Chapter 1 The Heavenly Dao, That Dog
The spring chill lingered, and travelers were seen in twos and threes in the simple teahouse.
"Waiter, a jar of wine, please!"
"Alright, sir, please come in."
The waiter courteously led the people inside, quickly wiped the table twice, and was just about to introduce them with a smile when a sudden wail rang out.
"Get out of the way!!!"
Xiao Er's eyes widened, and his movements seemed to go at double speed, but in the end, he was still not as fast as free fall.
"Rumble—bang bang bang—"
A human-shaped object pierced through the roof and crashed directly onto the table in front of the waiter.
"Scatter! There's a monster behind us!" Huali quickly dodged the giant body of the Tata Beast, rolled on the spot, and rushed outside.
"Isn't this Tata Beast supposed to be the most docile? Why has it suddenly gone berserk today?"
The long-haired cat Ao Bai, who was running wildly after her, had a ferocious expression. "It's probably being controlled by someone just like those other little demons."
"This can't go on; we have to find a way to stop it."
"roar--"
Enraged that its prey had escaped right under its nose, the Tata Beast opened its mouth and fired two fire cannons.
Karin dodged the attack by sidestepping, but was hit in the shoulder by another fireball and fell to the ground.
The Tata Beast's eyes lit up, and it raised its giant claws to stomp down on her!
In an instant, a red card appeared in Huali's hand. "Explosive Bomb! Blast it!!!"
Boom—
A ball of fire hurtled towards the Tata Beast, which roared in pain as cracks instantly spread all over its body.
The crack ignited instantly, blasting it three meters away.
The Tata Beast's limbs twitched incessantly, and as wisps of black smoke dissipated from its wounds, its body gradually shrank.
"Cough cough cough cough," seeing the evil energy dispelled, Huali lay sprawled on the ground and sighed, "Phew, when I read novels before, I thought cultivating immortality was really cool, but after actually coming here, it's like experiencing a hundred ways to die every day."
Ao Bai deftly produced a communication stone, opened "Xianbo," and lit up the icon for finding the Tata Beast in the task bar. "OK, task complete."
"The person who posted this task is really generous, giving me fifty high-grade spirit stones in total. What a steal!"
"That's more like it." Huali got up from the ground, grabbed the little Tata Beast by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up.
The little Tata Beast, now restored to its original form, was only the size of a palm. Seeing that Karin meant no harm, it rubbed against her hand in a friendly manner.
Huali tucked the little creature into her bosom, dusted herself off, turned to the waiter not far away, and smiled with narrowed eyes. "Hello, please bring me a pot of good wine and a roast chicken."
"Oh, and by the way, could you add a plate of peanuts, please?"
The waiter chuckled and wiped the only intact table in the teahouse clean. He immediately praised, "Young lady, you were truly valiant and invincible just now. It's obvious you come from a great immortal sect."
Having only been in this world for three months, the unaffiliated and unsophisticated Hua Li waved her hand, saying, "Just lucky, just lucky."
All the other customers in the shop had long been scared away, leaving only her. The waiter was very efficient, bringing over peanuts and hot wine with a warm attitude: "Please enjoy, sir. The roast chicken will be ready soon."
Huali thanked him, took out a blue water-type card, shook it, and instantly became clean.
The waiter was taken aback when he finally saw the girl's face clearly.
The girl looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. Her long hair cascaded down to her waist in a freehand style. Her face was fair and delicate, and she wore a red feather in her left ear. Although her dress was torn, it did not diminish her charm.
Especially those eyes, which sparkle with every glance, seemingly born with affection.
It may be beautiful, but you still have to pay for it.
Huali took a swig of wine, and her internal organs instantly warmed up. She had worked tirelessly for three days without sleep in search of this Tata Beast, and was almost starving to death.
Seeing that the waiter was still there, Huali knowingly reached out and nudged Aobai, who was still burying his head in his drink, and took out two mid-grade spirit stones from the small cloth bag tied to its chin and handed them over, saying, "You've worked hard too, keep the change."
The waiter quickly thanked her, "Thank you, Lady Bodhisattva, but I don't have enough spirit stones."
A person and a cat looked up at the same time!
"Meow meow meow?"
"Not enough?"
Two mid-grade spirit stones would be worth two thousand yuan in RMB, not even enough for a pot of wine, a roast chicken, or a plate of peanuts.
Ao Bai: "What a rip-off! Does this place even have a consumer hotline like 12315? I'm going to report them!"
Seeing that the girl's brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, the waiter slowly pulled out a slip of paper from his sleeve: "Please don't be angry, sir. The spirit stones you gave are definitely enough for the meal, but you haven't compensated our shop for the losses yet."
"Loss? What loss?" Huali asked suspiciously.
The waiter gestured for her to look around.
"There's a big hole in the roof, and the repair cost will be three high-grade spirit stones."
Thirty thousand yuan? Huali's pupils dilated in shock.
"A total of six tables and eight chairs were damaged, costing a total of six mid-grade spirit stones and sixteen low-grade spirit stones."
Seven thousand six thousand for a table and chairs made of such broken wood? Huali was shocked.
"This is a set of tableware, and it will cost you two mid-grade spirit stones."
Two thousand? Karin's face turned deathly pale.
"That's three high-grade spirit stones and seven mid-grade spirit stones in total. I'll round it down to sixteen low-grade spirit stones for you." The waiter smiled and held out his hand. "Please pay me back, sir."
"..." Huali, "You could have just stolen it..."
"Sir, please be careful with your words. Our shop is honest and fair to all, young and old. This place is under the management of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, and there has never been any fighting or disputes. All the merchants have clearly marked prices." He gestured for Huali to look at the price tags posted on the wall, below which was a line of tiny print.
"Anyone who fights in this store and damages merchandise will be required to pay three times the original price in compensation?!"
Does the cultivation world also have this kind of taste? It seems there's never a shortage of unscrupulous merchants throughout history.
"No wonder you're the only one around this border area for miles. Turns out you're not in the restaurant business, you're a loan shark." Huali sneered. "What if I don't pay it back?"
The loan shark chuckled, "Sir, you're joking. Please look at that mountain in the distance. That's the Wanfo Sect, the leading immortal sect in the cultivation world. The Buddhist disciple who is at the Nascent Soul stage is in seclusion there. This place is under the protection of the Buddhist sect. You shouldn't be impulsive."
Huali: "......"
What a joke! You think you can control a dignified successor of the 21st century?
"Alright, then let's wait for the Buddhist sect to settle this matter. The Tata Beast has become demonic in their territory, and I'm ultimately helping them eliminate the demon. It would be best if that Nascent Soul stage cultivator came in person; I want to see if he's really so incapable of distinguishing right from wrong!"
The waiter's smile, which he had been maintaining, could no longer be kept up.
This time, we've met our match.
Hua Li tossed two high-grade spirit stones to the waiter, took the roast chicken he brought, tore off a chicken leg, and took a vicious bite.
Three months ago, she was a college student who liked to hang out in the world of anime and manga.
Who knew I'd end up here after a nap, still dressed in my old clothes!
As anyone who has read the novel knows, in a fantasy cultivation setting, the female protagonist is either a transmigrator in spirit or at least a transmigrator in the womb.
She was in a terrible situation; she opened her eyes to find herself in a den of monsters, with a system cat that looked just like Ao Bai appearing beside her.
Without money, background, or spiritual roots, those with no resources or connections should forget about cultivation.
Huali immediately closed her eyes and lay down to await death.
Thanks to Ao Bai's timely intervention, telling her that there were still five initial cards available, which could be used for the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, she was able to rush out of the monster's den.
"Fufeng City is just ahead. I've used up all my card attempts for today. I'll spend the night outside the city and go in the next day." Huali put away the unresponsive water-type card and resignedly took out her handkerchief.
Although the cards can be controlled directly without spiritual power, they are simply not enough for the cultivation world where Foundation Establishment cultivators are everywhere and Golden Core cultivators are as common as dogs!
The reason is simple: these cards are all basic R cards!
The Wood-type card's skill is healing, but she currently only manipulates vines.
The gold-type card's skill is a talisman, but the problem is she can't draw anything, so it's practically useless.
The Earth-type card's skill is defense, but the initial version can only withstand one hit.
The most useful cards right now are fire-type cards, at least they can cause a blast.
There are also water-themed cards that can be used to wash clothes or hands, which is quite convenient.
"So what the host needs to do now is to find the chosen one who can upgrade the cards."
Ao Bai patted his round belly and spat out a chicken bone. "Only by getting close to these people can you light up the stars on the card. Once all five stars are lit, the card will become the Supreme CR Card. At that time, no matter what kind of Nascent Soul or Tribulation Transcending, it will be easy to kill them all!"
Huali had heard this a hundred times before, and her heart was no longer moved. She asked sincerely, "So, where is he?
She's been here for three whole months and hasn't encountered a single chosen one; the stars on her cards are still gray.
"Shouldn't this be the system's job? Why can't you sense it?"
Ao Bai glared, "I am a companion system, not a favorability collection system. My function is to open a spacetime rift after the host successfully upgrades five cards. It's not my turn to appear yet."
"Besides, if you do encounter it, the corresponding card will respond."
There are tens of thousands of men and women in the cultivation world, and there are also those who cultivate in seclusion and live in isolation. Searching aimlessly like this is no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.
After drinking three cups of fake wine, Huali's wings hardened again. She sneered, "This is simply an impossible task. Heh, you old scoundrel Tiandao, you might as well just give me a quick death!"
Boom—Crack—
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, instantly splitting the crooked tree outside the post station in two.
Huali: "...Okay, boss, got it."
They have already begged to be let go.
Ao Bai: "..." He just had to be so cheeky. "I have a feeling I'll find it this time."
Huali glanced at it sideways, "You ate a few peanuts, and now you think you're all that?"
Ao Bai bristled, "The systems are interconnected. Another mission taker has already successfully lit up a star. You all arrived at the same time, so the opportunity must be nearby."
Huali instantly sobered up from her fake alcohol. "What do you mean? The other party is already one step ahead of me? Sensing her again, I'll rush over there immediately if I find her."
Ao Bai closed his eyes and sensed for three seconds before speaking dryly, "The system on the other side has detected me and has cut off contact."
Good! Good! Good!
"Of the two chosen mission participants, only one can return. Your health points will fluctuate. Whoever lights up more stars first will drain more of the other's health points. Once all five cards are upgraded, the other will be instantly killed."
Huali stood up, grabbed the remaining peanuts from the plate, and said, "Keep eating! Let's hurry into town!"
Ao Bai jumped onto her shoulder, "Didn't you say you weren't in a hurry today?"
"I'm not in a hurry. The rivals are about to come knocking on my door. I have to prepare in advance."
Ao Bai's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Shocking! My host is about to reach the pinnacle of life after she stops giving up.
The waiter stood at the door smiling, "Welcome to come again next time!"
The person and the cat paused, turning around simultaneously.
Screw you! When I get back, I'll put your shady shop on "Xianbo" to warn others!
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