The high ceiling of the Ancestral Hall seemed to press down on the surviving elders like a tombstone.
Thick, dark smoke drifted lazily through the shattered windows, carrying the sharp scent of singed marble and burnt incense. In the outer wall, embedded three feet deep like a human-shaped brick, lay High Elder Xiao Shan—unconscious, his face swollen, and his proud Core Formation aura reduced to a weak, wheezing rattle.
Silence held the hall in a stranglehold.
None of the remaining four High Elders moved. The inner sect disciples were glued to the floor, many of them trembling so hard their leather boots tapped nervously against the cracked stone.
In the middle of this ruin stood Leo Miller, bare-chested, covered in soot, and stretching his arms as if he had just finished a light afternoon jog.
Man, Leo thought, looking down at his soot-stained arms. I really need a new set of clothes. This clan has terrible dress code enforcement.
A golden box suddenly flashed in his peripheral vision, drawing his attention away from the petrified crowd.
[PING!]
[Title Acquired: [Unkillable Bastard]!]
Equipped Effect: Intimidation towards enemies higher in realm than you increased by 50%. When facing lethal force, your smile becomes 100% more unsettling.
[SYSTEM FEATURE UNLOCKED: SYSTEM SHOP!]
Current System Points (SP): 150
Available Categories: Martial Techniques, Modern Goods, Pill Recipes, Apparel, Bizarre Artifacts.
Leo blinked, mentally tapping on the new [System Shop] tab while keeping his eyes lazily fixed on the Grand Elder.
A virtual catalog opened in his mind, displaying an array of items ranging from legendary divine swords worth millions of points to absurdly mundane objects from Earth.
Low-Grade Refreshing Soap (1 SP)
Flame-Retardant Silk Robe - Charcoal Black (20 SP)
Standard Kevlar Tactical Vest (50 SP)
High-Caliber Desert Eagle (1,000,000 SP - Locked)
Manual: [Nine Shadows Phantom Step] (500 SP)
Twenty points for a shirt that won't burn off every time an elder throws a tantrum? Leo grinned internally. Sold.
He tapped the screen in his mind. Instantly, 20 SP vanished from his balance, and a heavy, charcoal-black silk robe trimmed with subtle silver dragon thread materialized directly over his shoulders, wrapping smoothly around his torso. The fabric felt cool, light, and surprisingly durable—like military-grade Kevlar disguised as high-end designer silk.
To the onlookers in the hall, it looked as if the boy had just summoned a luxury robe out of thin air without weaving a single hand seal or opening a spatial ring.
"Spatial magic without a ring?!" an elder whispered in horror, clutching his beard. "Is he a hidden disciple of a Central Domain Master?!"
Leo casually tied the belt of his new robe, stepped over a pile of rubble, and approached the raised dais where the Grand Elder sat. Every time Leo took a step, the guards lining the stairs took two steps back.
"So," Leo said, stopping at the base of the stairs and looking up at Grand Elder Xiao Tian. "Grand Elder, right? Let's talk about my compensation."
Grand Elder Xiao Tian, a man who had ruled the Xiao Clan's political sphere for forty years with an iron fist, felt a cold sweat break out along his neck. He forced his breathing to remain steady, gripping his wooden staff until his knuckles turned pale.
"Compensation...?" Xiao Tian’s raspy voice echoed through the hall, struggling to maintain its usual grand authority. "Xiao Long... you have crippled an Elder, destroyed the Ancestral Hall, and brought chaos to the tribunal. By all rights—"
"By all rights, Elder Xiao Shan tried to murder me over a personal grudge," Leo interrupted, crossing his arms and flashing a dangerous, sharp smile. "I acted in self-defense. In fact, if I hadn't been so generous, his head would be rolling on that carpet right now instead of being stuck in your drywall."
[Passive Skill Triggered: Sarcastic Glare (Lv. 1)]
[Equipped Title Active: [Unkillable Bastard]]
The Grand Elder felt a phantom chill run down his spine. The boy standing before him didn't possess the chaotic, oppressive aura of a tyrant, but rather something far worse: absolute, unshakeable indifference to mortality. How could you threaten a man who took a Core Formation fireball to the chest, died, woke up, and slapped his killer into a wall?
You couldn't.
"What... what compensation do you seek?" Xiao Tian asked, bowing his head slightly—a gesture that sent shockwaves through the gathered disciples.
The Grand Elder was yielding!
"Simple," Leo said, raising three fingers.
"First, my mother's former courtyard in the inner estate—the one with the hot springs that Xiao Shan's family confiscated three years ago. I want the keys, full ownership, and a formal apology posted on the clan notice board."
Xiao Tian swallowed hard. "Granted. What else?"
"Second, five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones and twenty Low-Grade Spirit Pills delivered to my new residence by sunset. Call it back-pay for fifteen years of backhanded treatment."
The surrounding elders winced. Five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones was a quarter of the clan's quarterly operating budget! But looking at the cracked floor and the dented wall, no one dared to raise an objection.
"And third," Leo’s eyes shifted sideways, landing directly on Ling Yue, who was still standing near the rear pillars, watching him with wide, unblinking eyes.
Leo grinned, pointing a finger toward her.
"Senior Sister Ling Yue broke my front door earlier today. It was a very nice door—sentimental value, you know? Since she broke it, she gets to be my personal tour guide and assistant around the inner estate until I get settled in."
Ling Yue’s jaw dropped. Her cheeks flushed with a sudden, rare mixture of humiliation and annoyance. "I... what?! Personal assistant?!"
"You heard the man," Leo chuckled, winking at her. "You break it, you buy it, Senior Sister. That's standard consumer law."
Grand Elder Xiao Tian let out a long, weary sigh, closing his eyes. He knew when his clan was outmatched. Fighting this monster any further would only lead to the total destruction of the Xiao Clan's foundation.
"It shall be done as you request," Xiao Tian announced, his voice sounding ten years older. "The tribunal is adjourned. Clear the hall... and get Elder Shan out of the wall."
An hour later, the sun was beginning to dip below the western mountain peaks, casting long, crimson shadows across the inner estate of the Xiao Clan.
Unlike the muddy, foul-smelling outer ring, the Inner Estate was a paradise of white marble bridges, clear carp ponds, and lush bamboo forests.
Leo walked casually along a stone path, admiring the scenery, his hands tucked behind his head. Walking two paces behind him, her face as cold as a winter storm, was Ling Yue. She carried a heavy wooden chest containing the five hundred spirit stones and pills Leo had extorted from the elders.
"You know, Senior Sister," Leo said, turning around to walk backward while looking at her, "you're carrying that chest like it kicked your dog. Smile a little! We just got rich!"
"You are insane," Ling Yue said flatly, her icy blue eyes boring into his face. "You extorted the Grand Elder, humiliated the entire tribunal, and forced me to carry your luggage. When the Clan Master returns from his closed-door seclusion next week, he will not be as forgiving as Xiao Shan."
"Clan Master, huh? What stage is he?"
"Core Formation Peak. Half a step into the Nascent Soul Realm," Ling Yue replied, her tone sharp with warning. "He can level an entire mountain peak with a single sword strike. You cannot simply 'slap' him away."
Leo laughed out loud, a rich, genuine sound that echoed through the quiet bamboo grove.
"A mountain-leveling sword strike? Sounds awesome!" Leo grinned, turning back around. "If he hits me with that, I'll probably gain three full stages! I might even buy a sportscar from the System shop if I save up enough points."
Ling Yue stared at his back, completely unable to decipher his words. Sportscar? System shop? Is he speaking in ancient ciphers?
They soon arrived at the gates of the courtyard. It was a spacious, beautiful compound surrounded by white stone walls, featuring a private residence with carved wooden verandahs, a lush garden, and a natural steaming hot spring tucked away in the back.
"Home sweet home," Leo said, pushing open the heavy oak gates. "Now this is more like it."
He turned back to Ling Yue, taking the heavy wooden chest from her arms effortless with one hand.
"Thanks for the escort, Senior Sister. You can run along now. Unless, of course, you want to join me for a dip in the hot spring?" Leo offered, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
Ling Yue’s face burned bright red. She instinctively gripped the pommel of her sword, a flurry of freezing frost swirling around her boots. "Insolent! I am the eldest disciple of the Inner Sect! I would rather jump into a volcano than—"
[PING!]
[DAILY QUEST GENERATED!]
[Quest: The Cold Beauty’s Curiosity]
Objective: Give Ling Yue one Low-Grade Spirit Pill as a 'tip' for carrying your chest, then close the gate in her face before she can respond.
Time Limit: 10 Seconds.
Reward: +100 SP, Skill: [Basic Kitchen Mastery (Detroit Style Cooking)].
Penalty for Failure: Your voice will temporarily sound like a squeaky rubber duck for 12 hours.
Leo didn't even hesitate.
Before Ling Yue could finish her angry rant, Leo reached into his robe, pulled out a shimmering silver spirit pill, and slapped it into her open, gloved hand.
"Thanks for the hard work, kiddo. Keep the tip!"
SLAM!
Leo pulled the heavy oak gates shut, tossing the iron latch into place with a loud CLANG.
Outside the gate, Ling Yue stood completely frozen in the quiet evening wind. She looked down at the high-grade spirit pill resting in her palm—a pill that even inner disciples had to complete three dangerous sect missions to earn—and then stared at the solid wooden gate that had just been slammed right in her face.
Her chest heaved with a chaotic mix of fury, utter disbelief, and an infuriatingly persistent sense of curiosity.
"Xiao... Long..." she ground out through her teeth, her voice trembling slightly as she clutched the pill tightly in her hand. "I am going to figure out your secret... if it's the last thing I do!"
Inside the courtyard, Leo leaned back against the closed gate, listening to her angry, stomping footsteps fade away into the distance.
A sleek golden window popped up in front of him.
[Quest Complete!]
[Rewards Issued: +100 SP, Skill: [Basic Kitchen Mastery] Unlocked!]
[Current SP: 230]
Leo stretched his back, tossing the chest of spirit stones onto a nearby stone bench. He looked up at the twilight sky, feeling the vast, mysterious energy of this foreign world swirling around him.
"Step 1: Get revenge on bullies? Done," Leo said to himself, walking toward the warm steaming waters of the hot spring. "Step 2: Get rich? Working on it. Step 3: Figure out how to make a decent cheeseburger in a world without electricity..."
He grinned, stripping off his black silk robe and stepping into the hot spring with a satisfied sigh.
"...Yeah, this transmigration thing isn't so bad after all."
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