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RD - 009 - Reaping the Rewards
🕑 Added 2024-09-04 20:41:18 +0000 UTC“You monster,” the large man said, struggling to speak as blood overflowed from his mouth. “Who the hell are you?”
"Now, you choose to ask?" Ning Shan said dismissively as he stood over the man, watching the last ember of life depart him, a look of peaceful indifference on his face. "Maybe in your next life, you'd choose better than to antagonize someone you shouldn't have."
Yet, Ning Shan's words fell on deaf ears as the man had already breathed his last, as did all the others he had confronted. He remained the sole victor, just as always, yet such a shallow victory brought him no joy. Just the empty feeling that things went just as he expected.
However, just a moment later, the man's lifeless corpse crumbled to dust, becoming just another pile of sand under his feet. Yet, unlike the creatures he had slain until now, this man's remains didn't congregate into a crystal he could then absorb but remained in a loose pile that could be blown to the winds at any moment.
He found this distinction slightly odd. However, he could still absorb a little bit of dust from this corpse using the ring around his core, yet it seemed barely worth it. His time would be better spent hunting the creatures that yielded their cores rather than these sentient beings.
As he thought so, something interesting happened.
First Blood Achievement Unlocked...
Plundering Target’s Main Skill...
Failed... Reassessing...
Plunder Function Locked by the System...
New Objective Acquired...
Ning Shan's eyes narrowed as he looked upon this new announcement. While intrigued, he was still wary of what this could mean. After all, each time this system was mentioned, it had been followed by an excruciating pain. He found it hard to trust whatever this system had to say. Still, he couldn't deny the strength it could provide.
Besides, the idea of plundering skills from others intrigued him. He clicked on the word objective, only for another screen to illuminate, superposing the other.
New Objective: Achieve Orange Rank to unlock Plunder Function. (2/10)...
At least this objective seems straightforward. I was going to do it anyway, so I might as well obtain this while at it.
With this reward in the back of his mind, Ning Shan returned to the remains of the giant creature he had slain before being rudely interrupted some time prior. The cloud of red dust still revolved around the orange core akin to a galaxy, yet it seemed to have thinned out since he had first laid eyes on it. Presumably, it would dissipate in time, returning to the world at large before being slowly absorbed by the creature population of this world, not unlike the way his own world worked regarding qi.
The more I look, the more this dust reminds me of qi. I wonder how they are related and what the differences are.
Ning Shan shook his head, dispersing those idle thoughts as he had no time to lose, not wishing to squander any more of his reward than he already did.
Ning Shan entered the revolving cloud of dust, feeling it on his skin as it slowly entered his being, filling his meridians as it flowed through his core, empowering it. He always marvelled at how easy the process was compared to qi. There was no need for gruelling meditation with complex breathing techniques to slowly guide the qi within the body to accumulate within the dantian.
He only had to breathe it in, and the system would do the rest. Still, he couldn’t help but be uneasy, not being in complete control of the process. Fortunately, it seemed the lightning within his core served as a floodgate, stopping the dust from being more than he could handle at once.
Ning Shan approached the revolving orange crystal. Standing before it, he could feel the intense power contained within, something he was deeply familiar with. After all, it resembled the power of someone at the Foundation Building stage, at least something akin to it.
In normal circumstances, someone at the 2nd level of the Qi Refining realm would never be able to withstand such an influx of power, yet Ning Shan handled it with ease. After all, his body had once reached the apex of the mortal world. How could the power of a mere Foundation Building realm be anything compared to that?
Furthermore, the power was integrated into his core slowly enough that he could easily acclimate himself to it. It felt as if this was how things were meant to be, and the countless techniques he had laboriously worked toward perfecting were nothing but the means of barbarians, too primitive to understand the ways of the world. Somehow, he couldn't help but feel conflicted by how easy this all was.
Is there a catch in all this? I’m sure there is...
Slowly, the power was extracted from the orange core, reducing its size as more and more dust entered Ning Shan’s body. He had already left the 2nd level of the Qi refining realm behind, entering the third. As soon as he did, all the power he had absorbed was consolidated into another ring that revolved around the crimson cube spinning in his dantian, leaving him dry as a desert. Yet, he soon felt another ocean of dust enter his core like an unending flood.
He even saw another system announcement, giving him another number to reach to enter the 4th level. Yet, even that number was swiftly dwindling, even as it was almost double what had been required for him to reach the previous level.
Time passed, and Ning Shan had already absorbed half of the orange crystal's mass. The remaining half had also almost dispersed back into the atmosphere, leaving nothing but a barely perceptible shard hovering in the air.
Ning Shan couldn’t help but lament the speed at which he could absorb all this. If not for this restriction, he might have already reached much higher instead of being just a breath away from the 6th level of the Qi Refining realm. Still, he couldn't complain, as achieving this level in his previous world would have taken a man of average talent over 10 years of gruelling cultivation.
Looking inward, Ning Shan could see the same crimson cube he was familiar with, except that it had almost doubled in size. It somehow felt plump as four wide dust rings revolved around the core, spewing waves of power that infused his flesh and strengthened it. Even without testing it, Ning Shan could easily feel the increase in his own strength.
With a slight smile of satisfaction on his face, he rose before approaching the remains of the men he had killed. He picked up one of the rifles, feeling its heft as he brought it up to his eyes as the men once did, aiming it toward the side of a stone building before pulling the trigger.
A ray of dark red light emerged from the muzzle, racing at an inconceivable speed before impacting the target. A scorch mark appeared for a split second, making the stone glow a dim red before it deformed and caved as it was reduced to black ash, taking most of the structure with it.
An interesting weapon... Ning Shan thought, yet he didn't feel that impressed. It might work for those in the Qi Refining realm, but it's nothing but a toy for those above. With the proper means, it would be pretty easy to counter. Furthermore, its ammunition seems to be limited. All in all, it's not worth relying on.
Ning Shan tossed the rifle aside and opted to reach for the weapon he had used to slay the leader: the metallic rod that seemed to produce a blade. Feeling it in his hand, Ning Shan seemed satisfied by how well it fit, even more so as he pressed the button, and the blade emerged from it.
As everything was, it seemed to be made of dust, a mix between tangible and not. He swung it carelessly and could feel a strand of power detach from the cube in his core, flowing within his meridian before empowering the strike.
The blade fell, producing a shock wave filled with power that seemed to follow the ethereal edge before being propelled forward and ending its flight onto a nearby stone facade, leaving a shallow mark upon it. While barely perceptible, Ning Shan's eyes couldn't help but light up upon seeing this.
Is that Sword Qi? Probably not... it's something close to it, or at least acts similarly. This might make for a decent weapon until I get the hang of this new power.
User Has Equipped New Weapon: Dust Blade Mk. II...
Granting Ownership...
Ning Shan could feel the lightning in his core stir as if it sought to escape his control. It propagated along the meridian in his arm until it emerged through his palm, wrapping the metallic rod in a dull glow. Then, alongside a flash of light, the rod disappeared from sight, yet Ning Shan could still feel its existence clearly, located within his core as it orbited the star.
He frowned. The sight of this small rod orbiting the origin of his power felt extremely foreign to Ning Shan. Even in his previous world, where spatial storage rings were common, a weapon being able to enter its owner's body, even the core of his power, would be deemed a miracle. Even more so, as the rod was but an ordinary weapon, not a spiritual one able to share consciousness with its owner.
Glancing at the screen ever present at the corner of his vision, Ning Shan noticed a new tab he knew wasn't present before: equipment. He clicked on it, only for it to enlarge, showing the representation of everything Ning Shan currently owned, neatly arranged in a list, with a (new) next to the Dust Blade.
He couldn't help but burst out laughing at how absurd this all was, unable to understand the principle behind how this world operated. It all felt so artificial and arbitrary, almost like this was a construct manufactured by some higher species as an experiment.
How absurd... just the energy requirement to sustain such a plane would be astronomical. Not even an ascended being would be able to do so, much less mortals, no matter how advanced they might seem.
Still, Ning Shan decided to play along for the time being. Whether or not this thought was true, his goal would never change. He had once been caged inside the Nine Abyss realm by the Heavenly Dao and had chosen to confront it despite the overwhelming odds against him. This world wouldn't be any different.
Whether it was the Heavenly Dao or this world's creator, none could stop the fire burning in his heart—the fire to finally shatter the chains that prevented him from truly ascending and becoming something more than he was born to be. Someone unfettered by all laws and rationales—someone truly free.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, he reminded himself as he calmed down, taking a single deep breath. He still felt his heart pounding in his chest, and he had a slight smile on his face. There’s still a long way to go before I return to my peak, but there’s no rush. Eventually, I will reach even higher and then...
Ning Shan's thoughts were interrupted as he heard some movements behind him. He abruptly turned, power pooling in his hand as he felt the dust blade appear in his palm, eyes narrowed, ready for battle. Yet, it all seemed anti-climactic as he noticed the noise originated from the woman betrayed by her teammates as she began to regain consciousness.
Somehow, with all that happened, Ning Shan had forgotten entirely about her. He couldn't help but show a wry smile, yet it only flashed briefly before calm returned to his expression. Whether or not she seemed harmless, Ning Shan would never allow her to act against him.
