After assuring Shi Hongjiang of her safety, Nan Zhi hung up the phone. A rustling sound ensued as she changed into a spare set of clothes.
Her previous outfit was completely ruined. After cleansing her essence and washing her marrow, the impurities expelled from her body had combined with sweat and grease, hardening into a crust once dry. Finding it thoroughly revolting, she had simply burned it away with a flick of fire.
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
A long string of system notification chimes rang in Nan Zhi’s ears. She almost had to squint to read the rapid stream of messages refreshing on her game interface.
[Congratulations to Cultivator "Nan Zhi" for successfully achieving Foundation Establishment!]
[Congratulations to Cultivator for achieving the achievement: "Foundation Establishment," receiving Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Ticket ×2]
[Congratulations to Cultivator for achieving the achievement: "Lucky One (I)," receiving Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Ticket ×3]
[Current Lottery Tickets: 40]
["Myriad Cultivation Arts" system unlocked]
[Alchemy: Cultivators consume elixirs, advancing as naturally as water flows into a canal. Cultivators can unlock the profession "Alchemist," collecting recipes, refining elixirs, and using pills to slay enemies.]
[Artifact Crafting: Heaven has flaws, and man has shortcomings; fill them with artifacts. Cultivators can unlock the profession "Artifact Crafter," using artifacts as weapons and commanding them to slay enemies.]
[Talismans: A noble borrows tools, and a talisman master borrows curses. Unlocks the profession "Talisman Master," drawing talismans to slay enemies through curses.]
[Formations: Formations are profound and infinitely changeable. Unlocks the profession "Formation Master," outlining heaven and earth to slay enemies through curses.]
[Beast Taming: ...]
[Spirit Planting: ...]
[Spirit Music: ...]
[Dual Cultivation: ...]
...
[Divination: ...]
[Chess: ...]
[Nightmare Arts: ...]
...
Wait, did something weird just get mixed in there?
Nan Zhi was thoroughly shocked.
Did cultivation really require mastering so much knowledge?
No wonder cultivators were routinely around a thousand years old; anyone under a few thousand wouldn't even have the face to call themselves "Old Demon So-and-So" or "Ancestor Such-and-Such."
As for the main four—Alchemy, Artifact Crafting, Talismans, and Formations—only children made choices; she wanted to learn them all!
Having accumulated exactly forty lottery tickets, shouldn't she do four 10-pulls?
An unluck-of-the-draw player had nothing to fear!
Nan Zhi decisively opened the lottery interface, splurged her tickets, and executed a 10-pull in one go:
[Yellow Lingzhi ×3, Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu ×2, 《Pill Recipe: Blood Supplementing Pill》 ×1, Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu ×6, Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu ×3, Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu ×3, Red Lingzhi ×1, Hemostatic Grass ×2, Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu ×3, Hemostatic Grass ×5]
The very first pull rendered Nan Zhi speechless.
What kind of normal person used stinky tofu as punctuation for reward lists?
"Lady Yin, speak honestly—are you the sponsor of this game?"
Her current stockpile of stinky tofu was enough to last her until the next Olympics!
Could this be the work of those ten deducted points of Luck stat?
What a cruel curse!
Nan Zhi stared at the group of faceless green-clothed girls on the lottery panel, feeling as though she could vaguely detect a few hints of pity on their featureless faces.
"Going all-in! I refuse to believe a person can actually be this unlucky!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the divine tree radiated light, glowing with a hint of purple radiance:
[Paper ingots ×10, Qi-Augmenting Pill ×1, Hemostatic Grass ×2, 《Hiding Art》 (Blue Quality) ×1, Rejuvenation Pills ×2, Paper ingots ×5, Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu ×10, Hemostatic Grass ×5, Tiger Saliva Grass ×1, Hemostatic Grass ×2]
[Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu ×10, Azure Sea Sky Hairpin (Purple Quality) ×1, Hemostatic Grass ×5, Red Lingzhi ×6, Rejuvenation Pills ×2, Qi-Augmenting Pill ×2, West Sea Pearls ×10, Qi-Augmenting Pill ×1, 《Green Beetle Needles》 (Gold Quality) ×1, Qi-Augmenting Pill ×2]
[Qi-Augmenting Pill ×2, Azure Sea Sky Belt (Purple Quality) ×1, Hemostatic Grass ×5, Rejuvenation Pills ×3, Yellow Lingzhi ×5, Qi-Augmenting Pill ×6, 《Pill Recipe: Qi-Supplementing Pill》 ×1, Hemostatic Grass ×6, Yellow Lingzhi ×1]
It hit Gold!
Nan Zhi jumped three feet high, grabbed Corn, and gave it a ferocious kiss. Only after being smeared with a face full of saliva by the treasure-seeking mouse did she dare to believe that she had actually drawn a Gold Quality manual!
In this lifetime!
This was her very first time drawing a Gold Quality item!
What was this?
A gold item?
No, this was the dignity she had lost as a notoriously unlucky player!
Holding 《Green Beetle Needle Art》 with tear-filled eyes, Nan Zhi felt the urge to bow down and kowtow to the Heavenly Treasure Tree.
Her reaction frightened the green-clothed girls on the lottery page so much that they hurriedly hid their faces with their sleeves, vanishing into the foliage and only daring to peek out quietly at her, assuming she had gone mad.
...
Although Nan Zhi had chosen an uninhabited bear cave to perform her Foundation Establishment and used the artifact gifted by the nun Miaoyun to protect herself, a portion of spiritual energy had still leaked out during her breakthrough.
Nourished by days of spiritual energy, the flowers, plants, and shrubs outside the bear cave were noticeably greener, more vibrant, and far more lush than the surrounding vegetation.
It was already mid-October, yet the wild orchids and lilies in the mountains were blooming in full force. Their flowers were vivid and plump, bursting into bloom in a noisy and bustling spectacle.
The trickling streams flowing down from the rocky crevices carried a crisp, icy chill, causing a sheet of white frost to form on the rock walls near the water's surface.
An ancient, proud pine tree had experienced an explosive growth of roots over the past few days, unexpectedly sprouting over a dozen new roots that anchored firmly into the cliffside.
Clear mountain streams, an ancient pine offering longevity, lush greenery framing the cave, and mist rising lazily into the air—if an ordinary person saw this, they would surely assume it was an immortal's cave abode.
As if a thick filter had been applied to reality, this deserted patch of land had suddenly transformed into a blessed land from a mythical tale.
It was a vibrant world of pristine green and sprawling flower clusters.
Nan Zhi was naturally astonished by these changes as well.
She remembered that before she went into seclusion, the area around the bear cave had been completely barren.
Could spiritual energy really exert such a massive influence on the natural environment?
Holding her breath and concentrating, she observed her surroundings closely, unable to hold back a sigh of wonder.
So this was the world after Foundation Establishment.
In truth, the world remained the same, but the things she could perceive had expanded dramatically:
The wind carried the scent of soil mingled with floral fragrance. Ripe wild fruits fell to the ground, fermenting and emitting a faint aroma of wine.
About five hundred meters from the bear cave, an ant nest worked diligently, with the queen curled up in her underground palace, ruling over everything.
The tall arbor trees were draped with the aerial roots of strangler figs. These seemingly harmless vines were gradually stealing nutrients, sunlight, and rain, fighting to secure their own survival.
Continuous mountain ranges rolled endlessly into the distance. Hidden beneath the dense foliage, a green python several meters long slithered along, gliding into the water from a gravel bank.
The wind was cheering.
The birds were singing.
The foxes were hunting.
And Nan Zhi didn't need to be there in person to take it all in.
"Is this divine sense projection? But the search radius seems to have a limit... What about Golden Core? What about Nascent Soul? The higher one's cultivation, does the world look even more different?"
She slowly opened her eyes, feeling a surge of boundless ambition welling up inside her, compelling her to constantly strive upward, and further upward.
Before she had time to indulge in further sentiment, Nan Zhi keenly sensed something amiss.
In a place this remote, a nature reserve where entry was strictly forbidden... where had so many people come from?
Rate on N.U.
