31: System upgrade? I'm here to study, not to buy goods!

Above the vault of heaven, the sea of clouds churned.

A stretched luxury maglev car, bearing the golden insignia of "Tianqiong War God Academy," was hurtling along a dedicated aerial lane at subsonic speeds.

Outside the window, clouds receded rapidly, dyed golden-red by the sunlight, creating a magnificent sight.

However, the atmosphere inside the cabin was far from magnificent; it was thick with a suffocating sense of awkwardness and horror.

In the driver's seat, Master Li, a professional chauffeur with twenty years of experience who had driven for countless big shots, was currently gripping the steering wheel with all his might. Despite the constant-temperature air conditioning, his back was soaked with cold sweat.

He didn't dare look back, nor did he even dare to observe the young passenger in the backseat through the rearview mirror.

Just half an hour ago, he had personally witnessed two white marble Stone Lions performing a farewell-style street dance at the Gu Family's main gate. Not only had they planted the head of the Gu Family into a flowerbed, but they had also given him a "thumbs up" gesture.

That scene had severely exceeded Master Li's range of understanding, even causing irreversible cracks in his materialistic worldview.

In the back seat, Gu Fan was sitting with his legs crossed, holding the glowing plastic sword he had "magicked" from Special Envoy Wang Zhong, idly pressing the buttons on the hilt.

"Death is like the wind, always by my side!"

"Face the wind! Hasagi!"

The low-quality electronic sound effects echoed in the quiet, luxurious cabin. With every sound, Master Li's shoulders in the front would jerk violently, as if it were a countdown from the Grim Reaper.

After playing for a while, Gu Fan felt a bit bored. He casually tossed the toy sword aside and sank into the soft leather seat, closing his eyes to rest in this high-tech luxury car.

"System, open the panel."

Gu Fan muttered in his heart.

Since he was going to that War God Academy, which claimed to gather all the geniuses and freaks of the Federation, it was time to take stock of his assets.

[Ding!]

In his mind, that familiar mechanical voice didn't pop up directly as usual. Instead, it carried a strange static noise, like an old radio being tuned.

[Detected that the host is heading towards a high-risk map—'Tianqiong War God Academy'.]

[Environmental Analysis: This area is filled with the foul stench of competition, jealousy, comparison, and face-slapping. Malice Density: Extremely High.]

[Karmic Entanglement: Off the charts.]

[System Intelligence Assessment: Given the host's current lazy 'salted fish' mindset, combined with the 'whoever provokes me dies' passive mechanism, it may cause the academy to collapse within three days due to force majeure.]

[To maintain world 'nuclear' peace and enhance the host's gameplay experience, this System has decided to perform an adaptive version update.]

[Update Progress: 1%... 50%... 99%... Update complete!]

Gu Fan's eyebrows shot up. "An update? You have that feature? Don't give me any of those 'forced missions' or 'daily check-ins'—that underworld crap. Otherwise, I'd rather go back to the Forbidden Zone and sleep with the wild boars."

[Ding! System 2.0 'Lie Flat and Watch the Show' Premium Edition is now online.]

[The contents of this update are as follows (please read carefully, host; the final right of interpretation belongs to this System):]

[New Feature 1: Malice Visualization Progress Bar.]

[Description: As a professional King of Backlash, how can you not know who is cursing you in their heart? Once activated, a red gauge will appear in the bottom right corner of the host's field of vision. The stronger the malice or any emotion from those around the host, the faster the gauge will fill. Each time it reaches 100%, you will gain one 'Malice Blind Box' draw chance.]

[New Feature 2: Fully Automatic AFK Cultivation Module (Turbocharged Version).]

[Description: Seeing as the host finds even breathing tiresome, this System has thoughtfully optimized the operational logic of the 'Great Dao Returns to One Art.' From now on, cultivation progress will be displayed as an intuitive percentage. It will naturally increase by 10% daily, guaranteeing a level up every ten days. If the host invests 'malice points,' the Turbocharged Mode can be activated to experience the thrill of leveling up like a rocket.]

[New Feature 3: malice mall (Version 1.0).]

[Description: Even gods have things they cannot buy, but here, as long as you have enough 'malice points,' you can purchase the most ridiculous causality-based items in the world. From the Pangu Sky-Opening Axe (one-time use) to laxatives that make your opponent soil themselves on the spot, everything is available. Note: malice points can be obtained by collecting the negative emotions of others.]

Gu Fan looked at the refreshed semi-transparent panel before him and smiled playfully.

"Malice visualization? And I can draw blind boxes?"

"Interesting. Isn't this just turning boring cultivation into a nurturing game? And it's the kind of conscientious game that doesn't require topping up money, but instead relies entirely on others cursing me to recharge."

Gu Fan instantly found the System much more agreeable.

Compared to those flashy bitch Systems that threaten to obliterate the host at every turn or force them to complete 'save the world' missions, his own System was practically the industry's moral compass, focusing on companionship and service.

"Come, let me see what this visualization effect is like."

Gu Fan opened his eyes and cast his gaze at the back in the driver's seat.

Instantly.

A faint red number, like damage text in an online game, floated up from Master Li's head.

[Fear Value: 88% (this also counts as a variant of negative emotion).]

[Current Inner Voice: God bless me! May this bringer of calamity not go crazy in the car! I still have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child at home! If I can just deliver him safely, I'm willing to be a vegetarian for three years! Why is the air in this car so cold? Is he staring at my neck from behind?]

As these red inner voice texts continued to pop up, the red gauge in the bottom right corner of Gu Fan's field of vision began to rise at a slow but steady pace.

[malice points: +5... +5...]

Gu Fan was amused.

So making people afraid can also farm money?

He leaned forward slightly, bringing his face close to the driver's seat partition, and spoke in an extremely gentle, almost concerned tone.

"Master Li, are you hot? I see your neck is covered in sweat. Do you want me to turn down the air conditioning?"

"Screech—!"

The vehicle jerked violently in the air; clearly, the driver's hand had slipped from the sudden concern.

Master Li's voice trembled like a leaf in the wind. "No... No need! I'm not hot! I'm very cool! This temperature is just right! Young Master Gu, you... you just sit tight!"

[Fear Value soaring! malice points +50!]

Gu Fan watched the progress bar jump significantly and nodded with satisfaction, leaning back against the seat again.

"It seems Master Li's psychological resilience still needs some work."

"Then again, there aren't many people in this world who can face my 'kindness' head-on."

The flying car passed through layers of mist and clouds.

Finally, the view ahead opened up.

An incredibly magnificent, giant sky island floated quietly ten thousand meters in the air.

The island was surrounded by countless floating defense towers, with a massive energy shield refracting rainbow-colored halos in the sunlight.

Buildings lined the island, ranging from metallic towers full of cyberpunk style to ancient, elegant Eastern pavilions. The two were extremely mismatched yet strangely fused together.

And in the very center of the island, a giant stone sword a thousand meters tall pierced the clouds. That was the symbol of Tianqiong War God Academy—the God-Slaying Platform.

The academy's main gate was a magnificent triumphal arch a hundred meters high. Upon it, the six gold-embossed characters for "Tianqiong War God Academy" were written in wild cursive, each character radiating a startling sense of pressure.

Countless luxury cars, shuttles, and even personal flying Magical Artifacts were converging on that gate from all directions like bees returning to a hive.

"We've arrived, Young... Young Master Gu."

The car slowly landed on the incredibly vast plaza helipad at the academy entrance.

Master Li unbuckled his seatbelt with almost maximum speed, jumped out of the car, and pulled open the door for Gu Fan.

His movements were so agile that one could hardly tell he was a middle-aged, pudgy man, as if being a second too slow would result in him being eaten by Gu Fan.

Gu Fan unhurriedly stepped out of the cabin.

He was greeted by a boisterous atmosphere filled with youthful hormones.

The plaza was a sea of people.

New students in all sorts of attire were everywhere.

There were burly men carrying massive alloy war hammers, cute girls in school uniforms with fireballs floating around them, and hardcore punk guys with full mechanical body modifications, leaving only their heads original.

This was a concentration camp for geniuses.

And the future backbone of the entire Federation.

But in Gu Fan's eyes, this wasn't just a school.

He scanned the young faces around him—some arrogant, some excited, some nervous—watching the various colored numbers occasionally pop up above their heads.

Those emotional values representing jealousy, contempt, and competitive desire were, in his eyes, simply strings of walking gold coins.

"What a truly auspicious place."

Gu Fan took a deep breath, as if smelling the fragrance of ripening leeks.

"Master Li, thanks. The ride was very comfortable."

Gu Fan waved at Master Li. "I'll give you a five-star review later."

Master Li squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying. Without a word, he dove into the car, floored the gas, and without even waiting for flight clearance, he bolted into the sky as if fleeing for his life.

Gu Fan lifted his empty hands (after all, his luggage was in the System space) and adjusted his casual clothes, which, though clean, looked like something from a roadside stall.

He looked up at the towering academy gate.

"War God Academy..."

"I hope the students here are a bit more durable."

"After all, I'm here to go to school, not to do demolition, and certainly not to restock."

A trademark, harmless smile appeared on Gu Fan's face as he walked toward the most crowded registration point for new students.

He didn't know, or rather, he didn't care.

The moment he stepped onto the plaza, countless gazes had already locked onto him.

After all, in the news headlines of Tianqiong City these past few days, besides that "Red Bellyband Heroine," this "Abandoned Young Master of the Gu Family" had the most notoriety.

There were already dozens of versions of rumors about him.

Some said he was possessed by a demon, some said he had awakened an evil superpower, and others said he was actually the City Lord's illegitimate son.

But no matter the version, it couldn't stop this group of young and aggressive geniuses from having a deep curiosity about him, and... the malice of wanting to step on him to rise.

Gu Fan watched the progress bar in the bottom right corner of his vision begin to crawl slowly, and he felt so happy he wanted to hum a song.

"Welcome to my new hunting ground."