CSMCDB - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
"Say, System, don't you have something like a backpack?" Wen Yuncheng clutched the huge sum of money, feeling like it was burning a hole in her pocket. She couldn't resist checking on it every three minutes, terrified of losing it.
[Your world has storage rings and storage pouches.] 1947 was a little displeased that its host hadn't followed the script. Still, the host had at least uttered that classic line… The system consoled itself. This kid was different, after all, so if the script went a little off-track, so be it. The engagement was broken anyway, and it wasn't particularly humiliating.
Wen Yuncheng knew the system was probably angry that she hadn't followed its script, so she wasn't bothered by its somewhat cold attitude. Since it was willing to reply, it would probably get over it soon enough. She opened her personal panel. With the 20 EXP she just got, it should be enough for her to level up…
[Host: Wen Yuncheng
Race: Human
Age: 15
Occupation: Mechanical Master
Level: 3
Experience: 15/20
Points: 5]
In that case, does the next level require 40 EXP? Wen Yuncheng wondered as she learned the blueprint for the Mechanical Armguard. A blueprint was just a blueprint, it turned out; she still had to find the materials and assemble it herself.
Unlocking the blueprint activated the "Crafting" template. All Wen Yuncheng had to do was select a blueprint, throw in the chosen materials, and the template would automatically begin crafting. After waiting a while, she could collect the finished parts. Once all the parts were gathered, she just needed to assemble them.
Wen Yuncheng looked at the blueprint and thought, with this in hand, leaving just the assembly to the Mechanical Master… shouldn't be too hard, right? Since it was a mechanical armguard, she would go buy some iron blocks later… no, steel blocks! She was carrying a fortune of one hundred thousand now, so she could afford to use better materials for her equipment.
Steel blocks, a storage ring… Wen Yuncheng thought about it. She also needed to buy a decent set of clothes; now that she had money, she didn't have to wear coarse cloth every day. And then, a good meal!
The food in the System Mall was good, but incredibly expensive. One hundred grams of sugar oranges cost 1 point. Her 4 points weren't even enough for a few bites of orange.
Storage rings weren't particularly rare on the Starry Sky Continent—that is, the ordinary ones. Those with defensive shields or extra-large storage space were still quite uncommon. However, an average family might have a storage ring with one cubic meter of space, which could be bought for just a thousand Star Stones.
Wen Yuncheng browsed through the options, considering herself a new tycoon. She went straight for a storage ring worth ten thousand Star Stones. It had eight cubic meters of storage space and a certain degree of preservation effect. However, it couldn't store living things.
Having dressed plainly for so many years, Wen Yuncheng didn't buy particularly expensive clothes even with her newfound wealth. She picked out a set that cost one hundred and twenty Star Stones, bought a pair of boots for eighty, rounding it out to an even two hundred. She had lunch at a tavern—two vegetable dishes, one meat dish, and a soup—and then bought over eight thousand Star Stones' worth of steel blocks. All told, she had spent roughly nine thousand Star Stones. The balance on her Star Stone card was now around eighty-one thousand.
By the time she returned to the Wen Family, the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect had already left. The clan head didn't summon her for another lecture. Wen Yuncheng went back to her shabby little house, calculating that the family's annual star-level assessment was just over two weeks away.
"System, this level of yours, can they detect it with their tests?"
[Star Apostle 1st Layer.] 1947 replied concisely.
So they could detect it? Wen Yuncheng stroked her chin. If they found out she could cultivate again… she wondered what the clan would think. But she was only at the 1st Layer, so the clan probably wouldn't pay her much attention. After all, she was a full five years behind her peers.
Wen Yuncheng figured that if Wen Ziyu found out, he would definitely send people to cause trouble for her, provoking her constantly to make a fool of her.
[Kid, have some confidence. When it comes to face-slapping, you're a professional!] 1947 couldn't help but say. It was the Long Aotian Growth System; should its host be afraid of challenges? This was a big face just waiting to be slapped! Why hesitate? Go for it! [Anyone who wants to see you humiliated will definitely have 'Disgust' affinity. Don't turn down free points that come knocking on your door.]
That's true…
The next day, however, Wen Yuncheng had other things to worry about. The news of her broken engagement had spread throughout the entire clan, as had the matter of the Star Stone card. Her irresponsible, good-for-nothing parents finally remembered her and came to ask for their share of the money. Thinking that the money was thanks to her late grandfather, Wen Yuncheng gave her parents fifty thousand Star Stones.
After handing over the money, Wen Yuncheng felt a pang of loss.
"Sigh, I barely had time to warm up these overnight riches before half of them vanished in the blink of an eye." Now she only had about thirty-one thousand Star Stones left. The amount had shrunk way too fast.
[Once you're powerful, you can have as many Star Stones as you want. For now, you should focus on EXP and points.]
As it happened, she was blocked on the road by some clan disciples who didn't particularly like her. They were all using the excuse of being "short on cash and wanting to borrow some Star Stones" as a pretext to rob her.
Seeing the guys approach with smiles, Wen Yuncheng threw out an affinity check. No response?
[They just haven't reached the level of 'Disgust.' No points.] 1947 explained considerately. Human emotions were complex, and while the system could measure them, it didn't want its host to live in a world of interpersonal relationships defined by precise numerical values. Thus, it only displayed the three negative tiers: "Disgust," "Hatred," and "Mortal Enemy." As for positive feelings, or negative feelings and indifference that didn't reach the level of disgust, they were outside the scope of measurement.
Wen Yuncheng immediately lost interest. She glanced at the three of them. Weren't they the children of a few of her clan uncles? They were two years younger than her and she didn't know them well. Wen Yuncheng sighed and assumed a fighting stance.
Seeing her posture, the three of them burst into laughter. "You're actually going to fight us?" one said, beckoning to Wen Yuncheng and pointing at his own face with a grin. "Come on, hit me right here!"
Without a word, Wen Yuncheng charged forward. Seeing this, the three also adopted combat stances. When they saw Wen Yuncheng running straight at them, one of them even raised a hand, intending to grab her with a single-handed grip. Wen Yuncheng closed the distance, then used her Topspin Kick skill. Her body dropped low to the ground as her legs swept out in a magnificent spinning kick. When she stood up again, the three were on the ground, clutching their faces and wailing…
System, was I as cool using that skill as the person in the skill demo video?
[…If you were as tall as the person in the video.] 1947 stated bluntly.
Expressionless, Wen Yuncheng patted the dust off her new clothes and headed toward the combat practice room. Those three were weaker than Wen Ziyu; she just needed to show a bit of strength to make them back off. If she had used a Pursuer… Wen Yuncheng wasn't confident she could control the explosion damage, and if they got injured because of it, it would just be more trouble.
The combat room provided by the Wen Family for disciples to spar was a spacious, open-air arena located outside the technique hall. At night, clan members would also sit on the arena to absorb Star Power and cultivate. Here, you could defeat someone fair and square without getting into trouble, even if your opponent was injured. Of course… deliberately inflicting serious harm on a fellow clan member was forbidden.
Before Wen Yuncheng even got close to the combat room, she suddenly heard a "ding" in her mind. She jolted as the system's voice sounded:
[Activating Special Mission: Show Off]
[Mission Requirement: Jump onto the arena and issue a challenge to a clan disciple of the same age! And defeat the challenger.]
[Mission Reward: For each challenger defeated, receive 10 EXP and 2 Points.]
Wen Yuncheng: This is too much.
It was only giving her the mission now that she was here. If she had known, she wouldn't have come. Making her issue a challenge? How shameful and awkward. People would stare at her like she was a monkey.
A million rejections screamed in Wen Yuncheng's heart. But defeating one person would earn her 10 EXP and 2 points. If she fought ten or twenty people, wouldn't she become a Star Practitioner in a single day?
She scanned her surroundings. Everyone present was either her age or younger; none had reached the Star Practitioner realm.
As Wen Yuncheng hesitated, Wen Ziyu walked out of the technique hall, his followers trailing behind him. Wen Yuncheng hadn't seen him, but Wen Ziyu spotted her immediately. He raised an eyebrow and laughed loudly, "Yo, Wen Yuncheng, what brings you here today? Want to look at techniques but too ashamed to go in… Ha, don't tell me you want to fight someone?"
Wen Yuncheng's gaze shifted, and she could almost see two glowing points on Wen Ziyu's face.
"I heard the Flowing Cloud Sect came to break the engagement, tsk tsk tsk… Don't be too sad. After all, you've been a waste for five years. Miss Lin is a rare talent, already a Star Practitioner 2nd Layer at such a young age. You could never hope to reach her level."
"Oh." Wen Yuncheng nodded. Just then, the fight on the stage concluded, and an idea sparked in her mind. She vaulted onto the arena with her hands and, from her high vantage point, pointed down at Wen Ziyu's nose. "Too bad you don't even have an engagement to your name. All you can do is be sour like this."
"Wen Ziyu, if you have the guts, why don't you come up here and have a go?" Wen Yuncheng flashed a smile. "After all, I just so happened to break through to Star Apostle 1st Layer. It seems my talent has returned."
Wen Ziyu's expression instantly turned ugly. He remembered the unheard-of ability Wen Yuncheng had used last time and stared at the beaming girl on the stage, rage boiling in his chest. What did she mean? Just so happened to break through to the 1st Layer? So what? You're five years behind!
He was a Star Apostle 3rd Layer. There was a whole two-layer gap between them! Even if the power difference between Star Apostle layers wasn't huge, a gap was still a gap. Wen Ziyu clenched his fists, then relaxed them, returning a smile of his own. "Of course. Since Yuncheng wants my guidance, how could I refuse?"
"What?"
"Is Wen Yuncheng crazy?"
"Is he still half-asleep?!"
…
The crowd of onlooking clan disciples instantly erupted. Even the clan member who had just won his match and stepped off the stage wore a grim expression. If Wen Yuncheng's challenge was suicidal, then Wen Ziyu actually accepting it was something else entirely.
Guidance… He sighed, turned his back, and walked away from the area, not wanting to watch the upcoming fight.
—Wen Yuncheng is probably in for a hard time.
This was the thought on most people's minds. A Star Apostle 1st Layer against a Star Apostle 3rd Layer? It was insane. Setting aside everything else, Wen Ziyu had five more years of experience using Star Power, not to mention all the technique resources he had access to. Everyone knew that ever since Wen Yuncheng had lost her talent, she had also lost all the resources the family had once poured into her.
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