The soft scent of the morning dew filled the air as the gentle rays of sunlight washed over the forest. The flora welcomed the world with delight as the birds began to chirp melodiously.

Not far from the edge of this forest, Lucian stood half-naked in a small stream of a river, shivering. The sound of his crackling teeth overpowered the rumbling of the turbulent water.

Snorting his nose, he wrapped his arms around himself and cursed in a low, suppressed voice. "Curse you, old man! If only I had known you'd make me bathe in ice-cold water, I'd have never chosen you as my master. Not in a million lives!"

His small body was constantly defending itself from the invasive cold of Mount Qingmao, mixed within the river that flowed from the same.

Xiouyue, as a county, was known to be a solitary place where the nobles lived in ecstasy. It was a state of independence and royalty as it offered homage to the last generation of rulers of the continent.

"Of course, that was countless years ago when the continent was enslaved under the rule of powerless yet omnipotent royals. At least, that is what everyone knows and believes since history has been altered countless times over the hundreds of generations." He muttered as he pounced out of the river like a cat. Rubbing the water off his body with a soft white cloth, Lucian quickly changed into a new set of clothes.

These clothes—he didn't bring them with him, but they were something he received last night from his master upon being accepted as his disciple. These robes, in fact, looked quite similar to the ones that the old man Bai wore. In a sense, they looked like the uniforms of the Tianlong Lineage.

"Plain and simple, it totally matches the solitary beliefs of the sect." Adjusting his long white robe, he looked closely at the fabric. Unlike other sects and families, which embedded at least a single unique sign or shape to be grouped collectively as a lineage, these robes were too ordinary to be considered a sect's official uniforms.

"Meh, who cares?" Lucian sighed sharply, the corners of his lips curling into a smile as he quickly launched himself into the woods, holding onto his used clothes.

He was visibly excited, for today was the first day he was about to learn something new about this world. Over the course of 5 years, Lucian had already realized that this world differed greatly from his imagination. Unlike the world that he had created with his own hands on the digital screens of the modern era, this world had different customs, beliefs, settings, and most probably, different definitions of what Lucian called "cultivation."

He was the most excited about being able to learn about it in depth. Since even for him, his system hadn't really helped him with the details apart from providing him with the necessary techniques.

Brimming with an inexplicable exhilaration, he quickly reached their resting place from last night and threw his clothes over the side. Up front, the old man sat in the same place. He hadn't moved even a bit since last night. Let alone food, he didn't need to irrigate or drink water as well.

Even in his own imagination, Lucian knew that such feats were only possible if one had surpassed mortality—solidifying his belief that this old man was not ordinary.

Putting his thoughts aside, Lucian quickly sat in front of his master. His eyes were glistening in a mix of excitement and expectation. But suddenly, right before he could ask the old man to start teaching him, a thought struck his mind.

'System,' he called out in his mind, 'Sign in!'

Almost immediately, the system reacted to his command as a system screen materialized right in front of his eyes.

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[#~System Notification~#]

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[Daily Sign-in complete!]

[Current streak - 2 days!]

[Reward - Nothing! You suck!]

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Just by a mere glance, Lucian felt the veins over his forehead tightening. Unknowingly, he glared at the screen as if he wanted to burn its existence.

'Swear to god, I'd have murdered you. Thrice. If only I could.' He thought in the most nonchalant way possible.

"Hmm..." The sudden voice of the old man jolted Lucian awake from his thoughts as he hurriedly rolled his eyes towards his master. What Lucian wanted was to avoid the old man's suspicion for spacing out into the air for a prolonged time.

Why? Since it may not cause him immediate danger, it will, in fact, bear an incomprehensible threat to his existence. The system had warned every player not to let their identities be exposed in any way. Although it sounds far-fetched, if the old man truly had the capabilities to suspect such actions, it would violate the system's rules. Thus, serving Lucian with a punishment of immediate death.

The old man looked at him with a peculiar gaze and, without a thought, closed his eyes and began explaining.

"Since last night, I've been thinking about something, which finally led me to an answer. You, Feng Tian, are held back by that age of yours. Although I do not mind sharing the crucial information of the world and cultivation, it'll only do you more harm than good. Thus, I'm giving you a task, or... a goal, per se?"

He gently raised his hand and waved to Lucian to get closer. Lucian obediently followed the old man's instructions and sat right before him silently. "Straighten your spine, cross your legs, and rest your palms over your knees." The old man instructed.

Lucian quickly did so and felt something touch the middle of his chest. As his eyes curiously traced below, he noticed that it was the old man's index finger.

"Now focus," the old man called out. "No matter what happens, do not lose control over your breathing. Experience and learn, for this will be your first and last chance to prove yourself."

*Ding!*

At the same time, the sharp alert of the system notification rang in his mind. Right before the old man's face, a system window appeared.

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[#~System Notification~#]

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[A new task has been found!]

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