Chapter 27

Chapter 27: System and Favorability
One hour later, the group from the Five Elements Dao Sect arrived at Lantern City.

Outside the city gate, Zhou Jin Yue turned to the others and said, “Wait here for a bit. I’ll go pay the Spirit Stones to enter the city.”

There was a saying that scholars used words to disrupt the law, and swordsmen used force to break the rules. The power that cultivators held had already far surpassed ordinary martial strength. If it was not restrained, it would surely cause chaos.

So when cultivators wanted to enter a cultivation city, they had to pay Spirit Stones to help maintain order in the city.

This had long become an unspoken rule of the Cultivation World, so the disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect all nodded in agreement.

The two young cultivators guarding the gate of Lantern City had already noticed Zhou Jin Yue and the others when they arrived. Seeing that they were neatly dressed and full of spirit, they guessed at once that these people must be sect disciples, and they grew very nervous.

Before Zhou Jin Yue could even speak after she stepped forward, the two young cultivators bent in a hurried bow and said, “Greetings, Senior. The entry fee for Lantern City is one Low-grade Spirit Stone.”

After speaking, they did not dare look straight at her and kept their eyes on their own toes to show respect.

Zhou Jin Yue paid the Spirit Stones according to their number, and the group entered the city smoothly.

Lantern City was famous for its lanterns. The city was not very big, and beautiful lanterns hung in all the streets and alleys.

Yu Zhao looked at a glazed lantern hanging under the corner of a roof, and her thoughts were in turmoil for a moment.

She had come to Lantern City once before.

In her past life, Ye Cong Xin had heard that Lantern City would be holding a lantern festival, so she begged her five Senior Brothers to take her there to enjoy the lanterns. Fang Cheng Lang and the others happily agreed.

On the day of the lantern festival, the six of them, five Senior Brothers and one junior sister, left the Five Elements Dao Sect together. Yu Zhao’s existence was, whether by accident or on purpose, forgotten.

Yu Zhao only learned that they had gone to Lantern City when she later saw five exquisite palace lanterns hanging outside Ye Cong Xin’s cave residence.

Sadly, not one of her five Senior Brothers had called her along. They had not even been willing to give her a single cheap lantern.

Not long after, Yu Zhao used training as an excuse and went alone to Lantern City, where she spent an entire night looking at the lanterns.

When night fell and the lights first came on, the scene was truly beautiful, but back then Yu Zhao had no mood to enjoy it.

Now, returning to this place and seeing the lanterns again, Yu Zhao only felt that the trees of light and the sea of flowers were incredibly beautiful.

Zhou Jin Yue clearly had also come to Lantern City many times before. She led the group through the streets with practiced ease until they reached an inn.

Because there were so many of them, there were not enough rooms in the inn. In the end, the shopkeeper cleared out several rooms in the backyard so they could barely fit everyone.

After Yu Zhao entered her room, she sat down at once to breathe and meditate.

In the past, she had wasted too much time on things that did not matter. Now that her foundation was solid and she had no more worries, she naturally could not waste her time anymore.

In another room.

Ye Cong Xin closed the door, took a Formation Disk out of her Storage Pouch, and placed it on the table. Then she poured Spirit Power into it.

Soon, a thin light curtain rose up and covered the entire room.

Ye Cong Xin let out a breath, then suddenly spoke to the empty room, “System, check Lan Zi Yu’s Favorability.”

[Ding. Lan Zi Yu’s current Favorability is 80 points.]

Eighty points. It was still a full ten points away from the target of ninety.

Ye Cong Xin’s expression twisted for a moment.

It was all that damned Yu Zhao’s fault.

Three years ago, Lan Zi Yu’s Favorability toward her had already reached 80 points.

Then Yu Zhao gave him that stupid bamboo flute, and Lan Zi Yu’s Favorability toward her suddenly dropped to 50 points. She had been so angry she almost coughed up blood.

In the three years since, she had worked hard and carefully. Only then had she slowly raised his Favorability back up to 80 points, but there was still a gap between this and the goal that the System had set for her.

Speaking of the System, Ye Cong Xin herself did not know how to describe it.

When she was eight years old, she fell seriously ill and came close to death several times. After she finally woke up, something called the System had appeared out of nowhere in her Sea of Consciousness.

At first, Ye Cong Xin thought she had given birth to a Heart Devil. She lived in fear every day, and whatever the System said, she treated it as lies of demons and completely ignored it.

It was not until she fell sick again and the System used her father’s Fortune to save her that she finally understood how extraordinary the System was.

It turned out that as long as someone’s Favorability toward her reached 90 points as recognized by the System, she could draw that person’s Fortune and exchange it for anything she wanted.

Lifespan, Cultivation Level, appearance, even a Spiritual Root, everything was available.

Ye Cong Xin had spent a long time bedridden, so more than anything she longed for a healthy body. After she learned how to use the System, the first thing she did was use her father’s Fortune to exchange for five Physique Points.

Sure enough, after the exchange was complete, she immediately felt that her body had improved. Although she still was not as strong as a normal person, compared to before, it was a huge change.

The heaven defying power of the System filled Ye Cong Xin with both shock and joy.

She knew that her chance had come. As long as she worked hard to gain other people’s affection, she could shed her old self and step onto the peak of the Great Dao.

From then on, Ye Cong Xin completely changed her past habit of staying indoors. She actively made friends and disguised herself as the kind of person who was easiest to like.

At first, the plan went very smoothly. The thoughts of new disciples were simple, and it was very easy to raise their Favorability.

Over the next few years, Ye Cong Xin had exchanged items from the System more than ten times.

Sometimes she exchanged for Physique Points, sometimes for Spirit Power Points. She had also exchanged for Charm Points and Appearance Points.

But later, Ye Cong Xin realized that just raising Favorability would never be enough to meet her needs. What she really needed was Fortune.

Favorability was only the precondition. Only Fortune could be used for the final exchanges.

A cultivator’s Fortune was limited, especially for those with average talent who were not favored by the Heavenly Dao. The Luck Value on their bodies was pitifully small.

Even a Golden Core cultivator like her father could only provide enough Luck Value for four exchanges.

So, to solve her problems once and for all, she began to look for targets with the highest Luck Value inside the Five Elements Dao Sect.

Lone Moon Peak entered her sight in this way.

From Master Qing Yan at the top of Lone Moon Peak down to Fang Cheng Lang, Lan Zi Yu, and the others, every one of them was someone with surging Fortune.

As long as she could raise their Favorability toward her to 90 points, she could soar into the sky and stand above the crowd.

So Ye Cong Xin set her sights on Lone Moon Peak and began a gentle, silent offensive.

Up to now, the person on Lone Moon Peak with the highest Favorability toward her was Lan Zi Yu, with 80 points.

After him, from high to low, were Fang Cheng Lang with 75 points, Su Ming with 72 points, Cui Jue with 70 points, and Quan Ye with 60 points.

Master Qing Yan was the lowest, with only 50 points.

“Still 10 points short. I have to finish this before we return to the sect.”

Ye Cong Xin muttered to herself as she stared at the night outside the window. Very soon, a plan formed in her heart.

…

Knock knock.

Lan Zi Yu heard the knocking on the door outside and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

He opened the door.

Standing outside was a girl in a water colored dress, her hair tied in a cloudlike bun, a green silk belt at her waist. She looked especially fresh and elegant.

“Second Senior Brother, let’s go look at the lanterns.” Ye Cong Xin tilted her head and invited him warmly.

Lan Zi Yu nodded and agreed, then the two of them went together to find Fang Cheng Lang and told him their idea.

Fang Cheng Lang had always been easygoing, so he naturally did not object. He turned back to close his room door and walked outside with them.

Just as the three of them were about to leave the inn, Fang Cheng Lang suddenly stopped and called out to the other two, “I almost forgot to call Sixth Junior Sister. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”