“Brother? Why do you look so troubled? Have you run into some vexing issue?”
Li Muyang’s stepsister, carrying a food box and walking in the sunset, eyed Li Muyang sitting on the ridge, filled with curiosity.
Because it hadn’t rained for three consecutive days, the seedlings in the field had all withered.
Yet Li Muyang still had no intention of farming.
He sat under an old tree beside the ridge, his face full of contemplation, seemingly pondering some major issue.
This side of Li Muyang made the young girl slightly curious.
—Her brother, always carefree, was rarely seen thinking about matters so seriously.
It was unclear what he was thinking about.
Upon seeing his stepsister arrive, Li Muyang shook his head and said, “There’s no particular vexing issue.”
It’s just that the heroine in the game is too difficult to conquer.
These past few days, he had tried conversing and flirting with the Dragon God Fairy, attempting to conquer this Dragon God Fairy or to unearth hidden plotlines from her.
Unfortunately, his efforts had yielded little.
The Dragon God Fairy was aloof and indifferent, seemingly unconcerned with anything in the world. All of Li Muyang’s attempts to engage her were met with her cold responses.
That made Li Muyang feel she was an emotionless and tearless “true void.”
Putting aside the matters of the game, Li Muyang was quite surprised as he looked at the dinner his stepsister brought today.
“Are there extras tonight?”
Besides the usual dishes—one meat and two vegetables—there was a small, delicate food box that opened to reveal a box of exquisite pastries. Your next read awaits at M V L
In this world with low productivity, such refined pastries were definitely considered a luxury only the wealthy could afford.
Back when he was in Jiyuan City, his family had a bit of money, so he sometimes got to eat pastries.
However, the best pastries in Jiyuan City couldn’t compare to this delicate box of osmanthus cakes in front of him.
From its appearance, these osmanthus cakes were definitely luxury grade, not something that should appear in the meager living conditions of the Outer Sect.
Li Muyang showed a surprised expression.
Li Yuechan chuckled and said, “These were given by Sister Ning. She returned to the Outer Sect today and chatted with me for a good while.”
“The osmanthus cakes are from her. They’re made with medium-grade Spirit Rice, not only delicious but also beneficial for cultivation.”
“Sister Ning is now a Direct Disciple, having taken Elder Yan Xiaoru as her master. She received the Cultivation Techniques taught by Elder Yan, eats meals made with medium-grade Spirit Rice, and has many pieces of Spiritual Medicine to aid her cultivation.”
“Elder Yan even personally came down from the mountain to find a suitable lower-grade Spiritual Artifact to protect Sister Ning.”
“When Sister Ning was talking to me, she mentioned you too, saying she’ll come to see you again when she gets the chance.”
Li Yuechan relayed such remarks with a playful smile.
But Li Muyang’s expression remained indifferent. He showed no concern for this former goddess or envy of her lavish treatment.
“Direct Disciples are indeed impressive,” Li Muyang nodded and said, “even the pastries made from medium-grade Spirit Rice can be easily given away.”
If this box of pastries were taken to Yunxiao City outside, it would definitely fetch a good price, yet Ning Wan’er could afford to give them away so casually.
This little opportunist had certainly risen high.
Her becoming a Direct Disciple and the two old fellow villagers, Li Muyang and his sister, were now separated by a sad, thick barrier.
Perhaps even more than one layer.
But all this was no longer of any concern to Li Muyang.
He also had the essential resources for cultivation, and it was top-grade Spirit Rice.
As for the extremely important top-tier Cultivation Techniques and powerful Magic Artifacts in the Cultivation World… Li Muyang had them within reach.
Should he choose to complete this game, one of the three rewards available would be a top-tier Cultivation Technique fragment and a lower-grade Spiritual Artifact.
But Li Muyang, wanting to hit a perfect score, didn’t claim the reward.
He was curious. If an A-grade score gave a lower quality Spiritual Artifact… What would an S-grade score give?
Could it be a medium-quality Spiritual Artifact?
After chatting with his thrifty sister for a while, Li Muyang prepared to get up, cook dinner, and continue playing video games after eating.
But before Li Yuechan left, she casually asked a question.
“… By the way, brother, do you know what the Elders in the sect have been busy with recently? I see Escaping Lights flying around in the sky, looking very busy.”
The girl curiously watched her older brother, observing Li Muyang’s reaction.
Li Muyang shook his head, he really didn’t know about this.
“Do you have any inside information?” Li Muyang curiously looked at his thrifty sister, wondering why she suddenly brought up the matter.
Was it an illusion, or did he feel that this young girl was testing him?
Uh… It must be an illusion, right?
Why would she probe me, an Outer Sect Disciple? As a mere ‘Qi Cultivation Stage 3’ Outer Sect Spiritual Plant Farmer, it’s unlikely that I would know the secrets of the Inner Sect, right?
Probably, this girl learned some insider information from Ning Wan’er and ran over to show off.
Indeed, his thrifty sister stuck out her tongue and said, “I heard from Sister Ning that something seems to be stirring in the Sea of Mist. It’s not just our sect that’s alarmed. It seems like sects from both the Demon Path and the Path of Immortality are making moves.”
Li Yuechan elaborately shared this news with Li Muyang.
Li Muyang blinked, confused, “The Sea of Mist?”
He searched his memory… The original owner’s country bumpkin brain didn’t know what the Sea of Mist was.
Seeing Li Muyang’s confusion, Li Yuechan explained, “It’s the sea!”
“The vast sea east of our lands, forever shrouded in white mist, boundless. The Sea of Mist is said to swallow Cultivators; the stronger the cultivator entering it, the more likely they are to get lost.”
“It’s said to be the edge of the world, where one would be crushed upon entry!”
“There are also legends saying that there are boundless and terrifying monsters within the sea, named Sheng, whose mist is exhaled to specifically confuse Cultivators entering it.”
“Others say, the sea holds floating fairy mountains and islands, the places of legends known as the heavens themselves, all beyond the mist are True Immortals. If one cultivates to a realm above ‘first-grade’, transforming and ascending to immortality, one can cross the Sea of Mist and take a place among the immortals!”
Li Yuechan vividly described those ancient strange legends.
Li Muyang’s face was full of surprise; it was the first time he heard of the sea of this world being perpetually enshrouded in endless mist.
And that one shouldn’t enter this misty world lest they be devoured…
“So, the seascape beyond the mist is unknown to everyone?” Li Muyang asked.
If the sea was always cloaked in white mist, preventing Cultivators from entering, indeed it would be difficult for regular people to explore the world beyond the mist.
If Earth’s seas were also misty, there would be no Columbus or the New World, and the scalps of Native Americans would be safe.
Tsk…
From his thrifty sister, Li Muyang gained new knowledge of this world and expanded his horizons, but he didn’t pay it much mind.
After all, whatever lay beyond the mist had nothing to do with him.
He was just a small fry in the Qi Cultivation Stage; how could he spare time to worry about the trends of the world!
Better to focus on playing video games properly.
After sending off his thrifty sister and having dinner, Li Muyang, as usual, sat in meditation to refine the Spiritual Energy in his body, then entered the game.
Luoyang City, filled with endless mist, was eerily cold.
Ghostly shadows drifted through the city, and the omnipresent thick white mist made it even more forbidding.
Luckily, there was a beauty by his side to please the eye.
The exceedingly beautiful Dragon Goddess Fairy rarely spoke, but her presence alone was the most striking scenery in the midst of the mist.