Not until he had stepped out of the courtyard and left the entire area behind did Luo Hou finally relax. A cool breeze brushed against him, and only then did he realize that his back was drenched in sweat. The tension that had gripped him finally eased. After all, it was impossible not to be nervous when facing Cheng Qiyi, a third-tier Evolver and the dominant power within the settlement.
The fact that he had actually completed a transaction with Cheng Qiyi still felt unreal. If this had happened in the past, Luo Hou would've struggled to speak coherently in front of someone like him. The oppressive aura exuded by a third-tier Evolver wasn't something ordinary people could easily endure.
But today's Luo Hou was no longer the man he used to be. The moment he acquired the Spirit Tamer Ring and stepped onto the path of evolution, his entire mindset began to shift. Before that, he had been a so-called "useless man" unable to cultivate, struggling each day just to survive—never knowing whether the next moment would bring death at the claws of zombies or beasts.
In those days, all Luo Hou could think about was how to survive another day, how not to go hungry. Lofty ideals and grand ambitions had been nothing but distant fantasies, utterly irrelevant to his daily reality. But the sudden activation of the Spirit Tamer Ring didn't just transform his present—it reshaped his entire future and began to alter his personality at the core.
The benefits the ring brought weren't merely material. Most crucially, it gave Luo Hou something he had never possessed before—confidence.
It was this budding, fragile, yet steadily growing confidence that allowed him to face Cheng Qiyi with composure and dignity, holding his ground and handling the transaction with surprising finesse.
On the way back, Luo Hou reflected deeply on his decision to sell the cigarettes directly to Cheng Qiyi.
Had he chosen to set up a stall in the settlement's market or sold them to other Evolvers, he would've drawn far too much attention. Having lived on the lowest rungs of the settlement's society, Luo Hou had no one he could truly trust. It would have been far too risky. Should the wrong people take notice and become greedy, Luo Hou—who was still weak—would have found himself in grave danger.
But with Cheng Qiyi as the buyer, none of those risks existed.
First, few would know about the deal, which kept things discreet.
Second, while a hundred gray crystals would be considered a small fortune for most, they were barely worth noticing to someone of Cheng Qiyi's stature—a third-tier Evolver and the settlement's de facto ruler.
As for whether this transaction might arouse Cheng Qiyi's suspicion, Luo Hou wasn't worried. Aside from the Spirit Tamer Ring, which no one else could detect, he had no other secrets worth uncovering.
Night had fallen completely. The sky of this new world was unusually clear, and countless stars shimmered above—more brilliant than anything the old world had offered.
With a heavy pouch tucked against his chest and bathed in starlight, Luo Hou stepped into the humble restaurant known as "Taste Supreme."
Having just earned a handsome sum, Luo Hou splurged for once—ordering several dishes and a few bottles of beer. After eating his fill, he packed up a large piece of roasted Horned Ridge Mountain goat, spending fifteen whole white crystals. With the innkeeper's cheerful chatter still ringing in his ears, he made his way home.
Passing by Li Rong's place, he handed the roasted meat to an overjoyed Xiao Biao, exchanged a few brief words with Li Rong, and hurried into his room. Slamming the wooden door shut, he sank into his chair—one without even a backrest. He could no longer contain the excitement surging inside him.
Luo Hou pulled out the pouch filled with exactly one hundred gray crystals and poured them onto the table in a clattering heap.
Greedily counting and recounting the crystals, Luo Hou forced himself to focus on the Spirit Tamer Ring.
Spirit Tamer Ring — Bound.Current Level: 0Upgrade Requirement: Absorb 1,000 white crystals.
Spirit Taming Technique (Lv. 0):Can control one rankless zombie or beast.Success rate: 50%Casting range: 10 metersCooldown: 30 minutes
"A large quantity of gray crystals detected. Ring upgrade is possible. Proceed with absorption and upgrade?"
Without hesitation, Luo Hou chose "Yes."
A faint halo of seven-colored light spread from the ring, enveloping him and the heap of gray crystals on the table.
In the blink of an eye, the crystals vanished. An overwhelming yet gentle wave of energy surged from the ring, rushing into Luo Hou's body.
Pain exploded through every inch of his being. Luo Hou collapsed onto the table, losing consciousness.
The multicolored glow surrounding him lasted for nearly an hour before it gradually faded. Under the dim lamp, Luo Hou's skin was covered in a thick, greasy black film—the impurities expelled from his body by the mysterious power of the Spirit Tamer Ring.
When he finally regained consciousness, Luo Hou's first instinct was to stare wide-eyed at the now-empty table.
"Damn it! Didn't it say just 1,000 white crystals were needed for the upgrade? Those 100 gray crystals I had were worth ten thousand white crystals! And it absorbed every last one?! This is like working hard for decades, only to be thrown back to square one overnight! This ring is vicious!"
Fuming, Luo Hou quickly shifted his attention back to the ring.
Spirit Tamer Ring — Bound.Current Level: 1Upgrade Requirement: Absorb 100 gray crystals.Progress: 90%
Spirit Taming Technique (Lv. 1):Success rate:– Rankless zombie/beast: 75%– Tier 1 zombie/beast: 50%– Tier 2 zombie/beast: 25%Casting range: 50 metersCooldown: 30 minutes
Dimensional Storage Unlocked — Capacity: 1 cubic meter
As Luo Hou read the new data, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His mouth hung open, drool trickling from the corner unnoticed.
After a long moment of stunned silence, he burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahaha! This is insane—absolutely insane! This is just... damn!"
The Spirit Tamer Ring hadn't robbed him after all. On the contrary, its upgraded abilities were beyond anything he had imagined. The first-level Spirit Taming Technique had improved across the board and now allowed him to attempt to control creatures above his own level. Even with only a 25% success rate for tier-two beasts or zombies, that was still far from impossible.
Luo Hou believed that with a bit of luck, even taming a tier-two creature wouldn't be beyond reach.
But what shocked him the most was the unlocking of the dimensional storage space—a full cubic meter of it!
That was the kind of overpowered ability only legendary artifacts possessed!
After some experimentation, Luo Hou quickly figured out how to use it. It was remarkably simple. As long as he touched an object smaller than one cubic meter, regardless of shape, he could store it inside the ring with a mere thought. Retrieving items was just as easy—one thought, and they reappeared.
He played with the feature like an excited child, repeatedly storing and retrieving the table, the backless chair, and the remaining white crystals in the pouch. Only when he began to feel mentally fatigued did he stop, realizing that every use of the storage space consumed his mental energy. No wonder he felt drained after so many uses in quick succession.
Only then did Luo Hou notice something odd.
The room was filled with a strong, pungent stench.
What was this sticky, slimy stuff on his skin? Reflexively, he wiped his face with his hand, and upon seeing what coated his fingers, he gagged on the spot. He nearly vomited up everything he'd eaten for dinner.
The stench was overwhelming—absolutely revolting.
He kicked off from the floor, preparing to sprint toward the bathroom.
BANG! CRASH— "Ouch!"
He launched himself nearly three meters into the air, slamming his head into the ceiling beam. Losing his balance, he crashed back down, smashing the old table and chair into splinters and landing in a heap, every bone in his body aching as if it had been shattered.