Traveling Between Two Worlds: From Bread for Maids to Fantasy Overlord

The cheers at the city gate lingered for a long time. The Qin family members surrounded Huang Yiming, making him appear like a star surrounded by the moon as they walked into the fortress. Qin Cang walked on the far left, his posture extremely respectful, occasionally stepping aside to lead the way, afraid of neglecting his savior. Qin Hu's honest face was full of admiration, praising Huang Yiming's abilities incessantly, his mouth never stopping.

Qin Yuling followed beside Huang Yiming, her cool gaze occasionally falling on him. Looking at his nonchalant profile, her heart was filled with doubt. This man clearly showed no spiritual energy fluctuations, yet he possessed magical artifacts that could easily overwhelm cultivators. The refined salt and medicine he casually produced were rare treasures, and even his cultivation techniques were incredibly profound. What was his background? The more she investigated, the more fascinated she became with Huang Yiming, and feelings quietly began to sprout in her heart.

Yang Xiu clung tightly to Huang Yiming's sleeve, her small face filled with pride. Looking up at the young master beside her, she felt he was incredibly tall and imposing. The praise and awe from those around her filled her with immense pride—this was her young master, the one who had rescued her from her suffering and treated her so well.

The group returned to Huang Yiming's courtyard, where Qin Cang ordered a lavish feast to be prepared. The stone table was laden with delicacies, rare fruits, and fine wines—all the finest items from Qin Family Fortress. Qin Cang personally poured wine for Huang Yiming, his tone sincere: "Mr. Huang, if it weren't for you today, Qin Family Fortress would have long been reduced to ruins. The entire Qin family will never forget this great kindness. From this day forward, you are an honored guest of Qin Family Fortress. You are free to use the resources within the fortress, and the Qin family will never refuse your request!"

Huang Yiming picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and said calmly, "Lord of the Fortress, there's no need to be so polite. I'm temporarily residing in Qin Family Fortress, and protecting the fortress is only my duty." His tone was calm, but it made Qin Cang respect him even more. He felt that this master was not only powerful but also indifferent to fame and fortune and of noble character.

"Young Master, you were amazing just now!" Yang Xiu whispered to Huang Yiming, her eyes crinkling into crescents and her face beaming with smiles. "Those wicked cultivators were so scared they almost cried when they saw your magic weapon!"

Huang Yiming gently patted her head and said softly with a smile, "With Young Master here, no one will dare to bully Xiuxiu." His gentle tone was completely different from his cold demeanor just now. This unique gentleness made Yang Xiu's cheeks flush, and she lowered her head shyly, feeling sweet inside.

This scene caught Qin Yuling's eye. Her fingers tightened slightly around her wine glass, and a fleeting, almost imperceptible hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes before she regained her cool composure. She raised her glass and nodded slightly to Huang Yiming: "Mr. Huang, thank you for your help today. I apologize for my earlier rudeness."

"Miss Qin, you're too kind," Huang Yiming replied casually, without exchanging any further pleasantries.

During the banquet, Qin Cang kept asking Huang Yiming if he needed cultivation resources, spiritual herbs, or scriptures, as if he wanted to offer the entire Qin Family Fortress to him. Huang Yiming didn't stand on ceremony and selected a few basic cultivation scriptures and a few low-grade spiritual herbs—although he had firearms at his side, in this fantasy world, his own cultivation strength was fundamental and he had to improve it as soon as possible.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the task [Gaining the Trust of Qin Family Fortress]. Task rewards have been issued: Spiritual Root Activation Fragment x1, storage space expanded to 30 cubic meters! You have now collected all the Spiritual Root Activation Fragments and can activate your pseudo-spiritual root at any time, stepping into the threshold of cultivation.]

The system notification made Huang Yiming overjoyed; he had finally collected all the spiritual root activation fragments! As long as he activated the pseudo-spiritual root, he could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, truly become a cultivator, and no longer rely solely on firearms.

Halfway through the banquet, Qin Cang suddenly stood up, bowed deeply to Huang Yiming, and said solemnly, "Mr. Huang, the Black Stone Sect Master is a cultivator at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage, and his strength is formidable. Since his disciples suffered this setback, he will surely lead his troops here personally for revenge. Qin Family Fortress is weak and may not be able to withstand him. I implore you, sir, to offer guidance and save Qin Family Fortress!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Hu and Qin Yuling stood up, looking at Huang Yiming with worried expressions. The hearts of everyone in the Qin family were in their throats—the Black Stone Sect Master's reputation was known to everyone in the surrounding area, and if he came, Qin Family Fortress would have no power to fight back.

Huang Yiming put down his wine glass, his expression calm, his gaze sweeping firmly over the crowd, his tone domineering and imposing: "Rest assured, everyone, with me here, the Black Stone Sect will never be able to raze Qin Family Fortress to the ground. Anyone who dares to invade will be ensured a swift and decisive victory!"

A simple sentence, yet brimming with confidence, instantly calmed everyone's panicked hearts. Looking into Huang Yiming's resolute eyes, Qin Cang and the others gradually relaxed, as if with him by their side, even the greatest crisis could be resolved.

"Sir, you're so awesome!" Qin Hu couldn't help but shout his approval, his honest face full of excitement.

Looking at Huang Yiming's domineering demeanor, Qin Yuling felt a flicker of admiration in her usually cool eyes, her cheeks flushing slightly as her feelings for him intensified. Yang Xiu gripped Huang Yiming's hand tightly, her gaze resolute: "Xiuxiu will stand by you, young master, and fight against the bad guys!"

Huang Yiming looked at everyone and slowly said, "The Black Stone Sect's retaliation is only a matter of time. We cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom. Next, Lord Qin will arrange for people to reinforce the city's defenses and stockpile food; Miss Qin will train her guards and improve their combat capabilities; I will improve my strength as soon as possible and make preparations for war."

He arranged everything methodically and with an imposing presence, clearly becoming the backbone of Qin Family Fortress. Qin Cang offered no objections, nodding repeatedly, "I will follow your arrangements, sir!"

As night deepened and the banquet ended, the courtyard returned to silence. Huang Yiming sat on a stone bench, clutching the collected spiritual root activation fragments in his palm, his eyes gleaming. He took a deep breath, preparing to go into seclusion to activate his pseudo-spiritual root and embark on the path of cultivation. Yang Xiu obediently guarded the courtyard gate, preventing anyone from disturbing him; Qin Yuling had also specially arranged guards to ensure his safety during his seclusion.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a hundred miles away in the Black Stone Sect, the sect leader, upon seeing his two injured disciples and hearing the whole story, turned ashen-faced. His spiritual energy surged, and he roared, "How dare these mere mortals provoke my Black Stone Sect! Issue the order: gather all disciples, and in three days, raze Qin Family Fortress to the ground, capture Huang Yiming alive, and seize his treasures!"

The Black Stone Sect Master slammed his palm down, shattering the table and sending shards of stone flying. His eyes were filled with greed and rage: "A magical artifact capable of breaking through Qi-refining spells must be an ancient treasure! With this, my cultivation will surely break through its shackles!" He immediately ordered his disciples to prepare talismans and pills, and personally led a team to set off under cover of night, completely disregarding Qin Family Fortress and Huang Yiming, regarding them merely as nouveau riche mortals who had found a treasure. Meanwhile, in the Qin Family Fortress courtyard, Huang Yiming caressed the fragment that activated his spiritual root, the preparation prompts on the system panel flashing incessantly—he knew that the battle three days later was the key to his reversal of fate and the path to godhood, a life-or-death struggle to protect Yang Xiu and establish a firm foothold.