An Exceptionally Generous Reward
Lu Yang sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, took a deep breath, and calmed his mind.
Claim the reward!
[The host has successfully added Lin Ying's contact information. Rewards: Beauty Module unlocked, 500 low-grade Spirit Stones, Black Silkworm Silk Stockings ×1!]
Lu Yang's eyes widened at once.
Three whole rewards!
He had even unlocked an entirely new function module!
The haul was far more generous than he had expected.
The five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones needed no further mention; they went straight into his Storage Bag.
Along with the sum the system had rewarded him during dinner, he now had more than twelve hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. His wealth was back in the four figures, and his confidence instantly returned.
He planned to hold on to the Spirit Stones for now and decide what to do once he had saved more than fifteen hundred.
His spending progress at the talisman shop was still there, and adding these would be just enough to meet the requirements for Tycoon's Confidence's next upgrade. When the time came, his earnings would double again.
Lu Yang turned his attention to the Beauty Module.
The new module had quietly loaded onto the panel.
[Beauty: Lin Ying (Affection: 62)] (As an urban tycoon, having beauties by your side is all in a day's work. The higher their affection, the more detailed their information!)
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow and mentally clicked on it.
[Lin Ying: Late Qi Refining, peak first-rank Alchemist]
There wasn't much information about Lin Ying.
According to the module's explanation, the level of detail depended on her affection.
Lu Yang wasn't in a hurry. He opened the detailed explanation of affection.
[Affection: Special rewards can be obtained when a beauty's affection reaches 60, 80, and 100 points. At 100 affection, the Beauty Cultivation function can be unlocked. Cultivating beauties can yield special rewards.] (How could an urban tycoon's beauties be nothing more than ornamental vases?)
Lu Yang read the line twice, his expression growing somewhat complicated.
Good grief, this Beauty Module has a lot more to it than I imagined.
Not only were there milestone rewards for raising affection, but once affection was maxed out, he could keep earning rewards by cultivating beauties?
"But... cultivating beauties?" The corner of Lu Yang's mouth twitched. "Isn't that just a raising game?"
He stared speechlessly at the solemn explanation on the panel, then shook his head.
Forget it.
The stupid system was already this warped. What else could he do?
As long as there were rewards, who cared what form they took?
He continued reading.
The system's explanation was clear: sixty affection points meant a friend he could open his heart to.
That meant Lin Ying really did regard him as a friend she could trust.
Eighty points meant lovers... No, in the cultivation world, they were called "dao companions."
And a hundred points meant a bond that would hold through life and death.
The system only unlocked the Beauty Cultivation function when affection was maxed out, presumably because a bond that held through life and death was strong enough.
Lu Yang explored the entire Beauty Module thoroughly, and finally had a clear picture of it.
His gaze naturally fell on Lin Ying's affection bar.
At the sixty-point mark, a treasure chest icon lay there quietly, glowing faintly.
This was the milestone reward for 60 affection points.
Without hesitation, he clicked to claim it.
[Beauty (Lin Ying)'s affection has reached 60 points. The host has obtained: Low-Level Rebate Card ×1, Cultivation Method experience +500, Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe ×1]
Lu Yang's breath caught.
The three items appeared before his eyes in turn, each one setting his heart racing.
A Low-Level Rebate Card!
He had actually gotten another one!
He had experienced the power of a Low-Level Rebate Card firsthand.
He had poured in more than three hundred Spirit Stones and gotten back over twelve hundred.
And his capital was far greater now than it had been during the day.
With this Rebate Card, the returns would be even more terrifying!
He took a deep breath and, with some effort, suppressed his surging elation before looking at the second reward.
Cultivation Method experience +500.
Lu Yang's heart skipped another beat, and a glimmer of heat appeared in his eyes.
Cultivation Method experience—could it be used to raise a Cultivation Method's level directly?
His gaze immediately fell on the skill column.
"Heavy Sword Instruction" Level 2 (32/200)
The experience bar had originally held only eleven points, but since his intelligence had increased, his comprehension had improved with it. Combined with his cultivation over the past two days, he had managed to gain another twenty-one experience points.
But that wasn't the point.
With a thought, Lu Yang issued a command.
Use Cultivation Method experience!
The next moment, the Heavy Sword Instruction's experience bar surged!
Like a dam holding back floodwaters bursting open with a roar, a vast torrent of complex insights poured into his sea of consciousness.
He could clearly feel his understanding of the Heavy Sword Instruction climbing at an incredible speed!
The once-obscure essentials of the sword art seemed to be stripped away like layers of bamboo shoot husk, revealing a lucid True Intention.
At last, the torrent of insight gradually subsided, and the words on the screen quietly refreshed.
"Heavy Sword Instruction" Level 4 (32/400)
Hiss...
Lu Yang drew a sharp breath.
He had jumped straight from level two to level four!
He slowly clenched his fists, feeling every strand of Spiritual Qi in his body circulate through his meridians more smoothly. The Heavy Sword Instruction's circulation method was as clear in his mind as if it had been carved there.
His cultivation speed now was definitely far greater than before!
Lu Yang calmed himself and turned to the last reward.
[Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe (Supreme-grade Law Artifact)]: Wearing this robe calms the mind, improves alchemy insight, and increases the success rate of pill refinement.
A supreme-grade Law Artifact!
Lu Yang felt his heart skip a beat.
Supreme-grade Law Artifacts were exceedingly rare!
Even in the sect's market, high-grade artifacts were already the highest on offer. Supreme-grade Law Artifacts were never put up for sale in ordinary shops.
Such things were either pocketed by the sect's upper echelons or sent to an auction house, where they fetched sky-high prices ordinary disciples could only watch recede in the dust.
And he had been given one as a reward!
He studied the robe's attributes carefully, and the excitement in his eyes immediately vanished.
The robe was indeed precious—but the problem was that it was best suited to an Alchemist.
For him, aside from the calming effect being of some use during cultivation, the improved alchemy insight and increased pill-refinement success rate were completely useless.
He didn't know alchemy, nor did he plan to learn it anytime soon.
After all, mastering a skill took too much time, and alchemy itself was a way to earn Spirit Stones, which he didn't lack.
Lu Yang tilted his head back and looked at the crisscrossing beams overhead, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knee.
After thinking it over, he decided to give the Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe to Senior Sister Lin.
For one thing, the robe had come from the reward for reaching sixty affection with Lin Ying, so in a sense, he had gotten it because of her.
For another, Lin Ying was an Alchemist, and this robe was practically a treasure tailor-made for her. Giving it to her ought to raise her affection by quite a bit, right?
If Lin Ying's affection could break through eighty points because of it, he could claim another round of milestone rewards. He would kill two birds with one stone—how wonderful.
...But would Senior Sister Lin accept it?
Lu Yang recalled the details of his conversation with Lin Ying that day and frowned slightly.
Lin Ying clearly wasn't the sort of woman who liked taking advantage of others.
A supreme-grade Law Artifact that improved alchemy skills and success rates was far too valuable a gift for any Alchemist.
If he gave it to her out of the blue, he might scare her instead.
"I'll wait and see," Lu Yang said, shaking his head and putting the thought aside.
With a thought, he took the Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe out of the system inventory.
The moment the robe unfolded in his hands, the room seemed to brighten for an instant.
The robe was plain white, with pale purple cloud patterns winding along its cuffs and lapels. The fabric was light and thin yet draped beautifully, cascading like a waterfall, graceful with a touch of nobility.
Lu Yang held the robe up and looked it over, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Its cut didn't look much like men's clothing; it was more like a dress.
It was fitted at the waist, with a wide, flowing hem. It was clearly a woman's style.
Still, he was going to give it to Senior Sister Lin anyway, so a woman's style was more suitable.
He carefully put the Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe away and turned to the final reward.
[Black Silkworm Silk Stockings (Supreme-grade Law Artifact)]: Wearing these stockings improves evasion techniques and Movement Methods and increases leg defense. When activated, they can release a Spiritual Qi shield capable of blocking a full-strength attack from someone at Peak Qi Refining.
When Lu Yang took the stockings out of the inventory, his first impression was that they were thin.
As thin as a wisp of black mist condensed into gauze, they were light and soft, impossibly smooth and silky.
He gently brushed his fingertips over them. They felt so good they made his heart itch.
A faint, subtle pattern was woven into the black silk. Held up to the oil lamp, the flowing pattern shimmered faintly with spiritual light, elegant and exquisite.
But the problem was... no matter how he looked at them, these were a pair of stockings!
"As expected of the Urban Tycoon System..." The corner of Lu Yang's mouth twitched. "It really knows a tycoon's tastes inside out."
Unfortunately, the stockings were a supreme-grade Law Artifact, so they couldn't be torn at all.
Even if he could tear them, destroying a supreme-grade Law Artifact would be far too extravagant.
A grown man like him certainly wasn't going to wear stockings.
He would never dress as a woman in this lifetime.
He didn't give it another thought.
I'll give them to Senior Sister Lin too.
The moment the thought occurred to him, Lin Ying's image involuntarily surfaced in his mind: her gentle features, slender figure, and skin as white as snow.
Then he imagined Lin Ying wearing the Black Silkworm Silk Stockings, her long legs wrapped in black silk as thin as cicada wings...
"Ahem." Lu Yang shook his head vigorously, driving the images from his mind.
Stop thinking about such nonsense. Cultivation is more important.
The Heavy Sword Instruction had just risen two levels, and Spiritual Qi left over from the Spirit Cuisine was still surging through his meridians. This was the perfect time to strike while the iron was hot and push his cultivation further.
He put the Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe and Black Silkworm Silk Stockings back into the system inventory together.
Then Lu Yang poured a Qi Nourishing Pill out of a porcelain bottle.
He tipped his head back and swallowed it. The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, and a warm current flowed down his throat into his belly. Spiritual Qi burst forth at once.
The Spiritual Qi merged with the medicinal power of the Spirit Cuisine, the two forces surging together through his meridians.
Lu Yang held his breath and focused. Sitting cross-legged, he formed a hand seal and slowly closed his eyes.
After the Heavy Sword Instruction had broken through two levels, its efficiency truly could no longer be compared to before.
The Spiritual Qi in his meridians seemed to have gained a will of its own. It no longer stumbled along, but surged smoothly as though it were an extension of his own limbs.
Outside, moonlight streamed through the paper window, spreading a thin layer of pale frost before him.
As time passed, the moonlit frost quietly shifted.
The night grew deeper.
Lu Yang remained perfectly still, wholly absorbed in cultivation.