Perks on Moments

Only after cultivating at the track field until sunrise did Jun Wangchen stop his cross-legged meditation, slowly stand up, and stretch his limbs.

After a morning of absorbing spiritual energy, Jun Wangchen noticed that the lotus in his dantian seemed to have gained another small petal, and the Spiritual Power in its groove had increased a little.

"Looks like daily cultivation is essential. Although the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is thin on Earth now, it's still acceptable for me at Mid-Stage Qi Condensation." Feeling the Spiritual Power surging inside him, Jun Wangchen nodded in satisfaction.

At this rate, he would fully consolidate his Mid-Stage Qi Condensation strength within a few days. Then it would be time to push toward Late Qi Condensation.

However, reaching Late-Stage Qi Condensation required accumulating a certain amount of spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as tempering his blood. With spiritual energy so scarce now, that might take him quite some time.

"You must never rush cultivation, so let's get breakfast first and fill our stomach." Checking the time displayed on the Groundhog Phone, Jun Wangchen straightened his clothes and left the track field, heading toward Jinling University's Dining Hall One.

Jinling University's Dining Hall One was spacious, with seven floors, each offering its own specialties. Both the food and the dining environment were impeccable. Most importantly, the prices were reasonable, making it ideal for students.

Since it was the weekend, there weren't many students eating on the first floor. Jun Wangchen went there as usual, ordered his customary cup of soy milk and four steamed buns, then sat at a table and began eating.

Bzz!

He had barely started eating when the Groundhog Phone suddenly vibrated.

Jun Wangchen's bun-holding hand froze. He whipped out the Groundhog Phone and swiftly opened the Strongest Chat Group in History.

Sure enough, a large red packet was sitting on the screen.

Jun Wangchen reacted instantly, jabbing at it with all his might.

(Friendly reminder: Sorry, you were too late. All the red packets have already been claimed.)

"For fuck's sake..." At that moment, Jun Wangchen felt the urge to smash his phone.

His fingers... had been too slow!

The red packet... was gone!

The hand speed he had honed through twenty years of being single had actually lost to a bunch of... immortals!

Jun Wangchen was devastated. What kind of world was this? Being stronger than mortals was one thing, but did immortals have to have faster fingers too? How was anyone supposed to survive?

While thumping his chest with his little fists and sighing, Jun Wangchen still remembered to look at the messages in the group.

Taishang Laojun (Admin): Hello, everyone! Long time no see. Did you enjoy grabbing those red packets?

Third Prince Nezha: Well, this is a rare visit. Laojun usually spends all his time refining pills in his pill-refining chamber, but he actually showed up today.

Seven Fairies: Laojun, when will my Youth-Preserving Pill be ready?

East Sea Dragon King: Laojun, I lost a thousand-year luminous pearl when I visited your pill-refining chamber yesterday. Did your herb-gathering attendant take it?

Erlang Shen: @East Sea Dragon King, are you stupid? When something goes missing, don't bother suspecting anyone else. Just find that damn monkey. He definitely stole it.

Sun Wukong: Three-Eyes, you've been itching for a beating lately, haven't you? Has it been so long since my staff last hit you that your body's gone soft?

Marshal Tianpeng: @Sun Wukong, Brother Monkey, Three-Eyes' wife, the Third Princess of West Sea, is on her period and has a fiery temper lately. You could give her a poke with your "staff." (lecherous/lecherous/lecherous)

Erlang Shen: @Tang Xuanzang, what kind of disciples have you been teaching? Get them under control!

Tang Xuanzang: Amitabha. How many cucumbers lie discarded in the streets? How many radishes can no longer return home to the cooking pot? How many eggplants have perished between someone's legs? Is it the pursuit of lonely losers, or the rejection of pots and pans? Tune in to Xuanzang's Classroom.

Erlang Shen: "..."

Seven Fairies: "..."

East Sea Dragon King: "..."

Reading the messages, Jun Wangchen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Tang Xuanzang was simply an eternal clown.

"What a shame I missed Taishang Laojun's red packet. These useless fingers!" Thinking of the earlier red packet still made Jun Wangchen's heart ache.

As the Divine Realm's foremost pill refiner, Taishang Laojun had produced untold numbers of divine pills. Countless immortals commissioned pills from him, so naturally, the gifts he received piled up like mountains.

At that thought, Jun Wangchen thumped his chest in regret. If only he had known, he would have spent the past few days practicing his finger speed.

Filled with regret, Jun Wangchen left the chat screen and tapped Moments.

At that moment, Moments was filled with advertisements from immortals.

He Xiangu: Immortal lotus flowers for sale, my exclusive treasures. Hold a lotus and remain untouched by worldly dust. Cultivate your character and nurture your spirit. Price negotiable.

Seven Fairies: A new branch of the Flat Peach Garden is now open! All flat peaches are half price. Everyone is welcome to shop.

Kitchen God: Hiring a fire-tending attendant. Any gender welcome. Salary negotiable, with commission.

Fairy Chang'e: A new batch of beauty masks has arrived. Sweeties, remember to pick up your orders! Mwah!

Jun Wangchen nearly laughed out loud. In their everyday lives, these immortals were no different from mortals. If anything, they were a little sillier.

As he continued browsing, nearly everything was an advertisement or a job posting. Only a few immortals, bored out of their minds, were idling around on their feeds.

"Hm?" Suddenly, Jun Wangchen's gaze landed on a post from Taishang Laojun.

(Taishang Laojun: I finished refining pills today and made a few extra Qi Condensation Pills. Leave any comment to receive one. The first person to comment can also become my nominal disciple!)

The post had been published an hour earlier, but there were no comments beneath it. Apparently, neither Qi Condensation Pills nor nominal discipleship held much appeal for the immortals.

That made sense. Every immortal possessed heaven-reaching cultivation and carried themselves with pride. Why would any of them lower themselves to comment for a mere lowest-grade Qi Condensation Pill and a lowly nominal disciple position?

Yet those things the immortals dismissed were practically divine treasures to Jun Wangchen, a mortal.

He had just been worrying about Earth's sparse spiritual energy, only to discover that Taishang Laojun was giving away free Qi Condensation Pills. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth contained in a single pill could save him at least half a month of cultivation, if not longer.

What was more, being the first to comment would make him Taishang Laojun's nominal disciple. This was an incredible perk!

After all, becoming Taishang Laojun's nominal disciple meant gaining opportunities to obtain more pills and secret manuals. If he performed well, he might even become Taishang Laojun's formal disciple.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. In the end, Jun Wangchen almost instinctively left a long, adoring comment beneath Taishang Laojun's post.

(Laojun's post is truly magnificent. Its prose flows beautifully, its rhetoric is impeccable, and it captures the enduring elegance of the Wei and Jin dynasties while vividly carrying forward the spirit of Tang and Song literature. To witness this post in my lifetime is truly a blessing earned over three lifetimes.

After reading Laojun's post, I felt an indescribable sorrow well up within me. Ah, such a wonderful post! What would I do if I could never see it again?

With reverence in my heart, I saved Laojun's post without hesitation. Only then did my excitement gradually settle. But immediately, another thought struck me: if others never saw such a wonderful post, wouldn't all Laojun's painstaking effort go to waste?

After an agonizing internal struggle, I finally made up my mind. I will keep bumping this post until everyone has seen it!)

Ding! Congratulations on successfully commenting on Taishang Laojun's post. You have received one Qi Condensation Pill, which has been deposited in your wallet.

"It worked!" Delighted, Jun Wangchen immediately left Moments and opened his wallet.

Sure enough, the first slot in his wallet contained a Qi Condensation Pill.

"Even though I missed Taishang Laojun's red packet, getting one of his free Qi Condensation Pills is still something to celebrate." Jun Wangchen licked his lips. He wanted to retrieve it immediately, but remembering that he was in the dining hall, he promptly dismissed the idea.

"No rush. I'll test the Qi Condensation Pill's effects when I get back to the dorm. Right now, I need to ask Taishang Laojun about becoming his nominal disciple."

With that thought, Jun Wangchen tapped Taishang Laojun's avatar and opened their private chat.

"Laojun, are you there?"

There was no reply.

Jun Wangchen paused, then typed again. "Laojun, I'm the first person who commented on your post. Does that mean I'm your nominal disciple now?"

Quite some time passed, but there was still no reply.

"Looks like Taishang Laojun must have gone to refine pills," Jun Wangchen murmured. He stopped sending messages. There was plenty of time, anyway. There was no need to rush.

Putting away the Groundhog Phone, Jun Wangchen ate his steamed buns with renewed gusto, in an excellent mood.

"Shi Zhenxiang, have you checked today's trending posts on the school forum?" Beside him, a student munching on cabbage pushed up his glasses and asked his companion.

His companion shook his head and mumbled around a mouthful of egg, "No. I hardly ever use the forum. What's up, Ju Huacan? Judging by that look on your face, did something big happen?"

"Something big did happen. Yesterday at Mino Court, campus beauty Zi Hanyan suddenly showed up. Campus heartthrob Wei Caijun was there too, so everyone thought she'd come to see him. But instead, Zi Hanyan walked straight past Wei Caijun, approached some completely unknown student, and invited him out." Ju Huacan swallowed his cabbage, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"If I hadn't seen the forum, I never would have believed it. Just thinking about my goddess's seductive figure, her wickedly alluring smile, her feminine charm, her noble, elegant air... Ahhh, no, give me a tissue! I'm getting wet... Wait, no, back to the point. Boohoo, give me a knife! I'm going to hack that bastard who stole my goddess's heart to death!"

Shi Zhenxiang: "..."

Hearing the two students' conversation, Jun Wangchen's heart jolted. He quickly took out his phone and opened the school forum.

The first thing he saw was today's trending topic, titled: Campus Beauty Zi Hanyan's Shady, Wicked Deal with a Mysterious Young Man!

He opened it and scrolled through. By the time he finished, Jun Wangchen's face was practically black as coal.

The post not only described the entire encounter with Zi Hanyan yesterday, but also included pictures. Her photos were free to view, while his were locked behind a paywall.

Jun Wangchen hesitated, then paid ten yuan and opened his pictures one by one.

"Huh?" One glance was enough to leave Jun Wangchen stunned.

Every picture of him in the post showed either his back or his side. There wasn't a single front-facing shot.

"Strange. Could the person who posted this have failed to get a picture of my face?" Jun Wangchen narrowed his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he looked at the poster's username.

Ten Crates of Limp-Dick Powder?

"Damn, whoever came up with that name is a real genius. Someone actually called themselves... Wait, isn't that Number Two's forum username?" Jun Wangchen couldn't help chuckling at first, but then something seemed to occur to him, and he froze.

He vaguely remembered Number Two using that very username during a forum flame war.

Could this post have been... Number Two's work?

Startled, Jun Wangchen's gaze turned cold. He downed his soy milk in one gulp, grabbed four steamed buns, and headed straight for the dorm.