Arin lay coiled atop a pedestal.
He cultivated.
Subtle tension ran through his body. His focus wavered.
Time passed.
Suddenly—
A sharp, involuntary sound tore from his throat, twisting mid-breath into a bloody cough.
Blood dripped from his mouth, one drop at a time.
His tail lifted, steadying his head as he wiped the blood away.
"F**k… I don't even know how to break through," he hissed.
"Hey!"
the reply came back, sharp with irritation.
Whoa… he responded, Arin thought.
At the same time, he asked,
"Can you tell me how to break through to the next realm?"
[For 30 karma]
Blood spat out.
He looked up. A plain smile surfaced.
"That's too much. Can you please reconsider it?"
[Hmm. I might reconsider it. Or even give you half the price—if you beg ^_________^ ]
His jaw tightened.
Then loosened.
The smile stayed. Plastered.
Finally, something broke.
He lay flat against the ground, head to tail, staring upward.
"Oh, System-sama," he said softly.
"Please guide this ***** serpent onto the righteous path."
Silence.
The panel appeared above him.
Arin endured.
First, a low—
[hahahahaha]
Then—
[HAHAHAHAHA!!!]
Digital saliva spilled from its digital mouth.
Silence again.
His eyes stung.
"Is it… over?"
No reply.
"Ah. It's over," he said, wiping his eyes with his tail.
A smile surfaced—this one unforced.
He slithered back.
Then froze.
"Hey."
The realization hit.
"Where's my reward?!"
...
A drop of sweat dripped from Shuo's face.
"I really think we should head back"
"Why? Everything is alright" Xue shrugged off, her arms curled up behind her head.
Next to her Wei, his eyes never locked in one location.
Sweat on his forehead.
"Don't you see it!? We have barely seen any beasts" Shuo replied
"Yeah that's gooood, that's why the scouts said no danger. How many times do I have to tell you?" Xue nonchalantly said.
"Well those scouts are idiots!" He snapped back leaving no room for silence.
"Don't shout at me!" She said.
"Shut up both of you!" Wei shouted.
Silence.
"I... apologize" Shuo murmured.
"Tch... Me too" Xue said, her cheeks puffed out.
"Thankyou" Wei said, his brows curved downwards "look" he pointed at the far distance "a forest..."
"Yeah, so what?" Xue said
"You can't see it but... It's brimming with beasts" Wei said.
Shuo trembled, beads of sweat formed on his forehead
"How c-can this be possible?" His pupils dilated "so many high cultivation beasts", his voice rose as he spoke. His eyes averted
"What? Wh- what's happening" Xue shouted, she huffed uncontrollably.
"I don't know" Wei said "I can see qi refinement beasts but- but" his eyes widened " he is on a higher stage than me"
—Gulp—
His gaze set on the forest again.
"Most of them are in body tempering and there are some in qi refinement. Few of them are in early foundation establishment-" he something pushed upward in his throat.
"B-but master is in late foundation establishment" her voice wavered "a-and you two in foundation establishment right?... How?" She muttered, her body trembled uncontrollably "let's run" she said.
A green-yellow liquid gushes out of shuo's mouth.
The other two rushed towards his.
"How bad is it?" Wei said.
Shuo struggled to his feet, his legs barely able to support his weight.
"The pressure from those things—"
His breath hitched and broke.
He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, his hand trembling.
"We end this quickly," he said hoarsely.
"Gather everyone. We return with Master and the others."
...
Arin lay sprawled on the ground, cultivating.
Abruptly, a system window popped up.
[I apologize. I couldn't keep the medium stable because you made me laugh for hours.
So yes—this is also your fault.]
Arin smashed his head against a nearby boulder.
The boulder cracked.
[For that, I'll give you a discount.
Cost: 10 karma
Confirm?
Yes / No]
Arin's eyes lit up.
His tail pressed the button without hesitation.
"F**k… what has become of me."
The panel refreshed.
[Here's the thing—and you already know part of it.]
[1. Body Tempering makes the body capable by forcing it to grow familiar with qi.
You already know the side effects. Pain. Damage. Adaptation.]
[2. Qi Refinement is when you can consciously circulate qi instead of letting it run wild.
You also know the side effects. Instability. Deviation. Loss of control.]
[3. Foundation Establishment is different.]
The text paused, as if for emphasis.
[It determines the direction of your existence.]
[Bloodline foundations—only if the bloodline is worth anything.
Instinct-dominated foundations.
Core-based foundations.
Physical technique paths.
And other variations.]
[To break through, you must close a path.]
Arin frowned.
[You're struggling because you actually have a brain.]
[Most beasts don't think. They choose instinctively and move on.]
[You hesitate.]
The panel flickered again.
[Extra information. You're welcome.]
[One reliable way to progress in this realm is to control and transform qi,
instead of merely circulating it.]
The window vanished.
Arin lay there in silence, rain soaking into his scales.
[Thank me for clarifying everything so you can teach your baby chicks better]
"…Tch."