Chapter 54: Too broke to afford

Chapter 54: Too broke to afford[Skills]

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1. [Fireball] – 5 SP

Launches a simple fireball. Basic and reliable.

2. [Waterball] – 5 SP

Shoots a condensed ball of water. Great for putting out fires... or playing.

3. [Charm] – 10 SP

Charm others regardless of gender. May cause awkward situations.

4. [Enhanced Senses] – 10 SP

Greatly boosts all five senses. Smell everything. Hear everything. Everything.

5. [Go Hairless] – 10 SP



Greatly increases physical strength. Side effect: You become completely bald — everywhere.

6. [Success Addiction] – 10 SP

You become obsessed with surpassing others. Failure is not an option.

7. [Villain Eyes] – 10 SP

Your eyes become narrow and dangerously charismatic. Intimidates most people... unintentionally.

8. [Technology Genius] – 20 SP

Grants high-level understanding of science and tech. Very Useful in certain weird cultivation world.

9. [Emotional Control] – 20 SP

Your emotions are calm and stable. Unshakable focus in all situations.

10. [Treasure Hunter] – 20 SP

You can instinctively tell trash from treasure. No more accidentally selling ancient artifacts. May break some protagonist trope.

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Yu Xuan felt like a joke had just passed around the room and somehow, he was the only one who didn’t get it.

The skills list offered by the system still didn’t show any ranks. He didn’t know if his system was extremely advanced or just casually lazy.

The first two skills — Fireball and Waterball — were decent. Basic. Classic and safe.

Maybe, he thought, one day he’d train Fireball to such a degree that he could summon a miniature sun in the palm of his hand.

The ultimate move: "The Sun Strikes!"

Waterball, on the other hand... had gardening potential.

He imagined himself being hired by a sect as a full-time gardener, watering spirit plants and playing tag with children of immortal. Life goals perhaps?

Charm was a hard pass. He didn’t want boys or girls stalking him just because his skill made them swoon. Not realizing, of course, that he was already being low-key stalked on a regular basis.

Enhanced Senses sounded useful. Battle awareness, improved perception — even just being able to taste better food — all positives.

Go Hairless? Out of the question.

The thought alone made him shudder. The system wasn’t even subtle with that one.

Success Addiction looked great on paper... but Yu Xuan knew it didn’t suit him.

He wasn’t the teacher’s favorite in his past life, nor did he want to run around trying to outshine every person he met. That sounded exhausting.

Villain Eyes? He already had sharp, mesmerizing black eyes — no need to downgrade to cliché villain mode. He preferred looking mysterious, not terrifying.

Technology Genius baffled him. He glanced at the skill like it had wandered in from another novel entirely.

Cultivation worlds had their own technology — powered by spirit stones, arrays, and weird formations that glowed in the dark. Though... it did sound fun to mess with.

The last two skills — Emotional Control and Treasure Hunter — were extremely tempting.

A calm heart and the ability to identify hidden treasure?

Absolutely essential.

And yet...

He only had 1 SP.

One. Single. Pitiful. System Point.

Yu Xuan stared at the number like it had personally insulted his entire ancestry.

He was reminded of an old joke from his previous life:

A cold, emotionless character broke down crying after getting rejected by his crush.

His friend had looked at him and asked, "Wait... are you crying? I thought you didn’t have a heart."

To which the man replied, tears streaming down his face, "Yeah... that’s what poor people have instead of money."



Yu Xuan sighed, eyes glistening. "I feel you, brother..."

And just like that, with 1 SP in his account and dreams of skills out of reach, he pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep.

Tomorrow, maybe he’d find a way to earn a little more.

***

The next day, everyone gathered near the same registration crystal they’d visited the day before. A small group had already arrived ahead of them, chatting among themselves. Yu Xuan and his companions joined in, and within minutes, all seventy three disciples had assembled.

Right on time, Senior Disciple Yang Ye appeared, radiating his usual friendly aura.

"Nice to see you all again," he greeted with a bright smile. "Now then, shall we begin our little tour?"

With a dramatic wave of his hand, he pulled a small, intricately carved boat out of his space ring.

Several disciples gasped at the sight.

A flying treasure boat?

He’d summoned it so casually, like it was no big deal.

’He must come from a powerful background,’ many thought. ’Definitely someone worth befriending...’

After all, in the cultivation world, making a friend was almost always better than making an enemy. And if you couldn’t win over the strong, staying on their good side was the next best thing.

[A/N: Homies. Build your squad before the plot thickens.]

"Come on, get on board!" Yang Ye called out with a wave. "This brother is generous, though I have not been here too long, I’ll make sure you get a tour worthy of the Heaven Immortal Sect!"

Excited murmurs broke out as the disciples boarded the boat, which was much larger on the inside than it appeared — a classic spatial compression artifact. Even after everyone climbed aboard, there was still room for more.

Of course, Yang Ye had his own motives.

He wasn’t just doing this out of kindness.

Cultivators with strong potential were always worth knowing. And now, among these fresh-faced newcomers... was one with the status of Inner Disciple.

He stole a glance at Yu Xuan.

Yang Ye had earned his own inner disciple status through hard work, near-death battles, and years of training.

Yet here was someone who walked into the sect already wearing the same badge — and rumor had it, there were more like him.

’Since when did getting into the Heaven Immortal Sect become this easy?’ he wondered, randomly imagining many things.

Still, envy aside, this tour was an opportunity — and cultivators never passed up those.

Walking to the front of the boat, he approached a pedestal where a sleek, small control orb about a size of fist hovered slightly above a platform — something akin to a joystick fused with a formation array.

He placed his hand on it.

The boat hummed gently, then began to rise into the air, ascending slowly until it hovered above the buildings and forests of the sect.

Then he turned back to face the group.

His cheerful demeanor faded into something more solemn.

His aura slowly settled, his voice calm yet laced with weight.

"This is a place where dreams can either come true... or perish," Yang Ye began, his gaze sweeping across the gathered disciples. "You will make allies, and you will make enemies on the path to immortality. But above all do not become blinded by your own desires. Don’t let ambition turn into chains. Be free."

He clearly tried to look cool saying that. And for a moment, it worked.

Then he cleared his throat and added in a lighter tone, "Now, I’ll walk you through the do’s and don’ts of this place... but remember, experience is your best teacher. The most important advice? Don’t get scammed. Trust me, they’re everywhere these days."

It sounded oddly personal.

Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but tease, "Senior Brother, you sound like you’ve been scammed..."

Yang Ye’s head whipped toward the voice.

"Who said that?" he asked, even though he knew who said that he didn’t point out and his tone wasn’t truly angry. "Shut up. I’m not sad!"

A few chuckles spread through the group, but no one dared claim the joke.

He sighed dramatically and muttered, "I’ll forgive it this once. First-timers and all. But I’m telling you not everyone in the sect is as great and forgiving as me. Offend the wrong person, and your life can become very difficult."

Some disciples glanced at each other nervously. One boy in particular broke into a cold sweat.



Yang Ye folded his hands behind his back and resumed, "You’ve already received the basic information through your medallions during registration. But let me be clear — that’s surface-level stuff. Foundational. It’s common across many immortal sects and worlds."

He paused, seeing several dazed expressions among the crowd.

"...Forget it. Just assume it’s the most basic of basics," he said, deciding against explaining more. He may have come from the immortal realm himself, but for these new disciples, that concept might still be too far-fetched to fully grasp.

He moved on quickly, gesturing toward the distant landscape visible from the airship’s bow. "Now, while I’d love to give you a tour of the entire sect, that’s pretty much impossible. Why? Because the area we’re currently in is neutral ground — shared among all entry-level disciples."

He pointed into the sky. "The various Heaven Peaks, each with their own domains, are spread out across the sect. They function almost independently within the larger Heaven Immortal Sect itself."

The disciples listened with interest.

"There’s even a large fighting arena on this neutral ground," he added. "Monthly tournaments are held there to measure disciple’s progress. You don’t have to participate — but those who do receive various benefits."

He let the words sink in for a moment before smiling.

"And don’t worry matches are categorized by cultivation realms. You won’t be thrown against someone two realms above you... usually."

That "usually" wasn’t exactly comforting.

But the atmosphere had already become more relaxed. The disciples murmured among themselves, the idea of competition both exciting and a little terrifying.

Yang Ye smiled inwardly. His job was just beginning.