Everyone had just finished an intense, deadly fight against the Gatekeeper of Hell—Cerberus’ fragment. And although it was Xu Tao who finished things up, the fatigue from the battle wasn’t something they could ignore.
Upon arriving at the Beginner’s Village, the first thing they did was empty their inventories. They had a lot of trash items they needed to get rid of to free up inventory space.
"Seven hundred gold for all that?! Come on, isn’t that too cheap? There are rare items mixed in!" One complained to the local vendor NPC, not knowing that prices were fixed and non-negotiable.
"Give me this, this, and... this! Oh, also a bottle of that!" While others went on a shopping spree.
"Hmm... This looks better than what I have and comes with a cultivation bonus... I’ll go with this!"
They bought some essentials like Qi Gathering Pills, recovery potions, and food items—and, most importantly, to get more proper-looking equipment. Especially for Henrietta and Uriel, who hated their set equipment’s appearance.
As they returned to the training grounds, some of the guards quickly spouted used-up excuses to log out temporarily, clearly hoping for a short rest.
"Sure, you can. Take your time."
And of course, Xu Tao knew exactly what they were thinking. Still, he let them go.
After all, he wasn’t a devil—he still had some conscience. No, who am I kidding? It’s because the more tired one is, the less effective their cultivation gets.
Forcing them would simply backfire if they didn’t have the will to cultivate themselves.
Even so, nearly half the group remained. Their bodies radiated fatigue at a glance, but their eyes were determined to follow Xu Tao’s teachings without complaint. This attitude brought a smile to his lips, and he nodded in approval.
He taught everyone present about an extra step in cultivation—regarding purification and cleansing. It was a topic usually tackled after breaking through to the Qi Gathering Stage, but just like with Henrietta, learning it early could greatly benefit a cultivator.
As for those who missed this lesson... they could just ask those who were present and learn from them.
While they were in the middle of cultivation, a familiar group came rushing in. Unlike before, there were only three of them now: Khufra, Tang Nam Mu, and Hage Jiro—the veteran players of Heavenly Martial Path.
"L-Listen—wait, what’s with this large group?!"
As they approached, they finally noticed the over twenty people sitting on the training grounds. A quick glance was all it took to tell they were all newbies, since their levels were on display—barely reaching Level 15.
"And Brother, you’re already Level 50?!"
Not only that, but since Xu Tao had dealt the finishing blow on the boss-class monster Cerberus, he ended up monopolizing the experience from it. As a result, his level skyrocketed—reaching Level 50.
Although he had no intention of kill-stealing—the game system thought otherwise.
"Things happened." Xu Tao shrugged, brushing off Khufra’s question. "Anyway, do you need something?"
"Oh! Right! Almost forgot."
Although still curious about the newbies and Xu Tao’s sudden power spike, Khufra decided to get to the reason they came. "Brother Fisher, thanks to your tip, the three of us are now Bronze Level 1 cultivators in the real world!"
"Right! Thanks for the tip, bro!" Even Hage Jiro chimed in from behind, smiling brightly.
"Really? That was fast." Xu Tao smiled, genuinely praising them.
For someone to start cultivating, it usually takes weeks to months before they can gather even a drop of Qi. But since these veterans had been in contact with "virtual" Qi for a long time, they already had a sense for the "real" thing—allowing for quick progress.
As he listened to their thanks, with a hint of bragging in their tone, Xu Tao got an idea.
"Henrietta, come here!" he shouted.
Without delay, a lone figure stood among the crowd and ran toward Xu Tao with a bright smile. "Yes, Master! What do you need?"
"Right," Xu Tao nodded before facing the three veterans.
"These three seem to have become cultivators too. I was wondering if you’d like to add them to your faction?" he asked, almost teasing. "I guarantee these guys will become stronger in the future."
They all stared at Henrietta, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. While it didn’t mean much to Xu Tao, Henrietta was, in truth, a drop-dead beauty. The kind that could make heads turn three times in a row as she walked by.
"They are...?" Henrietta raised a brow, scrutinizing the three.
Realizing it was their chance to appeal, Khufra was the first to snap out of his daze. He extended a hand forward and bowed at a perfect 45-degree angle.
"I-I’m Khufra—G-Gerick Phellos! I’m hoping to be able to work for you, Miss Henrietta!"
His intensity made her take a wary step back, but after a moment, she gently took his hand and shook it. "My pleasure... I guess?" she replied with a confused, wry smile.
"M-Me too, Miss Henrietta! I’m—!"
Filled with envy after seeing Khufra shake Henrietta’s hand, the other two quickly stepped forward and introduced themselves. They lined up like schoolboys waiting to touch a goddess who descended.
Henrietta maintained her awkward smile while shaking their hands just as she did with the first... but to the guys, that alone was more than enough reward.
The three had weird expressions on their faces as they stared at their hands, making Xu Tao tilt his head in confusion.
Well, now that they’re going to work with Henrietta, that means added protection for her too, Xu Tao thought, watching as Henrietta briefed the three on the details—like how to come to her place, what their contracts would include, and so on.
But the three looked so enamored that even if she asked them to sell their organs, they’d probably nod in agreement anyway.
Seeing that they were busy, and that everyone else was steadily cultivating, Xu Tao decided to slip away for a moment.
He was still curious about something, after all.
Using Ground Shrink, he moved toward the entrance of the village without anyone noticing, then walked further into the forest. His pace was calm and calculated, each step taken without hesitation, bringing him to a place where a large crater was still clearly visible.
The trees around it were uprooted or crushed, with parts of the area showing glitched textures—black and green pixels flickering back and forth.
He stopped, scanning ground zero—where the Cerberus had died—before shouting:
"So you’re the mastermind behind that attack, huh?"
His voice echoed loud and clear, but no one seemed to be around to hear it. At least, not until he waved his hand, letting a basic sword fly across the crater and strike the center—or not.
The sword bounced away instead, as if deflected by something invisible.
After that, the "something" moved in the middle of the crater.
A presence that Xu Tao had seen through from the very beginning.
And that presence... was watching him too.