Outside Qingyun Town.

“That should be far enough.”

Qi Yuan led Qi Yao to a remote mountain hollow before finally stopping. He wiped the fake blood from the corner of his mouth and expressionlessly gazed in the direction they had come from.

This brain-dead system… it was really freaking ridiculous!

In fact, aside from the additional task of slaying Li Hu, the mission objectives contained two key points.

First: help Qi Yao escape Qingyun Town. Second: survive the pursuit of the Black Tiger Gang.

This meant that if the Black Tiger Gang didn’t give chase, the mission would technically fail.

No matter how stupid the Black Tiger Gang leader—a Qi Refining Stage 5 cultivator—was, he would never dare to pursue a Golden Core cultivator. To achieve the objective, there was only one choice left: mislead the opponent.

Thanks to his performance earlier, the deception could be considered highly successful. If nothing else, just for the sake of obtaining a “mid-grade magical artifact,” Li Hu would absolutely not let him escape.

Greed is always the best motivator.

He just never expected that, even after reaching Golden Core perfection, he would have to endure the indignity of being chased by mortals.

If his Master found out about this, he’d probably rush over just to clean up his own disgrace of a disciple…

Thinking of this, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but shudder.

This damn system better actually be useful, otherwise this Holy Scion has suffered a huge loss!

Seeing his strange expression, Qi Yao asked with deep concern, “Brother Qi, are… are you alright?”

Qi Yuan snapped back to reality and chuckled lightly. “It’s nothing. We’ll just wait here now. Those idiots behind us will deliver themselves right to our doorstep.”

To prevent the Black Tiger Gang from losing the trail, he had thoughtfully left plenty of traces along the way. Even a pig could follow the clues to find this place.

“Huh?”

Hearing this, Qi Yao was confused, unable to grasp the situation.

Weren’t they just running for their lives? How did it turn into waiting here to ambush the enemy?

“Found them! Let’s see where you run now!”

Before she could think further, a furious roar erupted from the woods behind them. Dozens of burly men wielding long knives rushed out and surrounded them.

Li Hu, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, stood at the front, grinning smugly. Just as he was about to deliver his victory speech, he saw a vast, surging wave of mana erupt from the man before him.

A terrifyingly powerful aura filled heaven and earth.

“Th-this—”

Li Hu instantly froze, dumbfounded. His arrogant, domineering expression stiffened on his face, looking rather comical.

The next moment.

BOOM!!!

Accompanied by an ear-splitting roar, violent spiritual pressure swept out in all directions. The Black Tiger Gang members didn’t even have time to scream before they were instantly reduced to a mist of blood that scattered across the ground.

【Ding! Congratulations to the Host on completing the mission [Path of Escape]. Reward: 100 Reversal Points, 5 Top-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, 200 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.】

【The Epiphany function is now unlocked. The Host can spend Reversal Points to enter an epiphany regarding cultivation techniques, thereby gaining progress in said techniques.】

【Black Tiger Gang Leader Li Hu is deceased. Host has completed the additional task. Reward: One opportunity to strengthen spirit root…】

【Congratulations to the Host on obtaining the talent [Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing]. (Host can actively conceal own cultivation level and spirit root aptitude. Unless the opponent’s cultivation realm exceeds the Host’s by three major stages, they cannot see through it.)】

As the system’s voice faded, Qi Yuan felt the spiritual energy around him become vibrant and active. The entire world seemed to unveil a hidden layer before his eyes. The true essence within his body became refined and incredibly responsive.

This feeling of sudden enlightenment was immensely pleasurable. Looking inward with his spiritual sense, the supreme-grade Golden Core within his dantian sea appeared even more crystalline and translucent, brimming with profound Dao essence.

Every moment, it expelled impurities and absorbed new energy, communicating with heaven and earth. It felt as if it could break through the core and form an infant at any moment, undergoing a complete transformation.

“The rewards this time actually have such miraculous effects!”

Snapping back to reality, Qi Yuan quickly realized what a tremendous fortune he had gained. He couldn’t help but show a hint of joy on his face.

His Heavenly Spirit Root aptitude was already among the top in this world. Now, with the system’s help reaching an even higher level—even if it couldn’t compare to legendary Immortal Spirit Roots—it probably wasn’t far off. The effect was simply heaven-defying.

The improvement of his spirit root was nothing less than a monumental opportunity.

After all, spirit roots are the foundation of the Great Dao; no one would ever complain about having too much cultivation aptitude.

And not just the aptitude; the talent [Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing] was also extremely practical. Not only was it an essential tool for showing off and slapping faces in disguise, but it could also be used to lull enemies into complacency by feigning weakness before delivering a lethal surprise.

At this moment, whether or not the system was an idiot no longer mattered to him. Based on these mission rewards alone, he could look forward to future tasks with anticipation.

“Truly worthy of being called a Reversal System. Though deaf and blind, it gives tangible benefits,” Qi Yuan thought gleefully.

Before he could continue savoring the gains from his spirit root transformation, an illusory system panel appeared again. It displayed a new mission—

【Reversal: Starting as a Servant Disciple】

Qi Yuan: “???”

After reading the specific content of the mission, Qi Yuan’s mouth twitched slightly as he silently retracted his positive review of the system.

Just as dark lines of exasperation covered Qi Yuan’s face, Qi Yao recovered from her earlier shock. Her gaze toward him was full of admiration as she said softly:

“Brother Qi… you are truly a great person.”

“Not only are your skills formidable, but most importantly, you possess a kind and benevolent heart.”

Originally, Qi Yao had felt puzzled by Brother Qi’s strange behavior earlier. But after some thought, she finally understood this man’s “well-intentioned efforts.”

Brother Qi was a lofty cultivator who not only saved her life but also wiped out that scum from the Black Tiger Gang, avenging her deceased elder brother. No matter how you looked at it, he was her great benefactor.

What made it even more commendable was that Brother Qi deliberately put on an act, luring the Black Tiger Gang outside the town limits before dealing with them, so as not to harm innocent bystanders. This chivalrous benevolence truly deserved respect!

After all, the power behind that strike had been utterly terrifying; if unleashed within the town, who knows how many innocent commoners would have been hurt?

Yet Brother Qi specifically chose this remote, uninhabited wilderness as his battlefield—if not out of kindness, then what?!

Me?

A great person?

Receiving an undeserved “good person card” out of nowhere left Qi Yuan somewhat dumbfounded, but he couldn’t be bothered to argue about it. Maintaining a calm expression, he said, “It’s nothing, really. I just didn’t like their looks.”

As he spoke, his features blurred momentarily, instantly reverting to his original appearance!

Because the tasks given by the system were too abstract, he subconsciously didn’t want to be recognized to avoid unnecessary trouble, so he had slightly altered his appearance beforehand.

His Master, the Sect Leader, usually placed great importance on saving face. If he found out his closed-door disciple got chased for dozens of miles by a group of mortals, it wouldn’t end well upon his return!

Qi Yuan’s original appearance was quite handsome, making the young girl’s eyes sparkle as she stared intently at him.

Qi Yao came from a cultivator family. Though judged to lack cultivation aptitude since childhood and thus completely overlooked, she still knew a bit about common knowledge within the cultivation world.

She knew many cultivators possessed means to conceal their aura or change their appearance, so she wasn’t overly surprised by the transformation.

Just then, she saw the distant sky suddenly churn. The clouds billowed as a magnificent, radiant flying boat streaked toward them, rapidly approaching!