At Mine Site No. 5, in a temporary cave dwelling carved into the canyon's stone walls.
Qi Yuan took out everything from the space ring that Old Wu had given him.
There wasn't too much inside: a C2-grade alloy battle suit, a second-tier Force battle sword, and one kilogram of "Earth Soul Liquid," a substance used by star-level warriors to strengthen their souls.
If one were to pick the most valuable item, it would undoubtedly be the second-tier Force battle sword.
According to the original text, Force weapons and psychic weapons are priced similarly, but the difference in quality between top-tier and low-tier weapons can be as much as one hundred times.
The original work mentioned that a top-tier second-tier psychic weapon would cost around 6 billion Black Dragon Coins.
Even if this Force battle sword were the lowest-grade second-tier weapon, by that hundred-fold difference, it would still be worth several million Black Dragon Coins.
At such a price, you could buy two more star-level second-tier slaves like Qi Yuan!
"Heh, my 'master' is quite generous to equip a slave with such a good weapon. Looks like having a mine at home makes you extravagant!" Qi Yuan muttered to himself, his gaze shifting across the items, eventually landing on the bottle of "Earth Soul Liquid," which shimmered with silver-white starlight against a purple background.
According to Old Wu's explanation, this Earth Soul Liquid, when consumed, could slightly enhance the power of one's soul and was a common resource for star-level warriors to aid their cultivation.
"The alloy battle suit and Force weapon are standard issue for personal guards, so they can only be used by me. Looks like the only usable item from this first batch of gifts is the Earth Soul Liquid. I wonder what the system will return to me when I use this..." Qi Yuan mused.
He casually picked up a loose rock nearby, released a bit of Force from his fingertips, and quickly shaped the rock into a simple stone jar.
He poured half of the Earth Soul Liquid into the stone jar and then activated his auxiliary light brain to make a call.
Not long after, a member of the Lei Yuan clan named "Cang Fan" appeared at the entrance of the temporary cave.
In Qi Yuan's memories, Cang Fan was known for slow cultivation progress, and among the disciples, he wasn't particularly outstanding. However, he always had a calm and steady temperament.
Yet, upon seeing him now, it was clear that his eyes were hollow, and he looked lethargic—almost as if he had gone through a failed stock market investment that ruined his family, resembling a dispirited middle-aged man from Earth.
"Teacher."
Cang Fan respectfully bowed to Qi Yuan, but his movements were stiff and lifeless.
Seeing this gray-haired old man bow before him, Qi Yuan felt a little uncomfortable, but his desire to test the system's return function kept him from saying anything.
Without wasting time, he directly handed over the stone jar containing half a kilogram of Earth Soul Liquid and mentally selected it as the "gift" to trigger the system's return function.
"This is a precious item called 'Earth Soul Liquid.' Consuming it can significantly enhance your soul. Take it and use it," Qi Yuan said.
The Earth Soul Liquid had a good effect on star-level warriors, but it would be somewhat wasteful for a planetary-level warrior.
However, with the return system acting as a "super lever," the more he invested, the greater the potential returns.
If it weren't for the need to avoid drawing attention from the castle's master, he would have gladly given away the entire stock of Earth Soul Liquid!
"Teacher, what's this for?" Cang Fan asked, confused, unable to understand why his teacher was giving him such a thing.
Seeing the puzzled expression on Cang Fan's face, Qi Yuan explained as logically as he could:
"My master has promised that any of our clan members who can break through to the star-level will no longer be treated as slaves but will join the personal guard."
"I'll take half of my monthly resource share and fully assist you in breaking through to the star-level. You won't have to worry about mining tasks for now. Focus entirely on your cultivation and strive for a breakthrough as soon as possible."
"Ah? This, this..."
Cang Fan's hollow gaze finally regained some light, though his face still wore an expression of disbelief.
"Teacher, among our people, there are many younger disciples with far more talent than me. Why…?"
Qi Yuan thought to himself, How slow can this guy be? Just take it and stop asking. I'm waiting to see what the system returns me!
"Because you're steady enough!" Qi Yuan said earnestly, "My Lei Yuan clan has encountered great hardship. Although we have managed to survive with the master's protection, many of our clan members are still suffering in dire circumstances!"
"The universe outside is full of crises, and my own power is limited. I may fall at any time. In order to ensure the survival and future of our clan, I need more steady and reliable individuals like you to step up!"
He looked at Cang Fan, his eyes filled with the kindness and trust a teacher had for a beloved student.
"Now, I ask you, are you willing to take on this responsibility?"
After hearing Qi Yuan's impassioned speech, Cang Fan, who had been lifeless, paused for a moment. Then, his breathing grew heavier, and his hollow eyes began to sparkle with an unknown fire—gradually building into an overwhelming passion!
"So this is how much Teacher trusts me! How could I let myself sink into despair after facing hardship when I've always prided myself on my perseverance? I've let Teacher down! No, I can't be so lazy anymore!"
His eyes reddened as though they were about to burst into flames. He knelt deeply in front of Qi Yuan.
"Teacher, your disciple is willing to take on this responsibility! I will make it my mission to save all our clan members. I will serve with loyalty until the end of my days!"
With that, he bowed once more and firmly took the stone jar with the Earth Soul Liquid.
"Rest assured, Teacher, I will not fail your trust!"
As he grasped the stone jar, Qi Yuan's mind was immediately filled with the sound of a pleasant system notification.
[Successfully gifted 500g of Earth Soul Liquid to disciple!]
[Base return multiplier: 8x, initiating return...]
[Detected that the gift brought immense joy to the disciple, triggering 88x critical hit bonus. Final return multiplier: 704x!]
[Return rewards: 704 Wood Crystal, stored in system space. Can be collected anytime.]
"Hey, looks like my luck's pretty good."
Hearing the system prompt, Qi Yuan's face lit up with delight.
He hadn't expected to trigger a critical hit bonus on his first use of the system, let alone one as high as 88x!
Initially, Qi Yuan had little expectation for Cang Fan, whose base return multiplier was only 8x, but this disciple gave him quite a surprise!
With the base multiplier of 8x, plus the 88x critical hit bonus, the final return multiplier was a massive 704x!
Even better, the system had thoughtfully returned Wood Crystals, a rare and valuable resource!
Though the value of one Wood Crystal was roughly equivalent to 500g of Earth Soul Liquid, the Wood Crystals contained abundant life energy, capable of greatly enhancing both the body and soul. The best part was that they had no side effects, making them one of the most suitable resources for Qi Yuan's current stage!
By comparison, the Earth Soul Liquid, which only slightly enhanced the soul, seemed quite underwhelming.
"704 Wood Crystals, hehe. I shouldn't have to worry about resources until I reach the peak of star-level cultivation!"
Qi Yuan felt a joy he hadn't experienced since his transmigration. His mood was more exhilarated than ever!
Meanwhile, Cang Fan, kneeling on the ground, had just finished giving a fiery declaration of loyalty, only to find that his teacher was happily absorbed in his own thoughts, completely ignoring him. He suddenly felt as though he were a 180-year-old child, abandoned.
"Teacher, if there's nothing else, may I take my leave?" Cang Fan asked.
"Oh, right, you're still kneeling," Qi Yuan said, suddenly snapping back to reality. He waved his hand dismissively, "Go, go, focus on your cultivation when you return. Don't slack off."
"Yes, Teacher. I will remember your teachings," Cang Fan replied, bowing respectfully before turning and leaving.
Watching Cang Fan's retreating figure, Qi Yuan smiled and shook his head.
"Looks like this old disciple isn't so steady after all. At his age, he's acting like a hot-headed youth."
He chuckled to himself, feeling that his "praise" skills hadn't even reached 1% of their potential yet, but still managed to get Cang Fan all worked up.
Once Cang Fan's figure disappeared beyond the cave entrance, Qi Yuan focused his attention back on what mattered.
"Everything's ready. Time to see what my 'master' prepared for me in terms of cultivation methods."
He gently tapped his intelligent light brain's screen, his face filled with eager anticipation.
End of Chapter