Calculations finished!

For the requested upgrade, a total of 327.318 Wood Essence and 648.621 Iron Essence are required.

Current resources are insufficient. You can use Spirit Jade to compensate.

Would you like to proceed? Yes / No

"Oh f*ck no! Do you think I've suddenly turned senile or something? Crap! I don't even have sufficient Wood Essence and it looks as if I need about twice as much Iron Essence. *Sigh* ...Celeste had a good idea regarding the achievement so I can just follow up on that. I can upgrade my array to Level 32 first and think about the rest when I double my current resources. System, what's the amount needed for the upgrade to Level 32?"

Acknowledged!

For the requested upgrade, a total of 24.650 Wood Essence and 49.294 Iron Essence are required.

Would you like to proceed? Yes / No

"It's quite costly, but this much I was expecting... Yes! Go ahead with it!"

Achievement unlocked!

Qi gathering array upgrades:

-Reach Level 32: reward 15000 Wood Essence and 15000 Iron Essence

Would you like to redeem? Yes / No

"Yes... *Sigh* Let's just consider that done and deposit everything else in the warehouse for Celeste to use later. She needs some Spirit Stones as well, so I will leave about 50.000 for her. Now, for the rest of the junk here..."

The number of items in his Inventory was nothing short of surprising for a 'newbie' such as himself. After sifting through the pile for about an hour, he finally managed to make a list of the things in there after dropping all the Wood Essence, Iron Essence, Food Rations, and 50.000 Spirit Stones in the Dwelling's warehouse:

1. Spirit Stones: 167.300 (217.300 - 50.000 he deposited)

2. Spirit Jades: 385.604

3. Marrow Cleansing Dew: 65 pieces

4. Treasure Tokens: 2 pieces

5. Journey to the West Token: 1 full piece (locked until he could ascend to the Heavenly realm in a secondary Inventory space)

6. Reputation: 4200 tokens

7. Silk Caskets: 5 pieces

8. Sect Contribution Tokens: 500 pieces

9. Tallent Pill: 1 piece (locked until he could ascend to the Heavenly realm in a secondary Inventory space)

10. Wanderer Pill: 2 pieces

11. Superior Booze: 3 pieces

12. Booze Gift bags: 30 pieces

13. Superior Booze Gift bags: 5 pieces

14. One Heavenly Book I (could increase Perception once used)

15. One Clouding: Thundering Sword (already equipped)

16. Anuttara Scrolls: 4 books (could increase both Perception and cultivation base - Books I, II, III, IV)

17. Letter to Tian Xiaxue (could be used to gain a Gold-ranked Servant after getting acquainted as Companions first)

18. Immortal Fishing Rod: 1 piece (could be used when fishing into the Saint Cloud River or the Qiongyao Fairy Lake and provides an increase of the chance of catching something)

There was also another 100 Soul-Clearing Grass strands and 100 Mystic Bronze Iron bars in yet another secondary Inventory space he, fortunately, had access to. Since the Talent Pill and the JTTW Token were moved to the locked third Inventory and some of the others were consumable items, he could clear out the entire Inventory in one go, but abstained from doing so just yet.

He placed the Immortal Fishing Rod in the Dwelling's warehouse since it would only be of use after he breaks into the Soul Wandering realm. Until then, it would collect dust quietly. Accessing the Spirit Jade Hall, he purchased the Prajna Heavenly Book, the Prajna Mantra, the Eight Trigrams Heavenly Book, the Eight trigrams Mantra and also used his own Heavenly Book I.

As result, his Perception increased with 128 points and his Absorption with 116. Since he had gone up to this point, he also started purchasing all available skills from the Sutra Pavilion's first level.

Treasures Hall Sutras Hall Spirit Jade Hall Reputation Hall Top Up Pieces of Five Elements III

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Yin Pieces I

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Enigmatic Thunder V

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Pieces of Five Elements IV

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Yin Pieces II

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Yin Pieces III

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Pieces of Five Elements V

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Enigmatic Thunder VI

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Enigmatic Thunder VII

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Yin Pieces IV

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Matrix Pieces I

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Matrix Pieces II

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Yin Pieces V

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Enigmatic Thunder VIII

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones Matrix Pieces III

Cost: 499 Spirit Stones

Spending 5988 Spirit Stones, he acquired each piece and had to patiently wait another three days until the next 'refresh'. He could get some extra attributes once that happens and complete more of these three series collections. Sighing and going back to the Treasures Hall, he originally wanted to buy all fifteen treasure maps available, but was stopped by the lack of space. Seeing the Level 1 Alchemy Furnance, the Level 1 Cauldron, and the four pills formulae he purchased back on Earth, he got rid of them fast by dropping them to their respective locations as well. In the case of the Cauldron, that would be the warehouse since he won't have access to it until he reaches the Gold Core level, but the other five he left in the Alchemy Room because Celeste could hire someone as soon as she's done with the three girls tonight.

"Luckily I saved some Spirit Stones since the two buildings are already completed and I won't need the plans for them. Let's get the treasure maps and start cultivating. I will have much to do tomorrow..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night passed quietly under the laughter of four maidens enjoying the luxury of Herman's room. When the dawn arrived, he woke up from his cultivation and stretched lazily. He wasn't tired since cultivating was similar to a night of deep sleep for the body, but don't be fooled! Sleep was still needed even after going past Immortal Venerable. The body might not need it, but the mind certainly does require some rest.

Getting under the shower while checking his new attributes, Herman was pleased with his gains in the two days he spent in the Immortal World.

Personal Information

Attributes

Ultimate

Pill

Name: Herman Roy

Cultivation time: 0 Years (3 days)

Spiritual realm: Qi Gathering VI

Body realm: Mortal Flesh I

Ascension number: N/A

Attributes

Life Essence: 512

Attack: 2560

Strength: 324

Defense: 1620

Vitality: 500

Health Points: 7500

Dexterity: 523

Evasion: 1569

Fortune: 27

Critical Strike: 9

Perception: 478 Points

Efficiency: 239 Primordial Qi points / 1 hour

Absorption: 167.4 points

Superior Qi Absorption: 83.7 Spiritual Qi point / 1 hour

Character (Unlocked - please select to view)

Personality (Unlocked - please select to view)

By learning a skill from the Sutra Hall he got 10 to the attribute it was created for and another 2 points for being upgraded to Level 1. That meant a total of 12 points for each of the fifteen sutras he purchased. Not only that but after he finished reinforcing his current cultivation, he managed to also break to the Qi Gathering VI, earning another 5 points for each of the big four. That was a total of 46 points in Life Essence, 53 in Dexterity, 65 in Vitality, and finally, 41 in Strength.

"It's not much, but it's something..."

Hearing the knocking at his door, he got dressed in a hurry and went to open it. Celeste was sitting there patiently, as beautiful as he remembered her from last night. He was certain that the girls spent most of the time chatting, so how is it that she doesn't look pissed but rather, relaxed?

"Good morning Miss Celeste. It does look as if you enjoyed last night more than I initially thought possible." [I am quite surprised myself. It also seems that congratulations are in order. You broke through.](Celeste) "The foundation was already set, I just needed to give it another push." [Are you preparing to head out?](Celeste) "Yes. I am going to welcome a future guest. In the meantime, I placed everything you need in the Dwelling's warehouse. Upgrade the facilities as much as you see fit for the Spiritual Mountain and please help me hire an alchemist today. I dropped four recipes and an Alchemy Furnace Level 1 in the building. I also left 50.000 Spirit Stones for your use, so please make sure the newbie alchemist gets the proper tutoring." [10 years or 100?](Celeste) "If we're getting someone to come and teach him stuff, we might as well do it properly. Go for the full 100 years! That way we should be able to get him to the third level hopefully. Is there anything you need me to get for you? I will be going to the main city." [Not really, but thank you. Oh, right! I will hire some staff for the Fate Pavilion as well. We need maids, butlers, and a proper cook.](Celeste) "I will leave everything in your capable hands. If you need more Spirit Stones, let me know and I will make it happen." [It's good to have a 'young master' with deep pockets. Anyway, the girls are waking up. Do you want me to say something to them?](Celeste) "Just that I went out for a stroll. I will see you when I get back." [Okay... if you're going to the main city, be careful of your surroundings. The city is dangerously close to the Westmount territory.](Celeste) "I know. I am planning to visit it on my way back." [Huh!? Look here, Herman. I know that your stats are way above what a normal Qi Gathering cultivator is capable of having, but you lack combat experience. Even if you managed to overpower 20+ Foundation asshats, that's because they were nothing more but local bullies. The things you will encounter while 'adventuring' in Westmount are far more capable than you can possibly imagine. Not only that but they are scarily cunning as well. Did you at least get the sutras from the first level?](Celeste) "Yup. Got a Level 3 sword as well." [*Sigh* Okay. Just don't die.](Celeste) "Careful, Miss Celeste! That sounded dangerously close to you being worried about me." [Dream on, whelp! I just don't want to switch jobs too fast. Especially if you're this loaded.](Celeste)

Seeing how not-cute this woman was and not daring to keep teasing her, Herman got out and left for the big city. It was early morning but the streets were pretty crowded with people going about their business. On a more careful look, the architecture of the buildings wasn't too different from Earth's. What differed was the technological advancement.

Even with all the imagination of all the people from Earth combined, they couldn't even come close to this. The Immortal World was a conflagration of technology, after all. With access to so many worlds and civilizations, it took its pick from each and reached a summit so high, that it's impossible to copy. "Still funny how all looks so... medieval." Allowing everything to stay as natural as possible while still maintaining the intended function was quite impressive. With such thoughts, Herman reached the Travel House belonging to the Far East continent. There, he waited quietly for three hours until there was finally some movement.

The portal activated and a woman exuding valiance and prestige walked through. Her clothes were not the best and quite on the worn side, after a more careful look. Yet no matter how one looked, she had this imperial air surrounding her, making everyone that saw her become deferential.

Her outfit, obviously made for combat, revealed plenty of her svelte body drawing in the attention of everyone in the vicinity. It couldn't be called slutty, but it was sure as hell alluring.

Herman was slightly surprised by how similar she looked to Yi Xuan and barely recovered in time to bow in salute. If he wasn't wrong, this woman's bloodline was regal for certain. It was the System that was stingy and didn't want to give out any details...

"Miss Tianxia Xue, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." [You must be mister Herman Roy. I received your letter and according to my ancestor's vows, I am here to honor her pledge.](Tianxia Xue) "I must admit, a part of me thought you wouldn't show up. Not everyone cares for old customs as much as you do." [To be honest, I didn't want to come over originally. Your attribute panel surprised me, but that's all it did. You are far from reaching my realm and signing a master-servant contract means that you should be able to lead and provide cultivation resources for me. If you are expecting me to follow you just based on a vow made by someone of my bloodline millennia ago, I must assure you that you are daydreaming.](Tianxia Xue) "I understand that perfectly. I appreciate you coming all this way to meet me nevertheless." [You are surprisingly calm about it.](Tianxia Xue) "It's not like I could do anything about it, even if wouldn't be. You should be at the peak of the Ascension realm, correct?" [Wow, you have quite the discernable eye. Now I am a bit intrigued. Let's spar for a bit! Don't worry, I will lower my cultivation realm to match yours and...](Tianxia Xue) "There's no need for that. I would like to see how I fare against an Ascension realm cultivator. Shall we go to..."

Congratulations!

The System has located a special encounter for you.

Follow the instructions to reach the specified place in the next 30 minutes and resolve the issue.

Coordinates: (18, 2)

Reward: unknown!

"..." [Did something happen?](Tianxia Xue) "Miss Xue, it seems like something urgent came up and I need to attend to it straight away. Would you mind waiting at my Dwelling in the meantime? After all, getting some rest would do you good. I wouldn't like to win in our spar and have you blame it on the long-distance teleport..." [Hehe! You don't need to coax me, mister Herman. Sure! I am curious to see how the man that tries to recruit me lives like.](Tianxia Xue)

Opening the portal to his Dwelling and introducing the regal beauty to the other four stunning women still present in his house, Herman winked at Celeste who, in turn, rolled her eyes and bolted in the direction of the Westmount domain. The System was pointing to some specific coordinates in this area. Checking with the treasure maps he bought, none of those matched with what the System was giving him. Letting himself be guided in a possible death-trap while blindly believing in the System was an absolute no-go!

"Think! Judging by the coordinates, the location is quite close to the exit of the Westmount domain. It coordinates seem to be close to the teleport location and I should be able to fend off whatever comes my way, even up to the early Nascent Soul realm. Well... here goes nothing!"

It was universally believed that the 'encounters' the System is preparing for someone are nothing but chances at gaining rewards. And it was true, as long as you could 'resolve' whatever situation you would throw yourself in. Say for example that you meet a swindler that tells you he has a rock in one of his hands. If you guess which, you gain triple the amount you bet. You have three options: pick the right hand, pick the left hand, or don't play at all.

The deciding factor remains at all times in the hands of the cultivator, while the System only facilitates the opportunity. That was probably the only consolation Herman could think of while teleporting in the Westmount territory. Just as the name implies, it was a mountain range filled with a dense forest, lush vegetation, and many predators for any type of lifeform that would enter. And that means any type, including humans. Sword in hand and expanding his awareness to his surroundings, Herman advanced carefully towards the location. The System was nice enough to act as a GPS and point him in the right direction while counting down the remaining time.

Fortunately, he got there with four minutes and something to spare. It was a small clearing and he hid in the bushes nearby. He wasn't stupid enough to just waltz in the middle of the clearing without knowing who the f*ck might attack him. The System also confirmed that it was the right place, but the timer was still counting down. "I guess all I can really do is wait. It's not like there's something hidden in the ground and I have to dig it out. This is not a pirate story..."

Before he could even finish his own thoughts, the sound of loud footsteps could be heard trampling every type of dried up branch or leaf it could find. The direction it was coming from was the polar opposite of Herman's, so he raised his sword and prepared for a fight if needed be. He didn't get the chance to do that, unfortunately. "...the f*ck?" That was everything he could mutter as a tomboyish woman came rolling straight in the middle of the clearing. And when said rolling, it meant tripping and falling as you would see in a cartoon. Herman however couldn't even laugh at her clumsiness, as his eyes were glued to an object that fell out of her hands. It was a round dark crystal, the type you would usually see... "...*Gulp* when Golden Immortal and above Spiritual Beasts have offsprings. F*CK, F*CK, F*CK!!! I need to run!!!"

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!* With a loud, shrill roar, a wave of perception brushed past him, and with that, he knew that there wasn't anywhere he could run to in time. He watched as the girl scrambled to her feet and clutched the crystal tightly while taking two more steps before coming to a halt. She was only four or five feet away from Herman's location, however, she couldn't even sense him. She was too rattled by her pursuer's roar to bother with a small insect on the side of the road. Followed by a whooshing sound, the spiritual beast descended in the clearing, keeping both Herman and the woman in its eyes. "F*ck you too, System! F*ck you too!"