Zhou Tianyun slowly opened his eyes.
The wooden room came back into view. A small oil lamp glowed dimly in the corner, its shadow swaying gently on the wall.
He raised his left hand.
With his thumbnail, he cut the tip of his finger.
A drop of blood appeared.
He moved his consciousness.
The blood trembled.
Then it moved.
Like a thin thread obedient to his will, the blood floated slowly in the air, circling his finger before condensing into a small blade the size of a knife.
A satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
Not only powerful.
Techniques from the system were truly easy to understand.
In this world, most techniques were just writings on scrolls. Cultivators had to read, interpret, imagine, and then try to connect the theory to their own qi circulation. One small mistake could cause energy deviation.
There were indeed high-level techniques that could send spiritual visions directly into the reader's subconscious.
But those were rare.
Very rare.
Simply put, learning techniques in this world was like trying to understand color when you were colorblind.
You were given a description.
But you never truly saw it.
Whereas the system—
Gave him "vision."
"Congratulations, Master, for breaking through."
The girl's voice sounded soft behind him.
Zhou Tianyun raised an eyebrow.
Indeed.
This girl was not a cultivator.
She didn't know that he was actually not advancing in cultivation.
"By the way," he said casually, "how much time has passed?"
"One day since Master began cultivating."
Zhou Tianyun's eyes widened.
One day?
Although he felt he had mastered the technique quickly, he did not expect that only one day had passed.
For reference, yellow-tier techniques usually took weeks, even months, just to grasp the basics.
Yet he had mastered the foundation of an Earth-tier technique in a single day.
His gaze shifted to the girl.
Her long black hair flowed down to her waist. Her dark purple eyes contrasted sharply with her pale skin. The simple clothing she wore was too thin for the season, yet she stood upright, as if accustomed to enduring the cold.
Zhou Tianyun furrowed his brow slightly.
He could sense blood from the lower part of her body.
This technique…
"By the way," he said flatly, "do you want anything today?"
The girl's eyes widened, and then she smiled.
"Actually… this servant wishes to taste spiritual meat. My mother once said the meat is truly delicious. And only immortals eat it."
Zhou Tianyun squinted slightly.
All this time, he had only filled his stomach with pills. Practical. Efficient. Tasteless.
He had never truly tried food in this world.
He stood from his seat.
"Do you want lamb, duck, chicken, or beef?"
The girl chuckled lightly.
Her voice was soft.
"Why, is something wrong?" Zhou Tianyun asked, genuinely puzzled.
Last time he asked something like that, he had been scolded.
No, wait.
He frowned.
I should be the master and she my servant.
But I promised to give her what she wanted yesterday.
So this is normal.
"I would be grateful for any kind of meat," the girl said softly. "But I would be especially happy if Master could buy me a spiritual lamb."
Zhou Tianyun almost asked which part she wanted.
But he stopped himself.
Right.
She isn't my lover.
He nodded briefly.
"I will return immediately."
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped out.
He quickly searched for information on where to buy a spiritual lamb and a women's clothing shop.
Previously, when Zhou Tianyun exchanged his contribution points, he actually received about 5,185 spiritual stones. But feeling the number was not aesthetically pleasing, he only exchanged 5,000 spiritual stones.
After buying a spiritual lamb for 20 spiritual stones and women's clothing that could withstand the cold for 15 spiritual stones, he quickly returned to his dormitory.
Zhou Tianyun's steps slowed as he entered the hallway leading to the dormitory.
The sky had dimmed. Cold wind seeped through the sect's trees, casting elongated shadows like black claws on the stone ground.
Too quiet.
No sound of passing disciples. No laughter of servants. Even the rustling of leaves seemed muffled.
An unnatural silence.
He did not stop walking.
But his awareness expanded slowly—sweeping the surroundings like an invisible thin blade.
Three steps from the dormitory door—
Wish.
The air behind him split.
Without turning, his body moved sideways a fraction of a second faster than his mind. Something passed the space where his neck had been.
Clang!
The flash of metal struck the stone wall beside him.
Zhou Tianyun spun around.
A man in black clothing stood five steps behind him. His face was covered with a cloth, and the aura of a killer was not hidden at all.
"Nice reflexes." The voice was low. "Too bad, it won't save you."
Zhou Tianyun didn't reply.
His left hand still held the bundles of clothing and meat. His right hand relaxed slowly.
But instead of immediately counterattacking, Zhou Tianyun squinted.
Why?
He had only reincarnated a week ago. Made no noise. Showed no remarkable talent. Even deliberately exchanged a reasonable amount of contribution points to avoid drawing attention.
So why was someone sending an assassin?
His mind worked fast.
First possibility—the original body's owner had enemies.
Second possibility—Someone noticed his exchange this morning. 5,000 spiritual stones was not a small sum for a Foundation Stage disciple.
Third possibility—the girl in the dormitory.
His gaze hardened.
The only people who knew he did not grind the girl into a pill were those close to him. And he had already contacted them beforehand, stating that he intended to sell the girl.
A reasonable move.
Sensible.
Not conspicuous.
In the Blood Sword Sect, slaves were commodities. Selling them was not unusual. In fact, suddenly keeping one without reason would have drawn suspicion.
If someone wanted to exploit the situation, the logical target should have been the girl, not him.
A more plausible scenario:
The girl is kidnapped. He does not retaliate or seek revenge. People start thinking he is weak and toothless. His reputation collapses. Then he is killed slowly.
He never once thought anyone could be crazy enough to attack him suddenly, just a day after announcing his breakthrough.
The masked man clicked his tongue. "Why so quiet? Scared?"
Zhou Tianyun ignored the provocation.
He replayed the day's events in his mind.
He had asked people and bought meat. Bought women's clothing. Then returned to the dormitory.
Nothing unusual.
The strange one was this person for attacking him—was he a madman?