Reborn as Xu Xuan, Plundering Perks & Flooding the Mountain Ling - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Strong Enough to Carry a Cauldron! It’s Just a Bit of Hardship!

“Make sure to keep it well!”

Xu Xuan painfully forced these words through his teeth while a flash of cold light shot out from his bundle. By the time Sun Erniang reacted, a short blade, barely over a foot long, was already lodged in her chest.

“You, you…!”

Xu Xuan tried hard to appear calm. With a forceful twist of the blade, he kicked her. Sun Erniang’s plump body flew more than ten feet away, crashing into the tables and chairs, scattering them in all directions. Hearing the commotion, two burly men—one tall, one short—leapt out from the kitchen.

[Name: Zhang Qing • Vegetable Farmer]

[Race: Human]

[Realm: Second Stage of the Body Refining]

[Attributes: Earthly Star of Punishment (not activated), Skinning and Dismembering (White), Farming Expert (White)]

[Name: Xiao Er]

[Race: Human]

[Realm: Mortal]

[Attributes: Dull-Witted (White)]

Seeing Sun Erniang collapsed on the ground, Zhang Qing flew into a rage, his hair standing on end. He brandished his trident and charged forward.

“How dare you harm my wife? You will not live to see tomorrow!”

Xu Xuan forced himself to calm down. With a flick of his toe, he sent a bench flying in disarray. Zhang Qing swung his fork, knocking the stool aside— only to see Xu Xuan suddenly pull something out and fling it toward him!

In an instant, a blinding white cloud filled his vision, and his eyes burned with searing pain! Xu Xuan had dared to travel alone to Mount Longhu to seek a master, so naturally, he had prepared thoroughly. He even carried two large firecrackers besides his short blade and lime powder!

Zhang Qing had been weaker than Sun Erniang to begin with, and now, with his eyes blinded by the lime powder, his already limited strength dropped by forty to fifty per cent. Xu Xuan seized the opportunity, moving to the side.

With one hand, he grabbed Zhang Qing’s weapon, while the other repeatedly stabbed his body with the short blade. After two swift strikes, Zhang Qing no longer had any strength left to resist.

As for the burly man Xiao Er, his attributes proved accurate. Instead of helping Zhang Qing, he just stood there, dumbfounded. Only after Zhang Qing’s collapse did he snap to his senses. With a terrified scream, he dropped his kitchen knife and fled the scene.

Xu Xuan remained on high alert but did not give chase. He knew his limits. Killing Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing had been a matter of luck and strategy. If he recklessly pursued them, he might end up being the one ambushed instead.

Glancing at the bodies on the ground, then at the kitchen reeking of a strange, bloody stench, his relief at surviving turned into overwhelming fury and dread. Had the system not been activated in time, he would have been hacked into pieces in that very kitchen.

Would he have ended up in a meat bun… or as braised beef?

Having narrowly escaped death, Xu Xuan didn’t dare linger. He set fire to the black-market inn and ran for three or four miles before letting his guard down.

[Host has killed Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing]

[You have unlocked the attributes: Earthly Star of Vigour (Locked), Poison Crafting (White)]

[You have unlocked the attributes: Earthly Star of Punishment (Locked), Skilled Farmer (White)]

[Note: Earthly Star of Vigour and Earthly Star of Punishment are exclusive traits that cannot be unlocked.]

[Option: These attributes can be merged with other traits. Would you like to proceed?]

If they were unusable, what was the point of keeping them? Without hesitation, Xu Xuan chose to merge them— fusing both into [Strength].

In an instant, a terrifying transformation began. In broad daylight, a glimmer of starlight suddenly flashed across the sky. Xu Xuan felt an intense heat surge through his body. His bones crackled, and his skin felt like it was about to peel away.

If the previous power surges were like gentle streams, this was like a broken dam flooding rampantly! Moments later, drenched in sweat, Xu Xuan collapsed to the ground. When he finally got up, his entire physique had undergone an earth-shattering change.

Originally around 1.7 meters tall—which was already considered quite tall for this era—he had suddenly grown past 1.8 meters. His once frail body was now muscular, and lifting his robe revealed well-defined abdominal muscles.

[Host: Xu Xuan]

[Race: Human]

[Realm: Fifth Stage of the Body Refining Realm]

[Attributes: Benevolent Man of 20 lifetimes (Gold), Herculean Strength (Green), Poison Crafting (White), Skilled Farmer (White), Slight Talent (White)]

Seeing his updated status panel, Xu Xuan couldn’t hide his excitement. Three new attributes had appeared- one green and two white.

[Poison Crafting (White)]: You can create simple poisons.

[Skilled Farmer (White)]: You have some talent in farming.

These white attributes were minor, but the newly upgraded [Herculean Strength]—formed by merging [Earthly Star of Punishment] and [Earthly Star of Vigour]—left him overjoyed.

[Herculean Strength]: You are incredibly strong and can lift objects weighing a thousand pounds.

Whether he could lift the thousand-pound cauldron, Xu Xuan did not know. but when he casually yanked a small tree from the ground with its roots intact, he knew his strength had grown to unimaginable levels.

Jumping from a mere mortal to the Fifth Stage, his physical strength wasn’t the only thing that had changed. His endurance and speed had also improved drastically. What was originally a six or seven-day journey, he compressed into an extreme three-day sprint. Panting heavily, Xu Xuan finally arrived at the foot of Mount Longhu.

“I am seeking a master to study the way of Dao.”

The welcoming Daoist priest remained unfazed when he heard Xu Xuan’s request. The Emperor of this dynasty had revived Daoism, and the people followed suit. As the head of the Heavenly Sect, the Celestial Master’s Residence was a prominent Daoist stronghold. Many came to seek an apprenticeship, so the priest was long accustomed to such requests.

“Our sect welcomes all,” the priest said, “but the Dao is not lightly passed down. If you wish to enter our gates, you must first serve as a menial worker for three years…”

Xu Xuan nodded. As long as he wasn’t rejected outright, he was fine with the terms.

“Many thanks, Daoist priest. I am willing!”

“Do you have any special skills?”

Xu Xuan pondered for a moment before replying, “I can read and write, and I once passed the scholar’s examination. I also have some strength… and I’m skilled in farming.”

The Daoist priest looked surprised. Xu Xuan was already a scholar—his path to officialdom in the Imperial Palace was wide open.

“You have a bright future ahead. Why have you come all the way to this secluded place to endure hardships?”

“Even if you complete your servitude, you must still pass a test and find a master willing to accept you…”

Xu Xuan discreetly observed the priest’s head— a dazzling array of attributes shimmered like neon lights.

[Golden Light Mantra]  emanating a mystical purple aura, [Introduction to Thunder Magic] in red and purple text and [Dragon’s Stride, Tiger’s Gait] flickered in blue…

Xu Xuan subtly wiped away the drool at the corner of his mouth. Shaking his head, he declared righteously:

“A sharpened sword emerges from relentless grinding; plum blossoms bloom through the harshest winter! Only by paving the way with hardship can one cultivate true enlightenment! If I can attain the true Dao, what’s a little suffering in comparison?”