That night, beneath the moonlight shining over the roof of the Healing Pavilion, Lu Fan sat in deep thought. In front of him, the transparent system interface kept flashing red numbers, showing the terrifying amount of point debt he owed.
"System, give me a clear breakdown of the cultivation hierarchy. I don't want to die like an idiot because I misjudged someone's level," Lu Fan whispered.
[Ding! Opening the Three Domains Cultivation Encyclopedia…]
> Universal Cultivation Chart
| Domain | Levels (1–9) | Brief Description |
| Mortal | Qi Refining > Mahatahu | The stage where humans attempt to surpass mortal lifespan (100–1000 years). |
| Immortal | True Immortal > Sovereign | The stage where the body is formed from pure energy (eternal lifespan). |
| Celestial | Primordial > Dao Supreme | The stage of those who rule natural laws and create reality. |
Each level contains sub-levels: Early, Mid, Late, and Peak.
"So… that old fossil Han is at Early Spirit Transformation…" Lu Fan muttered. "That's the fifth major realm in the Mortal Domain. And me? I just reached Qi Refining Level 3 Mid Stage. The gap is like an ant fighting an elephant."
[Do not be pessimistic, Host. With this System, as long as you have enough points, you can slap even a god. The problem is… you are poor.]
"Shut up! Tomorrow we're heading to the Forbidden Forest of Death. I'll need Su Yan for this story."
The Next Day: Journey to the Border
The Forbidden Forest of Death lay at the border between the Heavenly Cloud Sect's territory and the domain controlled by the Blood Shadow Sect. If the Heavenly Cloud Sect was one of the three giants, then the Blood Shadow Sect was an unorthodox-orthodox sect ranked 45th among the Top 100. They were notorious for cruelty and for using human blood as a cultivation medium.
Lu Fan ran behind Su Yan, who flew low on her emerald sword. As for Lu Fan? He had no such luxury. He was forced to sprint while using the Heavenly Shadow Step technique just to keep up.
"Why can't we ride the same sword, Senior Sister? This is exhausting!" Lu Fan complained between heavy breaths.
Su Yan glanced down at him coldly. "Physical contact between a man and a woman who are not cultivation partners is taboo. Besides, this is training for your weak legs."
However, beneath her cold expression, Su Yan was secretly astonished. Lu Fan had been running for three hours straight, yet his movements were becoming increasingly stable. His footwork… was profound. Even core disciples of the Immortal Sword Sect might not possess such refined stepping techniques, she thought.
Suddenly, Su Yan halted. She leapt down and pulled Lu Fan into a large patch of bushes.
"Quiet. Patrol," she whispered.
They were so close that Lu Fan could smell the faint jasmine scent from her hair.
Ahead of them, five figures in blood-red robes were dragging several chained villagers. Their auras were dark and foul.
"Outer disciples of the Blood Shadow Sect. The strongest among them is only at Early Foundation Establishment," Su Yan whispered. "We can eliminate them quickly, but that will trigger their sect's alarm."
[Ding! Side Mission Detected!]
[Objective: Rescue the villagers without triggering the alarm.]
[Reward: 1,000 Points (Applicable toward debt repayment) & Recipe for 'Breath Concealment Pill.']
Lu Fan grinned. "Senior Sister, do you have gunpowder or something explosive?"
"For what?"
"We'll create a distraction. You attack from the left. I'll 'handle' them from behind."
Su Yan hesitated, but she saw confidence in Lu Fan's eyes. "Fine. But if you're in danger, I will pull you away and abandon the villagers."
Lu Fan moved like a shadow among the trees. Thanks to the system, he could see the enemies' detection radius as red circles in his vision. He crept directly behind their strongest member.
System, activate 'Silent Takedown' mode!
[Ding! Consuming 50 Points. Physical strength concentrated on opponent's nerve points.]
THUD!
Without a sound, Lu Fan struck the back of the disciple's neck. At the same time, Su Yan shot forward like a streak of green lightning, cutting down three others in one elegant motion.
But the last disciple managed to raise a bone whistle. "Mu—"
CRACK!
Lu Fan leapt forward, clamping a hand over the man's mouth and snapping his neck with a force that surprised even himself.
"Hah… hah… we did it," Lu Fan whispered.
Su Yan approached, looking at the corpses before shifting her gaze to Lu Fan with an unreadable expression.
"You killed without hesitation. For someone who was Level One yesterday, your mentality… is disturbingly calm."
Lu Fan stood up and brushed dust off his clothes. "In a world where the strong devour the weak, hesitation is a ticket to a coffin, Senior Sister."
Su Yan was stunned. Those were words usually spoken by elders who had lived for centuries, not by a teenage braggart.
[Ding! Su Yan Favorability +5%. Total: 25%.]
[Warning! A powerful presence is approaching from the heart of the forest. Detected strength: Late Golden Core Stage!]
The ground began to tremble.
From the darkness of the forest emerged a middle-aged man whose eyes were entirely red. He carried a staff made of human bone.
"Who dares touch the livestock of the Blood Shadow Sect?" the man's voice echoed, containing vibrations so powerful that Lu Fan's ears began to bleed.
Su Yan's face turned pale. "Branch Elder… we're trapped."
Lu Fan glanced at his system panel. His point balance was still negative. The opponent before them was a Late Golden Core expert, one step away from Spirit Transformation.
"Hey, you stingy System," Lu Fan muttered inwardly as cold sweat streamed down his back. "Give me a crazy option. Anything."
[Ding! Option 'Ancestral Power Borrowing' Available.]
[Cost: Reduce Host lifespan by 10 years, or… Become Su Yan's 'Servant' for one month.]
[Note: The second option requires Su Yan to voluntarily provide one drop of her blood to the Host.]
Lu Fan turned toward Su Yan, who was already prepared to risk her life to protect him.
"Senior Sister… do you trust me?"