just when he was still 'recovering'—but she was too stunned to speak, and could only fold in Ling Yan's insistent persuasion.
<<----------->>
Demonic Beasts
They were beasts that have innate power, their attacks containing power from the heavens and earth—different from common creatures. Admittedly, Ling Yan had not seen a demonic beast yet aside from animals with a little bit of Qi.
[Warning: The host is surrounded by Cultivators with killing intent]
"I know, Psi. I could feel it all the way here." Ling Yan warily said.
Ling Yan had always had a sixth sense for being stared at—it's as if he could feel eyes peering through him. This also helped him back in his old world determine if someone needed his help or is indirectly telling him something.
"It seems they are waiting for something, they likely cannot do anything obvious to me—I'll just pretend I didn't notice their presence."
[The host is entering the territory of an Impure Lesser Qilin]
The system added that while it was a lesser Qilin, it was still in the Foundation-Establishment Stage, and he was advised to steer clear and not provoke it. Ling Yan couldn't help but have reservations, he did not stand a chance if he were to fight it head-on.
"This..."
Ling Yan pressed forward, he had to stick to his words—especially after he had insisted on it in front of Fu Lan. In any case, he always had the system to help him just in case things went awry. He could only let fate decide what would happen forward.