Upon hearing the system say he had a novice gift, Lin Feng rubbed his hands excitedly in anticipation of what he would get.
"Alright, System, open the gift."
[DING!]
[CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST FOR RECEIVING TOP-LEVEL HEAVEN-GRADE SPIRIT ROOTS!]
Lin Feng was stunned when he heard the system. He quickly started to recall all the information from the memories about spirit roots, remembering the record old Lin Feng had read from the Lin family sutra library. It was said that the highest spirit root grade in the history of the empire was only a high-level Xuan grade, belonging to the founding emperor, and he was able to found an empire that had been passed down for over 1,000 years. Yet he had just received top-level Heaven-grade spirit roots that had never appeared throughout the empire's history until today—all as a novice gift.
He clenched his fists in excitement and couldn't help fantasizing about the other treasures he could get from the system. He was really looking forward to the future.
[DING!]
[WOULD THE HOST LIKE TO FUSE THE SPIRIT ROOTS? YES/NO]
"Yes, fuse immediately!" Lin Feng almost screamed out due to excitement.
[DING!]
[FUSION ABOUT TO BEGIN. REMINDER TO HOST THAT FUSION OF HEAVEN-GRADE SPIRIT ROOTS WOULD CAUSE A LARGE FLUCTUATION TO OCCUR WITH THE QI OF HEAVEN AND EARTH IN THE ENTIRE EMPIRE, WHICH WOULD ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF EVERYONE TO THE HOST, INCLUDING THE HOST'S ENEMIES!]
Lin Feng immediately sobered up when he heard the system. He realized that, yes, a mythical object like Heaven-grade spirit roots would of course generate a huge fluctuation, which would attract everyone's attention to him. He would have a hard time explaining how he suddenly developed top-grade spirit roots after losing an Earth-grade one, leading everyone to think he had a big secret—one big enough to attract the attention of even a Martial Monarch, as well as his already existing enemies who were willing to kill him for an Earth-grade spirit root.
He imagined what they would do to him and the Lin clan—or worse, if they discovered the existence of the system. A shiver ran from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.
"I was too reckless. I almost caused a disaster."
He wiped away the cold sweat all over his face.
"System, can you cover up the fluctuations?"
[YES, HOST. THE SYSTEM CAN COVER IT UP SO THAT EVEN IF A MARTIAL EMPEROR WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU, HE WOULDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING.]
Lin Feng rolled his eyes at the system's shameless boasting.
[WOULD THE HOST LIKE THE SYSTEM TO COVER IT UP? YES/NO]
Lin Feng nodded and mentally clicked the yes button.
[DING!]
[FUSION INITIATING. THE HOST WILL EXPERIENCE A BIT OF PAIN. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE HOST REMAIN CONSCIOUS DURING THE PROCESS. LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS WILL RESULT IN THE PERMANENT DEATH OF THE HOST.]
[10%...]
[50%...]
[70%...]
[100%...]
"What do you mean, pain—SHI—"
Lin Feng felt a huge amount of uneasiness upon hearing the system. He was just about to ask when it hit him like a bus.
"BOOM!"
Pain. He was assaulted by an unspeakable amount of pain. He felt as though there was an explosion inside his body. His veins and meridians were being pulled out one at a time and new ones were being formed. His previously empty chest that had contained his extracted Earth roots was now being filled with better, more powerful Heaven-grade roots. His chest and rib cage were being smashed and reassembled to fit perfectly with the new roots.
He bit down on his bleeding lips to prevent himself from screaming out, fighting hard to stay conscious while his insides were being smashed apart.
"Come on, Lin Feng, you can do this. You have to endure. Remember what the system said—if you lose consciousness, you will die. You can't die here when the journey hasn't even begun. If you can't even endure this bit of pain, how dare you speak of rising to the peak? You promised to take revenge. You can't die. If you do, how will you find Father? Ahhhh!"
He screamed at himself to stay conscious.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain subsided, leaving the barely conscious Lin Feng soaked in sweat and bleeding from biting his tongue. He was barely able to stay conscious, thinking about his promises to old Lin Feng as well as how he had survived the void.
After a few moments, he regained some strength and sat up, panting.
"HUFF… HUFF… I almost died."
"SYSTEM!!! Get out here for me!"
[DING!]
[YES, HOST.]
"Is this what you meant by a bit of pain? Are you trying to kill me?"
[YES, HOST. THIS IS JUST A LITTLE PAIN COMPARED TO THE LIGHTNING TRIBULATIONS FACED BY THOSE PEAK POWERHOUSES. IT IS NOT THE SYSTEM'S FAULT THAT THE HOST IS USELESS AND CAN'T EVEN STAND THAT BIT OF PAIN.]
Lin Feng's mouth twitched immensely at the system's insult, but he couldn't really argue with its words because his pain truly couldn't be compared to a heavenly tribulation.
"BOOM!"
Suddenly, the spiritual energy of the entire Qinghe City started rushing toward him in his courtyard without anyone being the wiser.
He was just about to reprimand the system when he felt spirit Qi rushing into his body. Feeling the changes in the atmosphere and inside himself, he suddenly felt scared that another round of pain would begin because he couldn't withstand another round of that kind of pain. If it happened again, he really would die.
He was relieved after a few breaths passed and he didn't feel any pain. He breathed a sigh of relief, then noticed the changes in his cultivation.
"Eh? My realm is increasing."
"1st layer of Martial Apprentice."
"2nd layer of Martial Apprentice."
"3rd layer of Martial Apprentice."
"4th layer of Martial Apprentice."
"5th layer of Martial Apprentice."
"6th layer of Martial Apprentice."
"7th layer of Martial Apprentice."
"8th layer of Martial Apprentice."
"9th layer of Martial Apprentice."
"Peak of the 9th layer of Martial Apprentice."
Then—
"Boom!"
He felt a barrier being broken and sensed a qualitative change.
"1st layer of Martial Warrior! Hahaha!"
He became very excited.
That's right—Lin Feng went from a mortal to a Martial Warrior in just under thirty breaths. No wonder he was excited.
He clenched his fist and punched the air.
"So this is how it feels. I mean, I saw it from the memories, but to actually feel it is something else. I'm like five times stronger than mortals. If I were back home on Earth, I could be called a mini Superman."
He said this excitedly and was about to test it out some more when—
"BANG!"
His door was kicked open and flew across the room.