The System Finally Chimed

The commotion outside the Food Flavor Pavilion had even attracted a television reporter. Ding Lin, a reporter from Ning City's local television station, was looking for material for a Dragon Boat Festival program, so naturally she couldn't pass up such big news.

Unsurprisingly, the person being interviewed was Xiao Bing, the poster girl of the Food Flavor Pavilion's food street branch.

Ding Lin held up her microphone and asked, "Xiao Bing, could you tell our viewers about this magical food?"

Xiao Bing faced the camera with two zongzi in her hands. She hadn't taken off her makeup yet and looked like a runaway princess.

"They're called zongzi. My brother says that when our ancestors still lived on Earth, they ate zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival."

"Wow, is this the latest archaeological discovery?"

"Hahaha, everyone's welcome to come buy some at the Food Flavor Pavilion!"

"Thank you for the introduction, Xiao Bing. Could you hold up the zongzi so we can get a clearer shot?"

Xiao Bing held the two zongzi beside her cheeks and smiled especially sweetly. She was so natural on camera that the cameraman clicked the shutter twice and nodded in satisfaction.

The onlookers cried out in surprise.

"She's so cute!"

"She must be a celebrity the Food Flavor Pavilion hired especially for advertising."

"Wow, it feels like first love."

A few boys plucked up their courage and approached her. "Xiao Bing, can we take a picture with you?"

"Sure~"

The boys stood beside Xiao Bing and took out their phones. Xiao Bing made a heart with her hands.

"We want pictures too!"

A few girls joined in the fun, and Xiao Bing turned no one away.

Before long, quite a few young people had gathered around Xiao Bing, waiting for pictures. Who wouldn't like such a pretty girl with such a nice personality?

Lu Yuan, who had some free time now, didn't stop them. He could tell that none of them meant any harm; they were just taking pictures together.

He didn't notice that among the crowd were two or three people dressed in black. The cold indifference in their eyes was completely out of place amid the lively atmosphere. One of them stared at Xiao Bing, surrounded like a moon by stars, and smiled meaningfully.

The people taking pictures finally dispersed, and Xiao Bing could rest for a while. She was actually very tired, but also very happy.

Lu Yuan walked over.

"Let's go home. It's already late."

"Can we leave yet? Brother, your share from the store tonight will definitely be enough to cover your tuition."

Lately, Xiao Bing had been constantly thinking about her brother's registration fee. Seeing the row of large boiling pots set up outside the Food Flavor Pavilion and the more than thirty people inside wrapping zongzi nonstop, she felt sure his tuition was covered.

All they had to do was wait for the store to close and divide the money.

"No need to wait any longer." Lu Yuan glanced at Jia Shengnan, who was so busy he was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, and smiled. "Someone will bring the money over of his own accord tomorrow."

Xiao Bing tilted her head, a big question mark appearing on her face. If it wasn't for a share of the money, what had her brother been busy all day for?

Brother and sister walked back along the familiar streets.

As they passed an alley lit by a dim yellow streetlamp, Lu Yuan's mighty frame jolted.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"...No, nothing."

"There has to be something. You suddenly look really happy."

Lu Yuan stopped and patted Xiao Bing on the head. "My little sister is so amazing. Of course I'm happy."

Xiao Bing more or less accepted that explanation. In truth, she had noticed that her brother had been acting strangely these past few days. But he was still the same brother, and of that she was certain.

It was already past midnight when they got home. They had been through so much today, and sheer willpower had kept them going. Now that they were finally home, that last breath of resolve slipped away. Xiao Bing washed up as if sleepwalking, went to her room, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Lu Yuan didn't sleep. Holding back his excitement, he returned to his room.

"Is this the system?" He examined the numbers that had appeared at the edge of his vision. "I finally got it!"

Back in the alley, Lu Yuan had suddenly noticed some faintly glowing numbers at the edge of his vision. He didn't know when they had appeared.

The numbers were tiny and right at the edge of his vision; unless he paid attention, he wouldn't notice them at all. The light in the alley had been dim, which was why he had spotted their faint glow.

Xiao Bing had been talking beside him at the time, so he hadn't had a chance to look closely. Now that he was back in his room, he could finally study them properly.

The system looked very rudimentary, with only a few lines:

Merit Points: 2,000 points

True Essence: 110/110 ling +

Spiritual Pressure: 12 seals

Divine Sense: 20 thoughts

Return Progress: 11.17%

That was all.

Besides those lines, there was no explanatory text. Lu Yuan tried to communicate with the system, but received no response.

What a rudimentary and aloof system.

It looked like he would have to figure it out himself. Lu Yuan began analyzing it line by line.

Influenced by his desk mate, the great immortal Ma Jin, Lu Yuan had actually read some novels in high school, so he wasn't completely at a loss. It had just been a long time, and his memories were hazy.

First was the 2,000 Merit Value on the first line.

If he wasn't mistaken, merit should be this system's exchange currency, like money. If he wanted to exchange it for something, he would need to pay a certain number of Merit Points.

But how did he get Merit Points? Lu Yuan had no idea.

Merit Points, as the name implied, involved "merit" and "contribution."

Did I do anything of great significance today? Lu Yuan pondered. *I was reborn yesterday, but the system didn't appear. Instead, it appeared today.

It looks like it was affected by the Merit Points.

When my Merit Points were at zero, the system was invisible.

And today, because I did something that earned me Merit Points, the system was activated.

So what exactly did I do?

This question was important; it concerned how he would obtain Merit Points in the future. Anyone could see that 2,000 points definitely wouldn't be enough. What would he do once he used them up?

Lu Yuan thought it over and over. All he had done today was instruct everyone at the Food Flavor Pavilion on how to wrap zongzi.

The only thing that could be called a major event was making the zongzi. After all, thousands of people had rushed to buy them; the scene had been quite impressive.

So, introducing a new dish could earn him 2,000 Merit Points?

If that was the case, Lu Yuan had nothing to worry about.

He could become the head chef at the Food Flavor Pavilion and turn out a new item every day. He could earn Merit Value until he puked.

Could it be that the system wants me to walk the path of the God of Cooking? Lu Yuan thought. No, I want to be a cultivator.

But instinctively, he felt the system wasn't that simple. These were "merit" points, after all, not "food" points or "wealth" points.

Merit referred to great achievements.

As a cook, Lu Yuan didn't think making tasty food counted as an achievement. If he were handling logistics in the military and used properly balanced meals to improve the troops' combat effectiveness, that would count as an achievement.

Setting merit aside for now, he looked at True Essence on the second line. He had heard the term True Essence quite often; it seemed to be a cultivator's internal power, like a mage's mana.

Lu Yuan felt that True Essence was actually the same "True Essence" his classmates had been discussing all day. Both used "ling" as their unit, and the number 110 was very likely his own True Essence reading.

Lu Yuan hadn't gone to the hospital for a test, but he should be about the same as Zhou Xiyun. Zhou Xiyun's reading was 108, so it wouldn't be surprising if his was two points higher. In any case, neither reached last year's admission cutoff of 112.

Fortunately, there was a plus sign after the True Essence reading. Clearly, he could use Merit Points to add to it.

With that, Lu Yuan felt reassured again. At least he wouldn't be without anything to rely on in a world of cultivation. He was rather worried that someone might crush him to death before he even knew what was happening, like crushing an ant.

He would try adding points in a moment. For now, he continued reading.

Lu Yuan had absolutely no idea what "Spiritual Pressure" on the third line or "Divine Sense" on the fourth line meant. Presumably, like True Essence, they were important powers indispensable to cultivators.

As for exactly what they were, he would probably have to become a cultivator before he could find out.

Lu Yuan had discovered over the past few days that this world held many secrets. The internet seemed to offer an endless supply of information, but all the key information came with a single line:

Not disclosed in accordance with the cultivator confidentiality principle.

The final entry was "Return Progress," which left him completely baffled.

Return to what? His original world?

Lu Yuan swore to the heavens that he absolutely did not want to return to that world without parents or a little sister.

That was the system's general state. Although he had many questions, he would probably have to explore them slowly over time. Besides, a bird in the hand was worth more than ten in the woods. He would try the True Essence point-adding function first.

True Essence, or rather True Essence, was directly related to the upcoming college entrance exam. Even Jia Xuanxuan, whose True Essence was above 120, was worried. At Lu Yuan's level of 110 ling, he would definitely fail.

"Let's add one point and see."