[Scanning complete]
[Host, your physical level is… the weakest.]
[And]
[Host, your cultivation talent is also… the weakest]
[And]
[Host, you currently have not cultivated any technique]
[Host, you are, quite frankly… a useless piece of trash]
"…Can you shut the hell up already?!"
This was Su Xiaobai's very first conversation with the system he had just awakened.
Su Xiaobai.
Human, formerly of Earth.
Ten minutes ago, he had transmigrated into a world that looked exactly like Earth yet was utterly different.
Here, ferocious beasts and mutated monsters roamed freely. Humanity, forced to survive, embarked on the path of warriors, erecting towering walls and thunder-barriers of lightning to form fortified bases—shields that kept the monsters at bay.
Beasts had their ranks. Warriors had their strength.
And the strongest warriors? They could fly high above the skies, tear through the earth and even shift mountains. They were living nuclear warheads, capable of leveling the land with a single strike.
In this world, power was absolute.
With strength, you gained privileges that ordinary people could only dream of.
With strength, you could win the admiration of countless beauties.
With strength, you could grasp endless wealth and glory with ease.
The moment Su Xiaobai realized this, his blood boiled with excitement.
Yes, he had transmigrated from a peaceful society.
Yes, he had no spiritual fluctuations in his body, nothing but a useless mortal.
Yes, his cultivation aptitude was so low it was buried in the dirt.
But so what?
He had a system!
That single line [System activating] had nearly made him throw his head back and laugh at the heavens!
Yet once the activation completed, the system hit him with reality:
Its first feature required money to unlock.
And the price? One hundred thousand spirit coins.
"One hundred thousand?! Why not just kill me now and let me reincarnate again?!" Su Xiaobai's face collapsed in despair.
If he were already a warrior, it wouldn't be so hard. Warriors earned several times more than ordinary people. Even a beginner could make over a thousand spirit coins a month; the stronger ones earned three to four thousand easily. With time and strength, income only grew.
But him?
He had no background, no strength, no talent, and no money. A waste even among wastes.
If he went to work as an ordinary laborer, he'd make less than a hundred coins a month. At that rate… when would he ever reach a hundred thousand? In ten lifetimes?
"System… can't you, uh, let me buy now and pay later?" Su Xiaobai asked hopefully.
[Host, have you ever heard of a system that offers credit?" The system's voice sounded almost innocent]
"Then what the hell are you good for?!" Su Xiaobai rolled his eyes hard enough for it to hurt.
—--------------—
"Xiaobai gē!"
( "gē" mean older brother but not blood related)
Just then, a crisp and pleasant voice drifted in from outside the room.
Su Xiaobai looked up as the door opened.
A girl of about fifteen or sixteen walked in. She had her hair tied in a ponytail, her skin was fair and delicate, her big eyes sparkled with liveliness—an adorable beauty whose smile was as bright as spring.
"Xiaobai gē, are you already awake!" she said sweetly, her grin radiant enough to revive the world itself.
For a moment, Su Xiaobai dazed out, until the memories in his mind reminded him—
Su Ling'er mèi.
And also his child bride.
("mèi" means younger sister but also could be used for friends like younger females)
Su Xiaobai was an only child whose parents had been ordinary people. Years ago, Su Ling'er's lost her parents when a beast wave struck.
To ensure their son would have a wife in the future, his parents adopted her, named her Su Ling'er, and raised her as their own.
From then on, they treated her as a daughter-in-law. Su Ling'er herself had always known she was destined to marry Su Xiaobai, and had cared for him with the devotion of a future wife.
"So let me get this straight," Su Xiaobai muttered bitterly, "I'm poor, talentless, useless, garbage… and yet I still somehow have a wife?"
And not just any wife, but one beautiful enough to topple cities.
It was a blessing… and also a heavy burden.
"Xiaobai gē, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?" Su Ling'er asked obediently. "I helped Fatty Aunt next door today and earned five spirit coins! Gē(brother), don't you love beef noodles the most? Let's go have some!"
Hearing that, Su Xiaobai let out a long sigh.
Seventeen years old. Still a student.
Ever since their parents' death, it was Ling'er who worked odd jobs outside to support them.
On good days, she could earn five coins like today.
On bad days, she came home empty-handed.
"Ling'er… do we still have any savings left?" Su Xiaobai asked carefully.
"Yes!" She nodded.
"How much?"
"About… one hundred thousand." She answered softly.
"What?!"
"When did we ever have that much money?!"
Su Xiaobai leapt up from the bed, eyes wide. A hundred thousand spirit coins was enough to buy a house outright on the outskirts of Base 18!
"It was from the car accident," Su Ling'er said, her voice tinged with sadness. "The driver paid compensation. Mom made me hide it, told me not to tell you. She said it was for your university tuition once you got accepted."
In this era, tuition fees were outrageously high. Like studying abroad in the old days, it cost twenty or thirty thousand coins a year. Ordinary families couldn't afford it.
"I really didn't know…" Su Xiaobai whispered.
He didn't blame his parents. It was money they had exchanged with their lives. They had probably feared that if he knew, he'd spend it recklessly and never make it into the university. Their secrecy had been the right call.
And now… it was exactly what he needed.
"Ling'er, quick! Give me the money, all of it!" Su Xiaobai urged.
"Mm!" Su Ling'er, ever obedient, hurried back to her room. She dragged a box from under her bed, dug through a pile of clothes, pulled out a small case, and finally retrieved a bank card.
"One hundred thousand spirit coins…"
Su Xiaobai's hands trembled as he took it.
"Brother, this is for your tuition. You can't waste it," Ling'er reminded gently.
"How could I waste it?!"
"I'm going to spend it… on the most meaningful thing in the world!" Su Xiaobai's eyes burned with determination.
[Ding! Host has obtained funds!]
[Dear Host, would you like to spend one hundred thousand spirit coins to activate the system's first feature?]
Heh.
When he was broke, it never called him "dear."
Su Xiaobai rolled his eyes but still chose [Agree]
"System, you'd better give me something good this time! I'm not asking for dominion over the universe, but at least let me rise to the top of this world, right?"
After all, he was down to nothing. If the system failed him, he and Ling'er might not even have money for food tomorrow.
[Ding! Activation successful!]
[Congratulations, Host. One-Click Cultivation Space unlocked!]