Chapter 23: The Advanced Inner Power Fruit

Chapter 23: The Advanced Inner Power Fruit

Zheng Jian carried Ruan Qiuqiu on his back, running through the night until, at last, he spotted a small town in the distance. Seeing this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, he was filled with regret, wishing he could slap himself. Meddling in other people's affairs had only landed him in trouble, and now someone had latched onto him. If it were just some ordinary deadbeat, Zheng Jian wouldn't even bother, but it happened to be a woman—a beautiful woman at that—which was a real headache.

He couldn't possibly bring her back to Mount Hua, could he? He was still just a teenager! He had no desire for the troublesome existence of women...

Entering the town, he found an inn and knocked for ages before someone finally opened the door, grumbling, "Didn't you see we've closed for the night?"

The attendant was bleary-eyed and spoke none too politely. Zheng Jian, already annoyed, couldn't be bothered to argue. He tossed a silver ingot onto the table and raised his sword. "Two upper rooms!"

The attendant immediately sobered up. He dared not offend such a martial guest and quickly ushered Zheng Jian and Ruan Qiuqiu inside.

"Alright, everyone to their own rooms. Get some rest; I'm about to drop dead from exhaustion..." Zheng Jian said without turning back. He really was tired—he'd fought Tian Boguang, then carried Ruan Qiuqiu for half the night. He was utterly spent.

"Thank you, young master, for saving my life..." Ruan Qiuqiu gazed at his retreating figure, lost in her own thoughts.

...

After washing up, Zheng Jian lay on his bed and let his mind sink into the Resentment System.

Over this period, thanks to his relentless efforts and opportunistic harvesting, he had amassed over 3,000 resentment points, once again savoring the thrill of having "savings."

Ruan Qiuqiu alone had contributed more than a thousand points...

So, it’s true what they say—women are petty. But the pettier, the happier Zheng Jian felt, since resentment points accumulated so quickly...

He opened the shop, and sure enough, the goods had been refreshed.

“Advanced Inner Power Fruit, second tier, price: 1,500 resentment points. Increases inner power by 20% upon consumption.”

Zheng Jian immediately understood—it was an upgrade. The previous inner power fruit was first tier, costing only 500 points, but as his inner power grew, its effect gradually diminished, so he hadn’t exchanged for any in quite some time. Now, the system had launched an advanced version tailored to his current level, and Zheng Jian’s eyes burned with desire. Twenty percent might not sound much, but with his current inner power base, comparable to twenty years of diligent cultivation, a 20% boost was equivalent to suddenly gaining four more years’ worth. The cost-effectiveness was impressive.

“Collection of Idioms, price: 200 resentment points.”

“???” Zheng Jian was baffled by the second item. His system’s shop truly had everything—even an idiom collection?

What did this mean? He’d used a few idioms before, and now the system was offering a whole set?

Was the “Sword Hero of Mount Hua” about to become the “Idiom Swordsman”?

On second thought, Zheng Jian realized the advantages of redeeming this collection. In this world, no one had ever heard such sophisticated idioms. A few well-placed lines could easily drive people into a fit, resentment points flowing in abundance.

He understood now...

Then he saw the third item: “Great Perfection of Purple Mist Skill, price: 3,000 resentment points.”

Seeing this, Zheng Jian cursed the black-hearted system. The original Purple Mist Skill manual was priced at 3,000 points, but now, having mastered the first two layers and nearly finished refining them, the system was offering “great perfection” instead.

This was precisely targeting his weak spot.

After all, the cultivation of Purple Mist Skill was notoriously slow—even Master Yue hadn’t reached great perfection after decades of practice. Zheng Jian, with his cheat, had managed to finish the first two layers in two or three years, but the subsequent five layers would take who knows how long to master...

“What should I do? Exchange for the advanced inner power fruit, or upgrade Purple Mist Skill to great perfection?” Zheng Jian hesitated. He wanted to go all in—if he mastered Purple Mist Skill, even facing Zuo Lengchan now, he’d have nothing to fear, not even if he handed him the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.

But what if Master Yue discovered he’d redeemed the complete Purple Mist Skill? After all, the latter parts hadn’t been passed on yet...

“Forget it. Once I return to Mount Hua, I’ll pester Master Yue to teach me the rest. Then I’ll redeem the great perfection upgrade...”

Reason ultimately prevailed. Zheng Jian didn’t want to jeopardize the hard-won bond between master and disciple—human hearts couldn’t withstand such tests, or else it’d all be ruined.

“System, exchange two advanced inner power fruits and one Collection of Idioms for me!”

Zheng Jian didn’t hesitate and redeemed them at once.

A flash of light, and he found two fruits in his hand, each the size of a cherry tomato, along with a stitched-bound book: the Collection of Idioms.

“Well, the system knows how to fit in—the book looks just like a martial arts manual, in keeping with the ancient setting...” Zheng Jian muttered.

Without further ado, he swallowed both fruits.

Immediately, a warm current surged from his dantian, coursing through his limbs and bones. The sensation was so blissful that Zheng Jian nearly cried out. Compared to this, those fleeting moments of pleasure were nothing.

He sat up and crossed his legs, using the Purple Mist Skill to guide the rapidly strengthening true energy within. If his previous true energy was a small stream, now it had become a river!

After a full cycle of breathing, Zheng Jian opened his eyes and felt all fatigue evaporate. His inner power had deepened significantly. If he met Tian Boguang again, he was confident he could defeat him within ten moves.

“That’s the beauty of having a cheat!” Zheng Jian felt a surge of pride. The advanced inner power fruit was indeed powerful—two fruits had boosted his inner power by more than half. If he had a few more, what would he have to fear from Zuo Lengchan?

Even if Zuo Lengchan castrated himself to master the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, what threat would he pose?

There weren’t many people with formidable inner power in the world of Smiling Proud Wanderer, but Zheng Jian knew that once his inner power reached a critical point, every gesture would wield immense strength. Paired with the Nine Swords of Dugu, the result would be breathtaking.

He habitually glanced at his remaining resentment points—after splurging, only emptiness remained. He had just 43 points left...

Just then, he noticed a line of small text next to his resentment balance: “Host’s accumulated resentment points have surpassed 5,000. The system will soon upgrade. During the upgrade, item redemption and lotteries will be suspended, but resentment points can still be collected. After upgrading, Resentment System 2.0 will be unlocked...”

“wtf?” Zheng Jian was dumbfounded.

So not only would he upgrade, but the system would as well...

...

Vote for me—more updates tonight.

(The End)