The first thing Xiao Tuheng wanted to do after coming to his hut was to immediately start cultivating, but he held back and first though about his system.
'The previous owner of this body didn't have the system, so it must've come with my reincarnation,' Xiao Tuheng thought, sitting cross-legged on the old mat. 'But did someone give it to me, or was it always mine, waiting to be awakened?'
He didn't have the answers, yet, but he intended to find them.
For now, he turned his attention to the system itself. It could store energy in different forms, Qi from his Dantian, from beast cores, herbs, or pills, but not from the ambient air. Odd, but workable.
'At last, I can use the stored energy to improve my spiritual roots and skills,' he mused.
He made sure to burn the information into memory, then closed his eyes and began cultivating. His breathing followed the pattern of the Golden Mountain Manual, and soon, a warm pleasure spread from his Dantian through his limbs like the sun melting frost.
Qi gathered rapidly, too rapidly.
"Huh? Already full?" he checked again, eyebrows lifting. His Dantian brimmed with Qi. "Well, guess I'll be in the 6th Layer sooner than expected."
He began pushing against the walls of his Dantian, slowly and steadily applying pressure while drawing in tiny streams of Qi. A sharp pain stabbed at his abdomen, but he didn't flinch. He already knew this would hurt from the memories of his predecessor.
Days passed. Three, to be exact.
On the third night, sweat dripped down his face as he grit his teeth.
"Just a bit more…"
His Dantian cracked, like a dam breaking, and a powerful surge of Qi burst through his meridians, flooding his body with strength.
He exhaled, almost laughing from relief. "Sixth Layer... finally."
He stood, stretching his limbs, and smiled. "No more cleaning duty."
Exhaustion crashed into him like a wave. He collapsed onto the mat, unconscious before his head hit the pillow.
The next morning, Xiao Tuheng woke refreshed and excited. Today, he could finally take on a real mission. As he entered the Outer Sect's Mission Hall, his eyes lit up.
'This looks exactly like one of those adventurer guilds from manga…'
The walls were lined with wooden boards pinned with mission scrolls. Groups of disciples huddled in discussion, some laughing, others looking serious. Above each board, glowing characters marked required cultivation levels. He approached the one marked 6th Layer and scanned the papers.
One in particular caught his eye:
Mission: Eliminate the Bloodfang Pack
- Bloodfang Wolves have been attacking villages near the sect's border. Their alpha has grown unusually strong.
- Eliminate the threat. Bring back proof of the alpha's death.
- Recommended group: 6 disciples
- Reward: 50 Contribution Points
'I… probably can't do this solo,' he admitted. As he turned to look for another mission, a familiar voice called out behind him.
"Brother Xiao! Congratulations on your breakthrough!"
He turned to see Bao Liang, smiling, with a female disciple by his side.
"Hello, Brother Bao. Thanks." He tilted his head. "How'd you know I broke through?"
Bao gave him a look like he'd just asked if water was wet. "You can't even approach these boards unless you're at the right realm."
"Oh. Right…" Tuheng scratched his cheek, trying not to look embarrassed.
"This is Feng Mei," Bao said, motioning toward the girl next to him.
She had light brown hair tied loosely behind her head and eyes like polished obsidian, sharp and unreadable. Her stance was upright, disciplined, like someone used to command.
"Hello, Senior Sister Feng," Tuheng said politely.
She gave a small nod but said nothing.
"Don't mind her," Bao said with a chuckle. "She just takes time to warm up to people-"
Thud.
Feng Mei jabbed him hard in the ribs, making him wheeze mid-laugh.
Tuheng blinked.
"…Anyway"
Bao pretended not to be dying and reached for the mission scroll in Tuheng's hand. "Mind if I take a look?"
"Be my guest," Tuheng said, passing it over. "I was probably going to put it back anyway."
Bao scanned it, his smile slowly widening.
"Fifty points... This pack must be huge." He looked up. "Alright, we're doing this with you."
"Wait, what?!"
Heads turned at his outburst, and he shrank a little under the stares.
"I mean, I appreciate the offer, but… I was about to give up on that one."
Bao waved him off. "You'll be fine. It's a great first combat mission, and we could use the challenge."
Tuheng's chest warmed at the gesture. "Thanks, Brother Bao."
They started heading to the registration counter, until they noticed Feng Mei wasn't moving.
She was glaring at Bao like he'd just sold her favorite sword.
"We had plans to take a gathering mission. Why are you dragging me into this?"
Bao coughed, clearly nervous now. "Ah, well… Brother Xiao helped me a lot when I joined the sect. Thought I'd return the favor."
Feng Mei stared at him a few seconds longer, then sighed.
"Fine. But you owe me."
With that, she followed them to the counter.
After handing over the mission paper, they were given a form to fill out. Tuheng glanced over their entries.
Feng Mei – 8th Layer
Bao Liang – 9th Layer
'Strong,' he thought. 'Really strong…'
The clerk barely looked up as he handed back a stamped slip. "Mission target is west of the sect, near Shadowleaf Grove. You're cleared to go."
As they exited the hall, Bao clapped a hand on Tuheng's shoulder.
"Meet you at the sect gate tomorrow morning. Don't be late!"
Feng Mei didn't say anything, just nodded once before walking off.
Tuheng watched them go, still holding the stamped paper.
His first real mission.
He couldn't help but smile.