On a small hill northwest of Spirit City, Qian Chongling gazed into the distance. A bright moon hung overhead, the night lay rich and deep, dark clouds drifted slowly, and human voices were faint and distant.
"Ding! System loading complete. The Super Sign-In System is at your service!" That unfamiliar yet familiar mechanical voice echoed in Qian Chongling's mind once again.
"Super Sign-In System, what can you do?" Qian Chongling asked.
"Esteemed host, by signing in daily, you can obtain all manner of mysterious and powerful items. Everything under the sun is available," the system said.
"What kinds of items?" Qian Chongling rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Please discover them for yourself, host," the system said.
"All right, let's sign in for today first," Qian Chongling said.
"Ding! Today's sign-in successful!"
"Ding! Sign-in reward issued: lifespan +1 year! Current cumulative sign-ins: 1 day," the system said.
As soon as the voice faded, a warm current as fine as a strand of hair flowed into Qian Chongling's body, but he did not feel it.
Because, at that moment, he was utterly dumbfounded.
What happened to the promised Pangu Axe, Chaos Bell, Ruthless Great Emperor, and Creation God?
Lifespan +1? What the hell was this? Why wasn't it what was promised?
Qian Chongling rubbed his eyes, his mind filled with doubt. He wondered whether he was hallucinating. A system that had taken fifteen years to load had given him this for signing in?
He checked the information the system had provided again. There was no mistake: lifespan +1 year, with no other rewards.
But that was reality. The "invincible" system had delivered a vicious slap straight to his face!
The Pangu Axe? The Chaos Bell? The Ruthless Great Emperor? The Creation God?
Go to bed early and have a nice dream. After all, dreams had everything!
Still refusing to accept it, Qian Chongling asked the system again, "Is there a starter gift pack or something?"
The system said, "To commemorate successful system loading, the host has been awarded a special starter gift pack. Would you like to open it?"
"Yes, of course!"
I knew it! How could the almighty system be such a scam? Pangu Axe, Chaos Bell, Ruthless Great Emperor, Creation God, here I come!
"Ding! Starter gift pack opened successfully. Obtained God-Level Skill Card ×1 and ten-thousand-year Black Mist Crow right arm bone ×1. Items have been placed in the system inventory."
Qian Chongling had no interest whatsoever in a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone. Spirit Hall had plenty of those in its Soul Bone stockpile.
A god-level skill, though-now that was interesting!
Give me One Breath, Three Pure Ones from the primordial world, the Eternal Freedom Art from Perfect World, or the Heavenly Emperor Fist from Shrouding the Heavens, and I could soar on the spot. Only something that grand, impressive, and prestigious deserved the title of god-level skill, right?
With a trace of anticipation and a trace of nervousness, Qian Chongling opened the system inventory and examined the card that represented a golden legendary prize. Written on it were the words:
God-Level Cooking!
The bright moon hung overhead, its silvery light spilling over Qian Chongling and illuminating his deathly pale face. Combined with his hollow eyes and numb expression, he could probably go next door to Mysterious Revival and play a vengeful ghost without even needing makeup!
God-Level Cooking encompassed every skill from Spirit of the Medicine King and Cooking Master Boy. Whether it was glowing cuisine or dishes that made people feel as though they had swallowed a little pill, he could whip them all up effortlessly!
It was unquestionably a god-level skill. Nothing wrong with that! With this skill, if he opened a restaurant, becoming the richest man would be nothing more than a modest goal.
The problem was that, in a world like the Douluo Continent, where the strong devoured the weak, no one would give him any face. Most likely, he would be locked in a dark little room and made to prepare an entire Manchu-Han imperial feast in exchange for a mouthful of food. Of course, with Spirit Hall's Qian Family behind him, he would not actually be captured.
After all, in the original timeline, Jade Mouth Cannon, the son of the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan-one of the Upper Three Sects-had awakened a pig, and his own uncle had called him trash to his face. That was how brutally realistic things were.
So Qian Chongling was in despair. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. After taking so long to load, the system had given him nothing but this rubbish.
Qian Chongling could not help complaining, "Trash system, you've ruined my youth, crushed my spirit, and wasted my talent. If it comes from the system, it's guaranteed trash."
Three days later, Qian Chongling, still unwilling to give up, had accumulated three sign-ins.
"Ding! Sign-in reward issued: lifespan +1 year! Current cumulative sign-ins: 3 days. Three-day sign-in gift pack opened automatically. Obtained salt ×1."
Qian Chongling: ...
Five days later.
"Ding! Sign-in reward issued: lifespan +1 year! Current cumulative sign-ins: 5 days. Five-day sign-in gift pack opened automatically. Obtained chili peppers ×2."
Qian Chongling: Ha. Ha.
Ten days later.
"Ding! Sign-in reward issued: lifespan +1 year! Current cumulative sign-ins: 10 days. Ten-day sign-in gift pack opened automatically. Obtained soul power +0.1 levels."
Qian Chongling: Amazing! Are you trying to keep me alive until the grand finale?
Three months later, beside a stream in Sunset Forest.
Qian Chongling lit a campfire. Meanwhile, he had already skinned and gutted an enormous wild boar soul beast and placed it on a self-cleaning grill that would never wear out.
After he used God-Level Cooking, the system had given him a complete set of cooking equipment. Its special effects were that it would never wear out and would clean itself.
By then, Qian Chongling had completely given up hope in the system, though he still signed in every day as usual. A man still needed dreams-what if they came true?
He knew perfectly well that he had only managed to leave Spirit Hall because his older brother had secretly allowed it. Otherwise, how could a mere level fifty-eight Soul King like him have escaped the Papal Palace, which housed at least fifteen Titled Douluos by a conservative estimate?
That was why he had never considered heading straight back to Spirit Hall. If he scurried back with his tail between his legs, what would become of his dignity? At the very least, he could train properly out here and return once he had become a Soul Saint.
As Qian Chongling thought this over, he took various seasonings out of his Soul Tool and rubbed them into the meat with a special technique, almost as though he were giving it a massage.
Naturally, these seasonings had come from the unscrupulous system. It had taken an entire month's cumulative sign-in gift pack to yield one of these things.
Before long, a distinctive aroma began spreading above the fire. The fragrance was rich and intense, and as Qian Chongling slowly turned the meat, it gradually took on a golden color that looked especially tempting.
"Mmm! That smells amazing!" Smelling the rich fragrance in the air, Qian Chongling wore a satisfied expression. He had to admit, this God-Level Cooking really was irresistible!
The meat soon cooked through, and the ravenous Qian Chongling eagerly began tearing into it. As he ate, he planned the next stage of his training journey in his mind.
My brother keeps going on about Evil Soul Masters, but I've never seen one. So while I improve my cultivation, I'll see if I can run into any and find out just how inhuman they are. I can rid the people of a scourge while I'm at it.
Just as Qian Chongling was feasting, a clear voice rang out from behind a large tree a short distance to his right.
"I haven't eaten for a whole day and night. Could you let me have some meat? I can pay you in Gold Soul Coins."
Qian Chongling frowned and warily watched the figure emerge from behind the tree. She was a girl of about eighteen or nineteen, wearing an emerald-green dress, with emerald-green hair and eyes.
"Stop. Don't move. Catch." Qian Chongling still maintained basic caution. He had the girl in green stand where she was, then wrapped another piece of roasted meat in a silk handkerchief and tossed it to her.
The girl cradled the meat and wolfed it down. She certainly looked as though she had not eaten in a long time.
After they chatted for a while, Qian Chongling lowered his guard and learned her name: Dugu Qingyue. Like him, she had fled an arranged marriage because she was unhappy with her family's choice.
The two felt a kinship with one another, so they agreed to travel the continent and train together.
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