Filthy Cultivation: I Pierced the Heavens with the Merit System

Holding the lustrous jade ruler in her hand, Li Fuyao was certainly not foolish enough to infuse the other two types of spiritual energy into it as well.

Following Ye Wuxin's instructions, she inputted the five elements of spiritual power one by one.

Then, together with the old man, we eagerly watched.

"Gold five, wood five, water five... wait, why are they all five?!"

Ye Wuxin stood up and asked in surprise.

Seeing the old man's reaction, Li Fuyao's heart tightened:

"Grandpa, does this mean something bad?"

Ye Wuxin watched as the various colors on the jade ruler appeared one by one up to the mark of five, and couldn't help but marvel. Seeing the little girl's uneasy expression, he explained:

"It's not that bad. Generally, if a cultivator's affinity for any spiritual root exceeds three, it means that they can barely step onto the path of spiritual cultivation. Your root value of five, while not exceptionally gifted, is still considered average."

"So that's how it is. I was shocked."

Li Fuyao patted her chest, puzzled, and asked, "Then, why are you..."

Why am I so surprised?

Ye Wuxin watched her little actions with amusement, then sat down again with a smile and explained slowly:

"Because generally speaking, cultivators with multiple spiritual roots will have varying degrees of affinity for each element. Although I have seen countless cultivators, this is the first time I have ever seen such a balanced distribution of your five spiritual roots!"

"The spiritual energy vortex phenomenon that you triggered when you first started cultivating may be related to this strange balance of yours."

Is he just of average appearance?

I'm afraid I'll have to fall even further behind, since I have two more elemental systems now, making cultivation even more difficult.

It must be much slower than those chosen ones.

Li Fuyao was unwilling to accept this and secretly made up her mind:

It seems that if I don't want to fall behind others and become a useless person that everyone can bully, I must work harder!

Knowing that the little girl wouldn't waste her talent and would be able to embark on the path of cultivation, Ye Wuxin looked at Li Fuyao with even more affection.

In a better mood, Ye Wuxin also became interested in chatting and joking around.

Remembering how the little girl had just been fighting with the guards, he pointed to a chair beside him and offered her a seat, asking with a smile:

"You're quite amusing, girl. You chose that fighting style, and this clever little girl ended up rolling around like a mischievous monkey under the guards' elbows. Haven't you ever seen a fight using spiritual power before?"

"No, I was picked up and given to be the youngest son's child bride. My original name was Fuyao, but a scholar said it didn't sound good, so he changed it to Fuyao."

Li Fuyao shook her head with regret in her eyes, and the two little tufts of hair behind her head swayed gently, making the old man Ye Wuxin feel a pang of tenderness.

She lowered her head sadly, as if recalling unpleasant memories, but out of the corner of her eye, she accurately caught Ye Wuxin's kind and loving gaze, and in her heart, she apologized to herself for using the old man to achieve her goals.

Then, squeezing out two tears that seemed about to fall, Li Fuyao held out her small, still rough hands to Ye Wuxin, and continued:

“I’ve always worked since I was a child. Sometimes I would be beaten and scolded and go hungry if I didn’t do a good job. I never had the chance to learn martial arts from the village master. This fighting style is something I came up with when I was bullied badly by the village kids and I fought back.”

Li Fuyao withdrew her small hand, scratched her head shyly, and grinned sheepishly.

"Grandpa, you know I didn't mean to cause trouble. I know I must have looked ridiculous just now, so feel free to laugh if you want."

How pitiful!

He only knew that the lives of ordinary people were miserable, but he never imagined that this poor little guy would suffer so much!

Ye Wuxin did not cultivate the path of ruthlessness, so although he had an eccentric temper, he was always a sentimental old man. At this moment, looking at the cute and sweet-smiling little girl in front of him, he felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

Look at her, she's endured so much hardship yet still smiles so brightly; that truly shows her resilience.

He is intelligent and willing to study hard. He has good talent and is hardworking. What a good child!

She's so sensible, it's heartbreaking!

"Little Fuyao, since you are so destined to be with my master and me, I will grant you a bit of luck."

Ye Wuxin wiped his eyes, rummaged through his storage bag, and pulled out two wooden plaques with peculiar patterns, handing them to Li Fuyao.

The wooden plaques were made of some unknown material. They were small in size but quite heavy in the hand. Li Fuyao touched the smooth texture of the plaques and turned them over. He saw that one plaque had "Shadow Concealment Step" written on it, and the other had "Sharp Gold Palm" written on it.

"These two wooden plaques, one for movement techniques and the other for combat skills, are both mid-grade techniques that many disciples in the sect choose to practice."

Ye Wuxin tapped his forehead, finished speaking, and gestured for Li Fuyao to stick the wooden plaque on.

Li Fuyao's eyes lit up upon hearing this:

She realized during her fight with the guards that her offensive capabilities were extremely limited, and her dodging and attacking rhythm was haphazard, relying solely on instinct.

The system store hadn't even opened yet, and she was just worrying about how to make up for her shortcomings when she received these two unexpected surprises.

This is just the right thing to do!

Thank you, kind person, I will remember this kindness!

Thinking this, she immediately did as instructed, sticking the two wooden plaques to her forehead, and a series of information flooded into her mind.

【Name: Shadow Step】

Quality: Excellent (0/100)

[Available uses: Permanent (can be upgraded after reaching maximum proficiency)]

[Release Condition: Consumes 2 points of spiritual energy per minute. Simply infuse the legs with spiritual energy. No cooldown.]

[Skill Effect: Agility +2 during skill use]

[Note: You can't catch me! Hehe~]

Oh? It's upgradable again!

Li Fuyao memorized the footsteps of the figure in his mind, and after a moment of contemplation, he felt very satisfied. He picked up the second wooden plaque and continued to examine it:

【Name: Sharp Gold Palm】

Quality: Excellent (0/100)

[Available uses: Permanent (can be upgraded after reaching maximum proficiency)]

[Release Conditions: Each cast consumes 10 points of spiritual power. Envelop the edge of your palm with metal-attribute spiritual power and release it towards the enemy. Cooldown: 5 seconds]

[Skill Effect: Deals gold-based damage to enemies equal to their Strength value. If a wound is inflicted, it inflicts a bleeding effect on the enemy for three seconds.]

[Note: Hey! Take this!]

"Huh? You finished reading it so quickly?"

Ye Wuxin was already stunned by her special talent. Seeing her excitedly open her eyes so quickly, he had gradually gotten used to it and was not too surprised.

He crushed the paper crane that had flown in unnoticed, stood up, placed a jade pendant carved with auspicious clouds and a sword on the table, and instructed Li Fuyao:

"This is an invitation to the VIP room at the auction the day after tomorrow. Bring this to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion the morning after tomorrow, and a servant will lead you to me."

"I find you quite to my liking, lad. Focus on your cultivation these next few days, and I'll show you around to broaden your horizons!"

After saying that, he reached out his large hand and gently patted Li Fuyao's head before hurriedly leaving the room.

Li Fuyao stared blankly in the direction Ye Wuxin had left, her messy hair standing there for a long time before she finally raised her hand and tidied her hair.

The temperature and force felt all too familiar.

This reminded her of the only old man in her memory who truly loved her.

Speaking of which, if one cultivates to a sufficiently powerful level, will one really possess the legendary ability to revive the dead and heal the wounded?

"Ha, you have no skills whatsoever, all you do is think nonsense!"

She gave a self-deprecating laugh, shook her head, and walked out: "It's more important to go home and cultivate first."

Li Fuyao's body, tempered by spiritual energy, moved with ease. After a short while, she saw the gate of her own courtyard.

More luxurious mansions would naturally be equipped with more advanced spiritual energy locks and barrier locks, but when Li Fuyao bought this courtyard, she didn't even have a fraction of the money to buy such a mansion, so she had to take out the key now.

"Squeak-"

The half-new, half-old wooden door was pushed open and closed again. Li Fuyao put the latch back in place and was about to go back inside to have a cup of tea to moisten her mouth when she caught a glimpse of a mop-like ghostly thing out of the corner of her eye.

"Good heavens, what is this thing?!"

The mop moved at the sound of the voice, bared its teeth and let out a threatening growl. Only then did Li Fuyao realize that the mop was actually a living creature!

[Ding! System fragment detected!]

[New mission triggered!]

【Task Name: Recover Fragments】

[Remaining time for the task: Unlimited]

[Mission Rewards and Penalties: Rewards will be determined based on the completion of the mission; failure will result in the immediate elimination of the host.]

[Mission Details: Retrieve the system fragment without harming the fragment host; current completion rate: 0%]

[Note: 1. System fragments will return in part each time the fragment host is emotionally agitated, but negative emotions will cause the fragments to hide deeper and contradict the original purpose of this system. Please pay attention to how you complete the task.]

2. To ensure the system fragments do not escape control, the bonus package for this task has been sent to your host space. Please check it promptly and use it wisely.

Wow, it's rare to see such a thoughtful note!

Li Fuyao silently complained in her heart: Why not just say that this thing is soft-hearted but not hard-hearted, and that we have to coax and take good care of it?

If we can't use force, then we can just use a conciliatory approach.

Seeing that the unidentified creature seemed to relax a little, Li Fuyao squinted, raised her hand as if to strike, hesitated for a long time, and finally pulled out the Tetanus Hammer and slammed it in:

"Be good, little one. I'm here to save you. If you bite, you'll get a slap on the face!"