Chapter 2 New Task: Golden Core Stage

"What?"

Qi Yao stood there blankly, not reacting for a moment.

Not far away, the bearded man, who was firmly restrained in place, swallowed hard and asked with a trembling voice:

"Your… Your Excellency, who exactly are you?"

After this mysterious man appeared, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, making it impossible for him to even struggle slightly; even speaking became extremely difficult.

His two subordinates were even worse off, their bodies as stiff as iron, frozen in an awkward pouncing posture that looked somewhat comical.

At this moment, no matter how dull-witted the bearded man was, he could sense that something was wrong.

The man before him was simply too terrifying!

In a remote backwater like Qingyun Town, he had never encountered such a powerful expert.

Qi Yuan withdrew his gaze from the wooden tombstone and gave the bearded man a faint glance.

"You are Xu Biao, the hall master of the Black Tiger Gang?"

Xu Biao's heart skipped a beat, sweat began to bead on his forehead, and he said tremblingly:

"Ye… Yes. Senior, if you have any instructions, please just say them, and this lowly one will surely comply."

Having confirmed the task target, Qi Yuan didn't bother with nonsense. With a casual point, Xu Biao, the Black Tiger Gang hall master who had run rampant in Qingyun Town for decades, exploded on the spot, turning into a mist of blood with no remains left.

"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the novice task. The System will begin repairing your Dantian and Meridians…"

Hearing the notification in his ear, Qi Yuan didn't feel the slightest sense of achievement from completing the task; he even felt a bit like laughing.

If he wasn't mistaken, the unlucky fellow lying in the grave was the actual owner, whose name also happened to be Qi Yuan.

As a result, something went wrong, and the loser counterattack System that should have belonged to the actual owner ended up binding to him instead.

And because the actual owner didn't manage to have the System Awakening in time yesterday and didn't receive the novice gift pack, he was easily killed by Xu Biao. Now, grass was already starting to grow on his grave.

According to the original plot, the actual owner could have relied on the System to cheat his way through a counterattack, slaughtering everyone in his path like a proper power-fantasy protagonist. Now, he had died silently—truly pathetic.

Thinking of this, Qi Yuan couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

Currently, this crappy System was useless to him. He could only try doing some tasks first to see if it could return to normal later.

While his thoughts were racing, a warm current flowed through his Meridians and spread throughout his body, gradually converging into his Dantian.

Qi Yuan was first taken aback, and then he immediately felt the changes within his body.

The strength of his Meridians seemed much stronger than before, capable of carrying more True Essence, and his Dantian Qi Sea had also been significantly widened, not at all inferior to a Cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm.

Holy cow, the System's rewards actually work!

After confirming that these changes had no side effects, a look of surprise and joy couldn't help but appear on Qi Yuan's face.

Although he didn't need to Cultivate, the System still strengthened his Dantian and Meridians, which could be considered a disguised improvement of his cultivation potential.

After all, Physique was a type of talent. He was already a Genius with top-tier Aptitude, and now, after being strengthened by the System, he had reached a new level. This was truly an unexpected surprise.

It seemed this stupid System wasn't entirely useless.

Although the process was a bit boring, the rewards were quite nice.

Having tasted the benefits, Qi Yuan began to look forward to the rewards of the next task.

Just then, a timid voice suddenly came from nearby:

"Thank… Thank you, Senior, for avenging my brother…"

Qi Yuan turned his head and looked at the young girl with teary eyes before him.

The Original Owner's sister was about thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in plain clothes with a simple hairpin. She was thin, and her skin was somewhat pale from malnutrition. Though her brow held a hint of sorrow, it still couldn't hide her clear and pretty features; she was clearly a beauty in the making.

Seeing Qi Yuan's gaze, a flush of crimson immediately rose on Qi Yao's fair and tender little face. She lowered her head nervously, not daring to meet his eyes.

Although she had no cultivation herself, she was born into a Xuanmen Family after all, so she possessed some basic discernment. This mysterious expert had killed Xu Biao, the Black Tiger Gang hall master at the Third Level of Qi Refining, with just a flick of his finger. He was clearly no ordinary Cultivator.

Especially the deep, pool-like aura he exuded made her feel an urge to prostrate herself in worship.

Qi Yao had a faint premonition that the man before her was by no means ordinary. Perhaps he was even more powerful than the Foundation Establishment Realm Old Ancestor of the Qi family… To a Mortal, the Foundation Establishment Realm was already no different from an immortal or a god—a grand existence that was far out of reach.

As for higher Realms, they were completely beyond her imagination.

"It was just a small effort, not worth mentioning."

Qi Yuan smiled faintly and said in a warm tone, "No need to call me Senior. Just call me Brother Qi."

Given the nature of the counterattack System, the Original Owner's sister was a key character. There would surely be System tasks related to this young girl in the future. Building a relationship now was definitely the right move.

Therefore, the moment he confirmed the Original Owner was completely dead, he decided to take Qi Yao back to the Taixuan Holy Land and bring her entirely under his control.

As a superior, he detested all variables that were out of his control.

Hearing this, Qi Yao was slightly dazed. After hesitating for a moment, she shyly called out, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz:

"Brother Qi… Thank you…"

Qi Yuan nodded and casually dealt with the two Black Tiger Gang lackeys who had been knocked unconscious by his Golden Core Stage pressure. His movements were clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

He had been able to stand out in the fierce competition and secure the position of the Holy Land Dao Seed; naturally, he was not someone soft-hearted.

Even when facing the weakest of enemies, one could not afford the slightest lapse in vigilance.

Only by pulling up the roots can one eliminate future troubles forever.

Just then, the System interface before Qi Yuan's eyes displayed task information once again.

"New Task: The Path to Escape (Difficulty: Four Stars)"

"Task Description: After a thrilling and bitter battle, you defeated Xu Biao, the Black Tiger Gang hall master at the Third Level of Qi Refining, as a Mortal and set foot on the path of cultivation once again. However, your act of killing Xu Biao is about to trigger a frenzied retaliation from the Black Tiger Gang…"

"Task Objective: Take your sister Qi Yao and escape from Qingyun Town, surviving the pursuit of the Black Tiger Gang"

"Additional Reward Condition: Eliminate Tiger, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang (Fifth Level of Qi Refining)"

"Task Reward: 100 counterattack points, 5 High Grade Qi Gathering pills, 200 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, unlock the Epiphany function"

"Additional Reward: Appropriately improve the Host's abysmal Spiritual Root Aptitude; obtain the talent [Pretending to be a Pig to Eat the Tiger]"

"Huh?"

As he listened, Qi Yuan's expression gradually became strange.

This stupid System was acting up as usual.

Clearly, ignoring those nonsensical task descriptions, the key to completing the task was to achieve the "Task Objective."

At this moment, images of himself being chased by a group of weaklings who didn't even have cultivation began to surface in his mind.

Of course, the task itself held no difficulty whatsoever. Even if it were just for the reward of improving his Spiritual Root talent, he would hold his nose and do it.

But the problem was, how could he make the Black Tiger Gang leader at the Fifth Level of Qi Refining have the courage to pursue someone at the Perfection of the Golden Core Stage…"