Seraph was startled by Halo’s outburst, as he had never witnessed it being so fierce.

Keeping his expression calm, he gave Maria a grateful glance and turned away.

Carrying the lunchbox in his hand, Seraph left the farm and made his way back to the disciples residential area.

’You think the food is poisoned? Why?’

Seraph asked cluelessly, staring at the lunchbox in his hand. It looked completely harmless.

After its initial outburst, Halo spoke calmly.

["Although I can’t be exact, I can sense the potent aura of poison emanating from that food. You’ll definitely die if you eat it."]

Narrowing his eyes, Seraph pondered about the situation.

Maria looked harmless, like someone who didn’t even cultivate.

She was always kind, treating the spirit beasts with care. Even the wild ones seemed to like her.

’So what’s wrong? Why would she poison me? Have we met before?’

Seraph wondered, trying to see if he could remember meeting any one like that in the past.

["I also think you haven’t met her before. Perhaps she’s related to the disciple you offended?"]

Seraph hummed, considering the possibility. However, he decided to wait until he got to his room, then examine the package.

Finally arriving at the Mission Hall, he presented a token given to him by the girl, to the the old man.

He examined it slowly with his wrinkled fingers, then nodded.

"Well-done."

The man praised, then handed him a small pouch.

Seraph accepted it, opening it slightly to peek inside. There were eight gold spirit crystals in it, surprising him.

"Gold?"

He had never seen it before. Raising his head, he looked at the man in silence.

Smiling, the old man made a shooing gesture.

"Now, go, go, go. Don’t stand there looking surprised. Simple jobs sometimes pay larger salaries."

Seraph agreed with him, holding the pouch tightly as he left the Mission Hall.

’Wow... I’m really shocked. I’ve never known any other spirit crystal than a silver one. Looks like this is a great haul.’

Smiling widely, he held the pouch in one hand, and the lunchbox in another, then returned to the dormitory.

Turning on the light bulbs, he dropped the pouch on the table, then unfurled the cloth around the lunchbox.

His smile had receded, giving a solemn expression on his face.

Opening the plate, Seraph was hit with the aroma of something delicious.

Stunned, he stared at the full pancakes that were adorned with simple fruit slices.

’This... this is poisonous?’

It really looked like the food made by a good person with an ordinary background. After all, Seraph’s mother had prepared pancakes for him in the past.

["Well...""] Halo hesitated, unsure whether to speak or not.

Seraph sensed this and immediately asked. "What’s wrong? Have you deduced what makes it poisonous?"

Halo remained silent for a few seconds, then answered.

["The food isn’t poisoned. The food is poison itself."]

It said, puzzling the white-haired boy.

"What do you mean? I don’t get it."

Halo sighed and explain. ["I mean poison wasn’t added to the food. It’s just that the food itself is poison—because of its essence."]

Forehead creased, Seraph remained confused. "Essence? I still don’t get it."

Seemingly exasperated, Halo snapped back. ["You clueless kid! What do you know? Tch. Forget I mentioned anything about essence. You see, this food is indeed poison, but not a bad poison."]

Seraph fell silent, not saying a thing. Halo sensed the question in his silence and groaned.

["The only reason why I said it’s not a bad poison is because it has good effects too. Normally, this type of poison cleanses the body and washes away every other toxin in the body. It’s similar to the strengthening and reinforcement pills."]

Seraph’s rainbow eyes lit up.

"Is that so? That’s... wow. But how is it being considered a poison? Shouldn’t it be called an antidote or something?"

After all, all it did was cleanse the body and wash away toxins. Nothing harmful.

["Now here’s the ugly fact. While the poison is in your system, you will experience a harrowing pain. Like a thousand insects crawling across your body. It’s so severe that most people die from the poison. That’s why I won’t recommend you eat it "]

Seraph hummed, contemplating as he stared at the food before him. The aroma was so tempting.

It really didn’t look like poison.

Pursing his lips, Seraph asked. "How do you know that several people have died from eating it before?"

Halo was silent, then replied grimly.

["I do not need to share it with you. Just trust my words and don’t eat tha—HEY!"]

Before it finished speaking, Seraph had taken one pancake and bit on it. The pancake melted softly in his mouth, gifting his tongue the privilege of savoring a sweet taste.

’This is really good.’

He thought, his cheeks bloated as he put the whole piece I’m his mouth, swallowing it little by little.

["You... are you not scared for your life?! Don’t you understand that you can die?!"]

For the first time since his rebirth, Seraph heard Halo’s enraged voice.

He smiled mockingly. "Are you enraged now? That your vessel might die? And that you might fail your mission?"

["You..."] Halo choked, its voice consumed by rage.

Shrugging indifferently, Seraph ate the pancakes one by one. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Don’t blame me. Blame yourself for making me emotionless in my first life. Although I’m a little scared of certain death right now, I’m not afraid by a mere possibility of death."

He grinned, swallowing the last piece of pancake in the plate.

"Do you think I would survive or die from the poison? Let’s see! Let’s watch together!"

The next moment, his face was contorted in agony, and he dropped the plates to the ground.

"Ahh... this..."

He groaned, his eyes shining with pain and madness.

"It’s really just like you spoke of, Halo! Now I’m starting to suspect if you’ve had other hosts before me—arrrrrgggghhhh!"

His confident speech was interrupted by his own scream as he clawed at his chest, falling on his knees and collapsing on the ground.

["You bastard... if you ever die, I will ensure your soul is eternally punished."]

Hearing Halo’s voice again, Seraph chuckled, his body convulsing. He wanted to retort, but he couldn’t.

His body was in harrowing pain. It felt like his body was invaded by hydrochloric acid, burning through his blood vessels and cells.

It was agonizing, itching, and maddening.

He was overwhelmed with the crazy urge to tear up his own flesh and scratch the places where the poison had reached.

Soon, his arms became numb from pain, followed by his legs, and his entire body.

He became paralyzed, unable to even blink.

’Haha... am I actually going to die? No, not to something as weak as this! I want to die in a legendary battle, or in the hands of a loved one, not by a poison.’

His thoughts sharpened, though he didn’t know where the foreign desires came from. Legendary battle? Loved ones? He had never thought about that.

At the same time as his mind sharpened, the poison finally spread to his brain.

Everything turned black, and he fainted.

Hours passed, and when Seraph woke up again, he felt heavy and groggy.

’What the...?’

It was as if he had been drinking all night and had fallen unconscious, now waking up on the floor.

However, after rising to his feet, Seraph felt the heaviness disappear, replaced by a feeling that he was so light he could be blown away by the wind.

’That’s not possible though.’

It was only a feeling, after all. Stretching his arms, he examined himself and noticed something.

"Huh—?"

His spirit essence was purer and denser, and his dantian had grown.

Impossible!

He had miraculously become a Peak Advanced Stage cultivator?!

’Ugh... I must be dreaming.’

Slapping his forehead, he tried to remember why he had fallen unconscious in the first place.

’Wait. The poisonous pancakes...’

He looked to the side, spotting the empty plate beside him. Then, he remembered everything.

A crazy grin appeared on his face, as he turned to look himself in the mirror.

There was no eye-catching change, but his skin looked smoother and lighter.

"Halo, did you say a lot of people died from this poison?"

There was a moment of silence, then a voice answered him. However, it wasn’t the voice he was expecting.

[Halo is offline. Please try again later.]

This voice was truly monotone, containing no emotions at all.

Seraph’s brows furrowed in confusion.

’Offline? This has never happened before. Even when it spent a lot of energy to heal me, it told me it needed some rest. So what happened?’

Puzzled, he tried to dive into his familiar mind space, but couldn’t.

’The heck? I can’t even go there?’

His frown deepened, and he began to make theories about Halo’s sudden absence.

Unfortunately, he lacked enough data about Halo itself. He didn’t know its origins, mission, or even its likes and dislikes.

’Ugh... I didn’t expect that I’d actually be concerned about this guy.’