Chapter 27: The System and Favorability
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
An hour later, the disciples from the Five Elements Sect arrived at the bustling Lantern City.
At the city gates, their leader, Zhou Jin Yue, turned to his group and instructed, “Hold on a moment, I’ll cover the spirit stones for our entry.”
It was a standard regulation known far and wide: while scholars might disrupt the peace with their ideas, and soldiers with their sword, cultivators could potentially unleash chaos with their supernatural abilities. Thus, to ensure public safety and order, cultivators were required to pay with spirit stones as a form of control whenever they entered a city. This practice was well-established and widely accepted.
The group nodded in understanding and paused, forming a neat line as they waited.
The young cultivators assigned to guard Lantern City’s gates spotted Zhou Jin Yue and his entourage approaching. Noting their refined robes and authoritative aura, the guards quickly surmised they were dealing with sect disciples and felt a wave of apprehension wash over them.
As Zhou Jin Yue neared, before he could utter a word, the young guards bowed deeply and announced, “Greetings, Lady. Entry to Lantern City requires one low-grade spirit stone per person.”
They kept their eyes cast down, focusing on their own feet in a display of deep respect.
Zhou Jin Yue promptly paid the required fee for his group, and they entered the city without any issue.
Lantern City, though not particularly large, was renowned for its vibrant and beautifully crafted lanterns that decorated its streets and alleys, creating a captivating glow. As Yu Zhao walked through the city, her eyes caught a particularly striking glass lantern swinging gently under an eave, and memories flooded her mind.
In her past life, during the Lantern Festival, Yu Zhao remembered how Ye Cong Xin had eagerly convinced her five senior brothers, including Fang Cheng Lang, to visit the city to witness the festival. Sadly, they had all left the sect together, deliberately or accidentally forgetting Yu Zhao. She only discovered their trip after noticing five exquisite palace lanterns adorning the entrance to Ye Cong Xin’s dwelling. None of her brothers had thought to invite her, nor had they brought back even a simple lantern as a token for her.
Back then, Yu Zhao had used her cultivation practice as a pretext to visit Lantern City alone. She spent the entire night admiring the lanterns. At dusk, as the lanterns were lit, the sight was undeniably stunning. Yet, at that moment, her heart was too heavy to truly appreciate their beauty. Now, revisiting the city and seeing those same lanterns, Yu Zhao could only perceive the brilliant lights as mere reflections of a splendid but cold magnificence.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jin Yue, already familiar with the layout of Lantern City from previous visits, led the group effortlessly to a local inn. The inn was bustling, and due to their large number, the innkeeper scrambled to prepare sufficient accommodations, eventually managing to squeeze them into rooms in the backyard.
Once settled in her room, Yu Zhao wasted no time and began her meditation. She had previously spent too much energy on trivial pursuits and, now with a solid foundation, she was determined not to squander any more precious moments.
In a nearby room, Ye Cong Xin shut her door and retrieved a formation disk from her storage bag. She placed it on the table and infused it with spiritual power, which activated a thin veil of light that enveloped the room. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly addressed the empty air, “System, check Lan Zi Yu’s favorability rating.”
A mechanical voice responded crisply, [Ding, Lan Zi Yu’s current favorability rating is 80 points.]
Ye Cong Xin’s expression darkened momentarily. She was still ten points shy of the target ninety. This shortfall was all Yu Zhao’s fault! Three years ago, Lan Zi Yu’s favorability towards her was a solid eighty. However, after Yu Zhao gifted her that flawed bamboo flute, his favorability had plummeted to fifty points overnight, which had nearly driven Ye Cong Xin to despair. Over the past three years, she had painstakingly clawed it back to eighty, yet it was still not enough to meet the system’s expectations.
Speaking of the system, Ye Cong Xin wasn’t sure how to describe it. At the age of eight, she fell gravely ill, nearly dying several times. When she woke up, she mysteriously had something called a ‘system’ in her sea of consciousness.
Initially, she believed the system to be some kind of demonic temptation. Frightened, she shunned its suggestions, convinced they were deceptive and perilous. However, her attitude shifted when she fell ill once more and the system intervened using her father’s luck to save her life. This miraculous rescue revealed the system’s true potential.
Ye Cong Xin learned that the system allowed her to harness the favorability of others towards her. If someone’s favorability rating reached ninety, she could tap into their luck and exchange it for various benefits: increased lifespan, enhanced cultivation levels, improved appearance, and even a superior spiritual root.
After spending much of her youth confined to her bed, Ye Cong Xin yearned for a robust constitution. With her newfound understanding of the system, she promptly traded five points of her father’s luck for better health. The transformation was immediate; though she wasn’t completely healthy, she felt significantly stronger than before.
The system’s abilities both astonished and thrilled Ye Cong Xin. She realized that by cultivating favorability, she could change her destiny and ascend to the zenith of the cultivation world.
Emboldened, Ye Cong Xin shed her reclusive habits. She became outgoing and charming, mastering the art of making herself likable. Her efforts initially bore fruit with ease, especially among naive, newly initiated disciples who were quickly charmed, boosting their favorability towards her.
Over the years, Ye Cong Xin had made various exchanges through the system—sometimes for physical strength, other times for spiritual power or even to enhance her appearance. Yet, she soon understood that mere favorability was insufficient; she required more substantial luck for her ambitions.
Luck was the critical resource for these exchanges, and a cultivator’s luck was finite. Her father, despite being a Golden Core cultivator, had limited luck that could support only four such exchanges.
Realizing this, Ye Cong Xin began targeting individuals within the Five Elements Sect who possessed high levels of inherent luck. Her attention focused particularly on Lone Moon Peak, home to some of the sect’s most fortunate members—from Master Qing Yan to her fellow disciples like Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu. If she could elevate their favorability towards her to ninety points, she could leverage their luck to achieve unprecedented power and influence.
With her goals set, Ye Cong Xin initiated a subtle but calculated campaign to win over those at Lone Moon Peak. Her efforts were gradually paying off, with Master Qing Yan’s favorability nearing eighty-eight points, followed by Lan Zi Yu at eighty, Fang Cheng Lang at seventy-five, and others not far behind.
Determined, Ye Cong Xin whispered to herself, “Just ten more points… I must reach it before we return to the sect.”
As she pondered her next move, an idea sparked in her mind.
…
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Knock, knock.
Lan Zi Yu, hearing the knock, let a small smile creep across his face as he rose to answer the door.
Standing before him was Ye Cong Xin, clad in a light blue gown with her hair elegantly styled into a flying cloud bun, accented with a blue ribbon. Her appearance was the epitome of refreshing elegance.
“Second Senior Brother, let’s go enjoy the lanterns,” she suggested with a tilt of her head and a warm smile.
Lan Zi Yu nodded, his agreement seamless. Together, they went to invite Fang Cheng Lang. Known for his friendly demeanor, Fang Cheng Lang readily agreed, closing his room door behind him as he joined them.
Just as they were about to leave the inn, Fang Cheng Lang halted abruptly. “I almost forgot to invite our Sixth Junior Sister,” he declared, turning back towards the inn. “Wait here; I’ll be right back.”