Twenty minutes later.
"Time's up, right?" Liu Mi asked.
She couldn't wait to see if Su Yutong's claims were as miraculous as she said. Though she was skeptical, a sliver of anticipation flickered within her.
"Mm, it's ready," Su Yutong nodded.
The paste had already formed a light gray film over the scar. Liu Mi gently peeled it off.
"This..."
Liu Mi stared at her reflection in the mirror, her scar visibly lighter.
"The effect is more pronounced on the first use. For scars like yours, twenty days of consistent application should remove it completely," Su Yutong said with a smile.
"It's amazing!" Liu Mi exclaimed.
She had tried scar removal products before, but none had yielded such significant results.
"If you're satisfied, shall we sign the endorsement contract?" Su Yutong seized the moment, seeing Liu Mi's wavering resolve, and brought up the endorsement.
"Alright, for the price, please speak with my agent," Liu Mi agreed, nodding.
The contract signing followed. Su Fan remained a bystander, watching Su Yutong handle the business. After the contract was finalized, they had dinner together that evening.
During dinner, Su Yutong, unable to refuse Liu Mi's enthusiastic hospitality, had a bit too much to drink and became slightly tipsy.
Su Fan shook his head and offered to drive her home.
Fortunately, he hadn't been drinking, otherwise, there would have been no designated driver.
"Don't move around, I'll take you home," Su Fan said, helping Su Yutong out of the car at her doorstep.
"I don't want to go home..." Su Yutong mumbled drowsily, leaning on Su Fan's shoulder.
"If not home, then where? Sleep on the streets?" Su Fan replied, exasperated.
"Your place..."
Su Yutong's words stunned Su Fan.
He looked at her seriously for a moment, noticing she was too drunk to hold her head up and reeked of alcohol. More importantly, Su Fan didn't want to take advantage of her.
"Forget it, you reek of alcohol. Go home right now!"
Su Fan firmly guided Su Yutong to her door and rang the doorbell.
"Oh my, how did you get so drunk? Come in, come in quickly," Zhang Yuwei opened the door. Seeing Su Yutong's state, she quickly ushered Su Fan to help her inside.
"Auntie, please take care of Yutong. I'll be going now," Su Fan said, preparing to leave after ensuring Su Yutong was home.
"Alright, alright. It's so late, you should head back too," Zhang Yuwei, knowing Su Fan lived next door, didn't insist he stay.
After Su Fan left, Su Yutong opened her eyes on the bed, looking displeased.
"Hey? Weren't you drunk?" Zhang Yuwei asked, confused as Su Yutong sat up.
"Hmph! Big bad guy! Coward! Wood!" Su Yutong furiously punched her pillow.
...
As Su Fan reached his doorstep, he sneezed.
"Is it getting cold?" Su Fan instinctively tightened his clothes.
Back home, Su Fan entered the game.
Since his strength couldn't be improved in the real world for now, he decided to advance the game's storyline.
After days of relentless questing, Su Fan's contribution points finally accumulated to one hundred thousand.
Upon reaching this milestone, Su Fan was awarded a title:
Elite Disciple
All stats +10
Now was the time to tackle the main quest.
He needed to register for the martial arts tournament.
Su Fan first approached his master.
"Master, I wish to register for the martial arts tournament," Su Fan said to the Third Room Master.
"The rules of Baiyue Villa state that disciples cannot leave the mountain without reaching one hundred thousand contribution points. Have you accumulated enough?" the Third Room Master asked without turning his head.
Baiyue Villa had many disciples, and not everyone warranted his attention.
"I have accumulated enough contribution points. Master can check if you don't believe me," Su Fan immediately presented his identity token.
The Third Room Master then glanced at Su Fan.
"Su Fan?"
The master was surprised to see Su Fan.
Su Fan was equally astonished that the Third Room Master recognized him.
It wasn't that the master knew him specifically, but rather that few people in Baiyue Villa didn't know Su Fan. He was the disciple rumored to have had a scandal with the Saintess, so his name was quite well-known.
"You wish to participate in the martial arts tournament?" the master asked, frowning.
"Yes," Su Fan nodded.
After confirming, the master said no more. He took Su Fan's identity token and verified his contribution points.
The sufficient contribution points surprised him again. In just a few days of joining, Su Fan had amassed one hundred thousand points, which was astonishing. Some disciples might not even reach this amount in a year.
"Are you aware of what participating in the martial arts tournament entails?" the master felt it necessary to explain the consequences.
"I am aware, Master. Upon participating in the martial arts tournament, regardless of the outcome, all ties with Baiyue Villa will be severed. I will no longer be a disciple of Baiyue Villa."
Su Fan was well aware of this plot point.
The Tianlong Dynasty was in turmoil, with constant border skirmishes, a time when capable individuals were in high demand. Such martial arts tournaments often identified many talented people to join the army. Baiyue Villa's continued existence was largely due to its neutral stance and its role in cultivating talent for the imperial court. However, once these individuals left the villa, they were no longer affiliated with it, and any trouble they caused was their own responsibility.
This was why one needed to accumulate one hundred thousand contribution points to register for the tournament. It signified severing ties with Baiyue Villa. The villa taught them skills, and they had to repay the villa with sufficient contribution points before they could depart.
"Since you are aware, you may go. Head to the fourth floor of the Sutra Repository and select three cultivation techniques."
The master returned Su Fan's identity token and gave him a new, single-use token. With this, Su Fan could only take three cultivation techniques from the fourth floor of the Sutra Repository.
This was exactly what Su Fan had been waiting for. While staying at Baiyue Villa would allow him to learn many techniques, it was uncertain when he would be able to learn advanced ones. Advancing the plot directly granted him three, which was why he was pushing the storyline so quickly.
"Thank you, Master!"
Su Fan took the token and immediately headed towards the Sutra Repository.
The fourth floor! That was a place only accessible at level fifty!
While the skills in the game "Martial Arts Hegemony" didn't have explicit levels, there were restrictions on acquiring them. For instance, one could only access the first floor before level twenty, and the second floor before level thirty, preventing low-level players from learning advanced skills.
However, this main quest granted three skills. In the game's narrative, the gifted skills were fixed, but here, it seemed he could choose them himself. This was incredibly advantageous.
The skills on the fiftieth level included several formidable ones. He wondered if he could find them.
Su Fan felt a surge of anticipation.
It seemed the increasing realism of the game had its benefits.
Su Fan arrived at the Sutra Repository and handed the token to the senior disciple downstairs.
The senior disciple took the token and gave Su Fan a deep look.
"Fourth floor. Find me once you've chosen."
He naturally understood what the token represented. Perhaps he wouldn't see this junior disciple in the mountain villa again.