Chapter Three: The More You Pretend, the Stronger You Become

At the edge of the My-Only Sect’s mountain gate, a massive waterfall thundered down, its roar echoing through the valley. Beside the pool, a modest wooden cabin stood silently, alone. The interior was sparse—a single wooden bed, so bare it could only be described as lacking all but the walls.

Wang Ran sat cross-legged, gazing down at the spoils he’d obtained from the mysterious figure in black. “Well, well, who would have guessed? That assassin was so wealthy—twenty spirit jades, all taken from him.” Spirit jade was perhaps abundant in great families, counted in the thousands, yet for ordinary cultivators like Wang Ran, it was precious beyond measure. Even in a prestigious sect like My-Only Sect, each outer disciple’s yearly stipend amounted to just fifteen spirit jades. For a servant-ranked Qi Condensation cultivator, the sum was a meager five.

That black-clad assassin had twenty on him, clearly accustomed to murder and robbery. Yet Wang Ran still didn’t know who had sent him. At the time, Wang Ran had been so focused on extorting spoils he’d forgotten to ask, and by the time he remembered, the fellow had vanished without a trace.

Of course, Wang Ran wasn’t entirely without clues. The assassin seemed intimately familiar with the sect—likely someone from within. Wang Ran also remembered the red tattoo of a little chicken on his arm. Who would choose such a bizarre design for a tattoo these days? Peculiar, indeed. But with this clue, Wang Ran felt no anxiety; he would simply keep an eye out for anyone in the sect with a tattoo, and eventually discover the culprit’s true identity—and the mastermind behind him.

Wang Ran was not one to repay enmity with virtue. For someone who’d tried to kill him, he wished he could rush out and crush him now. Still, such matters required patience—not reckless action. My-Only Sect was a proper, strict sect after all. To enact his revenge, he’d have to do so covertly.

Humming a little tune, Wang Ran finished checking his spoils and opened the system interface.

Host: Wang Ran
Level: Qi Condensation, Grand Completion
Dao Method: None
Dao Attainment Value: 5 points
…

After reviewing his stats, Wang Ran opened the system shop. A dazzling array of goods appeared before him.

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Heaven-Opening Axe: Once wielded by Pangu, capable of splitting heaven and earth, shattering the void, ranked foremost among the ten ancient divine artifacts!
Price: One million Dao Attainment points.

Immortal-Slaying Sword: The most fearsome weapon under heaven! Alongside the Slaughter Immortal Sword, Entrap Immortal Sword, and Sever Immortal Sword, known as the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords. When combined with the Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram, forms the deadliest array of heaven—the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!
Price: Nine hundred ninety-nine thousand Dao Attainment points.

Sun-Chasing Boots: Said to have belonged to Kuafu; with these boots, one can travel ten thousand miles by day and eight thousand by night, as if growing wings. Sun-Chasing Boots are one of the ten ancient divine artifacts.
Price: Three hundred thousand Dao Attainment points.

Wang Ran’s eyes widened. All these items were ancient divine artifacts! Incredible. Immortal-Slaying Sword, Heaven-Opening Axe, Sun-Chasing Boots—each a treasure. But the prices were outrageous.

He rubbed his hands and continued browsing. Aside from those exorbitantly priced artifacts, there were some more affordable items.

Dragon Fang Blade: One of the three great evil blades of antiquity, renowned alongside Tiger Wing and Dog God.
Price: Fifty thousand Dao Attainment points.

Red Sky Sword: One of the ten renowned swords, the sword of imperial rule.
Price: Ten thousand Dao Attainment points.

Endless Light Blade: An exclusive magical weapon of the Central Plains Light Clan, this sword can be nurtured in the divine sea. The wielder’s cultivation remains unchanged, but the damage dealt is doubled.
Price: Twenty thousand Dao Attainment points! (Promotional price: Ninety-eight)

Void Flame Heaven Armor: The exclusive magical battle armor of the Central Plains Fire Immortal Clan, its unique flame power capable of burning the heavens and earth.
Price: Twenty thousand Dao Attainment points! (Promotional price: Ninety-eight)

At the sight of the last two items, Wang Ran’s eyes sparkled. If those ancient weapons were too distant to imagine, the Endless Light Blade and Void Flame Heaven Armor were intimately familiar. Though the Central Plains were thousands of miles from Cloud Province, the names of the Light Clan and Fire Immortal Clan shook the continent.

These two magical artifacts were secret inheritances of the clans—their power, needless to say, was immense. But what did the promotional price mean? Curious, Wang Ran asked the system.

“Ding! The All-Heavens Dao Attainment System, specially designed for transmigrators, in the spirit of assisting your path to the Dao, has opened a one-week discount event for the host.”

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Upon hearing the electronic voice in his mind, Wang Ran gave a thumbs-up. “System, you deserve a round of applause—truly user-friendly.” Cheerfully rubbing his palms, Wang Ran glanced at his personal stats, but when he noticed his Dao Attainment value was only five points, his expression froze.

“System, how can I earn Dao Attainment points?”

Only five points—how pitiful. At this rate, to reach a million and buy the Heaven-Opening Axe or Immortal-Slaying Sword, who knew how long it would take.

The system promptly answered: “When the host causes immense psychological shock to natives of this world, you will be rewarded with a large number of Dao Attainment points.”

“Additionally, any shameless acts that trigger the ‘Shameless Mode’ will also earn Dao Attainment points.”

Wang Ran was stunned. Causing immense psychological shock to natives? Was the system telling him to show off and act arrogant?

But that wasn’t his style! He was a model student—never one to show off. Calling out show-offs had always been his motivation!

Wang Ran cleared his throat and asked, “System, is there a proper method for quickly earning Dao Attainment points?”

“Ding! Upon analysis, if you wish to earn points quickly, you may choose to strip naked and run a lap around the My-Only Sect. This will surely cause a great psychological shock to all disciples, estimated to earn one hundred to one hundred twenty Dao Attainment points.”

“Note: The probability of expulsion from the sect is thirty percent; the likelihood of being beaten to death in public is sixty percent.”

Hearing the system’s suggestion, Wang Ran nearly fell over. The system seemed so serious, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

But such a method was clearly unworkable—a joke at his expense, no doubt.

Annoyed, Wang Ran demanded, “Give me a proper method.”

“Ding! Based on your current situation, the All-Heavens Dao Attainment System recommends you first collect ten Dao Attainment points, so you may use the Dao Method lottery and successfully break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Ran realized the urgency: indeed, his top priority should be breaking through his current realm. And during the breakthrough, if he found a crowded place to draw attention, he might earn more Dao Attainment points.

His eyes lit up. For the sake of his future standing in the sect—and those luxurious treasures like the Endless Light Blade and Void Flame Heaven Armor—he would walk this path, no matter what.

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