Chapter 103: Can It Really Be Like This?

Chapter 103: How Is This Possible?

It wasn’t just Xi Zhengtian who felt aggrieved.

Everyone who heard this now felt even more upset than before.

Not only were they pained by the losses suffered by Tianlanxing in the plot—like throwing pearls before swine—but also because, this way, discussing the system with them became even more impossible.

If there had been some hope before, now it was completely dashed.

Since they weren’t even from the same world, why would the other party sacrifice their own interests for them?

Whether it was restricting the system or abandoning it entirely, it would be a huge loss for the host.

Even though the system was just a knockoff one, it was still a game-breaking tool. Especially in a world where the host aimed to cultivate immortality, the system was undoubtedly a powerful aid.

What could Tianlanxing offer in exchange? The host’s family was back on Zhouxingxing—there wasn’t even the option of taking care of their relatives as a bargaining chip.

Sheng Qingquan was also anxious, but instead of just venting, he held back his frustration and kept poring over the novel, trying to find a way out.

“The host doesn’t know the source of the rewards?”

“How is that possible?!” That was everyone’s first reaction. But soon, they realized—why wouldn’t it be possible?

“Even a shady system has standards.”

“Of course, it wouldn’t reveal such things. If the host knew that the rewards it provided, along with the fully stocked system store, were all stolen from other worlds, the system’s image would tank. It would instantly seem less impressive.”

“Later, when the system grew stronger, it could boast about stealing classified documents from high-security labs or swiping the great leader’s seal right under the guards’ noses. But in the early stages, swiping paper or fruit—just like common thieves—would be humiliating.”

“If the host found out, the system’s credibility would collapse.”

“The embarrassment was one thing, but more importantly, the system’s fear factor would disappear.”

“Without a proper supply chain, relying solely on theft and plunder, such a system would struggle to establish authority or earn the host’s trust. So, the system would definitely bend over backwards to hide it.”

“As for the host…”

Sheng Qingquan imagined himself as the host—before reading this apocalyptic novel.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have imagined the rewards came like this either.”

Who could’ve guessed?

The others nodded in agreement. From this perspective, the host likely had no idea.

“Besides, this host seems to have a moral compass.”

“Even though he considered playing the libertine, thought about becoming a professional thief, and was willing to go to any lengths to craft magical tools—from this, it’s clear he didn’t care much about reputation. If necessary, he’d even sully his reputation to achieve his goals.”

“So, in the plot, he acted on his own terms, not to cultivate a good image.”

“When he went out and encountered a farmer selling foraged greens, he deliberately paid her extra coins. At a restaurant, when a pampered noble barged in and found no private seating available, he started yelling at the waiter to ‘make room’ or face consequences.”

“As the waiter panicked, unsure what to do, and a scene was about to erupt, the host suddenly spoke up and greeted the noble.”

[“‘Isn’t this Young Master Qin? I’m Li Yueguang. We met last month at the Southern Mansion’s birthday banquet—your elegance left a lasting impression. What a rare coincidence today. If you don’t mind, why not share a table with me?’”]

“Just like that, he defused the situation for the waiter.”

Aside from these daily trivialities, every time the system issued a task, no matter what it was, he maintained a certain bottom line while completing it.

For instance, the first task required the host to verbally insult the target. After confirming the task couldn’t be skipped, he complied.

But instead of ordering his servants to knock the target down and trample them underfoot with insults, he went to quiz the target on their studies.

[‘“How can you not even recite this? What kind of brain do you have? I could recite this flawlessly by age ten. Forget chicken or duck soup—just stew some pig brains for you, since they say like cures like. Too bad—even a mountain of pig brains probably wouldn’t help someone like you. Might as well save the kitchen the hassle…”’]

After successfully humiliating the target, he then pulled out an expensive edition annotated by a jinshi scholar of the Four Books and Five Classics and gifted it to them.

[‘“This should make it easier to understand. Once you grasp the meaning, memorizing will come naturally. Dull wits can be sharpened with hard work.”’]

[‘“If pig brains can’t save you, a good teacher might. Once you finish memorizing these, I’ll call in some favors to get you into Taoshan Academy.”’]

By the end of this, the target, who had initially felt deeply humiliated but could do nothing but clench their fists and endure, was now holding the annotated books with gratitude instead of resentment.

When Li Yueguang mentioned sending them to Taoshan Academy in the future, the target was stunned, barely able to believe it.

[‘“Taoshan Academy—the one where even the most hopeless cases, after a few years of training, can earn their xiucai title? The one that produces several jinshi every year, where last year’s tanhua (third-ranked jinshi) once studied?”’]

The target repeated the question several times before daring to believe their ears.

[‘“Yes, that Taoshan Academy. But only if you memorize these books first—otherwise, even with connections, it won’t work.”’]

Now, far from feeling insulted, the target was convinced Li Yueguang was just pushing them in a roundabout way. Overwhelmed, they swore to themselves to study hard and not disappoint his efforts.

After being ‘humiliated’ like this, the target didn’t lose confidence, start doubting their academic potential, or resent the host. Instead, they became more determined to work harder and grew closer to the host.

A perfect workaround for the system’s demands.

When he could’ve just crushed the target to complete the task, he went out of his way to find this roundabout method. While avoiding grudges was part of it, it said a lot about his character.

There were many similar instances.

Beyond this, when he needed personal belongings to extract spiritual energy for crafting artifacts, he initially planned to take on more concubines—but not to exploit them.

Instead, he intended to redeem courtesans or male entertainers who wanted freedom, return their contracts after refining the artifacts, and send them on their way with money. A mutually beneficial arrangement.

As for becoming a thief, though he eventually abandoned the idea, he had considered only stealing from those who wouldn’t miss it, leaving unmarked silver behind, and destroying the personal belongings immediately after use to protect reputations.

Not exactly noble, but he had some scruples.

So this person might actually be reachable.

At first, the others didn’t understand why Sheng Qingquan was suddenly pondering this. Then his thoughts took another turn:

"The system is running amok because it lost contact with its superiors."

In the novel, the system secretly complained about being unable to reach the main system, suspecting it had been abandoned.

"Without support from above, it had to go it alone. Cut off from supplies, it targeted Tianlanxing for maximum gain."

"Even without Tianlanxing, other planets would have suffered."

"Since the system has no backer—clearly an easy target—and its host has decent morals..."

"Most importantly, the world the host was transported to is a world of cultivation."

"Even if this cultivation world is bottom-tier, it's still a cultivation world. Even if the level of cultivation is on par with *Dream of the Red Chamber*, and even if the host can't obtain any particularly good resources—at best reaching Ma Daopo's level, just knowing some crude witchcraft and drawing simple talismans—it’s still plenty useful."

"For Blue Star, this is still valuable!"

"Besides, how could a system-chosen host be stuck at this level? If he weren’t special, why would the system bind with him? Even if it did, how could it tolerate him repeatedly exploiting loopholes? Even though the system complains every time, it still coughs up the rewards eventually."

"For the system to be this accommodating, this host’s gotta be something special. Such a host may not necessarily ascend to immortality, but becoming an earthbound immortal isn’t out of the question."

"What kind of treasures could a terrestrial immortal cough up?"

"Instead of letting Blue Star become the system’s personal stash, why don’t we take out the system and collaborate directly with the host?"

!!!

Mind-blowing—everyone froze.

Wasn’t this pure fantasy?

Could this really work?

Why couldn’t it?

Of course it could!

The group thought back to the interdimensional transmigration novels and cross-world trading systems they’d read.

The more they thought about it, the more fired up they got, and the more convinced they became that this path was feasible.

Their only obstacle was taking out the system without wrecking its functions.

And regarding this, even if they didn’t know much about the system, the team, Sheng Qingquan included, hadn’t forgotten they had leads.

Not just through the plot.

"The Divine Child Nurturing Game’s system is still a system—and likely of a higher tier, given that it was created by a world’s creator deity."

Sheng Qingquan mused.

"Honestly, we’ve ignored that system long enough. It’s time to meet, chat, and build some rapport."

"Nothing too elaborate—just discuss how to capture a rogue system, how to replace a system’s artifact spirit... That sort of thing."

"No way the Divine Child Nurturing System holds back for the sake of its host—after all, we’re family!"