The days in the mountains passed peacefully. Before he knew it, Akes had been living in the mountain village for half a month.
One morning, before the sky had fully brightened, a thin veil of mist still covered the mountains. Akes practiced alone in front of the stone house, barefoot on the dew-damp grass, feeling faint chills rising from deep within the earth. Fire elements danced in his palm. At first, there were only scattered sparks, but gradually they gathered into a tiny fire dragon that coiled around his wrist. As his understanding of the Mysteries of Fire Element deepened, the dragon grew more solid. Its scales were distinct, and even its whiskers were clearly visible.
Its temperature was scorching, yet he kept it perfectly contained within the small space of his palm. Even the surrounding air remained undisturbed.
"Whew—" Akes exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes. The fire dragon in his palm vanished, dissolving into sparks that sank into the air.
He was about to try another transformation when a long-missed mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
"Ding—"
Akes's spirits lifted.
"Sign-in function activated. Detected that the host has lived continuously in a mountain village for fifteen days and reached the 'smitten' level of affection with the key character Monica. Special-scene sign-in triggered."
"Sign-in successful! Congratulations, host. You have obtained a rare treasure from the Sword and Fairy world—the Golden Silkworm Gu."
"Golden Silkworm Gu: A rare spirit gu from the Sword Immortal World. It can permanently increase the user's spiritual power, with the amount depending on the user's aptitude. It has no side effects and is exceptionally effective at overcoming bottlenecks. For those below the Saint level, consuming it grants an unconditional increase of one rank."
Akes's heart shuddered.
The Golden