In the tranquil courtyard bathed in the soft, golden glow of the late afternoon sun, there sat a young man who seemed to have been plucked from the very pages of a romantic novel.
The young man's slender fingers were interlaced, resting on his lap, and his posture was one of casual grace.
He sat with an air of tranquility, as if he were an ethereal visitor lost in thought amidst the beauty of the courtyard.
The gentle breeze ruffled his white attire, making it seem as if he were an otherworldly apparition, untouched by the mundane concerns of the world.
And then, in the midst of his reverie, he heard a soft sound in his head.
[Ding!]
[Karma: (Li Clan: 500/2500)]
Looking at the sudden notification, Su Yen creased his brow and wondered how the karma reduced.
'I haven't started with the Li Clan, how did it reduce?'
As if sensing what was going on in his mind, the system responded.
[Due to the killing of the Li clan soldiers, the karma threat was reduced.]
Seeing this, a knowing look appeared on his face, and the corner of his lip curled up a bit.
[Ding!]
[The World Providence has increased.]
[World Providence: medium Tier 1.]
'What!'
Su Yen widened his eyes. He was flabbergasted. He had tried various ways for the providence of the world to increase but couldn't find a way.
But now, the world providence increases without him doing anything.
How?
He was both shocked and confused.
[With the introduction of the Metal Bone Construct, the situation of Barren land has changed. Humans have found a trace of hope for a better future.]
[With fear being taken away from the heart of everyone, the barren land is bound to prosper.]
[With a spark of hope, the world providence has improved.]
Reading all this, Su Yen realized what was going on. The humans living in the barren land were on the brink of despair with the continuous menace of the beast race.
But now, as long as they have the Metal Bone Construct, they have a fighting chance.
He sighed.
He took a deep breath to calm his emotions.
Humans in the Lotus world had been under the bondage of the beast race for a long time, and they all lost hope of freedom, reducing the world providence.
Everything changed with the invention of the armor.
While Su Yen was still relishing in the trauma the human race had endured for the past couple of centuries, he heard the system notification once again.
[Ding!]
[For increasing Lotus world providence, you received two months of cultivation.]
At once, a stream of pure Qi entered his body, nourishing every part of his body.
The Qi flowed smoothly without any obstruction, and a continuous popping sound echoed inside his body.
Early Qi Refinement stage 2.
Early Qi Refinement stage 3.
The speed at which the Qi circulated in his body did not lessen and continued to rush toward the barrier of the third stage.
Pop!
The bottleneck barrier was broken just like that without any obstruction.
Intermediate Qi Refinement stage 4.
Reaching the intermediate stage, the inflow of the Qi stopped, and his cultivation came to a stop slowly.
Huh!
Su Yen let out a deep breath with a deep shock still all over his face. He thought this quack system wouldn't help his cultivation, but how wrong he was.
After regaining his calm, he looked inside his body to check his cultivation, only to find out his foundation was as solid as ever.
If he were to cultivate by himself, he didn't dare to believe his foundation would be this sturdy.
'I guess I have nothing to worry about,' he mused as a smile crept up his face.
Just as he was relishing in his breakthrough, the door to the courtyard opened.
"Clan master, they are all waiting for you," a guard said, giving a bow.
Meanwhile, inside the main hall, a group of people were waiting patiently while scrutinizing each other.
Among the group, three people stood out: the Zhang clan master, Huang Young Master, and the Crimson Jade Pavilion.
Zhang and Huang were two sacred clans in the barren land, while the Crimson Jade Pavilion was a powerful merchant organization that dealt and sold everything.
The Crimson Jade Pavilion was mysterious, and each of their branches could be found in every part of the barren land and beyond.
Also, the Crimson Jade Pavilion's branch head was a beautiful young lady, dressed in an exquisite purple robe.
She was both charming and aloof. Sitting quietly, she didn't bat an eye at anyone inside the hall.
Just as the group was getting impatient, a creak came from the side entrance.
The door opened, and Su Yen entered.
Looking at the renowned clan master of the Su Clan, everyone got on their feet subconsciously.
Seeing this, Wu Bin was astounded. She rolled her eyes and looked at the powerful and influential men on their feet, not believing her eyes.
Even though she didn't want to stand up, seeing all eyes on her, she grumbled inwardly and stood.
Meanwhile, Huang Guo was shocked when he saw Su Yen's beauty. 'How could a man be this handsome,' he cried in his heart.
It was not only him that exclaimed in his heart.
Wu Bin was equally stunned. Previously, she looked at Su Yen's face, but she couldn't hide her shock from showing on her face.
'So beautiful.'
"Sit down, everyone," Su Yen said after sitting on his throne.
Taking their seats, all eyes were on his face as everyone inside the hall had various thoughts running through their minds.
Perhaps it was due to his beauty or due to the Metal Bone Construct.
Nevertheless, they found it difficult to avert their gaze from his face.
"Let's get straight to the point," Su Yen said, not bothered by the various gazes directed at his face.
"Ahem… Clan master… I came to tell you we've made all the arrangements for our partnership. You can send your men to our side to inspect it," Huang Guo said after recovering from his daze.
"Good. That won't be needed. I trust Huang clan master, you can go out and receive the order we've agreed on," Su Yen responded.
"Thank you…" A bright smile flashed on Huang Guo's face as he stood quickly, rushing toward the exit.
"Tell your clan master that I can't wait to see her once again," he heard Su Yen's voice from behind, halting his step before nodding continuously while grinning.
Meanwhile, everyone was flabbergasted by this. What was going on between Su Yen and the Barren land Goddess?
Almost all the men inside the hall were once suitors of the goddess. Unfortunately, they couldn't win her heart.
But now, it seemed the goddess in their hearts had taken a liking to another man.
How could this be?
Meanwhile, in a distant location, far from the barren land, standing atop the sea of clouds, a man dressed in a black robe looked into the sky and muttered.
"How could this world providence increase? After everything we've done, how can they manage to increase their providence once?"
He was lost, stunned, not believing what he was sensing
from the Lotus world.
"Go and find out what is going on," he commanded in a deep voice.
Unbeknownst to Su Yen, he had poked the hornet's nest, and he would feel the burn.