"Ding"
A young man who was sleeping at a classroom desk was suddenly awakened by the sound. Opening his blue eyes, he blinked a few times, confused.
"What's going on?" he wondered, looking behind him at his classmates who were still sleeping, then to the front, where the diligent students were writing down the lesson.
Standing up front, a teacher was explaining a boring history subject that had been repeated countless times.
"Five hundred years ago, the world's spiritual energy recovered, monsters came from another dimension, and humanity, at first, had no strength to fight them and was almost wiped out.
Salvation came from the Heavenly Dao, which granted cultivation methods to humans, ushering in a new era.
Two hundred years ago, humans began leaving Earth and exploring the unknown dimension. What lies on the other side? No one knows, as that information has yet to reach us."
The bald, bespectacled teacher continued his lecture. Ling Jun, at his desk, could no longer focus and started to fall asleep again.
[Cultivation Leveling Activated]
The sound returned, disturbing him once more.
"Grr." Ling Jun, annoyed, slammed the desk. The impact echoed through the room, causing everyone to turn in his direction.
"Ling Jun! If you don't want to pay attention, stay quiet! Or leave! Don't disturb the others!" the teacher shouted, scolding him.
"Okay." Ling Jun didn't want to stay in the room any longer, and under everyone's gaze, he left.
'If it weren't for your sister, would you dare act arrogant in my class?' the teacher thought as he glared at the young man walking away, then turned his attention back to the class and continued the lesson.
.....
Outside the room, Ling Jun stood in the hallway, placing a hand on his head.
"What the hell was that sound? What is 'Cultivation Leveling'? Is someone messing with me?"
He fell deep into thought, considering several possibilities.
Suddenly…
[Activation complete]
"It's back!" Ling Jun frowned.
No one was around to be playing a prank. He was alone in the hallway.
Then, there was only one truth.
"This thing is real!" That thought stunned him; he stood motionless for a few seconds. "A system?"
This term wasn't unfamiliar to him. In his free time, he enjoyed reading webnovels; systems were one of the most common tropes.
"But why did this appear in reality? And why is it linked to me? What's its function?" Ling Jun began trying to figure something out.
But he got nowhere. "System, what's your function? Do I have to do something? If so, I refuse!"
He spoke firmly, without any excitement. He would never be a slave to anything in his life!
[Ding]
[This system does not force anyone to do anything.]
[My function is to help the host level up in whatever they do.]
[Some examples:]
[Cultivate normally to earn cultivation points.]
[Dual Cultivation to increase cultivation speed.]
[Practice techniques to gain proficiency points.]
[Study to earn comprehension points.]
[Refine pills to gain alchemist points.]
After reading this on a floating blue panel that appeared in front of him, Ling Jun once again showed shock.
"This system is that amazing?" He found the functions way too OP.
A perfect RPG to become stronger.
"Interesting." He couldn't help but think so. He checked the functions again, then smiled.
"Well, since I was kicked out, there's no point in staying here. I'll come back at the last period to grab my bag." He gave a playful grin and walked toward the library.
Walking at a pace neither fast nor slow, he passed several classrooms and then, straight ahead, saw the library doors.
Entering, he saw a red-haired man at the counter, messing with the computer and grinning perversely.
But he suddenly stopped and looked at Ling Jun. "Damn brat, kicked out again? This is the fifth time this week you've shown up here! Don't treat a place of knowledge like a hangout spot."
Ling Jun rolled his eyes at that. "I came to study, not to hang out."
"And if we're talking about knowledge, Elder Yi, what are you doing on that computer? Learning human anatomy?"
"What the hell are you talking about, brat?" Yi Yung's veins began popping out. He was just watching a funny video. "Damn you! Don't slander this honest elder!"
"I know, I'm just messing with you." Ling Jun was just teasing.
"Get out of my face! Before I beat you up!" Yi Yung cracked his neck.
Seeing that gesture, Ling Jun got chills and ran to the back of the library.
Yi Yung, feeling a crick in his neck, saw Ling Jun running off and smiled. Then went back to watching funny videos.
"Mwahaha."
From afar, Ling Jun felt even more chills from that evil villain laugh.
'How is someone like that the head of this library? Scaring the students, huh?'
He pondered.
But he quickly dropped the thought. His goal now was just to "study."
Heading to the martial arts section, he began studying a fist technique called "Single Burst Punch."
The goal of this technique was to gather spiritual energy in the fists and release it all in a single blow.
[You studied 'Single Burst Punch' for one minute. +1 proficiency point earned.]
[Current Proficiency (CP): 1/10 — Entry]
After that notification, he understood a bit of the technique.
That made him excited. In the next moment, he continued studying.
After ten minutes...
[CP — 10/10]
[You have reached Entry level.]
[Next Evolution — 10/100 Minor Mastery level]
Knowledge flooded Ling Jun's mind. At that moment, it felt as if he had practiced the Single Burst Punch for several months.
Stopping his reading, he stood up and, in the next second, drew spiritual energy from his meridians, gathering it all in his fist.
"Single Burst Punch!"
He punched forward. His fist felt heavy, like a shroud. But it had no target; it was just a demonstration.
Punching the air, he caused a gust of wind from the impact.
His black hair flowed with the breeze. The books nearby were knocked to the ground.
"So strong! Now I understand why martial artists are the best when it comes to raw power."
Ling Jun raised a finger, giving his approval to martial artists.
Then he began picking up the books. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Elder Yi.
After putting everything back in order, he looked at the watch on his wrist.
He took fifteen minutes to organize everything, with ten minutes spent studying.
He had been there for twenty-five minutes.
'There are still two hours left until class ends… continue studying or cultivate?'
Ling Jun wracked his brain over this question, but in the end, driven by curiosity, he chose the second option.
Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes and began using the breathing technique his sister gave him.
"Spiritual Rain Method."