Chapter Fifteen: My Junior Sister Fainted from My Handsomeness

Night had fallen.

A cold wind swept by, carrying with it a chill that seeped into the bones.

Wang Ran stepped out from the secluded courtyard and strolled toward his home. The events of tonight were truly beyond belief—one could only call them extraordinary.

Who could have imagined that beneath the very foundations of the Sole Self Sect lay a buried, ancient ruin? Within that ruin was a trove of treasure: hundreds of volumes of Daoist arts, countless spirit jades, and even that enigmatic, uncanny giant brush whose origin was shrouded in mystery.

Wang Ran was in excellent spirits. Though there had been an unexpected turn at the end and he had plummeted from the sky, he had nonetheless managed to glimpse the entire body of the Sect’s True Inheritor, a female disciple—a privilege, he suspected, that not a second soul in the whole sect could lay claim to.

What’s more, with a few well-chosen words, he not only escaped mortal danger but also left the young woman looking at him in a new light, pulling off the persona of a peerless, enigmatic genius with effortless grace and not a trace left behind.

Truly, as the saying goes... In this world, Brother Ran may seem timid, but he’s a master of the game!

Even the fairest, most beloved True Inheritor could not keep her secrets from his eyes—now, who else in the sect could boast the same? Is there anyone? Anyone at all?!

Wang Ran let out a sigh to the heavens and murmured, “Ah, a king’s path is always lonely. Lonely, so lonely.”

Glancing at the sky, he noticed the faintest streaks of pale light on the horizon—the night was nearly over.

Shaking off his musings, Wang Ran quickened his pace, hurrying home with the wind at his heels, ever cautious as he moved through the darkness.

Soon, he returned to the southern back mountain where he lived. Sweeping his gaze across the hillside, he saw the bodies of the three Disciplinary Hall enforcers still lying where he’d left them. Fortunately, the hour was late and this place desolate; had anyone stumbled upon the scene, things would have been messy indeed.

With a wave of his hand, Wang Ran incinerated the corpses, leaving no trace, before returning to his humble bamboo lodge.

Seating himself on the bed, he stretched his weary limbs and first checked his Dao Merit Points.

After deducting the points spent on the Luoyang shovel, he had ninety-nine left.

Ninety-nine Dao Merit Points—enough to purchase a suit of Illusory Flame Armor.

Yet Wang Ran hesitated, for tomorrow was the Sole Self Sect’s annual Enlightenment Ceremony.

He decided it was better to keep the points for drawing new Daoist arts—advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage was more crucial. After all, the Illusory Flame Armor cost ninety-eight points, a steep price for him at present.

Enlightenment during the Foundation Establishment stage was vital. The art comprehended at this stage would become one’s Life-bound Technique, determining how far one could travel on the road of cultivation.

Most cultivators relied on their own fortune and insight to comprehend a Daoist art. But Wang Ran was different; he struggled to comprehend the arts himself and relied on the system’s lottery. Convenient, yes, but risky as well.

The draw was a matter of pure luck—one might win a powerful eight-star art like the Diamond Glazed Body, or end up with a useless one- or two-star technique.

Given that the Foundation Establishment art would become his Life-bound Technique, Wang Ran dared not make a misstep. Thus, he resolved to save as many points as possible for emergencies.

Lying on his bed, exhausted after a night of toil, Wang Ran decided to rest for the day, to be in top form for tomorrow’s Enlightenment Ceremony.

If he advanced to Foundation Establishment then, perhaps he might even attract some attention and earn a few more Dao Merit Points.

As his thoughts drifted, he suddenly felt as if he’d forgotten something.

Opening his system inventory, he found, besides the treasures from the underground ruin, a bronze-colored treasure chest.

This chest was his reward from the system for achieving Foundation Establishment of the flesh. But at the time, Wang Ran’s attention had been wholly occupied by the Disciplinary Hall assassins, and he’d forgotten all about it.

Now, before sleep, as he recalled the day’s events, the memory struck him.

With a thought, Wang Ran produced the chest, a ripple of excitement stirring in his heart.

This was a system reward, after all, and given the system’s usual tendency for extravagance, who could tell what marvelous thing might be inside?

He rubbed his hands together and lifted the lid.

The chest was unremarkable—ordinary bronze, a bit heavy.

With a soft creak, it opened.

Inside, neatly folded, lay a black cloak.

“Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining one ‘Cloak of Concealment’!”

Wang Ran blinked, puzzled.

Cloak of Concealment?

What on earth was that?

He checked its properties, and his face fell.

Cloak of Concealment: No attribute bonuses, no invisibility, but when worn by the host, it hides one’s aura and face. No means can pierce this concealment, except by those at Nascent Soul stage or above.

It seemed a bit lackluster—but, depending on how he used it, perhaps not entirely useless. Though disappointed, Wang Ran tucked it away in his inventory.

A freebie is still a freebie—one can’t be too choosy.

Still, as he lay in bed, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling of dissatisfaction.

Tossing and turning for a while, he abruptly sat up and decided to try drawing a Daoist art once more.

He’d test the system’s lottery rate for high-level arts—perhaps he’d get a pleasant surprise.

The thought quickened his pulse. He opened the draw interface, gritted his teeth, and spent ten Dao Merit Points.

The interface flickered rapidly, his mood rising and falling with each change.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed before his eyes.

“Ding! Congratulations to host Wang Ran for obtaining the six-star art ‘Conqueror's Haki’!”

At that moment, Wang Ran was stunned. Then his heart began to race.

It was... Haki!

And not just any Haki, but the most precious of the three—Conqueror’s!

His breath quickened as he opened the detailed description.

Conqueror’s Haki: Originating from a lesser plane, this supreme martial art exerts force over all living beings with sheer will. It starts weak but grows with the user’s strength. Though classified as a six-star art, its potential rivals even eight-star techniques if wielded well!

As a transmigrator, Wang Ran was no stranger to Haki. Conqueror’s Haki was a miraculous power possessed by one in a million.

Haki was the forging of killing intent, presence, and the will to fight—an invisible force of will, shaped into a weapon, granting immense power.

There were three types: Armament, Observation, and the most potent—Conqueror’s.

The first two were of little use to Wang Ran; with his Diamond Glazed Body, he far surpassed any Armament Haki, and as for Observation Haki—what a joke! In the world of cultivators, a sweep of divine sense saw through all illusions.

Only Conqueror’s Haki had value for him.

Mastering it would let him amplify his presence, overwhelming and even slaying weaker foes with sheer will—a power as wild and dazzling as it was formidable.

Wang Ran did a quick calculation: with his current strength, using Conqueror’s Haki, he could instantly defeat any cultivator below the eighth layer of Qi Condensation.

For those at the eighth layer up to the third layer of Foundation Establishment, the weak might be felled outright, while those with stronger cultivation would at least be left trembling.

As for those above the third layer of Foundation Establishment, it would only serve as a deterrent, unable to cause real harm.

A little underwhelming, perhaps—but undeniably stylish!

Without hesitation, Wang Ran chose to learn it.

This was a combat technique, not one to be practiced as a Life-bound Art, so Wang Ran remained at Peak Qi Condensation.

He instantly felt an intangible force surging through him. The next moment, he looked up with eyes sharp as blades, a chilling aura emanating from him as Conqueror’s Haki swept across the whole back mountain.

With a plop, two birds passing outside his bamboo house were struck dead by the oppressive force, tumbling from the sky into the stream before his door.

“This is outrageous!” Wang Ran stroked his chin, thinking this ability was just too cool.

At that moment, a lively figure came skipping toward his door.

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother, are you in?”

Yan Wanrou, her face beaming, bounded into Wang Ran’s courtyard, waving and calling, “Senior Brother, Xiao Baishi and I came to see you!”

The sudden voice startled Wang Ran from his reverie. As he looked up, he lost control for an instant, and his Conqueror’s Haki spilled out again...

In a flash, the courtyard was swept by an invisible wave of will. Yan Wanrou, caught full force, staggered and fainted dead away.

Wang Ran’s mouth twitched.

Damn!

He’d really overdone it this time.

He rushed over in a few long strides to revive his junior sister, just as another figure entered the courtyard. This newcomer wore blue and white robes, held a folding fan, and exuded scholarly grace. As he entered the bamboo grove and saw the scene before him, he was utterly stunned.

“Wh-what happened to Junior Sister?”

Caught off guard by the newcomer, Wang Ran froze for a moment. But after a heartbeat, he straightened, swept a hand through his long hair with studied nonchalance, and answered with a sigh, “Ah, Junior Sister... was simply struck unconscious—by my devastating handsomeness!”