Huang Shi and Qiao Fenyi walked inside the information hall in silence, with both of them not wanting to break the sense of awkwardness that lingered in the air.
For Huang Shi, this awkwardness was something that was good for him; the more awkward Qiao Fenyi felt toward him, the more aware she would be of his presence, and the more aware she would be of his presence, the higher the likelihood that she would overthink the meaning behind their interactions in the future.
Basically the more she thinks about me, the higher the likelihood that she will fall for me...
Qiao Fenyi on the other hand was still trying her best to calm her emotions from her previous blunder as, just like what Huang Shi had thought, her mind had started to wander.
Why did I stare at him so much? Am I an idiot?
What if he thinks I'm weird? I'm not weird!
Wait—why should I care if he thinks I'm weird, we literally just met!!
Qiao Fenyi's facial expression went from embarrassment to anger as her pretty little face once again puffed red like a tomato.
Finally, after walking for a few minutes, they arrived in front of a huge wooden door filled with intricate designs of dragons that seemed to be flying in the sky.
Disciples of the Azure Dragon Sect were constantly passing through the huge doors while maintaining complete silence, or at least they tried to, because when they spoke they would quietly whisper to each other.
Ultimately it was Qiao Fenyi who would be the first to break the silence as she stopped in front of him before silently gesturing at the door, before speaking quietly.
"This is the entrance to the first level. Here, disciples who have the cultivation base of the Elementary Profound Realm can read, borrow scrolls for a certain amount of time, and even buy a copy if they can afford it. However, obviously the sect has strict rules regarding sharing the techniques with outsiders; we put a Soul Seal on the information."
Soul Seal? What's that?
Thinking that he would have to learn about this information later as well, Qiao Fenyi and Huang Shi finally went past the door and saw numerous disciples focusing on their own thing, reading or silently discussing and comparing various cultivation techniques.
Some of them looked up at them and had shining eyes, especially the men, as basically everyone in the sect knew that if they stayed long enough in the information hall, they would see Qiao Fenyi at least once a day.
In fact, for a lot of the men here, their only purpose would be to catch glimpses of Qiao Fenyi from afar like she was some sort of idol. Of course, when they noticed that a man was standing beside Qiao Fenyi, their eyes shone with sharp hostility, as if they were asking:
"Who dares to accompany the goddess in our hearts?"
[You have made various cultivators jealous of you +200 Scum Points]
Eh? What the hell? I got points? Just having the company of a pretty girl can give me such a sweet haul?
Huang Shi felt happy at the sudden boon and inwardly smiled before once again shifting his attention back towards Qiao Fenyi, waiting for her to speak.
Qiao Fenyi also didn't disappoint, as it seemed she had finally managed to go back to her old self. She spoke with a bit of derision when she saw the numerous men trying to get her attention.
"Ignore them, they're always like that. It's like they're a bunch of psychos!"
Huang Shi simply smiled as he heard these words before replying softly, "Isn't it normal for a girl as beautiful as you to have at least this many suitors? It would be weird if they didn't care!"
Qiao Fenyi once again started to blush like a red apple before looking at him angrily and replying with gritted teeth, "Don't talk your nonsense here, Huang Shi! This is a place of learning!"
[You have increased Qiao Fenyi's affection for you]
[Affection: 30/100]
Hmm... interesting. I forgot about this thing...
When Huang Shi saw the notification indicating Qiao Fenyi's rising affection for him, he felt a bit of excitement rise within him.
This is definitely a god-tier advantage for courting women...
Obviously, the ability to quickly recognize the affection levels of women you were courting was basically like a cheat code when it comes to courting women.
This is because women are very contradictory creatures. They might say they hate your guts, but in reality, they actually love you very much.
Or, it could also work in reverse: they might give you the prettiest smile, acting like you were the most important person in the world to them, while secretly harboring contempt for you deep in their hearts.
However, with the system, he never had to worry about those things and he could just take his time with the girls he wanted to pursue.
Alright, let's stop thinking about girls. I came here for a reason after all.
Seeing that Huang Shi had chosen to ignore her, Qiao Fenyi looked even more adorable as she pouted before finally pointing towards a direction and speaking with a hint of frustration.
"All right, I'll be sitting there while you browse through the information here. When you are done, just approach me and I'll accommodate you. If you happen to have any questions, you can just ask me right now so we won't waste time."
[Qiao Fenyi Affection: 28/100]
Hmm? Her affection level went down? Seems she really was angry at me for ignoring her earlier.
Seeing that he had messed up, Huang Shi suddenly walked right in front of Qiao Fenyi and, without giving her any time to react, suddenly pinched her rosy cheeks.
"Alright little miss, don't be angry! You know how much I like you, so try not to think too much into things!"
Seeing the sudden intimate action done by Huang Shi, Qiao Fenyi's brain suddenly short-circuited as she was stunned into silence.
Never had a man ever touched her so closely before; in fact, she had always actively tried to reduce her interactions with men as much as possible because she always felt like they had some sort of ulterior motive.
And yet for some reason... when it comes to this guy...
[Qiao Fenyi Affection: 33/100]