Chapter 61: Exposed

Chapter 61 - Exposed Outer Sect, Alchemy Peak. Lordi Payne stood in the plaza outside the Punishment Crypt, popping a Spirit Restore Pill into his mouth. The pill dissolved almost instantly, a cool, refreshing wave of spiritual energy flooding his meridians and replenishing his reserves. With a deep breath, he straightened his robes and made his way to the grand market, his mind already calculating the materials he needed for his next attempt. The shopkeeper spotted him immediately. A wide grin spread across his face as he called out, "Junior Brother Payne! Back so soon? Have you already used up the raw materials I sold you last time?" Lordi Payne sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in a perfect imitation of a downtrodden rookie. He clasped his fists in a respectful salute, his expression a mix of frustration and humility. "Senior Brother, you were right—alchemy is extremely difficult. When I saw Mentor Shifu Yearn Goul crafting pills with such ease, I thought it would be simple. But as soon as I started, I failed miserably. I lost all my investment in one go." He shook his head, his voice tinged with theatrical despair, before perking up slightly. "But I just sold some items at the Tower of Hundred Treasures and realized how insanely high the profit margins are for elixir pills. I can't give up yet. Senior Brother, please fetch me ten more sets of raw materials. I'm determined to try again." The shopkeeper chuckled, his tone both amused and encouraging. "Don't sweat it, Junior Brother. Every alchemist has walked this path. How can you expect to craft a successful elixir pill without dozens—or even hundreds—of failures? It's all part of the process." Lordi Payne nodded earnestly, echoing the shopkeeper's words with a practiced humility. He then launched into a round of bargaining, skilfully negotiating a discount on the grounds that he had just suffered a significant loss. After some back-and-forth, the shopkeeper relented, rounding off the total amount. Lordi Payne accepted the neatly packed raw materials with a grateful smile and made his way straight to the alchemy lab hotel. This time, he rented the lab for a full day and night, determined to make the most of his time. After checking in, he meticulously inspected the room as usual, ensuring everything was in order. He then instructed the system to begin crafting the elixir pill. To be on the safe side, Lordi Payne placed the remaining Spirit Restore Pills within arm's reach, just in case his spiritual energy ran low during the process. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Alchemy Skill: Bone Tempering Pill > Initializing body control override... - Friendly reminder: During cultivation, the host will lose control of his/her body. - Do not panic. This is a normal system function. ... The familiar chime echoed in Lordi Payne's mind as the system seamlessly took control of his body. With practiced precision, it ignited the Nether Fire from the Dao Fulu. The system's movements were fluid and efficient, processing the herbs and raw materials with an almost artistic grace before adding them one by one into the Dao Furnace. The air filled with the faint, medicinal aroma of simmering ingredients, and before long, a fresh batch of Bone Tempering Pills was successfully crafted. Lordi Payne's eyes widened as he inspected the results. This time, there were thirteen premium-level Bone Tempering Pills! His heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure whether the system's alchemy skill had levelled up or if the raw materials this time were of exceptional quality, but the outcome was undeniable—one more pill than usual. Thirteen pills... that's 715 D$t! He was one step closer to paying off his fine. The thought sent a thrill of excitement coursing through him, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. The system, ever efficient, had already vialed up the pills and started the second round of crafting without pause. However, things didn't go as smoothly this time. The system continued its methodical processing of the raw materials, but Lordi Payne could feel the strain growing in his meridians. The exhaustion of his spiritual power became more and more pronounced, yet the system made no move to reach for the Spirit Restore Pills he had placed within arm's reach. Why isn't it using the pills? Lordi Payne wondered, a flicker of unease creeping into his thoughts. Before he could ponder further, a burst of black smoke erupted from the Dao Furnace, accompanied by a foul, acrid smell that made his nose wrinkle. The system chimed again, and control of his body was abruptly returned to him. ~ Ding! System Notification Chime [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Detected severe depletion of host's Spirit Energy. > Alchemy Process: TERMINATED > Host control: RESTORED > Thank you for using the All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM (AllFullOS v1.0.0) > One-click-cultivation, worry-free-ascension! > Feedback request: - We value your opinion! (No, really, we do.) - If you are satisfied with our service, please give us a five-star rating. > Tap to Rate: [☆☆☆☆☆] Lordi Payne's face darkened as he stretched his stiff limbs, his joints creaking in protest. He glared at the charred mess inside the furnace, his frown deepening. This wasn't supposed to happen. From his previous experiences with the system, the AllFullOS had always been "intelligent" enough to provide the necessary pills or materials for free. Especially last time, he recalled, when I was practicing the Blood Fiend Sword Art, the system automatically used the Spirit Restore Pill from my pouch without any prompting. But this time, despite placing the Spirit Restore Pills right next to him, the system had completely ignored them. "Is it possible?" Lordi Payne mused aloud, his voice low and thoughtful, "that for the AllFullOS system, cultivating techniques and practicing skills are two entirely separate projects? So when it's focused on alchemy, it won't interfere with anything outside of that—even if the Spirit Restore Pills are right in front of it?" The realization left him both frustrated and intrigued. He scowled at the floating system prompt hovering in his vision and, in a fit of pique, slapped it with a one-star negative review. [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > [★☆☆☆☆] > Submitted. Thanks for your feedback. Shaking off his irritation, Lordi Payne took out one Bone Tempering Pill and set it aside for his coming own cultivation. The rest he carefully placed into a jade vial, which he would later sell at the Tower of Hundred Treasures. After completing his preparations, Lordi Payne wasted no time. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, issuing a silent command: "System, I want to cultivate! Select the Bone Tempering Art, Smart Duration! One-Click-Cultivation!" He had no other choice. Given the AllFullOS system's glaring glitch, his original plan to save spirit stones before cultivating had been derailed. Now, he had no option but to prioritize raising his cultivation level first. Otherwise, the inefficiency in his elixir alchemy would only delay his progress further. ~ Ding! System Notification Chime The system sprang to life immediately, its mechanical voice echoing in his mind. [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM is at your service! > [OCC] - One-Click-Cultivation activated. - Features: Temporary practice, smart duration, and questionable decision-making. ... Lordi Payne barely had time to brace himself before the system's absurd operations began. Notifications flooded his mind. [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Detected severe depletion of host's Spirit Energy. Pending... > Pending... > Scanning inventory... > Detected Restoration: [Spirit Restore Pill] ... Before Lordi Payne could react, the system took control of his body. His hand moved on its own, grabbing the vial of Spirit Restore Pills he had set aside. In one swift motion, the system dumped the entire contents into his mouth. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Spirit Restore Pills consumed. > Restoration in progress... 20%... > Resuming [Bone Tempering Art] Cultivation process... ... Not long after, another chime rang out as the system grabbed the pill laid in front of Lordi Payne. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] ... > Scanning inventory... > Detected Cultivation Pills: [Bone Tempering Pill] > Pending... ... Without hesitation, Lordi Payne swallowed the pill whole. But the system wasn't done yet. It reached for the sealed jade vial containing the remaining Bone Tempering Pills—the ones Lordi Payne had planned to sell at the Tower of Hundred Treasures. And then the system poured everything into his mouth in one go, ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Bone Tempering Pills consumed. > Resuming [Bone Tempering Art] Cultivation process... ... Lordi Payne: "!!!..." My god damn Spirit $tones!!! The system remained utterly indifferent to its host's suffering. Following the Bone Tempering Art's methodology with mechanical precision, it diligently shattered every bone in Lordi Payne's body, purging impurities and toxins before reconstructing them stronger than before. Spiritual energy swirled violently as it was forcibly drawn from the surroundings to nourish and reinforce his skeletal foundation. As the cultivation deepened, the alchemy lab became saturated with the pungent stench of expelled bodily impurities - a nauseating cocktail of metallic blood and rotting waste that clung thickly to the air. Despite his earlier frustrations, Lordi Payne found himself gradually succumbing to the intoxicating pleasure of tangible growth. Each reforged bone brought waves of euphoric satisfaction, the visceral sensation of his body evolving beyond its previous limits. Hours melted away in this strange duality of agony and ecstasy until finally... ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Cultivation session status: COMPLETE > Host control: RESTORED > Thank you for using the All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM (AllFullOS v1.0.0) > Feedback request: - We value your opinion! (No, really, we do.) - If you are satisfied with our service, please give us a five-star rating. > Tap to Rate: [☆☆☆☆☆] Lordi Payne staggered to his feet, his newly tempered bones creaking with unsettling pops. While his spiritual power had undeniably surged - bringing him tantalizingly close to the fifth-layer of Qi Refinement - his expression remained stormy. "Fuck this braindead AwfulOS," he muttered through gritted teeth, wiping blackened impurities from his skin. A cold sweat broke across his brow as realization struck - this glitch could have been catastrophic. Had he stockpiled a large amount of elixir pills before triggering cultivation, the system would have gulped them all down like a starved beast. This wasn't one-click cultivation - this was one-click bankruption! His finger jabbed viciously at the feedback interface, delivering another negative one-star review. Still seething, he checked the remaining rental time. "System," he commanded through clenched teeth, "I want to practice. Selected Alchemy Skill: Bone Tempering Pill." ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM is at your service! > One-click-cultivation, worry-free-ascension! ... The improved cultivation base yielded immediate results. Three flawless batches of premium Bone Tempering Pills materialized in rapid succession before the fourth attempt toasted in a puff of acrid smoke. "Fuck this AwfulOS!" Lordi Payne barked as control returned, waving away the noxious fumes. "Can't you pause before the spiritual power is depletion? Do you have to ruin a batch of raw materials ?" Another furious one-star negative rating was left as he meticulously packaged the successful batches. His sour mood worsened at the front desk when the attendant disciple smiled apologetically: "Esteemed guest, your lab room was overtime by three hours and one quarter. Additional payment is required." Lordi Payne's eye twitched. "..." After begrudgingly paying the overtime fee at the alchemy lab hotel, Lordi Payne rented a Corpse Cloud and drifted toward a random mountain peak. His first stop was the grand market, where he purchased an assortment of disguise items. Finding a secluded corner, Lordi Payne quickly donned his new disguise. Then Lordi Payne flitted between several peaks, ensuring no one could trace his movements, before finally circling back to Ghost Shade Peak. His goal? To test his disguise on someone who knew him well—Hugo Payne, his own clan brother. Lingering near Hugo Payne's usual training grounds, Lordi Payne made a show of examining spirit herbs at a nearby stall. He coughed, bumped into his brother "accidentally," even engaged in brief small talk about the weather. Yet, Hugo Payne showed no flicker of recognition—only polite indifference. Good. The disguise works. Reassured, Lordi Payne departed once more, weaving through multiple peaks before settling on an unfamiliar one—Serpent's Fang Peak—to sell his elixirs. The appraiser was a hawk-nosed man in his forties, his sharp eyes glinting with shrewd calculation. He examined the pills in silence, turning them over with long, bony fingers. Then, without a word, he shot Lordi Payne a piercing look and muttered to his assistant: "Bring him 2,145 d-grade spirit stones." Lordi Payne's blood ran cold. That's the exact amount. He had brought 39 premium-level Bone Tempering Pills—the result of three successful alchemy batches. At 55 D$t per pill, plus the 10% markup from his previous deal with the Alchemy Peak branch, the total came out to 2,145 D$t. "Even with all this disguise, I've still been exposed?" "The question is—how?"