Lyn couldn’t afford what he wanted to redeem, so he could only covet it for now.

He forced his gaze away from the misty light clusters and looked at the other displays.

Those racks didn’t seem useful. Nearby, starlight draped over a space like a silent meditation room. Lyn wandered inside twice. He even sat on a stone seat etched with vague demonic runes and let his mind bathe in the starlight. Nothing happened.

He figured it probably needed a meditation method to trigger anything.

With nothing to show for it, Lyn finally set his sights on the ancient Sacred Altar.

Behind the altar stood a stone gate, like a massive stele. That was the seal he needed to open to unlock the next tiers.

On the stele were three seals he knew, clearly for the trials of tiers four, five, and six. All were dim, meaning he didn’t even qualify to activate them.

“So to activate the trials this time, it’s not just about rank. It’s tied to the altar too?”

He hummed under his breath and studied the ancient Sacred Altar closely.

He couldn’t tell the material. It loomed and felt mysterious, wrapped in hazy gray mist.

After a moment, lines of ancient script condensed in the mist. The strange characters quickly turned into words he could understand.

“—Blood to the Blood God. Skulls to the Skull Throne!”

Those few words slammed into his eyes with a savage, domineering will. Under the gray fog, endless visions surged, devouring thought. He saw a tide of corpses and blood, heaps of white bone beneath the altar.

As Lyn’s mind approached, the blood-soaked force pressed on him. His consciousness wasn’t swallowed; his eyes flickered, and he snapped back.

As this hall’s master, Lyn’s will wouldn’t be swayed by anything.

Still, to make him waver even for a moment through that fog, the altar was one hell of a construct.

But how was he supposed to use it?

As he wondered, the mist-text shifted again.

“Please pay Devil King Authority to initiate the offering.”

“Fuck!”

Lyn finally snapped. Anger +1!

Even starting an offering costs money? That’s insane.

Pockets empty, he could only sacrifice the altar’s damn mother—in flawless Chinese.

He circled the place again. Nothing useful. The veins on his forehead started throbbing.

This new area was open for nothing. Everything was paywalled; broke meant unusable. It was way too targeted.

He realized he urgently needed to stock up more NTR and long-ao-tian power-fantasy novels to farm Sin Authority… and the smut. Oh, that he couldn’t just read anymore; he should find a way to destroy it.

Now that he had Xing Luo, it wasn’t like before. If that girl found his stash, who knew what trouble he’d stir up.

He returned to the previous area and checked. No changes in the hall. He closed his eyes and chose to leave.

Chaotic mist surged around him again, like a beast swallowing him whole.

At the same time, Lyn opened his eyes in reality.

Time had still been flowing while he was inside, and the rates were basically in sync.

“Didn’t notice… I was in there for almost half an hour?”

He checked the clock. The hour hand had moved nearly three notches. The time system here wasn’t far from his previous life, so nothing felt off.

He turned back and saw the girl on the bed, lying on her side, curled under the blanket, blinking her golden eyes at him.

“Xing Luo, you’re awake.”

A hint of delight flashed in his eyes. With Xing Luo awake again, he could finally relax.

“Do you feel any discomfort?”

He sat by the bed and gently pinched her soft cheeks.

“Xing Luo is fine now.”

Xing Luo pushed herself up, sat straight, then rubbed her head against Lyn’s chest. “Thanks to Master.”

“If anyone should be thankful, it’s me. If not for you, Xing Luo…”

He paused, then chuckled, shaking his head. “Forget it. With our bond, saying thanks back and forth doesn’t mean much.”

From the moment the contract was signed, their fates were tied for good.

Meeting Lyn’s gentle gaze, Xing Luo hummed hard and smiled. The silver ahoge on her head wobbled. She sniffed his now even-better scent and asked, curious:

“Just now… Master sat there without moving. Were you cultivating?”

“Pretty much.” Lyn didn’t hold back, only glossed over the system he couldn’t explain. “It’s a special secret cultivation. When I’m like that, I can’t sense the outside. Next time, I’ll need you to guard me.”

He usually entered that hall only when absolutely safe. Otherwise, he’d use the convenient control—the system panel.

Lots of functions, like redeeming, took just a single thought.

“Xing Luo understands. Xing Luo will protect Master.” The star-like mark in her eyes flashed with a hint of excitement, then she nodded solemnly.

Lyn reached out and patted her head, feeling again how reliable his Xing Luo was.

She leaned her head into his palm, making it easier for him to pet. This time, when his hand touched, Lyn let out a low “huh?”

He was surprised. His palm felt different. The instant he touched her head, his hand seemed to know, automatically, the exact way to pet Xing Luo for maximum comfort.

“Why do I know this?” Lyn wondered blankly, while his palm moved on its own, like following a handed-down technique. From her soft hair, down along her cheek, scratching lightly to Xing Luo’s smooth, fair chin.

“Mm-hmm~”

Xing Luo’s eyes narrowed in comfort, a soft hum spilling from her lips.

“Quest: Continue petting Xing Luo. Reward: 100 Devil King Authority.”

“Accept quest?”

“Is this a new feature from unlocking the area?”

The system prompt surprised Lyn again, but his eyes soon lit up.

Free quest rewards like this?

Petting Xing Luo? What a beautiful task.