Yun Feng tried hard to keep a straight face, but Tang Lie couldn't hold it in and choked on his meal for the second time in a row. Old Bai's vulgar words really took him off guard.
'Poor guy can't even have dinner in peace,' Yun Feng thought, casting a pitiful gaze toward his new friend before turning back to Old Bai. "You're weird."
"That I am," Old Bai chuckled and finished his over-the-top meal. Then, he stood up — not before shoving a small bottle into Yun Feng's hand. "I've seen your hands. They're bloody as hell. Sprinkle this healing water on them before sleeping."
Yun Feng was surprised and wanted to ask why Old Bai was being so generous, but the big man had already walked off with his plate by then, so he had to swallow his words.
He sighed and pocketed the bottle. Then, he finished the meal with Tang Lie, both of them quietly skipping over the topic of Old Bai with mutual understanding.
After their meal, they headed back to their quarters, thankfully, Yun Feng and Tang Lie shared one. As they made themselves comfortable in their beds, Yun Feng decided to ask the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"Who is Old Bai?" Yun Feng asked, closing his eyes.
As he had expected, Tang Lie replied calmly, "He's the younger brother of the Clan Head of the Bai Clan."
"The Bai Clan of Jade City?" Yun Feng asked in shock.
There was no one in the entire Jade Province who didn't know of the prestigious Bai Clan. They were the undisputed rulers of the province.
No other clan or organization — aside from the Celestial Sword Pavilion — could stand against them. Their overwhelming power made others bow.
And their Clan Head, Bai Chen, was the rumored White Sword, a True Union Realm powerhouse. There were only two Union Realm experts in the Jade Province: him and the Pavilion Master of the Celestial Sword Pavilion.
That fact alone spoke volumes about the might of the Bai Clan but their strength didn't end there. The clan had no shortage of geniuses and powerhouses. They had ruled the province for over five hundred years with sheer might.
"Are you sure about that?" Yun Feng asked, still in disbelief.
"Yes. I once served him food when his brother came here. I can't be mistaken," Tang Lie said softly. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. He's only here because he loves delicacies and came to learn from the Head Chef."
Yun Feng fell silent, suddenly forgetting his exhaustion as he began to consider Old Bai's real motive for approaching him. Getting attention from a powerhouse wasn't always a good thing.
'Is he perhaps from my mom's side of the family? Is that why he's helping me?' Yun Feng thought, then shook his head. 'The opposite could be true. Maybe he wants to use me to lure her out. Is she in hiding?'
Whatever the case, Yun Feng decided to be cautious around Old Bai. Nothing in this world came for free — especially not human generosity.
Now, he just needed to figure out if the price would hurt him.
He pulled out the bottle of healing liquid and examined it. 'What do you think?'
[I don't sense anything wrong with it.]
He sprinkled it on his bruised knuckles. A sharp burning sensation flared instantly across his hands, making him click his tongue before stuffing the bottle back in his pocket.
Then, he closed his eyes and thought, 'He's too powerful, and I can't do anything about it for now… so I'll just have to wait and see what he wants.'
He shoved those thoughts into the back of his mind and decided to check his interface the next day. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.
---
The night passed quickly, and for the first time in a long while, Yun Feng woke up full of vigor. He felt excited and actually looked forward to the day ahead.
He decided to finish his job first — that way, he'd have the rest of the day for his grinding session. After breakfast, he put on his uniform and went to the kitchen's back section.
He met a few chefs working there and greeted them with a nod. They returned the gesture with a few awkward glances.
Once inside the room, he spent the next two hours deboning three Low-Stage Tier 1 Magical Beasts. His skills had improved, so he took less time and worked more efficiently.
He was also paying attention to the system while working, so he wasn't as fast as he could've been but the tradeoff was worth it.
[Basic Knife Skill, Level 2 (51%)]
He checked his status while washing his hands and thought, 'The percentage remains consistent throughout the level, so that's a relief. I'll probably need two to three more days to level this up. More True EXP, then.'
After bathing and saying goodbye to Tang Lie, he began sprinting toward the Blackwood Forest outside the city. Now that the skill had officially registered, even without pushing his limits, he could grind EXP.
That was the best part of having the grinding system — once a skill was registered, he could level it up just by repeating the action.
As expected, when he reached the city's outer gates, a notification popped up.
[Sprinting +1]
'Nice! But the gain is really slow. I'll need to add some conditions to push my limits.'
Soon, he reached the same training ground where he'd practiced the day before. He looked around and began sorting through what he needed to do.
'First of all, Status.'
---
[Limitless System]
Name: Yun Feng
Cultivation: Body Refining Realm – 6th Stage (99%)
Talent: Grade 1
Affinity: Null
Main EXP: 0
(Skills)
– Mountain Shaking Fist, Level 3 (0%)
– Longevity Posture, Level 2 (34%)
– Twin Serpent Sprint, Level 1 (81%)
– Basic Knife Skill, Level 2 (51%)
– Sprinting, Level 1 (2%)
---
'2 EXP for Sprinting means 2%, so it's 1 EXP per percentage. That means I need a total of 100 EXP to level it up.' Yun Feng reasoned. 'I can add weights to increase difficulty and run at full speed after I go back to the restaurant.'
Coming to a decision, he looked down at his feet and smiled.
'The closest to leveling up is Twin Serpent Sprint — so I'll focus on that today. Oh wait! I also need to do the registration for the entrance exams. Hopefully I don't run into any trouble…'