[4 Days Later]
[5:37 AM]
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Yuanshan woke up to the faint early morning light, feeling surprisingly alert. He decided to check the system panel and found that he had accumulated 10 spins over the past few days. Excited to see what he could win, he used all 10 spins on the diamond lottery wheel. The intricate engravings on the wheel sparkled as it appeared before him, offering 500 potential rewards. With a sense of anticipation, Yuanshan clicked the "Spin" button, causing a burst of blue jade-like energy to set the wheel in motion. The wheel spun rapidly, coming tantalizingly close to an 11.4% reward before finally settling on an 18.7% reward. With a rush of excitement, the message appeared: [You have obtained the High-Level martial art 'Nine Tong Fist']
Yuanshan gazed at the Nine Tong Fist, a formidable martial art consisting of nine consecutive fists, each more powerful than the last. Without wasting a moment, he devoted himself to its practice.
[2 Weeks Later]
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Two weeks later, despite battling numerous beasts and fellow strength path cultivators, Yuanshan had only managed to master the first 6 Tong Fist. As he rose from his bed in the quiet inn, the rising sun cast a warm glow across the room. Dressed in his battle robe, he ventured out, finding the inn remarkably tranquil; even the receptionists and cleaners were still at rest, and the night shift guards appeared drowsy.
Utilizing his "Unseen Presence" martial art, which he had honed to 87% mastery, Yuanshan seamlessly blended into his surroundings and vanished from sight, hypnotically evading the notice of the weary guards.
As Yuanshan made his way through the city, the guards paid him no mind, simply yawning as he slipped past them unnoticed. Moving at the speed of a horse, he seemed to blend seamlessly into the environment, his familiarity with the city allowing him to navigate with ease. Reaching the massive gate on the south side, he swiftly passed the drowsy guards and ventured out into the vast green plains, disappearing into the horizon. After a few minutes, he arrived at the edge of a dense forest, slipping in without employing his Unseen Presence martial art. Finally, he made his way to his haven in a cave, his journey complete.
Yuanshan's heart raced as he ventured deep into the cave, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. With a subtle hand sign, he released a fraction of his True Martial Intent, causing wisps of energy to flow out like a gentle breeze. Suddenly, the cave was illuminated by a flickering torch, revealing a previously hidden passageway below it.
As he entered the narrow passage, he dispersed his intent, and the torch outside sputtered and died, leaving the passageway shrouded in darkness. It seamlessly blended in with the surrounding rocks, concealing any evidence of its existence.
Despite its snug dimensions, the passageway felt oddly accommodating to Yuanshan's youthful stature. He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement knowing that he would soon celebrate his 16th birthday.
After navigating through a narrow passageway for about 2 minutes, Yuanshan finally arrived at his secret dark room. As he entered, he released his martial intent, which filled the space like a gentle breeze, illuminating numerous torches, lamps, and glowing white stones. The secret room, concealed deep within the cave, was not particularly spacious, but it served as a repository for Yuanshan's valuable notes, herbal treasures, talismans, and martial art manuals. This hidden sanctuary provided him with a sense of security, tucked away in the depths of the cave and protected by various concealment formations. These formations included heat concealment, sound concealment, and immunity to a wide array of detection methods such as echolocation, thermal detection, and more.
Yuanshan constructed a hidden cave for two important reasons. First, he felt a deep sense of distrust towards the city after discovering the collaboration between the Tuo Clan and the secretive "Void Sect," which led him to believe that the city was being corrupted from within. This cave served as a secret refuge for him, providing a safe haven and a potential escape route if he ever found himself being pursued.
Secondly, despite the relatively decent state of the city, Yuanshan felt the need to create this secret chamber to safeguard his most valuable possessions. He had long-standing plans to establish this chamber, which was intended to house his prized belongings and items of great importance.
During this time, Sky View City had introduced a quest system for its residents, offering a variety of quests of different types and sizes. These quests aimed to inspire a spirit of adventure and offered rewards upon successful completion. Yuanshan himself was involved in several silver-ranked missions, with a focus on retrieving Stone Crystals from the Stone Crystal Golems residing on Stone Crystal Mountain, located approximately 47 miles away on the east side of the city.
The chamber exuded an air of tranquility, with half-smooth walls and a soft carpet that covered the entire floor. Various furnishings such as a couch, table, chair, shelves, chests, and plant pots adorned the room, each one adding to its serene ambiance. The plant pots were filled with white stones, which had been concealed by the light restriction of the formations that previously covered the room. However, when Yuanshan released his martial intent, the restriction was lifted, causing the stones to glow softly.
Yuanshan carefully lifted a small chest, revealing an assortment of copies and books when he opened it. Among the contents, he found a white-colored copy titled "Sky View City," which he placed on the table next to a small burning candle.
This particular notebook contained all of his findings, guesses, and theories concerning the enigmatic secrets of the city. Ever since the day he obtained information from a thug and subsequently eliminated him, Yuanshan had encountered no further fortuitous circumstances. This lack of advantageous situations had been causing him considerable distress of late.
Yuanshan found himself in a city that was constantly under attack by a horde of Iron Beak Cranes, known as the Five Year Beast Tide. In response to these threats, the city had implemented a quest system, which involved tasks such as finding materials, fighting, defending, and developing. The city was home to four Clans, with the Ruo Clan holding the position of the city lord clan, and the Tuo Clan and Hei Clan under its authority. Both the Tuo and Hei clans were of equal strength, while the Bu Clan operated independently. Due to Yuanshan's status as a peak Spirit Gathering Cultivater, he received numerous invitations from the Tuo and Hei Clan to become their external elder, but he declined all of them.
Recently, the Clan Leader of the Hei Clan went as far as offering his only daughter's hand in marriage to Yuanshan. Despite using the system appraisal function to determine that she was a Great Beauty in both body and appearance, Yuanshan was not interested in losing his virginity to her. Instead, he sought a partner who was a Jade Beauty or close to a Supreme Beauty.
The situation was quite remarkable. The Jade Beauties and Supreme Beauties were not just ordinary individuals - they were esteemed Clan leaders, princesses, and exceptionally gifted people who were sought after by major organizations. Encountering a Pseudo-Jade beauty was an incredibly rare occurrence, making it unlikely for anyone to meet one in their lifetime. Nevertheless, he remained confident.
His plans involved marrying the sole daughter of the Hei Clan, a woman who was renowned for her exceptional beauty and physique. Even the system issued him a quest to win over the Hei Clan's daughter. However, everything changed when he received a long-term quest from the system that spanned 100 years - to capture the heart of Han Xiao Shan, the Princess of the Han Empire and a Supreme Beauty.
This revelation left Yuanshan stunned. How was he supposed to accomplish such a daunting task? He pondered whether the system could provide assistance and ultimately decided to embark on this mission despite the risks.
Seated on a small couch in his secluded chamber, Yuanshan contemplated his options. Should he pursue the daughter of the Hei Clan, or should he prioritize preserving his virginity?
Yuanshan rose from his couch after meticulously jotting down the latest information in his notebook, carefully securing it in a small chest on the table. With a determined look, he unleashed his martial intent, casting a deep shadow over the room. Stepping into the narrow, rocky passageway, he swiftly traversed it in just 2 minutes, his focused gaze never wavering. Arriving at the end, he gestured with his hand, causing the passageway to open before him. Emerging from the depths of the cave, he sealed the entrance with another hand sign, seamlessly blending it into the natural surroundings as the flickering torch above dimmed.
Venturing out into the dense forest beyond, Yuanshan found himself surrounded by a remote mountain trench, one side embraced by a cascading waterfall and the other cloaked in lush greenery and twisting vines.
Leaving the thicket behind, he ascended a small tree, the gentle breeze carrying away the sweat that had accumulated during his four-hour sojourn in his clandestine chamber.
He had just obtained a handful of powerful Stone Crystals from his chest, and after an entire hour of intense journey, he finally reentered the bustling Sky View City. As he made his way through the streets, some onlookers couldn't help but cast curious glances at his slightly dirtied attire.
Without wasting a moment, he made his way into a towering two-story building adorned with a bold sign that read "Quest House." With determination in his eyes, Yuanshan swiftly approached the receptionist, presented the quest paper, and exchanged the hard-earned Stone Crystals for a well-deserved reward of 22 silver and 128 bronze.
As he stepped back outside, a deafening boom echoed through the air, followed by a powerful gust of wind that swept through the crowd. Unfazed, Yuanshan's sharp gaze locked onto a thrilling sight: two elders of the Hei Clan engaged in a fierce battle against three formidable Iron Peak Crane Kings.
In an instant, Yuanshan summoned his Moon Sword and unleashed his formidable martial art, the Demonic Dragon Claw, shrouding his hands in a deep, enveloping darkness that took the form of a menacing dragon claw.
The Iron Peak Crane Tide had arrived, and Yuanshan was ready to face it head-on.