The system's inventory looked like the typical interface of a game character's bag, where all the system items were neatly organized in grid spaces. Meanwhile, the various treasures and techniques Xu Que had stolen from the Tianwu Sect's treasure pavilion were stored in a separate space.
Looking at the item labeled "Growth Pack", Xu Que couldn't help but smile.Based on the description of the pack, he had a general idea of what it was for.Every time he advanced to a new realm, he would get a chance to open the Growth Pack.In other words, after opening it now, the next time he could open it would be after transitioning from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Core Formation stage. After that, it would be the Golden Core stage, and so on.Each time the pack was opened, various random rewards would be granted.
Xu Que felt that his luck might be good today, so he decided to open the pack right away.
"Do you wish to open the 'Growth Pack'?" The system confirmed."Yes." Xu Que responded solemnly, feeling a little excited and nervous.What kind of rewards would he get? A beautiful bodyguard? A legendary artifact? Maybe even an old grandfather-level powerhouse who could accompany him?
As he eagerly awaited, a few beams of light flashed on the system interface, followed by several notification sounds:
"Ding, congratulations to the host 'Xu Que' for gaining new permission to activate the 'Recycle Function'!""Ding, congratulations to the host 'Xu Que' for receiving a 'Disguise Puppet'!""Ding, congratulations to the host 'Xu Que' for receiving a 'Beginner-Level Escape Symbol'!"
Xu Que blinked in confusion.What the heck? Where are the beautiful bodyguards? The artifact? The powerful grandfather?Was this really a "Growth Pack"?
With his three wishes unfulfilled, Xu Que felt disappointed but still focused on the Disguise Puppet in his inventory.
[Disguise Puppet]:Completely disguises the user's appearance and body shape, mimicking their realm and aura, but without enhancing the user's actual strength. Duration: One hour. (Only effective for individuals at the Infant Transformation stage or below.)
"Wow, this is the perfect tool for showing off!" Xu Que couldn't help but exclaim.From the memories of the Prince Consort, he understood the realm classifications in this world quite well.From Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Infant Transformation, Void Refining, Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, and Great Ascension—these were the ten major stages, each subdivided into ten small ranks.The Infant Transformation stage was already considered quite powerful, with people like the current emperor of the Fire Yuan Kingdom and the sect master of the Tianwu Sect being at this stage.
Now, with the Disguise Puppet, Xu Que thought it would be quite effective to disguise himself as someone from the Infant Transformation stage and stroll around, gaining prestige and accumulating Show-off Points in the process!"Too bad it only lasts for one hour... If only it lasted for a year or so," he sighed, disappointed, before continuing to check his inventory.
Aside from the newly acquired Beginner-Level Escape Symbol and the Growth Pack, there was nothing else in the system inventory.
"Ah, I almost forgot. The first reward wasn't an item—it was some kind of new permission, wasn't it?" Xu Que slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering.He immediately spoke to the system, "Quick, tell me more about that new permission."
"Ding! The 'Recycle Function' allows you to recycle items such as magical treasures, spiritual herbs, techniques, and more. The system will analyze and convert them into corresponding essence points, which will be returned to you. Some rare items may be directly converted into Show-off Points. Below is a detailed explanation…"
After listening to the system's explanation, Xu Que finally understood the function.Instead of simply recycling, it was more like a process of devouring items.In essence, he could throw a flying sword into the system, and it would analyze its grade and return corresponding essence points. These points would then be stored in the "Weapon Refining Essence Pool" and could be used to upgrade weapons or magical treasures.
Similarly, if he fed spiritual pills to the system, it would convert them into "Alchemy Essence," which could be used to enhance the quality and purity of pills or spiritual herbs.If he recycled techniques, they would be converted into "Cultivation Essence," which could speed up the progress of martial arts techniques or spells, but could not be used to upgrade a person's realm.In other words, the Dragon's Roar Nine Changes could be upgraded with Cultivation Essence, but the Ancient Five Elements Art could not, since it involved the realm of the practitioner.
Xu Que was thrilled after hearing the entire explanation.Originally, he had been wondering what to do with all the treasures and techniques he had stolen from the Tianwu Sect's treasure pavilion, as he couldn't possibly use them all.Now, with this Recycle Function, he could easily improve his own strength.
However, he didn't rush to recycle everything just yet. He needed time to carefully sort through the items and decide which ones were useful, which he would keep, and which he could sell for silver or spiritual stones.After all, in this world, silver and spiritual stones were the universal currency, and it was always good to have some on hand for emergencies.
"Well, no matter what, this was still a pretty good haul."Xu Que exhaled deeply, a wide smile spreading across his face.
His little brother had also calmed down by now, and Xu Que removed the red bellyband and washed it.Seeing no one around, he quickly climbed out of the water, shook off the wetness, and changed into the plain blue rough linen clothes Xiao Rou had given him. He tied his long black hair up with a cloth.
He looked fresh and handsome, and when he smiled, there was a refined, scholarly air to him.After all, being a prince consort for six years in the palace had cultivated his elegant temperament, and the various spiritual herbs he had consumed had only added to his aura. Even a simple rough linen outfit couldn't hide his natural grace.
Xu Que was quite satisfied with his new look. If he were in his past life on Earth, his appearance and demeanor would have easily made him a top celebrity in the entertainment industry.He then grabbed the red bellyband that Xiao Rou had given him and headed toward her house.
On the way, he occasionally met some villagers who greeted him with smiles and praised him for his bravery in defeating the wild beast earlier.Xu Que smiled shyly, waving his hand modestly, saying he could only defeat as many beasts as his strength allowed.The villagers all gave him a thumbs up.
However, when their eyes fell on the red bellyband in his hand, they gave him sly, knowing looks and teased him.Xu Que stiffened his face, acting all righteous and upright, walking with his head held high.
A little boy, wiping his nose, shouted, "Brother, my mom says that the clothes you're holding are called bellybands, and women wear them. Men can't wear them."The villagers immediately burst into laughter, saying, "Don't mind the child, he's just speaking out of innocence. We all understand, don't worry."
"Understand what?!" Xu Que's face twitched. He quickly turned and ran away, his heart full of embarrassment.Damn, this was a huge face-losing moment.Luckily, the villagers here were kind-hearted and didn't misunderstand him as some kind of lingerie thief. Otherwise, his entire reputation would have been ruined!
With a tearful expression, Xu Que rushed back to Xiao Rou's house.The wooden door creaked open just as he arrived.Xiao Rou came out holding the quilt he had used earlier, seemingly ready to wash it because it was covered in medicinal ointment and had an unpleasant smell.
But as soon as she saw Xu Que, her face turned red again. Especially when she saw the red bellyband in his hand, she almost turned around and ran back into the house.Xu Que quickly walked up to her, took the quilt from her hands, and awkwardly smiled, "Let me do it, let me handle the dirty work."
He casually slipped the bellyband back into her hands.Xiao Rou's face flushed even more as she opened her mouth to speak but then hesitated.
Xu Que was about to ask her what was wrong when, suddenly, there was a commotion from the village entrance, mixed with some angry shouting. It seemed like a quarrel had broken out.
Xu Que frowned immediately. "Crap, is the wild beast back again? Xiao Rou, stay here. I'll go check it out."Without waiting for a reply, he dashed toward the village entrance.
"Wait..." Xiao Rou immediately called out, but Xu Que had already disappeared in the distance.
She bit her lip, unable to shake off her worry. She hid the bellyband carefully and followed after him.