Li Wang eyed the jade bottle again, remembering the Creation System's taunting words about it being a "spine-breaker deluxe."
"You really expect me to drink something that sounds like instant death?"
[Coward,] the system snickered. [A real man would take the gamble.]
"Yeah, well, I'm not in the mood to 'accidentally' grow bones out of my eyeballs," Li Wang shot back, setting the bottle aside.
With a sigh, he shifted his attention to the pile of pill bottles, sorting them by name, though he needed the Creation System's occasional grumbling assistance to figure out which ones weren't just powdered death in a jar.
"Phew, finally done." After twenty minutes, Li Wang was able to sort out all the pill bottles, so he asked the system, "Can you appraise and tell me how much you would buy these for?"
[Hmm, let's see… Oho, you've got some interesting trash here.]
The Creation System's voice shifted into the tone of a smug street vendor.
[Wrathful Spine Elixir—5 CP, easy. This Black Marrow Brew—1 CP, but only because I'm generous. Laughing Necrosis Pills? Half a CP each, maybe less. The rest of these bottles? Hah! Barely worth 0.01 CP apiece. You've basically got a junkyard here, host.]
Li Wang's brow twitched. "You're telling me I spent twenty minutes sorting this junk just for a few lousy points?"
[Lousy? You've got dozens of bottles. Sell the whole lot to me, and I'll give you… Let's say 12 CP. Final offer. No haggling.]
"Final offer?" Li Wang scoffed. "You sound like some back-alley con artist. These bottles look valuable!"
[Valuable? Host, half of these are the alchemic equivalent of expired instant noodles. In fact, I'm doing you a favor by taking them off your hands before they explode or turn you into a frog.]
Li Wang crossed his arms. "Make it 20 CP, or I'll shove a Laughing Necrosis Pill down your throat."
[I don't have a throat, you cheapskate.] A grumble echoed in his head. [Fine, fine. 15 CP. And that's my final-final offer.]
Li Wang smirked. "Now we're talking."
[Transaction complete. 15 CP added. Current Balance: 15 CP.] The cold mechanical voice sounded in his head again.
"Ah, how beautiful this voice is, unlike that hateful voice you usually use." Li Wang couldn't help but take another jab at the system.
[Oh, you like that voice? I'll switch to it permanently, host. Please insert 50 CP for the 'Premium Customer Service Pack.']
Li Wang "…"
Li Wang pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fifty CP for a voice change? What's next, you gonna charge me for breathing?"
[Don't tempt me, host. I could create a 'Premium Oxygen Pack.' Only 1 CP per breath. Limited-time offer.]
"Yeah, no thanks," Li Wang muttered, sweeping the remaining pill dust off his hands, "now what should I do?"
[Host, did you forget about the Heaven Grade Spiritual Roots already?] As Li Wang was pondering, the Creation System's voice reminded him of the reward he had gotten from the Daily Sign-in.
An enlightened look appeared on Li Wang's face as he quickly thought about claiming the spiritual roots.
The next moment, a wave of sharp pain started to grow in his lower abdomen and quickly spread throughout his body.
Arghhhh!!!
The pain was so unbearable that Li Wang fell down on his knees with a scream, his entire body shivering continuously.
He felt as if thousands of needles were piercing every inch of his body.
Unbeknownst to Li Wang, black mucus started to ooze out from his entire body, and a horrible stench started to waft in the air.
After an unknown amount of time, the pain in Li Wang's body slowly receded, and an incredible sense of comfort covered his body.
At this moment, Li Wang felt as if he were lying in his mother's lap, extremely comfortable and secure, and a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
As Li Wang's unconscious body lay there in the center of the jungle, several animals, big and small, tried to approach his body, but because of the horrible stench emitting from his body, they were driven away.
The wheel of time continued to spin, and finally, as the final ray of sunlight began to disappear, Li Wang's eyes trembled slightly, and he started to regain consciousness.
"Aghh, my neck hurts." Li Wang's first response after waking up was to clutch his neck, which had gotten strained from lying on an uneven surface.
[Oh, look who's finally awake from his beauty nap.] The system, as always, didn't fail to give a snarky remark.
Hearing the annoying voice, Li Wang's face turned sour. "Can't you act normal for once? Why do you have to be so annoying?"
[Can't help it, host, I wasn't the one who asked your face to be so ugly.]
Finally, Li Wang grew tired of the system's constant snickers and said, "Ahh, just shut up."
Li Wang sat up fully and immediately gagged.
"What the hell is that smell?!"
He glanced down and nearly jumped out of his skin. His entire body was coated in thick, black, tar-like gunk that looked like someone had boiled a sewer rat and painted him with it. The stench was indescribable. Sour, bitter, and rotten all at once.
"Urgh… no wonder the animals didn't eat me. I smell like fermented demon dung!"
[Technically, that's the accumulated impurities being purged from your body during the spiritual root upgrade. Congratulations, host. You're now spiritually pure… and physically revolting.]
Li Wang pinched his nose with one hand while holding the other out, as if distance alone could protect him. "You could've warned me I'd turn into a biohazard!"
[Consider it a free deodorant detox. You're welcome.]
"Ugh, I need a bath. Now."
Without wasting another second, Li Wang bolted toward the sound of running water nearby. It didn't take long to find a shallow but fast-moving stream. He plunged in, scrubbing himself raw with river pebbles, muttering curses the entire time.
It took twenty minutes and the sacrifice of his dignity, but eventually, the black sludge was gone, and the stink faded.
He pulled himself out, dripping wet, and stared at his ruined clothes—torn, bloodied, and still carrying a faint whiff of corpse rot.
"Great. Now I look like a half-drowned bandit. Don't suppose you've got something I can wear?"
[As a matter of fact, host, I have just the thing: a set of entry-grade spiritual garments. Lightweight, self-cleaning, enhanced defense, can block attacks from Peak Qi Refining Stage cultivators, and even helps with spiritual energy recovery. Yours for just… 5 CP.]
Li Wang's expression soured. "Five?! That's like a third of my entire net worth!"
[Quality doesn't come cheap, host. Do you want to go around looking like a hobo with glowing veins, or wear something that won't combust when someone glares at you too hard?]
Li Wang narrowed his eyes. "Got anything cheaper?"
[These are the cheapest. The next tier down is wearing leaves. Want me to throw in a fig leaf for 0.01 CP?]
"…You're a scam artist, you know that?"
[Correction: I'm your scam artist. Now cough it up, or enjoy streaking through the jungle.]
"Fine." Li Wang let out a long, painful sigh. "Deduct the 5 CP before I change my mind."
[Transaction complete. 5 CP deducted. Current Balance: 10 CP. Equipping 'Beginner's Spiritweave Robes'.]
A flash of light enveloped his body, and Li Wang looked down in surprise as a sleek, dark-blue robe materialized on him. The cloth was soft but sturdy, with silver embroidery that shimmered faintly in the light. It clung comfortably to his form, flexible yet firm, like it was made just for him.
He flexed his arms. "Not bad… feels like luxury pajamas."
[Glad you like it, host. You can now cultivate and nap in style.]
Taking a deep breath, Li Wang basked in the feeling of fresh clothes on his skin.
His sleek robe shimmered lightly under the faint moonlight, making him look like an actual cultivator, that is, if you ignored the fact that he was broke and surrounded by blood-soaked dirt.
As he was about to enjoy the peace, he finally noticed something.
His breath hitched. The world… shifted.
He felt his vision had sharpened, his hearing had increased several times, and most importantly, he felt a presence he had never noticed before.
Tiny motes of invisible power drifted through the wind, flowing like mist all around him.
"Is this… Spiritual Energy?" He questioned aloud.
Instinctively, he reached his hand out, wanting to touch it, and to his surprise, a few motes got absorbed into his body like water in a sponge.
As the energy entered his body, an extremely pleasant sensation coursed through his body, intoxicating him.
He instantly sat down cross-legged, wanting to feel more of that feeling.
From the original Li Wang's memories, he learned how to absorb the spiritual energy in the air and applied it.
When Li Wang willed the spiritual energy around him to enter his body, it slowly started to come toward him, assimilating with his body.
"This isn't right," after sitting there for a while, Li Wang opened his eyes, which were filled with confusion.