Affinity

[Ding~]

Another soft chime once again echoed in the air as more panels appeared before him.

[Achievement Unlocked] 'First Connection'

Rewards : 20x Spirit Stones

[Achievement Unlocked] 'Gain Affinity'

Rewards : 20x Spirit Stones

[Task Completed]

Task: Eliminate a first-stage demonic beast.

Completion Rewards: 100 Spirit Stones, 3x Fleeing Talisman- Low Grade 

Followed by a panel saying, "All rewards will be issued through the mail section, please head to the mail sections to claim your rewards."

Without wasting time, Lao Xie instantly open the mail section and claimed it.

[Click~]

In an instant, several bags of spirit stones suddenly materialized in front of him, alongside a few talisman.

"This is an unexpected harvest." Lao Xie muttered to himself, his eyes glinting with a trace of satisfaction.

"A total of 240x Spirit Stones and 3x of the Fleeing Talismans." His fingers ran lightly over the talismans as he felt the qi pulsating within them.

A cold smile tugged at his lips. "These will be useful... at the right moment." His thoughts lingered on future schemes, where these tools could tip the balance in his favor.

He stored the spirit stones and talismans in his storage ring, pausing for a moment as he thought on the sudden increased of his resources. "With these, i don't have to rely on the sect's resources." he mused as a strange smile slowly creeping onto his face.

"System when will i receive my next task ? " He asked.

Instantly, the system responded in its usual tone, "Your next task will appear in 07 Hours, 55 Minutes, and 18 Seconds."

Followed with a panel,

[System Task]

Cooldown : 07 Hours, 55 Minutes 18, Seconds

"Mhmm.. cooldown?" Lao Xie's eyes narrowed briefly, but he quickly dismissed it with a shrug. "So, the system has this kind of function too.. " His voice was calm, almost amused.

"I remember the achievement says something about affinity, let see the affinity." He added.

Lao Xie opened the previously empty Affinity tab, now filled with new information.

[AFFINITY]

Ling Ruxin

Loyalty : 1 Star

Relationship : Fellow Disciple

Age : 17

Cultivation Stage : Qi Refinement, 2nd Stage

Affiliation : Silver Crescent Mountain Peak, Inner Disciple.

"Oh?" Lao Xie mused, a sudden smile forming on his face. "I can even see their cultivation realms?" he thought, amused by the system's capabilities.

"Ling Ruxin, 1 star loyalty… relationship? what's this..." he murmured to himself as he read through the details.

His eyes locked on a particular line. "Affiliation… Silver Crescent Mountain Peak, Inner Disciple. So that's how it is. This senior sister of mine is actually an inner disciple of the sect." He chuckled softly.

"No wonder she doesn't seem to recognize me, the infamous 'Little Mortal.'" He thought back to her behavior, which had been quite different from what he expected.

"Not too mention, i do recall that, she kept calling me Senior Brother earlier." he muttered, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Unable to think of any possible explanation, he decided to ask the system. "Hey, system, any idea why she kept calling me Senior Brother? Even though she doesn't know me, she shouldn't have been that polite to a stranger. Besides, how could she know anyone's age at first sight?"

The system responded in its usual tone. "Those with lower cultivation realms can't read the cultivation of someone with a higher realm, hence the instinct to be polite. The same logic applies to you, Host. If you encounter someone whose cultivation you cannot see through, it is wise to avoid confrontation."

"However, there also exist artifacts that can hide one's cultivation base." It added.

Lao Xie raised an eyebrow at the system's explanation. "So that's why," he muttered, a smirk forming on his lips.

"That explains what happened at the gate earlier. Does this mean nobody in the outer court can now discern my realm now.." he added.

He chuckled to himself, enjoying the unintended advantage he obtained. With his cultivation hidden to those below him, he could avoid from drawing any unnecessary attention.

Later, his thoughts wandered back to Ling Ruxin. "An inner disciple, huh..." he mused. 

"Striking gold as soon as I got the system..." he muttered inwardly.

Soon after, he glanced at the lifeless demonic wolf. "I heard from the other disciples that we can exchange beast corpses for money," he said, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"Hunting a few more beasts wouldn't hurt. More than money, it's the mastery I'm after..." Lao Xie mused, his fingers tapping lightly on the hilt of his sword. 

"Killing two birds with one stone," he chuckled to himself, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

With that thought in mind, Lao Xie walked deeper into the forest, looking for more demonic beasts. Few Hours later, after a series of intense battles, he found a large tree to rest under due to the fatigue of his effort.

Reaching into his storage ring, he pulled out a healing pill and swallowed it. The warmth spread through him, reviving his physical stamina.

Next, he decided to check his progress. Lao Xie opened the Technique tab instantly.

[Poof~].... a panel appeared.

[TECHNIQUES]

Heavenly Echoing Sword Arts (0/7)

First Move - Sky's Whisperer : 3% → 13% [Proficiency]

Mirage Walk (0/5)

First Stage - Fleeting Steps : 5% → 15% [Proficiency]

"Not bad," he muttered, a sly grin on his face. "I'm getting better." he said inwardly.

"This should be enough for today. No need to overwork myself" Lao Xie thought, standing under the cover of the towering trees as he prepared to leave.

Feeling pleased with himself, he stored the beast corpses in his storage ring and made his way back to the sect.

After walking for quite a while, the towering gate of Silver Crescent Mountain Peak came back into view.