Under the system's guidance, Hao Ren trotted along and soon found the corpses of Gu Ziming and Xing Yidao.
From the scene, it was evident that the battle between Gu Ziming and Xing Yidao had been incredibly fierce!
The ground looked as if it had experienced an eighteen-magnitude earthquake, covered in ravines and crisscrossed with scorch marks from flames and frost from ice.
Seeing this, Hao Ren "trembled his mighty frame," further solidifying his resolve.
The cultivation world was too dangerous. He absolutely could not be reckless; he had to hide. Hiding was the path to victory!
After confirming there were no immediate dangers, Hao Ren cautiously approached and began to rummage through the two corpses.
Soon, Hao Ren found a small cloth bag.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host, you have discovered "Gu Ziming's Storage Bag."]
Gu Ziming, a righteous cultivator and a disciple of the Shengfeng Sect.
[Ding! System friendly reminder, if the host returns "Gu Ziming's Storage Bag" to the Shengfeng Sect, they will gain favor from the Shengfeng Sect cultivators, with a 90% chance of joining the Shengfeng Sect.]
Join the Shengfeng Sect?
A string of words immediately flashed through Hao Ren's mind.
Outer disciple, inner disciple, core disciple, true disciple... sect competitions, grand centennial gatherings... secret realm trials, demonic cult invasions... scheming and infighting, perilous journeys, a one-in-nine chance of survival...
In less than a second, Hao Ren had envisioned a grand and intricate "Fallen Immortal Sect Cultivator's Struggle for Existence."
No, no, Hao Ren shook his head repeatedly, rejecting the system's suggestion.
He had no intention of joining a sect.
Based on the common tropes of cultivation novels in his past life, sects were filled with internal strife and were often targets of demonic cult invasions. Too dangerous!
He would rather quietly be a "Hiding Cultivator"!
Hao Ren prepared to open "Gu Ziming's Storage Bag" to see if there were any good treasures.
"System, help me open the storage bag."
Hao Ren had not cultivated and lacked true essence, thus he couldn't use storage bags. He could only rely on the system for assistance.
[Ding! System solemnly friendly reminder, if the host returns "Gu Ziming's Storage Bag" to the Shengfeng Sect, they will gain favor from Shengfeng Sect cultivators. Elder Gu Zhen's favorability +20, Sect Master Wang Shanhe's favorability +10...]
Not interested!
Hao Ren shook his head. He didn't even plan to join the Shengfeng Sect, so what good were the favorability points from those cultivators?
"System, help me open the storage bag."
[Ding! System again solemnly friendly reminder, if the host returns "Gu Ziming's Storage Bag" to the Shengfeng Sect, they will make multiple cultivator friends! More friends mean more paths. Please do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!]
Hao Ren: "System, help me open the storage bag."
[Ding! ...Ding ding ding... Ding ding ding...]
Hao Ren: "Hey, System, are you cursing me?"
[Ding! Dear host, please do not misunderstand. This system is a five-star rated, officially certified "Truth, Goodness, and Beauty" system from the myriad worlds. It would absolutely not be behind your back slandering the host as universally disliked and dog-hated, nor would it curse the host to a lonely and tragic life...]
Hao Ren.
彡(—＿—;）彡
System, don't speak your true thoughts aloud!
Speaking of which, how obsessed is this system with making friends?
"System, can you help me open the storage bag now?"
[Ding! System once again solemnly friendly reminder...]
"System, stop talking, quickly help me open the storage bag!"
[Ding! ...Ding ding ding... Ding ding ding... Ding! Storage bag is opening... Storage bag opened successfully!]
It felt like the system was very angry.
However, the system was still professional; it eventually helped Hao Ren open the storage bag.
A flash of light swept through, and Gu Ziming's spiritual imprint on the storage bag was erased. The storage bag opened by itself, and several items fell to the ground.
Two bottles of pills, an ancient book, and three talismans.
Hao Ren picked up the pills, and the system immediately analyzed them, feeding detailed information into his mind.
[Pill Name: Qi Gathering Pill]
[Grade: First-grade pill]
[Detailed Description: A commonly used cultivation pill in the cultivation world. After consumption, it allows one to sense the vital energy of heaven and earth, enhance the body's affinity for spiritual energy, and increase the speed of absorbing spiritual energy.]
Good stuff!
Hao Ren's eyes lit up.
In cultivation novels, when protagonists lacked talent or hadn't fully developed, they relied on "popping pills" to enhance their strength. The pills they took were similar to "Qi Gathering Pills."
There were ten pills in a bottle, so two bottles meant twenty pills.
Enough for a while.
Right, Hao Ren suddenly remembered that he hadn't checked his talent attributes yet. Was it possible he was a rare super genius?
At this thought, Hao Ren felt an indescribable excitement.
"System, open my personal attribute panel!"
As Hao Ren commanded, a semi-transparent light screen unfurled in his mind.
[Host Name: Hao Ren]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 22]
[Realm: Mortal]
[Spiritual Root Talent: Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root]
...
This talent, it's not bad... what a load of garbage!
"Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root" is the worst kind of spiritual root. Although one can cultivate, it's almost the same as being a mortal who cannot cultivate. After a lifetime of cultivation, one might only reach the first or second layer of the Qi Refining stage. No future!
Hao Ren's face fell.
It seemed he was destined not to follow the "invincible genius" path.
Alas!
Forget it. The "Mortal Hiding Cultivation Path" isn't bad either. Many cultivation novel protagonists follow this template.
Hao Ren comforted himself internally, simultaneously strengthening his resolve.
Don't be reckless, just hide!
Hiding is the path to victory!
With his talent, he had to carefully hide until he was invincible in the world, then he could embark on the cool, domineering, and earth-shattering path.
Hao Ren composed himself and continued to examine his "loot."
He picked up the three talismans from the ground.
[Talisman Name: Spiritual Fire Talisman]
[Grade: First-grade talisman]
[Detailed Description: The Spiritual Fire Talisman is inscribed with nine spiritual fire runes. When activated by a cultivator's true essence, the runes ignite, transforming into a massive fireball of spiritual energy capable of slaying demons and vanquishing devils.]
Not bad!
Hao Ren nodded.
"Spiritual Fire Talismans" were equivalent to grenades in the cultivation world.
With them, Hao Ren gained a little more self-preservation ability.
Of course, all of this was under the premise that Hao Ren could cultivate and gather enough true essence to activate the "Spiritual Fire Talismans."
Speaking of cultivation, Hao Ren's gaze immediately fell on the last "loot" – an ancient book.
Hao Ren's eyes were filled with anticipation.
If nothing unexpected happened, this should be a legendary cultivation technique.
With it, Hao Ren could begin cultivating and truly embark on the grand path of eternal life and transcending the myriad worlds.
Hao Ren eagerly picked up the ancient book from the ground.
Legendary secret manual, legendary secret manual, legendary secret manual...
[Book Title: The Golden Lotus (Illustrated Edition)]
[Grade: None]
[Detailed Description: A book with color illustrations. Exciting, you know the deal!]