Chapter 8: cheat so outrageous
"This is just bullshit," I muttered, staring at the panel floating in front of me. The sheer absurdity of it left me shaking my head in disbelief. "I've never heard anything like this... not even in the ancient records from the imperial library."
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, my eyes narrowing. "Interesting... but wait." I paused, a sudden realization dawning on me. "Didn't I lose all rights to cultivate? Can I even cultivate using this system?"
I glanced back at the panel, the possibilities swirling in my mind. "If what this system claims is true... it's just unbelievable. Automatic cultivation, twenty-four-seven, with just one click?"
The idea was so ludicrous, I almost laughed. "You know," I continued, pacing slightly, "to cultivate and improve your cultivation, you usually have to sit in a cultivation stance and focus. It's not something that happens on its own."
I gestured as if explaining to an invisible audience. "A person only has twenty-four hours in a day, right? At most, they can cultivate for five or six hours if they're diligent.Maybe some maniacs push it to double that. But even then, it takes effort real, constant effort."
I sighed, thinking aloud. "A normal person has to balance everything: practice skills, train, learn, converse, maybe even wield swords or knives. Then there's the mundane stuff: meeting people, handling duties, earning a living. It's a struggle to fit cultivation into all that."
I stopped pacing, turning back to the panel. "But to be able to cultivate without sitting down, without even trying? That's insane. Even the primordial cultivation techniques I've seen weren't this efficient.Sure, they were powerful, but this... this doubles the cultivation time with every upgrade."
I began calculating, my mind racing with the possibilities."If it reaches level fifty, the speed would be..." I did a quick mental calculation, my eyes widening in shock. "About 562.95 trillion times faster. That's trillions of years of cultivation in a single day!"
The sheer thought made me cough uncontrollably, saliva threatening to choke me as I tried to breathe.
I gulped hard, my excitement barely contained. "I'd be fking strong just by breathing,"I whispered, eyes shining with a mix of awe and disbelief. "Fk!"
I ran my hand through my hair, trying to steady myself. "This... this seems better than the main function of the system. Is it malfunctioning or something?"
But then another thought struck me, and my excitement dimmed slightly. "Wait, if it's only doubling the time each level while the price increases tenfold..."
I clenched my fists, a sigh escaping me. "Fuck! It won't be easy to get to level fifty."
I scrolled down the panel, a new question surfacing. "And what are Spirit Stones?" I blinked in confusion. "Is this some kind of currency? Where do I even find it?"
I frowned, wracking my brain for any memory of Spirit Stones."Maybe it's a lower-tier currency I wouldn't have known about in my past life. I was too high up the ladder back then."
Despite the questions swirling in my mind, a grin slowly spread across my face."But let's find out... this seems fucking exciting."
I looked down at my hands, noticing for the first time that they were trembling not from fear, but from sheer excitement.
"Damn," I whispered, clenching and unclenching my fists. "Better than sitting in one place cultivating. That was damn boring anyway."
The thought of this new system had me more excited than I'd felt in ages. "This seems fking exciting," I muttered, a grin tugging at the corner of my lips. But the grin quickly faded, replaced by a sigh."Why the fk did that system voice have to go silent so soon? I want to know what these Spirit Stones are and how to find them... sigh."
I glanced around, my eyes scanning the dense forest that stretched endlessly in every direction. Tall trees loomed above, their canopies forming a thick green roof that let in only slivers of sunlight. The ground was littered with fallen leaves and tangled roots.
"Wait...where even am I?" I muttered, suddenly aware of my surroundings. All I could see were trees, rocks, and patches of wild grass. "Ugh, where do I start?"
I rubbed my temples, frustration creeping in. "I'm currently a low mortal," I grumbled."This body... it's the weakest thing I've ever seen. I'm sure I could've erased this body back when I was still in the womb in my past life. How can something be this weak? It's... astonishing."
I shook my head, forcing the thought aside. "Whatever. Let's go in that direction," I said, pointing ahead.Without much thought, I began walking toward the direction I was facing, letting my instincts guide me.
As I walked, I couldn't help but chuckle softly to myself."Danger ahead, huh? This is a cultivation world, after all, filled with dangers you can't even count."
I spoke aloud, the habit of talking to myself from my past life resurfacing. "Demonic beasts, magic beasts, heavenly tribulations that appear out of nowhere... Traps, toxic environments, rogue cultivators, power struggles..." I listed them off, my voice trailing as I imagined the myriad of dangers.
"You never know what'll happen next. The earth could open beneath your feet, or a volcano might explode. Maybe a meteorite falls from the sky, or a space rift opens while you're...taking a bath." I smirked, shaking my head at the thought.
"Crazy, really," I muttered, recalling a memory from my past life. "I remember when I was three years old... A space portal opened in the bathroom while I was showering. A mid-dimension lord stepped through it." I chuckled, the memory vivid."If not for my maid washing me there and handling it, I'd have been a goner."
I let out a nostalgic sigh, my feet crunching softly against the forest floor. "Ah, good times..."
I kept walking, talking to myself. "Sigh, this habit of talking to myself... It never goes away."
But despite my words, I couldn't help but wonder, "What kind of danger will I run into first?" The thought thrilled me more than it scared me. "I can't cultivate now, and the only system function I have is... monster fusion."
The corners of my mouth lifted again, the excitement building. "Which is actually pretty amazing. If I look at it on a higher level, it might even be better than the automatic cultivation function. Can't wait to try it out."
I stopped for a moment, tapping my chin. "I just need to find two beasts of the same level and gender for now... but can I beat them?" I blinked, the realization hitting me.
"Well, I'll find out when I meet any," I shrugged, resuming my walk. "Honestly, I don't even know if this is a cultivation world. I can't sense any energy in the air... Maybe it's because I can't cultivate."
My eyes scanned the towering trees again. "But looking at how tall these trees are, or how the grass sparkles a bit... it doesn't look like the mortal world. I 've seen cultivation trees reaching tens of thousands of meters, even millions, touching the sky. Trees that could hold small planets on their branches, some with elements and consciousness."
I exhaled slowly, glancing at the surrounding forest. "This place seems so... colorless. Maybe it's because I was in a much bigger, grander place before."
Everything around me felt new, and I couldn't help but be curious about it all the rocks, the trees, even the leaves. I studied them closely, trying to see if there was more than what met the eye.
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