CHAPTER 5: FIRST ROOT
Thud... crackle... creak.
Rain still hammered against the roof of the wooden carriage. The night was thick, the road uneven, and the air smelled of wet dirt and fear. Inside the cage, Yin Zhe sat with his head low, his hair dripping into his eyes. He stopped banging his head against the bars and sighed, "Hmph…"
A faint ding! echoed in the air, followed by the glowing screen appearing again.
> [Congratulations, Yin Zhe. You have obtained the Reactive System.]
[Reward: 10,000 Reactive Points (RP)]
[Bonus: 10 Golden Tickets ]
His eyes widened. "Ten thousand points? Ten golden tickets?" he muttered, blinking like a lost cat. Then he chuckled. "Maybe this system isn't that bad after all."
The words vanished. Blink, gone.
"Eh?" Yin Zhe froze. Cough! Cough! He choked on his own spit. "This damn system is messing with me!" he snapped, his voice echoing inside the cage. "I thought I could spin again! You, you despicable program!"
Ding.
> [Shop Unlocked.]
[Skill Slot Unlocked.]
"Oh? Now you show me more stuff?" he hissed, half-angry, half-curious.
The Skill Slot looked like a small floating slot machine, colorful lights blinking, handle on one side, and that same strange pixel glow. Yin Zhe leaned closer, squinting. "Hmmm… gambling? Isn't gambling bad?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "This system's a scam, I swear."
Still, he grabbed one of the golden tickets and pushed it into the glowing slot. Clink. Then he pulled the lever. Clack… whirrrrrr… ding-ding-ding!
The icons rolled fast, sword, flame, lotus, skull, and stopped. None matched.
> [Better luck next time.]
Yin Zhe's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!" He slammed his palm against the invisible screen. Thud! "This thing really is a scam!"
Bao Zi, watching from the other corner, pressed himself against the bars, whispering to the man next to him, "Hissss... He's doing it again."
Ren Tie opened one eye, his spiritual aura still faintly glowing. "Leave him. A broken mind breaks quietly," he murmured.
But Yin Zhe wasn't done. He took another golden ticket and kneeled dramatically on the damp wooden floor. Thud! His forehead hit the floorboard. Thud! "Oh mighty Zeus, father of Greek gods," he chanted. Thud! "Grant me luck or I'll haunt Olympus!"
Bao Zi almost fainted. "Someone save me… this madness is contagious," he muttered, curling into a corner.
Yin Zhe flicked the lever again. Clack—whirrrrr... The spinning slowed... tick... tick... tick.
> [Lucky you.]
[Reward: Spiritual Nine Breaths Cycle Reactive Technique.]
He froze. "Breathing technique?" His voice dripped sarcasm. "Really? I just prayed to a Greek god for breathing lessons?"
Still, his eyes lingered on the message. The name had a weight to it. His scientific side itched to test it.
He took a deep breath. Inhale... exhale. The first breath made the air around him tremble faintly. On the third breath, crackle... faint lights swirled in his chest. By the ninth, a strange warmth surged deep inside him, boom. His whole body jolted, and something invisible pulsed through his veins like fire and water mixing.
> [Congratulations. You are no longer a mortal.]
[You have stepped onto the Path of Cultivation.]
[Current Realm: Root Awakening – Stage 1.]
He gasped, clutching his chest. "Hhhhhh… this… this is real." His whole body tingled like his cells were waking up. The system's words burned into his mind: Path to immortality.
Across the cell, Ren Tie's eyes snapped open. Crackle! His spiritual sense flared instinctively. He felt it, that spark of power. That pure, new core essence forming inside the boy.
Impossible.
Ren Tie stared hard at Yin Zhe. "That can't be…" he whispered. "I've been cultivating since I was ten. Spent decades just reaching Root Awakening Stage Four… and this boy, this crazy boy, forms a core while praying to imaginary gods?"
Yin Zhe sat with eyes closed, glowing faintly, calm as if nothing strange had happened.
Ren Tie clenched his fists. "Unbelievable…"
The carriage bumped. Thud… creak… clack. The horses neighed, slowing down. The sound of rain softened, replaced by faint footsteps outside.
"Shhh…" Yin Zhe's head lifted. His enhanced senses tingled. The system vanished as he focused. He heard voices outside, low and deep. "Unload the goods."
The door flung open with a loud CRACK! Mist rolled in, thick and heavy. A tall man in black robes stepped inside, his presence sharp, cold. His movements didn't disturb the mist, it flowed with him.
Ren Tie's face drained of color. "He's… a cultivator."
The man's eyes swept across the captives. His gaze landed on Yin Zhe for a heartbeat longer than the rest. Then his hand moved, whoosh. Mist poured through the carriage like a living thing.
"Hhh…" Bao Zi tried to speak, but the mist filled his lungs. The others slumped, heads dropping one by one.
Yin Zhe felt his body grow heavy. His vision blurred. Hissss… crackle… thud. The last thing he saw was that faint black mist swirling around his fingers before everything went dark.
---
Boom.
Thunder rolled far away.
A long table stretched across a warm-lit hall. Dishes steamed, roasted beast meat, glowing fruits, rice wine. Lamps flickered gently. Four men sat together.
One man, gray hair tied neatly, ate goose meat with lazy precision, a sword resting beside him. Another, younger-looking, blue-haired and calm, simply drank wine in silence.
But one man wasn't eating. He sat cross-legged on his chair, eyes closed, holding a small glowing pill between his fingers. He swallowed it whole. Gulp. Blue essence spread from his chest like soft smoke.
Elder Chen Niao, the swordsman, grinned while tearing meat. "Elder Xuan Yi, you're at it again. We're eating dinner, and you're still chewing on pills like it'll fix your lack of talent."
The others chuckled.
Xuan Yi didn't open his eyes. "Hmph. This is a new type of Spirit Essence Pill. I'm testing its absorption rate."
Chen Niao scoffed. "Absorption rate? You've been trying to improve that same pill for years. Give up, alchemist. Even if you eat a mountain of them, you won't break through your bottleneck."
The man with white hair, Elder Han Zhen, spoke softly. "Chen Niao, you talk too much."
Chen Niao laughed, "Hahaha!" grease on his chin. "Come now, Han Zhen. Even you have to agree, our dear Xuan Yi here takes everything too seriously."
Han Zhen sipped his wine. "Maybe. But even seriousness has value. My arrays aren't perfect either, but I still improve."
The young man with blue hair, Dean Qin Mo, finally looked up from his cup. His face was calm, voice faint. "Elder Han speaks true. There's value even in small growth. A 0.0005% increase still means progress."
Xuan Yi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You're all impossible. Fine, laugh all you want. The new formula only improved the pill's essence efficiency by 0.0005%. I'll try again tomorrow."
Chen Niao burst out laughing again. "BAHAHAHA! The great Elder Xuan Yi defeated by decimals!"
Han Zhen smiled quietly, finishing his drink. "Still, we all know you're unmatched as an alchemist."
Xuan Yi muttered, "Not unmatched. Just… unfinished."
The hall fell into a calm silence. Only the fire crackled and the wind whistled faintly outside.
After a moment, Han Zhen stood, pulling on his dark robe. Rustle. "I have something to attend to." He pulled his hood over his head, shadowing his eyes.
Qin Mo nodded. "Don't stay out too long. The night stirs with odd energy."
Han Zhen paused, his hand on the door. "I know," he said softly. "Something's coming."
Then he stepped into the darkness. Thud. The door closed behind him.
The storm outside raged again, boom… crackle… hiss.