When the Hero System pinged, Yuan Haoran was a little surprised. Logically, he should have received the reward after he eliminated the poison from Feng Yie the previous night. It was a little odd for the system to give a response when he was not even at the scene.
But it was possible that Feng Yie had finally passed the danger of relapsing. Perhaps, her team finally gave up on killing her while she was vulnerable from the venom, ensuring that she would not die in a way that was connected to the snake.
The reason did not matter to Yuan Haoran.
[Mission: Save the Apothecary Feng Yie from Snake Venom.]
[Status: Complete]
[Reward: An Artistic Soul in the Cultivation World]
Yuan Haoran's face immediately became dark as he looked at the system panel. The reward did not look like something good. While he did not care about the rewards from the system except for the information it promised, he did not want useless resources after completing the missions.
'What is this?' He asked.
[Host, this is something good. You will appreciate the material as someone on the mage path. You should know that the old ghost taught you nothing useful for real-life survival in the cultivation world. That is why you should think about choosing righteous cultivation.]
Yuan Haoran was aware that he was just a vessel holding a lot of power. Moreover, Old Guo's methods for cultivation involved a lot of the use of death energy in the necropolis alongside the lightning element during his training.
That was the reason his spiritual energy was extremely cold, even though it was the thunder element which was composed of fire and air roots. The constant attraction of the yin energy from the dead in the necropolis made him gain strength faster, but it also changed his elemental nature.
But he was not going to change his path. He liked devil cultivation because it gave him more freedom. And just because he was using demonic techniques did not limit the potential use of righteous techniques.
'I will manage.' Yuan Haoran replied flatly.
[I promise you will find the reward useful when you leave the domain. Once the reward is issued, it will be available to you through the Hero System in your mind. You can access the details like with the first reward of the Flora Encyclopedia. But I would encourage you to read the materials manually.]
Yuan Haoran had planned to do that because he preferred learning things by himself. It was the reason he had not yet opened his second reward, The Theory of Cultivation. However, he was curious why the system would encourage him to rely less on it instead of more to foster dependence.
'Why? It is pretty good to access the information from you. I did not travel through space and time to do homework.' He said with an inward chuckle.
[You cannot be lazy, Host. The cultivation journey is tough and daunting. Even a system like myself must work hard to gain experience and grow. If you do not read, you will only be able to access the information if you know what you are looking for.]
[For an encyclopedia, it is convenient. But if you want to understand the principles of cultivation, you will not comprehend the full meaning without reading the entire content. Therefore, it is better to focus and read everything.]
The Hero System was earnest in its advice because it wanted to push its Host to the right path.
'Do you have better rewards than these books?' Yuan Haoran asked. 'It would be more useful to give me real cultivation resources.'
[That is impossible, Host. Even though systems are advanced, they cannot conjure things like pills and swords. I cannot create something from nothing. Not to mention, I am not corporeal. But you can rest assured that the rewards I give you will help you achieve all your dreams.]
Yuan Haoran snorted derisively at the solemn promise from the system. He never realised that the system would be so useless. From what it told him earlier, all its skills boiled down to one fact: the system was just a glorified computer.
The Hero System felt wronged. [The rewards are tailored to help you with your cultivation journey and ensure a smooth transition to every new phase of life. The calculations determine the events that are likely to occur and provide a manual to tackle the pertinent situations.]
'So, I am going to encounter a battle of art?' Yuan Haoran asked as he stood on the tree branch.
[...] The system decided to choose peace.
Yuan Haoran leapt off the branch and landed lightly on the ground. Seeing that he received his reward and Feng Yie was safe, he did not need to stay away from the campground. He would not have to deal with those so-called righteous cultivators who wanted their team member dead but lacked the guts to kill her directly.
The hypocrisy was disgusting.
When he left the forest, he decided to find Long Jingyi. Once the gates of the domain opened, he would be thrust into a new world he did not understand. He was confident in his survival instincts, but it was always better to choose an easier path.
Long Jingyi was the perfect companion because he was popular, well-connected, and intelligent. He also treated him as a real friend without suspicion. Moreover, his aura was so clean that no one would associate him with devil cultivation. That could come in handy in the future since the multitudes were already accusing him of being a demon.
When he approached the area where the Hallowflame Academy had set up their tents, he met a troublesome person. His scarlet eyes flickered with irritation, and he kept walking. However, Fu Da was not willing to miss the chance.
"Senior Yuan, where did you go last night? We could have set up a tent for you." She followed Yuan Haoran and asked enthusiastically.
Yuan Haoran stopped and turned to look at her, his red eyes developing an eerie glow beneath the cloak, despite the morning light. He let out a thin thread of killing intent, but he was careful not to go too far in the lively campground.
"Do you need to ask that question?" Yuan Haoran's voice was cold.
Fu Da felt like ice was flowing through her body, and a knife was held at her throat. The threat was clear as a day, and it meant she was not as secretive as she thought she was the previous night. He knew she had followed him and was warning her.
She took a step back in fear because she could sense the sharp killing intent. She wanted to say something and even call out to someone, but her voice seemed stuck in her throat. It was like she could not breathe.
"I knew you would be back!" A loud and lively voice broke the standoff.
Long Jingyi chuckled and punched Yuan Haoran's arm playfully. Yuan Haoran let go of his killing intent, and his face no longer looked as cold. Fu Da felt relief as she was able to breathe again, but she stumbled back as the tension left her body.
"What are you doing here, Junior Fu Da?" Long Jingyi frowned. "Everyone is getting ready to leave. You should help the others."
"Of course, Senior Long." Fu Da bowed slightly before rushing away.
Despite her humble exit, Fu Da was filled with angry determination as she walked. She swore to herself that she would not rest until she captured Yuan Haoran's heart. She wanted him to regret threatening her and dedicate himself to pampering her.
A few moments later, someone's shout reached the entire campground.
"The gate is opening!"