Li Feng stood in front of the small pill furnace, heat wafting gently from its mouth as the last of the medicinal mist curled into the air. A faint pop echoed from within, followed by a soft glow rising through the cauldron's lid.
He quickly opened it.
Nestled inside were five round, glimmering pills ,each emanating a subtle shimmer, without a speck of impurity.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Flawless…" he whispered, almost not believing it himself.
A flawless Qi Convergence Pill. Not just one, but all ten. In the cultivation world, even experienced Alchemists with Rank 3 talent would often produce pills of 70-90% purity. Reaching 100% purity what they called a Flawless Pill was considered a miracle. The pill's effect would be two to three times stronger than normal, and its value? At least ten times higher.
This was beyond what a mere Rank 1 Alchemist should manage.
Li Feng stared at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. "So this… is what Rank 1 Alchemy Talent from the system means."
He grinned, shaking his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd think I was a pill refining genius."
The moment of joy was interrupted by a sudden shiver in his chest. The spiritual energy in his dantian surged and coiled, then burst like a dam. His eyes widened.
Boom.
Qi Refining, Fourth Layer.
His breakthrough had come so suddenly, so smoothly, it felt almost... suspicious.
"What the hell?"
He sat down cross-legged in shock. "I've been stuck at the third layer for over a decade... how did I just..."
[Ding. System Notice: Previous spiritual energy was absorbed to awaken system and designate Favor Target: Yue Lan for host.]
[Now that host has succeeded in pill refinement and recovered base energy, host body can now breakthrough to Fourth Layer easily.]
[System functions will continue to unlock upon host's major breakthroughs.]
Li Feng's mouth twitched.
"…So all my effort for the past years went into you?"
Still, he couldn't deny the result. The knot that had clogged his meridians for years was gone, his Qi flowed like a spring, and the sluggishness of his body had faded. He felt… lighter.
And to top it all off—
[Ding. Congratulations on breaking through a major bottleneck. You have received 10 Lucky Draws. Gacha System has been unlocked.]
His eyes lit up.
"Gacha?" Li Feng muttered. "Don't tell me this is like those rip-off mobile games back on Earth."
He opened the Favor Shop and glanced at the gacha wheel, a golden disc inscribed with characters that shimmered like sunlight on water. The cost for one spin?
[1000 Favor Points]
Li Feng's jaw dropped. "You trying to rob me?! I have one Favor Point! At this rate, I'll have to fondle my way through the entire sect…"
But then, another notification appeared:
[Beginner Bonus: 10 Free Draws Available]
He froze.
"...Oh."
He sat up straighter. Cleared his throat. Rubbed his hands together.
Then clasped them before his chest like a devout gambler praying to the Gacha Gods of Earth. "Please don't screw me over."
The first draw—
A pale card flipped open with a sparkle of gold.
[Low-grade Spirit Beast Bait – Trash]
"...Useless."
Second draw
[Tattered Robe – Common]
Third draw
[Spirit Grass Fertilizer – Low-Grade]
Fourth draw
[Cracked Spirit Stone – Worthless]
Fifth draw
[Tattered Puppet Blueprint – Incomplete]
Li Feng stared blankly.
He grabbed the system screen and shook it. "Are you scamming me?! Is this pity draw system bugged?!"
But the sixth card flipped.
Suddenly, a faint shimmer of frost burst from the image.
[Peak Rank 1 Ice-Attribute Sword – 'Jadefrost']
Li Feng blinked. "Now we're talking."
His eyes gleamed. "Yue Lan's technique is ice-based, right? Heh… I bet this'll earn me some favor points if I gift it right."
Seventh card draw
[Gold Source – A extremely rare puppet material , can be use as Puppet Core containing high-grade spiritual awareness, can evolve if condition is met]
Li Feng's mouth opened slowly. "A… puppet core? These are priceless! You can make self-aware puppets with this!"
Eighth.
[Rank 1 Puppet Talent Acquired.]
He couldn't stop smiling now. "Ehh .. this is quite a luck "
Ninth draw—
A deep green glow, ancient and dense.
[Peak Rank 4 Phoenix Resurrection Pill – Can revive a cultivator below Nascent Soul realm within one hour of death]
"Revives a cultivator under Nascent Soul realm… if consumed within an hour of death," he whispered. "Even sect elders would kill for this…"
Then came the tenth.
The moment the final card flipped, the gacha screen began to tremble. Golden lights danced along the edges, stars began to gather in the center, spiraling like a galaxy.
A single message appeared:
[You have acquired: Special Physique – Starforged Body]
Suddenly, Li Feng felt his entire body rumble.
Information surged through his mind.
The Starforged Body. A legendary physique that allowed limitless physical refinement. With each "star" he activated within it, his body would grow stronger, like forging steel with each strike of the hammer. But currently, it was just a shell, an empty galaxy with no stars lit.
[Each star can be ignited through extreme training or one-time usage of 100 Favor Points.]
A constellation appeared in Li Feng's vision—an empty galaxy, waiting to be filled.
He clicked his tongue. "So you're saying… if I want to get stronger, I need to get beaten up or spend more points?"
Li Feng glanced at his round belly and soft limbs.
"…So I'm supposed to train this body to death? System, be real with me."
[Judging from host's current physique… natural progress beyond 5 stars is unlikely.]
"…Thanks for the head-up."
Still, despite the sarcasm, he felt his spirit soaring.
An alchemy talent, a puppet path, resurrection pill, special physique,even a sword fit for an icy fairy.
And most importantly, a system that could reward him for giving favor to women.
His path had just begun, and it already felt ridiculous.
But Li Feng liked ridiculous.
He rubbed his hands together again, eyes twinkling like a mischievous fox.
Later that evening
As the last hues of sunset bled into twilight, Li Feng's thoughts drifted back to the silver-robed fairy whose body had haunted his every breath since morning.
That soft jade valley he'd pressed his face into…
The gentle bounce of her snow-white peaks as he moved like a hungry beast…
And that peach, that damn peach ,firm, round, and unbothered by his shameless grip, swaying with cold indifference as if to mock his mortal cravings.
Li Feng wiped a thin line of drool from the corner of his mouth.
"Heaven's truly not heartless," he muttered, clutching the memory like a precious relic. "Even if her Dao is above the clouds, her body still walks the earth."
His fingers tingled at the thought of tasting her again.
No, not just taste.
Devour.
Tonight, he decided. He'd knock on her door again. What's the worst that could happen?
Meanwhile
Yue Lan walked alone, the silver folds of her robe fluttering behind her as she descended the steps from the alchemy hall. Her cold golden eyes flicked toward the sunset briefly, an image like snow reflecting dying flames.
Her hand brushed the pouch at her waist, heavy with newly purchased pills and a few extra spirit stones.
But her thoughts were not on pills.
They wandered, back to last night.
To the hot weight pressing against her.
To a coarse hand kneading her jade.
To a dragon pushing deep into her untouched water cave.
It had been her first time with a man, and she had agreed so calmly. A hundred spirit stones, that was what she needed. That was why she allowed it.
So why… did she agree to it so easily?
Then she shook her head slightly. "It was nothing. Just mortal pleasure."
But the thought passed like a breeze. Gone as quickly as it came.
Her body was a shell. A tool for cultivation. And she was merely borrowing it to pursue the Dao. Yet, something still stirred deep down, like ripples from a pebble thrown into a still pond.
She just frown a bit and continued forward.
Unknown to her, the threads of karma twisted subtly in the air ,invisible, faint, yet present. The System's influence lingered, nudging her thoughts just slightly, enough to stir an unusual softness toward Li Feng. But she neither noticed nor cared. After all, what did such mortal attachments matter in the face of immortality?
That was when a familiar figure stepped into her path Lin Yu, a handsome outer sect disciple clad in white. His eyes lit up when he saw her.
"Senior Sister Yue," he said gently. "I saw you were at the alchemy hall. I brought something for you."
He held out a beautifully crafted jade bottle of minor-grade Mind Calming Elixir.
"I know it's not much, but I thought—"
Before he finished, her cold gaze swept over him.
"No need."
"But—"
"Step aside."
Lin Yu faltered, his courage melting under the chill of her presence. Even her words seemed to carry frost.
Yue Lan walked past without another glance, leaving him standing alone, clutching the bottle and token.
"…One day," he murmured. "I'll prove myself worthy to stand beside you."
—
Back at her residence, Yue Lan lit a single lantern, casting a warm orange glow through the room. She sat cross-legged on her bed, and reached into her pouch for the pill she bought.
Before she could begin meditation,
Knock knock.
A familiar voice came from outside.
"Senior Sister, it's me Li Feng."
Yue Lan's gaze flicked toward the door. She raised a single finger, and the barrier formation flickered, then fell.
The door creaked open.
And the lecherous figure of Li Feng stepped inside, his eyes already glinting like a starving wolf in winter.