Shen Haoran remained motionless, his gaze fixed on Lin Feng with an intensity that seemed to pierce through the physical world.
His brow furrowed, a rare sign of genuine calculation breaking his mask of aristocratic indifference.
The reason he had unleashed that crushing gravity earlier wasn't merely out of a possessive streak—though he certainly didn't tolerate anyone eyeing his property, even if it was unintentional—it was a calculated probe.
That sensation from moments ago, the feeling of being "stripped" bare by an unseen gaze, had chilled him to his core.
A Golden Core cultivator being scrutinized so easily by a 9th Stage Qi Gathering peasant was an impossibility in the natural order of the cultivation world.
Is he hiding his cultivation? Haoran wondered, his mind spinning like a rapid stream.
But the pressure he had exerted provided a definitive answer.
If Lin Feng were a hidden expert, his body would have instinctively reacted with a counter-surge of Qi.
Instead, the man had simply collapsed like a common mortal, his bones creaking under the weight.
He was, by all physical metrics, exactly what he appeared to be: a weakling.
So, how did he see through me?
Just then, a single word surfaced from the depths of the memories he had plundered from his transmigrator cousin.
System.
In the infinite multiverse, there were protagonists blessed with these unreasonable cheats — metaphysical entities that granted power, knowledge, and sight far beyond the laws of the Dao.
These were the most dangerous variables an "antagonist" could face because they followed no logic.
They were unpredictable, scaling in power at a rate that defied common sense.
Haoran watched Lin Feng scramble to persuade Huo Yue, his eyes narrowing into thin slits of gold.
'If he has a System, what kind is it?' he mused. 'Most System Users prefer the path of the lone wolf to avoid detection. Only those whose cheats specifically require to interact with others would be this desperate to recruit a fallen genius like Yue'er, and since he is a sect master, his system should be a Teacher System or Sect System.'
Yes, that is the most logical answer.
And if his hypothesis was correct, this man was a "gatherer."
He would seek out the protagonists of this era — the geniuses, the hidden dragons, the fated empresses — and bind them to his cause.
He was a factory for producing legends, just like any other protagonists with sect or teacher system.
Beside him, Huo Yue felt the lingering tension. She didn't know about Systems or transmigrators, but she knew she wanted nothing to do with this strange, sweating man.
"Apologies, Senior," Huo Yue said, her voice firm and ringing with finality. "I already have a teacher who guides my path. Furthermore, my spirit is a wild one, so I have no desire to be constrained by the rigid rules and traditions of a sect."
She looked up at Shen Haoran, her hand resting on his arm in a silent plea to leave this unsettling encounter behind.
Shen Haoran didn't move immediately. He looked at Lin Feng, not as a villain looking at a protagonist, but as a predator that looks at a strange, new species of prey.
If this man was a protagonist, killing him here might trigger a "System Emergency" or an "Instant Resurrection" in a far away place.
It was better to observe for now, and let him receive more gifts from his own system, maybe there would be something that could interest him in the future.
"A Sect Master should have his dignity," Haoran said, his voice cold and melodious.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a simple, unadorned storage ring. It arched through the air and landed in the dust at Lin Feng's feet.
"Consider it compensation for the 'fright' I gave you," Haoran remarked, though the glint in his eyes suggested it was more of a tracking fee than a gift. "Use it to buy a better stall. The Azure Dragon Sect shouldn't look so... pathetic."
Without waiting for a response, he turned, his arm tightening around Huo Yue's waist as he guided her back into the crowd.
He didn't look back, but his mind was already miles ahead.
He had found a Flame Empress, and now, he had found a System Host.
The "backwater" city of Tan Wu was suddenly becoming very, very interesting.
Lin Feng stared at the spot where Huo Yue and Shen Haoran had vanished into the crowd, letting out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to drain the last of his adrenaline.
"The fish that got away," he muttered, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "And by 'fish,' I mean a literal Goddess of Fire. Oh well, nothing I can do about it. When a dragon like that Shen Haoran is guarding the bait, a minnow like me should just be happy he wasn't eaten."
He turned his attention to the unadorned silver ring lying in the dust.
He picked it up, and sent a thread of his meager Qi into the storage space. His consciousness entered the ring, and for a moment, Lin Feng forgot how to breathe.
"What the... what the hell?!"
The internal space was cavernous, easily the size of a professional football field. But it wasn't the size that shocked him—it was the contents.
Row after row of Tier 1 Spirit-Cleansing Pills, stacks of glimmering gold coins that looked like small mountains, crates of spirit stones, rare medicinal herbs, and basic artifacts like refined steel swords and defensive amulets.
While everything was strictly Tier 1 which are meant for those in the Qi Gathering and Foundation Establishment stages, the sheer quantity was staggering.
It was a complete starter kit for a rising power.
"This wealth... it could rival the treasury of a 1-Star Sect!" Lin Feng's hands trembled. "That Shen Haoran isn't a Young Master; he's a walking, talking atm machine! I should erect a monument to him. I should pray for his longevity every morning! No, I should pray for luck! Maybe I can have a sliver of his luck wash over me!"
[Host...that ring....] the System's mechanical voice crackled in his mind, sounding unusually hesitant.
"Hmm? Is there a problem, System?"
[...Nothing, Host. I was simply surprised you survived that encounter. Your luck stat must have briefly glitched into the positives. But if I were you, I would stop counting your coins and start moving. Your 'wealth' was not given in private.]
Lin Feng looked up, and his blood turned to ice.
The bustling market had gone eerily quiet around him. The recruiters from the other sects, the rogue cultivators, and even some of the city guards were staring at him.
Their eyes weren't filled with the usual mockery, they were filled with the raw, naked greed of wolves looking at a fat, solitary sheep.
"Ah, damn. Right. Public display of extreme wealth. Rule number one of the cultivation world: Don't do that."
Lin Feng began to pack his meager stall with trembling hands. "You're right, System. I should definitely flee. Like, five minutes ago."
Just as he turned to bolt toward the city gates, a sudden thud stopped him and a short, somewhat chubby boy, no older than fifteen, had dropped to his knees directly in his path.
The boy's forehead hit the dirt with a loud smack as he performed a deep kowtow.
"Senior Cultivator! I saw your bearing! I saw how even that great Young Lord respected you! Please, I beg you—take me as your disciple!"
Lin Feng's first instinct was to kick the kid out of the way and keep running, but then his vision flickered.
The System's blue screen erupted in a golden light so bright it nearly blinded him.
[Target Identified: Ye Bao]
[Talent: SAINT GRADE ]
[Traits:
—The Earthen Glutton Physique(Gold): Body grows stronger and tougher the more earthly mineral he eats.
—Battle Continuation(Purple): Can endure intense pain and injuries and fight without losing power.]
[Evaluation: A diamond in the rough Though he looks like a potato, his potential is limitless!]
[System Note: HOST! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! RECRUIT HIM!]
Lin Feng's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Holy crap! A Saint Grade talent? Just falling out of the sky and onto my feet?
I haven't even started praying to Haoran Monument yet, and I'm already this lucky!?
But then, a cold realization hit his otaku brain. He looked at the greedy eyes of the surrounding cultivators, then back at the "Saint Grade" boy who looked suspiciously like a convenient plot device.
Wait a minute... a high-tier talent appears the exact moment I get rich? This has 'trap' written all over it! This kid is probably an actor sent by the Mountain Tiger Sect to slow me down so they can rob me in the alley!
"Sorry, kid!" Lin Feng barked, his face pale. "I'm not looking for disciples! I'm barely looking for a reason to live right now! Go find a 2-Star Sect!"
Without waiting for a response, Lin Feng ignited every drop of Qi in his meridians.
His legs blurred as he performed a desperate, uncoordinated movement technique, sprinting toward the city's western exit like a rabbit being chased by a dragon.
He left the plaza so fast he left a cloud of dust behind, leaving the chubby boy kneeling there in a daze.
The boy, Ye Bao, slowly sat back on his heels, his shoulders drooping.
He looked at the empty space where the "Mysterious Master" had been, his round face falling into an expression of deep dejection.
He stood up, dusted off his worn trousers, and walked away into the shadows, his stomach letting out a mournful growl.
Unknown to everyone, a pair of red eyes followed Ye Bao very closely.