"Little Yu, now... that girl must believe we're a couple, right?"
"Ha, we played the part of lovebirds pretty well, didn't we?"
Given Mao Ruirui's emotional intelligence, she couldn't think of a better way to phrase it.
She said this purely to spare Lin Yu the awkwardness of not knowing how to react.
It was also her way of giving the impulsive young man plenty of leeway.
Unexpectedly.
This lifeline landed right in the depths of Lin Yu's heart.
Lin Yu looked at Mao Ruirui with a stunned expression.
He froze for a few seconds.
Then, lowering his head dejectedly, he murmured:
"Yeah... yeah, I guess we fooled her..."
"Seems like I still..."
At this point.
Lin Yu deliberately paused, leaving an unspoken ellipsis for the regret in his heart.
Mao Ruirui’s heart suddenly clenched: "!!!"
From Lin Yu's reaction, she realized she’d said the wrong thing!
How could she be so dense...
Little Yu must have been serious just now, right?
He was trying to express his feelings through action.
A guy his age would only act on impulse for a girl he really liked!
And yet she’d said something like that...
Dismissing all of Little Yu’s actions as just "helping out" or "playing pretend lovers."
No wonder he was upset!
Mao Ruirui visibly panicked.
She had to clear things up.
She couldn’t let Little Yu think this was just some casual favor.
She... she was serious too!
Mao Ruirui: "Little Yu, I just—"
Lin Yu: "Ruirui-jie, let’s keep running."
Not giving Mao Ruirui a chance to explain.
Lin Yu stood up straight and issued his "command."
Being too eager to show all his cards wasn’t a good thing.
Sometimes, leaving things hanging worked better than rushing into a relationship.
After all, he’d already made his feelings clear through action.
Letting Mao Ruirui nurse a little guilt.
Would only make her easier to handle later.
As usual, Mao Ruirui couldn’t "defy" Lin Yu.
She could only suppress her guilt for now and focus on finishing their morning jog.
She’d find another time to explain things properly to Little Yu.
But how should she explain...
Admit she wasn’t just pretending but had genuinely lost herself in that kiss?
How embarrassing!
Even if she wanted to explain, it wasn’t easy to put into words!
......
In the time that followed.
The two continued their morning run, each lost in their own thoughts.
Mao Ruirui’s mind was entirely occupied by what had just happened.
Between savoring the memory and scolding herself for failing to respond properly.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu.
Was busy preparing for the routines of a brand-new day.
A lottery draw and some shopping!
He opened the familiar system interface:
[Sect Contribution: 1280]
[Spirit Stones: 4950]
[Free Draw Attempts: 2]
Today’s sect contribution and spirit stones showed little change from yesterday, with only a slight increase.
Nowadays, Lin Yu had numerous skills at his disposal.
Plus, he had backup antiques ready to cover any financial needs.
Food, drinks, daily expenses—he lacked nothing.
Refreshing the lottery a few times a day and saving up spirit stones to buy novelties had become his greatest joy.
With sect contributions and free draws combined, he had eight attempts in total.
Lin Yu input the number into the virtual wheel and quietly waited for the results.
[Void Formation Talisman ×3]
[Ghost Hand Talisman ×2]
[Red Canopy Dragon-Tiger Pill ×1]
[Mundane Worldly Item ×1]
Out of the seven draws, the prizes were all familiar items.
Lin Yu was especially pleased with the three [Void Formation Talismans].
Back at the Shen family’s old residence, he’d already experienced the power of the Void Formation firsthand.
With it, he essentially had an ultra-fast computer no one else knew about!
Any unexpected situations could be handled anytime, anywhere!
Aside from these rewards.
Lin Yu turned his attention to a newly acquired skill.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the secret technique: Extreme Dao Heavenly Formation!]
[Description: "Awakened by the abyss of ten trillion rays, quantum soul-fire etches the steles. This formation belongs only to the scrolls of the stars—mortals need not ask its secrets."]
The moment the skill merged with him.
Lin Yu instantly grasped its nature from the cryptic description.
A formation ability!
Translated into reality, it meant computer skills.
A network technology surpassing even the [Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellations Formation] and [Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Formation]!
Previously, after assimilating the combined skills of Maomao and Ying’er.
And with all his various buffs.
Lin Yu’s computer skills had already far surpassed both girls.
Now, with the Extreme Dao Heavenly Formation in hand.
"Surpass" felt like an understatement.
Even if the legendary Aunt Ruxue were to face him.
Lin Yu dared to declare she’d be no match!
His confidence wasn’t in his own abilities but in the system’s power.
With this skill now his.
Lin Yu almost wished Aunt Ruxue would show up sooner.
Just to see what kind of figure she really was!
With the lottery concluded, Lin Yu opened the system shop.
Checking if there was anything worth buying today.
Yesterday’s spirit stones had all gone into new talismans.
Today’s talisman section had nothing fresh to offer.
Another [Void Formation Talisman] had restocked.
But with four already in storage.
He wasn’t in urgent need of more.
Better to save his spirit stones for something truly worthwhile!
Today’s shop, however, wasn’t completely devoid of treasures.
[—Indoor Equipment—]
[(Mermaid Attire) Price: 3000]
[(Spring Canopy for the Wilds) Price: 4000]
[Available Spirit Stones: 4950]
Lin Yu still had one "X-clan attire" in his inventory.
But the right occasion for it hadn’t come up yet.
The name [Spring Canopy for the Wilds] was oddly contradictory.
Logically speaking.
Items under "Indoor Equipment" were explicitly meant for room use only.
Yet "for the Wilds" clearly implied the outdoors.
Wasn’t that a conflict?
The more contradictory it seemed, the more Lin Yu wanted to try it!
Fortunately, his current spirit stone reserves were just enough—otherwise, he’d be scratching his head in frustration.
Daily life demanded as many spirit stones as possible.
[Ding! Purchase successful: Spring Canopy for the Wilds...]
[Spring Canopy for the Wilds (Room-use only, Dao Partner required)]
[Description: "The canopy gathers mist where cranes alight; gauzy veils half-shroud the moon’s pale light. Not for hiding golden valley’s fair guest—once it waited by Blue Bridge for jade’s behest."]
The poetic description was beautiful.
But Lin Yu gleaned almost no practical information from it!
Seemed like mere observation wouldn’t reveal its purpose.
Only by finding a Dao partner and testing it in a room could he uncover its effects!
......
Beside him, Mao Ruirui only saw Lin Yu’s silence.
Unaware of all the scheming happening behind the scenes.
After wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, she finally settled on an explanation that didn’t sound too awkward.
As they slowed at a turn.
Mao Ruirui spoke up again: "Little Yu, I—"
Lin Yu: "Ruirui-jie, what time are we heading to Xiaoxiao’s place this morning? I don’t think we ever settled on that."
Once again, her carefully prepared words were cut off.
Did she really think turning the tables would be that easy?
Lin Yu wasn’t about to let that happen.
......
(Here's an extra update for today. I'll keep working hard tomorrow. I sincerely hope you all can spare some time to watch an ad or two to support this little author.)
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.”
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
