A Surprise in the System Shop

After giving Chang Le and Xue Shan a few instructions, Lin Xiao returned to his residence.

There was still the Su Family's banquet that evening, so he needed to wash up and get himself in order first.

Walking into his room and seeing the traces left behind from last night's training, Lin Xiao merely flicked his sleeve. The powder the tables and chairs had turned into was swept straight out through the window.

"System, claim the reward."

He had returned not only to wash up and prepare for the Su Family banquet that evening, but also to collect his system reward.

A cultivation technique was first poured into his mind, after which he began comprehending it.

If he had received a supreme art like the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms when he had first arrived in this martial world, he might have needed a long time to digest it.

But after being tempered by the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and the Heaven and Earth Converging Yin-Yang Great Compassion Ode, both his physique and innate talent had reached the very pinnacle.

Comprehending a supreme art such as the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms had become much easier as well.

In truth, Lin Xiao should also thank the Purple Mist Divine Skill.

As an orthodox Daoist cultivation technique, it had greatly helped establish his martial foundation.

Daoist techniques were upright, balanced, and peaceful—excellent for laying one's foundation.

If he had begun by comprehending tyrannical techniques like the Heaven and Earth Converging Yin-Yang Great Compassion Ode or the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, his body would very likely have suffered damage.

Even if he had tried to nurse himself back to health, he likely would not have recovered in a short time.

Especially with an evil art like the Heaven and Earth Converging Yin-Yang Great Compassion Ode: without a firm foundation, one simply could not withstand the backlash it brought.

Who knew how much time had passed? The sky had already begun to darken when Lin Xiao finally opened his eyes.

A flash of golden light glinted within his eyes. As he raised a hand, a Golden Dragon formed from true qi coiled around his palm.

At the same time, his body grew even stronger.

His cultivation had also broken through to the third rank of the Grandmaster Realm.

The Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms was not some profound internal cultivation art. Rather, it was a set of martial palm techniques.

It would not greatly raise one's realm, but it had a marked effect on combat power.

Even without using internal energy now, Lin Xiao could easily exchange blows with Grandmaster martial artists through the strength of his body alone.

Back then, that Prince of the Southern Court had relied on this technique to grow stronger with every battle, no matter what kind of formidable opponent he faced. That alone showed how extraordinary this technique was.

Even in this world where martial arts flourished to an extreme degree, it was absolutely among the finest.

Aside from the Purple Mist Divine Skill, Blood Sabre Technique, and Divine Swift Travel that he had acquired at the start, the other three martial arts Lin Xiao possessed were all top-tier.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, the Heaven and Earth Converging Yin-Yang Great Compassion Ode, and the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms—if anyone obtained even one of these techniques, it would be enough to forge them into an expert capable of dominating an entire region.

They simply would not progress as swiftly as Lin Xiao did; they would need time to accumulate their strength.

Now that Lin Xiao had reached the Grandmaster Realm, even if he received another top-tier technique as a system reward, his breakthroughs would no longer come so quickly.

After all, the further one traveled down the martial path, the harder cultivation became.

After reaching the Grandmaster Realm, every minor breakthrough required an enormous quantity of true qi.

Above the Grandmaster Realm, each minor realm was a whole new heaven.

For someone like Lin Xiao, who had defeated Qiu Li, a third-rank Grandmaster, immediately after breaking through, such a feat was exceedingly rare.

At the very least, only geniuses ranked among the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings could possibly accomplish it.

His hand tightened slightly, and the dragon-shaped true qi suddenly dispersed.

After glancing at the sky and judging that the time was about right, he washed up briefly, straightened his clothes, and walked out through the courtyard gate.

Chang Le and Xue Shan had long been waiting outside the courtyard.

Upon seeing Lin Xiao, they hurriedly said with respect, "My lord, have you rested well?"

Lin Xiao nodded, then instructed them, "Tomorrow, send someone to buy a better residence in Dingzhou City. The environment here is rather poor."

"Yes, my lord."

Chang Le promptly agreed.

This sort of task was what he did best.

After all, Chang Le had always been smooth and adaptable in every situation, far more socially adept than Xue Shan.

The two had completely opposite personalities.

Chang Le was absolutely reliable when handling matters, but when it came to charging into battle, he might shrink back somewhat.

Xue Shan, on the other hand, was precisely the opposite. Having him handle such tedious little matters would certainly not do, but when it came to fighting on the battlefield and killing enemies, he possessed not the slightest fear.

Lin Xiao glanced at the two of them and felt that their strength was somewhat lacking.

Chang Le had only just entered the Acquired Realm. If he encountered a slightly more formidable martial artist, he would likely find it difficult to hold his ground.

As for Xue Shan, his strength was fairly decent. He had reached the peak of the Acquired Realm, but if he wished to follow Lin Xiao in the future, this level of strength was nowhere near enough.

These two could now be considered his confidants. Even if he gained more subordinates in the future, they might not be as loyal as these two. He should help them improve as much as he could.

Xue Shan had good martial talent, so Lin Xiao could teach him some techniques better suited for combat.

Chang Le's martial talent was utterly ordinary, so Lin Xiao would only teach him some lightness skills and movement techniques. As long as he could protect himself, that would be enough.

On the way to the restaurant where the Su Family was hosting its banquet.

Lin Xiao asked the two of them, "Will you remain utterly loyal to this official in the future?"

Lin Xiao's sudden question made both of them freeze.

But Chang Le reacted the fastest. "My lord, I, Chang Le, am willing to swear to the heavens: if I ever harbor divided loyalties toward you, may I die a miserable death."

Xue Shan immediately followed with his own oath. "My lord, I, Xue Shan, am also willing to swear: if I ever harbor divided loyalties toward you, may I die a miserable death."

Lin Xiao was fairly satisfied with their reactions.

Of course, he did not believe in such oaths. He merely wanted to see how they would react.

If either of them had shown even the slightest hesitation, he would likely have cast them aside.

"Mm. That is for the best."

"Come to my home tomorrow morning. I have some things to give you."

Lin Xiao said indifferently.

Chang Le and Xue Shan's eyes lit up. They felt that Lin Xiao was surely going to teach them cultivation techniques.

Lin Xiao brought up the system and checked his task points.

After completing these several tasks, he had accumulated forty task points.

The rewards in task points were not fixed; they varied according to a task's difficulty.

According to the system's records, the task of defeating Qiu Li had yielded the most, a full fifteen points.

He had wanted to see what the system's shop contained before, but affairs had delayed him, and he had forgotten about it for the time being.

Now was the perfect opportunity to take a look.

"System, open the shop."

The moment the system shop opened, categories of pills, divine weapons, and cultivation techniques appeared before him, making even Lin Xiao's heart pound wildly in his chest.