The princess's voice was sincere.
And she used a tone of persuasion.
Xu Xi thought for a moment and eventually agreed to her request.
The courtyard was spacious, with numerous rooms. It wasn't a problem to accommodate Wu Yingxue, or even two or three more people.
Moreover,
Wu Yingxue's request was simple; she merely wanted a place to rest her head.
"Alright, you can choose any of the remaining vacant rooms, Yingxue."
"You're the best, sir!"
Xu Xi's agreement seemed to make the girl incredibly happy.
The night was deep, the air was cold, but the night during the Spring Festival remained noisy and bustling.
The cold dissipated, and the stillness was buried.
Wu Yingxue, fists on her hips, smiled widely, her smile like the rising sun, full of vigor and warmth.
"Let's go back, shall we?"
Xu Xi glanced at the time.
The clock on the wall, with its hands of varying lengths, slowly twirled and rotated, carrying time toward a more distant future.
Midnight was approaching.
It was the most important moment to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new.
It was also the critical moment to step into the first day of the new year.
Xu Xi planned to take the princess back to the courtyard's living room to celebrate the new year with his sister and the witch.
But as soon as Xu Xi took a step,
He was stopped by the girl.
"Wait, sir!"
"Hmm?"
Xu Xi looked confused as Wu Yingxue ran in front of him and grabbed his wrist.
"Sir, you've always been taking care of me."
"Whether it was before or now, you never changed."
Those clear, water-like eyes gradually curved into crescents, filled with joy and a touch of melancholy. With a gentle tug on Xu Xi's wrist, her delicate hand felt the intertwining of something.
Xu Xi felt something wrap around his wrist, smooth yet slightly cool.
Upon closer inspection,
It was a thin rope, red with a hint of yellow.
Like coagulated blood, or like soil lifted by hand.
Wu Yingxue, rarely so gentle and careful, slowly wove the rope around Xu Xi's wrist.
"Over time, I owe you so much."
"Like the rent in Qingniu Town, you never charged me."
"After leaving Qingniu Town, the two pills that helped me reach the innate realm, and the cultivation technique you created for me."
"So much, I can't even list it all. Even today, you prepared a New Year's gift for me."
"Sir, this isn't right…"
"You're being too kind—it's unfair. I want to give something back too."
As her voice faded,
Wu Yingxue's actions came to a stop.
She stepped back gently, giving Xu Xi enough space to see the red and yellow rope now wrapped around his wrist.
It shimmered with a crystalline glow, as if dotted with twinkling stars.
[Ding Dong—]
[Congratulations, Host! You've acquired the special item: Starlight of Dust]
[Starlight of Dust]
[Item Description]: The dust of the earth becomes stars, forever illuminating those it watches over.
[Item Effects]: Tenfold increase in Qi training efficiency, tenfold increase in martial skill training efficiency, tenfold increase in Qi power, tenfold increase in martial skill power, tenfold increase in inner world rotation speed, tenfold increase in comprehension of principles, tenfold increase in damage to demons, one hundredfold increase in damage to the Azure Dragon clan.
Daily refresh of a Martial Insight, allowing comprehension of heavenly principles regardless of talent or bottlenecks.
Daily refresh of Eternal Qi, granting a massive boost to your Qi and vitality for 24 hours without endangering your life.
Daily refresh of True Martial Body, reducing all attacks by 90%, completely nullifying demonic attacks.
Permanent "Persistence" effect: As long as you have a clear goal and strive towards it, you will progress several times faster.
[Usage Requirements]: The best fool in the world, the one who remembers one thousand three hundred thirty-five stars.
"This…"
Xu Xi was momentarily stunned.
He subconsciously twisted his wrist,
Causing the rope to sway with it.
The sensation was peculiar, like cold blood sliding by, or rough sand rubbing against his skin.
Looking closely with the naked eye, it seemed more like a connection of stars, shimmering with glittering lights.
It was beautiful.
And the effects were powerful.
"I… am I eating soft rice again?" Xu Xi was momentarily dazed, his attention drawn to the usage requirements of the new soft rice.
One thousand three hundred thirty-five. This was the final number the girl had counted while leaning on Xu Xi's back as the Qiuhuo Army stormed the border pass.
Xu Xi hadn't expected,
That the girl still remembered such an old story.
"Sir, do you like it?"
As if finishing a mission, Wu Yingxue's lips curled into a smile, her face looking relaxed.
Her hands overlapped and raised above her, her body slightly leaning back, her waist bending as she stretched.
"This is my carefully prepared New Year's gift. Sir, you can't dislike it."
She said so,
Her eyes widening slightly, as if prohibiting Xu Xi from refusing, threatening to cry and make a fuss if he did.
Xu Xi smiled, he hadn't intended to reject the girl's kindness:
"Thank you, I really like this New Year's gift."
Pausing, he continued: "And thank you for your sentiment, Yingxue."
Receiving Xu Xi's approval, Wu Yingxue was delighted, and even the rope on Xu Xi's wrist seemed to glow with starlight.
It was a condensation of authority.
And a supreme expression of affection.
The insignificant dust on the ground rose to the skies, transformed into stars to illuminate the dark moon, making it shine again.
Subtly,
After putting on this rope, Xu Xi felt himself becoming more like a martial artist.
In every possible sense, from martial cultivation to invincibility, and even unimaginable comprehension, it was all maxed out.
It was almost as if the word [Invincible] was boldly written.
"The rotation speed of my inner world has become noticeably faster."
"During the simulation, I had just newly ascended to the Human Immortal stage, and the world's development was quite limited."
"But now, the world is rapidly improving."
"That's the power of the Starlight of Dust… it seems even cultivation and magic are benefiting from it."
Xu Xi felt the changes in his body, his face showing more astonishment.
The rope given by the princess was not just a matter of tenfold enhancements, as the words suggested.
Multiple layers of multiplication, overlapping systems.
Creating an insurmountable strength.
This was the power of the noble numerical soft rice!
Seeing the familiar Persistence effect, Xu Xi's motivation for training surged endlessly. He inwardly sighed, "I’m too diligent; I’m always thinking about training."
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
