As he slowly sat down, maintaining a cautious distance from the fox near Yun Xiu, he thought to himself, "It seems that the sect master is soft on the inside but hard on the outside."
"System, tell me what things I can buy in the shop," he thought.
In the next moment, a screen materialized in front of him:
{Anything: Cultivation Techniques, Pills, Abilities, Knowledge, and many other things.}
Hearing the description from the system, he suddenly became excited.
"Show me what you are selling," he said in an excited voice.
He looked at the cultivation techniques. Although there weren't many, he understood why. At the top, it displayed:
Shop Level = 0
He realized he might have to upgrade the shop to unlock more items.
As he scanned the items, his gaze fell on a technique with a unique name: **Song of a Thousand Hearts**.
He clicked on it and read the description:
{Song of a Thousand Hearts: This technique focuses on harnessing the collective emotions and energy of large crowds.
Unlike traditional methods that cultivate individual spiritual power, the Song of a Thousand Hearts draws upon the raw, unrefined energy of people.}
The more he read, the more excited he became. "This is something good," he thought, "but it sounds like an evil cultivation technique."
He shook his head. "Evil and good are just labels made up by society. If it's good, I'll have it."
He scrolled down to see its price, and his excitement turned to shock.
10 MILLION ENERGY POINTS!!
"How in the hell can I even afford this technique? Maybe I need to be reborn 100 more times to afford it," he thought, looking at the grade of the technique.
{Grade - Diamond Grade}
"I've never even heard of such a grade before. wasent it like: first is bronze, then silver, plat and the most rare one that can cause wars if in the wrong hands, Gold Grade.
But Diamond Grade? From the name, it must be higher than Earth Grade," he tthought.
He understood why it was so expensive.
"System, don't you have some good, normal technique that I can afford?" he asked.
{No, the system only sells unconventional things. There is no place for normal in the shop.}
{Host is poor. Host cannot afford any technique available.}
He then remembered this system is called the Unconventional System, so it made sense it wouldn't sell normal things.
He sighed. In the end, there was no profit in unlocking the shop. He had worked so hard, day and night, trying to impress the sect master, only to get this.
{Host, there are many locked features. Work hard to unlock them. The unlock condition is hidden.}
His mood did not improve after hearing this.
A month had already passed during this time. Yun Xiu had trained Hun Yu.
Although he hadn't broken through to Level 4 of body tempering, his combat ability had significantly increased. Now, he was confident in fighting against a Tier 1 prana beast.
As he stood, looking at the screen in front of him...
{
[ Information Panel ]
Name: Hun Yu
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Clan/Sect: Assistant of Sect Master Yun
Cultivation Level: Tempering Body 3 (+)
Physique:
- Body Constitution: None
- Strength: Above +4 average civilian
Elemental Affinity: Unknown (Revealed upon reaching Elementalist realm)
Techniques:
- Strikes of 7 Hell and Heaven (Mid - Bronze)
- Water Flow Sword Dance (Low - Silver)
Special Ability:
- Empathic Healing
}
He noticed the plus icon next to his cultivation level and checked his energy points, which hadn't increased much due to the system only releasing a few minor tasks during this time.
This + feature, unlocked with the shop, allowed him to upgrade his techniques and cultivation using energy points.
He looked at the available points:
{Energy Points: 1001}
The cost of improving his realm was 5000, which was prohibitively expensive.
He needed to find a good opportunity to get a better cultivation technique, as the one given by Yun Xiu was just average. Using taboo methods was out of the question due to the high risk of being caught.
The system's prices were incredibly high, and the fox pet of the sect master was constantly annoying, trying to attack him for some reason.
He glanced at his reflection in the water. His half-burned face always pained him, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.
Noticing some changes in his eyes, he asked, "System, is it just me, or do my eyes seem more saffron in color?"
{Host is thinking too much.}
Before he could argue further, Yun Xiu approached, holding the cunning-looking fox in her hand.
"It is time to end your training," Yun Xiu said.
Hun Yu didn't like the fox, no matter how cute it appeared; it was very annoying.
He nodded, recalling that they were here to search for a treasure herb. His training had been an unexpected addition.
Now that his training was finished, he felt it was worth it. Not only was the shop unlocked, but he had also made significant progress in a short amount of time.
Just as they were about to leave, a wolf suddenly jumped in front of them.
Attracted by their presence, it seemed to focus on Hun Yu, unable to detect Yun Xiu standing nearby. This was a Tier 1 prana beast.
He realized she wanted to see if he could fight against it. Without hesitation, he picked up his sword, excited to test his strength.
The last time, that damned snake had won because of its tricks. Now, he was stronger. This prana beast would be no match for him.
He launched towards it before it could attack. Though its speed was fast, it didn't affect his movements.
As he swung his sword at the wolf, it backed away, avoiding the blade. He quickly drew another sword.
"Water Flow Sword Dance!" he shouted.
With graceful movements, though not as good as Yun Xiu's, Hun Yu inflicted many injuries on the beast.
Seeing it was at a disadvantage, the wolf turned to run. Before it could escape, a sword suddenly pierced it from behind, not giving it any time to react.
Looking at his increased performance, a smile appeared on Hun Yu's face. Indeed, the training paid off. Now he didn't need to live a mediocre life.
But just as he was celebrating his victory, he suddenly felt a chill behind him. Turning quickly, he saw another wolf rushing at him. It was so close that he didn't have time to dodge or move.
Its jaws were slowly approaching him, and he broke into a sweat, panicking as he didn't know what to do. Before the beast's jaws could reach him, a sword was thrust into its mouth. He looked back to see Yun Xiu, his savior!
Relieved, he let out a breath.
"Hmm, be aware at all times until you are completely sure your opponent is fully defeated," she said, turning around. From her tone, she seemed satisfied with Hun Yu's progress.
The progress he had made in technique mastery was good, though not as good as Yun Xiu's. The technique he used, while not very high grade, was common and taught to almost every disciple of the Sky Wind Sect.
In some sense, he could be considered a disciple of the sect.
Hun Yu followed slowly behind Yun Xiu. Now that his task was completed, he wondered if he should remain her assistant.
It wasn't that he hated being her assistant, but he couldn't practice cultivation freely when she was around, as unconventional actions brought rewards, and most unconventional things were frowned upon.
He kicked these thoughts out of his head.
If he only thought about rewards, wasn't that being too greedy? While a little greed was fine, too much was never good.
And having the company of the sect master was something not everyone could get. Maybe he was lucky?
{
Mission: so what if we steal, if you have strength then stop us
Description: Assist Yun Xiu in obtaining the treasured herb that blooms every 1000 years and will bloom again within the next one or two weeks. Successfully get the treasure.
Rewards: 500 Energy Points
Conclusion: Host is as weak as a fly. To survive in the prana beast forest, he must rely on Yun Xiu to complete this mission. If Yun Xiu dies, then the host dies.
Penalty: Death
}
Hun Yu's steps faltered as he read the content on the screen.
(._.)
Yun Xiu also stopped, looking at Hun Yu, who was standing still.
Shaking off the system message, he quickly made up an excuse, "Ahh, I was thinking about something."
Before starting to walk again, he knew his main priority was getting the treasure mentioned by the system. If they didn't, his death was inevitable.
As they were walking, Yun Xiu suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The fox in her hand jumped down. Just as Hun Yu was confused about what had happened, there was suddenly an ear-piercing roar and an unbearable pressure descended on him, forcing him to his knees.
The next second, a tremendous pressure was released from Yun Xiu, expelling the pressure caused by the unknown party.
"Stay back," she said, gesturing for Hun Yu to move behind her.
He did as she told, although many might find it shameful to hide behind a woman. But if the woman was as strong as Yun Xiu, there was no shame. In this world, he didn't care about ethics.
Suddenly, a massive boar, larger than an average house, appeared.
"What is a Tier 6 beast doing in a place like this, so far away from the inner area and almost near the city?" Yun Xiu wondered aloud.
"I should eliminate it. If it reaches the city, no one will be able to kill it, and it will surely cause many innocent people to die."
She unsheathed her greenish sword. The boar sensed that the woman in front of it was much stronger, but it didn't back down. It stood there, not moving a step back.
...
Cultivation Realms and Prana Beast Tiers Power Comparison:
Tempered Body = Tier 1
Elementary Realm = Tier 2
Spirit Manifestation = Tier 3
Nascent Profound Realm = Tier 4
Profound Realm = Tier 5
Lord Profound Realm = Tier 6
High Lord Profound Realm = Tier 7