He got 405 points from Shao Xiao, but spent 300 just to get the answer from the system. And on top of that, the system took the two treasures for itself.
If that's not daylight robbery, then what is? The system was like a boss who took all the profit and left him with scraps.
[This is called business, Host. Instead of whining, work harder and we'll both profit.]
Lian sighed. He couldn't argue with that logic.
"How many points do I need to begin cultivating?" Better to focus on something more important than pointless arguments.
[To reach Layer 1 of the Mortal Body Realm, you need 50 points.]
"That much?" His eyebrows twitched. If it took this much just for the first layer, then how much would the later realms need?
And apparently, Mortal Body was the first cultivation realm. If he wasn't mistaken, the Spirit Sea should be the second.
"What about the cost of basic information on this world?" He didn't know much, and as the old saying goes: if you don't understand the world, it'll swallow you whole.
[890 Points.]
"That much?" Lian felt like the system was joking. He tried to reason with it, but it didn't budge or lower the price.
"Fine. Take 50 points and raise me to Layer 1 of the Mortal Body Realm."
[Confirmed.]
[50 points deducted.]
[You have successfully reached Layer 1 of the Mortal Body Realm.]
Lian Tianji suddenly felt a massive flow of Qi surge into his body. His vision sharpened and his body felt lighter.
"So this is what it feels like to be a cultivator…" he muttered, eyes gleaming, throwing a fist into the air.
It only took moments to go from a mortal to a cultivator, but the difference was undeniable—like the difference between pizza with cheese and pizza without.
"Open my panel."
[Confirmed.]
Name: Lian Tianji
Title: Master of the Pavilion of Celestial Secrets
Cultivation: Layer 1, Mortal Body Realm
Technique: None
Talent: Trash
Age: 21
Heavenly Points: 55
Lian glanced at his panel and groaned. The only change was going from zero to Layer 1 and gaining 55 points.
His eyes landed on one particular stat—"Talent: Trash." He really couldn't understand why the system had to be so blunt about it.
He had asked about it before, and the system's response had been crystal clear:
[Your talent ranks at the very bottom of the chain. Work hard to improve it.]
Lian sighed, closed his panel, and took a sip of tea. All he could do now was hope the next customer would show up soon.
After Shao Xiao left—and after everyone saw him kneel in front of the building—it turned out to be pretty good advertising and brought in a few customers for Lian.
Unfortunately, the customers turned out to be a bunch of annoying people who asked dumb questions and weren't even willing to pay the smallest fee.
Like the old lady standing in front of Lian, shouting at him.
"Ma'am, even if I knew where your childhood love is, I wouldn't tell you. I won't let a lunatic like you ruin that man's life."
"What do you know? You're just a scammer! Damn these young people today!" The old woman kept cursing Lian as she stormed out of the booth.
"Listen, everyone! Don't come near this place! The owner is a scammer and won't even answer people's questions!" She stomped the ground hard and spat before leaving.
Inside the booth, Lian rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He hadn't expected customers like this.
They didn't want to pay a single coin and expected everything to be free—and when they didn't get service, they got mad at him.
Even worse, the old lady was just a regular mortal, so things like spiritual suppression or sealing her cultivation didn't work to scare her even a little.
Meanwhile, the main street of the city was still buzzing with rumors that had started earlier that morning. Crowds were gathering outside a booth that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
In that crowd, a middle-aged man with a superstitious and nervous face entered the square. He had a copper pan under one arm, some bone beads, a weird bell around his neck, and colorful clothes—he looked more like a street performer than a healer.
As he walked forward, he was muttering to himself and throwing handfuls of salt in front of the booth.
"Bad luck, be gone! Evil, go away! Spirits, get lost!"
Some onlookers whispered among themselves:
"What's with the frying pan?"
"Is he here to order food?"
"Maybe he thinks it's a restaurant…"
But the man didn't look at anyone. He walked right into the booth.
The moment he stepped in, his inner energy was suppressed—and all his cultivation vanished.
"What did you do to me? Where's my cultivation?" He froze. Shivered. Gasped and looked around in panic.
Behind the wooden table, Lian Tianji was sitting. He swirled his half-cold cup of tea and, without even looking up, said,
"There's no need to be scared."
The man blinked, confused. A strange silence fell between them… until the familiar voice of the system echoed in Lian's mind.
[Scanning customer...]
[Customer Profile]
Name: Mo Chan
Level: Spiritual Sea – Layer 2
Occupation: Local Healer (High-level Superstitious)
Interests: Exorcising spirits, collecting strange spices, cooking with a frying pan
Problem: Nightmares, hearing screams, constant fatigue; believes he's possessed by a spirit
Side Note: Partial possession by a snake-like spirit – Early Awakening Stage
Risk: If untreated, full possession within 90 days
"I see. So you're possessed by a spirit."
"You… you actually figured it out?" Mo Chan's eyebrows shot up as he whispered in shock.
He stepped forward and sat on a cushion, staring at Lian in amazement. He couldn't sense any trace of cultivation from this man.
Which meant he was either weaker than him—or much stronger. Since Lian figured out he was possessed and didn't mock him like others did, Mo Chan preferred to believe he was way stronger.
"Mister… do you know how I can exorcise the spirit?"
"Everything has a price," Lian replied calmly.
"Mister, how about this frying pan? It's anti-spirit! My late grandma used it to chase away two demonic spirits!"
"Those were cockroaches your grandma chased. And no, the pan's useless to me." Lian sighed, leaned his head slightly, and said.
Mo Chan grumbled and reached into his sleeve, pulling out something.
It was a talisman with a twisted metal seal. He found it in an abandoned shrine up in the mountains. He didn't know what it was or what it did—but it was useless to him…
Lian took it, and the system immediately scanned it.
[Treasure: Talisman of the Sleeping Seal – Uncommon – Value: +135 Points]
[Current Points: 190]
'Not bad… now, onto the real issue.' Lian smiled in his mind.
'System, is this guy really possessed? How do I cure it?'
The system responded instantly.
[Diagnosis: Partial possession by a snake-like spirit – Originates from the abandoned temple in the mountains]
[Required cost to discover cure: 70 Celestial Points]
Lian paid the 70 points without hesitation.
[Find and eat the pair of snake that have possessed him.]
…???
Lian raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that. But hey, he was just the middleman—no need to get involved too deeply.
"You've been possessed by a snake-like demonic spirit. If it continues, you'll die in about three months and your body will be taken over. To cure it, you'll need to…"