I'm exhausted; I'm going to smoke a bit and then get some rest...
Jiang Bai had completely lost hope.
He just wanted to catch some sleep and let whatever happens tomorrow take its course.
"Ding!"
Suddenly, a dazzling golden light flooded the room.
Jiang Bai was nearly blinded by the unexpected brightness.
Tears streamed down his already bloodshot eyes!
[System: Congratulations, host! You got a triple draw! (*^▽^*)]
Jiang Bai quickly rubbed his eyes and pinched his thigh.
"Did I actually get something good?"
He muttered in disbelief.
[System: Yes, host, no need to doubt.]
Before him floated two slender ancient books and a golden-red egg.
Jiang Bai's gaze locked onto one of the books as his breathing intensified.
Four large characters adorned the yellowing cover.
"Eight-Nine Profound Skill!"
"To think it's the Eight-Nine Profound Skill! I've struck gold; system, you really do adore me! Hahaha!"
Jiang Bai never imagined he would draw the legendary Eight-Nine Profound Skill!
This was the cultivation method practiced by Yang Jian from the Fengshen Bang.
It is a protective technique of the Daoist sect.
With a maximum of eight for yin and nine for yang, it symbolizes the highest values of the Dao, correlating to the eight trigrams.
While it might not measure up to top techniques like One Qi Transforming Three Purities, it stands on its own.
According to the system, it's classified as a divine-level skill.
The key point is that mastering the Eight-Nine Profound Skill equips one with various techniques, including adaptability, indestructibility, and immunity to poisons—an essential for both daily life and travel.
The renowned Jade Ding Zhenren once said: "Once you grasp the nuances of the Eight-Nine Profound Skill, you can traverse the world freely!"
Jiang Bai gazed at the cultivation manual, a smile spreading across his face.
The Eight-Nine Profound Skill consists of eight front levels and nine back levels.
The first eight levels correspond to the eight realms of the Tian Ling World.
Simply put, no competing techniques currently exist in the Tian Ling World.
If Jiang Bai learns the Eight-Nine Profound Skill, even as a combat novice, he'll be unbeatable in his realm!
With enough talent, fighting across realms could become feasible!
"System, system, hurry up, I want to learn this!" he urged impatiently.
[System: Arranging it!]
The manual for the Eight-Nine Profound Skill transformed into a beam of light and entered his mind.
Jiang Bai instantly felt a merging with the Dao, with spiritual energy resonating in harmony with him.
As he instinctively began to circulate the technique, the surrounding spiritual energy responded, rushing into his dantian.
Panic set in, and he stopped abruptly.
Now was not the time for practice.
Ming Fei and Jie Bao were in the courtyard; a display of such practices would surely draw their attention.
To mislead Dugu Qing and Qin Xiaofeng, he had claimed he couldn't cultivate.
He needed to keep that pretense for now.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to circulate the technique and focused on the other two rewards.
Next, he turned to the other manual.
It also bore four large characters: "Shrink the Earth to an Inch"!
This too was classified as a divine-level technique.
"System, are you sure this isn't just a premium giveaway?" Jiang Bai questioned incredulously, worried there might be a catch!
[System: Rest easy, host. These rewards are all earned through your own merit, no tricks involved.]
Jiang Bai nodded, "I figured as much; you are the most trustworthy system!"
He eagerly read the description of "Shrink the Earth to an Inch."
"Shrink the Earth to an Inch" is more a supernatural ability than a traditional technique.
Its sole purpose is to accelerate travel or, you might say, to escape.
There are no levels to it, and it's learnable quickly.
However, the power of this ability is entirely dependent on the practitioner's cultivation level.
The stronger the cultivation, the greater the speed.
Jiang Bai quickly picked it up.
Once again, it transformed into a stream of light and entered his mind.
After absorbing the essential points, Jiang Bai began experimenting in the room.
He took a step, and in an instant, found himself across the room, crashing into the wall.
Rubbing his head, he gasped for breath, yet a smile was clearly visible on his face.
But he needed to practice it carefully; otherwise, he'd keep colliding with walls, which could get exhausting!
The Eight-Nine Profound Skill was too conspicuous for practice; he didn't dare experiment with it, but "Shrink the Earth to an Inch" was undeniably impressive.
Two techniques—one for attack and one for escape.
If he couldn't win, why not flee? That seemed quite logical.
They perfectly complemented each other, prompting Jiang Bai to wonder if the system had some tricks up its sleeve!
After toying with him all night just to build him up and then handing him two top-tier techniques?
Jiang Bai found himself questioning everything after the system's antics.
After testing "Shrink the Earth to an Inch," he turned to the final reward.
Having learned from the first two, his anticipation for this last reward grew.
It was a golden-red egg, roughly the size of a human head, emanating a scorching heat that distorted the air around it.
Jiang Bai reached out and grasped it.
He could clearly feel the egg's high temperature; it was no exaggeration to say that if he placed a raw egg on it, it would cook in no time!
Yet, it didn't burn him at all.
His curiosity about the egg was piqued.
After some digging, Jiang Bai managed to extract information about the egg from the system.
[System: This egg belongs to the divine beast, the three-legged golden crow. If the host drips blood on its surface, it will hatch and recognize you as its master, growing in strength alongside your cultivation until it reaches its full form, comparable to the blazing sun!]
"Three-legged Golden Crow!"
Jiang Bai gasped again.
He was familiar with the legendary three-legged golden crow.
It was said to be the spirit of the sun, dwelling atop the sacred tree Fusang in the eastern sea.
It was a divine bird on par with the phoenix and Zhuque.
Jiang Bai gritted his teeth, bit his index finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the egg.
A crack suddenly appeared on the surface as if something within was pushing out.
Realizing that the emergence of a divine beast would surely come with celestial phenomena, he panicked, thinking Dugu Qing and Qin Xiaofeng would undoubtedly notice any abnormalities.
With that thought, he quickly attempted to seal the egg close, trying to prevent the three-legged golden crow from hatching while desperately calling out for a solution from the system.
However, the entity inside was far too powerful; Jiang Bai, still just an ordinary human, couldn't contain it.
Before the system could respond, the golden crow egg shattered!
"Damn it, this is a disaster!"
Jiang Bai stared helplessly at the remnants of the golden crow egg in his hand.
However, instead of the expected heavenly phenomena, the egg simply split apart, revealing a pitch-black crow.
The crow's eyes sparkled, locking onto Jiang Bai; he could even see a strangely human-like expression in its gaze.
Before he could utter a word, the crow spoke!
"Damn it, were you the one who tightly covered me just now, Third Master?"