Chapter Thirty-Four: What Is True Strength

The recycling protection mechanism is strictly enforced; even if Lin Lei recovers only a single contribution point in the real world, once he leaves for an assignment and returns, he will be barred from reclaiming resources in the real world for the next hundred thousand years.

“Damn it, just one recovery and I’m locked out for a hundred thousand years—like I’m going to live that long anyway!” Lin Lei couldn’t help but complain.

“Is living for a hundred thousand years so difficult? The cheapest longevity investment fund in this system requires only a one-time payment of one hundred thousand contribution points from an ordinary person. Thereafter, for every additional one thousand contribution points, their lifespan is extended by a year, with no upper limit, until either the buyer’s universe is destroyed or this system ceases to exist,” replied the system, never missing a chance to earn contribution points.

“Even ordinary people can become immortal? How does it work?” Lin Lei’s curiosity was piqued.

A hundred thousand contribution points seemed like a lot—converted to RMB, it would take two billion. In the real world, few would spend two or three billion in pursuit of immortality, but they did exist. If he could provide enough evidence to convince someone to invest, Lin Lei, as a broker, could easily earn a ten-thousand-point referral fee—a quick and pleasant prospect.

“It’s a gene stabilization technology. By implanting a stabilization sequence and recording the user’s current genetic code, a yearly sequence reset maintains immortality and eternal youth,” the system explained.

Human lifespan is limited because, as one ages, biological functions decline. If there were a way to fix the genetic state of cells at a certain age and continually reset it, one could maintain that youthful condition indefinitely, achieving immortality.

Moreover, this stabilization only targets cellular genes—it doesn’t reset the memory bank. If one lives too long and wishes to erase unnecessary memories, that would cost extra.

“That sounds impressive! But there’s no tangible effect, not even rejuvenation. How am I supposed to—no, how am I supposed to convince someone to pay for it?” Lin Lei instantly lost interest in the product.

The price was exorbitant, and the effects invisible in the short term—only a fool would buy it. It would be easier and faster to sell a few miracle pills that cure all ailments.

Lin Lei had discovered the miracle pill in the medical category of the resource exchange section. Its real name wasn’t “miracle pill”—it was just too long for Lin Lei to remember. He classified it as a “miracle pill” because of its description: it could cure most difficult diseases, making it a wondrous elixir in his eyes.

The most expensive type required ten contribution points per pill, taken orally, with effects visible in half an hour and full recovery in two hours.

Because its effects were so fast, Lin Lei ignored it, preferring another version: twenty pills for one contribution point, one per day, cured in five days.

“Business isn’t just about one-off deals. Give someone a pill to try, and if they see results, you won’t need to push the rest—they’ll beg for more,” Lin Lei thought, his broker instincts nurtured by the system gradually coming alive.

There were plenty of low-priced, high-profit items in the resource exchange section for Lin Lei to pick through at leisure.

But his order for the “288 Ultimate Practitioner Training Package” had been shipped, so Lin Lei had to set aside bargain hunting and begin his grand plan for cultivation.

Once again, it was a small blue pill, but this time there was no red injection—just a book entitled “Encyclopedia of Cultivators—Sealed Edition.”

“What does ‘sealed edition’ mean? Why isn’t there a cultivation method? Is this ‘Encyclopedia of Cultivators’ just a magazine for entertainment?” Lin Lei was baffled.

“The knowledge stored in this book is so vast that if the host attempted to absorb it all at once, given your current brain development, your consciousness would collapse and you’d die suddenly. So most of its content is sealed, to be unlocked as your consciousness grows stronger. As for your other questions, please study the book first. Otherwise, you’ll seem quite uncultured,” the system said disparagingly.

“I’m just worried that once I study it, you won’t let me return it!” Lin Lei said awkwardly.

If it didn’t match the package’s standard, and he rashly read it, the system certainly wouldn’t allow a refund.

“Once an item is exchanged, returns are not accepted,” the system replied, pulling its ultimate card.

No matter if it meets the standard or not, once it’s exchanged, it’s non-refundable.

“@#~￥%……!”

Relaxing at home, Lin Lei almost felt like he was shopping online.

Rather than a book, it was more like a package of knowledge and experience. Simply place your hand on the cover, silently recite “study,” and the knowledge would be instantly mastered.

If only students had such high-tech tools back in his school days—there’d be no need to stay up late gaming—no, staying up late cramming for exams.

A gentle touch, and anyone could be a top student.

“Looks like… this could be a lucrative business too. Too bad the book is so expensive; students probably can’t afford it,” Lin Lei mused, now thoroughly obsessed with making money.

A massive store of knowledge flooded his mind, making Lin Lei dizzy, his head buzzing as if it might explode.

And this was only the sealed edition; the full version would likely kill him outright.

“Hoo!” After nearly ten minutes, Lin Lei let out a deep breath, finally recovering.

“Who’d dare boast about their learning in front of me now? I nearly drowned in a sea of knowledge!” As expected, the more one reads, the more eloquent one becomes.

“Host, I suggest you stay humble. The knowledge stored in this system is enough for you to study non-stop for a million years,” the system said, delivering a timely blow.

If Lin Lei was nearly drowned in a sea of knowledge, then the system, this monstrous existence, was the sea itself that almost finished him off.

Unable to contend with such a formidable power, Lin Lei could only remain silent and quietly sort through the memories in his mind.

With a calm mind, Lin Lei finally understood how foolish his earlier questions had been.

If cultivation methods are like blueprints for an item, then cultivation is simply following those blueprints to produce the item, tracing the outline. How the final product turns out depends on one’s comprehension.

But the “Encyclopedia of Cultivators” is akin to teaching you to become a designer of such blueprints—a designer can create one, or a hundred, and even alter them to suit the client’s needs, making the final product infinitely close to perfection.

To blindly follow the path others have traveled may be comfortable, but you are not the first to set out, and whether you can persist to the end is uncertain. How can you claim to be the strongest?

The road always has an end, and continuing it is arduous.

It is better, from the start, to learn the skills needed to blaze your own trail, to carve out a path uniquely yours—this is the essential quality a true strongest should possess.