"DiDi, congratulations to the host for completing the order, intimacy reached the standard, obtained 2000 points, a total of 3400 points, and 5 spins of the lucky wheel remaining."
Ren Yuanhao coughed, kicked a small stone into the alley, and was about to leave when he suddenly realized a problem.
The small stone did not make a "clatter" sound when it landed on the ground!
He took half a step back, then turned to look into the alley. The light was bright, but the alley seemed a bit strange, as if there was a layer of mist inside.
"What are you looking at? You'll never know what's inside if you don't come in."
A voice, seemingly from a distance, came from within the alley. Ren Yuanhao found it quite strange, but he was brave and skilled enough. He walked in without any hesitation at such a peculiar event.
The alley was deeper than he expected. The further he walked, the dimmer the light became, and the air grew colder and damper. The noisy roar of cars faded into the distance, as if from another world. He didn't even know how long he had walked before he saw an elderly man lying at the end, his clothes tattered.
He lay on a blanket that was almost too clean. Seeing the newcomer, he was too lazy to sit up, adopting an air of arrogance due to his age.
"Hey kid, you're the second guy brave enough to rush in just by hearing my voice."
The old man spoke very casually, as if he wasn't speaking to anyone, just muttering to himself.
"What about the first one?"
Ren Yuanhao was hooked by the old man's words, his curiosity piqued.
"He's dead, of course. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll follow in his footsteps."
Ren Yuanhao suddenly became vigilant. However, the old man exuded no killing intent, and he couldn't even sense any special energy from him. He felt like an ordinary old beggar.
"Don't be nervous. The fact that you could come here means we're fated," the old man slowly turned over and lay on his side on the blanket. "Hey, kid, come here, I'll take your pulse first."
Ren Yuanhao felt no restraint, which stemmed from his powerful strength.
He slowly extended his hand. When the old man placed his hand on his wrist, Ren Yuanhao felt as if a piece of ice had been placed there, chilling him to the bone.
"Three-attribute true qi, Mermaid's Tear, Xuanhuang Pearl. Such a good foundation, but you lack a pure Yang body-protecting technique. Three attributes are already your limit. Moreover, have you noticed recently that when you take a deep breath, your throat suddenly catches, as if someone has suddenly gripped your neck?"
Upon hearing the old man's words, Ren Yuanhao's expression changed drastically.
"How did you know?"
"You find it very strange, right? Not only that, but you have three special abilities in your body. One of them is extremely powerful; I'd guess it's not lower than S-class, right?"
Ren Yuanhao suddenly withdrew his hand and looked at the old man with disbelief. After all, in all this time, he had never met anyone who could see through his background so clearly just by touching his skin!
"Kid, your encounters must be extraordinary, but you must always remember one thing: there's always someone better, and there's always a higher heaven. Don't think you're the only one who has seized all the good fortune in the world."
The old man's pupils suddenly opened wide. His golden pupils shone like dazzling sunlight, forcing Ren Yuanhao to close his eyes!
"I think you're very curious why your eyes turn golden at certain moments, right?"
The old man's eyes half-closed. The golden pupils instantly retracted as if they were never there.
Ren Yuanhao was indeed very curious. Moreover, this change often occurred imperceptibly, perhaps unnoticed even by the system's lady.
"Well, I can tell you that once three true qi of different attributes appear in a person's body, it triggers a bottleneck that mortals cannot surpass. From the perspective of a cultivator, it's a bit like Foundation Establishment."
The old man stroked his white beard, his reclining posture casual and graceful. However, upon hearing about the Foundation Establishment realm, Ren Yuanhao immediately lost confidence.
"Hey, kid, don't underestimate Foundation Establishment. Since ancient times, at least half of all cultivators have been stuck at this 'Foundation Establishment realm.' In ancient times, spiritual energy was abundant, and most cultivators could easily pass the initial stage of Qi Refining. However, a person's comprehension is the key to successfully establishing a foundation. There's a misconception here: it's not that meditating every day will lead you to the method of Foundation Establishment; it also requires destiny."
The old man casually picked up some fine sand scattered on the ground and offered it to Ren Yuanhao, asking, "Now tell me, what do you perceive?"
Ren Yuanhao didn't quite understand the methods of cultivators, so he could only feel the sand with his five senses. "The sand is very cold, semi-fluid, with a faint earthy smell. It makes very small sounds when it flows. When you get sand in your mouth, it constantly rolls around~"
"The five senses are far from enough. In fact, this is the biggest obstacle for most people in crossing from Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment realm."
The old man spoke indirectly, looking at Ren Yuanhao meaningfully.
"You mean, if I don't realize something deeper, I'll be stuck at the level of three qi forever?"
The old man nodded, then shook his head. "It's true that you can't break through the bottleneck. What's more terrifying is that your three qi are not in a state of 'mutual generation.' Therefore, you feel a blockage when you take deep breaths. Of course, your Star Absorbing Technique is not completely mastered, which also exacerbates this blockage. Moreover, this blockage will become more frequent and might trap you in a life-or-death situation."
"Is that why the first person you mentioned who came here is dead?" Ren Yuanhao suddenly realized.
The old man nodded. "That was a very long time ago."
Ren Yuanhao suddenly grinned slyly. "Old man, when you stared at me, you had golden eyes. So, that means you also have three different attributes of true qi in your body!"
"That's right, that's right. That's why I'm planning to live out my days here waiting to die." The old man suddenly took out three books from his bag and spread them out one by one. "Kid, I see you have excellent bones and are a rare martial arts prodigy. I have three secret manuals here. Do you want to buy one? As long as you comprehend them well and live a leisurely and carefree life like me, without being reckless, I guarantee you'll live to my age safely, not die violently like the previous man."
Ren Yuanhao squatted down and looked at the three books. "Nine Yang Divine Skill? Frostbite Technique? Moyin Immeasurable? Sir, are these pirated copies? Look, the last page of the book cover says the price is twenty cents~"
"Go, go, go, what twenty cents? What era is that from? You can't even think about it for less than a hundred thousand. This is the only one in existence. Whoever has the destiny can only take one, no matter how much money they offer. I have my principles."