Slacking Off for Adventure: Mocking the Nording Gatekeeper at the Start!

After reaching a consensus with the Light Maiden, an indescribable sense of excitement surged within Lin Ciyan.

"Right, since we're partners now, we should have a way to address each other, right?" Lin Ciyan looked at the exquisitely beautiful Light Maiden before him and scratched his head.

"Do you... have a name of your own?"

The Light Maiden shook her head gently, her long silver hair flowing like a river of stars: "A name... I have none. Light, that is what I am."

Lin Ciyan rubbed his chin, his eyes darting as a thought occurred to him: "Since you're with me now, why not take my surname, Lin?"

"You are so radiant, like the most ethereal glimmer in the dawn... how about I call you Lin Xiyao?"

"Xi means morning light, and Yao means beautiful jade; it suits you perfectly."

"From now on, I'll call you 'Xiyao', it's more intimate!"

"Lin... Xiyao..." The Light Maiden, no, Lin Xiyao whispered the name. A look of novelty and faint joy appeared on her beautiful face as she nodded, "It sounds lovely... Xiyao, I like it."

With the name settled, the urgency of reality immediately rushed back to his mind.

Lin Ciyan glanced at his system panel.

[Current Slacker Value: 1534 points]

Yet, the key item in the [Slacker Shop]—the Soul Hyperion—cost a staggering 8888 Slacker Value points! It was an astronomical figure!

"Damn it, you never realize how little money you have until you need it!" Lin Ciyan wailed internally, "Explaining Xiyao to Grandpa and Mu En is going to be another problem..."

"Should I just say, 'Teacher, I'm not looking for a soul ring anymore, I brought back a 300,000-year-old big sister'? I'd probably be treated as if I'd lost my mind..."

Under immense pressure, he had no choice but to carefully browse the [Slacker Shop] again, hoping to find a way to break the deadlock.

Previously, he had adhered to the core principle of "never stand if you can lie down."

He had kept his distance from any items that required active challenges or carried risks.

But at this moment, he had to turn his gaze toward those "high-risk, high-reward" options.

Soon, an item he had previously ignored caught his eye.

[Item: Slacker Paradox Simulator (One-time Trial Version)]
[Description: Are you tired of the same old slacker life? Do you crave a hint of excitement while lying flat?]
[This simulator will take you into a challenge world derived from realistic logic. Complete the "Spread Slacking" tasks issued by the system to earn generous Slacker Value based on your completion rate!]
[Please note: Failing the challenge may result in a deduction of Slacker Value.]
[Effect: Initiates a special consciousness-transmigration challenge. The host's actions in the challenge world will not affect the real timeline.]
[Price: 1000 Slacker Value]
[Slogan: Sometimes, slacking off requires a more "proactive" posture!]

"What a scam!" Lin Ciyan's mouth twitched.

"Isn't this just forcing me to 'work hard at slacking'? It's basically PUA for the slacker community!"

"And it deducts points if I fail..."

Complaints aside, looking at his meager 1534 points against the unreachable 8888, he had no other choice.

"Damn it, take a gamble and the bicycle becomes a motorcycle! Buying it!"

[Ding! Consumed 1000 Slacker Value, successfully purchased "Slacker Paradox Simulator (One-time Trial Version)". Remaining Slacker Value: 534 points.]

After the purchase, he subconsciously glanced at his information panel:

[Core System: Slacker Shop (Beginner)]
[Passive Skills: Winning-by-Lying-Down Aura, Great Dream Freedom Scripture, Saitama Invisibility Mode]
[Items: Causality Item · "Definitely Next Time" Amulet, Slacker Paradox Simulator (New)]
[Martial Soul: Holy Radiance Qilin (Ultimate Light · Five Basic Attributes)]
[Soul Power: Level 20 Quasi-Soul Grand Master (Second Soul Ring not yet obtained)]
[Soul Skill: First Soul Skill · Dawn Break Fist]
[Soul Bone: External Soul Bone · Source of Dawn (Growth Type)]

"I have plenty of passive abilities, but unfortunately, they aren't helping right now," Lin Ciyan sighed, his gaze turning resolute.

"Activate! Slacker Paradox Simulator!!!"

[Ding! Item enabled!]
[Hint: Host's consciousness is about to anchor to the space-time coordinates—Nuoding City. Time point: The day Tang San and Xiao Wu enroll.]
[Challenge Task Issued: Within 7 days, spread the "Slacker Cultivation Method" or related concepts as widely as possible in the current world.]
[Task Reward: Slacker Value will be settled based on the scope of concept dissemination, influence, and the "Slacker Shock" effect caused.]
[Extra Hint: Interacting with specific characters may trigger hidden challenge tasks.]
[All actions taken by the host in this world will not affect the main world's historical timeline, but will directly affect your Slacker Value earnings.]
[Wishing you... a happy slacking experience! Transmission starting!]

There was no time to think; Lin Ciyan only felt everything around him—including the Glazed Light Realm, his grandfather, and Xiyao—instantly solidify, as if a pause button had been pressed.

His consciousness subsequently sank into a void of darkness.

He did not know how much time had passed before Lin Ciyan snapped his eyes open.

The blinding sunlight made him squint, and the sounds of noisy crowds and horse-drawn carriages filled his ears.

He found himself standing in a narrow, slightly filthy alleyway, the hard dirt road beneath his feet.

"So this is... transmigrating?" He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and surveyed his surroundings.

The buildings here were mostly low-rise wood and stone structures with a rough, crude style, and the pedestrians' attire carried a heavy "medieval rustic" air.

Compared to the Peerless Tang Sect era he came from, where Soul Tool technology was in its infancy, this place was behind by more than an entire age.

"Good grief, I've gone straight from 'high-tech' back to 'primitive society'." He muttered a complaint.

Lin Ciyan began to ponder his mission: "Seven days to spread the philosophy of 'lying flat'... I need to find a place with high traffic, or... pull off something big."

Thinking as he went, he walked out of the alley and merged into the flow of people on the street.

Hawkers shouting their wares, patrolling guards, and hurried pedestrians formed a vivid picture of an otherworldly town.

He casually stopped a peddler selling sundries and flashed a harmless, innocent smile: "Uncle, could you tell me how to get to Notting Academy?"

The merchant looked him over and pointed in a direction: "There, just follow this main street all the way east; you'll see the grandest gate, that's the one."

"Thanks!" Lin Ciyan thanked him and headed in that direction, calculating as he walked: "Today is the day 'Tang God King' and 'Succubus Rabbit' enroll!"

"No, wait! Right now they should be called 'Little Scumbag' and 'Little Rabbit'!"

"This timing is a hotspot for iconic scenes, the password to traffic! It would be inexcusable not to go and leech off that popularity."

At this thought, he subconsciously sensed his own soul power, and his expression immediately collapsed.

"Damn it! System, are you messing with me?" he ranted internally.

"I'm a quasi-Soul Grand Master, an eight-year-old genius at level twenty, so why does my soul power feel like it's only... level eleven or twelve?!"

"My Holy Radiance Qilin Martial Soul is still here, but my soul power has been suppressed?!"

[Ding! Host's query detected.]

[To ensure the fairness of the challenge and the purity of the philosophy being spread, your cultivation has been reasonably adjusted to a level roughly equivalent to the current era's background and the target individuals.]

[Please focus on spreading the "Way of Lying Flat" itself, rather than relying on force.]

"..." Lin Ciyan was speechless. This system had gone to great lengths to force him to "use his mouth instead of his hands."

"Fine, you win." He sighed in resignation.

"Even if my level is nerfed, my knowledge and my silver-tongued skills haven't been. I'll lie flat with my brain, and I'll still make a splash!"

He quickened his pace, and soon, an academy gate that truly looked grand for Nuoding City appeared at the end of his vision.

The familiar gate and the familiar scene stirred memories from when he read the novel.

"Tsk tsk, this is the place." A playful arc curled at the corner of Lin Ciyan's mouth.

The site of the famous "Notting Academy Gatekeeper" incident, and the place where a certain "Grandmaster" would stage his grand play of taking on a disciple.

The stage for a certain blacksmith's son to show off the arrogance of his Innate Full Soul Power.

As if he weren't also someone with Innate Full Soul Power.

He could already see that "Little Scumbag" wearing clothes full of patches.

And that "Theoretical Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang, who made a living by plagiarizing and bluffing.

"If I run into you two later, I'll have to give you a taste of 'Lying Flat Shock' to make this trip worth it!"

Lin Ciyan found an inconspicuous corner with a wide view, leaned against the wall, and settled in to watch the show.

Come on, let me see just how 'classic' this classic plot really is.