Xiao Yu

Xiao Lei soon returned to his drafty house. His parents had passed away, and although he was provided for as a member of the Xiao Clan, the clan rules were one thing, but their actual implementation was always lacking, leaving him in such a dilapidated dwelling.

"This Watcha Lookin' At System is incredibly cheap—it lets me gain cultivation directly—but the conditions are far from simple!"

"Hiss—ow!"

Sitting on his bed, Xiao Lei gently rubbed the bruises he'd sustained, hissing in pain as he winced.

"This damn system is such a pit. Why does the target feel uncomfortable when I stare at them? Isn't that just begging to get me caught?"

The Watcha Lookin' At System had a deeply frustrating flaw: when Xiao Lei copied someone, the greater the gap between them, the more intense the discomfort the target would feel.

Compared to this, issues like the difference in strength or physique affecting the time required to copy were nothing.

Longer time wasn't a big deal; at worst, he'd just have to stare for a while and endure some dry eyes.

But if the target felt uncomfortable, that was a real problem!

This was the reason why, even though he'd had the system for a while, he had only successfully copied one Dou Practitioner mercenary, and had even been beaten up by the others for his trouble.

Those mercenaries were truly aggressive; the moment they felt uncomfortable from his gaze, they would throw a punch without hesitation.

They had absolutely no sense of martial virtue. Fortunately, Xiao Lei was now a Dou Practitioner himself, so he'd be able to beat them back in a few days.

"The upcoming Coming-of-Age Ceremony is a golden opportunity. I hope the duration of the ceremony is long enough for me to copy Xiao Zhan!"

So far, Xiao Lei had only thought of one scenario where he could copy someone despite a massive gap in strength: when the target couldn't move freely.

During the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Xiao Zhan and the other elders were required to sit and observe.

That would be his best chance. In front of everyone, during such an important occasion, even if Xiao Zhan sensed Xiao Lei staring at him and felt uncomfortable, he wouldn't leave, let alone fly into a rage and beat him up.

It was a perfect opportunity!

If Xiao Lei succeeded, he would gain the cultivation of a Dou Grandmaster at the age of sixteen. It would be absolutely exhilarating!

"Heh... hehehe!"

At the thought of it, even Xiao Lei couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You little pervert, what are you howling about in there?" Just as Xiao Lei was daydreaming about successfully copying Xiao Zhan's Dou Grandmaster cultivation, a voice suddenly rang out from outside his house.

Xiao Lei was interrupted, but instead of getting angry, he looked surprised, then slapped his forehead.

"In the original story, Xiao Yu seems to return right before the Coming-of-Age Ceremony!"

Xiao Yu was one of the few friends Xiao Lei had in the Xiao Clan.

The origin of their bond went back many years, to when Xiao Lei encountered Xiao Yu near a hot spring in the back mountains of the Xiao Clan. Knowing the plot, he guessed that this was likely when Xiao Yan would have peeked at Xiao Yu bathing in the original story.

He had warned her about it and then left on his own; after all, his words carried little weight, and most people didn't care what he said.

He didn't know what happened afterward, only that the nickname "little pervert" hadn't been given to Xiao Yan, but had been pinned on him instead.

Truly, returning kindness with ingratitude!

However, looking at it this way, it seemed he had ruined one of Xiao Yan's good fortunes!

"The door isn't locked, just come in!"

Creak!

The door to Xiao Lei's broken house was basically just for show; Xiao Yu knocking was merely a gesture of politeness.

"You little pervert, why are you still living in such a remote place? And the house is so run-down!"

Once Xiao Yu entered, she started chattering away as if she'd opened a floodgate.

"I've told you, I have a name. It's Xiao Lei, not 'little pervert'!" Xiao Lei said helplessly. He had said this countless times, but Xiao Yu never listened.

Xiao Yu wore a simple white dress without any flashy adornments, but the fair, slender legs that appeared and disappeared beneath the long skirt caught Xiao Lei's gaze firmly.

"You start staring at my legs the moment I walk in, and you still say you're not a little pervert!" Xiao Yu shot him a glare, though she made no move to hide her legs.

Xiao Lei had to give her a thumbs up for that!

"Ahem! I call that appreciating beauty! Otherwise, wouldn't these jade legs have grown in vain?"

Xiao Lei once said that when looking at a girl, you must look at her eyes first; if she isn't looking at you, then you look at her chest, or her legs...

Xiao Lei had miscalculated today, getting caught red-handed while staring at her legs. Fortunately, Xiao Yu wasn't the type to scream about gouging his eyes out, and his skin was thick enough to handle it.

"You have so many excuses. Tell me, what's your cultivation level now? Can you pass the clan's requirements?" Xiao Yu asked with a hint of concern. If Xiao Lei couldn't pass the clan's assessment, he would be sent off to some godforsaken corner to manage the family business.

By then, even if Xiao Yu graduated from Jia Nan Academy, she probably wouldn't be able to see him much.

"Little kids shouldn't butt into adult business!" Xiao Lei joked with interest, feeling a warmth in his heart. In this Xiao Clan, only Xiao Yu would care about such things regarding him.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu glared at him and immediately put him in a headlock.

"Who are you calling a little kid? I'm a few years older than you; you don't even know how to call me 'Sister'!"

"Call me 'Sister' and I'll let you go!" Xiao Yu threatened, her arm locked around his throat.

Xiao Lei scoffed inwardly. With his current strength, he could easily break her grip, but there was no need; this was just playful banter.

"What 'Sister'? Our lineages are generations apart. If we really talk about seniority, I'm the same generation as your grandfather. Do you dare make me call you 'Sister'?"

"However, you certainly aren't 'little' anymore!" Xiao Lei said, feeling the softness pressing against his back, unable to help but speak his mind.

"Hmph! And you still claim you aren't a little pervert!"

Xiao Yu gave a soft huff and tightened her grip, while Xiao Lei feigned defeat before seizing the chance to launch a sneak attack.

"Sister... Sis, let go! We can mess around, but at least let me breathe!"

Seeing Xiao Lei suffer, Xiao Yu felt quite satisfied and simply let him go.

"Wouldn't it have been better to just do that earlier? Here, I brought you a blade as a gift for your Coming-of-Age Ceremony!" As she spoke, Xiao Yu unfastened the scabbard from her waist and held the blade out to Xiao Lei.

"This is a Magic Core Weapon, aren't you going to thank me?"

Xiao Yu crossed her arms (though it was a bit of a struggle) and tilted her head back, waiting with a haughty, tsundere expression for Xiao Lei's praise.

Xiao Yu had known for years that Xiao Lei loved blades, but she had always...

A long while passed, and there was no movement...

Xiao Yu turned back, only to find Xiao Lei staring at the precious blade in his hands, completely mesmerized.

"You! You..." Seeing this scene, Xiao Yu suddenly didn't know what to say.

She was actually less important than a blade!

"Go live with your blade then!" With that, Xiao Yu stomped away.

Xiao Lei wasn't the least bit panicked; he knew the other party would come back on her own next time, so there was no need to worry.

Only when your status is that of a simp do you worry over the slightest bit of anger from the other person... Xiao Lei had a friend, and that friend had suffered a mental breakdown...

In Xiao Lei's view, Xiao Yu wasn't actually angry at all; she just wanted to be coaxed.

And in fact, that was exactly the case...

Outside the door, seeing that Xiao Lei still hadn't come out, Xiao Yu immediately raised her voice and scolded toward the room.

"Little pervert, you just wait!"