Chapter Thirty-Six: Becoming Mortal, A New Mission

Hearing the system's words, Qin Tian felt lost. He understood a little bit of many Daos—for instance, he could even instruct An Miaoling in the Way of the Sword. However, none of these truly belonged to him; he only possessed such knowledge because of the system, without ever having delved deep into research, let alone attained true insight.

If the Way of the Sword was not his path, then what was? Why did he cultivate? Qin Tian suddenly felt an urgent need to find the answer.

"Agreed!"

*Ding!*

[The host has agreed to undergo the "Mortal Transformation." In three days, the host's spiritual power and storage ring will be sealed.]

After breaking through to the second level of the Semi-Saint Realm, An Miaoling began her seclusion, attempting to break through in her sword intent and comprehend the Sword Domain. Qin Tian did not wish to disturb her. He felt that searching for his own Great Dao should not take long; perhaps he would return before she emerged from her seclusion.

He then went to find Bai Xiaoru, who had already broken through to the first level of the Saint Realm. Qin Tian received another reward: his cultivation aptitude was elevated to Imperial Grade, matching An Miaoling’s. Furthermore, his daily sign-in rewards increased by twenty percent.

In her room, Bai Xiaoru had transformed into her human form, lounging lazily on the bed in seductive undergarments. As Qin Tian pushed the door open, Bai Xiaoru sat up in a start, looking at him with shy eyes. It was the first time Qin Tian had seen such a sensual side of her—her eyes were like silk, her face devastatingly beautiful, and her fair, supple skin was intoxicating. He found it difficult to look away.

Bai Xiaoru quickly grabbed a quilt to cover herself, asking with a hint of annoyance, "Why are you here so late?"

With her alluring figure hidden, Qin Tian regained his composure. "I’m planning to head out for a while, to the Central Province. Are you coming?"

"The Central Province?" Bai Xiaoru hesitated, then decided against it. "No, it’s too dangerous for me to go there right now."

"Then I shall go alone. Don't miss me too much."

With that, Qin Tian departed. He decided to head to an unfamiliar place in the Central Province—the Haotian Empire. He intended to find a small town there to stay in. He brought only his Imperial-grade kitchen knife, as it could be used for both cooking and self-defense. Even without spiritual power, his physical body combined with the blade would be enough to handle ordinary enemies.

Qin Tian traveled first to the Two Realms Mountain, then slowly ventured deep through it toward the Central Province. Upon arriving, he felt that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the Central Province was indeed much denser than in the Eastern Province.

Once in the Central Province, he didn't know the way and simply continued forward, intending to ask someone once he encountered them. As he walked, he received a system notification:

[Notification: The host's spiritual power and storage ring have been sealed. The Mortal Transformation and Dao-seeking process have officially begun. May the host find his own Dao soon.]
[System Task One: Accumulate a fortune. Obtain 100,000 top-grade spirit stones without using martial force.]
[System Task Two: Make a name for yourself. Gain the recognition of 100,000 people without using martial force.]

Qin Tian suddenly felt that this "Mortal Transformation" was quite interesting. The tasks seemed designed to increase the difficulty, but he didn't find them daunting. With the addition of Dao-seeking, these effectively counted as three tasks—a massive gain.

He was currently in a forest filled with demonic beasts. Even without spiritual power, Qin Tian did not fear them, relying on his kitchen knife and powerful physical body. However, his travel speed was significantly reduced.

As he walked, he heard the wails of a person nearby and rushed over. He didn't want to find a corpse after finally meeting another human. Upon arriving, he saw a Nirvana-realm giant python biting a man’s leg, preparing to swallow him whole.

Qin Tian wouldn't allow such a tragedy. He threw his kitchen knife like a dart. Thanks to his immense strength, the blade reached the python's head in an instant. *Thud!* The knife embedded itself directly into the python's eye.

The python shrieked in agony, releasing its grip and dropping the man to the ground. Qin Tian sprinted over and struck the python’s vital spot with a punch. The creature was sent flying like a cannonball, snapping a large tree behind it. Qin Tian chased after it, retrieved his knife, and delivered several more strikes until the python lay lifeless.

He turned to the middle-aged man, who was pale and clearly suffering from poison. Without access to his storage ring, Qin Tian couldn't provide an antidote. Thinking quickly, he dug out the python’s gallbladder, hoping it would act as an antidote, and forced it into the man's mouth.

After a long while, the poison had cleared, but the man remained in a coma due to his severe injuries. Qin Tian cut his own finger and let a drop of his blood fall into the man's mouth. Soon after, the man woke up. Qin Tian felt like a piece of "Tang Monk meat"—his blood was so potent it could bring the dying back to life.

Upon waking, the man immediately knelt before Qin Tian, overwhelmed with gratitude. He could not describe the feeling of escaping death; what mattered most was that he had a frail wife and a five-year-old child at home. If he died, his family’s pillar would collapse.

Qin Tian inquired about the location of the Haotian Empire. As luck would have it, the man, whose name was Niu Shan, was from the Haotian Empire and had been out hunting to supplement his family's income. At Qin Tian's suggestion, Niu Shan took the python carcass, as Qin Tian had no need for it—the system task prohibited the use of martial force to gain wealth.

Following Niu Shan, they traveled for half a day until they reached Qingyun City, a town on the border of the Haotian Empire. The city was bustling with various martial artists. Niu Shan explained, "Because our city is close to the Qingyun Mountains, many hunters come through here."

Qin Tian followed Niu Shan to his home, a modest place with a small courtyard. Inside, he met Niu Shan’s wife and six-year-old son. The son was adorable, but the wife looked sickly. Niu Shan explained that she suffered from old injuries. He had to hunt constantly to buy pills to keep her condition from worsening. Although Qin Tian’s blood could heal her, he chose not to, as he had no obligation and did not wish to expose his uniqueness.

Niu Shan was delighted to hear that Qin Tian intended to stay in Qingyun City and gifted him a small two-story building—the first floor was a shop, and the second was living quarters. Qin Tian accepted it graciously.

After cleaning his new home, Qin Tian pondered how to earn spirit stones. He decided to draw picture books, drawing inspiration from the stories he had read in the past. He chose the "Legend of the White Snake," thinking this tale of romance between human and demon would be fresh and novel to the cultivators here.

He drew Lady White, referencing the appearances of Bai Xiaoru and An Miaoling, and drew Xu Xian based on his own likeness. He was very satisfied with the result. Qin Tian spent three days drawing, continuing the story all the way to the climax where the golden temple was flooded.