Augustus gazed at Xu Ziyu in awe, marveling at the description of her by the system as an unparalleled figure in this dimension.
But little did he know, she was actually a princess! Despite his assumptions that she was just some noblewoman, perhaps the daughter of a sect leader or a wealthy merchant, she was of royal blood.
And not only that, but she had advanced from the Void Amalgamation Realm to the Transcendence Realm in an incredibly short amount of time - a feat that only the most talented cultivators could hope to achieve in their entire lives.
Typically, it would take at least a thousand years of cultivation to attain the Transcendence Realm, and in the worst case, ten thousand years. But Ziyu had surpassed that milestone with astonishing ease.
It was a realization that left Augustus stunned. And to make matters worse, he knew summoning her again would be no easy task.
Feeling troubled, he was interrupted by Zhang Jian, who had noticed his master's unease.
"What's wrong, master?" Zhang Jian asked, his voice laced with concern.
Augustus hesitated for a moment before replying, "Nothing. Please, don't call me master. Just call me Yin Bai."
"As you wish, Senior Bai," Zhang Jian acquiesced, his voice dripping with deference. "Is there anything I can do to assist you?"
Augustus pondered for a moment before replying, "Right now, what do you want to do? You can either stay here and cultivate. I don't mind you staying here, so feel free to stay for as long as you'd like."
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Bai," Zhang Jian said gratefully.
Augustus was curious about the system, which was his first time seeing it. "However, I received some sort of message after achieving Enlightenment. A spirit says we are Daoist Friends?"
"Oh? You can see it too?" Zhang Jian asked in surprise. "On my side, there's a chat, return, and gift button on the spirit."
"I see," Augustus said, nodding. "Well, you can just stay here as long as you like then. I'll be here for a while too."
"Understood. I'll stay here and cultivate for a while until I feel like I'm ready," Zhang Jian said, eager to take advantage of the opportunity to cultivate in such a rich environment.
Over the course of a few months, both cultivators worked tirelessly under the Qi Gathering Array. And while Augustus made some progress, it was Zhang Jian who experienced the most gains. He broke through into the Nascent Soul Realm in just a few months,.
"Thank you for the hospitality and everything. I won't bother Senior Bai anymore. I wish Senior Bai a good life," Zhang Jian said, using the system to return to his origin.
As Augustus struggled to advance from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul Realm, Zhang Jian kept breaking through, leaving him feeling embarrassed to cultivate beside him.
Despite gathering a substantial amount of Qi in his dantian, Augustus felt as if he had hit a wall and could not progress any further.
Just then, Zhang Jian was teleported away, and Augustus was left alone to continue his cultivation.
But as Zhang Jian returned to the forest where he was previously attacked, his body shimmered in a bright light, and he experienced the sensation consciously this time.
As he appeared back in the forest, he couldn't believe it. After spending so much time with Senior Bai, everything felt surreal. He had finally reached the Nascent Soul Realm with Level two sword intent, and his strength was unmatched among his peers.
"I'll definitely turn the Jade Cloud Sect upside down," Zhang Jian thought to himself, "but I'll gather more strength before I show myself. They're not aware that I'm alive, so I'll use it to my advantage. When the time comes, I'll strike the Jade Cloud Sect."
Meanwhile, Augustus breathed a sigh of relief that he was alone again. But he couldn't help but wonder if he could summon more Daoist Friends.
He wasn't sure if he could infinitely summon guests, so he asked the system, which informed him that he could only summon guests weekly.
Augustus resolved to focus on advancing further in his cultivation until it became difficult to progress any further.
After reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, he returned to his real world for a while to spend time with his family before going to the army.
Later on, when he was bored, Augustus decided to try out the dungeon feature. He clicked on the dungeon and was instantly transported inside a dimly lit cave, surrounded by torches that provided just enough light to see his surroundings.
"I'm inside already?" Augustus wondered to himself, ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead.
[Welcome to the 'Dungeon'!]
[You are in the 1st Level.]
[Based on your stats, it is recommended that you advance directly to the 20th room.]
[The system can directly transport you there.]
Augustus decided to test the waters instead of moving straight to 20th room. He moved forward and enhanced his senses with Qi, instantly sensing dozens of living creatures hiding between rocks.
[Slay 100 Goblins.]
There are Goblins. They were hiding, waiting to ambush him. Augustus wasted no time and rushed toward the nearest goblin using only his swordsmanship skills to kill the goblin before it could retaliate.
['Goblin Ear' obtained!]
The goblin disappeared, its body turning into liquid and particles.
Augustus moved on to the next goblin, dispatching each one effortlessly as they came his way. The goblins quickly realized that they were facing a formidable opponent, and fear took hold of them.
One by one, they disappeared from the cave, unable to face Augustus' overwhelming strength.
In just a few minutes, Augustus had completed the quest.
[Objective completed!]
[Warning: Boss is being summoned.]
[Goblin Chief!]
A goblin ten times larger than the others appeared in the middle of the cave, wielding a great sword and wearing proper gear, unlike the other goblins that Augustus had just defeated.
Augustus casually walked toward the goblin chief, who stared at him as he approached. As soon as the goblin chief had the chance to attack, it swung its great sword downward toward Augustus.
Clang! The great sword bounced off as it clashed against Augustus's Aura.
'For now, they can't even damage me even if I let them. Understandable.'
Augustus finished testing things out and struck the goblin chief with a downward strike.
Ichimonji's Strike.
He didn't bother channeling his aura and mana together, relying solely on his strength with Qi. The strike cut through the goblin chief like butter.
['Goblin Chief' Slain]
[Choose your reward]
[1. Goblin Chief's Greatsword]
[2. Goblin Chief's Pauldron]
[3. Goblin's Flute]
Augustus surveyed the available rewards, his eyes scanning the options with interest.
The goblin's flute caught his attention, a mysterious tool that could summon a group of goblins under his command.
[Goblin's Flute]
A consumable that summons a group of goblins under your command. The strength of the goblins is proportional to the user's magic.
[Uses left: 1]
It was a consumable that could prove to be incredibly useful in a tight situation.
"A consumable that summons a group of goblins, this would be useful." Augustus mused, his mind whirring with possibilities.
He moved on to the next dungeon, he senses the goblins here were stronger than before.
The goblins were now banding together in groups instead of being alone, and their shifty eyes were watching his every move.
Augustus hesitated for a moment, weighing his options carefully.
He knew the risks of charging into battle, but his instincts urged him forward. With a deep breath, he rushed towards the goblins, his heart pounding in his chest.
The goblins were taken aback as Augustus swiftly took down one of their own, and they regrouped to launch a frenzied attack against him.
But their attacks were too slow, and even though they managed to hit Augustus, they were unable to deal any significant injury to him.
With swift movements, he counterattacked against the goblins, his magic overpowering theirs with ease.
"I guess there's a reason the system recommended that I go to the 20th room," Augustus thought, his lips curving into a wry smile.
The goblins stood no chance against him, and he quickly took down 100 of them.
The main reason Augustus stayed was that there was a reward for each room, and there was no way he was going to miss out on twenty rewards provided by the system.
Suddenly, a warning flashed before his eyes. A boss was being summoned, and Augustus steeled himself for what was to come.
He faced off against the Goblin Chief once again, who was wielding the same greatsword and pauldron as before.
But this time, he had a group of goblins at his side, making the fight all the more challenging.
"If I were alone and at the same level as the Goblin Chief, I would've needed to use the Flute to clear this room," Augustus thought, his mind racing with strategies.
But he don't need to use the flute.
Swoosh*
The Goblin Chief was cut in half with one swift hit, and the other goblins that had spawned alongside him disappeared into particles as Augustus emerged victorious with ease.
['Goblin Chief' Slain]
[Choose your reward]
[1. Goblin Chief's Greatsword]
[2. Goblin Chief's Pauldron]
[3. Goblin's Flute]
The system provided the same choice again. This time he decided to choose the Pauldron, as he had not yet worn any equipment, so it might be useful to him.
[Goblin Chief's Pauldron, Grade-1 Equipment]
[Stats Increase: STR+ 2, DEF +3]
[Requirement: STR: 20]
The pauldron glimmered with a faint aura as Augustus equipped it, seamlessly blending into his attire.
Although it didn't possess any flashy special effects, it was still better than nothing.
As he moved forward, the next room was swarmed with even more goblins, and Augustus couldn't help but notice a pattern in their increasing numbers and strength as he delved deeper into the dungeon.
This time, the horde of goblins comprised of mixed types, including warriors, assassins, ranged-types, and even mage goblins.
Five warrior goblins, two hiding assassins, two ranged goblins, and a formidable mage goblin formed each group.
The group of goblins started attacking him first instead of waiting for Augustus to attack
With a quick reflex, Augustus anticipated their attacks, taking on the warriors head-on while dodging the flying arrows. The assassin goblins were no match for his trained eyes, but the mage goblin was a different story.
Augustus knew he had to take out the mage first, as its magic could be deadly.
With a swift Wind Step, he dashed past the goblins and reached the mage in a blink of an eye.
The mage was too engrossed in casting its spell, not noticing Augustus's presence behind him until it was too late.
Kwek*
A deafening shriek echoed through the room as the goblins realized the mage's fate. Augustus beheaded the mage with a single strike, dropping its lifeless head on the floor.
Despite the thrill of the battle, Augustus couldn't help but wonder about his defense capabilities. "Should I let the mage finish casting?" he thought to himself.
But he decided to leave that for another day and focus on cleaning up the remaining goblins as fast as he could.