Chapter 162

  Eternal Range (IV)

  Xi Zhao took about as long as Dai Xiu did to break through and caused a relatively similar phenomenon.

  Swirls of Qi coalesced into a visible spectrum of misty-like colors, and they all slowly drifted closer and closer until they burst into a pillar of colors that was quickly suffocated by the formation Long Tao set up.

  As he settled on the ground from floating up, the familiar windows showed up--except, this time, there was no ability to choose.

  It was still a rather thick set of windows, and I quickly noticed a slight difference between Long Tao and Wan Lan--whereas most of the rewards from their breakthroughs were culled by about 50%, give or take, for Xi Zhao, it was actually closer to 25%. Probably because, despite him not using a cultivation method I created, I'm still kind of responsible for the turn of fate, as it were, so the system is rewarding me.

  About damn time--no, no, I shouldn't be snarky. Maybe the lovely thing can hear me, no?

  [--one of your Disciples has successfully broken through into the Foundation Establishment Realm]

  [Xi Zhao has managed to form quasi-Void Foundation, embossed with Sword Qi]

  [Disciple's latent talents have evolved slightly: peak-Sky -> low-Heaven]

  [Disciple's nature strengthens: Traits 'Lonely' & 'Naive' have disappeared; Basic Sword Resonance (Common) has evolved into Sword Qi Resonance (Epic)]

  [Disciple has obtained a new trait: Draw Master (Rare)]

  [Draw Master (Epic) -- the first attack during the battle is ten times faster, twice as strong, and ignores most defenses]

  [...]

  [Due to the nature of the breakthrough and the Disciple's cultivation method, rewards have been reduced]

  [--anomaly detected. A great reason as to why the Disciple could reach such a realm so quickly was Host's interference. Rewards adjusted.]

  [...]

  [Rewards:]

  [Reward 1: 500 Creation Points]

  [Reward 2: You may spend up to 1,000 CP (-> deducted to 750) creating an art with Temporal Edge (Jade) physique & Temporal Sword (Epic) trait restrictions; it cannot be a Cultivation Method and can only be used once. Expires in 360 days]

  [Reward 3: Body Purification +23% (-> deducted to 13%); 65% -> 78%]

  [Reward 4: Host gains improved understanding of a random art: Endless Shadow Steps, Intermediate Understanding -> Perfected]

  Stolen novel; please report.

  [Reward 5: Spiritfused Iron Sword (Epic)]

  [Reward 6: Curse Quelling Needle (Legendary) (1 use)]

  [...]

  [Curse Quelling Needle (Legendary) -- by stabbing an infected person directly between their brows, the needle gathers the Curse Qi within the body and rapidly destroys it. Can expel curses up to '???' grade. Is destroyed upon use]

  [Spiritfused Iron Sword (Epic) -- a sword made from fusing traces of spirits into cold-iron ingots. The technique to make the blades this way has been lost for generations, though a few of the creations still remain present within the world, treated as mid-grade artifacts. Every swing generates an array of Qi-suffused light that can be manipulated into either a defensive maneuver or an offensive attack. Requires high comprehension of the Sword to use properly]

  [...]

  [Keep raising your Disciples, Host, and unlock more things! Good luck!]

  Hoooh.

  That's... a lot.

  Honestly, I kind of got more of a rush from this than I did from receiving that dumb trait. That dumb, overpowered, legendary trait.

  That's gambling for you, right? The dopamine rush I feel whenever I'm reading through the rewards and something unique pops up... hoh, it's difficult to really catch that kind of a high elsewhere.

  All items, as the last time, appeared in my spatial right at the same time as I felt my body loosen further.

  I'm almost there--just 28% more and I won't be a haggard, worn-out rag any longer. Just you wait, world! My time of reckoning is soon!

  ... anyway.

  While I can keep the needle stashed away for some de-cursing that might yield some rewards (don't worlds like this usually have some important princesses and princes always being cursed, with every doctor and such stumped? That's where I can come in, like a protag! Ugh...), keeping the sword feels kind of... wasteful.

  I mean, it's not like I'm going to use it--not any time soon, anyway.

  And I even have a good 'excuse' to give it away--as a reward for Xi Zhao's breaking through (though I'll also have to figure something out for Dai Xiu since I can't even create custom art for her...).

  Aah.

  You know, these are the 'good' problems to have, but they're still a pain in the ass, to be honest.

  Nonetheless, the kids quickly gathered around Xi Zhao and started bombarding him with questions, and he seemed to have grown a touch or two more confident.

  In a way, actually, he underwent the most change based off of his traits alone--he lost the 'Lonely' and 'Naive' ones and evolved one of the other ones. I don't quite understand why those traits disappeared now (shouldn't his 'Lonely' one have disappeared a while back? Who knows...?), but it was true that he seemed... different.

  He was still a bit more withdrawn and shy, as it were, than Dai Xiu, but his back was a bit more upright, and he semi-confidently answered all their questions.

  "Master, I've broken through!" he announced as he walked up to me, accompanied by others. They really were like a little herd of animals, moving about in strange unison. Well, except for Long Tao, who was, apparently, sunbathing...? I think...?

  "Congratulations," I said with a smile and decided to do it immediately, withdrawing the sword from the spatial ring. "Here's a small reward for you."

  Xi Zhao's face lit up as the sword appeared in my hands, and even I paused for a moment, to be honest. It was... beautiful.

  The way light bounced off its edges caused a slight bleeding of colors, making it seem as though the blade was a container of hues within its surface. Not to mention that both its guard and handle were slathered in a gold-colored material, and the fact that it was so light it felt like I was holding a toothpick.

  Even Long Tao was roused from his little vacation and joined us, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

  "R-really? I, I feel unworthy..." Xi Zhao mumbled, hesitating.

  "If I didn't think you deserved it, I wouldn't have offered it to you," I said simply, all the while eyeing Dai Xiu. The girl was... well, she was handling it. She bit into her lower lip, scrunched her brows, and just... endured. Damn... so this is what child guilt feels like?

  "T-thank you, Master! I will cherish it more than my life!"

  "Uh, no, no, I'm giving it to you to protect said life, not to--"

  "--I will take care of it better than myself!"

  "No, wait--"

  "I will die to protect it!"

  "..."

  Oh, just go to hell...