Finally, Su Ji patiently finished reading half of the "Manual of Longing."
The remaining half was in the Golden Core section, requiring an exorbitant amount of contribution points to exchange…
After all, cultivation techniques were something that came with a heavy price to switch.
As expected, the free stuff turned out to be the most expensive…
Based on what Su Ji could gather so far:
The "Manual of Longing" was a fourth-grade cultivation technique.
Its advantage was that it was extremely easy to learn and offered rapid progress.
But its flaw was equally fatal—cultivating this method required harboring an "obsessive longing" for someone in one's heart.
The deeper the obsession, the faster the cultivation speed.
A former sect leader, finding the method too restrictive, made slight modifications.
Now, the "Manual of Longing" allowed the object of obsession to be non-living.
Whether it was a person, an object, or even a skill—anything worked.
At this point, Su Ji lost interest.
If pressed, he’d say his only "obsession" was his sworn brother.
But the idea of cultivating while fixated on his brother just felt… off.
However, what truly made Su Ji frown was a single line at the end of the technique’s introduction:
"Upon mastery, this method yields a fourth-grade Golden Core."
Fourth-grade Golden Core?
What kind of new measurement was this?
Su Ji’s mind flashed back to the opening passage of the "Manual of the Fallen Dragon’s Desolation."
The "Manual of the Fallen Dragon’s Desolation," upon reaching Foundation Establishment perfection, condensed a "Celestial Palace Golden Core."
Beyond that, it formed a "Fate-Bound Dao Infant."
Finally, it ascended to the "Heavenly Ruins God Incarnation."
One was "fourth-grade."
The other was "Celestial Palace."
The difference was night and day.
Instantly, the "Manual of Longing" became utterly unappealing to Su Ji.
The natives of this world truly had too narrow a perspective.
Wait!
A sudden realization exploded in Su Ji’s mind!
Why was the "Manual of the Fallen Dragon’s Desolation" written in Chinese characters?!
That was why Su Jiu couldn’t understand it.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked, "You can actually cultivate this?"
After all, its contents were ten times easier to grasp than the supposedly beginner-friendly "Manual of Longing."
Did this mean that no one in this world could read Chinese characters?
This discovery made Su Ji’s heart skip a beat.
The greatest cheat in transmigrating to another world wasn’t a system, nor divine favor—it was the simplified Chinese characters learned during compulsory education!
In this world, only he could read Chinese?
The sheer value of this?!
Those who understood would know!
That fat steward had been so desperate to dig out spirit stones precisely because Su Ji had instinctively used this world’s script when forging the manual.
A brand-new path crystallized in Su Ji’s mind.
Forget the Longing Sect, forget their lousy contribution points—they could all go to hell.
Why not search for more treasures left behind by fellow "transmigrators"?
…
Exiting the technique archive.
At the entrance, the drowsy old guardian didn’t even lift his eyelids, muttering vaguely,
"What? Didn’t find anything to your liking?"
"Or… perhaps you’re short on contribution points?"
The old man slowly cracked open one eye, a glint of shrewdness in his murky pupils.
"I lend them here."
"Up to three hundred contribution points, no collateral needed. For a thousand, some paperwork’s required. Anything beyond that, you’ll need something valuable to pawn."
Su Ji paused mid-step.
Right now, all he had was eighteen contribution points and a single Blood-Coagulation Pill—dirt poor.
The old man closed his eye again. "You can head to the personnel hall, fill out a form, get verification from three stewards, a signed seal from an elder, then come back to me. Then you can take your desired technique."
Su Ji: "…"
This vibe…
Yep, spot on, bro.
…
Su Jiu’s courtyard.
When Su Ji reappeared at the gate, displeasure was written all over Su Jiu’s delicate face.
"Didn’t I say we should minimize contact these two days?"
Clearly, she was unhappy with Su Guan’s breach of agreement.
"Something came up."
Su Ji plastered on what he thought was a friendly smile, striding into the courtyard in quick steps.
"Junior Sister, where did you get that cultivation manual you gave me?"
"Got any more?"
Su Jiu’s frown deepened. "No. That was a rubbing of ancient divine script—long lost to time. The complexity of those symbols is terrifying."
"Let me put it this way: even with identical arrangements, those ancient divine scripts can express over a dozen different meanings, some even completely contradictory."
"Nobody can decipher them, even by copying stroke for stroke."
"And with rubbings, slight deviations lead to massive errors."
"You… shouldn’t recklessly practice it."
She paused, her tone laced with something indescribable. "Never mind, just return it to me. I’ll find you a seventh-grade cultivation technique instead."
"It’s not too late to switch."
"Maybe the reason you ended up like this is because you just practiced whatever you got your hands on."
Su Ji countered instead of answering: "Seventh-grade? How are cultivation techniques ranked?"
Su Jiu, bearing the heritage of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, had insights far beyond ordinary cultivators.
"Golden Cores have nine grades, with the first being the lowest and the ninth the pinnacle."
She spoke slowly. "In most sects, producing a fifth-grade Golden Core already qualifies one as a genius. The Longing Sect’s 'Manual of Longing' guarantees at least a fourth-grade Golden Core, making it a top-tier technique in the Great Xia Kingdom."
[Conversation with Su Jiu aligns with aesthetic preferences, triggering romance options.]
[Option 1: "Junior Sister, I’ll be honest—I can read those so-called ancient divine scripts." (Reward: You and Su Jiu invite fatal trouble.)]
[Option 2: "Still, gotta ask—why are you wearing shoes now?" (Triggers special event.)]
[Option 3: Express doubt. "The Longing Sect’s core technique is only fourth-grade. Where’d you get a seventh-grade one?" (Reward: Clue about a Heavenly Dao secret realm.)]
[Permanent Option: …Sacrifice to the Sword! (Current kill count: 0)]
Su Ji: "…"
Option 1 was out of the question even without the warning about fatal consequences.
He wasn’t stupid enough to lay all his cards on the table with Su Jiu.
Bet on her kindness? Please.
As for Option 2—this was the second time it appeared…
Probably tied to something important…
But only one choice at a time.
He’d deal with it next time it popped up.
"Junior Sister, one last question."
"If the Longing Sect’s core technique is only fourth-grade, where did you get a seventh-grade one?"
Su Jiu’s brows knitted tightly. Instinct screamed at her to dodge the question.
This touched on her deepest secrets—absolutely forbidden to outsiders.
Yet, the moment she prepared to refuse, an inexplicable dread surged without warning.
It was as if an unseen gaze pinned her down, warning that terrible consequences would follow rejection.
Why?
Why this illusion of fate gripping her throat?
Su Jiu didn’t understand, but she trusted her Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox instincts.
They’d saved her life countless times in mortal peril.
After a long silence,
She reluctantly forced out a few words.
"Heavenly Dao secret realm."
Su Ji blinked. This term—he knew it all too well.
"Again?"
The last Heavenly Dao Secret Realm was nothing but a blood-soaked battleground where only one could survive.
"It's not the same as last time," Su Jiu said, her voice cool as if she had read his thoughts. "This secret realm is more like a trial, not a slaughter."
She paused, then added, "Tomorrow, at the foot of Longing Gate Mountain, a new Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will open. According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, one of the final rewards is a cultivation manual no lower than seventh-grade."
[Conversation with Su Jiu, meeting aesthetic standards, triggers romance options.]
[Option 1: Press for details, asking Su Jiu why she knows so much about the secret realm. (Reward: Su Jiu’s wariness, favorability -5. Note: Current favorability: 25)]
[Option 2: Get straight to the point and demand Su Jiu’s help in entering the secret realm. (Reward: A disdainful glare from Su Jiu, along with the label of "delusional.")]
[Option 3: Ask if you can enter the secret realm—you’re not the type to freeload. (Reward: Detailed intel on the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, Su Jiu’s favorability +1)]
[Permanent Option: Offer your sword in sacrifice! (Current kill count: 0)]
Was there even a choice? One of the final rewards meant there were other treasures to be had.
As for Option 1? Everyone had their secrets—prying too deep was a surefire way to ruin trust.
Option 2 was just asking for trouble.
His relationship with Su Jiu was nowhere near the point where he could shamelessly demand favors.
"Are there any entry conditions for this secret realm?"
"I’m not the type to freeload. I’ll get the manual myself."
Su Jiu rolled her eyes. Who was the one begging for a manual last time? "Of course there are."
Did Su Ji even feel any shame saying that?
"When the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm opens, you just need to be standing at the right spot."
Su Ji was skeptical. "That simple?"
Su Jiu countered, "It’s not simple at all. You either need an extensive intelligence network or enough 'luck' for it to drop right in your lap."
Su Ji nodded. "Then shall we go together tomorrow?"
Su Jiu refused without hesitation. "No. You’d just slow me down."
"This time, there’s no 'peak condition' rule."
Su Ji pressed further. "Then what’s the rule this time?"
"Probably 'skill'..."
Su Jiu abruptly changed the subject. "But it doesn’t concern you. Just stay put in the sect and wait for me to return."
Su Ji put on a serious face. "Junior Sister, to be honest, the red destiny I obtained from the last Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is related to 'skill.'"
"I need you to help me refine my spear techniques..."
Su Jiu bit her lip lightly, shooting him a look of utter disdain.
"Get lost!"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
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.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
