let's loot

mukko

"Did I just soul-jump?" Chen Xun muttered to himself as he woke up on a pile of straw.

Moments before, he'd met an untimely end thanks to a small cauldron he'd stumbled upon, and now here he was, waking up somewhere entirely new.

Just as he was piecing this together, a voice echoed in his mind: "Sacred Cauldron of Insight activated. Bestowing the host with the 'Fusion Art.'"

Chen Xun’s heart skipped a beat as he noticed a miniature version of that very cauldron from his previous world now floating in his mind, radiating with an odd, mystical aura.

He glanced around, squinting through a hole in the wall, and saw people milling about outside. Above each person’s head, the words "Mortal Being" hovered mysteriously.

"Mortals? Don’t tell me… did I end up in a world of cultivation?" Chen Xun gasped, unable to believe his luck… or misfortune.

*Crunch*—the door creaked open. Chen Xun turned and found a scruffy little girl peering in.

At that instant, a rush of memories flooded his brain. Painful but clear—this little girl was Chen Miao, his adopted sister in this new life. As it turned out, her “brother” had fallen ill, prompting her to set out on a desperate search for medicine. But she hadn’t returned in time; the previous "him" had already died, making way for Chen Xun’s arrival.

“Brother, I brought medicine!” she said in a tired, weak voice.

Chen Xun moved closer, a pang of tenderness hitting him. “Silly girl, your brother’s fine now!”

"Brother, please take the medicine. Don’t worry—Miao Miao bought the cheap kind!" she replied, her eyes full of concern.

Chen Xun patted her head. “See? Your brother’s as good as new! From now on, I’ll make sure we live a good life!”

Chen Miao’s eyes sparkled, her trust plain on her face. “Miao Miao believes in you, Brother!”

Just as the touching moment settled, a sharp voice cut through the air. “Sir, this is the girl who bought medicine!”

The next second, a figure burst into the room and kicked Chen Xun backward.

A few ragged villagers appeared at the door, dragging little Chen Miao in front of him. From the memories of his body’s previous owner, Chen Xun recognized these were the so-called “neighbors,” people the original Chen Xun had often helped.

“Honored sir, we heard you were looking for a girl, so we kindly brought her here!” one of the men said, clearly hoping to curry favor.

Seeing this, Chen Xun’s rage boiled over. He lunged at the men—but his scrawny, just-reincarnated self was no match for them. They had him subdued in seconds.

Then, a man with a fierce, noble aura stepped forward with a sly smile. “How dare you commoners snatch a girl like this in broad daylight! The penalty is death!”

In an instant, this “Manager Liu” blurred forward with inhuman speed, dispatching the villagers with ruthless precision. As blood splattered on Chen Xun’s face, he spotted glowing words over Manager Liu’s head: *Cultivator, Body Refinement Stage Five.*

Chen Xun’s face hardened. Clearly, life here held little regard for the value of a person.

Manager Liu’s gaze slid over to Chen Miao, then he sneered, “Is this girl your sister?”

“Actually,” Chen Xun said, improvising, “she’s my… my betrothed.”

“Hah!” scoffed Manager Liu. “Well, consider yourself informed: this girl now belongs to me.”

“Wait, sir, this isn’t—” Chen Xun began, but was silenced with a slap that sent him sprawling.

“Any objections now?” Manager Liu sneered.

“Stop! Don’t hurt him—I’ll go with you,” Chen Miao choked, stepping in front of Chen Xun to shield him.

With a smug wave, Manager Liu and his entourage took off, Chen Miao in tow.

Chen Xun clenched his fists, feeling the sting of helplessness as he watched them disappear. Just then, the cauldron’s voice rang out again: “The skills and combat experience of others are yours to copy.”

Chen Xun’s eyes flew open, blazing with renewed purpose. “Cauldron, is there a way I can reach Body Refinement Stage Five in just fifteen days?”

“Fusion Art is already within you,” the cauldron’s voice replied. “Body Refinement Stage Five is no obstacle.”

With a surge of energy, Chen Xun’s body filled with newfound strength as a strange technique began circulating through him. Even the faint spiritual energy in the air began flooding toward him.

After just half an hour, he felt his power double—Body Refinement Stage One was now his.

“This is easier than I thought! I need a spot with stronger spiritual energy so I can keep cultivating. Just hold on, Miao Miao—I’m coming for you!”

With his mind set, he headed toward the nearest town, Qingyang City. Upon reaching the gate, Chen Xun found himself halted by two guards, each labeled with *Body Refinement Stage Three.*

“Where’d you crawl out of, beggar?” one guard sneered, eyeing Chen Xun’s ragged clothes.

“I am Chen Xun, a humble cultivator,” he declared, quickly releasing a hint of his aura.

Startled by his aura, the guards stepped aside, letting him pass. Once inside, he followed his predecessor’s memories to the city's famed dueling arena. Without any spirit stones to enter, he clambered onto a nearby rooftop to watch.

Below, a burly man at Body Refinement Stage Two was locked in combat with a beast that was nearly at the First Spirit Stage.

As the battle raged, Chen Xun’s cauldron hummed, and suddenly he knew the man's techniques inside and out. Even the man’s combat instincts imprinted themselves in Chen Xun's mind.

His spirits soared—just by watching, he was gaining valuable experience. For an entire day, he absorbed move after move, technique after technique.

Finally, the cauldron’s voice echoed, “These small-time skills are nothing compared to reaching higher cultivation. Focus on advancing yourself!”

Reluctantly, Chen Xun climbed down and found a quiet corner to cultivate, drawing in spiritual energy as he practiced. In just one night, he crossed into Body Refinement Stage Three, thanks to the cauldron’s help.

At dawn, he stumbled upon a quiet alley where two young nobles were tossing a plainly dressed girl to the ground.