CHAPTER 128: 128 TASKS AND REWARDS

The players had grown accustomed to Lin Bai’s quirky behavior, but they still cooperated with him to complete his tasks. After all, Lin Bai was their ’sugar daddy,’ and besides, the Disciples of the Beggar Gang were never short of money. Pleasing Lin, the Storekeeper, with 300 coins to receive a personalized engraved weapon in return was quite a bargain.

One side put on an awkward performance, while the other played along.

Lin Bai’s God of Craftsmen System tasks progressed swiftly.

[Sell ten weapons at triple the market price... (completed); Reward: Blacksmith’s Bellows]

[Forge a set of combined quality weapons... (completed); Reward: Blacksmith’s Furnace]

[Approval of the masses, repeat customers at the weapon shop... (completed); Reward: Blacksmith’s Grindstone]

...

A comical play ensued, with people taking turns to act.

By dusk, Lin Bai had gathered a complete Blacksmith set, increasing his Artifact Refining success rate by sixty percent. This meant that when using the Blacksmith set to upgrade weapons, he had over a fifty percent chance of success. This success rate was actually quite high.

The crucial point was that with Lin Bai’s Luck Value providing an "Emperor" boost, his success rate for Artifact Refining using the Blacksmith set was likely higher than sixty percent. Of course, whether the Luck Value helped Lin Bai successfully refine a weapon or ruin it depended on his intentions. Luck Value only affected Lin Bai, not the owner of the items. If Lin Bai wanted to destroy a weapon, but his Luck Value caused it to be successfully refined, then it wouldn’t be much of a Luck Value at all...

[Sell one hundred engraved weapons and earn high praise from customers; Reward: Fundamental Engraving Technique]

After assembling the full Refining Set, the God of Craftsmen System bestowed even more practical rewards.

At this time, Lin Bai didn’t have much else to do, as his other tasks were at a standstill. He was happy to continue, but the players were growing tired of playing ’house’ with him, and one by one, they made excuses to leave. Without the players’ cooperation, Lin Bai couldn’t possibly manufacture a hundred weapons, sell them to strangers, and win their praise...

Doing so might indeed hone his basic skills, but Lin Bai wasn’t aiming to become a God of Craftsmen. He merely wanted the System rewards. With so many Systems, he simply didn’t have the time or energy to master every single skill...

After a day of practicing, Little White Fox could already fluently say, "Quality fertilizer will turn gray."

Lin Bai habitually fed Little White Fox a Belly Filling Pill, then turned to [Master Refiner] beside him, who was engrossed in making standard bows and arrows. "Master Refiner, hold off on the bows and arrows for a moment. Help me forge a hundred cleaver blanks, and that Wind-Breaking Sword is yours."

"Really?" [Master Refiner]’s eyes lit up.

Compared to the unconventional Lin Bai, he was the one truly passionate about Artifact Refining. Whether it was making cleavers or crafting bows and arrows, he was always enthusiastic about perfecting his creations and improving his forging proficiency. Especially after seeing the enchantment engraved on the Wind-Breaking Sword, his desire to become a true Master Refiner grew even more fervent. However, at his current stage, [Master Refiner]’s abilities were insufficient to comprehend the enchantment on the sword.

"Of course, it’s true," Lin Bai said. "Once your forging level improves, I can teach you the basics of enchantment. After you master it, you can engrave any enchantment you desire onto weapons yourself."

Lin Bai had already promised a reward he had yet to officially receive.

"Lin, the Storekeeper, you also know how to engrave enchantments on weapons?" [Master Refiner] asked in astonishment.

"There’s nothing in this world I don’t understand." Casually accepting the positive emotions from [Master Refiner], Lin Bai chuckled. "Every disciple of the Righteous Door is a polymath. If our founder had aspired to conquer the world back then, the Seven Righteous Sects wouldn’t even exist!"

"Such boasts!" Jiang Qingqin’s figure appeared at the entrance. She leaned against the doorframe with a jovial smile, peering inside. Her emotions announced her arrival before she herself appeared. The Immortal World’s natives were much more sensitive than the players. By the time Jiang Qingqin entered the courtyard, Lin Bai had already been continuously receiving pleasant, positive emotions from her; he had known of her approach long before.

"Junior Sister Jiang, what brings you to my Beggar Gang?" Lin Bai glanced at Jiang Qingqin and waved a greeting.

"I came to bond with you," Jiang Qingqin said gleefully. "My master said that even if it means paying a price, I must recruit you into the Hundred Flower Valley."

[Joy from Jiang Qingqin; +1+1+1]

Little White Fox shot Jiang Qingqin a contemptuous glance.

[Master Refiner] shook his head, gathered Iron Ingots from around the workshop, and began forging the cleaver blanks. He had no interest in the romantic affairs of NPCs.

Unless Lin, the Storekeeper, could hook up with a girl from the Spirit Artifact Pavilion...

"Is that so?" Lin Bai said. "Then you’ll have to try harder. All disciples of the Righteous Door are exceptional talents. Unless a girl is truly outstanding, she won’t catch my eye."

"Tch!" Jiang Qingqin rolled her eyes at him. "I’m not joking with you. Tomorrow, the five major sects will collaborate with the Supervisory Immortal Office to open the trade routes between the four basic cities and Qian City. My master asked me to invite you to join."

"Not going," Lin Bai declined decisively. He didn’t rely on Experience Points to survive; fighting bandits was simply a waste of time.

However, the fact that events were progressing according to his plans did pleasantly surprise him. It appeared that Xu Longyun had indeed made a significant effort. Having a Commandery Princess with connections as a friend was far more beneficial than an inconsequential disciple from the Hundred Flower Valley.

"You’re really not going?" A hint of disappointment flashed in Jiang Qingqin’s eyes. She had always believed she held a special place in Lin Bai’s heart, but now she felt a flicker of doubt.

"The Beggar Gang just arrived in Qian City, and there’s a mountain of things to sort out. I can’t get away." Lin Bai, keenly perceiving Jiang Qingqin’s emotional shift, smiled. "But as a friend, I can host a barbecue feast here in the Beggar Gang to see you off."

The current task from the Cooking God System was to host a perfect barbecue, with the reward being the Slaughtering Technique. He figured he might as well complete this task and, in the process, improve his rapport with the NPCs and players. The Cooking God System had rewarded Lin Bai with miscellaneous skills like food inspection, knife skills, and heat control. Now, his cooking was no longer as dreadful as before. Combined with his mastery over seasonings from concocting the Belly Filling Pill, the food Lin Bai prepared could even be considered delicious.

"Great!" Jiang Qingqin’s mood instantly lifted, her face beaming with joy.

...

Since he needed to concoct Pill Medicines, the food ingredients and Herbal Medicine were readily available. Lin Bai’s knife skills were exquisite. With a cleaver dancing in his hands, he neatly processed a large pile of ingredients in moments.

When the Disciples of the Beggar Gang returned one after another, Lin Bai personally prepared a barbecue for them. He received a flood of positive emotions and also obtained the Slaughtering Technique as a reward from the Cooking God System.

Slaughtering Technique! Wherever the blade passed—skinning, bone-chopping, meat-slicing, tendon-severing—it was all accomplished with utmost ease...

Jiang Qingqin’s face was flushed by the firelight as she secretly watched Lin Bai. But Lin Bai’s attention wasn’t on her. Upon receiving the Slaughtering Technique, a wealth of butchering knowledge flooded his mind. When he surveyed his surroundings again, his gaze was different. It was as if all his culinary knowledge had integrated at that very moment. He could effortlessly determine from anyone’s posture—standing, sitting, or even in motion—precisely where to cut to make them bleed incessantly, sever their limbs, or excise specific muscles... Even for the Little Fox beside him, gleefully eating skewers with oil dripping from its mouth, Lin Bai could instantly determine the precise knife techniques and number of cuts needed to neatly separate its flesh from its bones.

HISS!

Lin Bai subconsciously drew in a sharp breath and began to re-evaluate the Cooking God System, which he had previously dismissed.

If he mastered this, it seemed it wouldn’t be much weaker than Martial Arts! He wondered if the Slaughtering Technique could be combined with the Six Color Frost... No, if it was just for close combat, its utility seemed limited in this world where Golden Core cultivators could soar through the skies.

"Hey, Lin Bai, what’s wrong?" Jiang Qingqin gently nudged Lin Bai’s shoulder. "Your eyes are scary!"

"Scary?" Lin Bai chuckled, collecting his scattered thoughts. "I was just thinking about cooking. As you know, I’m not only skilled in Alchemy and Artifact Refining, but I’m also a chef."

As he spoke, the Cooking God System issued a new task: [Congratulations! You’ve mastered all the basic skills of a chef. The title of Kitchen God must be forged through challenges. Next: Use your culinary skills to win over the chefs in one street; Reward: Complete set of recipes and production methods for Lu cuisine.]

Great! Another seemingly easy task. Culinary skills? I’ll just find a street with few restaurants, spend a little money to get the chefs to cooperate, and it’ll be done. The moment he saw the task, Lin Bai had already devised a plan to complete it.

Jiang Qingqin looked at Lin Bai, hesitating for a moment before finally mustering her courage. "Lin Bai, I think you should let go of some things."

"What?" Lin Bai asked.

"Don’t bite off more than you can chew," Jiang Qingqin said earnestly. "You’re already doing Alchemy and Artifact Refining, and now you’re dabbling in cooking. Do you even have time to practice your cultivation? A person’s energy is limited. You can’t excel at everything. If you try to learn too many things, you might end up mastering none of them! Who in this world is a true jack-of-all-trades? For instance, cooking skills don’t seem very useful to me. After forming her Golden Core, my master rarely eats. On the occasions she does, it’s merely to satisfy a craving. No matter how good your cooking becomes, who will you cook for in the future? With the time you spend on cooking, you could be advancing your cultivation, and perhaps you wouldn’t even need to eat anymore. Even focusing on Alchemy would be better!"

Before obtaining the Slaughtering Technique, Lin Bai might have agreed with Jiang Qingqin. Now, however, he thought differently.

The System wouldn’t have given him a Cooking God System for no reason. In the Immortal World, learning to cook might seem as useless as Jiang Qingqin suggested. However, during Alchemy, the analysis of food properties and ingredient identification had been immensely helpful, enabling him to create the Belly Filling Pill and various Revitalizing Pills. Now, the Slaughtering Technique seemed to synergize with his knife skills. While the Cooking God System currently only rewarded recipes for various cuisines, who knew what future rewards might entail? Perhaps medicinal diets that nourished the body, or even exotic abilities like detoxification or cooking divine beasts! Pill Medicines weren’t the only way to increase one’s Cultivation Level... Most of Lin Bai’s current achievements stemmed from his initial four Systems. Those four had remained after suppressing all others. Lin Bai didn’t believe the Cooking God System would hinder the other three. So, he decided to take a gamble. Who knew what pleasant surprises lay ahead? Besides, he didn’t really need to practice cultivation in the traditional sense, did he?

Lin Bai smiled at Jiang Qingqin and said seriously, "Hmm, I’ll consider it."

...

After dinner, Lin Bai used "cultivation practice" as an excuse to send away Jiang Qingqin, who had wanted to stay and practice Spoken Law Follows. He then focused entirely on forging kitchen knives and discussing Dan Fang with Miracle Doctor Flower.

At midnight, he experimented with using the Slaughtering Technique in conjunction with the energy circulation method of Six Color Frost. Sure enough, the two could be successfully combined. From ten meters away, he accurately dismembered a rooster using colorful knife qi. Of course, this was limited to dismemberment; he couldn’t process the ingredients as thoroughly as with actual cooking. After all, Lin Bai’s reach wasn’t that long, and he couldn’t control the ingredients using only knife qi.

But this feat alone was enough to astound the Beggar Gang Disciples. Especially Dumbelldore; after painstakingly practicing the ’Falling Dragon Strikes,’ he had gained a new appreciation for the importance of knife skills. In his free time, he resumed practicing by slicing potatoes with a kitchen knife. The Beggar Gang Disciples finally understood why Lin, the Storekeeper, preferred to use a kitchen knife as a weapon. It turned out the Righteous Door had indeed developed a unique Cultivation Technique derived from culinary arts.

「The night passed without incident.」

「The next day.」

The five major sects set off together to clear out the bandits and wild beasts in the wilderness.

Lin Bai, holding Little White Fox, used Morning Flight to reach the city outskirts and taught her Cui Thick Leg’s tongue twister. After Little White Fox slowly recited the Spell, she successfully conjured a powerful Palm Thunder. Watching the tree split open by the lightning, the little fox was overjoyed.

The Pet System granted Lin Bai an additional 99 points in Foxes Affinity. Then, a line of description appeared after Little White Fox’s name: [Congratulations! You now have a pet who would sacrifice its life for you. Please cherish it!]

The pet’s daily training task vanished, replaced by a new one: [Fight side-by-side with your pet once; Reward: Enlightenment Pill (Can awaken Spirit Intelligence in ordinary creatures)]

The Peerless Divine Doctor System hadn’t produced any Dan Fang yet, but the Pet System had already rewarded him with a Pill Medicine. Lin Bai was speechless. If this trend continued, with other Systems rewarding Pill Medicines, the tasks from the God Doctor System would become irrelevant.

Finding a leopard in the wilderness, Little White Fox chanted the spell and blasted it into black ashes with Palm Thunder. Lin Bai easily completed the task of fighting alongside Little White Fox and obtained an Enlightenment Pill. However, Little White Fox, having already awakened her Spirit Intelligence, showed no interest in the Enlightenment Pill, and neither did her siblings.

[Fight an evenly matched enemy to cultivate combat synergy with your pet; Reward: Enlightenment Pill x10]

Perhaps the Pet System didn’t want Lin Bai to easily grind for Pill Medicines, as it immediately increased the task’s difficulty Level, cutting off his method of easily acquiring them and, incidentally, giving the wild beasts in the forest a chance to survive.

From the Card System, Lin Bai knew his strength was equivalent to that of a Golden Core being. Therefore, he had to temporarily abandon the Pet System tasks. Fortunately, since it only involved fighting together, the Pet System’s tasks weren’t too difficult to complete eventually. With Little White Fox acting as an early warning system and combat assistant, Lin Bai couldn’t afford to be separated from her.

And enemies? Lin Bai felt he wasn’t short of those.

...

「The following three days.」

The members of the five major sects were out exterminating bandits. Lin Bai spent his time in the Refiner’s Workshop and the Alchemy Room. The tasks from the God of Craftsmen System, Cooking God System, and Peerless Divine Doctor System progressed simultaneously...

Lin Bai’s God of Craftsmen System task had progressed to ’Fame Covers the City’. This required his reputation as a Master Refiner to be known by ten thousand people, with the reward being Earth’s Core Fire. This temporarily stumped Lin Bai.

The Cooking God System tasks were the simplest; they just required spending money. In three days, Lin Bai challenged the chefs on three different streets, effortlessly obtaining the recipes for three major cuisines.

And with the help of Miracle Doctor Flower, Lin Bai successfully obtained a new Dan Fang: [Poisonous Rejuvenating Pill: Appears identical to a Revitalizing Pill. After consumption, it causes excruciating abdominal pain, which subsides in half an hour. It provides no healing for injuries.]

The poison nullified the Revitalizing Pill’s usual healing effects. For players who felt no pain, this Pill Medicine was useless. But for the natives, it was a torturous concoction that could also be used on an Arrow of Rejuvenation... Lin Bai was developing more and more unorthodox Pill Medicines by modifying the Revitalizing Pill.

...

During Lin Bai’s three days of intensive task completion, neither the players nor the world’s natives were idle. The people of Qian City grew accustomed to the sudden appearance of the Beggar Gang, warmly welcoming these generous yet eccentric beggars. After all, the Beggar Gang Disciples were burdened with advertising tasks. They spent money lavishly, and in just three days, they had plastered their sponsors’ advertisements throughout the streets and alleys of Qian City.

The new Disciples from Jiamucheng had not yet arrived, but thanks to the monetary incentives, the Qian City branch of the Beggar Gang had already grown to 1,000 members, all recruited local natives. Players were more than happy to employ these high-quality, low-cost natives for odd jobs.

The players’ actions unwittingly spread the Beggar Gang’s reputation, significantly boosting Lin Bai’s Luck Value. This was a pure windfall...