System, Add Points!

The golden crow sank in the west, the last rays of the setting sun faded, dusk spread across the horizon, and night slowly blanketed all of Wurong County.

Chen An walked alone back to the secluded little courtyard in a corner of the county town. Raising a hand, he shut the wooden door behind him, slid the bolt into place, and sealed off the noise and lights outside. Then he stepped into the courtyard and entered his crude yet peaceful home.

This small courtyard was the only keepsake and inheritance his father, Chen Yan, had left him after his death.

The courtyard walls were mottled with age, the house was plain, and only a few plants grew in the yard. It was neither elegant nor luxurious, yet it was quiet and tranquil enough.

Beside Martial Glory County Academy, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold and cultivation disciples gathered in droves, this tiny courtyard gave the helpless Chen An a safe place to settle down and cultivate in peace.

He entered the room and lit an oil lamp. Its dim, flickering flame immediately spread outward, slowly illuminating the originally pitch-black, cramped room.

The faint halo dispelled the heavy night, revealing the crude wooden table and old wooden bed one by one. The tiny room instantly gained a touch of warmth and the scent of everyday life.

The evening breeze slipped gently through the gaps in the window lattice. The lamplight swayed slightly, and the shadows danced uncertainly across the walls.

Sitting on the bed, Chen An took a deep breath, then willed it into motion.

"System!"

The next moment, an interface like a virtual panel appeared before him:

Host: Chen An

Age: 17

Aptitude: Mid-grade Martial Bone

Cultivation: Qi Condensation Realm (Second Layer)

Current Balance: 0

Looking at the panel before him, Chen An's heartbeat could not help quickening slightly.

After all, this was a golden finger capable of changing his fate.

In his memories, only martial artists at the seventh layer of the Qi Condensation Realm or above had a chance to enter the Prefecture Academy in the annual examination.

Without this golden finger, with his current cultivation, he would likely only rank at the very bottom in Wurong County's grand examination three days later, be mercilessly eliminated, and have his path of martial cultivation completely severed.

Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down, Chen An rose from the bed and retrieved his savings from a hidden compartment beneath it, along with the money pouch Shen Qinglan had stuffed into his hands earlier.

"Two hundred and twenty-seven!"

After counting all his savings, Chen An's mouth twitched.

If he did not count the one hundred and sixty-five Yuan Crystals Shen Qinglan had just given him, his entire fortune was not even a fraction of the Yuan Crystals Shen Qinglan carried on her person.

I'm broke as hell!!!

Thinking of the two thousand Yuan Crystals Bai Yifan had casually tossed out earlier, and the way he had opened with an offer of five thousand Yuan Crystals, Chen An felt nothing but envy and regret.

If Shen Qinglan had not made a mistake, he might have already swindled those five thousand Yuan Crystals into his hands.

He would not feel the slightest psychological burden over deceiving a spoiled young master like Bai Yifan, someone who threw his weight around by relying on his family background—a fool from a local clan.

The other party had deliberately used money to humiliate him and make things difficult for him in the first place. Scamming him out of some resources was entirely justified.

Unfortunately, the beautiful dream had fallen through. A heaven-sent opportunity that had nearly reached his hand had flown away just like that.

He shook his head, suppressing those distracting thoughts, and turned his gaze back to the panel before him.

"Let's recharge a little first and test the waters!"

His eyes flickered. Without much hesitation, Chen An willed it into motion and counted out five Yuan Crystals that emitted a faint white glow, each only the size of a fingernail.

Yuan Crystals in this world came in different grades. Those glowing white represented one unit, green ones represented ten, blue ones represented a hundred, and purple ones represented a thousand.

"System, recharge 5 Yuan Crystals!"

The next moment, Chen An watched the five Yuan Crystals in his hand suddenly vanish from his palm, while the system balance on the panel changed from "0" to "5"!

"System, exchange all remaining balance for cultivation!"

**Boom!!~~

The instant the command was issued, a vast and scorching surge of true qi suddenly poured out from the void, instantly sweeping through every limb and bone in his body.

The incomparably abundant true qi surged rapidly through the meridians throughout his body, washing against the blocked meridian barriers. A numb, swelling ache filled his limbs and bones, yet it was brimming with power.

The acupoints along his Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian were forced open one after another by the warm current, like wild horses breaking free of their reins. Next came the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian...

He did not know how much time had passed. When Chen An came to again, he discovered that the true qi throughout his body had surged by more than double. Moreover, the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, and Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian within him had all been completely opened.

The original owner of this body had spent nearly three full years after breaking through to the Qi Condensation Realm just to open the seventeen acupoints on the Hand Shaoyin Lung Meridian and advance to the second layer of Qi Condensation.

Yet now, Chen An had used only 5 Yuan Crystals to convert pure true qi through the system and open three primary meridians.

This speed was simply beyond belief!

"Hahaha, as expected of the system—it's freaking amazing!!!"

Feeling the unprecedented abundance of true qi within him, Chen An's face filled with wild joy as he burst into laughter.

With this system, he would never have to fear his martial path being cut off again!

"System, recharge all the remaining Yuan Crystals!"

[Ding! Recharge successful!]

[Current Balance: 222]

This time, Chen An did not hesitate. He went all in!

A balance of 222 meant that if he spent it all on cultivation, he could directly exchange it for 222 years of arduous cultivation.

"No!"

However, Chen An did not immediately continue spending on cultivation. He suddenly recalled that the system's function description had never said it could only be used to purchase cultivation realms.

"System, consume 10 units and exchange them for cultivation time for the Essence-Absorbing Qi-Gathering Art!" Chen Ning tried.

Boom!!!

The next moment, Chen An felt his head buzz violently. Immediately afterward, it was as though he had entered a separate space and begun comprehending the Essence-Absorbing Qi-Gathering Art.

One year, two years, three years...

Time seemed to race through his senses, passing in the blink of an eye.

A mere moment of insight was equal to the years of bitter cultivation of an ordinary cultivator.

After two years, he had steadily comprehended the foundational cultivation art, the Essence-Absorbing Qi-Gathering Art, from rudimentary entry to the minor success stage.

After another eight years of accumulation and refinement, the barriers of the cultivation art shattered with a roar. He broke through its shackles in one stroke and entered the major success stage.

Unfortunately, when the ten years of insight came to an end, his Essence-Absorbing Qi-Gathering Art remained stuck at major success, unable to touch perfection.

"So it really works!"

Chen An slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, and the wild joy in his heart was impossible to conceal.

"The major-success Essence-Absorbing Qi-Gathering Art has not only made my control over the true qi in my body increasingly precise, but it has also nearly doubled the efficiency of true qi circulation, as well as the absorption and conversion of spiritual qi from heaven and earth."

He focused inwardly and clearly sensed the smooth, condensed flow of true qi through his meridians. It moved freely, without the slightest obstruction.

"In other words, from now on, my cultivation speed will be twice as fast as before!"

As he truly felt the all-around enhancement and qualitative transformation brought by achieving major success in the cultivation art, the corners of Chen An's lips rose, and a relieved yet confident smile slowly appeared.

What delighted him even more was that, after personally testing it just now, he had completely confirmed that the system's power was far more than simply exchanging currency for cultivation.

Whether it was comprehending cultivation arts, honing martial skills, strengthening one's foundation, or nourishing one's meridians, the system could use Yuan Crystals as payment to accelerate deductions, trigger enlightenment, and force breakthroughs in anything needed along the path of cultivation.

It did not merely stack cultivation realms. Even bottlenecks in cultivation arts such as the Essence-Absorbing Qi-Gathering Art could be crossed in an instant with the system, saving him the long years of countless days of bitter cultivation.

Chen An's eyes blazed, and understanding suddenly dawned upon him.

This was the true terror of the golden finger.

As long as he had enough Yuan Crystals, cultivation arts, martial skills, fleshly body, meridians—every obstacle on the road of cultivation could be crushed straight through, allowing him to transform at terrifying speed.

Glancing at the remaining balance of "212" on the system panel, Chen An's eyes flickered before he said resolutely:

"System, consume 200 units and exchange it all for cultivation!"

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.