Just as Su Chen was quietly sensing the spiritual fluctuations around him, a sudden ding! echoed in his mind like a broken bell in an empty temple.
"Not now…" he muttered, eyebrows twitching.
But it was too late.
A blue, semi-transparent system screen popped up in front of him like an uninvited guest barging into a funeral.
[Ding! The Choices of Life are now available!]
[Choice 1: Join the chaotic snatching of the Sacred Heart Lotus. Compete against Da Huang and Jiang Chen. Go all out.]
→ Reward: Wind Step Foot Technique (Great for running away!)
[Warning: High risk of death. Seriously, they'll probably turn you into fertilizer before you even touch the lotus.]
[Choice 2: Lurk in the shadows, wait for the perfect moment, snatch the Sacred Heart Lotus, and flee like a professional thief.]
→ Reward: Glass Sword (Nascent Soul-grade. Yes, it's made of glass, but don't judge it—it won't break unless someone from a higher realm hits it.)
[Warning: You might die the moment you leave the forest. Countless experts are waiting outside like hungry wolves. Unless you're the chosen Son of Luck, you're just the delivery boy for the real protagonist.]
[Choice 3: Do absolutely nothing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Or, you know, leave.]
→ Reward: A white cultivation robe with golden embroidery (Auto-fits any body size. Never gets dirty. Perfect for pretending you're important.)
[Warning: …Seriously? A warning for this one? You're literally choosing survival.]
Su Chen stared at the screen, then suddenly smiled with genuine relief.
"…Finally! I'm getting a side character vibe. No pressure, no heaven-defying battles, just clean robes and front-row seats to the chaos. This… this is the dream."
Su Chen looked at the options, then let out a long, satisfied sigh.
"Now, is this even a question? Obviously, it's Option Three! A comfy robe, clean hands, and front-row seats to chaos? That's peak cultivation lifestyle."
He scrolled back up to reread the other two options, then muttered:
"Yeah, one thing's clear—this forest is about to go full chaos mode. That Sacred Heart Lotus is basically a hot babe at a bachelor party. Everyone's losing their minds trying to grab it. Tempting, sure, but not worth dying over. My life is precious."
He chuckled to himself, already picturing Jiang Chen and Da Huang punching each other over the lotus while some mysterious masked expert swoops in to steal it anyway.
"Hehe… this is going to be better than a drama. Once this is over, I'll treat myself to something nice. Maybe a new spatial ring... or spiritual snacks."
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he pointed at the screen and said with conviction,
"System, I choose Option Three."
[Ding! Detected: Host has chosen Option Three. Reward has been deposited into your storage space!]
Su Chen blinked. "Huh?"
Then frowned.
"Wait a minute… what's up with this system today? First, it gives me options that actually suit my survival-first philosophy, and now it's handing out rewards before I even finish the task?"
He looked at the system screen suspiciously, rubbing his chin.
"…Did it get possessed by a lazy cultivator or something?"
"Who cares," Su Chen muttered, rolling his eyes. "As long as the system doesn't show its old, bitchy attitude again and give me those ridiculous options, I can tolerate it."
With that comforting thought, he reached into the system's storage space and pulled out a cultivation robe.
He reached into the system's storage space and took out the cultivation robe. The moment his hand touched the fabric, he paused — it was smooth and soft, more comfortable than anything he'd worn before.
The quality was clearly exceptional, something he had never encountered in his previous life or after arriving in this world.
He nodded slightly. "Let's change."
Without hesitation, he removed his old, tattered clothes and put on the new robe. It fit perfectly. There was even a pair of matching shoes, which he also put on.
After dressing, he stood still for a moment. The white robe, combined with his clean features, slightly long black hair, and the green lotus mark between his eyebrows, gave him a calm and refined appearance.
After dressing, he stood still for a moment. The white robe, combined with his clean features, slightly long black hair, and the green lotus mark between his eyebrows, gave him a calm and refined appearance.
He glanced back at his old clothes on the ground — torn, stained, and frayed.
"You carried me through worse days," he said quietly. "I won't forget that."
With a bittersweet farewell, he pulled out a storage pouch — the one that was "gifted" to him by Da Huang the crow (gifted, robbed… technicalities). He poured his spiritual sense inside and immediately his pupils shrank.
"Holy sh— That's a lot of rocks!"
Inside were ten thousand high-grade spirit stones.
To explain: in this world, spirit stones are both money and pure spiritual energy. They're divided into three types — low-grade, middle-grade, and high-grade — in a 1:100:10000 ratio. So yeah, ten thousand high-grade stones was a small fortune. Enough to buy a sect, and maybe a small country if you threw in a charming smile.
"I'm rich. I'm actually rich. Thank you, Crow-sama!"
After stuffing the fortune back into his storage space, Su Chen walked out of the cave.
He looked back at it — the shelter that had protected him until now.
Then, he clenched his fist, gathering spiritual energy into it. Seven colors of qi surged around his arm as he channeled his full strength and struck the ground.
Boom!
A deep crater formed. The cave collapsed completely, crushed and buried under the force of his attack. The earth trembled slightly as dust and debris scattered.
Su Chen dusted off his hands like a true demolition artist. "Ah, nothing says goodbye like property destruction."
Using his qi, he floated into the air like a casual flying god and started cruising toward the edge of the forest, eyes scanning the area with his sensing technique to avoid unexpected drama.
After all, he was rich now — and rich people don't fight unless they're paid more.