After soothing the frightened little kitten in his arms, Lin Feng's thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
That heartfelt "Master" from earlier stirred something within him.
In his mind, the system's cold notification sounded at just the right moment.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully subduing the first maidservant [Qiong Xiao]!" "Ding! The [Maidservant] template has officially been unlocked. Please review it at your convenience!"
It was here.
A barely noticeable curve touched Lin Feng's lips. He shifted his gaze away from Qiong Xiao's pretty face, still flushed with red, and with a thought, an azure light screen visible only to him quietly unfolded before his eyes.
The system interface was still as simple as ever, almost crude.
But beside the previously solitary [Host] and [Points] sections, a brand-new tab emitting a faint golden glow had quietly been unlocked.
[Maidservant].
Lin Feng's consciousness lightly settled on this new tab.
The light screen rippled, and a new interface appeared.
At the top of the interface was a lifelike half-body portrait.
The woman in the painting wore a plain immortal dress, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall, her brows and eyes picturesque. Her cool eyes now held just the right measure of reverence and shyness. It was Qiong Xiao.
Even the captivating blush still lingering on her earlobes had been depicted with exquisite realism.
Beneath the portrait were lines of clear, small golden text.
[No. 1 Maidservant: Qiong Xiao] [Race: Innate Human Race] [Cultivation: Early Golden Immortal] [Loyalty: 75 (Reverence)] [Status: Damaged Dao foundation, severely depleted vitality, incomplete divine abilities] [Upgradable Options unlocked]
Lin Feng's gaze lingered briefly on the [Loyalty] section.
Seventy-five points.
There was even a note in parentheses after it: "Reverence."
The number was not low, but it was clearly far from wholehearted devotion.
What she felt toward him now was mostly fear and admiration born from witnessing power beyond her imagination.
If he wanted her to truly give him her heart, it seemed he would need other methods.
Lin Feng was not surprised. His gaze continued downward and finally settled on the alluringly gleaming [Upgradable Options].
This was the main event.
Without hesitation, he activated it again with his thoughts.
Buzz!
The text on the light screen shifted, and three brand-new options, each glimmering with a different light, were displayed before him like merchandise.
[Option One: Repair Dao Foundation, restore the source. Trace its origin power and use Supreme Power to reshape its immortal Dao foundation, making it flawless.] [Points Required: 500.] [Option Two: Increase Cultivation. Directly infuse Vast amounts of pure energy and forcibly raise its cultivation to the Mid Golden Immortal realm.] [Points Required: 1000.] [Option Three: Deduce Divine Abilities. Based on the Principles of Formation Dao mastered by the host, deduce and complete its Innate Divine Ability <Thirty-six Transformations of the Heavenly Dipper Formation>, greatly multiplying its power and bringing it to perfection.] [Points Required: 1500.]
Lin Feng's breathing stopped for an instant.
Even though he had long expected the Maidservant Nurturing System to be powerful, his heart still lurched uncontrollably when he saw these three options with his own eyes.
Repair Dao Foundation!
The words sounded simple, but in the Primordial World, this was practically an impossible task.
A Dao foundation was the root of all an immortal's cultivation. Once damaged, it could lead to cultivation stagnation at best, and a decline in realm or even death at worst.
Repairing it was harder than ascending to heaven.
One needed to seek out all kinds of legendary heavenly materials and earthly treasures, then invite a Great Power of at least the Quasi-Saint level, paying an immense price and incurring vast karmic consequences, before it might be possible.
Yet in the system, how much did it cost?
A mere five hundred points!
Lin Feng's gaze swept over his Point Balance.
[Current Points: 1200.]
These were the points he had gained after killing those four unfortunate Golden Immortal pursuers earlier.
In other words, so long as Lin Feng wished it, he could immediately heal Qiong Xiao's injuries, which had nearly cut off her path of cultivation, and even make her more perfect than before she was injured.
This was simply heaven-defying!
The second option was even more absurdly domineering.
Directly increase cultivation!
For an ordinary cultivator to rise from Early Golden Immortal to Mid Golden Immortal, without a heaven-defying opportunity, even tens of thousands of years of bitter cultivation might not be enough to cross that threshold.
Here in the system, one thousand points would get it done immediately.
As for the third option, deducing and completing divine abilities—
That was even more like the work of gods, involving the deduction and comprehension of Great Dao Laws. That was a domain only Saints were qualified to touch.
The system priced it at fifteen hundred points.
A strange gleam flickered in Lin Feng's eyes.
He finally understood the system's true purpose.
It was not merely meant to grant him maidservants.
It was meant to let him personally forge an invincible force capable of sweeping across the Primordial World... a Goddess Legion!
Only a perfect maidservant could display the greatest possible value.
Lin Feng instantly reached a decision.
Cultivation could be raised slowly, and divine abilities could be completed later.
But the foundation had to be perfect.
A towering building rose from level ground. If the foundation was unstable, then no matter how high it was built, it would one day collapse.
His first maidservant's future path had to be smooth and unobstructed, without the slightest flaw.
Lin Feng closed the system panel and looked once more at Qiong Xiao before him.
The breathtaking immortal maiden had her head lowered, her hands helplessly twisting the corner of her clothes. She seemed still immersed in the shock and embarrassment brought by that intimate moment earlier, completely unaware that in this brief span of time, her fate had already been completely rewritten.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Lin Feng thought to himself.
Since you've chosen to follow me, you must be the best.
He gathered all his thoughts and returned to his usual calm indifference.
"Your injuries have not healed. Come with me. I will treat you."
The moment he finished speaking, Lin Feng gave Qiong Xiao no time to react. He turned and walked toward a cave dwelling deeper within the valley.
Treat her injuries?
Qiong Xiao abruptly raised her head, a trace of confusion flashing through her beautiful eyes.
She instinctively examined herself inwardly and immediately sensed the spiderweb-like cracks spread across her Dao foundation. Waves of piercing pain continuously surged from the depths of her origin.
No one knew better than she did how severe such injuries were.
Let alone healing them, simply keeping her realm from falling would already be a stroke of great fortune.
How was this mysterious and powerful Master of hers... going to heal her?
Could he be planning to expend his own origin power?
At that thought, Qiong Xiao's heart tightened for no reason, and an indescribable emotion welled up within her.
No!
She already owed him the grace of saving her life and the grace of imparting the Dao. How could she let him deplete such incomparably precious origin power for her again?
Qiong Xiao lightly bit her red lips, hurried after him, and gathered her courage to speak.
"Master, Qiong Xiao's injuries are not a problem. I only need to rest and recuperate for some time..."
Before she could finish, Lin Feng, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
Qiong Xiao's heart jolted. Thinking her words had displeased her Master, the rest of her words caught in her throat.
Lin Feng did not turn around. He merely left her with a cold, indifferent sentence.
"I said it before. In my presence, there is no need for excessive words."
"Keep up."
Before you continue