【When I was little, my parents told me that home was a mountain village, where beyond one mountain lay another, with nothing in between.】
【Yet I still wanted to see it for myself.】
【I told myself, it’ll be better when I grow up.】
【When I grow up, I’ll leave these mountains behind.】
【In college, my advisor told me that learning is like climbing mountains—beyond one peak lies another, with no end in sight.】
【Yet I still wanted to see it for myself.】
【I told myself, it’ll be better after graduation.】
【After graduation, I’ll leave these mountains behind.】
【After starting work, my friends told me that life itself is a towering mountain—beyond one hurdle lies another, an endless chain.】
【Yet I still wanted to see it for myself.】
【I asked myself, is it time to leave?】
Before reading, Lin Yu had braced himself for something like a "cold joke compilation."
However.
After finishing, he stood frozen in thought for a long while.
Strictly speaking,
the draft in Lin Yu’s hands wasn’t quite prose.
It leaned more toward modern poetry.
Presumably,
the article meant for Lin Yu tonight wasn’t just this one.
Perhaps due to the late hour, Fang Xinran had shared a freshly written modern poem instead.
How was Lin Yu supposed to critique this?
To call the language exceptionally beautiful or profoundly moving?
It wasn’t quite at that level.
Yet these unadorned words, when read slowly and attentively, did carry weight.
Especially since the author was someone Lin Yu knew in real life.
It inevitably stirred deeper associations.
Lin Yu turned to look at Fang Xinran.
By now,
the familiar information box had appeared beside her.
【Fang Xinran】
【Age: 23】
【%￥&%-@@￥！#……】
【……】
【(Prerequisite task incomplete. Details unavailable.)】
Like the other girls not staying overnight, she was recognized by the system as a fellow sect member.
Perhaps Fang Xinran’s so-called 【prerequisite task】 was simply to seek guidance on her writing.
Lin Yu began by asking:
"Senior Fang, do you often feel…"
"that your current life isn’t what you wanted? Or that it’s not the ‘escape’ you imagined?"
"That the world is vast, and you still want to explore it?"
【Ding!】
【Brilliant move! Accurately deciphering the inner thoughts of the Teleportation Array Attendant has left her deeply moved!】
【Reward: 20 Spirit Stones】
Hearing Lin Yu’s words, Fang Xinran’s eyes lit up.
【Teleportation Array Attendant】!
So this was Fang Xinran’s official sect role.
In other words—free to go wherever she pleased.
It suited her personality perfectly.
With the system already announcing the reward, Lin Yu expected Fang Xinran to eagerly respond.
Yet,
she remained unusually calm, asking:
"Junior Lin, can you… can you really sense that from this poem?"
Perhaps due to the alcohol or her overwhelming emotions,
her voice carried a hint of tremor.
Lin Yu nodded firmly.
"The words have power. The feeling is unmistakable."
"How to describe it… Let me think…"
"Ah!"
"It’s the confusion of our generation—about the world, about life itself."
"You’re probably not the only one wrestling with these questions."
"I haven’t entered society yet, but I’ve also wondered… what’s the meaning of living."
Lin Yu was being honest.
Though such thoughts usually surfaced during… less dignified moments.
Still, having lived two lives, Lin Yu had some perspective.
The idea of "the world is vast, go explore" was somewhat illusory.
Only a select few could truly live that way.
Most people should focus on finding their own light in the world.
Of course,
sharing this with Fang Xinran now would be… less than helpful.
Like trying to convince your younger self to quit skipping class for the arcade—
pointless as a stranger’s advice.
Young people at this stage rarely heed "wise elder" clichés.
If they could, their parents and teachers would’ve gotten through already.
Fang Xinran nodded vigorously—a dozen times at least—murmuring:
"Thank you… really, thank you for understanding…"
"Junior Lin, do you think I should go see the world?"
Lin Yu replied evenly:
"Senior Fang, you’ve experienced more than I have."
"This isn’t something you need my input on."
"When you ask others, haven’t you already decided in your heart?"
Lin Yu wasn’t about to shoulder responsibility for someone else’s life choices.
Fang Xinran clearly wanted validation—
"Yes, go explore!"
From anyone.
But Lin Yu wouldn’t be that person.
Tang Yimian, sensing the tension, interjected gently:
"Xinran… weren’t we discussing feedback on the poem?"
"How did we end up on life directions…"
Fang Xinran snapped back to reality.
"Right, yes! Junior Lin, what flaws do you see in this piece?"
"Please be direct. No need to soften it."
Lin Yu: "……"
It wasn’t that he refused.
He just didn’t know!
Beyond grasping the "endless mountains" metaphor, he had no expertise.
He read more web novels than modern poetry—
he could ramble about those.
But who studied contemporary verse unless they were into literature or grad school?
After deliberation, Lin Yu opted for diplomacy:
"Senior Fang, there’s honestly little to critique."
"Even the word ‘critique’ feels misplaced."
"Modern poetry is about conveying emotion and thought."
"It has no rigid structure or fixed rules."
"If your words resonate with readers, isn’t that good poetry?"
"You’ve already achieved that."
Tang Yimian nodded in agreement.
Her reaction to Fang Xinran’s work mirrored Lin Yu’s—
any attempt at critique would’ve rung hollow.
Fang Xinran suddenly stood, declaring with fervor:
"Junior Lin, thank you. Your words today helped me immensely."
"Are you free this Saturday afternoon? I’d like to invite you and Sister Yimian to the tavern!"
Lin Yu stared at her abrupt energy: "……"
This girl—so unpredictable!
...
(Bonus chapter delivered! Will try to write more tomorrow. Your support through free "power stones" is deeply appreciated!)
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!
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.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
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.”
