005 Interrogation

  With a casual fliy wrist, I pulled out a pair of plush, cushioned chairs from my Item Box, like a magi produg a rabbit from a hat. I made a point to do it behind my back, letting them appear as if by magic. The way Gu Jie’s eyes widened in shock was holy pretty satisfying.

  After all, who’d waste their time to stuff their ste rings with chairs?

  Yes, I had random furniture in my Item Box. Why? Because ba LLO, I had po sell them for quick cash. The game Lost Legends didn’t care if you stripped a dungeon down to its st crate, barrel, or decorative rug, and I admired that kind of creative freedom. If a chest wasn’t nailed down? Mine. If aire throne room could be looted? Mihe problem was that my PC exploded in my face, and now I was stu this xianxia world with enough furniture to start a small tavern.

  Gu Jie, now fully clothed, meekly lowered herself onto the chair I had basically forced ohe way she sat—stiff aant—made it clear she wasn’t used to fort. I settled into my own chair, exhaling as I leaned back.

  Time for some answers.

  I ced my fiogether, fixing Gu Jie with a ral expression. Poker fagaged.

  "Alright, let’s start with the obvious," I said. "Why turn to banditry?"

  Gu Jie flinched slightly, her hands g into fists on her p. "...I needed resources," she muttered.

  "That’s vague." I tapped my fingers against the armrest. "What kind of resources?"

  "Food. Medie. Qi-nourishing herbs," she listed quietly. "I don’t have a seo es. No patrons. I—" She exhaled through her nose, shoulders sagging. "I don’t have anything."

  I tilted my head. ? No backers? That meant she was a rogue cultivator, someohout the support of a powerful fa. That expined a lot. Most sect-trained cultivators wouldn’t be this malnourished or this desperate.

  "Fine," I said. "What’s your cultivation level?"

  Gu Jie hesitated for half a sed before responding. "Martial-Tempering Realm. First Star, Late-Stage."

  That meant absolutely nothing to me.

  I kept my poker face as I leaned forward slightly. "And that means…?"

  She bli me like I was stupid. "It means I’m in the first major realm of cultivation?"

  "Right. And there are how many realms?"

  Gu Jie frowned, but she answered.

  "There are eleven major realms in total. But I only know the first four. They’re called the Freat Attributes."

  I nodded for her to tinue.

  "At the lowest is the Martial Tempering Realm," she expined. "It’s where the body is strengthened—muscles, bones, stamina, all of it. Most cultivators start here, refining their bodies before they move on to cultivating their minds."

  "?" I prompted.

  "The Mind Enlighte Realm," she said. "Cultivators at this stage develop their mental strength and sharpen their perception. Their senses, intuition, and ability to process qi improve signifitly."

  I barely held back a grimace. The idea of fighting telepaths nitive warriors was… troubling.

  Gu Jie tinued, unaware of my mild existential crisis.

  "Then es the Will Reinfort Realm. This is when a cultivator streheir i, making their teiques more powerful. A person with an indomitable will suppress weaker cultivators just by existihem."

  That sounded like a nightmare to deal with.

  "And the st one you know?"

  "The Spirit Mystery Realm. This is when a cultivator starts f a e with the deeper mysteries of the world. Their qi refines further, and they gain abilities beyond normal prehension. Some say this is where true cultivation begins."

  I let out a slow breath, mentally digesting everything she had just said.

  Each realm, apparently, was divided into ars, which were further categorized into Early-Stage, Mid-Stage, and Late-Stage.

  Let me break that down:1. Martial Tempering Realm → ars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)2. Mind Enlighte Realm → ars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)3. Will Reinfort Realm → ars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)4. Spirit Mystery Realm → ars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)

  And those were just the first four realms out of eleven.

  My lips twitched.

  I barely kept my poker fatact.

  How the hell did arack this? I could already tell that higher realms probably had even more ridiculous subdivisions. At this point, why not just make aire numbered ranking system instead of pying ect-the-dots with Stars and Stages?

  Gu Jie studied me carefully, likely expeg some graion. Instead, I exhaled calmly, schooling my features into the picture of polite i.

  "Alright," I said, voice steady. "That makes sense."

  (It didn’t, but I wasn’t about to admit that.)

  I rubbed my thoughtfully. "So… let’s say I meet someone who’s three Stars higher than me. How much stronger would they be?"

  Gu Jie looked at me like I had asked whether water was wet.

  "That depends," she said carefully. "A three-Star differen the same realm might be manageable. But if they’re in a higher realm entirely, you’d be like an ant trying to fight a mountain."

  I did not like that parison.

  "A me guess," I said, sighing. "There are cultivation geniuses who fight people several realms above them."

  Gu Jie nodded. "It’s rare, but it happens. Some people are born with heaven-defying talent. Others have powerful legacies or rare physiques that give them an edge. Those people… they don’t follow normal logic."

  Of course they don’t. Because this was a xianxia world, and nothing could ever be simple.

  I leaned ba my chair, digesting everything I had learned.

  Cultivation is absurdly plicated.I have no idea what my own "realm" is.Some people straight-up ighis system and break reality anyway.Great. Just great.

  I exhaled slowly, then gave Gu Jie a measured look.

  "Alright," I said. "O question."

  She tensed. "Yes, Senior?"

  "Where’s the best pce to find information on cultivation?"

  Gu Jie hesitated before answering. "...If you want the best resources, the best manuals, the best knowledge—you’ll o go to a major sect, an a , or a powerful city library."

  I hummed. "And in this city?"

  She bit her lip. "The Golden Sun Pavilion. It’s the biggest library in Yellon City. But it’s… not open to just anyone."

  Of course, it wasn’t.

  I sighed, already feeling a headache f.

  "Figures."

  Looks like I had a new destination.

  I leaned forward, studying Gu Jie’s expression as I asked, “What do I o do to ehe Golden Sun Pavilion?”

  Gu Jie hesitated before answering. “You’d he permission of the City Governor.”

  I resisted the urge to groan. Of course, it wouldn’t be simple.

  Going through the City Governor could mean a lot of things—political entas, drawing attention to myself, or worse, getting tangled up with the powerful sects that were apparently gathering iy. I wasn’t sure if that was a risk I was willing to take yet.

  For now, I o uand my own situation first.

  I shifted gears. “Alright. Based on your perception, what cultivation realm do you think I’m at?”

  Gu Jie’s lips pressed together as she studied me as if trying to weigh her words carefully. “Beyond the Fourth Realm, most likely.”

  That was… ing.

  I tapped my fingers against the chair’s armrest. “Use your qi sense—if that’s even a thing—to tell me what realm I’m at.”

  Gu Jie’s brows furrowed. “Senior, why are you asking such bizarre questions?” She hesitated, then tinued, “It’s like you’re testing my knowledge on cultivation.”

  I stayed silent, letting her work through her own thoughts.

  After a pause, she muttered, “Is this because of your movement teique? That must be it…”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Expin.”

  Gu Jie swallowed, then lowered her head slightly, as if she was afraid to say something wrong. “That… step you did earlier, Senior. That was what broke me. I khe moment you moved like that I had no ce against you. I… I sincerely have no idea in what realm you stand, Senior. I only wish to be spared.”

  That was why she was being so submissive. From her perspective, I was a high-level cultivator with unfathomable strength, testing her out of either amusement or hidden i.

  The impression my Fsh Step left was s she‘d rather strip than risk my wrath.

  Gu Jie must have seen a simir teique.

  I stayed silent, keeping my expression unreadable.

  Gu Jie hesitated, then spoke again. “But… your question is strange, Senior. You must be throwing a trick question at me.”

  I raised a brow. “And why’s that?”

  “Because only those in the Sed Realm gain access to something like Qi Sense.”

  I schooled my features, hiding my thoughts behind a brooding expression. That was ued.

  The question about qi sense had been a shot in the dark, but now I had firmation that cultivators had a universal method of deteg power levels. That meant if I met someone more experiehey’d try to sense my qi—and find nothing.

  That alone was bad enough. But in another extreme, they might find something else… Ugh.

  It would be terrible if they detected my mana and decided they o catch me for study. Who knew? Maybe even dissect me. Or worse, maybe they’d think my mana was dirty—some unnatural, forbidden ford they’d kill me on the spot.

  Just as this world funed on the universal stant of qi, the world of Lost Legends funed on mana. If the two weren’t patible, or if I was viewed as something outside the natural order, then I could be irouble.

  I resisted the urge to rub my temples. One wrong move and I could be seen as some freak anomaly.

  No. I couldn’t let that happen.

  For now, I o act like someooo powerful to be questiohat meaing them believe what they wanted.

  I leaned bato my chair, mind already moving ahead. If Fsh Step was something only those of higher cultivation could do, then I could use that as a bluff. It didn’t matter if I actually had qi or not—what mattered was that others believed I did.

  For now, I’d keep Gu Jie’s assumption intact.

  Better yet, I should do my best to stay uhe radar and avoid attrag attention.

  If people started digging into my ins, they might realize something wasn’t right. And if someorong enough actually tested me, they might find nothing—no qi, no cultivation base, just… me.

  That was the REAL worst-case sario.

  Being beled an alien and hunted would be the death of me.

  No, I had to be careful. Careful in what I revealed, careful in how I moved. If I pyed my cards right, I could keep people at arm’s length while still making use of their assumptions.

  “Good answer,” I said at st.

  Gu Jie let out a small breath of relief, clearly thinking she had passed whatever test she imagined I was giving her.

  I looked toward the sky, deep in thought.

  If I wanted real answers… I o get into the Golden Sun Pavilion.

  And for that, I o make a choice.

  But first, I o deal with this bandit.

  I studied her for a moment before asking, “Have you ever harmed another person with ill i?”

  Her eyes flickered in surprise.

  I activated Divine Sense.

  It was one of those skills that felt a little unfair ba LLinally intended as a scouting ability, it doubled as a lie detector when used correctly. The developers had a strange sense of humor, punishing pyers for everything from theft to bad quest choices. This skill was the kind of thing that could make or break iations iais.

  Gu Jie hesitated, then said, “No.”

  My skill firmed the truth.

  I nodded. “Good. You didn’t lie.”

  She flinched.

  That rea was useful. A little fear was healthy—it would keep her ho.

  I leaned forward, fiapping against the armrest of my chair. “Now, tell me your story.”

  Gu Jie swallowed hard. She uood that this was a trial of sorts—a test to determine whether she lived or died.

  Her eyes grew moist.

  And then she spilled everything.

  She had been an orphan, taken as a child by a demonic cultivator. She was raised in a world of shadows, fed a demonic teique that ed her body a sting damage. It was not a choice—it was a sentence.

  Uhis cruel guidance, she climbed to the Third Realm—the Will Reinfort Realm.

  And theole her life force.

  A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she reted how her so-called “master” drained her cultivation, redug her to the First Realm—crippling her progress, leaving her weaker than before.

  She had barely escaped with her life.

  She had been running ever since.

  No wonder she looked so malnourished. The damage wasn’t just starvation—it was deep-rooted, a wound that went beyond the physical.

  Her voice cracked slightly as she finished, “I had no choice… I just o survive.”

  Sileretched between us.

  I stared at her, unreadable.

  Then I sighed, rubbing my temple.

  I tapped my fingers against the armrest of my chair, deep in thought. Gu Jie’s story was one edy, but it wasn’t uhis world was brutal—those with power took what they wanted, and those without suffered. I khat much already.

  In a way, there was a smidgen of truth in tropes.

  I couldn’t ignore her suffering.

  And, holy? I had little opportunity to use my more magical skills, so I might as well take advantage of this ce.

  I leaned forward slightly, exhaling.

  Time to test something.

  Raising my hand, I poi Gu Jie with my index finger.

  “Divine Word: Life.”

  The air trembled as golden energy coalesced around her. Vitality surged from within, her body instinctively reag to the spell.

  Gu Jie gasped as emerald and golden veins spread across her skin, pulsing with raw life energy. Her frame, once malnourished and frail, grew healthier—her cheeks gained color, her body filled out slightly with restored flesh and strength. Even her previously pallid plexion began to glow with newfound vitality.

  The Divine Word series in Lost Legends Online was one of the most powerful siarget magic abilities in the game. Each word was absolute, dictating a fual force that either empowered or crippled.

  Divine Word: Life was a buff spell.

  In game terms, it added a sed health bar on top of the target’s inal one, alongside a powerful regeion effect. It was a skill that could turide of a losing battle—or, in this case, restore a broken person.

  Gu Jie trembled, staring at her hands in disbelief.

  "W-what… what did you just do to me?” Her voice was weak, almost afraid.

  I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I stood up, letting the weight of my as sink in. Then, with a fliy wrist, I vahe chairs bato my Item Box as smoothly as I had jured them.

  I met her wide-eyed gaze and spoke evenly, “This was a on-a-lifetime enter. I pray you’ll live a better life from now on.”

  Gu Jie looked like she didn’t know whether to cry or kowtow.

  Internally, I was kind of pleased with myself.

  Damn, I sound like a fine padin.