Chapter 90 - 84: I have seen the future, and there is only one way for us to win

To be honest, this sudden change of style left Lin Li a bit confused. One second, he was pondering about Spirit Stones, and the next, a battle armor appeared. Though unexpected, it made sense in a way. After all, his system itself was schizophrenic, a fool, so hoping for it to be reliable was unreliable. But there’s no denying, compared to the so-called Spirit Stones, this perfect replica of a battle armor truly tempted Lin Li. What man can refuse a drivable mecha that’s his perfect replica? Unfortunately, he can’t afford it at all. And even if he could, Lin Li felt he wouldn’t buy it any time soon. A mecha like this must have a power source, right? If it’s electric, does it come with a charging cable? If not, does it use type-c, round, or three-hole sockets? Is there after-sales service for the mecha? Can it be repaired if damaged? Is there an instruction manual? These are all concerns Lin Li would have after buying it. Not being able to afford it saved Lin Li from a lot of indecision. So Lin Li clicked no. [The cost of this refresh: 100 system currency] As expected, if he wanted to refresh again after a free refresh, he’d have to pay. Too expensive, couldn’t bear it. The 580 in his pocket wouldn’t withstand many spends. The free refresh button didn’t disappear, it showed insufficient attempts when clicked, seems there will be more chances to earn such rewards later. Weighing the Spirit Stone in his hand, Lin Li felt quite good. He could finally advance his Body Refining Eighth Rank Technique consistently, with a regular daily supply of at least one low-grade Spirit Stone, exactly enough to split his morning for cultivation. At least things are on the right track now. ... Monday. Just waking up, Lin Li squinted at the system ahead. [Update complete.] Looking at this somewhat familiar notification, Lin Li fell into thought. Here we go again? After the last update, he inexplicably ended up in the ’All-Girl World’, what’s going to happen this time? Will the schizophrenia get worse? Is the system going to split into a third direction? Is the update time fixed on Monday? Once a week? Both times it was Monday morning when he saw the message, so naturally, Lin Li thought along these lines. This Sunday night, stay up past midnight, and see if the update happens at midnight on Monday. Lin Li was about to buy today’s Spirit Stones when he suddenly discovered that the system’s UI had an extra option, but there was no text, and it was gray, unclickable. Good news: this time the system indeed had an update, and it was observable. Bad news: "Damn system, you’re basically a half-finished product! Which uncultured, unskilled person researched you! Higher-dimensional beings, I f*** you... you’re really impressive." Considering the harm words can do, Lin Li chose to put on a facade. Clicking into the shop, Lin Li saw the free refresh button was lit up again. Another free refresh opportunity. Does every system update provide one free refresh? But regardless of whether it’s given post-update, it’s free, so why not take it. [You have refreshed and obtained a low-grade Spirit Stone: 20 system currency (limited to 5 per day), would you like to swap?] Compared to his current one, the upside is that the new one can be bought more in a day, the downside is it lacks the gamble of turning a bicycle into a motorcycle. After pondering for a while, Lin Li still chose not to swap. After all, Lin Li and poison cannot coexist. Who can refuse a 5% chance to obtain higher quality Spirit Stones or even the mysterious Spiritual Spring, which sounds impressive just by its probability? Plus, Lin Li didn’t have much system currency saved up himself, all his assets would only buy thirty, and even if limited to one per day, it’d be used up in a month. Might as well consider it controlling expenses. As for his task regarding the Joyful Union Sect, there was still no progress, meaning the conditions for purging weren’t met yet. But Lin Li understood, last time it was reported on Friday and wasn’t resolved until Monday, Tianhong was reported just the day before yesterday, and he cleared the Jiangnan story on Sunday too, Uncle Yang and the others must be busy to death now. Needing more time is normal. [Rise for a month straight before 5:00 AM and diligently practice the Body Refining Eighth Rank Technique, before 7:00 AM, accumulate at least half an hour (3/30).] Today continued training at home, using just one low-grade Spirit Stone, while the one switched out yesterday was still stored in the [warehouse] for unforeseen needs. Since he was training at home, there was nothing to worry about, it was much more comfortable than in the community park. ... School. Lin Li just entered the classroom. "Lin Li, run, don’t look back, run quickly—" Bai Bufan shouted at him. Lin Li: "?" Lin Li bolted. Though he didn’t know why, running seemed like the best choice. When he noticed a group of boys chasing him, Lin Li understood he was right to run. Damn PE students. Lin Li was eventually caught by Wang Ze. "Seriously, dude, Lin Li, you... how come you’re running so fast now..." Wang Ze, who used an unwavering grip to restrain Lin Li, was out of breath as he spoke. He had been chasing for ages before finally catching up. Lin Li felt quite gratified. His over a week’s worth of physical training and Spirit Stone magic nourishing had honestly improved his stamina remarkably. Both explosive speed and endurance showed notable improvements. He was no longer the weakling who struggled to finish a thousand meters in over four and a half minutes. Lin Li was even a bit excited to see what his time would be the next PE class when they run a thousand meters, surely making Bai Bufan uncomfortable. After all, as a brother, it’s okay to do well, but not too well. "You wouldn’t understand if you’ve never settled, settling is just like this." Lin Li retorted to the PE students with dominance. "Really, what are you planning to do to me in broad daylight? I might start shouting for help." Lin Li struggled as he looked at the boys approaching, already smirking. "Lin Li! Why did you bring Bai Bufan but not us?!" Finally catching up, Zhou Baowei asked grimly. The jerks who revered Lin Li as the supreme sage last week now saw him as an enemy. "Damn Bai Bufan, loose tongue, unreliable! Betrayed me so fast?" Lin Li now understood his predicament. "He does deserve some credit. My brother’s new matchmaking partner went in too, our family got the scoop, and I noticed from the photos circulated on the scene. You two with the hats were just too conspicuous. Given the past incident, who wouldn’t suspect? A slight push, and Bai Bufan confessed," Zhou Baowei sneered. "Come on, dude, are you sure the matchmaker your family knows isn’t actually a Madame? All the matches this precise? What a divine matching mechanism." Lin Li gave a thumbs up. Does he have to sweep twice more, possibly ruining Zhou Baowei’s brother’s matchmaking events again? "That’s not the point, the point is why’d you only take Bai Bufan and not us!" Zhou Baowei pressed further. "Bufan volunteered to be my lackey in exchange, also, you guys weren’t around over the weekend." Lin Li chuckled awkwardly. "That’s a ridiculous excuse!" Sadly, the crowd didn’t buy the excuse. As they chatted, Lin Li found himself held at each limb by someone, suspended in mid-air. Seemed like he was about to meet Shang Yang’s fate. Fortunately, no new task was triggered, letting Lin Li breathe a sigh of relief. He feared the system would initiate a task asking him to slay monsters with fellow disciples. "Lin Li, either take us next time, or face our revenge here, make your choice," Wang Ze and the others issued an ultimatum. Lin Li took a deep breath: "I laugh facing the sky with my blade in hand, my gallantry shines over Kunlun! I’m ready to die!" Everyone: "..." "I’ll teach you to face the sky with your blade! I’ll teach you Kunlun!" Seems Lin Li had made his choice, so no one held back. Lin Li wasn’t as heroic as Brother Tan, he couldn’t nobly go to his death. The key thing was: "Who the hell groped my butt amidst the chaos?!" ... Lin Li dragged his beaten body back to the classroom, returning to his seat. Bai Bufan’s face was calm, neither sad nor happy: "I did my best, but they were too ruthless, there was nothing I could do, are you okay?" Lin Li squinted, looking at the pale-lipped, hollow-eyed Bai Bufan: "Never mind about me, Bufan, how many times did you go at it after going home Saturday?" Like Doctor Strange, Bai Bufan shakily and weakly raised one finger. "This is the effect you got from just once?" Lin Li simply didn’t believe it. This was more extreme than Song Luping, couldn’t possibly just be once. "One bottle." Lin Li: "?"