The sky that mankind needs to look up to is nothing but strings He casually plucks in His eyes.

If it were just 16 seconds, Liu Yuan might have considered accepting.

But 16.12 seconds was clearly pushing it.

The average person's simple reaction time should be around 0.2 to 0.3 seconds.

If Su Qi had a full set of five-star equipment to enhance his attributes, he could theoretically compress that reaction time to about 0.05 seconds.

Even with a stopwatch in hand, the margin for error would likely be around 80%.

Not to mention, the forced shift in focus meant he couldn’t even glance at the stopwatch—his chances of success probably hovered at a measly 2 or 3 percent.

With odds that low, what difference did it make from just inviting Su Qi to feast his eyes for free?

And then there was the question of whether this upgrade would turn out to be the four-star epic she imagined—or if it might instead become a five-star rare card.

Could she even guarantee that Special Skill ① would also advance to sustain its own energy demands?

What if it didn’t?

Without the strength of the Candle Shadow Realm, how could she possibly use it?

Relying solely on her own talent and effort, reaching the fifth-tier Candle Shadow Realm would likely take until next year’s martial exam.

Given these conditions, her refusal wasn’t impulsive—it was the result of careful deliberation.

……

Watching his sister’s increasingly bizarre behavior, Su Qi turned it over in his mind and could only arrive at one conclusion.

She must be on her period.

Or maybe she’d caught a bad case of chuunibyou.

Either way, it was just a trivial distraction, and Su Qi couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it.

He had serious business to attend to today.

Right now.

He needed to go out.

And hit on a girl no taller than 1.6 meters.

Yes.

You read that right—this was serious business.

Who knew Chinese could be arranged like this?

After all, the past three months hadn’t been a total waste for Su Qi.

If he didn’t have a few self-defense cards up his sleeve, there was no way he’d waste his points crafting cards for others.

He wasn’t some kind of freakish simp, handing out treasures left and right instead of using them himself.

That said, the cards he did have all came with unbearable [Pleasure Modifiers], and the cost of using them gave Su Qi a headache every time.

Currently, Su Qi had four useful cards engraved with his [Stellar Engraving Blade], each carrying negative modifiers:

One cultivation manual—[Heaven as the Forged String]

One passive defense—[Earth as the Sealed Chord]

One single-target burst—[Tide of the Falling Moon]

One AoE clear—[Mountains and Trees, Stars Aflame]

Leaving the latter three aside for now, they were all last-resort measures.

The kind where either the enemy dies, or Su Qi dies of embarrassment.

He’d never use them unless absolutely cornered with no way out.

The so-called trump cards kept for dire emergencies.

No opportunity to deploy them had arisen yet.

[Card Name: Heaven as the Forged String]

[Type: Illusion]

[Rarity: Primordial]

[Energy Level: ? (Tier 1)]

[Description: The sky that mankind gazes upon is but a string for Him to pluck at will.]

[Special Skill: The Pleasing Resonance of Strings]

[Upon activation, the wielder automatically gains access to the strongest known origin-energy absorption technique in human history. In exchange, after each breakthrough, the wielder must complete an ‘amusing’ task as ‘equivalent exchange’ to continue using it.]

Last night—or rather, early this morning—the nine stars circling Su Qi were the manifestation of humanity’s strongest known cultivation method.

Though Su Qi didn’t know its name.

He was pretty sure it wasn’t called Nine Revolutions Stellar Art.

[Candle Shadow · VI · Resonance: Actively approach a girl no taller than 1.6 meters.]

What kind of ‘amusing’ task was this?

What kind of ‘equivalent exchange’?

Su Qi was too exhausted to even complain.

But humanity’s strongest technique was undeniably tempting.

You see, when someone chooses to slack off, there are only two possibilities:

Either they no longer need to put in effort.

Or they believe effort won’t change anything.

Clearly, Su Qi didn’t fall into either category right now.

A quick touch-up.

Metamorphosis!

Let’s go!

……

Su Qi lived in an urban village.

To leave, he had to pass through a secluded alleyway.

The underground drainage system there had been broken for a while, and despite reports, no one had bothered to fix it.

The ground was perpetually covered in murky, stagnant water, emitting a foul stench.

Su Qi frowned and was about to turn back when a faint cough caught his attention.

Following the sound, he spotted an elderly scavenger hunched in a corner, clutching a tattered plastic bag with a few empty bottles inside.

The old man’s clothes were ragged, his face grimy and haggard, as if he hadn’t rested properly in ages.

Su Qi paused.

Standing there, staring at the scavenger, a strange thought crossed his mind.

He hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

Why not interact with the old man and get him to buy breakfast?

Even if the old man refused, Su Qi wouldn’t lose out—he’d earn some [Pleasure] points, and he could always slip the man some cash later as ‘payment’ for playing along.

Theory confirmed. Time for practice.

Su Qi approached. “Excuse me, sir. Could you do me a favor?”

The scavenger reacted slowly, finally lifting his head with a dazed look, his clouded eyes flickering with surprise.

His voice was hoarse. “Young man, what is it? Am I in your way?”

Su Qi spoke earnestly. “Sir, I’m a little hungry. Could you spare some food?”

[Pleasure -1]

Su Qi was baffled. Why -1?

Wasn’t this amusing enough?

The old man blinked, clearly taken aback by the request.

He glanced down at his plastic bag—nothing inside but a few empty bottles.

“I… I don’t have any food,” he admitted awkwardly.

Undeterred, Su Qi pressed on. “Then do you have any money? Even a little would help. I just need enough to buy something to eat.”

The scavenger fell silent for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crumpled wad of small bills—mostly fifty-cent and one-yuan notes.

The largest denomination was a single five-yuan bill.

After a long hesitation, his trembling fingers pulled out three one-yuan notes and handed them to Su Qi.

Then he retracted them and replaced them with the five-yuan bill.

[Radiance +3]

Su Qi’s chest tightened. He almost couldn’t bring himself to take the money, afraid he’d wake up in the middle of the night and slap himself for this.

He’d made sure to tidy up before leaving.

Looking like a mess at home was one thing.

But outside, he had to present himself properly.

At this moment, he was clean and well-dressed—even if his clothes weren’t expensive, they still cost more than the handful of coins the old man was offering.

The scavenger seemed to sense Su Qi’s inner conflict. His wrinkles deepened as he forced a smile. “An old wreck like me has nothing worth scamming. If you’re really hungry, take this and buy something. More than that… I can’t help.”

Su Qi stood silent for a beat before finally accepting the crumpled five-yuan note and vanishing down the alley.

A short while later, the old man noticed a shadow fall over him—a figure idly flipping a coin, its rotations glinting like the fluttering wings of a butterfly stirring fate.

When he looked up, he saw the same young man who’d been “really hungry” moments ago.

Su Qi took a bite of his steamed bun, his face breaking into a casual smile as he handed another bun and a coin to the elderly man. "Prices sure have gone up. I remember these used to cost just one yuan when I was a kid—now it’s two."

His voice was muffled as he chewed. "Old man, I won’t take this for free."

After swallowing, he added, "My name’s Su Qi. If you ever run into something you can’t handle, bring this coin to Back Alley No. 203 and look for me. Doesn’t matter if it’s tomorrow or next year."

"Though it’d be best if you stay safe. Hold onto it for a few years, and you might even sell it for a decent price." The old man took the coin and noticed the scratch marks—a carved character, "Qi."

Kindness can feel so powerless sometimes.

Kindness doesn’t get to choose its fate.

This old man was kind enough, yet here he was—unkempt, destitute, living on the streets.

Meanwhile, the truly ruthless ones? Glowing with health, perched in skyscrapers, towering above the clouds.

What a damnable world.

But then again, this wasn’t Su Qi’s problem to fix. Nor was it his place to intervene.

Next time he saw a scavenger like this on the street, he might just walk past without a second glance.

This little accident today? Just an "equivalent exchange."

For a moment, Su Qi almost understood "His" mindset.

Every life is different. Every chip holds a different value.

Who’s to say what’s worth it and what’s not?

Life should be an open wilderness.

He shouldn’t lose himself chasing power or bargaining chips, mistaking the means for the end.

Would he have done something like this for a scavenger in the past?

The answer was obvious: No.

What difference was there between him now and some attention-seeking clown?

He should’ve made sure his conscience was clear first, then acted freely—not the other way around.

[Brilliance +1]

No one’s born a saint. Mistakes are inevitable on the path of growth. What matters is whether you keep making them.

Current Energy:

[Radiance: 7]

[Brilliance: 1]

[Jubilation: 1601]