The system, being as it is, said nothing as Ye Wushang rode through the stormy days that followed on the heels of the return of the expedition. The elders, whose countenance spoke a tale of sorrow and weary resignation, moved with a determination, taking stock of their decimated ranks, and assessing the perilous position of the Ye Family in such calamitous loss.
Ye Wushang was besieged by the role of acting patriarch and assumed it with a gravity that belied his youth as the elders sat him listening to their tale of old, their voices heavy with emotion, throwing light on the details of the doomed expedition and putting pieces together in a weave of ambition, betrayal, and unplanned disaster.
It soon became clear, as the elders spoke, that the journey into the secret realm had been not a simple quest for power. There had been whispers of a prophecy passed down through generations of the Ye Family that foretold a time of great upheaval and the rise of a chosen one destined to lead their lineage to unprecedented heights. Ye Batian, burning with ambition as if by flame in his breast, came to be sure that this prophecy concerned one of his sons, to whom he had risked everything in pursuit of the mysteries of the secret realm.
Truth would prove that his conviction was misplaced. For in truth, the secret place held dangers far greater than any of them could have foreseen. A lurking evil as ancient as the world had been awakened-a malevolent power disturbing forces that had already rent the very fabric of reality. The spatial anomaly that had shattered the realm had simply been but a side effect of its wrath.
Silent the elders spoke, their voices filled with awe and fear in their tale of monstrous creatures twisting in shapes that defied the laws of nature. Their might exceeded any recorded in the annals of history of the Ye family. They talked of whispers in darkness, of the quiet insidious voices promising power to those demanding it at the sacrifice. And they spoke of a darkness absolute and total; how it swallowed up comrades whole, leaving behind only echoes of their terror.
He listened quietly, his mind racing. At first, he had dismissed the system's pronouncements as rambling from a malfunctioning program, but what the elders had just recounted about this secret realm with its prophecies, monstrous creatures, and ancient powers hinted at something much stranger-and fear-inspiring-than anything he'd ever seen in his wildest dreams.
Maybe, he thought, the system, as cold as it was with its calculations, relentlessly focused on agriculture, and maybe in a world that was too big to be understood by human minds, this was the way of survival: not in fevered sentiment but in pragmatism.
As if the system had sensed the change in mood of him, it reverted to its dictates then.
**" Alert: Noticing a weakening of the host's emotional defenses. Integration can continue to the next step."**
" Starter Kit available. Do you want to take the Starter Kit now?]"
Ye Wushang hesitated for a moment, deliberating on his next course of action. Long ago, he had raised his reservations regarding the nature of the system and its long-term objective, but he could not deny the benefits it brought along with it. And, to be truthful with himself, he really needed each and every advantage if he was to lead the Ye Family through all those uncertain futures.
"Well," he said calmly, "let's see what you have to offer.".
Congratulations! Novice's Set was received. The following bonuses have been rewarded with the host's inventory.
Qi Accumulating Pill x3
Low-grade cultivating tool, helps to accelerate the absorption of spiritual energy from the surroundings.
Beginner's Swordsmanship Guide
A beginner guide and basic techniques and fundamentals of swordsmanship.
* Luck Enhancement (Minor): Creates a temporary increase in the host's luck regarding the cultivation and personal experiences.
That piqued Ye Wushang's interest, and he mentally checked his inventory. The recompense, though small, was something. He'd heard stories of cultivators using pills to enhance their cultivation, their bodies serving as vessels for the spiritual energy that filled the world around them. And though he would never have suspected it of a low-level swordsmanship text, it was at least one step up from what he already was: nothing.
Lucky Upgrade… he could definitely use it now.
"Tell me more about this world," he breathed softly. "About cultivation, about the different realms of power, about dangers lurking beyond our borders."
The system had been waiting for this moment.
**"Information request acknowledged. Commencing data transfer…]
As if a flood of information, both vast and complicated, filled his head, Ye Wushang felt the spark of hope within him grow. No longer would he walk in this strange new world alone. He had, at least an unconventional guide, and a way forward, no matter how small that way appeared.