Early the next morning, Qin Xiao brought Yun Man and Lin Shimeng to Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
When the shopkeeper saw it was Qin Xiao, he hurriedly came forward to welcome them, then ushered them into the Heaven No. 1 Private Room.
"We won't order the whole menu this time. Just bring us the last page."
Qin Xiao had already tried the dishes last time and even took some to go, so this time he only ordered a single page.
Although it was just one page, it was the most expensive page-and naturally, the most delicious one.
"Esteemed guests, please wait a moment. I'll go prepare it right away."
Shopkeeper Liu scurried off to make arrangements. The dishes on that single page made up nearly half the cost of the entire menu, worth over forty thousand Spirit Stones, so he was naturally thrilled.
With esteemed guests in the house, the kitchen staff gave it their all. Before long, the dishes were served in full.
"My two disciples, you worked hard yesterday. Eat your fill."
Seeing that everything was on the table, Qin Xiao turned to Yun Man and Lin Shimeng.
"Master, aren't we going to wait for them? We're not waiting?"
Yun Man asked curiously. Wasn't Master supposed to be here waiting to take in disciples? Why were they eating first?
"Never mind them for now. One thing at a time. We'll eat our fill first. Whether they show up is still uncertain, so we might as well enjoy the food."
Qin Xiao wasn't sure if the others would honor the bet, but since the food was already served, filling his stomach came first. An empty mouth was far more distressing than an empty stomach.
They had barely been eating for a moment when a knock sounded at the door.
The person knocking was none other than Luo Yunbing, though she was entirely alone.
"Come in."
Qin Xiao continued eating his spiritual food without stopping.
The door pushed open to reveal only Luo Yunbing. Qin Xiao showed no surprise.
"Qin Xiao, I'm here."
Luo Yunbing was a tangled mess of conflict. She hadn't come after consulting the others; she had made the decision entirely on her own. She wanted to use her own apprenticeship as a bargaining chip to make Qin Xiao let her younger sister go.
After all, if such a matter reached the ears of the sect, punishment was certain. She refused to let her younger sister suffer for it, so she chose to shoulder the burden alone.
No matter what Qin Xiao's true intentions were, she would bear them.
"Just you alone? Sit down. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Join us."
Unsure of her exact motive, Qin Xiao didn't bring up the matter right away, inviting her to eat instead.
"I won't eat. I came today to fulfill our agreement. We lost, and I have come to apprentice under you."
Luo Yunbing said firmly, as if steeling herself against a grim fate.
"Apprenticeship? Why are you the only one?"
Seeing that she brought it up first, Qin Xiao cut straight to the point.
"No matter what your scheme is, my sole condition for apprenticing is that you must not involve my younger sister. As long as you leave her out of it, I will become your disciple."
Luo Yunbing stated her terms.
Truthfully, she wanted nothing to do with this. But since they had lost the wager, honor demanded fulfillment. Once word leaked, it wouldn't merely be a matter of going back on their word-it would directly tarnish the sect's face, drawing endless gossip.
More importantly, Qin Xiao had promised that the apprenticeship would remain a private matter, independent of their respective factions. It was the only viable solution; even if the sect discovered it later, the penalty would remain internal without spreading.
"I won't agree to that demand just yet. Once you successfully become my disciple, I'll give you another chance to raise it. If you still insist then, I'll give you my answer."
Qin Xiao had no intention of letting a disciple slip through his fingers so easily, so he brushed her off for the time being.
"Of course, if you refuse these terms, you are free to leave."
Qin Xiao added casually, ensuring she didn't realize how desperate he was to take her in, lest she try to raise the price on the spot with extra conditions.
"Fine, I agree to apprentice first, but my demand will not change."
Knowing she lacked better options, Luo Yunbing decided to complete the apprenticeship first and press her demands later. Either way, she had to protect her younger sister.
"There's tea right here. We'll keep the ceremony simple. Offer your bow, and once it's done, I'll give you a pleasant surprise."
Qin Xiao gestured toward the teacup on the table.
Without hesitation, Luo Yunbing poured a cup, stepped before Qin Xiao, dropped to one knee, and formally declared her willingness to take him as her master. After a few required formal phrases, Qin Xiao accepted the cup and drained it in a single gulp. The ceremony was complete.
[Host successfully takes in third Heavenly Spirit Root disciple, activates Achievement System.]
[Immortal Comprehension Fruit Tree: Bears fruit once per day. Immortal Comprehension Fruit effect: Increases breakthrough chance by thirty percent upon consumption.]
[Spirit Stone generation increased by one per second, Spirit Liquid generation increased by one per minute, Saint Origin Spirit Fruit generation increased by one per hour.]
As the apprenticeship concluded, a string of system prompts echoed in his mind. Qin Xiao started slightly, realizing he had heard a completely unfamiliar notification chime.
"Rise and sit to the side for a moment. I have some matters to attend to."
With a brief instruction to Luo Yunbing, Qin Xiao slipped into a meditative state and entered the System Space.
He paid little heed to the newly unlocked supplies, his entire focus fixed on discovering what this new Achievement System actually was.
Sure enough, upon entering the System Space, he found a brand-new page labeled Achievement System.
Opening it, he found a detailed description.
[Achievement System: Unlocked after the Host recruits three Heavenly Spirit Root disciples. Currently one pending achievement: with three disciples reached, grants a thousand-fold amplification effect on Spirit Stones.]
A thousand-fold amplification?
Heart racing, Qin Xiao exited the achievement page and hurried over to the Supplies page.
The increase was real. His Spirit Stone generation had jumped to four thousand per second.
"Just this? I thought it unlocked something incredible, but it's just more Spirit Stones."
Though a thousand-fold boost to Spirit Stones was staggering, Qin Xiao couldn't muster much excitement. If only that multiplier applied to Spirit Liquid, or better yet, the spiritual fruits-that would truly be invincible.
Next, he turned his attention to the newly unlocked supply: the Immortal Comprehension Fruit Tree, which yielded a single Immortal Comprehension Fruit daily, granting a boost to breakthrough success rates.
"What on earth is the point of this? I can't even cultivate! What good is a breakthrough chance? Everything this system provides is for the disciples. What about me? I'm the Host!"
Helpless, Qin Xiao could only rage impotently. After all, he had no say in what supplies the system chose to unlock.
Just as he was about to exit the System Space, he paused. Wait... breakthrough chance? The description didn't explicitly restrict it to traditional cultivators; it simply used the word 'breakthrough'. Wouldn't his Body Refinement milestones count as breakthroughs too?
"Ah, whatever. I won't be breaking through anytime soon anyway. When the time comes, I'll just test it out."
Convinced he had spotted a loophole in the system, Qin Xiao didn't dwell on it. He couldn't make use of it right now regardless.
With a basic understanding of his new gains, he withdrew from the System Space.
"Little Bing, now that you're officially my disciple, and both of your Senior Sisters are right here, your master isn't one to be stingy. I won quite a haul of Spirit Stones yesterday, so I've prepared a welcoming gift for each of you."
Seeing Luo Yunbing sitting quietly to the side with a lost expression, Qin Xiao decided to use sheer wealth to win her over. There was nothing in this world that money couldn't solve; if something couldn't be solved, it simply meant the sum wasn't large enough.
With a wave of his hand, he produced three Storage Bags and handed them to his three disciples.
Yun Man accepted hers with a bright smile, while Lin Shimeng snatched hers away instantly, eagerly inspecting the contents.
Luo Yunbing alone remained seated, hesitating to reach out as a wave of internal conflict washed over her.
"Take it. I know what you're thinking-you're worried that accepting my gift will weaken your position when you try to make demands later. Don't worry about that. Have a look inside first."
Sensing her reservations, Qin Xiao offered a reassuring explanation.
That was indeed what Luo Yunbing had been thinking, but hearing Qin Xiao put it so bluntly stirred her curiosity about what he could possibly have given them.
"What-?!"
One peek into the Storage Bag, and Luo Yunbing completely lost her composure.
Looking for more free chapters? Visit www.skynovelvault.com to read over 5,000 free chapters and continue exploring more stories from SkyNovelVault.