This Was Practically a Pure Land of Bliss...

Holy crap...

Little C, you've completely given up on treatment, haven't you?

With such unusual tastes, the host must have to take a few more glances at you.

Lu Ping chose A.

[You chose A.]

[You didn't speak, but walked to the corner behind the counter and sat down at a worn-out wooden table.]

[A crudely made pen and inkstone lay on the table.]

[You pick up your pen, open the ledger, and begin copying.]

[Although you have lost your cultivation, your spirit remains.]

[As you copy, you analyze your current situation in your mind.]

[The rough texture of the paper, the cheap smell of the ink, even the crisp sound of the Shopkeeper Chen beads clinking together—all are flawlessly detailed.]

[This doesn't seem to be a simple illusion, but rather more like a real, existing world.]

[The great master who taught the "As-If-Original Seal" sat here in meditation for thirty years, eventually revealing the Cultivation Method, but passed away not long afterward.]

[Could it be that this secret realm tests one's State of Mind? A ability to transcend the mortal realm?]

[Just then, you sensed a faint Spiritual Power arising out of thin air in your Dantian.]

[Work Experience, valid.]

You paused for a moment, then understood.

[Since "Salty Fish " works, there's no reason why other Trait shouldn't.]

[Previously, you were Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, taking pills daily, and your Spiritual Power gain was at least equivalent to three or four thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]

[The sixty-odd points of Spiritual Power gained daily from "Work Experience" are completely insignificant compared to the rest.]

But things are different now.

You are just an ordinary person.

[For mortals, this sudden surge of Spiritual Qi allows you to successfully draw energy into your body, kicking open the door to cultivation and stepping into the Body Tempering Realm!]

[System, you're really reliable!]

The phrase "Through countless reincarnations, the True Self remains unchanged" flashes through your mind once more.

[In less than half an hour, that warm current had spread throughout the entire body, and your mortal body had quietly entered the Body Tempering Realm Completion.]

[Immediately afterwards, Spiritual Power gathered in your Dantian, and with a gentle surge, you broke through to a higher realm once again.]

[Qi Refining Stage]

[You broke through two major realms in one hour. Your mind was as calm as still water, and you showed not a trace of arrogance.]

[As expected, under the system's sarcastic and unpredictable tempering, your Dao Heart has become increasingly resolute.]

Lu Ping: "..."

System, you're trying to get attention again!

I'm a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator who's only just recovered to the Qi Refining Stage. What's there to be proud of?!

Tell me, what's there to be proud of?!

Salty Fish, effective.

Lu Ping has decided: no more smiles today!

[Your hands, still steady as you copy the ledgers, your aura remains peaceful.]

[Shopkeeper Chen's hands, which were fiddling with the abacus, unconsciously slowed down.]

[You don't even need to look up to know he's been secretly glancing at you several times.]

Shopkeeper Chen swallowed hard. He had wanted to curse at you, but the words stuck in his throat.

He even instinctively shrank back, as if afraid of disturbing you.

[Options pop up.]

[A: Keep a low profile, tone it down, and continue to be a good colleague.]

[B: You put down your brush, looked up at the roof at a 45-degree angle, your eyes revealing three parts indifference, three parts mockery, and four parts nonchalance, and said lightly, "It's getting cold; Chen's should go bankrupt."]

[C: Cleared his throat and began reciting the contents of a novel with dramatic intonation: "The Domineering CEO Falls in Love with Me: The Rise and Fall of the Rice Shop! 'Man, you've successfully caught my attention!' Shopkeeper Chen, what do you think of this opening? Does it have the potential to be a hit?"]

Little C, try to read less novels!

And you, Little B, too. Were you possessed by Little C?

What the hell is this "the weather is getting cold and Chen Po is getting better"?

Lu Ping sighed and could only choose A.

[You chose A.]

[You suppress your aura to a mortal state.]

Shopkeeper Chen let out a sigh of relief, realizing that his earlier fear had come without any basis.

He shook his head and continued fiddling with the abacus.

[By evening, you had finished your work for the day.]

[Although Shopkeeper Chen was grumbling, he didn't deduct your wages; he even let you take a small bag of broken rice with you.]

[You carried that bag of broken rice, walking down the long street.]

The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the Brahma Sound City, bathing it in a peaceful glow.

[You walked and observed.]

[The shops along the street have no clerks who cheat customers, and there are no thugs running rampant on the road.]

The street vendor selling candied hawthorns on the corner gave an extra skewer to a little girl when he was packing up.

The blacksmith helped the lady who owned the cloth shop next door carry her bolts of cloth, and she thanked him politely.

[You witness a vendor drop his money pouch, walk a long way before turning back, and find the pouch lying untouched on the roadside.]

Throughout the city, there were almost no disputes, and certainly no instances of bullying or monopolistic practices.

[Every household has ample rice and grain, and everyone is humble and courteous.]

This is simply an Ultimate Bliss Pure Land.

[Let alone the Domain of Chaos and the Azure Dragon Domain, even on Blue Star, where you lived in your previous life, there wasn't such a culture of leaving doors unlocked at night and not picking up lost items on the road.]

[Just as you reached the gate of your courtyard, a melodious bell rang out from the city.]

["When--"]

[The bell's sound wasn't loud, yet it clearly resonated throughout every corner of the Brahma Sound City.]

[The pedestrians on the street, whether they were peddlers carrying loads, women buying vegetables, or even children playing on the street corner.]

[Everyone stopped what they were doing the moment they heard the bell.]

[They clasped their hands together, faced the direction from which the bell rang, closed their eyes, and chanted Buddhist mantras in unison.]

["Namo Marici Buddha..."]

At this moment, the entire Brahma Sound City was put on pause, with only the resounding chanting echoing throughout.

[You stand in front of your "own" door, vaguely sensing an incongruity, as if something is forcibly trying to force its way into your mind.]

[Salty Fish, in effect.]

Your Dao Heart is as strong as gold, stronger than iron.

[You coldly observe the city's devout populace.]

The chanting lasted for the duration of an incense stick burning.

[The bell rang again, and only then did the pedestrians on the street open their eyes, lower their hands, and continue carrying their loads, buying vegetables, and playing around.]

[You've been back inside for less than half an hour when someone knocks on the door.]

"Ping-ge'er, are you inside?"

[It's Auntie Wang from next door.]

[Options pop up.]

[A: Let's open the door and see what she's up to.]

[B: You tiny ant, how dare you call me by my name...]

[C: She flung open the door, leaned against the doorframe in a greasy pose, her eyes filled with a mixture of coldness and mockery: "The night is long, and I can't sleep. I thought I was the only one having trouble sleeping, but it turns out you, Auntie Wang, are also..."]

Little C!! I already told you, don't read too many novels and watch too many movies!!

If you keep doing this, you'll be locked up in Little Black Room, you know that?!

Lu Ping felt that Little C was becoming increasingly restless.

No, Little B isn't behaving himself either.

Lu Ping suddenly remembered that these two were almost sixty years old and wanted to go home!

Lu Ping silently chose A.

[You chose A.]

[You open the courtyard gate.]

[Auntie Wang is holding a yellow talisman in her hand, looking at you with concern.]

[You flipped through that extra piece of memory.]

[Auntie Wang was a widow who made a living by mending clothes. She didn't live a very comfortable life, but she often shared her saved food with "you".]

[In "your" memory, this was a kind-hearted person.]

"Ping-ge'er, I noticed you weren't chanting Buddhist prayers earlier. Are you feeling unwell again?"

You didn't answer, your gaze fixed on the yellow paper.

"This is a ' Peaceful Dwelling Talisman I just got for you from the temple."

[Auntie Wang stuffs the yellow paper into your hand.]

"The monks at the temple said that as long as you carry this fortune stick, Buddha Lord will take care of your food, clothing, daily necessities, and all your health and suffering from birth, old age, and illness."

"You have a hard life, child, orphaned and without parents. But with the Buddha Lord's protection, you will have peace from now on."

You lower your head and look at the Peaceful Dwelling Talisman in your hand, its surface adorned with intricate patterns and exuding the scent of sandalwood.

Your gaze narrowed slightly.

Seeing that you were not moving, Auntie Wang urged you on.

"Ping-ge'er, quickly keep this close to your body, and Buddha Lord will protect you."

[Her tone was gentle, but there was a hint of fanaticism in the corner of her eye.]

[Options pop up.]

[A: I obediently accepted it and put it on my waist.]

[B: He tore the Peaceful Dwelling Talisman to shreds and shouted, "My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens!"]

[C: She immediately ripped open her shirt, revealing her chest, and stuffed the talisman deep into her waistband. She gave him a coquettish wink: "Auntie, you should have said so earlier! Since Buddha Lord provides food, lodging, and retirement, I entrust my eighteen-year-old virginity entirely to Buddha Lord! May I ask, does Buddha Lord prefer a puppy-dog style or a wolf-dog style...?"]