The System's Punishment

News of Mu She's death soon spread throughout Qingshan Town.

Because of a single youth, a mercenary group that had run rampant in Qingshan Town for so many years had quietly met its end. Everyone in town found the turn of events utterly dramatic.

A youth not yet twenty had killed all three leaders of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, cutting off any chance of its rising from the ashes. The two remaining major mercenary groups seized the opportunity to take over its holdings.

But Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian, the people at the heart of it all, had already left Qingshan Town.

Before exchanging that final blow with Mu She and Gan Mu, Xiao Fan had quietly signaled Xiao Yi Xian.

After Mu She was killed, Xiao Yi Xian rode the Blue Eagle down and took Xiao Yan away.

The two leaped onto the Blue Eagle's back and circled once overhead. With a cry, it spread its wings and soared away, disappearing into the azure sky moments later.

After leaving Qingshan Town, Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian were in no hurry to cross the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Under her guidance, they arrived in a quiet valley.

Thick mist shrouded the valley, concealing it from view. No paths led inside; the only entrance was from the sky. Xiao Yi Xian spoke to Xiao Fan with a hint of pride.

"What do you think? This is one of my secret hideouts! Shall we rest here for a while?"

Xiao Yi Xian tilted her head as she asked Xiao Fan.

Even now, she had never imagined that the refined-looking Xiao Fan could defeat Mu She, let alone kill Mu She and Gan Mu when they joined forces.

That only made Xiao Yi Xian more curious about Xiao Fan.

People said a woman's curiosity about a man was the first step toward falling for him. Who knew whether that was true?

"Sure! Let's rest here for a while. I need some time to recover anyway."

Xiao Fan was not surprised to find himself here. Looking at Xiao Yi Xian's radiant smile, he felt warmth bloom in his heart.

But... did she really have to follow the path of the woeful poison body?

He shook his head to dispel those thoughts. His immediate priority was to figure out what the system had meant by punishment.

After all, the system was Xiao Fan's trump card for roaming unhindered across the Dou Qi Continent. Even Yao Lao could not compare to the cheats it gave him.

He looked around the valley. It was exceptionally peaceful.

A faint medicinal fragrance lingered everywhere, and no vicious magical beasts disturbed the peace. Herbs grew all around, including some rare and elusive varieties. Their drifting scents refreshed both mind and spirit.

Hearing Xiao Fan agree to cultivate here, Xiao Yi Xian smiled happily. She took his hand and led him in one direction, pointing at a thatched cottage.

"Little Blue and I stumbled across this place before. Since it's so well hidden, I made it my herb garden. That's the house I built earlier."

Looking at Xiao Yi Xian's contented expression, Xiao Fan could not bring himself to interrupt her.

Then Xiao Yi Xian looked at Xiao Fan and said,

"I'm going to find some herbs I need. Have a look around on your own first!"

Xiao Fan answered, then casually found a secluded spot and sat on a rock, sinking his awareness into the system again.

"System, what was that punishment you mentioned?"

Ding! The host has been detected interfering with Xiao Yan's growth and destroying the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. A punishment will be issued.

Hearing that the system was about to punish him, Xiao Fan's heart leaped into his throat.

It never said destroying the Wolf Head Mercenary Group would get me punished!

Ding! Issuing the host's punishment... bzzz... error... error... correcting...

Ding! Issuing the host's punishment. Alchemy experience reduced... anomaly... increasing Alchemy experience... Dou Qi points reduced... anomaly... increasing by 100. Source Coins deducted... correcting... increasing Source Coins by 1,000.

Ding! Malfunction... anomaly... self-check... 10%... 50%... 100%. Self-check complete.

Ding! System error corrected. Punishing the host...

Then nothing else happened.

Xiao Fan stood frozen, ten thousand grass-mud horses stampeding through his mind.

What was wrong with this world? Had the system crashed?

"System? System, are you all right?"

Xiao Fan asked cautiously. Nothing could happen to the system. If it broke, his cheat would be gone.

Other transmigrators got all sorts of badass systems. It was bad enough that he had ended up as a supporting character-why did his system have to malfunction too?

Xiao Fan called out for ages without receiving any response. The panic in his heart was beyond words.

Just as Xiao Fan's thoughts were running wild, the system's voice sounded again.

Ding! Punishment complete.

Hearing the system's voice, Xiao Fan hurriedly opened his panel.

[Strongest Supporting Character System] (Pidàn)

Host: Xiao Fan

Level: 5 (6311000)

Strength: Three-Star Dou Shi (3001000), Third-Grade Alchemist (3001000)

Source Coins: 2000

Cultivation method: Radiant Sun Art

Dou Techniques: Profound Tier Low Grade Suction Palm (proficient), Profound Tier High Grade Eight Extremes Collapse (proficient), Profound Tier Low Grade Dragon-Shocking Steps (major mastery)...

Items: Green Lotus Core Flame Map, Jia Nan Academy Admission Invitation, Shadowless Mask, Thousand-Flame Spear, pure soul experience (awaiting absorption)...

Main quest: None

Xiao Fan stared blankly at his panel.

Third-Grade Alchemist? Three-Star Dou Shi? Two thousand Source Coins? Was this the... punishment it had mentioned?

His alchemy skills had improved through the system's rewards all along. While traveling through the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he had barely managed to refine a second-grade pill. Now it had simply rewarded him with an entire grade.

And it was not just his alchemy. His strength had risen from Two-Star Dou Shi to Three-Star Dou Shi as well. Xiao Fan narrowed his eyes and cautiously asked the system,

"System, this... you really didn't give me the wrong thing?"

"Warning. If I give it to you, just take it. Don't be so shameless."

The voice that suddenly rang out was not the system's usual mechanical voice. A chill ran down Xiao Fan's back.

"Who's there? Who are you?"

That voice was hoarse and weary, like a decades-old leather belt scraping against something. Its sudden appearance gave Xiao Fan a fright.

Coupled with the system's earlier anomalies, it left Xiao Fan's mind tangled like a ball of hemp.

Could some old ghost be planning to possess me?

Xiao Fan thought anxiously.

Within a space of primal chaos, a being whose entire body was suppressed by unknown laws roared,

"Fucking possess you? With that scrawny body of yours, you couldn't even withstand one glance from me, and you think I'd possess you?"

"If I weren't trapped in here, I'd show you why flowers are so red! Aah!"

As he roared, chains of law coiled around his figure, obscuring his face. Even his howls were locked firmly within that chaotic space.

Xiao Fan waited for a long while, but nothing changed. He could not help saying,

"Whatever. As long as the system sticks around, I'll keep fleecing it."

With that thought, Xiao Fan stopped dwelling on the malfunction. He could not change anything as he was now anyway. Better to focus on growing stronger first!

Looking at his newfound strength as a Three-Star Dou Shi, however, Xiao Fan grinned.

"Tsk, tsk. Who would've thought this disaster would turn into a blessing? I've advanced to Three-Star Dou Shi. This leveling speed..."

Opening his eyes and pushing the system's anomalies to the back of his mind, Xiao Fan finally began examining Xiao Yi Xian's valley.

The scenery was lovely, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. It was also quiet, hard to find, and free of interruptions.

It truly was an excellent place to cultivate. Unfortunately, almost all his strength came from the system. As long as nothing went wrong with it, he only needed to follow its lead to grow stronger.

In the distance, Xiao Fan spotted Xiao Yi Xian gathering herbs in the herb fields.

Dressed in white, Xiao Yi Xian bent over the fields, carefully searching for the herbs she needed.

The Blue Eagle was resting in an open space nearby.

Looking at that beautiful scene, Xiao Fan could not help thinking,

Living here in seclusion during my downtime wouldn't be bad at all!

Rising to his feet, Xiao Fan headed deeper into the valley. Since he was here, he naturally had to familiarize himself with the surroundings. He would lie low here for now, then head to his next cultivation spot!

Meanwhile, as Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian hid away in the valley, somewhere secluded in the Magical Beast Mountain Range,

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were also cultivating beside an isolated waterfall.

"Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!"

With Xiao Yan's furious shout, a fierce red light burst from the heavy Xuan Heavy Ruler in his hands and slammed into the cascading waterfall.

Boom!

As the Earth Tier Dou Technique erupted, even the waterfall's flow was severed.

The scorching heat overwhelmed the area's long-standing dampness. The vegetation around the waterfall was baked until its branches and leaves wilted.

Splash!

Xiao Yan fell into the pool beneath the waterfall. His head emerged from the water, and he looked at Yao Lao in delighted surprise.

"Teacher, I did it!"

Seeing Xiao Yan's excited face, Yao Lao could not help feeling proud. In just a few days, Xiao Yan had gained a rudimentary grasp of an Earth Tier Dou Technique. His intelligence left Yao Lao deeply gratified.

Looking at the delighted Xiao Yan, Yao Lao spoke softly.

"Now that you've gained an initial grasp of Flame Splitting Wave Ruler, you should have noticed that your physical condition is still too poor, and your cultivation method hasn't been upgraded. You simply cannot sustain a second use. So unless you have absolutely no other choice, never use it lightly."

Hearing Yao Lao's words, Xiao Fan nodded in agreement. After using Flame Splitting Wave Ruler only once, he could already feel his body tearing. It was the strain of forcibly using an Earth Tier Dou Technique that his meridians could not withstand. Moreover, the technique had swept every last bit of Dou Qi from his body.

Unless he had no other choice, Flame Splitting Wave Ruler really was unsuitable to use. The burden was too great. Once he used it, he would have no strength left to resist. If it failed to kill his opponent, he could only become a lamb awaiting slaughter.

"We've been in the Magical Beast Mountain Range for several days, yet there's still no news of your senior brother. Let's go deeper and keep searching..."