The Proper Way to Hit the Jackpot

Su Qing paid no attention to what was happening over there and began going through his spoils.

Tonight had truly been a bountiful haul.

First was the freshly acquired Little Slave.

Although she fainted at the slightest touch, had a frail constitution, and strongly resisted him,

as long as he patiently trained her, her loyalty would be more than enough.

She would become a very useful Little Slave. After all, she was the female lead of the first arc's core storyline!

There were simply too many ways she could be useful. He had to make the most of her.

Second was the necklace he had snatched.

This was no ordinary item, but the greatest opportunity on the female lead's person!

Female leads could all drop rewards.

Whether they were female leads still in the beginner stage or Goddesses reigning at the very pinnacle, none were exceptions.

And among all female leads, Qin Lan Shan's reward was practically unmatched!

The pendant's effect was naturally ridiculously overpowered.

It could absorb changes in the Shopkeeper's emotions and return an equal amount of true qi.

In short—a Leveling Cheat!

Rapidly becoming an expert was no longer a dream. You could experience flying progress while falling in love!

Then there were a few insignificant things... such as scaring the little maid a little.

Su Qing gently stroked the pendant in his hand, satisfaction in his eyes.

The Leveling Cheat he had obtained was a treasure that would make every martial artist green with envy.

Under normal circumstances, obtaining this item required a very high level of affection.

Only then could one level up while dating.

But by forcibly taking it like this, he had probably driven their affection level into the negatives.

Trying to grow stronger through romance would definitely be much harder for him than for anyone else.

Fortunately, he had no such leisurely inclinations. His life creed was self-reliance and independence.

Of course, by self-reliance and independence, he did not mean refusing to use this cheat. He simply meant being flexible.

According to the description, any sufficiently intense emotional fluctuation would count. Romance was merely one possibility.

Then would mercilessly humiliating her dignity and making her kneel in submission count?

He had already been considering that possibility while she was kneeling.

As someone with a strong hands-on spirit, he immediately conducted an experiment.

And the results were rather pleasing.

The emotional fluctuations caused by fear produced no different a return than romance.

No, one could even say they were stronger.

In short, bullying her could also drop rewards, and might even be more effective.

If he got into some sweet romance with her, what would happen to the other female leads? Would he just leave them alone?

And if he did not, would that not make him a scumbag?

So this was the best way to go about it.

Simple, convenient, and free of the psychological burden of being a scumbag.

When Su Qing thought of this, he felt utterly enlightened.

He examined the pendant. It currently held a reserve of ten years' worth of true qi.

Although some had been stored before, it had undoubtedly increased greatly today.

Based on the intensity of the emotional fluctuations, they could be divided into several levels.

Slightly moved, deeply impressed, vividly remembered, etched into the bones.

Today's increase had gone straight to the final level.

It was easy to imagine just how indelible an impression he had left on her.

Of course, this was also due to the special bonus for a beginner's first time.

If he tried the same trick again, reaching this level would not be easy.

But with sweet romance, it would probably reach no higher than the third stage.

To reach the fourth, something particularly memorable had to happen.

For example, saving a beauty in distress or taking a bullet for her.

Looking at it this way, perhaps what he was doing now truly was the optimal method?

Holding the pendant, the young man sat cross-legged on the ground and began absorbing the true qi within it.

The abundant true qi was like a clear spring, flowing from his hand through his body.

The sensation was like suddenly drinking sweet springwater in the middle of a desert.

In only a few breaths, his Eight Extraordinary Meridians were unblocked, and his Dantian was successfully opened.

Yet that stream of true qi showed no signs of stopping and continued surging without end.

In just half an hour, Su Qing's strength had reached the level of barely being Entry Level.

The Martial Path was divided into the Mortal Five Levels and the Transcendent Four Realms.

The Mortal Five Levels were Entry Level, Third-Rate, Second-Rate, First-Rate, and Innate.

As for the Transcendent Four Realms?

They were far too distant!

Right now, he had only just entered Entry Level.

Su Qing felt the power within his body and slowly exhaled.

His formerly frail body seemed to be filled with strength at this moment.

His five senses had also been enhanced, making everything around him clear down to the finest detail.

Though he had only just reached Entry Level, he was already far stronger than an ordinary person.

Yet he was not particularly delighted. Instead, a trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

In truth, ten years' worth of true qi could have accomplished far more than this.

Even if he could not advance further, reaching the peak of Entry Level would not have been difficult.

But this was all he could manage.

Less than thirty percent of the true qi remained stored in his body.

Most of it had either dissipated or been used to improve this weak body of his.

In other words, much of that true qi had been wasted instead of used where it mattered.

In the game, Prodigy Talent could absorb one hundred percent, while Heaven's Chosen could absorb eighty percent.

Even ordinary geniuses could convert fifty percent and allow it to slowly settle within their bodies.

Well, his utterly unremarkable aptitude did not even meet the standard of an ordinary genius.

In other words... it fit the setting of a minor extra perfectly.

His aptitude was mediocre, and his achievements would not amount to much either.

Even with the Realm Protectorate behind him, he could easily become a point of weakness.

A tall tree caught the wind, yet he lacked the ability to protect this family legacy.

If he were an unrivaled Heaven's Chosen, would anyone dare scheme against the Realm Protectorate?

Forget anything else—even the Yan Emperor would have to show him some respect, right?

Unfortunately, both his personality and his talent had long been thoroughly understood by others.

Those with ulterior motives were more than happy to squeeze a soft persimmon.

Strength was the root of everything, the foundation for standing firm.

Iron had to be hard before it could be forged. He understood that perfectly.

But if he wanted to improve his strength, relying solely on Qin Lan Shan's rewards would not be enough.

Using a whole pile and retaining only a little was simply far too inefficient.

He could not possibly persecute Qin Lan Shan every day and keep ruthlessly shearing the same sheep, could he?

Even if he had the heart to do it, it would not take long before the sheep was shorn bald.

So... he should improve his aptitude as well.

As a veteran player, he knew exactly who he should set his sights on.

The Goddess who had plotted to trap him possessed an exclusive reward that could improve one's aptitude!

Unfortunately, obtaining it was far more difficult than obtaining the Shopkeeper's reward.

Su Qing rose and took a sip of tea, his eyes thoughtful.

So what if the difficulty was high? If she wanted to scheme against him, she had to pay an equivalent price, did she not?

Elsewhere, the graceful figure beneath the moon suddenly shuddered with a chill.