"Hey everyone, let's hit up that newly opened KTV nearby tonight. My treat!"
"Whew! Brother Yao just got promoted and is already throwing a party?"
"Count me in! I'll finish work early today."
In a bustling office, voices and cheers filled the air.
Li Xian sat in his chair, eyes fixed on the long legs and beautiful faces scrolling on his phone. He was the perfect 'slacker': arriving at 7:55, leaving promptly at 17:00, often indulging in coffee or dessert breaks. And while at his desk, spending nearly a third of his time scrolling through TikTok videos.
Suddenly, a male colleague tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
"Little Xian, don't just play on your phone all day. Come with us later—it'll be fun."
Li Xian locked his phone, turned back, and smiled. "Sorry, Brother Tang, I've got some business to take care of tonight."
"Well, that's unfortunate. Maybe next time?"
"Definitely!"
As he left, the smile on his face gradually disappeared. Li Xian didn't really like crowded places. Moreover, these people were too pretentious for his taste.
'I mean, just last month, this guy was spreading rumors about Brother Yao going on a business trip with his mistress from the Finance Department...'
Later that day, Li Xian had a simple dinner consisting of steamed rice, a plate of Chinese pickles, and scrambled eggs with tomato in his apartment.
The apartment was a modest one-bedroom on the sixth floor of a mid-range building—the kind with slightly scuffed elevators and a faint smell of takeout in the hallway. It didn't have much, but for Li Xian, it was his humble abode.
As he relaxed on the couch, drinking water, Li Xian couldn't help but release a faint sigh after staring blankly at the windows.
"Ugh... game time! I still haven't used all my gacha spins of this week. Gotta catch 'em all!"
For the next few hours, Li Xian just played games and only took breaks to use the bathroom. As he headed back to the couch, not paying attention to anything but the screen, his toe suddenly caught on something, maybe a stray slipper, and he stumbled.
In a blur, his hip knocked the side table. A full glass of water wobbled, then tipped. He reached out instinctively, but it was too late. The glass slipped from the edge and shattered on the floor, splashing water directly onto the nearby power strip. The water seeped into the sockets with a soft 'fzzzt!'
His hand followed, palm slapping the wet floor, fingers brushing against the soaked power strip.
His body jolted from the electricity, muscles locked in place, then crumpled beside the couch—phone still clutched in his hand, the screen flickering silently.
As his vision dimmed, a metallic taste filled his mouth. A single thought echoed in his fading mind: 'All this... just for some damn rares.'
The room went still.
Li Xian experienced an intense and vivid dream. In this dream, he was floating through an infinite expanse of darkness, where the void enveloped him entirely. No matter which direction he took, there was only desolation.
After what felt like an eternity, a distant light appeared, a guiding beacon. Desperately, Li Xian tried to move toward it. Eventually, after some time, he reached the light. A sense of relief and clarity washed over him.
But on some sleepless night in the future, Li Xian would instinctively think back to this moment and ask himself, "Was it really the right choice?"
At the outer edge of a forest where the trees grew thinner and farther apart, a man could be seen muttering to himself.
He looked to be in his late 20s, with skin tanned from exposure, and a lean frame but sturdy muscles suggesting endurance and hardship. His long black hair was unkempt and loose, falling past his shoulders in tangled strands, like someone who hadn't combed it in days. A few strands clung to his face, framing sharp cheekbones and a slightly tired expression.
"1, 2, 3... 17!"
"Only 17 Green Spirit Leaves! I've wasted my entire day and can't make 2 Spirit Stones. Sigh..."
"That store owner is such a scam! Keep telling me it's very easy to find, but without Spiritual Sense, it's no different from finding a needle in a haystack."
After thinking for a moment, Li Xian—or rather Xitu now, decided to head back.
He was staying at the Blue Cloud District, a cultivation area established by the Floating Cloud Sect.
Walking along the worn dirt path, he brushed away the stray leaves clinging to his sleeves. Once the trees had thinned out completely, he began to see scattered figures—fellow low-level cultivators.
The closer he approached the outer ring of the Cultivation District, the shabbier things looked. Most of the houses were built from rough, weathered stone. Their surfaces were cracked and chipped. Some even had dents from heavy impacts. The structures looked rugged and far from elegant, with crooked walls and sagging rooftops made of wood and stone slabs.
As Xitu arrived at the heart of the settlement, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The rough stone houses gave way to a bustling marketplace alive with color and movement. Stalls lined the streets, colorful banners fluttered in the breeze, and the faint shimmer of runes glowed from big store signs.
Every shop was full of rare herbs, glowing spirit fruits, shimmering talismans, strange relics... The air was crisp and clear, carrying a gentle, almost imperceptible flow of spiritual energy that made every breath feel revitalizing.
After walking around for a while, he arrived at a store called Old Meng Spiritual Herbs. Frustrated, he entered the store and slapped the bundle of Green Spirit Leaves onto the counter.
"Only 17 leaves. You said they were easy to find!"
The shopkeeper, a round-bellied, middle-aged man with squinting eyes, shot him a sideways glance.
"I said most people can find 20 in a day. You must be the slow kind."
Xitu scoffed, "20 for 2 stones, right? Take this for now. I'll bring you the rest later."
The shopkeeper scratched his chin, clearly unconvinced.
"You still owe me 3 leaves. You think spirit stones grow on trees?"
"Yeah, and if they did, you would be the first to charge for picking them," Xitu said with a smirk.
"How about this, if I 'accidentally' find some Red Vein Leaves, I will bring them here too, deal?"
After a long sigh and a dramatic eye roll, the storekeeper reached under the counter and flicked 2 tiny azure cube stones toward him.
"Fine, but remember to bring the rest. Or I'll charge you double next time."
Xitu snatched them up with a triumphant smirk. "No problem!"
With some free time, Xitu strolled through the bustling marketplace. It was a habit he had kept for over 10 years. Like many 'experienced seniors' before him, he dreamed of stumbling upon sacred treasures, ancient relics, or heavenly manuals hidden in some forgotten corner of a dusty shop.
'This must be it. It looked old and tattered, lying in a secluded corner. Even the shopkeeper didn't know what it could do!' he thought to himself each time.
Naturally, everything Xitu had painstakingly collected so far turned out to be rubbish, a waste of time and precious Spirit Stones.
"Meridian Opening Pill! Only 4 Spirit Stones for a bottle! Cheaper than in-store!" a vendor called out.
"Talismans for every need! Daily-use ones like Cleanse, Purification, Preservation, and Water Creation. Combat talismans like Fireball, Quickstep, Body Protection, and Odor Concealment—perfect for your next adventure!" another shouted.
"Fresh Magic Beast meat, straight from today's hunt! Fresh Magic Beast meat, straight from today's hunt! 10 kilograms for 15 Spirit Stones! Buy more for a discount!! Buy more for a discount!"
Xitu's mouth watered as he took in the noisy stalls and their products. He longed to enhance his cultivation through pills, wear protective talismans, and feast on tender Magic Beast meat daily.
But as a late-stage Vein Opening Realm cultivator, such dreams remained mere dreams, distant and out of reach.
After all, the Vein Opening Realm was just the first step. By modern standards, he would be a 'slightly stronger, lived a bit longer, and could pull off magic tricks' human. Similar to how modern folks would compare themselves to medieval peasants.