NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 36 - Rich Rewards from Intercepting! Fan Xian is Getting Plucked Bald!
Chapter 36: Rich Rewards from Intercepting! Fan Xian is Getting Plucked Bald!
Early the next morning, Li Chengyuan woke up from a deep sleep.
Turning his head, he saw Qingniao was already awake, gazing at him with shining eyes.
Li Chengyuan’s heart softened. He leaned in for a kiss and whispered, “Why not sleep a bit longer?”
Qingniao pursed her lips, then turned over to lie on Li Chengyuan’s chest, her voice small. “I couldn’t sleep. I wake up early every day!”
“Is that so?” Li Chengyuan responded. Feeling the warmth of her soft body in his arms, he couldn’t resist anymore. He rolled over, pressing her beneath him, drawing a startled cry from Qingniao.
Finally, when the sun was already high in the sky, Li Chengyuan got up with Qingniao’s help.
Qingniao then went back to wash and change her clothes.
Sangwen brought in Li Chengyuan’s breakfast.
As he ate, Li Chengyuan opened the system.
Yesterday’s gains were plentiful!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for intercepting the title “South Qing’s Top Scholar,” rewarded with 100 classical Chinese poems and 5 Epiphany Pills!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for intercepting the title “The Future of South Qing’s Literary Destiny,” rewarded with the special talent—Eidetic Memory, and 1 Dragon-Tiger Pill!]
[Epiphany Pill: Upon consumption, it can enhance one martial art by one level (effective within three days)!]
South Qing’s Top Scholar!
The Future of South Qing’s Literary Destiny!
These two titles were finally his.
It seemed that the events of yesterday’s poetry gathering had already begun to spread throughout the capital!
His fame had been thoroughly acknowledged by the literati of the capital!
Looking at the system rewards, Li Chengyuan was quite satisfied.
Although there weren’t many rewards this time, each one was of significant value.
There was no need to elaborate on the 100 classical Chinese poems.
With these, Li Chengyuan wouldn’t have to keep “plucking” from Su Shi’s works in the future.
The system-rewarded poems were selected from all of Chinese history’s poetry.
Every single one was a masterpiece!
And, just like before, all memories related to these poems would be erased from Fan Xian’s mind!
Thinking about this, Li Chengyuan couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Fan Xian.
If he kept taking more, soon Fan Xian wouldn’t have much poetry left in his mind!
But Li Chengyuan showed no mercy.
After all, these poems weren’t originally written by Fan Xian. Whoever copies them, it’s still copying, right?
As the saying goes, in Jianghu, when you meet, you split things in half!
Aside from the poems, the Epiphany Pills excited Li Chengyuan the most.
At present, he had the cultivation but lacked martial skills!
It wasn’t that Li Chengyuan was lazy.
But martial arts required a foundation built from childhood.
Li Chengyuan had never even practiced basic stances like horse stances. To suddenly start learning martial arts now was indeed asking too much.
Therefore, the martial arts techniques rewarded by the system were something he had only barely managed to get into the beginner stage.
He had just scratched the surface of the Dragon Claw Hand and the Swimming Dragon Body Technique.
To say he had “begun” meant he had memorized the moves but hadn’t internalized them.
He could only perform a complete set of techniques without making mistakes under ideal conditions—that’s considered entry-level.
It was like a modern college student practicing military-style boxing: the mind remembers the moves, but the body hasn’t caught up. In a real fight, it’s all just flailing around!
Yet even at this level, it counted as having reached the entry stage.
For Li Chengyuan, this was great news because it meant he didn’t need to waste the Epiphany Pills on reaching the beginner level!
Besides the Epiphany Pills, the Eidetic Memory from the second intercept reward was incredibly useful for him!
In ancient times, there were no smartphones or cameras—everything had to be memorized manually.
With this ability, Li Chengyuan’s efficiency would drastically improve!
And it would explain his extraordinary talent—having an eidetic memory would make him appear naturally gifted from a young age.
As for the Dragon-Tiger Pill, Li Chengyuan had already taken one before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
After finishing breakfast, Li Chengyuan informed Sangwen before heading back to his quarters.
He first consumed an Epiphany Pill.
The moment the pill entered his stomach, he began practicing the Swimming Dragon Body Technique in his room.
Soon, countless insights flooded his mind.
Simultaneously, his muscles and body quickly formed memory patterns of the moves.
Who knows how much time passed before Li Chengyuan snapped out of the epiphany state?
Reflecting on the strange experience, he found himself almost addicted.
The sensation of endless inspiration just by thinking was simply too marvelous.
Unfortunately, this inspiration only applied to martial arts techniques.
Li Chengyuan had once tried using it to write poetry, but it had no effect at all.
Sighing, Li Chengyuan opened the system again.
His Swimming Dragon Body Technique had already reached the “proficient” or “minor achievement” level!
According to the system, every martial skill has five stages: entry, proficiency (minor achievement), mastery, great achievement, and perfection!
If he wanted to perfect the Swimming Dragon Body Technique, he would need three more Epiphany Pills.
Without hesitation, Li Chengyuan swallowed three more Epiphany Pills in succession.
He continued refining the Swimming Dragon Body Technique.
As the saying goes, A thousand skills are not as good as mastering one!
Mastering one martial art was far more valuable than barely grasping several!
The reason he chose the body technique was simple—it would help him escape if needed.
With countless experts around him, Li Chengyuan rarely needed to fight himself.
If it ever came to him needing to fight, it would mean it was time to flee!
So for him, maxing out his agility skills was the most important thing!
After who knows how long, not only had Li Chengyuan perfected the Swimming Dragon Body Technique, but he had also raised his Dragon Claw Hand to the proficient level!
Then, after consuming the Dragon-Tiger Pill, his cultivation increased by two full ranks!
After this round of progress, Li Chengyuan took a deep breath and opened the system panel.
[Host: Li Chengyuan
Age: 18
Status: Third Prince of Qing Kingdom
Physique: Immune to all poisons and diseases
Talent: Eidetic Memory
Cultivation: Seventh-rank Martial Artist
Techniques: “Azure Dragon Art” (Swimming Dragon Fourth Transformation)
Martial Skills: Dragon Claw Hand (Proficient), Swimming Dragon Body Technique (Perfection), Azure Dragon Fist (Not started), Subduing Dragon Palm (Not started), Shocking Dragon Blade (Not started)
Items: 5 Returning Essence Pills
Forces: Miao Yin Pavilion
Servants: Jian Jiuhuang, Qingniao]
Satisfied after reviewing his stats, Li Chengyuan closed the system and left his chambers.
Once outside, he realized it was nearly noon.
Li Chengyuan made his way to the central courtyard, where he found Sangwen and Qingniao.
Upon asking, he learned that the students he had arranged to meet the previous day had already been waiting for half the day in the front courtyard!
Li Chengyuan didn’t rush, however. Instead, he asked someone to bring Yang Wanli to him.
All those people outside, when combined, couldn’t match the value of one Yang Wanli.
Without securing Yang Wanli, Li Chengyuan had no interest in dealing with anyone else!
Footnotes:
Huíyuándān (Returning Essence Pill): A traditional Chinese medicine pill used to restore vitality and treat chronic illnesses like asthma.
Jianghu guiju, jianmian fen yiban (江湖规矩，见面分一半): A common saying in martial arts novels, meaning that in Jianghu (the martial world), when people meet, they split the benefits equally.