Chapter Five: Even in Absence, the Coercion Remains

After Wang Ran left, the notice he posted caused quite a stir.

For ordinary disciples, offering a spirit jade as a reward for a missing person notice was already an extravagant gesture. Normally, they would use a single spirit jade with utmost care, never casually handing one over as Wang Ran had just done. As a result, a crowd had already gathered around the mission posting area.

“Hey, come look at this mission—it’s so unusual!”

“A missing person notice?”

“Heavens, just for a missing person notice, the reward is a whole spirit jade?”

“How wealthy can someone be?”

“Who posted this mission?”

“No idea.”

“It must be some outstanding prodigy.”

“Perhaps an inner sect disciple? No one in the outer sect could afford such extravagance on our stipend.”

“That must be it!”

A group of outer sect disciples clustered around the notice, pointing and speculating, eventually concluding that only an inner sect prodigy could have posted such a task. Envy and admiration filled the air, with many eager to find out which prodigy had issued the mission, hoping to curry favor.

Just then, the junior sister responsible for handling Wang Ran’s mission finished her day’s work. She hopped out, looking innocent and cheerful. The group of outer sect disciples hurried to stop her and asked, “Junior sister, do you know which fellow disciple posted this mission?”

A shy blush tinted the girl’s face. “Of course I do! It was Senior Brother Wang Ran, the talented and versatile one!”

“Wang Ran?”

“Which Wang Ran?”

“There’s no inner sect disciple by that name.”

“Could... Could it be the Wang Ran from our outer sect?”

“No way! He’s only at the peak of Qi Condensation. How could he have such a high stipend?”

“But as far as I know, there’s only one Wang Ran in our sect!”

“Junior sister, are you sure his name is Wang Ran?”

The group’s disbelief grew louder and louder, until someone finally couldn’t resist asking. The junior sister, Yan Wanrou, nodded seriously. “Yes, it’s that very Wang Ran from the outer sect.”

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

“It really is him!”

“He must be out of his mind—to spend a whole spirit jade just to find someone?”

“Or perhaps Wang Ran is so wealthy now that a spirit jade means nothing to him?”

“If this had happened with an inner sect disciple, I wouldn’t be surprised. But Wang Ran? That’s unbelievable!”

A spirit jade was exceedingly valuable. At the mission board, even dangerous assignments like slaying demon beasts only offered half a spirit jade as a reward. Yet Wang Ran, simply posting a missing person notice, set the reward at a whole spirit jade—naturally causing a sensation.

At that moment, Wang Ran was walking through the purple bamboo grove behind the mountain where he lived. Suddenly, a system prompt sounded in his mind.

“Ding! Congratulations, host Wang Ran, for causing a moderate psychological shock to the outer sect disciples. You have gained two points of Dao Attainment Value!”

“Ding! Congratulations, host Wang Ran, for obtaining the title ‘Pretentious from Afar.’ Reward: five Dao Attainment Value points!”

Wang Ran was bewildered by the prompts. What’s going on? He hadn’t done anything—how had he gained Dao Attainment Value? He truly couldn’t figure it out.

Could it be that his kingly aura had somehow leaked out just now?

And what was this ‘Pretentious from Afar’ title supposed to mean?

He opened the system interface and saw a line of text: “Even when absent, one’s pretense travels a thousand miles. This is the Way of Pretension from Afar.”

Wang Ran could only sigh in frustration. He was a man who disdained fame and gain, and most of all, he disliked showing off. He preferred to keep a low profile, as if wearing brocade robes at night—unseen and unshowy. Modesty was the true path!

Yet the system’s very design was forcing him to show off.

Still, the bright side was that, thanks to the latest prompts, his Dao Attainment Value had already surpassed ten. He checked his personal status, and sure enough, he now had fifteen Dao Attainment Points!

He could now draw a Daoist technique as a reward!

The thought of soon breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage filled Wang Ran with anticipation. He sat down on a giant rock by the roadside and eagerly opened the system.

A new option appeared: Daoist Technique Draw.

The original lottery only provided item rewards, but this new function was dedicated to drawing Daoist techniques—though the cost was steep: ten Dao Attainment Points per draw.

He rubbed his palms together in anticipation and tapped the new option.

“Ding! Host, do you wish to spend ten Dao Attainment Points for a draw?”

Wang Ran hesitated for a moment—Dao Attainment Points could be earned again, but increasing his strength was paramount—then nodded to confirm.

“Ding! Host, your points have been used. Drawing your reward now…”

A roulette wheel spun rapidly before his eyes. Wang Ran’s heart pounded; he hoped for a powerful Daoist technique. The lowest was one star; the highest, ten. While others relied on their own enlightenment, Wang Ran could only rely on luck. A ten-star technique would be ideal!

As his thoughts raced, the draw screen suddenly changed.

“Ding! Congratulations, host Wang Ran, for obtaining the eight-star Daoist technique: ‘Diamond Glazed Body’!”

For a moment, Wang Ran was stunned, then elation flashed in his eyes. An eight-star Daoist technique! That was top-tier—he hadn’t expected his luck to be this good. Throughout the Nine Provinces, those who possessed an eight-star Daoist technique were exceedingly rare.

After his initial joy, Wang Ran eagerly read the system description.

Diamond Glazed Body: Hailing from a certain Battle Aura world, this is a low-level Heaven Grade battle technique. It transforms the body into diamond glaze—unyielding, indestructible. Mastered to perfection, one’s body becomes a nine-zhang-nine-chi giant, radiating golden light; fists can shatter the heavens, and feet can crack the earth!

“What? A Battle Aura world?”

Reading the description left Wang Ran astounded. The system truly was all-encompassing, even including techniques from the Battle Aura dimension.

As a transmigrator, he understood well the ranking system of battle techniques in that world: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow—Heaven the highest, Yellow the lowest, each divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.

A low-level Heaven Grade battle technique was absolutely extraordinary!

Notably, the system classified Diamond Glazed Body as an eight-star Daoist technique, yet in the Battle Aura world, it was a low-level Heaven Grade technique. Therefore, a nine-star Daoist technique should correspond to a mid-level Heaven Grade, and a ten-star to a high-level Heaven Grade.

It seemed that his own world of cultivation and the Battle Aura dimension were of similar levels.

“Ding! Host, would you like to learn ‘Diamond Glazed Body’ immediately?”

The prompt snapped Wang Ran out of his musings. After a moment’s hesitation, he chose to learn it.

“Ding! Host Wang Ran will now begin learning the eight-star Daoist technique ‘Diamond Glazed Body.’ Due to the high level of this technique, the host will enter a comatose state for one hour!”

The moment the prompt sounded, Wang Ran’s body went limp, and a wave of drowsiness washed over his mind. He collapsed onto the giant rock beneath him, unable to resist.

“Seriously, system, you’ve got to be kidding me! Why didn’t you warn me about this before?”