[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have earned +100 Favor Points.]
[Total Favor Points: 1610 Favor Points.]
Li Feng smirked as he saw the amount in the screen.
"1610, huh?" He stretched his arms lazily, satisfaction tugging at his lips. "I really did work hard these past seven days…" His tone was half-proud, half-shameless, the kind of voice only a man who had tasted heaven could muster. Too bad anything tied to the system didn't get double returns. The pills, the sword, all those little gifts for Yue Lan, only yield favor points, nothing extra.
Still, with Yue Lan focusing on consolidating her strength for the tournament, he couldn't exactly go pestering her again, not for a while. That left him… free.
[Ding!]
[Karmic Entanglement with Yue Lan has deepened and advanced further.]
[Designated Target Destiny Quest Unlocked: "First Calamity"]
[Objective: Aid Yue Lan in overcoming her First Calamity Tribulation.]
[Warning: A great calamity draws near. This is a trial of life and death. Failure will result in her death and her fate being erased from the river of destiny.]
[Note: A Calamity can come in all sorts of forms. Host is advised to remain cautious. Yet within calamity lies fortune, should she endure, her destiny will transform by leap and bound.]
Li Feng had just stepped out, stretching lazily under the morning sun, when the screen popped up before his eyes once more. The easy smile on his face froze.
"…Calamity Tribulation?" His voice came out confused.
The golden letters hung in the air, almost oppressive under the bright sky. Life and death… erased from destiny. His brow furrowed deeper with every word.
"What the hell is this supposed to mean?" he muttered. "System, explain."
The system's voice was calm as ever:
[Yue Lan possesses an extraordinary fate. To continue her path, she must overcome her first Calamity Tribulation, a trial of life and death decreed by the order of destiny and world itself. Succeed, and she ascends. Fail… and her existence will vanish from the river of fate.]
Li Feng stared blankly for a moment. Even the breeze felt colder on his skin. "…Vanished? As in… completely gone?"
[Correct.]
His jaw tightened. "When will this Calamity happen?"
[Fate is ever-changing. The tribulation may arrive as early as tomorrow… or years later.]
Li Feng let out a slow breath, the sound sharp in the quiet courtyard. His hand slid into his hair, gripping it hard. "…Tomorrow or years…? That's your answer?"
The system didn't reply. Silence settled, broken only by the rustle of bamboo leaves.
Finally, Li Feng forced his voice out, irritated at this sudden situation. "What do you suggest?"
[Recommendation: Host should try to become stronger and strengthen Yue Lan as much as possible. The greater her foundation, the higher her chances of survival.]
Li Feng stood there for a long moment, the bright sunlight feeling strangely heavy. He had planned to take it easy now, maybe enjoy a carefree trip. Seven days of effort had earned him that much, hadn't it?But now this… this damned line of text that made his stomach twist.
He stared blankly at the air, eyes shadowed with thought.
"…Dammit," he muttered under his breath. "I just wanted to enjoy life…, tease a beauty or two, get stronger at my own pace."
His jaw tightened. "If she dies, everything I've done so far means nothing."
His hand clenched unconsciously. He had grown quite fond of this senior sister of his. Though she might act cold on the outside, she was extremely warm and obedient on the inside.
But then his gaze flicked to the last line, and something flickered in his eyes. Within calamity lies fortune. If she survives, her destiny will transform.
"…Destiny will transform, huh?" he whispered. The chill in his chest didn't fade, but greed crept in, twining around the fear like creeping vines.If her fate really changed… there had to be rewards in it for him. Big ones, especially if he is the reason she survived.
"…Alright," he muttered, exhaling slowly. "If fate wants her dead, then I'll just have to make sure she lives."
The words tasted heavier than he expected, but his lips smile a bit anyway. Trouble always found him, didn't it?
His mind drifted for a moment. Fen Ziyan hadn't shown her face since that little incident a few days ago. For someone that proud, her silence spoke volumes. Was she hiding? Plotting? Or just sulking somewhere?
Li Feng chuckled at the thought, the tension easing slightly. "Interesting."
He tilted his head toward the courtyard. "Goldie," he called lazily.
A deep creak echoed as a massive shadow stirred beyond the sliding door. The wooden puppet that had sat motionless for days in silent meditation now turned its head with a slow, deliberate motion. Then, it rose to its full height and stepped forward.
Li Feng blinked. Goldie had changed.
The puppet that once barely matched his height now stood almost two full head taller, its wooden frame thicker, limbs reinforced with dark, grain-like patterns etched along the surface. Each step made the floor groan, heavy and sure, like the march of an ancient sentinel. Its carved face was expressionless, but the faint golden sheen deep in its eye sockets gleamed like smoldering embers, subtle, yet enough to send a chill down the spine of anyone staring at its eye.
"...You've grown," Li Feng murmured, circling the puppet slowly. The robe at his shoulders rustled as he moved, studying the widened chest plate and sturdier joints. "Is this…related to your innate ability?"
A satisfied curl lifted his lips. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
Right now, Goldie was his strongest card. Letting him out to guard him isn't a bad choice.
And right now as long as Goldie stayed like this, look like a ordinary wood, no strange golden glow, it should be fine to take him outside. But still….
Li Feng then rummaged through his storage bag and pulled out a tattered robe, one of the junk items he'd drawn from the gacha system. He draped it over Goldie's towering frame and pulled the hood low over its head.
The effect was immediate.
Covered from head to toe in the ragged, hooded robe, Goldie no longer looked like a harmless wooden doll. Instead, he resembled a hidden weapon, tall, imposing, and quietly intimidating.
"…So cool," Li Feng murmured with a grin. "Perfect."
Just as he admired his handiwork, a familiar voice called out from the courtyard.
"Junior Brother Li!"
Li Feng turned as Lin Yu strode toward him, smiling as always, radiant and annoyingly refreshing. But his steps slowed the moment his gaze landed on the hooded figure looming behind Li Feng. His hand instinctively brushed the hilt of his sword, shoulders tensing.
Then Lin Yu's spiritual sense swept over the figure. No life force. No aura. Just wood.
".…A puppet?" Lin Yu exhaled softly, though his eyes remained fixed on the bulky silhouette. "This is…"
Li Feng chuckled. "This is my puppet."
Lin Yu's brows shot up in surprise. "You… dabble in puppetry too?" His tone was a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. Then he shook his head with a sigh, like an elder giving advice to a junior.
"You shouldn't scatter your focus, Junior Brother Li . Puppet mastery demands years of dedication but yields little compared to other paths. Most cultivators who chase multiple paths…" He paused, searching for the right words, "…end up mediocre at all of them."
That was the common belief in this world. Cultivation demanded time, effort, and an almost obsessive focus. Every detour, be it alchemy, arrays, or puppetry was time stolen from one's foundation. Like being a jack of all trades but master of none.
Li Feng smiled politely, but inside he was quietly amused. If only he knew… I could master ten paths as easily as eating breakfast, if I wanted to. But he still thank him for the advice.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother Lin," Li Feng said lightly. "This junior knows what he's doing. But… I appreciate the advice.",
Lin Yu studied his expression for a moment, then shrugged. If Li Feng wanted to waste his time, so be it.
His gaze then flicked toward Li Feng's room. "And Senior Sister Yue Lan? She hasn't left your place in days." His tone held a subtle hint of suspicions.
Li Feng's smile widened. "She's resting. She just broke through recently." He let the words hang in the air, watching Lin Yu's eyes widen.
"She reached the ninth stage of Qi Refinement?"
Li Feng chuckled softly, saying nothing more. But Lin Yu's excitement said it all, he'd already taken it as confirmation.
"As expected of Senior Sister Yue! She's probably the youngest at that level among the outer sect disciples." Lin Yu's voice brimmed with admiration.
"Oh?" Li Feng tilted his head, with curiosity. "Senior Sister Yue is that amazing?" Truthfully, he'd never asked much about her achievements. Every time they were together… well, he had been busy with other things.
Lin Yu laughed softly. "Junior Brother Li, it's practically common knowledge. Senior sister Yue joined the sect on a special elder's recommendation, but she doesn't receive any support from that elder. No background, no backing, yet she clawed her way up to this point all on her own, in just five years."
Li Feng blinked. Five years to the eighth stage on her own… and now ninth with my help. That's… insane. Compared to his own progress ... it was almost embarrassing.
Lin Yu wasn't done. "She's already caught the attention of several elders. If she shines in the upcoming tournament, she might even earn a spot as a personal disciple."
His voice held a tinge of envy. In the sect, becoming an elder's personal disciple is a huge deal, it meant receiving the elder's full support, personal guidance, and even the chance to inherit their legacy.
Li Feng gave him a strange smile. If only you knew what your goddess was doing last night…
Lin Yu kept rambling, praise after praise, while Li Feng listened idly, filing away bits of sect information that he doesn't know.
Then Lin Yu's expression brightened. "Speaking of which, Junior Brother Li, how about a trip? The sect tournament is coming soon. Why not visit Cloudveil City with me? It's under the sect's domain. Bustling markets, rare goods, and lots of merchants gathering for the upcoming tournament."
Li Feng's brows lifted slightly. Cloudveil City, huh? He didn't have much on his plate to do now, and honestly, a change of scenery sounded good.
"Sure," he said with an easy grin. "I was just thinking of getting some air."
Behind him, the hooded Goldie loomed silently, quietly following Li Feng like a shadow.