As Hun Yu woke up, he felt a numbness enveloping his entire body. Looking up, he saw Yun Xiu standing in front of him.
"Are you alright?" she asked, walking closer with a worried expression.
"Yes... I don't know what happened, but I suddenly fell unconscious," he replied, recalling the helpless situation where he couldn't even utter a word.
He noticed a hint of guilt and pity on her face, which confused him. Why would she feel guilty about his fainting? Was she blaming herself for his condition due to their training?
Despite his confusion, Hun Yu chose not to dwell on it. He sat silently, his body still numb.
"System, what happened? Was this another heart attack?" he asked in his thoughts.
{Symptoms mimicked those of a heart attack but were fundamentally different. No arterial blockage or heart muscle damage was detected. Instead, it appears to be caused by something else.}
"What might this 'something else' be?" he inquired mentally.
{2000 Energy Points}
He balked at the cost. Last time, it was only 100 points; now it had skyrocketed to 2000.
"Why the sudden increase in your pricing?" he thought, careful not to speak out loud lest Yun Xiu think he'd lost his mind upon waking.
{Host is at Tempering Body 2. The previous price included all the discounts for being a normal civilian. There are no discounts for cultivators.}
The explanation seemed reasonable to him. He checked his available energy points, which were less than 1,000.
He needed to save enough to ask the system about what was causing these heart attack-like symptoms and eliminate it. Otherwise, he wouldn't know when he might suddenly die from heart failure.
Feeling refreshed, Hun Yu stood up. His body felt good after yesterday's training.
Yun Xiu hesitated, wondering if she should tell him. It seemed Hun Yu hadn't realized the damage to his face. He might not feel any pain or discomfort there because of the pill's effects.
With a sigh, she decided it was better to tell him now rather than later. "Follow me," she said, walking out of the cave.
Hun Yu followed her to the riverbank. She signaled him to look at the water.
Confused, he obeyed. As he gazed at his reflection, he froze.
"Wha..." His saliva stuck in his throat, his eyes wide open.
His trembling hands slowly touched the left side of his face. One side was completely burned.
His mind went blank. What had happened to his face? A realization hit him—had he fallen into the fire when he collapsed from what he thought was a heart attack?
"System, what happened?" he blurted out, forgetting Yun Xiu was standing beside him.
He usually communicated with the system in his thoughts, but his shock rendered him oblivious to her presence.
Yun Xiu shook her head slowly, thinking this was too much for him to handle.
{When the host became unconscious, the body lost control and fell directly into the fire, causing one side of the face to be burned.}
As the system confirmed this, Hun Yu took several deep breaths to steady himself.
Closing his eyes, he stepped back, only to collide with someone behind him. He lost his balance and instinctively closed his eyes, expecting to fall.
But instead, he felt a hand on his waist. Opening his eyes, he saw Yun Xiu holding him, preventing his fall.
For a moment, he forgot the situation. Without thinking, he placed his hands on her neck, but before he could do anything more, he felt himself falling again.
"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed with anger, though a hint of redness was visible on her cheeks. She hadn't expected him to suddenly put his hands on her neck.
Her anger subsided when she looked at his burned face. He must not be in the right state of mind, she thought, heading back into the cave and leaving Hun Yu on the ground.
Hun Yu watched her leave, noticing the guilt in her expression.
"System, why is she feeling guilty?"
{She thinks she caused your face to burn.}
"Does she think I lost consciousness because of her training and fell into the fire?" he pondered. "System, can you tell me how to recover my face? Surely you have a way."
Hun Yu wasn't panicked about his burned face or looking unattractive. since he came into this world, he learned that appearance meant little without power.
He had never cared about appearance in his previous life either.
Given money and power, even a beggar could command more respect than a thousand good-looking people.
Everything revolved around power, and he wasn't particularly handsome to begin with. Wearing a mask to avoid giving others a bad impression was a simple solution.
{... Did the host just suddenly become intelligent?}
Hun Yu heard the system's words and nodded with pride, thinking perhaps the fire had ignited some circuits in his brain. Touching his burned skin, he felt no pain.
"The pill Miss Sect Master gave me is really effective. I wonder what tier it might be," he thought, before standing up and heading back into the cave.
"System, is it possible to restore my face?" he asked.
{It is possible but will cost a lot of Energy Points, which is 1 million.}
As he heard the price, his jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "Why so expensive? Isn't it just a simple restoration?"
{The trunk of the tree you were burning was no ordinary piece of wood.
It was a piece of an ancient tree, and the fire produced from it has anti-healing properties that can negate the effects of most types of healing. Only some high-grade pills can heal your face.
This type of wood burns for long but has this significant side effect.}
"How unlucky can I be," he thought.
{Congratulations, Host, for being unconventional on the basis of appearance and earning the title of "Handsome face? Nah, I like burned face!" + Increase in cultivation.}
As this appeared, he felt a surge in his power. Previously, he could lift 300kg, but now he felt he could lift 500kg.
{Host is promoted to Tempering Body 3.}
"Hmm, System, you should give rewards like this more often," he thought. His eyes fell on the title. "What is the title?"
{Title: Handsome face? Nah, I like burned face!}
{Effect: Host will have a special charm around him, giving off a unique vibe. Only those weaker than the host can be affected.}
As he read the effect, he thought it was okay. Having a special charm could make convincing people easier. Yun Xiu didn't seem disgusted by his half-burned face, which was enough for him.
He slowly walked towards the cave. As he entered, he saw a pink, cute-looking fox sleeping peacefully.
Sensing something, the fox immediately woke up and its eyes fell on Hun Yu, who stood silently.
Its tail stood up, and a growl escaped its mouth. Instead of attacking Hun Yu, it ran to Yun Xiu and hid behind her.
Yun Xiu watched the fox's reaction. If it attacked Hun Yu, she would have to step in and stop it because, despite its small size, this fox was stronger than Hun Yu, who was only at Body Tempering Rank 2... Wait. S
he focused on Hun Yu. "Rank 3?" she thought, astonished by his rapid advancement. He was at Rank 2 the previous day. I
"This?" Hun Yu looked at the fox, puzzled. Why was it scared of him? This fox was obviously a Tier 1 Prana Beast, maybe even stronger than him.
"This is a pet I found," Yun Xiu replied in a composed tone, picking the fox up and cuddling it to calm it down.
"Oh," he said, not inquiring further. To him, it didn't matter much.
He slowly bent down and picked up his sword. Seeing his action, Yun Xiu coughed. "If you're not feeling comfortable, you can rest today," she said.
"I don't think I need rest. I just want to master the sword technique taught by Miss Yun as soon as possible." Although he intended it to sound respectful, it came out more romantic.
He turned around and left the cave to practice outside. He focused on his training, his form improving with each repetition.
Soon, he stopped and looked around, trying to find something. He wandered around for about an hour, searching.
"This much will do," Hun Yu said, surveying the ingredients he had gathered to create a good dish. In about forty minutes, he finished cooking.
"Done," he said, picking up the dish and walking back into the cave. He saw the Miss Sect Master cultivating. Sensing his presence, she slowly opened her eyes, only to see him holding a bowl.
He walked towards her and placed the bowl in front of her.
?? Wasn't he training? Why did he come back with food?
"I thought Miss Yun might be hungry, so I made this. Training can be postponed for later," he explained.
She remained silent, accepting the food. After she finished eating, she spoke.
"Hun Yu, why not join a sect? They could provide you with more resources to cultivate. You will just waste your potential being my assistant," she said.
Hun Yu, who had been lying comfortably on the floor, sat up cross-legged. "Although they can provide me with resources, can they give me freedom? Can they give me the peace I feel around you?" he asked. Though it might sound a bit off, it was the truth.
Yun Xiu considered his words but remained unconvinced. "I mean, you could be a free cultivator rather than being my assistant. That would be much better," she said, trying to persuade him.
Despite her attempts, Hun Yu remained steadfast.
"Ok, if you are so stubborn and persistent, then don't regret your choice in the future," she said before closing her eyes and entering into cultivation again.
{Congratulations, Host, for completing the task of making Sect Master Yun Xiu accept you as an assistant fully.}
{Rewards: Unlock Shop, 5 energy points.}
Hun Yu felt a wave of satisfaction as the system acknowledged his achievement. He decided to check out the newly unlocked shop.