The Yin Province's jungles were infamous for their dangerous nature.
It was said that not even an immortal sect with ancestors in the Soul Transformation Realm dared to venture into its depths.
...
Hao Gongming threw a punch, causing a monster that resembled a monkey with eight eyes to explode into a bloody paste.
The system prompted an experience gain of +352, rewarding her for the kill.
It had been a few days since she had moved to the jungle, and her harvest had been abundant.
Her current stats were as follows: Physical Power: 10.9, Magical Power: 7.4, Soul Power: 10.5, Free Stat Points: 11, Level: 9 (12031/ 128,000), Talent: Low-Level Dragon Blood.
"Now, let's venture deeper into the jungle," Hao Gongming decided.
As she moved forward, more and more monsters appeared. She considered them as additional XP and did not complain.
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the jungle, accompanied by an unprecedented sense of danger.
Hao Gongming looked around vigilantly and activated her spiritual sense but felt nothing within its range.
However, at this moment, a horrifying pressure enveloped her. "It's beyond the Qi Condensation level," Hao Gongming exclaimed.
She was excited as she could now truly test her strength.
She sensed an extremely powerful existence as it entered her spiritual sense. "It's at the Core Formation level! I'll die if I take a hit from it!"
Without hesitation, she allocated 5 points to her Physical Power. Her Physical Power now reached an unprecedented 15.9 points.
The monster closed in on her in the blink of an eye and struck her in the chest.
Hao Gongming was sent flying like a meteor, turning to dust any trees that came in her path.
Finally, she collided with a rocky mountain, and the impact was so intense that the entire mountain trembled.
Barely conscious, Hao Gongming coughed up blood and gritted her teeth.
She added 5 more points to her Physical Power, determined not to give up.
A system prompt immediately appeared: "Congratulations on unlocking a milestone! Here are the following rewards:
Medium-Grade Thick Skin: All physical damage received will be significantly reduced.
Medium-Grade Blood Strength: the host can gain physical strength by burning their blood.
Medium-Grade Inexhaustible: The host will experience minimal exhaustion from physical activity."
Medium-Grade Absolute Defense: the host can block one attack with power no higher than the nascent soul realm per day.
Hao Gongming didn't have time to check the rewards now.
After adding 5 more points to her Physical Power, she found the strength to stand up.
She immediately cast a fire-healing spell.
Soon most of her injuries healed, and she looked around vigilantly.
She couldn't find the monster anywhere.
Suddenly, the monster appeared in her spiritual sense. This time, she was able to react in time and dodge its first attack.
Still, it immediately followed up with another attack that she couldn't evade.
She was sent flying for over 200 meters before finally stopping.
This time, she stood up immediately, with only minor injuries.
"It's still faster than me, and now, I can see it clearly. It's an Assassin Monkey!" Hao Gongming realized.
Assassin monkeys were extremely fast and had muscular bodies.
When they reached the Nascent Soul stage, they no longer attacked empty-handed but used sword-like claws, making them dangerous even to strong Nascent Soul cultivators.
However, it was their terrifying speed that made them such dangerous creatures.
Hao Gongming complained in her heart, knowing that Assassin monkeys were highly troublesome. Killing them for cultivators of the same level was almost impossible unless they set up traps in advance.
She added her remaining stat point to her Physical Power again and felt even stronger. Now her speed should be slightly superior to the monster's, and her strength should be significantly higher.
The monkey attacked again!
This time, Hao Gongming dodged the monkey's attack and swiftly used the Fire Sword spell to strike.
Blood spurted out as the monkey's hand was cut off and flew far away from the impact.
The monkey screamed and ran away at a breakneck speed.
Hao Gongming used the Fire Boost ability to immediately catch up and unleashed a barrage of small fireballs, throwing at least 10 in rapid succession.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"
The jungle echoed with the explosive sounds of the fireballs. A system prompt appeared: "(XP + 1984363) Level up!"
Upon hearing the sound of the system, Hao Gongming smiled. There was no doubt that the monkey had died.
Her updated stats were as follows: Physical Power: 21.9, Magical Power: 7.4, Soul Power: 10.5, Free Stat Points: 4, Level: 13 (148425/2048000), Talent: Low-Level Dragon Blood.
"It's really tough. Leveling up is becoming much harder. Let's increase my Magical Power to 10 for now," she decided.
The system responded: "Congratulations on reaching a milestone! Here are the rewards:
Small Spell Engineering: you get a small help when improving spell formations.
Small Spell Strengthening: Every spell you cast will be strengthened to some degree without any extra cost.
Small Spell Resistance: You can resist any spell with power that doesn't exceed the Nascent Soul level."
"Very powerful! It seems my high Magical Power stat is one of the reasons my spells are much stronger than normal," Hao Gongming realized.
"Now, after this, I should focus on increasing my Physical Power. According to my calculations, once my Physical Power reaches 30, I'll be comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator."
A Nascent Soul cultivator was a formidable presence in the world of cultivation. With that kind of power, acquiring various resources and advancing her cultivation level would be easy.
Hao Gongming recalled Old Man Bai, who was only at the Foundation Establishment level but held the prestigious position of an External Elder due to his cultivation level.
With that in mind, Hao Gongming continued her hunt.
Ten days later, Hao Gongming examined her updated stats: "Physical Power: 22, Magical Power: 10.4, Soul Power: 10.6, Free Stat Points: 9, Level: 18 (13,339,575/65,536,000), Talent: Low-Level Dragon Blood."
In these ten days, she had slain numerous monsters, many of which were on par with the Assassin Monkey.
She felt a sense of joy as she looked at her improved stats.
However, upon reaching level 10, a notification appeared stating that the system was upgrading, preventing her from allocating the 9 remaining stat points.
She sighed, wishing for the system upgrade to be completed quickly.
With her Physical Power at 30, she could venture deeper into the forest.
Hao Gongming gazed ahead and noticed a luxurious carriage passing on the road. Mortal guards surrounded it, displaying a high level of vigilance.
A two-tailed snake, startled by her presence, was moving toward the carriage.
Knowing that the mortal fighters would surely perish when encountering the creature, Hao Gongming sighed.
Helping a few insignificant ants posed no effort for her, so she started walking toward the carriage.
One of the guards, who had noticed her approaching, called out, "Wait right there! Who are you?"
Hao Gongming replied, "Where are you going?"
The guard persisted, asking once again for her identity.
He had heard of monsters disguising themselves as beautiful women, and the recent alarm by the monster detecting treasure had put them on high alert.
Hao Gongming released a slight pressure on her Qi Condensation level, causing everyone present to become fearful and respectful.
The guard recognized her as an immortal, so he apologized, "I apologize to Master Immortal."
Hao Gongming asked once more, "Where are you going?"
At that moment, a young boy dressed in luxurious clothing emerged and introduced himself, "I am Liu Meng, the first son of the Yin Province Lord. Master Immortal, please accompany me to our palace."
Hao Gongming examined him. He appeared to be around 18 or 19, possessing handsome and beautiful features.
She contemplated, recalling the countless novels where the protagonist would save beauties who eventually became part of their harem.
She thought to herself, "Let me try it too. After all, if there's no Harem, you're not truly the protagonist."
Unbeknownst to the boy, who had no idea he was already counted as one of Hao Gongming's harem members, he continued smiling.
Hao Gongming reciprocated with a smile and agreed, "Sure, lead the way."
The monster that had been trailing was naturally scared away upon her arrival at the carriage.
The system prompted with a ding, indicating that the upgrade was complete.
A new function called "Harem Lord" was added.
Harem Lord: the host would gain XP daily according to the cultivation level of members.
It had a list of harem members below this skill.
She opened the list, showing "Liu Meng - Daily Experience: 100."
Hao Gongming was surprised and wondered, "How peculiar. Could it be that the system has evolved according to my desires?"
She boarded the carriage and sat beside Liu Meng.
Only one sect reigned supreme in Yin Province—the Cloudy Sky Sect.
The sect controlled everything; the province lord and others were mere puppets, easily replaced.
For this reason, Liu Meng was excited to invite an immortal master to his father's palace, as having more immortal masters would solidify their positions.
Soon, they arrived at a grand and beautiful palace. Commoners were prohibited from approaching even within a one-kilometer radius.
The carriage halted at the palace entrance and dispatched someone to inform his father.
Soon, a middle-aged man with a mustache emerged and greeted Hao Gongming.
Hao Gongming was direct and wasted no time.
When she met Mr. Liu, she declared, "Mr. Liu, I am here to accept your son Liu Meng as my apprentice."
Initially stunned, Mr. Liu quickly regained his composure, responding, "It is an honor for our family."
Liu Meng promptly kowtowed seven times, expressing his gratitude and commitment.
Hao Gongming smiled, acknowledging the gesture, and entered the luxurious castle.
She occupied the highest seat at the dinner table, followed by Mr. Liu and her new disciple.
At the same time, a few other children of Mr. Liu looked on enviously. In addition, five of Mr. Liu's wives were also present.
Soon, the dinner was served, surpassing even the finest delicacies of Earth.
Many ingredients were spiritual creatures, enhancing the flavors and creating an exquisite dining experience.
After the dinner, they led her to the bedroom.
Hao Gongming stated, " Meng, I want you to personally serve me here. I don't want your hired servants."
Liu Meng felt a bit uncomfortable, having lived his whole life as a young master. It was difficult for him to serve another person. However, the opportunity to cultivate immortality made it all worthwhile.
He was tested before and had no cultivation talent.
But with the help of an immortal master, it would not be that difficult to fix his body so it can keep spiritual energy.
In reality, attaining immortality was possible, even for someone with a defective body. The body could be fixed, but the cost was exorbitant, far beyond what even a province lord like Mr. Liu could afford.
He waited outside the room.
From inside the room, Hao Gongming called out, "Meng, come in."
Liu Meng entered the room, ready to attend to Hao Gongming's needs.
She informed him that he needed to stay in her bedroom and attend to her needs as her disciple.
Liu Meng felt a sense of unease, but he maintained a smile and responded, "Yes, Master."
...
The following day, meng bid farewell to his father, and together with Hao Gongming, they set off toward the Cloudy Sky Sect.
Hao Gongming was energetic and wore a smile, while Liu Meng felt exhausted.
He had barely slept for an hour before they started their journey, and now they were on their feet, unsure of how long they would be traveling.
His father suggested using a carriage and guards, but his master rejected this offer.
After a while, Liu Meng collapsed, too tired to move further.
Hao Gongming smiled kindly and was about to pick him up when a horrifyingly strong aura suddenly permeated the air.
She couldn't help but curse, "Why is my luck so terrible? Judging by the aura, it's at the Nascent Soul stage. Can't I catch a break?"
Swiftly, she picked up Liu Meng and placed him under a nearby stone that appeared very sturdy.
Then, she ran in the direction of the aura.
Soon enough, she spotted a massive monster resembling a spider with twelve powerful legs.
As she observed more closely, she noticed ten cultivators engaged in a fierce battle against it.
They were all at the Core Formation stage, and Hao Gongming knew that there was no way ten Core Formation cultivators could defeat a Nascent Soul-level opponent.
Having the power of a core formation with 22 points in physical strength, she immediately allocated all her remaining stat points to increase her physical strength.
She understood that the cultivation level could be easily improved with sufficient resources, and actual power truly mattered.
As her physical strength reached 31 points, the system sounded in her mind, congratulating her on reaching a milestone.
It presented her with the following rewards:
High-grade Thick Skin: All physical damage received will be significantly reduced.
High-grade Blood Strength: the host can gain physical strength by burning their blood.
High-grade Inexhaustible: The host will experience minimal exhaustion from physical activity."
High-grade Absolute Defense: the host can block one attack with power no higher than the soul transformation realm per day.
High-grade Overwhelming Strength: the host's strength would be increased by 10 for one hour and then drop by 20 for 23 hours. This skill could be used once a day.
Hao Gongming was astonished by the strength of this skill.
With it alone, she could increase her physical strength to more than 40.
With a physical strength of 40, she could easily overpower Nascent Soul-level cultivators like they were nothing more than chickens.
However, her attention quickly shifted back to the battle at hand.
Contrary to her expectations, the Core Formation cultivators, who specialized in fire techniques, seemed to have found the spider's weakness.
"No good," she thought to herself.
Without wasting any time, she moved like the wind and delivered a powerful punch to the spider just as they were about to defeat it.
The spider, as enormous as a five-story building, was sent flying by her punch.
The experience points rewarded for this feat appeared in her mind (+295,693,011), and the ten cultivators were taken aback by her actions.
One of them, filled with anger, began to speak out, but he was quickly silenced by an elderly woman who seemed to be the leader.
The old woman expressed her gratitude to Hao Gongming for 'saving them.'
Then she introduced herself as an elder of the Inferno Sect.
She respectfully called Hao Gongming senior and asked her name, recognizing her as an existence equivalent to their sect's ancestor.
Hao Gongming simply replied, "No need. I'll handle the matter with the spider. You all can go."
"But senior, we..."
Before anyone could finish their sentence, Hao Gongming swiftly punched the cultivator who had spoken rudely earlier.
His head exploded, falling to the ground without a sound(+51,395,422).
This left everyone shocked and unable to react.
"I said you can go. Should I repeat myself?"
Hao Gongming's voice was filled with a commanding tone.
Nobody dared to speak this time, and they all quickly fled without even bothering to retrieve their fallen comrade's body.
Hao Gongming smiled, slowly moving to collect the spider's core.
She collected the cores of every powerful monster she defeated throughout her journey, creating a collection.
However, as she moved to where Liu Meng was, she grew worried and realized that the spider had somehow hit and destroyed that stone.
Underneath the rock's remains, she only found a pool of bloody mud with traces of his luxurious clothes.
Liu Meng was nowhere to be found, and his name was now gone from the harem members list.
"Poor Meng, he was quite good-looking." she thought.
Hao Gongming couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness.
She retrieved the core of the spider and resumed her journey toward the sect.
With a smile on her face, she decided that she would pick a few more harem members along the way.
After all, what kind of protagonist doesn't have a harem?