"Useless? Seems you've got some skill after all, then I'll have to channel my old man!"
"Demons, monsters, leave now! Demons, monsters, leave now!" Bai Bufan chanted wildly.
Lin Li glanced up at him without saying a word.
But silence said it all.
Bai Bufan could see the meaning in Lin Li's eyes—who's this fool? I don't even know you.
Acting like that in the cafeteria was indeed a bit embarrassing, and the surrounding eyes were already giving them the "special needs" look. Embarrassed, Bai Bufan finally sat down and, still curious, asked:
"So, what happened to you? Were you shocked into it or something?"
"Did Chen Yuying say that if you rank in the top hundred, you can confess to her? Or did some relatives trash-talk you, calling you worthless, and now you're on a three-week mission to make them eat their words?"
Chen Yuying was the class president of Class 4, the prettiest girl in the class. Her looks, coupled with her sense of style, put her in a league of her own among Class 4 girls.
Though Nansang banned makeup, "style" here meant she could pick flattering hairstyles, accessories like hair clips, bracelets, and necklaces, and make small adjustments to her loose uniform for a bit of flair.
Lin Li liked her appearance—it was aesthetic appreciation, maybe even a touch of admiration for beauty, the same way he felt about any good-looking girl.
As for true love or deep affection, there was none of that.
Of course, if Chen Yuying ever confessed to him, Lin Li thought he'd gladly accept it. It was a fantasy, sure, but teenage boys often had these little daydreams.
As for why Bai Bufan brought this up, it was because Lin Li had helped Chen Yuying with breakfast a few times, so even though his friends knew the truth, they liked to tease him.
"Bufan, your top priority should be deleting the Qidian reading app. You were a good kid, but all that web novel reading has fried your brain." Lin Li took a sip of his soup, sighing in mock pity.
"Hehe…" Bai Bufan scratched his head before nodding in understanding. "So, you're just suddenly into studying, huh? Like when I tried to give up, um, my habits?"
"That's one way to put it. If I don't study hard, I feel guilty. But please, don't lump this in with your little 'purity' attempts." Lin Li warned him sternly.
Back when Bai Bufan tried to abstain for a week, here's what happened:
Day one of quitting.
Day one of quitting.
Day two of quitting.
Back to day one of quitting.
Day two of quitting.
Day three of quitting.
Minus two days of quitting.
Why was he in the negatives by the seventh day? Because on that day, in a fit of rebellion, he spent it all at the Daoist temple honing his "skills," going so hard he managed to get three times as much done.
"Yeah, well, don't speak too soon," Bai Bufan replied. "I doubt you'll last."
"...Maybe," Lin Li didn't refute it. After all, once he finished the mission, he doubted he'd keep up this level of intense focus.
Lin Li had also noticed an odd quirk with the system.
In the morning, he'd had Chinese, English, Physics, General Technology, and Math.
But during English, no matter how hard he tried to focus, the progress bar didn't budge.
It seemed this dim-witted system didn't recognize English as a valid subject, which wasn't entirely unreasonable—it probably counted English as some irrelevant foreign tongue in the world of cultivation.
You: "How are you?"
Cultivation master: "What kind of gobbledygook is that? Speak human or die!"
This system definitely had a mind of its own.
Not that Lin Li minded. His English grades were mediocre, and his pronunciation was terrible, so he could appreciate the system's stance.
After all, the first word in the high school English exam vocabulary was "abandon."
Still, once his memory improved, his English scores would naturally rise. English became easy once you could remember the vocabulary.
Another thing Lin Li discovered was that self-study and revision sessions after class didn't count toward his progress either.
The system's rules were as rigid as ever. Since it specified instruction by a sect teacher, it wouldn't count anything else.
Seems there was no escaping hands-on learning.
After lunch, Lin Li stopped by the shop to pick up some snacks. Focusing intensely made him tired quickly, so he'd need these over the next few days.
---
When the bell ended evening self-study, Lin Li dashed out of the classroom just like yesterday.
"Lin Li must be hiding someone from me out there," Bai Bufan said, watching Lin Li's retreating figure with a deep sigh.
"Think of it this way—maybe it's not a person, but a Komodo dragon," his roommate Zhou Baowei offered as comfort.
"As long as it's not a girl." Bai Bufan replied.
"You're kidding? My ss, you're actually a bro-lover! And you're wearing white socks! You're banned from my bed!" Zhou Baowei laughed, backing away with exaggerated caution.
"Idiot, I'm just worried Lin Li's out there finding a girlfriend," Bai Bufan scratched his head, a bit dejected. "My brother being happy hurts me more than being killed! I'd trade half my life single if it meant he'd stay single too."
"The classic all-or-nothing. I respect that level of brotherhood." Zhou Baowei gave him a thumbs-up. "Lucky for me we're not close."
"And who do you think I'd spend my life wishing singlehood on?" Bai Bufan said, looking up at Zhou Baowei.
"…"
"Motherf—"
---
Lin Li was completely unaware he'd already been cursed by someone.
He'd ridden his bike over to the poultry farm, the location of Mission Two.
However, instead of going straight in, he parked across the street and took out his phone, pretending to make a call as he paced back and forth.
In reality, he was scouting out the area.
Places like this poultry farm were bound to be cautious, and if he stood outside staring openly, he'd probably end up flagged.
Going in would definitely provide more information, but Lin Li wasn't ready for that yet.
There was a risk of alarming them, and the minimum price listed on the group-buying app was 99 Spirit Stones.
No student discount? Ridiculous!
He couldn't just walk in, ask a bunch of questions, and then leave—that'd just make things worse when he came back for a deeper dive.
Lin Li's "phone call" stretched to about half an hour.
During that time, only one group of customers had entered. Judging by the fact there was a girl with them, they seemed to be there for the regular services.
Still, Lin Li had learned something valuable: this shop didn't check IDs.
The customers hadn't handed any over, and the front desk hadn't asked.
Made sense—a place running covert operations wasn't going to sweat those kinds of details.
Even official spots weren't that strict with age limits, and Xiling Town wasn't exactly big on rules.
Most internet cafés here didn't even do proper ID and facial checks. As long as you showed an adult's ID, you could get a station. Just don't go too far, like using your grandparent's ID—that'd be too much.
It would be hard to explain to the inspectors why a 69-year-old grandma was out in a café, duking it out in a battle royale. The owner wouldn't have an excuse for that one.
Even though he only found out one thing, it was useful enough. It made Lin Li's next moves easier, too.
After half an hour of observation, Lin Li rode back home.
Staying out any later would make it exponentially harder to wake up and tackle his morning mission tomorrow.
Sleeping early and rising early? Bliss.
Late nights and early mornings? Torture.
Luckily, tomorrow there'd be English class. Sorry, English teacher.