16: Chapter 16 Confession

[Idle time ended, gained 12 hard training points.]

Li Fan opened his eyes. As the System prompt in his mind faded, he yawned, casually tapped open the System interface, and his gaze landed on the hard training points column.

[hard training points: 172]

"I've saved up so many without realizing it?" Li Fan raised an eyebrow. Without hesitation, he immediately decided to use the hard training points to improve his strength.

He was currently lacking a reliable Cultivation Technique, so he simply spent 100 hard training points to upgrade the 'Qi Sea Technique' to Entry-Level.

The next second, insights related to the 'Qi Sea Technique' flooded his mind, and the Spiritual Qi in his body surged in response, settling down after a moment.

Li Fan sensed it carefully, feeling somewhat surprised.

He had originally thought that this Cultivation Technique, which was compatible with his Top-tier Qi Spirit Root, would require ten times the points of an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivation Technique and must be incredibly profound. He hadn't expected it to follow the path of the Dao being simple.

This Cultivation Technique had no flashy attacking methods; it purely used massive amounts of Spiritual Qi to overwhelm enemies.

After practicing it, there were two main improvements: first, the total amount of Spiritual Qi his Dantian could hold increased significantly; second, the scale of Spiritual Qi he could simultaneously call upon and circulate increased several-fold.

Setting aside Spirit Reflection, his previous output of Spiritual Qi was like a thin spring; now that the 'Qi Sea Technique' was at Entry-Level, the Spiritual Qi was like a flowing stream.

There was improvement, but to achieve a qualitative change, he still needed to constantly refine the 'Qi Sea Technique'. He glanced at the System interface; bringing the 'Qi Sea Technique' to Mastery also required 100 hard training points.

"Should I rely on the System to add points directly, or practice slowly by myself?" Li Fan chuckled, feeling he had asked a rhetorical question. "Of course, rely on the System. Isn't lying flat and Cultivating great?"

Then, he continued to consume 40 hard training points to directly Breakthrough to Qi Refining Perfection.

A warm current of Spiritual Qi instantly swept through his entire body, and his Dantian became increasingly solid. Li Fan clenched his fist, feeling the changes in his strength, and it felt somewhat unreal.

"This is Qi Refining Perfection already?"

He knew clearly that ordinary students, even if they entered university through school exams, had to work hard for one or two years to barely reach Qi Refining Perfection in preparation for Foundation Establishment.

Yet he, who hadn't even taken the school exams yet, was already standing at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.

"How about I Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment directly? Let me see how many hard training points it requires first."

[Ordinary Foundation Establishment: Consumes 300 hard training points]

[Perfect Foundation Establishment: Consumes 600 hard training points]

[Super-grade Foundation Establishment: Consumes 1000 hard training points]

"Good heavens, there are so many variations for a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough?"

Li Fan clicked his tongue. He had always assumed that Foundation Establishment was just a threshold, the same for everyone, and one just needed to cross it.

He hadn't expected that there would be different levels even for a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough.

Just as he was surprised, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an extra branch hidden below the three options, so he immediately checked it.

[Qi Refining Break-limit: Consumes 300 hard training points, breaks the taboo, increases the Qi Refining Realm by one level]

"Qi Refining Perfection can still be forcibly improved? Doesn't that mean it's equivalent to the eleventh level of Qi Refining?"

Li Fan's eyes lit up. Compared to the conventional Foundation Establishment Breakthrough, this "Qi Refining Break-limit" was more to his liking.

"If the major Realm improves too quickly, it's easy to be targeted by the authorities and caught for dissection; that would be the end."

Li Fan touched his chin, calculating secretly.

"Exactly, let's try this Qi Refining Break-limit first. It won't expose too much, and it can improve my strength—killing two birds with one stone."

After setting his goal, Li Fan looked at the remaining 32 hard training points, feeling uncomfortable if he didn't spend them all.

So, he simply dumped all the points into the 'Water Summoning Technique' in one go.

['Water Summoning Technique' has reached Mastery]

['Water Summoning Technique' has reached Major Achievement]

['Water Summoning Technique' has reached Perfection, cannot be upgraded]

Insights on the Cultivation Technique at Perfection flooded his mind, but Li Fan frowned, raising his hand to try and invoke the Cultivation Technique, yet he felt no obvious change.

"Why does it feel like there's no improvement? What is this 'Water Summoning Technique' actually used for?"

The System's description of this Cultivation Technique was exceptionally mysterious, without clearly stating its purpose. After reaching Perfection, he still hadn't found the corresponding method of use.

"Could it be that the scenario for using it hasn't arrived yet?"

Li Fan was puzzled but didn't delve into it. He faintly felt that this seemingly useless Cultivation Technique would come in handy one day in the future.

Withdrawing his mind from the System interface, Li Fan stretched lazily, looking languid.

"Ten minutes of hard training to directly Breakthrough to Qi Refining Perfection—that exhausted me."

"No way, I have to surf the internet to find some fun and reward myself properly."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to summon his student terminal. While waiting for the terminal page to open, an inexplicable ominous premonition floated in his heart.

His heart tightened. When the terminal interface opened, sure enough...

[Qian Zhenzhen: 99+ unread messages]

[Wen Xinmei: 23+ unread messages]

[Luo Qingqian: 1 unread message]

Luo Qingqian's message was very simple—a 'good morning'.

Li Fan's gaze paused on the number of unread messages from Qian Zhenzhen, his scalp tingling, and he decisively turned to Wen Xinmei.

"Wen Xinmei's looks less scary."

Tapping open the chat box, Li Fan quickly browsed the history.

At the very beginning, Wen Xinmei asked why he accepted the friend request so late.

Then, there was an expression of gratitude for him saving her in the Secret Realm last time.

Subsequently, there was an apology for her forcing him into a gambling duel, admitting it was an impulse and her brain had short-circuited.

Li Fan continued to scroll down, message after message coming into view.

[Even if I won the gambling duel later, I wouldn't have forced you to be my Dao Companion...]

[Also... my father wants to see you. Are you free recently?]

After finishing the chat history, Li Fan let out a long sigh, and the stone in his heart fell halfway.

Wen Xinmei was still rational; she didn't act unreasonably like Qian Zhenzhen. It was just that the situation in the Secret Realm was too special, which caused her to lose her composure for a moment.

His fingers tapped a reply quickly.

[I need to prepare for the school exams recently. Let's talk after I get into university and settle down.]

After sending it, Li Fan braced himself and moved his gaze to Qian Zhenzhen's chat box, unable to help complaining.

"Sigh, am I really that charming? What a nuisance."

Complaining aside, he still clicked on the chat box, but the next second, he broke into a cold sweat.

Qian Zhenzhen was still sending him messages non-stop. The previously displayed "99+" was just the System limiting the display quantity, not because she had stopped sending them.

Message after message popped up rapidly, every word revealing arrogance.

[Li Fan! You actually dare to ignore me, you're done for!]

[...]

[Don't think I can't find you just because you're hiding. I've already found the address of your new apartment]

[...]

[I've already arrived at your apartment gate]

[...]

[I've passed the access control and I'm downstairs]

[...]

[I'm right in front of your door!]

The chat information echoed with reality.

"Knock, knock, knock." The knocking sound came from the door, the rhythm unhurried, yet it felt like it was knocking on Li Fan's heart, making him break into a cold sweat.

The knocking sound only rang three times and then stopped. It didn't continue to urge him, as if she had already determined he was inside and was waiting patiently for him to open the door.

"Damn, she's for real?"

Li Fan was momentarily at a loss.

At the beginning, he did have plans to "take her into his pocket," but after spending a few days surfing the internet to understand the background of the Qian Family in detail, he hesitated.

The Qian Family mainly operated the management and development of Secret Realms transferred from officials to civilians, and they were intertwined with a complex web of interests on Baigong Planet and even the entire Xuannü Civilization.

As the only heir to the Qian Family, Qian Zhenzhen was already a target for major betting by various noble families.

Originally, even if she just went out on a whim while throwing a tantrum, she could make the news headlines, which showed her high influence.

If he really became a Dao Companion with Qian Zhenzhen, the salted-fish life he yearned for would likely be completely gone. What awaited him in the future would only be endless schemes and constraints...

"What a pain..." Li Fan rubbed his throbbing temple.

After about half a minute, "Knock, knock, knock—" the knocking sounded again, still the unhurried three times, carrying an irresistible force, as if reminding him of her presence.

Li Fan's head ached severely, and he instinctively called out to the System in his heart.

"System, help! What should I do?"

[The Strongest Idle Lying Flat System has gone offline. The Strongest Many Children Many Blessings System has come online!]

The System didn't speak, just kept switching modes.

Li Fan rolled his eyes and sighed helplessly.

"Forget it, relying on you is not as good as relying on myself."

He gritted his teeth and got up to walk toward the door.

Leaving Qian Zhenzhen outside forever wasn't a solution; if he left her there too long, something would likely go wrong.

Arriving at the room door, Li Fan hesitated for a moment, reached out to make a defensive posture, fearing that Qian Zhenzhen would pounce on him as soon as the door opened.

Then, he pulled the door open.

But standing outside the door was... Luo Qingqian.

Luo Qingqian poked her head out. She wasn't wearing the light veil as usual. Her clean and soft face had a pair of bright, watery eyes, which were looking at him timidly, and she was holding a casserole in her hand.

Li Fan was stunned for a moment, instinctively taking out his terminal and clicking on Qian Zhenzhen's chat box. Sure enough, he saw the latest message.

[Hehe, did I scare you?]

[I'm warning you, I'm not joking. I really have the ability to find your house!]

[If you're afraid of me blocking your door, come to this address to find me tomorrow!]

Immediately after, Qian Zhenzhen shared a location, not too far from his apartment.

Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that this Qian Zhenzhen wasn't as crazy as he had imagined.

He replied with "I'll see," then put away the terminal and turned his gaze back to Luo Qingqian in front of him, his tone softening a bit.

"Student Luo, why are you here?"

Luo Qingqian was a bit shy from his gaze. She lowered her head slightly and lifted the casserole in her hand.

"I stewed some chicken soup this morning. Thinking you might not have eaten yet, I... I brought it over for you to taste."

Li Fan's eyes lit up. He was indeed a little hungry.

He quickly took the casserole. It felt warm, and he could smell the rich chicken soup aroma. He immediately turned sideways to invite Luo Qingqian in.

Li Fan just put the casserole on the dining table when Luo Qingqian, who had been prepared, took out a bowl and spoon and skillfully ladled out a bowl of steaming chicken soup.

"It's still a bit hot, let it cool down before you drink it." Luo Qingqian handed the bowl to Li Fan, her eyes full of expectation.

Li Fan found it funny. He was a Qi Refining Cultivator, could he be scalded? But looking at Luo Qingqian's serious appearance, he still feigned blowing on it before taking a sip.

His eyes lit up, and he praised her sincerely.

"Delicious! I didn't expect Student Luo to have such good cooking skills."

Hearing Li Fan's praise, Luo Qingqian was very pleased, the corners of her mouth rising slightly.

"If you like it, next time I'll make other dishes for you to eat. Consider it a reward for you saving me."

Li Fan nodded quickly, feeling happy inside.

This is also not bad. Being a salted fish steadily every day and occasionally getting a free meal—isn't this the leisurely life he dreamed of?

But as soon as he thought about having to go deal with Qian Zhenzhen tomorrow, the smile on his face faded, and a bit of worry appeared between his brows.

Luo Qingqian opposite him had been watching Li Fan, so she noticed his abnormality.

"What's wrong?" Luo Qingqian asked softly.

Li Fan looked at her and deliberated for a moment.

Luo Qingqian had a gentle personality and was a girl; maybe she could give him some advice. It was better than having a headache by himself.

So, he put down the chicken soup bowl and sighed.

"Actually... someone is pursuing me."

"Ah?" Luo Qingqian was stunned, her eyes widening slightly.

Li Fan let out a long sigh and added.

"And it's not just one."

"Ah?!?"