The last two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday passed unexpectedly quietly—nothing noteworthy happened.
Zhou Jialu, the senior student, was absorbed in her butler training, while Chen Yusheng was deep in her research work.
As for Su Bai himself, he was "absorbed" in attending classes that required in-person attendance... Well, not exactly absorbed!
He experimentally sat through one lecture, only to realize that the learning outcome paled in comparison to the automatic knowledge absorption granted by the system's "indulgence debuff removal."
In other words, attending lectures might be useful, but it was highly unlikely to be useful.
Time to slack off!
So Su Bai focused on huddling in a corner with his laptop, occasionally discussing next season's anime lineup with Wang Haoran.
Then, on the evening before Mid-Autumn Festival, Su Bai privately messaged both girls, asking if they wanted to stay out tonight.
Both answers were no.
Zhou Jialu explained that her butler training program had arranged a sharing session with a senior butler—a woman with thirty years of experience—at a business hotel near campus. The session would likely run late into the night, so she planned to return straight to her dorm afterward.
She had been unusually diligent these past two days, even more so than when she first started her major courses.
Chen Yusheng's reason, however, was more amusing.
"If I sleep with you tonight, I definitely won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning!"
Clearly, Chen Yusheng still very much enjoyed traveling with Su Bai.
Su Bai thought this was normal—after all, they were still in the honeymoon phase of their newly official relationship—and didn’t dwell on it further.
But Chen Yusheng had her own little concerns.
This trip included Jiang Qiuran, who was as delicate as a porcelain doll, and the Wan sisters—a pair of dangerously alluring, legally petite yet curvaceous twins.
She needed to conserve her energy to face these threats head-on!
From Chen Yusheng’s perspective, these women had no prior connection to Su Bai.
But Su Bai was outstanding, and forming connections with unfamiliar women was all too easy for him!
Su Bai didn’t mind either way. Tonight, he’d just switch things up and game with his dorm buddies.
The Silver Duo strikes again!
Along the way, he also witnessed another live broadcast of the "Local vs. Shanghai Elite" debate.
"Lunch isn’t that important. We’ll be touring the ancient town in the afternoon anyway, so we can just grab something quick at McDonald’s."
"What are you talking about? We’re traveling—of course we should eat something good! I have relatives who run a countryside restaurant there. Authentic Jiangcheng-style home cooking, guaranteed to give everyone a taste of local flavor..."
"Hah, 'Jiangcheng flavor'—sounds like a recipe for stomachaches. What if everyone gets food poisoning and ruins the afternoon plans?"
"Ruining the plans wouldn’t be the end of the world. I booked a specialty homestay with great views. Resting there wouldn’t be so bad..."
The overall itinerary had already been finalized by Xue Tao days ago and shared in the group chat as a document.
Su Bai skimmed through it and had to admit—it wasn’t half bad. At the very least, it was miles better than the PowerPoint Xue Tao had slapped together for their elective course group presentation.
Proof that when it came to impressing girls, the local guy put in real effort.
Group assignments? Not even worth half-hearted participation.
But the finer details of the trip were still up for debate—like what to eat for their first lunch after departure.
Xue Tao insisted on treating everyone to authentic Jiangcheng countryside cuisine, while Chu Mingzhe was firmly against it.
The two had been arguing about this for days, and even on the night before departure, no consensus had been reached.
Su Bai hadn’t been present for their earlier clashes.
Clearly, in the eyes of these two, Wang Haoran wasn’t worth consulting—just a background NPC of a shut-in.
But Su Bai was different. In Xue Tao’s eyes, he was at least a guy who had successfully gotten into a relationship, making him more credible than the average classmate.
"Su Bai, you decide—what should we eat tomorrow for lunch?"
"Me? I’m fine with anything."
"Come on, man, don’t give me that 'anything' crap. This is our first meal after setting off—it’s important! If we screw this up and the three girls end up unhappy, wouldn’t that be a total failure?"
After cycling through envy and resentment toward Su Bai, Xue Tao had since adjusted his mindset.
"He’s just splurging because he suddenly came into some money, using it to chase girls. Once the cash runs dry and Chen Yusheng gets over the novelty, they’ll probably break up soon anyway."
Only a well-rooted local like Xue Tao could sustain a real relationship, after all.
So he shifted his focus to the other three girls in the travel group.
This trip was his chance to leave a good impression.
If he could win over even one of them, he wouldn’t hesitate to dump Liu Yuanyuan for an upgrade.
What was that phrase again? "Striving for better horizons!"
And this countryside meal was Xue Tao’s opportunity to flex his local expertise.
Yet here was Chu Mingzhe, pushing for McDonald’s...
Su Bai thought for a moment and said, "I think the local food sounds more fun—at least it’ll be an experience. If anyone doesn’t like it, they can always go grab McDonald’s separately."
This wasn’t a grade-school field trip.
If someone didn’t like the food, they could figure out their own meal—no need to force fake collectivism.
Chu Mingzhe grew agitated. "No, no—Su Bai, look at the map. That place is way out in the sticks, even more remote than the ancient town we’re visiting later. It’s practically in the mountains. Where would they even find a McDonald’s?"
"Fair point. Then we could just buy some burgers and fries to bring along as backup, in case someone can’t handle the local food."
"Oh, sure, easy for you to say. Who’s gonna foot the bill?" Xue Tao sneered.
Su Bai, mid-invasion of the enemy jungle with Wang Haoran, glanced at Xue Tao with an amused smirk.
"Sure, I’ll handle it. We’ll stop at a McDonald’s on the way out of town, grab some stuff at 10 AM, and I’ll cover it."
"..."
Since buying food for S-tier goddesses with high favorability triggered cashback rewards, Su Bai had no reason to turn down this chance to game the system.
Xue Tao instantly felt stifled.
He’d assumed Su Bai would balk at the expense, never expecting him to agree so readily.
"Damn it, this guy’s gone off the deep end lately. Just how much did he win from that lottery?"
Now Xue Tao just looked stingy in comparison.
"Just to be clear, it’s not like I’m unwilling to pay for McDonald’s—it’s pocket change anyway..."
"Shh, shh—this is a critical teamfight!"
Su Bai cut off Xue Tao’s weak rebuttal and refocused on the game.
Three missed spears later, what was supposed to be a jungle domination turned into a double suicide mission with Wang Haoran.
"Dude, where was your Q just now?" Wang Haoran laughed in exasperation.
"Ugh, what a garbage champion!" Su Bai couldn’t help but laugh at himself too.
Clearly, high-skill champs weren’t meant for low-tier players like him.
Now Chen Yusheng—she could pull it off.
Seeing the two fully engrossed in their League session, Xue Tao opened and closed his mouth before sulking into silence.
Left with no other outlet, he went to vent to Liu Yuanyuan.
But Liu Yuanyuan, busy with who-knows-what, ignored him too.

m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!

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.”

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!

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...