Sitting in front of a steaming bowl of fish soup, Dare Drake Tran suddenly realized—this was his first meal as a mortal. The familiar aroma brought back memories of his childhood, before he had embarked on the path of cultivation.
"The taste…" He took a spoonful. "Who would have thought mortal food could be this good!"
**[System: "Food Review" feature unlocked!
First Dish Review: Spirit Creek Village Fish Soup
Flavor: 9/10
Deliciousness: 10/10
Childhood Nostalgia: Max Level!]**
Just as he was about to take a second spoonful, he heard a commotion outside. A group of young men from the village were gathering, pointing in his direction.
"Hey!" The leader of the group pointed at him. "I hear you're some kind of cultivator?"
[CelestialPalace_002: "Looks like… trouble's coming your way."]
Dare sighed, glancing at his still-steaming soup. "Sorry, looks like our date is going to be cut short…"
"Get up!" The leader approached him. "I saw you doing some kind of magic with that weird screen!"
"Magic?" Dare raised an eyebrow. "I was just livestreami…"
[TinyFairy2k: "Watch out, these guys are known for bullying strangers!"]
[Guest1810: "Fight content, double like!"]
The five young men surrounded his table, reminding him of his days in the Celestial Court—when a mere wave of his hand would make thousands kneel.
"Look, I just want to finish my soup…"
"Hah! You want to eat? Show us if you're really a cultivator first!"
[System: Special Quest—"Resolve Peacefully" activated!
Objective: Resolve without violence
Reward: 500 Credits + Title "Peacemaker Immortal"]
Dare smiled. No violence? Not that he could manage it with this mortal body even if he wanted to…
"Fine!" He stood up. "You want to see some cultivation? Very well…"
He began breathing deeply, mimicking the practice he'd done earlier, raising his arms dramatically. "Absorbing spiritual energy! Gathering my power!"
"Haha!" The young men burst out laughing. "You look like a duck… wait, what?"
A light breeze swept through, making his robes flutter. At that exact moment, sunlight streamed through the leaves, casting a soft glow around him.
[System: Special Effect "Immortal Aura" activated!
+100 Charm Points
+200 Mystery Points
Note: "Who knew wind and sunlight could coordinate so perfectly!"]
"Great… great Celestial Lord!" The young men abruptly knelt before him. "Forgive us for not recognizing Mount Tai in front of us!"
Cough. Dare tried to hide his amusement. "Very well, go on your way. I am simply… savoring the delicacies of the mortal world."
The young men quickly scrambled away, though he didn't miss the strange look in the leader's eyes—a brief flash of green glinting across them.
[CelestialPalace_002: "Something isn't right about this village…"]
[System: Demonic Aura detected!]
"Demonic aura?" He watched the young men disappear into the distance. "It seems Spirit Creek Village isn't as simple as it looks…"
Returning to his soup, Dare found a small slip of paper in his pocket, most likely slipped in during the commotion:
"Tomorrow night, by the village well. Someone wishes to speak to the Celestial Master about the demonic path in the village."