Settlement and New Cheat

Darkness.

That familiar sensation, as if being stuffed into a tumble dryer and churned about, returned.

There were no ox-headed or horse-faced guardians, nor heaven or hell.

There was only this boundless void and the blindingly bright, pale blue panel before his eyes.

Su Li floated in mid-air—if he could even distinguish up from down in his current state of consciousness.

He skillfully settled into a comfortable posture, even though there were no chairs here.

"Come on, let's settle the bill."

Su Li muttered in his mind.

This was his third time going through this process; he was more familiar with it than buying groceries at the market.

The panel flickered with garbled code, and then, several lines of large text popped out.

[Reincarnation settlement in progress...]

[Name: Su Li]

[Identity this lifetime: Wading Village blacksmith]

[Survival duration: 78 years. Rating: E+]

(Note: In a world where the average life expectancy is under forty, you do have some skill to have lived long enough to outlast the old locust tree in the village. Although you spent most of your time playing it safe, living a long life is the ultimate truth.)

[Wealth accumulated: 15 gold coins, 20 silver coins. Rating: E]

(Note: Your few chests of retirement savings aren't even worth a single meal for those goblin merchants. But for a village blacksmith, not starving to death counts as a success.)

[Social status: Village celebrity. Rating: E]

(Note: You can play chess, you can forge iron, and you are a chess partner of Old Kanlun at the end of the village. In the small patch of land that is Wading Village, you are someone. But that is as far as it goes.)

[Legendary status: None. Rating: F]

(Note: The most outrageous thing you did in your life was probably bragging to your wife under the covers on a stormy night that you were a savior.)

Su Li curled his lip.

This evaluation really didn't give him any face at all. He had worked so hard to live his life, yet he was still hovering on the edge of a passing grade.

But just then, the next line of text jumped out, nearly causing Su Li's illusory jaw to hit the ground.

[Offspring: One son, one daughter. Rating: C+]

(Note: Your daughter became a famous, fierce blacksmith, but that is not important. What matters is your son, Su Xiaochui. He is now the "Bloody Hand Butcher" feared throughout the Baris Empire, a ruthless man who has discovered a unique path of slaughter in this low-magic world. You benefit from your son's success; this rating is well-deserved.)

Su Li froze.

C+?

That silly boy?

The Bloody Hand Butcher?

Su Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

No wonder there had been no news; the brat had gone off to become a high-ranking official for the enemy faction. If the people of the Orenda Kingdom found out, his grave as a father would be razed to the ground.

"You brat, you've got a tough life."

Su Li cursed, but his consciousness felt a warm glow.

As long as he was alive.

Even if he was a menace, it was better than becoming a flimsy death notice.

[Overall rating: D]

[Drawing rewards...]

The familiar large spinning wheel appeared again, its pointer rotating rapidly.

The pointer swept past a vast expanse of colorful zones before finally trembling to a halt on a patch of pure, vibrant red.

Yet, within this red, a sharp light faintly shimmered.

[Congratulations on obtaining the innate trait: Sword Dao Leader (Special Growth Type)]

[Sword Dao Leader: From the moment you first held a sword in your youth, you knew you would be the Sword Dao Leader the martial world speaks of, the number one under heaven. Your comprehension of the sword transcends the mundane; any swordsmanship in your hands can be learned at a glance and mastered after ten repetitions.]

Su Li blinked.

This cheat... was it sent to the wrong person?

He was a blacksmith; the thing he held most in his life was a hammer. If it had given him [Grandmaster Blacksmith], he could understand, but what was the meaning of [Sword Dao Leader]?

Was he supposed to take his forging hammer and go bayonet-fighting with people?

Before Su Li could finish his complaint, the system panel suddenly erupted in red light, flashing frantically as if it had caught a virus.

A line of bright red text popped up.

[Detected that the host possesses a highly compatible combination of traits!]

[Proceed with trait synthesis?]

(Note: After synthesis, the [Introvert] trait will be permanently removed. As a price, you will lose that "automatic invisibility in crowds" social anxiety camouflage, but you will gain a sublimation of the essence of your power.)

Su Li stared at the formula, lost in thought.

The [Introvert] trait.

To be honest, it was quite useful.

In this chaotic world, when one lacks ability, being a wallflower is the safest path. As long as he didn't streak, others wouldn't remember his face, even if he was devastatingly handsome. It was practically a divine skill for survival.

But after all, it was a passive, defensive skill.

He looked at the new synthesis option again.

Although it was a question mark, the result would definitely not be bad.

Take a gamble, turn a bicycle into a motorcycle?

Su Li recalled his past life.

Su Xiaochui wanted to learn the Knight Breathing Method and attend the academy, but he was blocked by the exorbitant tuition fees. Even though he eventually scraped together enough money to attend, he couldn't afford the medicinal baths.

His strength could only be used for blacksmithing, and he didn't even dare to lift his head in front of those high-and-mighty noble lords.

He had had enough of that kind of life.

He had lived a life of hiding; in this new life, he had to change the way he lived.

"Synthesize!"

Su Li gritted his teeth and made his decision.

It was just a "social anxiety" attribute anyway; if it was gone, it was gone.

[Synthesis starting...]

The text on the panel began to distort and merge.

The gray mist representing [Introvert] was forcibly extracted and thrown into the furnace like fuel. Immediately after, the golden light of [Sword Brows Starry Eyes] and the sharp aura of [Sword Dao Leader] became intertwined.

BOOM!

Su Li felt as if his soul had been struck by lightning; that tingling sensation shot straight up his spine to the top of his skull.

A new trait was born.

[Obtained new trait: Sword Spirit Root (Incomplete Version)]

[Sword Spirit Root (Incomplete Version): Even in this world with thin magic, you are a darling of the heavens and earth. You no longer need those crude and inferior Knight Breathing Methods; your body itself is a bridge connecting heaven and earth. You can directly perceive and absorb the spiritual energy (known locally as ether) drifting in the air, using your body as a sword to draw energy within.]

[Effect 1: Cultivation speed increased by a hundredfold. Even if you lie down to sleep, the spiritual energy within your body will automatically circulate.]

[Effect 2: Retains all characteristics of [Sword Brows Starry Eyes] and [Sword Dao Leader]. Your looks remain striking, and your sword talent remains invincible.]

[Friendly reminder: Due to the loss of the [Introvert] concealment, your damn charm will have nowhere to hide. You are like a firefly in the dark night; it will be hard to keep a low profile. Trouble will actively seek you out, but now, you have the ability to solve that trouble.]

Su Li looked at the words "Incomplete Version" and felt a toothache.

It was already this strong, and it was still an incomplete version? What would the complete version be like? Immortal cultivation?

However, looking at the description of "cultivation speed increased by a hundredfold," the slight dissatisfaction in Su Li's heart immediately vanished.

In this world where people grind away bit by bit relying on breathing methods, this was practically using a cheat code.

Knights? Mages?

They were all weak.

I am cultivating immortality!