Chapter 106: Level Ups

To reach the place where the said event was happening, Kian and party had to first walk up a big ancient stairway that was over 10 kilometers in distance.

They didn’t hesitate.

The stairway rose through a bamboo forest so dense the moon came through in thin silver slits. Grey stone steps climbed the hillside in a long, hungry line, each one humming just enough to make a tired disciple stumble.

Most of the crowd had already stopped at the railings below, massaging their knees and pretending they were only there to watch.

Kian’s party ignored them. After having ’essence’ for the last few days, all the girls were very healthy and a mere walk couldn’t hurt them at all. Not to mention Jia and Mia were already cultivators.

As for Feimei, she was nearly as strong as Kian, so for her, it was but a breather.

Kian walked up, one arm still wrapped tight around Xiao Cui.

She fit against him so easily, it was hard to let go once he grew used to it. Her fingers curled into the front of his hands on her shoulder, and every time the path turned, he patted her head.

Sometimes, he leaned in and kissed her head, or maybe even the corner of her mouth.

She didn’t seem to be that embarrassed about people seeing it, just blushing and gulping and letting herself be carried through this fat. Truly, a girl who went with the flow!

Kian enjoyed whatever she was very much, sometimes kissing the soft place just under her ear. That was the only thing that consistently startled her.

Xiao Cui shivered each time and made a small, breathless sound that got swallowed by the wind.

As he enjoyed her and walked up the stairs, with Jia constantly being annoyed—despite remaining silent—they continued walking.

’Hm, let me check those.’

Kian let the hidden notifications he had been ignoring crawl toward the front of his awareness, golden letters burning soft against the dark bamboo.

One by one, they opened.

[Rewards]

1. [Choose: Improve the quality of the talent unlocked from her Vital Yin, ’Darling’s Yang,’ or unlock a new Grey-level ability.]

2. [Unlock a new Grey-level ability.]

3. [Choose: Improve the quality of the talent unlocked from her Vital Yin, ’Loved By the Land,’ or unlock a new Silver-level ability.]

4. [Choose: Improve the quality of the talent unlocked from her Vital Yin, Sucking Hero, or unlock a new Grey-level ability.]

Kian exhaled slowly, a grin tugging at the side of his mouth as the messages hung in the air.

Four rewards. Three choices.

Truly, it was a feast tonight.

Kian caught Xiao Cui’s chin and tilted her face up. She blinked, eyes wide and a little dazed.

He kissed her mouth once, soft, then leaned back.

Xiao Cui’s lips parted in a small, cute gulp. Her fingers crept up and touched her own mouth, then dropped to his robe as if she needed to anchor herself to the ground.

Behind them, Jia’s nose kept twitching. She didn’t say anything, just turned her face toward the bamboo and let a stray leaf get crushed under her sandal.

Kian caught the flicker in his peripheral vision and smirked.

"Give me a second," he said, unwinding himself from Xiao Cui. "I have a little something to do."

He walked five paces up the steps, enough that the girls blurred into the glow of the lanterns below.

If the unlock decided to flare and something unusual happened, he wouldn’t want to hurt any of them.

Just in case.

The girls stayed where they were, slowly walking up and looking at his pace curiously.

Xiao Cui’s eyes followed him, and Jia folded her arms.

Kian stilled his breathing and pulled the un-choiced reward forward. The one where he didn’t have a choice between levelling up an existing skill or getting a new one.

The system didn’t wait.

Golden light cracked behind his eyes like a seam splitting open.

Multiple unique system animations happened.

[Ding]

[Claiming Reward: Unlock a new Grey-level ability.]

The words hung there, then shattered into a rush of black motes that spun into his chest and settled low in his dantian.

"Hiss!"

A cold, sharp sensation needled through his meridians, threading from his heart to his fingertips. When it faded, a new panel shimmered in front of him.

[Ability Acquired: Mother’s Protection.]

[Grey Rank. You can use this abilty once a day to protect yourself absolutely from all sorts of attacks. While this ability is active, nothing can hurt you. Only works for a second.]

Kian stared at the text until the letters stopped glowing.

"One second," Kian muttered, and the curse that followed was quiet but he was really dissappointed for a moment.

A whole damn second.

What was that supposed to do against a blade already at his throat?

If he blinked at the wrong moment, the protection would fade before the wound even happened.

1 second was so little.

But he turned it over in his mind while the bamboo creaked around him.

Hmmmm....

One second was enough to catch a surprise blow, to slip inside a killing arc, to make a fatal mistake feel like wind.

In those novels he read, one second often meant the difference between life and death.

Timing mattered more than duration. He nodded at the thought, slow and interested, and let the new ability settle behind his ribs.

Fine. It had its uses.

Next reward time.

[Improve the talent Darling’s Yang, or unlock a new Grey ability.]

Kian rolled the choice across his knuckles while his breathing steadied.

A new Grey ability would indeed make his own edge better. But Darling’s Yang sharpened everyone around him. It made his cu—essence—very useful and tasty for the girls.

The mere fact that it was now one of Jia’s favorite things made Kian want the ability to level up even more.

His essence had already helped them, now it could help them even more and he would have even more reason to let them have it.

If he raised that talent, the whole household would rise with him.

He made his choice (it was already made from the start) and whispered, "Improve Darling’s Yang."

The system answered before the words finished leaving his mouth.

Warm gold light crawled up from his palm, only visible to him, and sank into the skin over his pulse, and coiled down into his lower dantian like honey poured over hot stone.

A pull followed it, deep and pleasant, as if his body had been waiting for permission to change.

Then the panel shimmered open, and Kian read the new description with a slow, knowing grin.

[Darling’s Yang]

[The Qi affected by your Essence gains a unique aspect that makes it stronger than normal Qi. And now, it is much more tasty and effective.]

Kian’s eyes lit up. Good. Good. Good!

His gaze darted to Xiao Cui’s mouth. The way her lips parted around little sounds, the soft noise she made as she walked up—he could already picture having her do a little taste test.

Seeing him look over, she tilted her head, her hair shifting colors in the shade.

He waved at her and let the image linger for one heartbeat longer.

Then he shook it off and looked back up the stairway. Not here. He’d test it properly later, in a room with her, maybe after the bell.

He forced the heat down and focused.

The next reward was already waiting for him, nudging at the edge of his awareness like a finger tapping glass.

He pulled it forward.

[Ding]

[Unclaimed Reward: Choose to improve the quality of the talent unlocked from ’Jiao Yin’s Vital Yin’ — Sucking Hero — or unlock a new Grey-level ability.]

Kian read it twice, then three times, while the bamboo swayed around him.

Sucking Hero was the ability that marked his vessels and let him borrow their innate abilities once per day. It was honestly a very good ability, and would become even better once his girls are stronger. But a new Grey ability was another tool, something he didn’t have yet.

He tapped his thumb against his palm and let the two choices hang in the air.

But then again, the choice was clear.

It was always better to make what he had better than hoping a random ability would be better than it.

Kian blew out a low breath and made his choice.

"Improve Sucking Hero."

The system didn’t make him wait. A cold pulse shot up his spine and spread behind his eyes like ink blooming in water.

The panel shimmered as the old text burned away.

[Sucking Hero]

[Grey Rank. The Hero can now sense the Hero’s Sigil of every marked Vessel across any distance, so long as no array blocks the connection. Borrowed abilities last longer.]

Uses per day remained unchanged, but indeed the ability had become more useful. He had to try it.

The moment the words settled, the world tilted.

Threads lit up in his awareness—thin, bright lines running from his chest into the night.

’Hm, some threads are more intense than the others. Is it becuase they sucked my dick more?’