The Twin Moons Inn was a modest establishment located on the border between the slums and the merchant district. It wasn't luxurious by the standards of the Great Sects, but it had a solid roof, warm lanterns, and the smell of roasted meat wafting from the kitchen.
To Lian, it looked like a palace.
When Kai pushed open the heavy wooden doors, the chatter inside died down momentarily. The patrons—mostly mercenaries and traveling merchants—glanced at the two ragged children standing in the doorway. Their gazes were filled with disdain, pity, or indifference.
A waiter with a grease-stained apron hurried over, waving a towel as if shooing away flies.
"Out! Out!" the waiter barked, blocking their path. "We don't have leftovers for beggars tonight. Go dig in the trash behind the alley."
Lian flinched, instinctively stepping behind Kai. The old habit of cowering was hard to break.
Kai didn't move. He didn't even look at the waiter's face. His eyes were fixed on a vacant table near the window. With a calm, practiced motion, he reached into his sash and retrieved a single silver coin.
Clink.
He flicked it into the air. The silver coin spun, catching the lantern light, and landed with a satisfying ring on the nearest table.
The waiter's eyes widened. A silver coin was enough to buy a week's worth of meals here.
"A table," Kai said, his voice flat. "Roast duck. Steamed buns. Beef soup. And a pot of your best tea. Keep the change."
The waiter's attitude flipped instantly. The sneer vanished, replaced by a greedy, servile grin. In the Infinity Kingdoms, money was the second most respected thing after strength.
"O-Of course, Young Master! Right this way! Please, forgive my blindness!"
He hastily wiped the empty table with his towel and pulled out a chair for Lian.
When the food arrived, Lian stared at it as if it were an illusion. The duck was glazed with honey and soy sauce, the skin glistening and crispy. The steam rising from the white buns smelled like heaven.
"Eat," Kai said gently, pouring himself a cup of tea.
Lian looked at him, then at the food. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but she blinked them back. She picked up a bun with trembling hands and took a bite. Then another. And another. She ate with a desperate hunger, shoving the food into her mouth as if afraid it would vanish if she stopped.
Kai watched her in silence, sipping his tea. He didn't eat much. His body, now circulating Qi, required less physical sustenance than before.
"Slow down," Kai murmured, passing her a cup of water. "No one is going to take it from you."
Lian swallowed a mouthful of beef and looked at him. "Brother Kai... how?" she whispered. "How did you... change?"
Kai set his cup down. "I woke up," he answered simply. "I realized that in this world, being good gets you killed. Being weak gets you starved."
He reached across the table and tapped the back of her hand.
"From now on, Lian, we don't look down. We look forward. We will eat the best food, wear the best clothes, and anyone who tries to stop us..." He didn't finish the sentence, but his eyes drifted to the sword resting against the table leg.
Lian nodded slowly. She didn't fully understand cultivation or his "System," but she understood the look in his eyes. It was the look of a wolf that had finally decided to bite back.
That night, they rented a private room on the second floor. It had two clean beds and a wooden tub for bathing.
Lian fell asleep almost instantly, exhausted by the day's events and a full stomach. Kai covered her with a thick wool blanket, making sure she was warm.
Then, he sat cross-legged on his own bed. He didn't sleep.
[Current Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 1.] [Experience to next stage: 10/100.]
He took out the Damaged Body Tempering Pill he had looted from Rat-Tooth. It was a jagged, greyish pill that smelled slightly of mold.
'Trash,' Kai thought. 'If I eat this, the impurities will clog my meridians. But...'
"System, enter Inner World."
His consciousness shifted. He was back in the bronze hall. He tossed the damaged pill into the massive cauldron.
[Material Detected: Damaged Body Tempering Pill (Low Grade).] [Impurities: 65%.] [Refinement Option: Purification.] [Cost: 2 System Points.]
"Purify," Kai commanded.
The silver flames roared to life. The moldy smell vanished, replaced by a crisp, medicinal scent. A few seconds later, a small, perfectly round pill floated out of the cauldron. It was no longer grey. It was a deep, lustrous red.
[Item Obtained: Perfect Body Tempering Pill.] [Grade: High-Mortal.] [Effect: Permanently increases physical strength by 10%. Can cure minor internal injuries.]
Kai's eyes narrowed. 'Perfect Grade.' In this backwater city, alchemists struggled to make "Low Grade" pills. A "Mid Grade" was considered a treasure. A "High Grade" was auctioned for gold. But a "Perfect Grade"—a pill with zero impurities—was a myth.
"I can't sell this," Kai realized. "If a beggar child sells a Perfect Grade pill, the Alchemists won't pay me. They'll capture me, torture me to find the source, and then kill me."
He swallowed the pill himself.
Heat exploded in his gut. His muscles twitched and tightened. The Dragon Sutra roared, devouring the medicinal energy instantly.
[Strength +2.] [Vitality +1.] [Experience +40.]
He felt stronger. His skin felt tougher, like cured leather. But he still needed money. Real money. Gold.
"I need to make something impressive, but not too impressive," Kai mused. "Something that a 'Hidden Master' might give his disciple to sell."
He checked the System Store.
[Basic Alchemy Recipe: "Healing Salve". Cost: 5 Points.] [Basic Alchemy Recipe: "Qi Gathering Powder". Cost: 8 Points.]
"Buy Healing Salve."
[Recipe Learned.]
He couldn't make it yet. He needed herbs. But he had a plan.
The next morning, the sun rose over a different Grey Mist City. Or at least, it felt different to Kai.
Their first stop was a clothing shop. With the 14 silver coins remaining, Kai didn't hold back. He bought a set of black training robes for himself—simple, durable, and fitting for a wandering cultivator.
For Lian, he bought a white silk dress and a matching veil. The veil was essential. Until he could cure her face, the scar would draw too much attention.
When Lian stepped out of the changing room, Kai paused. With the veil covering the left side of her face, and the white silk flowing around her small frame, she looked like a miniature fairy descending from the mountains. Her eyes, framed by the veil, shone like obsidian stars.
"You look like a princess," Kai said honestly.
Lian blushed, touching the soft fabric of her sleeve. "It feels... too expensive, Brother."
"It's an investment," Kai said, adjusting his black sash. "People judge books by their covers. Today, we are not beggars. I am a Disciple. You are my Junior Sister."
He strapped the Blood-Drinker's Jian to his back. The sword, sensing his intent, seemed to hum quietly.
"Let's go. To the Golden Cauldron Pavilion."
This time, they didn't go to the back alley. They walked straight to the grand front entrance.
The two guards crossed their spears to block the way, their eyes scanning Kai's new clothes. They hesitated. The clothes were good quality, and Kai carried himself with an arrogance that didn't fit a child.
"Halt," one guard grunted, though less aggressively than usual. "The Golden Cauldron is for paying customers only. Do you have business here, little cultivator?"
Kai didn't answer immediately. He slowly raised his hand, holding a small porcelain vial he had bought at the market. Inside was the Low-Grade Spirit Extract he had made yesterday from the trash. It wasn't a pill, but the purity of the liquid was 100%.
He uncorked the vial for just a second. A waft of pure, concentrated spiritual energy drifted out.
The guards' eyes widened. They were martial artists; they could smell the Qi.
"My Master," Kai said, his voice dropping to a smooth, icy tone, "instructed me to sell some surplus medicine. I was told this Pavilion had eyes that could recognize Mt. Tai. Was I misinformed?"
The guard swallowed hard. A Master? A child this young with such pure medicine must have a powerful backer. "N-No, Young Master! Please, come in! I will fetch Steward Mo immediately!"
Kai smirked internally. 'Hook, line, and sinker.'
He led Lian inside. The interior of the shop was grand, filled with rows of glass cabinets displaying mediocre herbs and overpriced pills.
A moment later, a thin man with a goatee hurried out from the back room. He wore the blue robes of a Senior Apprentice. This was Steward Mo.
"I heard a young guest has brought treasure?" Steward Mo said, his eyes darting over Kai and Lian, assessing their worth. He saw the quality of their clothes, but also their young age. His greed warred with his caution.
Kai placed the vial on the counter.
"Verify it," Kai commanded.
Steward Mo picked up the vial. He sniffed it, then poured a tiny drop onto his tongue. His eyes snapped open. 'Pure! It's only a mortal-grade extract, but there are zero impurities! Who refined this?'
"This... is excellent quality," Mo said, trying to keep his voice steady. "We can offer you... 5 silver coins for the vial."
Lian gasped softly. 5 silver was a lot.
But Kai slammed his hand on the counter. Bang!
"Do you take me for a fool?" Kai's eyes flashed cold. "Or do you think my Master is blind? This is 100% purity Spirit Extract. 5 silver? That barely covers the cost of the bottle."
He snatched the vial back.
"Come, Lian. The Cloud Pill Shop down the street will offer a fair price."
He turned to leave. It was a gamble.
"Wait!" Steward Mo called out, sweat forming on his brow. If he let a supplier of pure medicine go to a rival shop, the Pavilion Master would skin him alive. "Wait, Young Master! I was... merely joking! A test of your knowledge!"
Kai stopped and turned his head slightly. "I don't like jokes."
"20 silver!" Mo blurted out. "And... and I will give you a VIP token for future transactions!"
Kai turned back around, a small, victorious smile playing on his lips. "20 silver is acceptable for a greeting gift. But I am not here just to sell this trash."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper that only Mo could hear.
"My Master needs herbs. Specific herbs. If you can provide them... there will be more vials. Better ones."
Steward Mo nodded frantically. "Whatever you need, Young Master. The Golden Cauldron is at your service."
Kai's grin widened. He had his money. He had his connection. And now, he had the ingredients to start his real cultivation.
[Quest Completed: The Alchemist's Debut.] [Reward: Alchemy Hall Upgrade (Level 2) + Blueprint: "Explosive Qi Pill".]
'Explosive Qi Pill,' Kai thought as he accepted the bag of silver. 'A pill that temporarily doubles a cultivator's strength but causes damage afterward. A perfect trump card.'
As they left the shop, pockets heavy with silver, Lian looked at Kai with shining eyes. "You tricked him," she whispered. "You don't have a Master."
"I do," Kai tapped his temple where the System resided. "He's just very... shy."
But their victory was short-lived. As they stepped onto the street, a commotion broke out near the city gates. A group of cultivators wearing azure robes with a Sword emblem embroidered on their chests were pushing through the crowd, shoving commoners into the mud.
"Make way!" one of them shouted. "The Outer Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect are on patrol! We are looking for a thief who stole a Blood Iron Sword!"
Kai froze. He felt the Blood-Drinker's Jian on his back vibrate. The sword he won from the lottery... it wasn't created from thin air. The System had teleported it from somewhere.
'Oh,' Kai thought, watching the approaching disciples. 'So that's how it is. The System steals from the rich to give to me.'
He grabbed Lian's hand. "Walk naturally," he hissed. "Don't look at them."
The first real challenge had arrived.