The natural hot spring behind the residence was fed by a subterranean thermal vein that ran deep beneath the Xiao Clan’s eastern mountains. Steam rose lazily into the cool night air, carrying the faint, soothing scent of sulfur and wild lavender.
Leo leaned his head back against the smooth, moss-covered granite edge of the pool, letting the scalding water soak into his muscles.
"Man," Leo sighed, closing his eyes as a long, relaxed exhale escaped his lips. "If my old boss at the accounting firm could see me right now, he’d probably die of a stroke. No 80-hour work weeks, no tax audits, no freezing Michigan slush... just hot springs and extorted wealth."
He raised his right arm out of the water, watching the subtle, golden veins of Chaos Qi pulse beneath his skin.
In less than twelve hours, he had gone from a dying, broken corpse in a muddy ditch to a Body Refining Stage 6 powerhouse who had face-slapped a Core Formation Elder into a drywall installation. The sheer absurdity of it all was almost poetic.
"System," Leo called out quietly. "Open status."
[SYSTEM STATUS MENU]
Host Name: Leo Miller (Xiao Long)
Age: 15
Realm: Body Refining Stage 6 (Progress: 400/2000 Chaos Qi)
Cultivation Method: Primitive Chaos Immortal Technique (Layer 1)
HP: 100/100
Passive Traits:
[Eternal Anchor (Lv. Max)]: True death disabled.
[Sarcastic Glare (Lv. 1)]: Provocation multiplier active.
Equipped Title: [Unkillable Bastard]
Inventory:
High-Grade Spirit Stones x500
Low-Grade Spirit Pills x19
System Points (SP): 230
Leo ran a finger over the [Inventory] icon. Five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones sat inside his system storage, sparkling like massive, polished sapphires. In the local economy of the Sunfall Region, a single High-Grade Spirit Stone was worth a hundred Low-Grade ones—enough to buy a decent townhouse in the capital or hire an entire mercenary squad for a month.
"Not a bad nest egg," Leo mused. "But money sitting around doing nothing is dead capital. Time to reinvest."
He opened the [System Shop] interface, filtering through the catalog.
"Show me items that can accelerate cultivation, but won't explode my body."
[System Recommendation Catalog:]
[Medium-Grade Foundation Pill] (Price: 50 SP / 100 Spirit Stones conversion)
Effect: Purifies meridians, expands Dantian capacity by 30%. Adds +500 Chaos Qi.
[Chaos Meridian Cleansing Tea] (Price: 30 SP)
Effect: Permanently increases Qi absorption speed by 15%.
[Cast Iron Skillet & Modern Spice Set] (Price: 10 SP)
Effect: Allows the preparation of authentic terrestrial cuisine using spirit beast meat.
Leo stopped scrolling at the third item, his eyes widening slightly.
"Wait... a cast iron skillet and actual spices? Garlic powder? Smoked paprika? Black pepper?!" Leo gasped, his stomach suddenly letting out a loud, traitorous rumble.
Up until this moment, the memories of the original Xiao Long had reminded him of what passed for 'food' in this world: bland, steamed millet, unseasoned boiled cabbage, and dry, rock-hard energy rations that tasted like chalky cardboard.
"Screw the pills for a second," Leo declared, tapping the screen instantly. "I have 230 SP. Give me the skillet, the spice set, and two Medium-Grade Foundation Pills!"
[PING!]
[Purchase Successful!]
110 SP Deducted. Remaining SP: 120.
Items transferred to System Inventory!
A heavy, pre-seasoned black cast iron skillet, a wooden rack filled with glass spice jars, and two glowing amber-colored pills materialized on the dry stone ledge beside the hot spring.
Leo picked up a spice jar labeled Smoked Paprika, un-capped it, and took a deep breath. The rich, savory aroma hit his nostrils like a divine revelation.
"Oh yeah," Leo grinned, a tear almost coming to his eye. "That's the good stuff. Tomorrow, we hunt."
Before he could indulge his culinary fantasies further, he picked up one of the glowing amber Medium-Grade Foundation Pills. It was twice the size of the low-grade ones and hummed with a thick, visible aura of amber light.
He tossed it into his mouth.
GLOP.
Unlike the low-grade pills that felt like liquid fire, the medium-grade pill melted into a smooth, heavy, molten-gold liquid that slid down his esophagus like hot caramel. The moment it settled in his Dantian, a massive wave of dense, heavy energy expanded outward like a detonating depth charge.
BOOM!
The water in the hot spring violently bubbled and frothed around Leo. Plumes of white steam blasted twenty feet into the air as the sheer heat radiating from his pores flash-boiled the surrounding water.
[PING!]
[Medium-Grade Foundation Pill Refined!]
[+500 Chaos Qi Added!]
[Dantian Capacity Expanded by 30%!]
[Current Chaos Qi: 900/2600]
Leo exhaled a breath of golden mist, his skin glowing with a deep, bronze radiance. He could feel his bones grinding together, compressing into a state that was denser, harder, and far more resilient than reinforced steel.
"One more," Leo muttered, picking up the second amber pill.
Gulp.
[+500 Chaos Qi Added!]
[Current Chaos Qi: 1400/2600]
Another thermal shockwave exploded from his body, sending a wall of water splashing over the granite edges of the spring. Leo flexed his hands, watching as tiny, dark-golden sparks of static Chaos Qi danced across his knuckles.
He was more than halfway to Body Refining Stage 7. At this rate, he would hit the Qi Condensation Realm—the stage where cultivators could launch ranged energy slashes and fly on flying swords—in less than a week.
"If those corrupt elders thought I was a headache today," Leo chuckled, leaning back into the bubbling water, "they’re gonna love what happens when I reach Qi Condensation."
The next morning, the sun rose over the eastern peaks, painting the bamboo forest surrounding Leo’s courtyard in shades of gold and emerald.
Leo stepped out onto the wooden verandah wearing his charcoal-black, flame-retardant silk robe. His long black hair was tied back casually in a low ponytail, and he was carrying a large wooden basket and his newly purchased cast iron skillet.
"Time to test out this [Basic Kitchen Mastery] skill," Leo hummed, heading toward the rear gates that opened into the spirit beast mountain range behind the estate.
However, as he reached the main front gate of his courtyard, he noticed a solitary figure standing under the shadow of a large pine tree.
It was Ling Yue.
She was still dressed in her immaculate, icy-blue inner sect robes, her posture upright, her hand resting on her sword. She looked as though she had been standing there for hours—or perhaps the entire night. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot, and there was a subtle, frustrated tension around her lips.
Leo stopped, blinking in surprise. "Senior Sister? Did you sleep on my porch? I thought I told you my slaps don't come with overnight lodging."
Ling Yue turned her head slowly, her cold, diamond-like eyes locking onto him.
In her hand, held tightly between her slender fingers, was the Low-Grade Spirit Pill Leo had given her as a 'tip' the previous evening.
"I inspected this pill," Ling Yue said, her voice crisp and low, carrying a strange, unnatural intensity. "I brought it to the Clan’s Chief Alchemist last night at midnight."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "And? Did he find out it was made of sugar?"
"Chief Alchemist Gu stared at it for two hours," Ling Yue continued, stepping closer, her eyes fixed entirely on Leo's calm face. "He said... the purity of this pill is 100%. There are zero medicinal toxins. Zero impurities. In the entire Sunfall Region, even the greatest Grade 3 Alchemists can only produce pills with an 80% purity rate at best."
She stopped three feet away from him, the cold wind fluttering her long hair.
"Where did you get a flawless, 100% pure spirit pill, Xiao Long? Who is backing you?"
Leo looked at the serious, intense expression on her flawless face, then looked down at his cast iron skillet.
He let out a long, dramatic sigh.
"Look, Senior Sister," Leo said, shaking his head pityingly. "I'd love to sit here and play 'mysterious ancient master' with you, but I'm currently on a very strict schedule."
"A schedule?" Ling Yue’s brow furrowed. "What schedule could possibly be more important than explaining a 100% pure pill?!"
Leo held up the heavy black skillet, flashing a brilliant, shameless grin.
"I’m going into the rear mountains to hunt a Two-Headed Spirit Boar," Leo declared proudly. "I'm gonna butcher it, season it with imported smoked paprika, and make the first authentic cheeseburger this continent has ever seen. You wanna come, or are you just gonna stand there looking icy?"
Ling Yue stared at him, her brain completely stalling for the third time in twenty-four hours.
"A... a cheese-what?" she whispered, utterly lost.
"A cheeseburger," Leo repeated, patting his stomach. "It's a sacred ritual from my homeland. Now move aside, ice queen. The chef is working."
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