15 Chapter 15. Leveling up.

The following day arrived.

Li Chen did not rise from slumber until late in the morning, the fatigue from the night before weighing heavily upon him.

Upon awakening, Li Chen made his way directly to his cultivation chamber. It was time at last to prepare the demonic inferno stir-fry delight.

Upon entering the cultivation space, Li Chen did not rush to commence cooking. Instead, he dedicated time to his morning training regimen.

He began with a series of exercises: first, a set of 100 push-ups, followed by 100 pull-ups. After his workout, he consumed a large quantity of water and then began gathering the necessary ingredients for the demonic inferno stir-fry delight.

Once all was in readiness, Li Chen started to cook his meal. Unlike within the safety of the Legacy Tower, where the venomous vapors of the Two-Faced Demonic Lotus could not harm him, here Li Chen took great care to cover his nose and mouth, preventing the poisonous gas from affecting him as he refined it.

The process of crafting the dish here in the outside world mirrored that within the tower. In just a short time, Li Chen had the demonic inferno stir-fry delight plated and ready to be savored.

"Well, time to test my culinary prowess," Li Chen remarked with a grin, spooning a portion of the dish into his mouth.

As soon as the food touched his palate, Li Chen's mouth was met with a burst of flavors.

Though it was not the finest meal he had ever consumed, there was an enchanting quality to its taste. Furthermore, the display of the system screen before him added to his satisfaction.

┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓

You have gained 2 Strength [STR] points.

┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛

Li Chen beamed at the screen, taking another spoonful of the delicious stir-fry and swallowing with relish. The delightful flavors, combined with the boosts to his stats, spurred him on, and he finished the dish in mere minutes.

With two more petals of the Two-Faced Demonic Lotus in his possession, Li Chen prepared another two servings of the demonic inferno stir-fry delight. Despite feeling full, he persisted and consumed every last bite.

After finishing his meal, Li Chen lay down on his bed for a nap. He felt very full from eating too much, so he needed to rest. Despite this, he didn't regret it because the 18 [STR] points and 12 [AGI] points he gained were worth it. He quickly fell into a deep sleep.

★ ★

A knock on his door roused Li Chen from his slumber.

'Who could it be at this hour?' he pondered as he rose from his bed, making his way to the entrance.

Li Jing, busy as the clan's prized member, did not have the leisure to visit him daily. She spent her time either training or venturing into the Verdant Veil Forest to combat and kill wild beasts, seeking to elevate her strength.

"Who is it?" queried Li Chen as he approached the door.

"It's me, young master," came a familiar voice from the other side. Li Chen was taken aback to recognize the caller.

In the Li clan, only one person persisted in addressing him as 'young master'—it was Li Jing's handmaiden, Liu Yan.

Li Chen opened the door to find Liu Yan standing before him, her face alight with a welcoming smile. As soon as the door swung open, Liu Yan performed a respectful bow.

"Liu Yan greets young master," she said with a smile.

A smile graced Li Chen's features as he responded, "There's no need for such formalities anymore. I've lost the right to that title," he said, still smiling warmly.

"Well, I still believe in the young master," she replied, her smile unwavering.

Li Chen appreciated her words but chose not to argue.

After Li Jing, another person who shared a close bond with Li Chen was Liu Yan.

Before Liu Yan was appointed as Li Jing's chief maid, she served Li Chen from his early years, looking after him until Li Jing's birth.

She had been the one to make Li Chen's childhood bearable. However, after Li Chen failed his summoning, many of his privileges were revoked, including the right to have personal servants. That was when Liu Yan was reassigned to serve Li Jing.

"What brings you here today, Sister Liu Yan?" Li Chen inquired. It had been a while since her last visit, which was usually to convey messages from Li Jing, an occurrence that was becoming increasingly infrequent.

"Li Jing sent me to deliver this to you," Liu Yan answered, producing a package and handing it to Li Chen.

Li Chen accepted the package, his expression questioning as he looked at Liu Yan. He hadn't requested anything from Li Jing, so what could this be?

Noticing his perplexed look, Liu Yan explained, "She said it's the fulfillment of your request from yesterday."

"Oh," Li Chen acknowledged, nodding as he unwrapped the cloth to reveal the box beneath it. To maintain the potency of items like the Two-Faced Demonic Lotus Flower, special preservation methods are required, such as this box.

Atop the box was a note from Li Jing:

"I would have delivered it myself, but father insisted that I should not delay and focus on increasing my strength, so I sent Liu Yan. Apologies for that. I hope this will suffice."

Li Chen opened the box to find twenty petals of the Two-Faced Demonic Lotus Flower inside.

His smile widened as he said, "She didn't have to go to such lengths, but please tell her I said thank you."

Liu Yan nodded, yet her demeanor suggested she wasn't ready to depart, even after completing her delivery.

Li Chen noticed her gaze wandering curiously into his room through the slightly ajar door as if searching for something, though the room lay in darkness.

"Is there something else?" Li Chen inquired, drawing Liu Yan's focus back from the interior of his room to his face.

"Oh," Liu Yan responded, tearing her gaze away from the room. "Li Jing also mentioned that I should check on your room. She was under the impression you needed help cleaning," Liu Yan added.

"Oh!" Li Chen exclaimed, realizing the white lie he'd told Li Jing to keep her from entering his room two days ago was now backfiring.

"It's not necessary anymore; I've taken care of it myself. You don't have to worry," Li Chen assured her.

"Oh, are you certain?" Liu Yan pressed. "Or are you trying to keep a girlfriend hidden from me?" she teased with a playful tone.

What the actual...

Li Chen's eyes went wide with shock.

"Why does everyone think I'm hiding a girl in my room!" Li Chen exclaimed in frustration.

Previously it was Li Jing, now it's Liu Yan. What on earth is going on in their minds? Li Chen was just trying to keep a secret to himself, not hiding a girl.

Liu Yan couldn't help but giggle at Li Chen's evident frustration.

"This isn't at all amusing!" Li Chen exclaimed, his patience fraying at the edges upon hearing Liu Yan's laughter.

"Well, young master, it's just that the expression on your face..." Liu Yan began, her giggles interrupting her sentence. "It reminded me of the master when he would sneak around..." She suddenly stopped herself, realizing she may have divulged too much.

Li Chen noticed the slip but chose not to comment.

From his childhood, he had always suspected that Liu Yan was more than just a servant. She seemed to share a peculiar and intimate connection with his parents, especially with his father, Clan Master Li Cheng, towards whom she often cast longing glances.

"Well, I don't have a girlfriend, much less one to hide in my room," Li Chen said, trying to dispel the awkward tension that had settled between them. "I'm sure Sister Liu Yan would be the first to know if I did. I certainly wouldn't keep her a secret from you," Li Chen added, offering a reassuring smile.

Liu Yan smiled in return. "Are you certain about that?" she asked, her eyes playfully scrutinizing him.

"Of course, you know you can trust me," Li Chen affirmed.

"Why don't I take a quick look inside, then?" Liu Yan suggested, her hand inching toward Li Chen's door.

Startled by her forwardness, Li Chen quickly interjected, "Actually, my stomach is acting up suddenly. I should attend to that. Perhaps you could visit another time?" With that, he hastily retreated into his quarters and shut the door behind him.

Liu Yan stood there for a moment, taken aback by Li Chen's abrupt behavior, before shaking her head with a hint of disappointment. She then turned and left Li Chen's quarters.

Instead of heading straight to Li Jing's residence, Liu Yan made her way to Clan Master Li Cheng's manor, deftly avoiding the attention of servants and guards as she slipped inside.

Clan Master Li Cheng was already seated within, anticipating her arrival. Liu Yan walked towards him without a moment's hesitation and bowed. "Liu Yan greets the master," she said.

Li Cheng acknowledged her with a nod and inquired, "Were you able to learn anything?"

"No," Liu Yan replied. "He didn't allow me into his room. It seems he's hiding something."

"Hmm," Li Cheng hummed, his face taking on a contemplative expression.

"Do you want me to sneak into his room while he's out to investigate further?" Liu Yan offered.

Li Cheng shook his head. "There's no need for that," he said. "If he wishes to keep it hidden, he has his reasons. Besides, I trust he would ask for help if he truly needed it," Li Cheng added thoughtfully.

Liu Yan nodded, then asked, "What would you have me do now?"

"Keep an eye on him from a distance. Report back to me with any of his movements," Li Cheng instructed.

With a nod, Liu Yan excused herself and left the manor. After her departure, Li Cheng turned towards Li Hua's portrait and murmured, "I have already failed you; I cannot fail our son as well." His gaze lingered on the portrait, filled with sorrow.

★ ★

Back in Li Chen's quarters, after ensuring the door was securely closed, he peered through the window to watch Liu Yan depart.

He could see the disappointment etched on her face, and it pained him. Li Chen disliked keeping secrets from those he cared about deeply, but he knew he had no choice; the time wasn't right to disclose his secrets just yet.

Once he was certain Liu Yan had left, Li Chen freshened up and changed into clean clothes. He had plans to visit the Golden Gates for some weapon shopping.

Li Chen planned to enter the Verdant Veil Forest the next day to hunt wild beasts. He understood that just eating would not be enough to get stronger. He knew he had to improve his fighting abilities too. Li Chen was aware that he needed to become stronger to take on the challenge on the second floor of the Legacy Tower and beat the two Xingling warriors waiting for him there.

Besides the need for physical prowess, Li Chen was aware he had to find ways to earn more spirit coins. He could not depend solely on the meager allowance provided by the clan, especially since he intended to keep his newly awakened system a secret. Revealing it could increase his allowance, but it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Chen left his room and started making his way toward the clan's exit. And let's not forget, he still had 20 miles to run to complete his daily quest.