In the Jade Cloud Sect, a young boy found himself cornered by a group of vicious attackers.
Despite their best efforts, he refused to yield to their bullying and hurled insults at his tormentors. "You guys are pathetic."
However, his bravery came at a great cost, as the boy was already heavily injured and struggling to stay conscious. His attackers sneered at him, relishing in his suffering and declaring that only the strong deserved to survive.
"The weak die, and the strong prevail. Who asked you to attract so much attention? You should have just stayed low if you don't have any trump cards."
Desperately searching for a way to escape, the boy's thoughts turned to survival, but with no way out, he resigned himself to his fate. "I need to survive, but how?" he groaned in agony, as his energy slowly drained away and he continued to bleed profusely.
As the attackers prepared to deliver the final blow, one of them suggested they leave him to die. "That trash is not worth our sword. Let's just leave him alone," he said callously, his companions nodding in agreement.
With his senses rapidly fading, the boy cursed his assailants as he watched their shadows disappear into the distance, vowing to seek revenge if he ever got the chance. "These bastards...if I get a second chance, I will kill them for sure. F*ck, I'm dying..."
Suddenly, a bright light enveloped the boy, and he vanished from sight. His attackers, surprised by his sudden disappearance, scattered in confusion, leaving the area empty and quiet once more.
Meanwhile, Augustus awaited the arrival of his guest. Suddenly, his system notified him of the guest's arrival, and he eagerly read the information.
[1-Star Daoist Friend has arrived]
[Zhang Jian]
Age: 14 years old,
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment,
Sect: Heavenly Sword Sect.
Zhang Jian, an outer disciple of the prestigious Heavenly Sword Sect.
The system also presented Augustus with a list of new quests related to Zhang Jian's arrival.
[Tend to your Daoist Friend's wounds]
[Guide your Daoist Friend's skills]
[Help your Daoist Friend achieve his goal].
Overwhelmed with the sudden influx of notifications, Augustus suddenly found himself faced with a wounded and battered Zhang Jian lying before him.
Augustus couldn't ignore the wounded boy in front of him. His mind raced with thoughts on how to help the boy, who was bleeding out in front of him. "He's severely injured… Should I go get a med kit from my world?" Augustus panicked as the situation was too sudden. "Let's stop the bleeding first."
"Orb, grab me some cloths or bandage to seal the wound," Augustus yelled, trying to remain calm despite the urgency of the situation.
The robot quickly arrived with a bandage from its stomach storage. "Here you go, Master."
Augustus then wondered if his robot could heal the boy's wounds, as it had an array of items in its storage. "I can do that, Master," the robot replied, and extended its hand toward the boy, which immediately released a green liquid that covered the wounded areas, healing the wounds instantly.
"As expected of ten million spirit stones," Augustus muttered in awe of the robot's capabilities.
"Oh, and by the way, from now on, your name is Orb." Augustus realized that he had forgotten to give his robot a name earlier and decided that it was only fitting to name it Orb because of its round shape.
It was also more convenient to call it Orb as it was only one syllable.
"Understood," Orb replied, projecting a smile on its face to show its expression.
"Orb, you watch him, and if he wakes up, let me know. I'll go and cultivate for now," Augustus said, already thinking about his own cultivation.
He sat in the middle of the array and began cultivating with his newfound cultivation technique. The gathering array increased his cultivation efficiency by 260%, which made him realize that he might be able to achieve Nascent Soul realm easily in this life.
Within just a few hours, Augustus was able to break through a single level of Golden Core Realm, but before he could continue cultivating, Orb interrupted him. "Master, the guest has woken up."
Augustus immediately went to see the boy. "How are you?" he asked, showing concern for the boy's well-being.
"Where am I? Am I in heaven?" Zhang Jian asked, taking in the scenery outside the window. The air was filled with Qi, and there was an odd feeling of calmness along with it.
Augustus gazed at Zhang Jian, who was still in shock from the events that had transpired. "No, you are not dead. Orb has treated your wounds you're totally fine," he explained calmly.
"Orb?" Zhang Jian repeated, confused. "Wait, my wounds are healed?" He lifted his shirt and examined the spot where he had been stabbed, but there was no sign of injury. "I don't understand. Why am I here, and why did you help me?"
"It was fate that brought us together," Augustus said cryptically. "Take some time to calm your mind and think about what you want to do next."
With that, Augustus left the room, leaving Zhang Jian to his own thoughts. He was understandably bewildered; one moment he had been on the brink of death, and the next he had woken up in an unfamiliar place.
Meanwhile, Orb watched silently from the corner of the room, its large, glowing eyes fixed on Zhang Jian. After a moment, Zhang Jian turned to face the robot.
"Are you Orb?" he asked tentatively.
"Yes, I am Orb. I have been assigned to tend to your needs by my master," the robot replied in its monotone voice.
Zhang Jian had many questions, and he didn't hesitate to ask them. "Who is your master? Where am I? Why am I here?"
"Master is Master," Orb replied enigmatically. "You are currently residing at his house. You were brought here as a guest because you were heavily injured."
Zhang Jian was still confused, but he decided to explore his surroundings. He left the guest house and found himself in a beautiful garden filled with exotic plants and herbs.
"Can I pick the herbs?" Zhang Jian asked Orb.
"Yes, you may. Master has no use for them, as they are merely common ingredients to him," Orb replied.
Zhang Jian was amazed by the quality of the herbs. He had never seen anything like them before. "These are heavenly-grade herbs," he marveled. "They are rare and difficult to find."
Orb nodded in agreement. "These herbs are intended for the guests to enjoy, but please do not take more than you need."
As Zhang Jian heard Orb's suggestion, he hesitated before making his decision. He was a sword cultivator, relying purely on sword techniques, and he needed to choose the right herb to consume to make the most of this rare opportunity.
"I need to reach enlightenment," Zhang Jian said to Orb. "Which herb should I take?"
Without hesitation, Orb pointed to an odd-looking herb. "I suggest grabbing this herb right over here. It contains pure sword Qi that might help you achieve your goal," Orb replied.
Zhang Jian looked at the herb with curiosity before picking it up. "Do I just pick it up and eat it?" he asked.
Orb offered to prepare a dish out of it. "I'll leave it to you then. I'm pretty hungry," he said.
Orb went to the kitchen to cook a dish for Zhang Jian while he waited in the guest house. When the dish was served, Zhang Jian devoured it in a matter of minutes.
"That was delicious, but I don't feel any changes," Zhang Jian said, disappointed.
"Try executing your usual sword technique in the front yard," Orb suggested. "Here is your sword."
Zhang Jian took the sword and walked to the front yard, doing his best not to disturb Augustus who was cultivating silently.
As Zhang Jian executed his sword technique, he broke through to the Golden Core Realm in an instant. But it didn't stop there. Sensing that Zhang Jian was going to rampage his surroundings, Orb quickly deployed a barrier on the front yard.
Zhang Jian gained enlightenment in his sword technique, causing Sword Aura to manifest and be released to his surroundings. The aura clashed with the barrier, causing a loud bang that startled Augustus and made him open his eyes.
"What happened?" Augustus wondered as he saw the barrier in his front yard with Zhang Jian inside.
The ground was heavily damaged, and there were marks of sword slashes all over the front yard. Augustus was speechless as he saw the scene, and he even felt that Zhang Jian's sword aura was sharper and purer than his.
"You have completed all your Guest Quests. You can now call upon your Daoist friend, 'Zhang Jian,'" a voice echoed in Augustus's mind.
"Like in my original world? Like calling for reinforcement?" Augustus wondered.
['Daoist Friends List' Unlocked]
[1-Star, Zhang Jian]
Age: 14 years old
Cultivation: Golden Core Realm
Sect: Heavenly Sword Sect
Specialty: Outer Disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect, 2-Star Sword Aura, Heavenly Sword 1st Form
Zhang Jian was an outer disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, a prestigious sect that had produced many legendary cultivators over the years. He had already reached the Golden Core realm and Level Two Sword Intent, which was a legendary accomplishment for someone his age.
Under his description was a summon button that was currently unavailable since Zhang Jian was standing right in front of Augustus.
'His description changed a bit, from rare to legendary accomplishment. Also, this kid has stronger sword aura than me and broke through to the Golden Core realm at just 14 years old when he was just in the Foundation Establishment realm a moment ago.'
Despite his surprise, Augustus maintained his composure as he observed Zhang Jian kneeling before him in embarrassment. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Master, I've also caused a mess, please let me fix your front yard."
Augustus was not angry, as he knew that Orb could handle the situation with ease. "It's all right, Orb will repair it in no time," he reassured Zhang Jian.
While still thoroughly reading his 'Daoist Friends List', Augustus noticed that there was a locked entry beneath Zhang Jian's description.
[3-Star, Xu Ziyu]
Age: 53 Years old
Cultivation: Tribulation Transcendence Realm
Sect: Unaffiliated with Sect
Specialty: Noble Phoenix Bloodline, Princess of Xu Kingdom, Fire Empress, Xu Sword Style
Xu Ziyu was known for her impeccable beauty, coveted even by some immortals. She possessed a rare Noble Phoenix Bloodline, found in only one in a billion people. She was the princess of the Xu Kingdom and held the title of Fire Empress. Xu Ziyu specialized in fire-based cultivation techniques and had the ability to control flames with great precision.
The summon option was also locked. When Augustus tried to click on it, the system notified him of the problem.
[Xu Ziyu is a 3-Star Guest. To summon Xu Ziyu to the Guest house or as a Daoist Friend, the user must first unlock a 3-Star Guest.]