Chapter 11: Li Yao Mother
The sun was beginning to lower in the horizon, casting long shadows across the dense canopy of the ancient forest. Shafts of light pierced through the leaves, dancing atop the mossy ground like silent spirits. Birds had gone quiet, replaced by the faint hum of spiritual energy still lingering from recent combat.
Meng Hao leaned against a thick, gnarled tree, his breathing steady but his eyes sharp.
Li Yao had just disappeared into the thicket, her figure swallowed by vines and fog as she dashed off to hunt. She needed points. After all, she had been with him since the very moment of teleportation—protecting him, saving him, and sacrificing her own chance to score enough merit to pass the trial. Now, with time running short, she had no choice but to fight alone.
Meng Hao watched her retreating figure until she vanished from sight. A faint breeze carried the scent of her hair and robes away, and the forest slowly returned to stillness.
"...Now’s the time," Meng Hao muttered under his breath, glancing around carefully.
A familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Unclaimed reward detected: 1 month of cultivation. Claim now?]
He hadn’t dared to trigger it earlier. He didn’t know what kind of phenomenon might occur. Would his body radiate spiritual energy? Would he scream from pain or glow like a beacon? Not something he could risk while someone else—especially someone as nosy as a daughter of luck—was present.
But now, alone among trees, with the sky his only witness, Meng Hao smirked. "Claim."
As soon as the word left his lips, a golden translucent panel appeared in front of his eyes.