Upon hearing Wang Jianqiang's robust voice, Chen Jiaojiao was momentarily stunned. It took her a while to react, and her face flushed red.
She looked at Wang Jianqiang in disbelief. "How can you propose such a condition? You... you're so much older than me... And you're a friend of my uncle."
Wang Jianqiang pursed his lips. Now you remember I'm your uncle's friend? Why didn't you think of that when you were badmouthing me to others?
Chen Jiaojiao looked at the old man in front of her, his hair gray and face full of wrinkles, feeling nothing but resistance. She wanted to refuse, but she didn't want to lose the free resources Wang Jianqiang provided. In the end, her early maturity led her to prioritize her career.
***
A short while later, Chen Jiaojiao gracefully walked out of the room, followed by a dejected Wang Jianqiang. "I'm old and useless now," Wang Jianqiang sighed to himself.
Just then, a mechanical voice, like an electronic synthesis, suddenly echoed in his mind. "Ding, congratulations to the host for losing the Virgin Body, God-Tier Cultivation System activated."
Wang Jianqiang was taken aback. A system? So that's how it's activated? "I knew it, how could a transmigrator not have a system?"
Recalling how he had resolutely pushed aside romantic entanglements to focus on cultivation after transmigrating to this world, he felt a moment of darkness. It seemed all that hardship was unnecessary.
Coming back to his senses, Wang Jianqiang willed a thought, and a light screen flashed in his mind.
[Name: Wang Jianqiang]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 95/100]
[Spiritual Root: Five-Element Crippled Root]
[Innate Divine Ability: None]
[Cultivation Base: Qi Refining Level 3]
[Ding, congratulations to the host for receiving the Newcomer Transmigration Gift Pack. Would you like to open it?]
The mechanical voice echoed again in his mind, and Wang Jianqiang was delighted. There's even a gift pack? "Yes," he thought without hesitation.
[Ding, Newcomer Transmigration Gift Pack opened.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Epic Rank Innate Divine Ability 'Bankrupt Version of Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation.']
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining 50 Cultivation Points.]
As the mechanical system voice concluded, Wang Jianqiang noticed a line of text appearing in the "Innate Divine Ability" section of his attribute panel.
[Bankrupt Version of Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation: Epic Rank, allows free alteration of body size, enhancing physique after transformation. Current awakening level: Beginner, physique enhancement by 1x.]
There was also a smaller line of text, "Innate Divine Ability Rank Classification: Bronze Rank, Silver Rank, Gold Rank, Platinum Rank, Epic Rank, Legendary Rank, Divine Rank."
According to the system's classification, Epic Rank was already a very high level for an innate divine ability.
Wang Jianqiang's attention then shifted to the top right corner of the attribute panel, where a small line of text read, "Cultivation Points: 50."
As his attention shifted, the attribute page changed, revealing a subpage with three lines of text.
[Cultivation Points can be used to enhance Cultivation Methods, Spell Techniques, and Auxiliary Abilities. Each Cultivation Point is equivalent to one year of arduous cultivation. (Note: Based on the host's current cultivation speed.)]
[Cultivation Points can be obtained through daily arduous cultivation. One session of diligent cultivation grants 1 Cultivation Point.]
[All terms above are subject to the final interpretation of this system.]
Seeing the use of Cultivation Points, Wang Jianqiang was overjoyed, immediately thinking of the phrase "charge for one minute, talk for two hours." But this Cultivation Point was even more exaggerated. One session of arduous cultivation grants a year's worth of cultivation time—it's simply a cultivation artifact!
As for the so-called interpretation rights, he had seen enough of those in his previous life and was no longer surprised.
"Wang Jianqiang, are you thinking of going back on your word?" At that moment, a cautious voice reached Wang Jianqiang's ears.
He snapped back to reality and found Chen Jiaojiao staring at him, her pretty face icy cold. "Wang Jianqiang, I've already met your conditions. If you dare to go back on your word, don't blame me for not remembering our past ties."
After leaving the room, Chen Jiaojiao saw Wang Jianqiang suddenly stop and just stare at her expressionlessly, thinking he wanted to renege on their agreement.
Wang Jianqiang was momentarily stunned, then realized what had happened. It seemed his moment of distraction had led to a misunderstanding with Chen Jiaojiao.
Just as he was about to respond, another attribute panel appeared in his mind.
[Name: Chen Jiaojiao]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 35/100]
[Spiritual Root: Triple Root of Metal, Wood, and Earth]
[Cultivation Base: Qi Refining Level 6]
[Current Favorability: -10]
This system can even view others' data? Wang Jianqiang raised an eyebrow, then came back to his senses. The Favorability feature, in particular, allowed him to easily gauge others' attitudes towards him, making it incredibly useful.
With this thought, Wang Jianqiang was in a great mood and didn't mind Chen Jiaojiao's poor attitude, merely shaking his head. "Jiaojiao, you've misunderstood. I, Wang Jianqiang, have always been a man of my word. How could I go back on it?"
Hearing Wang Jianqiang's words, Chen Jiaojiao's expression softened a bit. "Uncle Wang, don't blame me for my earlier attitude. I was just too concerned about our bond, which is why I got so agitated. Can we still be like we were before?"
Concerned about the bond? If she valued it so much, why would her Favorability be negative? Wang Jianqiang sneered inwardly but maintained a smiling facade. "Of course."
Seeing him just nod without further comment, Chen Jiaojiao's delicate brows furrowed. "Uncle Wang, since you've forgiven me, you must help me with the elixir."
"Elixir? What elixir?" Wang Jianqiang asked, looking at Chen Jiaojiao in confusion.
Chen Jiaojiao's face stiffened, forcing a smile. "Uncle Wang, stop teasing me. Didn't we agree that as long as I met your conditions, you'd still be my uncle?"
"Yes, you can continue to call me uncle," Wang Jianqiang nodded.
"And the elixir?"
"What elixir?"
A hint of anxiety flashed across Chen Jiaojiao's face. "Weren't you the one providing my cultivation resources before?"
"You said it yourself, that was before." Wang Jianqiang shrugged.
Chen Jiaojiao's pretty face turned cold. "Are you playing me?"
Wang Jianqiang's face still bore a faint smile. "You've misunderstood me. I promised to forgive you once you met my conditions, but I don't recall saying I'd continue providing you with cultivation resources."
Chen Jiaojiao's expression froze, turning ugly. It seemed Wang Jianqiang really hadn't said that. But what about the condition she just agreed to with Wang Jianqiang? Was it purely to gain his forgiveness and call him uncle? Damn it, if it weren't for the resources Wang Jianqiang could provide, who the hell would want to associate with this useless thing?
[Favorability decreased.]
As a mechanical voice echoed in Wang Jianqiang's mind, Chen Jiaojiao's Favorability towards him dropped to -55. According to the system's definition, positive numbers represented favor, while negative numbers represented dislike. Favorability between 0 and -50 simply indicated dislike, not to the point of taking action. But once the value dropped below -50, it meant the other party might act against him at any time.
However, Wang Jianqiang wasn't worried in the slightest. The Hehuan Sect strictly prohibited private duels, and unless Chen Jiaojiao wanted to die, she wouldn't dare lay a finger on him. His smile never wavered. "Don't be angry. Want resources? No problem, uncle can give them to you."
Chen Jiaojiao's expression shifted, still looking at him coldly. Wang Jianqiang rubbed his hands together. "One Spirit-Gathering Pill, and we can do it again."
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan