Lin Ye hadn't expected the system to hold a grudge more than he did.
He had just gotten his heart gouged out by that mutated black panther, and in the next moment, the system issued a quest demanding its death.
Lin Ye had always been grinding levels here with a core philosophy of caution and survival.
Because one wrong move could mean dying in these city ruins.
Now that the system had issued this quest, even though his chances of winning seemed nonexistent, Lin Ye had no choice but to figure out a way to complete it.
Advancing to the next template would change his attribute growth entirely. It was guaranteed to be a massive boost.
As for the second requirement, defeating "Lone Wolf," that also gave Lin Ye a bit of a headache.
He had lost their first clash in a bewildered daze.
Even after reviewing the fight, Lin Ye concluded that in his current state, he still couldn't win.
Lin Ye didn't let himself get caught in a vicious cycle of self-doubt. It was still early, so he collected himself and continued grinding.
However, after Lin Ye killed a LV5 mutated beast, his brows furrowed.
[+5 EXP!]
The EXP had decreased.
It was cut in half, in fact.
Previously, Lin Ye had received full EXP for killing monsters one level lower than himself.
'Why is the EXP halved now?'
Lin Ye opened the system panel and checked his EXP acquisition log, quickly discovering the problem.
[You have killed a LV5 Mutated Black Crow.]
[Affected by the 'Basic Body Refining Skill', the EXP multiplier has been set to 50%. You have obtained a final total of 5 EXP.]
[The host's currently practiced Cultivation Technique, 'Basic Body Refining Skill', has an effective level cap of LV5. The host's current level exceeds this cap, so all acquired EXP is halved.]
[The energy conversion efficiency of the 'Basic Body Refining Skill' is too low. It is recommended that the host switch to a new Cultivation Technique.]
Lin Ye was stunned.
'So Cultivation Techniques have an effective level cap.'
However, after a moment of thought, Lin Ye was unconcerned.
The system simply quantified everything about him and presented it as data.
Others practiced Cultivation Techniques to increase their Qi and Blood, but for Lin Ye, it was converted into EXP.
The principle was essentially the same.
'If the Cultivation Technique is inadequate, the EXP gain will naturally be penalized.'
'In that case...'
'...do supplements have an effect?'
With his grinding efficiency drastically reduced, Lin Ye didn't linger in the city ruins.
He needed to verify his theory.
Lin Ye first returned home.
He took out three B-Grade Nutrient Vials, the reward he had just collected from the school's logistics department that afternoon.
Without the slightest hesitation, he twisted off the caps and drained them.
All three of them.
[Ding! External energy source detected!]
[Converting energy...]
[You have gained 80 EXP. Your attributes have slightly increased!]
[You have gained 80 EXP. Your attributes have slightly increased!]
[You have gained 80 EXP. Your attributes have slightly increased!]
Next, Lin Ye opened the Body Tempering Medicine Pack, poured it into the bathtub, and began his medicinal bath.
「An hour later.」
He only stepped out of the tub when he felt his skin could no longer absorb any more of the medicinal power.
[You have gained 50 EXP. Your attributes have slightly increased!]
As Lin Ye got dressed, he discovered another one of the system's advantages.
It ignored drug resistance and side effects.
When ordinary people took supplements or consumed too much of the same nutrient in a short period, their bodies would develop resistance or have issues with incomplete absorption.
The B-Grade Nutrient Vials even came with a clear warning that consuming too many in a short time could trigger hypoglycemia as a side effect.
But for Lin Ye, this wasn't an issue.
With the system's boost, his body was a black hole that absorbed as much as he put in.
Not a single shred of energy would be wasted!
As for side effects, Lin Ye didn't feel any.
It was also highly likely the system automatically filtered them out for him.
He needed more supplements.
More importantly, he needed a stronger Cultivation Technique.
Lin Ye left home and headed straight for school.
This time, he didn't go to the general training hall.
「Chen Meng's office.」
KNOCK KNOCK.
Lin Ye knocked politely on the door.
"Come in."
Chen Meng's somewhat weary voice came from inside the office.
Lin Ye pushed the door open and immediately saw Chen Meng standing by the window with his back to him.
But Chen Meng's condition at this moment seemed very off.
He was bare-chested, revealing sturdy muscles that looked as if they were carved from marble. His right hand was pressed firmly against his lower back, clutching a hot towel.
Lin Ye saw a huge, hideous, deep-red scar there.
And on his back, countless other scars, large and small, were scattered about.
"Teacher, are you all right?"
Chen Meng heard Lin Ye's voice and turned around. Seeing the concern in his eyes, he waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm fine. It's an old problem."
"An old internal injury from my younger days. It just acts up on overcast days. Nothing to worry about."
He forced himself to sit back down in his office chair, draped a coat over his shoulders, and looked at Lin Ye with a sharp gaze.
"So, tell me. You came to see me this early. Did you hit a bottleneck in your training?"
Lin Ye nodded heavily.
He got straight to the point. "Teacher, I want to know, how can I obtain a better Cultivation Technique?"
Chen Meng showed an expression that said he had expected this, then began to speak.
"The 'Basic Body Refining Skill' distributed by the Alliance is just an introductory method for toughening your muscles and bones and tempering your Qi and Blood. It can make your body stronger, but it can't let you truly absorb Source Energy."
'Source Energy!'
Although Lin Ye had heard of this concept in his textbooks, his understanding was very superficial. Now that Chen Meng mentioned it, he realized this might be the true key for a Martial Artist to become stronger.
"Source Energy is a type of free-roaming energy that began to permeate the world after the arrival of the Celestial Abyss. It is everywhere."
"And the most critical step for a Martial Artist to advance from an entry-level Martial Artist to an official one is whether they can successfully guide Source Energy into their body and complete the first enhancement of their life level."
"To achieve this, you must rely on Cultivation Techniques that can sense and absorb Source Energy."
"Normally, the most convenient way to obtain a Cultivation Technique..."
"...is to become an official Martial Artist, then choose to join the military or the Martial Hall, and exchange for one internally by completing missions and accumulating merits or points."
Lin Ye's brows knitted together.
To become an official Martial Artist, you need a Cultivation Technique that can absorb Source Energy.
But without becoming an official Martial Artist, you can't join the Martial Hall or the military to exchange for a Cultivation Technique.
How is that any different from needing gear from Karazhan to be able to raid Karazhan?
'It seems that cultivation resources and Cultivation Techniques have long been distributed and monopolized by the major powers and organizations.'
'As expected, no matter the world, it's absurdly difficult for someone at the bottom to climb the social ladder.'
"Besides that path, the only other option is to buy one."
"However, the Cultivation Techniques available on the market are mostly defective. They might be able to sense Source Energy, but their absorption efficiency is extremely poor, and they could even cause irreversible damage to the body."
"Moreover, these Cultivation Techniques are not cheap. The market price is generally over five hundred thousand Federation Coins."
Lin Ye's heart sank.
The one hundred thousand in scholarship money he had just received was laughably insignificant in the face of real cultivation resources.
Just when Lin Ye felt like he had truly hit a dead end...
Chen Meng suddenly pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk. From inside, he took out a thread-bound book wrapped in oilskin paper. It looked ancient, with its corners already frayed and damaged.
Four words were faintly written on it—Five Qi Guiding Formulas.
He placed the book on the desk and pushed it in front of Lin Ye.
"I happen to have a Cultivation Technique here."
"It was issued by the military. I've added my own understanding to it. It's not top-tier, but it's definitely much better than the trash on the market. You could call it a decent, standard Cultivation Technique."
Lin Ye's gaze grew fiery.
But Chen Meng raised his hand, cutting him off.
"But I can't just give it to you for free."
He looked at Lin Ye and stated his conditions.
"In one month, the school's top students will have their combat tournament."
"This tournament is an opportunity for you too. The school encourages competition among you top students. The higher your rank in the tournament, the more resources you'll get. You can even plunder resources from others."
"Within one month, if you can take first place in the school in the Qi and Blood test, the life index test, and the combat portion..."
"...I'll give you the Cultivation Technique."