Chapter 779: The World of Red Dust
[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for receiving a divine reward: Yin-Yang Transformation Talisman!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for receiving a special reward: one Foundation Establishment Pill!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for receiving a divine reward: Skill: Divine Oratory!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for receiving a special reward: one Wind-Thunder Robe (Foundation Establishment)!]
'My luck is pretty good today,'Shen Anyu thought, a faint smile touching his lips.'The rewards are all quite decent…'
He first examined the Yin-Yang Transformation Talisman. This potent artifact could convert Yin-attributed substances into Yang, and vice versa. Even in the immortal realm, it was considered a formidable treasure; a Nascent Soul old monster would likely be stunned to see it. Its most practical application was in alchemy or smithing, allowing one to substitute a missing Yang-attributed heavenly treasure with a Yin-attributed one after conversion.
Of course, it could also transform a man into a woman, or a woman into a man.
It was a single-use item, and Shen Anyu certainly had no interest in wasting it on such a frivolous transformation.
'Then again,'a strange thought flickered through his mind,'if I'm ever feeling particularly wealthy and bored, I could always try it on a Child of Destiny. Turn him into a Daughter of Destiny, perhaps?'
The perversity of the idea made his expression turn peculiar. He shook his head, clearing the thought, and moved on to the next reward.
The Foundation Establishment Pill required little explanation. It was an essential elixir for any cultivator attempting to break through from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment realm. Its primary purpose was to safeguard the Dantian and sea of consciousness from the violent energies of a breakthrough, preventing severe injury or even death in case of failure. It also refined a cultivator's essence, qi, and spirit, significantly increasing the chances of success.
Shen Anyu recalled the Foundation Establishment Pill he had found in Qin Yuan's storage ring. He mentally compared the two and found that the one from the System was of vastly superior quality. System-produced elixirs were flawless, bearing no trace of the pill toxins that inevitably lingered in conventionally refined medicine.
Next was the Skill: Divine Oratory.
Shen Anyu briefly imagined himself delivering some nonsensical, impassioned speech about the price of bread to a captivated audience. He shook his head again; he had no interest in becoming a demagogue.
However, the skill's ability to incite and captivate the masses, a power akin to mass-scale charm, might have its uses in the right situation. A glint of consideration flashed in his eyes before he turned his attention to the final, and perhaps most immediately useful, item.
It was a magical artifact for the Foundation Establishment realm: the Wind-Thunder Robe.
The garment materialized before him, a flowing robe of deep blue silk woven with threads of purple. The unknown material shimmered, and faint arcs of wind and lightning danced across its surface.
Shen Anyu immediately donned it. With just a slight infusion of his spiritual power, the light of wind and thunder flared to life around him. He took a single step, and the world became a blur. He shot forward, slamming to a halt just as his nose was about to collide with the stone wall of the secret chamber.
He stared at the wall, a mere fraction of an inch from his face, a thrill of excitement lighting up his eyes.
After a few more careful tests, Shen Anyu made his assessment. 'The speed boost from this Wind-Thunder Robe is at least three times my normal speed, and the spiritual power consumption is minimal. As far as speed goes, this is an excellent find.'
Although he possessed the divine-tier skill of Teleportation, it wasn't a solution for every scenario, especially when pursuing an enemy. With this Wind-Thunder Robe, Shen Anyu was confident that very few cultivators in the Foundation Establishment realm could outrun him.
, as a magical robe, it also possessed considerable defensive capabilities. At the very least, a Land Immortal or an early-to-mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it incredibly difficult to damage.
It could also change its form at will.
Shen Anyu focused his spiritual sense, and the shimmering, ancient-looking robe instantly morphed into a stylish and handsome modern trench coat, its otherworldly radiance completely concealed.
"A substantial gain," Shen Anyu murmured, a satisfied smile on his face. "It's time to exit seclusion."
His figure flickered and vanished from the secret chamber.
...
Rumble!
As dawn broke, the sky remained a hazy, oppressive grey. Rolling thunder rumbled through the clouds, and soon, a torrential downpour began to lash the city.
On the eastern bank of the lake adjacent to the Jinxiu Mountain Villa, the lights of breakfast shops were already cutting through the gloom. The warm, savory aroma of steamed buns, siomai, and fresh soy milk mingled with the petrichor of the rain, a scent that seemed to seep directly into one's soul.
Bai Bing, who had been wandering the streets all night, found herself drawn to the simple scene.
Early morning commuters, wrapped in colorful raincoats on their electric bikes, sped through the downpour. One pulled over, shouting to the shop owner without dismounting, "Boss, the usual! Two pork buns, three siomai, and a bag of milk."
"Alright! Thanks for your business. That'll be nine yuan."
"It's gone up? It used to be only seven-fifty."
"Pork prices have gone up a bit recently," the owner called back with an apologetic smile.
"Everything goes up, except our wages!" the customer grumbled, but paid anyway.
"Tell me about it…"
Another customer chimed in, "At least the boss's cooking is good, and the ingredients are real, not that pre-made garbage. A bit more expensive is fine."
"As long as the customers like it," the owner said warmly.
After handing over the order, the breakfast shop owner's gaze fell on Bai Bing, her expression tinged with curiosity. "Beautiful lady, would you like something to eat?"
She had noticed Bai Bing standing under the eaves much earlier. It was impossible not to; the woman was simply too beautiful. As a shop owner in a bustling city like Hangzhou, she saw people from all walks of life and had met her fair share of pretty girls, especially with so many internet celebrities frequenting the area.
But none of them could compare to the woman before her. It was just that her aura was too cold, an icy stillness that had made several young men who had glanced her way earlier quickly look away, not daring to approach.
What puzzled the owner was that this stunning woman had been standing under the eaves for nearly an hour, quietly watching the rain fall. She didn't speak, nor did she stare at a phone like most modern people.
She was a very strange person.
Bai Bing's beautiful eyes swept over the owner, and she answered calmly, "No need. I'm waiting for someone."
A complex, distant look filled her gaze. She was born into the Bai family, a clan of assassins that raised its children like venomous gu worms in a jar, forcing them to kill each other to survive. Her own mother, an ordinary woman, had been beaten to death for being deemed unworthy of the Bai family's bloodline.
For over twenty years, she had never dared to relax for a single moment. Her life was a relentless cycle of either diligent cultivation or brutal killing.
Later, she had been pulled into the Main God Reincarnation Game, where every mission world was a new landscape of extreme danger.
She had never, not once, had the leisure to simply stop and experience a moment of ordinary life like this.
But now, watching the rain and the simple morning rush, she felt a deep sense of peace. Her weary, perpetually vigilant heart had finally found something to rely on.
She was no longer alone and unsupported.
Although Shen Anyu was far from a good man, he was the only man who occupied Bai Bing's heart.
'You dog,'she thought, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as the scene from last night replayed in her mind.'Sooner or later, I'll catch you and lock you away in a secret chamber all my own.'
"Beautiful lady, is something on your mind?" It was still early, and the torrential rain kept most customers away. The shop owner wiped her hands on her apron and asked with gentle concern.
Bai Bing's gaze drifted back to the street. "I saw the man I like with another woman, so I came out for a walk."
"What?" The owner was floored, both by the casual, detached way Bai Bing said it and by the content of the words themselves. "A beautiful lady like you, and your man still cheats?"
As a woman herself, she found Bai Bing's beauty stunning. Few of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry could compare. Even Zhong Lingyin, hailed as the nation's goddess, might not surpass her in sheer looks.
A man who had such a woman would still cheat?
Could the other woman possibly be more beautiful than this stunning creature?
Indeed, men were all the same. When they were hungry, they'd eat anything. The shop owner couldn't help but feel a surge of indignant fury on Bai Bing's behalf.
Bai Bing's jade-like fists clenched at her sides, a flicker of grievance and unwillingness finally breaking through her cold facade. Her head suddenly snapped up, her gaze fixed on the lakeside road.
The sky was a sheet of grey, and the heavy rain blurred vehicles just a few meters away into indistinct shapes. But through the downpour, she saw it clearly—a flash of vivid, piercing red.
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