Ch 30: New Rewards

Feng Chen woke up with a sharp gasp, his heart racing so fast it felt like it would leap out of his chest. Cold sweat trickled down his temples, soaking his robes, and his entire body shook with residual fear.

His mind struggled to process what had just happened... those suffocating images still flashing in his memory.

Where was he?

Slowly, his vision adjusted, and he realized with relief that he was still in the same cave where he had begun his terrifying ritual. The memories of that dreadful battlefield... the towering figure cloaked in blue aura, the overwhelming pressure that made even the mightiest cultivators tremble in fear... began to dissipate like the morning mist.

His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed back onto the cold stone floor, his breathing ragged.

"Am I… alive?" he whispered hoarsely, feeling the lingering terror in his bones.

He weakly turned his head toward the spot where Lie Zhang's skeleton had once sat in its meditative posture. It was gone now... absorbed into him completely.

All that remained of the once-mighty Fist God were a few crumbled scraps of his ancient black martial robes. Feng Chen stared at the empty space for a long time, trying to process the enormity of what he had just done.

"I've seen this kind of thing before," Feng Chen muttered under his breath, recalling the manga he had read in his past life.

"Absorbing another cultivator's essence isn't just about gaining power… You inherit their memories, their fears… their deepest traumas. And sometimes… sometimes that fear becomes so deeply embedded in their bones that even in death, it lingers…"

He shuddered at the thought, still feeling the echoes of the fear that had once gripped Lie Zhang. That overwhelming terror of facing something so far beyond his own power that it made him feel like nothing more than an insect... insignificant, powerless. Even now, after absorbing his essence, Feng Chen could still feel that residual fear clinging to him like a dark shadow.

"The fear that gripped him in his final moments… it's now a part of me. I can feel it, buried deep within my bones. Whoever that figure was... the one who could make even Lie Zhang feel like an ant... he must have been someone beyond mortal comprehension. Someone capable of decimating entire armies of Mahayana realm cultivators with nothing more than his presence…" He thought to himself.

Feng Chen sat up slowly, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. He had survived the ordeal, but the encounter had shaken him to his core. The image of that Supreme Being that terrifying figure wrapped in a blue aura... was still fresh in his mind, and it sent chills down his spine just thinking about it.

"Who… who was that man?" Feng Chen whispered to himself, his voice filled with awe and unease.

"Someone with that kind of power… if he's still alive…" He trailed off, shivering as he imagined the struggle it would take to surpass someone like that.

But Feng Chen wasn't one to wallow in fear for long. He quickly pushed the unease to the back of his mind, replacing it with his usual cocky grin.

"Well, no sense worrying about it now," he said with a chuckle.

"Whoever he is, I'll just have to get stronger than him. Simple as that."

With a newfound determination, he turned his attention to the system notifications that had been piling up in his vision. Dozens of them were stacked one on top of the other, blinking insistently as if demanding his attention.

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System Notification:-

U finally noticed me?

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Feng Chen rolled his eyes, letting out a small groan.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm paying attention now. I've just been a little busy, you know, not dying."

He began scrolling through the notifications, each new message adding to the growing excitement bubbling inside him. His grin grew wider with every notification he read.

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System Notification:-

Congratulations! You have broken through to the Peak of the Foundation Realm!

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"Peak of the Foundation Realm?" Feng Chen blinked in surprise.

"I actually broke through?!" He couldn't believe it Lie Zhang's essence had pushed him that far. The system had told him that absorbing a Mahayana realm cultivator would be beneficial, but he hadn't expected to be catapulted this far in such a short amount of time.

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System Notification:-

What did you expect, genius? A Mahayana cultivator's Qi isn't something to scoff at. You're lucky you didn't explode.

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Feng Chen laughed, though the system's snark was hardly a surprise at this point. He scrolled through the next set of notifications, eagerly waiting to see what rewards his breakthroughs had unlocked. The list of rewards appeared in a window, neatly arranged for his perusal.

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System Notification:-

Daily sign-in complete. Rewards received:-

- Dragon's Tear Elixirs (x3)

- Spirit Beast Nourishing Stone

- Golden Qi Pills (x10)

- Foundation Strengthening Array (2 uses)

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Feng Chen let out a low whistle as he examined the items.

"Not bad… not bad at all." His mind raced with possibilities. The Dragon's Tear Elixirs were powerful cultivation boosters, and the Golden Qi Pills would be perfect for pushing his cultivation even further. But what really caught his eye was the Spirit Beast Nourishing Stone. He glanced over at the egg resting in its nest.

"This will definitely help you grow stronger," Feng Chen whispered to the egg with a grin.

"You're going to hatch into something incredible... I just know it."

Satisfied with his rewards, Feng Chen continued scrolling through the notifications, his eyes gleaming with excitement as more treasures revealed themselves.

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System Notification:-

Breakthrough Rewards Unlocked:-

1. Celestial Flame Armor (Earth Grade)

2. Shadow Void Boots (Earth Grade)

3. Threefold Soul Lotus (Soul Refining Treasure)

4. Soul Condensing Pill (x3)

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The system's rewards were beyond anything Feng Chen had expected, and he was practically swimming in treasures now. His inventory was packed with powerful pills, elixirs, and rare items, each one a potential game-changer in his cultivation journey.

As night fell once again, Feng Chen sat down near the entrance of the cave, gazing up at the moonlit sky. The stars twinkled overhead, casting a serene glow over the forest. But despite the peaceful scene, Feng Chen couldn't shake the lingering sense of unease in his chest.

He glanced at the system window one more time, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Hey, System," he called out.

"How long until the egg hatches?"

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System Notification:-

Estimated time remaining: 12 days.

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Feng Chen sighed, resting his chin on his hands.

"Twelve more days, huh? It feels like I've been waiting for a lifetime."

For a moment, he simply sat there, watching the stars twinkle above. But then, a memory crept back into his mind... an image of that terrifying vision he had experienced during the absorption ritual. He frowned, his fingers tapping nervously against the cave floor as he tried to recall the details.

"I'm sure I saw it," Feng Chen muttered to himself.

"When that white figure unleashed his blue aura… there was a system window. I know I saw it."

His eyes narrowed as he concentrated, the memory slowly returning to him. The scene was hazy, distorted by the overwhelming pressure and fear, but the image of the glitchy system notification flickered in his mind.

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System Notification:-

Your talent - ??? is reacting vigorously…

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Feng Chen's eyes widened as the memory snapped into place. His heart skipped a beat, a surge of adrenaline rushing through him.

"Who was that guy?" he whispered, his voice barely audible in the quiet cave.

The supreme being's presence, the blue aura, the overwhelming power... it had all triggered something deep within Feng Chen. Something ancient, something powerful.

His mysterious talent the one even the system couldn't fully identify... had reacted in that moment. And that terrified him just as much as it intrigued him.

He let out a long breath, leaning back against the cave wall as he stared up at the moon.

He let out a long breath, leaning back against the cave wall as he stared up at the moon.

"Looks like things are going to get a lot more complicated from here on out."

The system stayed silent for a moment, as if contemplating what to say, before finally chiming in.

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System Notification:-

New Quest: "Unveil the Secrets."

Discover the identity of the supreme cultivator who appeared in your vision.

Rewards: ???

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Feng Chen raised an eyebrow at the notification. "So now you want me to figure out who that guy is, huh?" He chuckled softly to himself, a mix of humor and unease in his tone.

"You couldn't have told me earlier?"

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System Notification:-

Where's the fun in that?

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Feng Chen rolled his eyes, but a small grin crept onto his face.

"I guess a little mystery keeps things interesting." He stood up, stretching his arms over his head.

"Well, whoever that supreme cultivator is, I'll find out eventually. I'm not the kind of person who shies away from a challenge."

He glanced over at the egg, which was still glowing softly in its nest.

"Twelve days until you hatch, huh?" he said, his voice filled with anticipation.

"By then, I'll be even stronger. And who knows... maybe you'll end up being something incredible."