Slowly Tidying Up, Accumulating Slacking Value, The Path to Nuoding Without Father and Neighbor

As dawn broke, Tang San woke up. It wasn't an external noise that woke him, but rather the thought that he needed to pack his bags today, as he was leaving for Nuoding Academy tomorrow. He woke up subconsciously. He didn't get up immediately, but lay in bed with his eyes closed, waiting for the system's prompt. Following the pattern of the past few days, "extending rest time" always earned him some Slacking Value.

As expected, after a moment, a familiar mechanical voice sounded in his mind: [Actively extending bed rest, avoiding early morning energy expenditure, Slacking Value +1, current total 6 points].

"Just 4 more points and I can exchange for a Soul Power increase," Tang San mused inwardly, then slowly sat up. While dressing, he deliberately slowed his movements, buttoning his shirt and fastening his belt a beat slower than usual. There was no rush, and taking his time would earn Slacking Value and prevent him from forgetting anything in his haste.

[Actively slowing down daily actions, reducing physical exertion, Slacking Value +1, current total 7 points].

The system prompt sounded again, and a faint smile touched Tang San's lips. He walked into the outer room, where Tang Hao was already busy in the kitchen, the aroma of porridge wafting from the pot. "Awake?" Tang Hao asked without turning his head, his tone as flat as usual. "The porridge is almost ready. Go wash up first."

Tang San responded with a sound and took his towel to the water vat by the courtyard to wash up. Just as he wrung out his towel, he saw figures moving at the courtyard entrance. It was Aunt Wang, bringing a few villagers to see him off. He quickly wiped his face and went to meet them.

"Little San, you're leaving already?" Aunt Wang held a cloth bag containing a few boiled eggs. "Take these for the road, don't go hungry. Take good care of yourself at the academy, and come back to the village when you have time."

"Thank you, Aunt Wang," Tang San said, taking the cloth bag, his heart warming. The villagers beside her also spoke up, some telling him, "Don't argue with classmates," others urging him, "Study Soul Master knowledge well." They chattered on, creating a lively scene.

Tang San didn't respond to each person individually, just smiled and nodded. "Thank you, everyone. I will be careful." He knew that if he responded to everyone, it would not only be time-consuming but also lead to lingering conversations, delaying his packing. Although he had planned to pack slowly anyway, "reducing unnecessary social expenditure" could earn him Slacking Value.

[Avoiding excessive social interaction, reducing time and energy expenditure, Slacking Value +1, current total 8 points].

After seeing the villagers off, Tang San returned to the kitchen. Tang Hao had already served the porridge. Father and son sat at the table, drinking their porridge in silence, the only sound the gentle clinking of bowls and chopsticks. Tang San secretly glanced at Tang Hao and noticed bloodshot eyes, likely from a sleepless night.

After finishing the porridge, Tang San began packing his luggage. He neatly folded the spare clothes Old Jack had given him and placed them in a small cloth bag. Then, he added the boiled eggs from Aunt Wang, the silver coins from Tang Hao, and the remaining steamed buns one by one. While packing, he deliberately slowed down, folding the clothes with extra care, and occasionally pausing to "check if anything was left behind"—actually waiting for a system prompt.

[Actively slowing down luggage packing, avoiding mistakes caused by haste, Slacking Value +1, current total 9 points].

"Just 1 more point," Tang San thought. As he tied the cloth bag, he heard Old Jack's voice from the courtyard entrance: "Little San, are you ready? A Li is already waiting at the village entrance."

"Almost ready!" Tang San replied, picking up the cloth bag and walking over to Tang Hao. "Dad, I'm leaving."

Tang Hao nodded, took out a small black box from his pocket, and handed it to Tang San. "Take this. Open it when you get to the academy."

Tang San took the box. It felt heavy, and he wondered what was inside. "Dad, take care of yourself and drink less alcohol."

"I know," Tang Hao waved his hand. "Go on, don't keep Old Jack waiting too long."

Tang San didn't say anything more and turned to walk out of the courtyard. Old Jack was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing him emerge, he quickly pulled him towards the village entrance. "Hurry, hurry, A Li has been waiting for a while."

Tang San deliberately slowed his pace, falling a little behind Old Jack. "Grandpa Jack, don't rush. It's a long way, arriving a bit earlier or later doesn't make much difference." His words were truthful and also intended to earn the last bit of Slacking Value—"refusing to rush the journey, reducing physical exertion," should trigger a system prompt.

As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, the system prompt sounded in his mind: [Avoiding a rushed journey, reducing excessive physical and time expenditure, Slacking Value +1, current total 10 points].

"Great, that's enough to exchange for a Soul Power increase!" Tang San rejoiced inwardly and slowly walked to the village entrance with Old Jack. A Li was already waiting, leading an old yellow ox. A bamboo basket was placed on the ox's back, lined with dry grass.

"Little San, hop on. I'll take you to the academy entrance," A Li said with a smile, lifting Tang San onto the ox's back and placing his cloth bag into the basket.

Old Jack stood nearby, giving a few more instructions: "Listen carefully at the academy. If you have any difficulties, find a teacher. Don't try to be tough. If you really can't manage, come back to the village. Our village will always welcome you."

"I understand, Grandpa Jack," Tang San nodded, his eyes feeling a little moist, but he quickly held back—it wasn't the time for sentimentality. Besides, "avoiding excessive emotional fluctuation" might even earn him Slacking Value, though he didn't dare try, fearing Old Jack would notice something was amiss.

A Li led the old yellow ox slowly out of the village. Tang San sat on the ox's back, looking back at Holy Spirit Village. Old Jack was still standing at the village entrance, waving. Tang Hao's figure wasn't visible by the blacksmith shop—he was probably hiding inside, not wanting to be seen.

"Let's go, to Nuoding Academy," Tang San murmured inwardly. He opened the system panel and clicked "Exchange for Trace Soul Power Increase."

A warm current instantly surged through his body. The Soul Power in his dantian felt noticeably fuller, the sensation even stronger than the last increase. The system prompt sounded: [Successfully exchanged for "Trace Soul Power Increase," current Soul Power Level: Level 12 (Trace Increase), remaining Slacking Value: 0 points].

"Level 12!" Tang San was delighted. He leaned back against the bamboo basket, closed his eyes, and felt the gentle rocking of the ox, enjoying this rare moment of leisure. The journey to the academy didn't need to be rushed; a slow pace would allow him to rest and perhaps even earn more Slacking Value.

The old yellow ox ambled along. Wildflowers by the roadside swayed in the breeze, and birds chirped in the trees. Tang San watched the passing scenery, his mind already planning for his time at the academy: upon arrival, he would find a place to stay, then learn theoretical knowledge from the teachers, try to keep a low profile, slack off as much as possible, and strive to raise his Soul Power further as soon as possible.

Unknowingly, the sun had risen to its zenith. A Li stopped and took out a steamed bun from his pocket, offering it to Tang San. "Little San, have something to eat. Let's rest for a bit before continuing."

Tang San took the bun and took a bite. "Thank you, Brother A Li." As he ate, he thought, "A break is good. It's a perfect opportunity to earn some Slacking Value."

[Actively accepting rest, avoiding physical exertion from prolonged travel, Slacking Value +1, current total 1 point].

The system prompt sounded again, and Tang San secretly rejoiced. It seemed that no matter where he was, as long as he "slacked off," he could earn points and become stronger. This "peak slacking path" was indeed the right choice.

After finishing the bun and resting for a while, A Li led the old yellow ox onward. Tang San leaned back in the bamboo basket, closed his eyes, and a smile played on his lips—Nuoding Academy, here I come. Here, there would surely be more opportunities to earn Slacking Value and meet more interesting people and things.

As the sun began to set, they had already left the bounds of Holy Spirit Village. Ahead lay the main road leading to Nuoding City. Tang San looked at the distant cooking smoke, his heart filled with anticipation—a new life was about to begin.