While strolling through the residential area of the outer sect and passing by many of his fellow daoist's abodes, Zhang Wei couldn't help but ruffle his hair due to the frustration of not being able to grasp a solid solution for the problem plaguing him currently.

What technique should I invest in?!

...Or should I split it up and invest in multiple?

No!

Fuck no!

Sure, ideally it would be cool to imagine myself being an unpredictable menace with mastery over a sea of various skills and arts...

...But realistically that's just not possible!

I know for a fact that this cultivation boost thing measures my gains according to my own talent and how far I would progress if I actual trained a said skill for x number of days.

And I know my talent sucks ass.

I'm almost certain that even if I invested a whole year into that damned cheat skill I wouldn't make enough progress to break into its next realm, let alone if I split up the cultivation boost and only invested a few months into it!

My other techniques include the Green Turtle Palm, the sect's breathing technique- both of which I don't want to use it on- as well as the 'Wealth Within Sense' technique I received from that old servant guy's storage ring and the technique I had chosen from the library when I first arrived.

Then there are also the two skills still within the system storage which I could prioritise focusing on to reach initiation in, then invest in them.

Too many options and implications!

...I'm seriously not experienced enough in cultivation shenanigans to deal with this shit!

If I had a nice little 'Heavenly Emperor's Dominating Fist' then I would obviously invest in that, but I don't!

All of what Zhang Wei had thought was correct.

With his average talent, it was almost a no-brainer that the one year of cultivation would be best used on one technique that could propel his survivability to it's maximum.

It was also true that Zhang Wei really was caught between a crossroad which he could not solve himself as he truly was lacking in knowledge regarding cultivation paths and battle systems.

To him, being able to run away from danger quickly sounded just as fantastic as having a stronger offence power- Not to mention that the other miscellaneous techniques he had such as Heavenly Concealment also sounded like a good choice.

But what would be the best for his current state and what would best prepare him for the upcoming future?

Now that was the question.

Feeling that there was no point in forcing a decision at this instant, Zhang Wei did what any good procrastinator would do and shoved the tedious things to the back of his mind and decided to go meet up with the others.

Although some things had changed by becoming outer disciples, such as weekly hangouts not always being possible due to missions and other liabilities, some things also remained the same.

One such thing was that Tan Lin's courtyard stayed as the group-up area, and, basically, everyone still decided to enter through the window of his room rather than the door- For old times' sake.

Of course, in the beginning, Tan Lin was vehemently against this arrangement being made without a single word of input from him- After all, it was his place!

He argued that he wouldn't be able to invite his senior sisters and other fairies over to his abode with peace of mind, furthermore, he complained that it would affect his cultivation with such interruptions.

Now these may have been valid points if they came from anyone else in the universe.

But a man such as Tan Lin, had the gall to say such things?!

Simply preposterous.

It was common knowledge that nine-tenths of whatever came out that man's mouth was complete and utter bullshit- And that was an absolute lowball.

Starting with the first point... it was quite naturally non-applicable.

It was a foregone conclusion that any and all women in the sect would much rather jump head-first into a toad's ditch and bathe in grime than go anywhere near his abode.

The boy was a living jade beauty repellent, no if, buts, whens or whys.

In fact, the poor bastard could also be called a jade repellent as he barely had a penny to his name.

As for the second point?

That was subjectively an even bigger impossibility.

Overall, in the friend group of six boys, including Fan Lin, the mean cultivation level was in between the first and second stages of the Foundation-Consolidation realm.

...Tan Lin was at the 9th stage of the Foundation-Establishment Realm.

It wasn't that his talent was just that bad, it was just that he didn't put much emphasis on cultivation as opposed to other things!

He seemed more obsessed with going out and completing sect missions, adamantly insisting that he'd surely run into a chance encounter that'll propel him to heights far above imagination.

'Madness' was what Zhang Wei sometimes called it, other times he dubbed it as 'MC syndrome'.

Zhang Wei. himself, except for completing the yearly task quota which was assigned to each outer disciple, he had always acted like a hermit and spent his days cultivating and expanding his understanding of the cultivation world.

Over this long deficiency of 'Vitamin P', Zhang Wei's only immediate insurance and ticket to survival was to freshen up his knowledge about this new world.

He dipped his toes into numerous subjects and topics from formations, alchemy, talismans, and spiritual weapons to areas like dao physiques, history and geography.

Adding on the fact he was knowledgeable about the upcoming disasters, the prospect of going outside in the wild was truly a suicidal thought.

Anyways, with all things said, Tan Lin's rebelliousness and tears were smothered the moment it flared.

It was established that the man's abode was public property.

After taking a few twists and turns along the neatly paved path of the residential area, Zhang Wei soon arrived at the gate of Courtyard No.123.

He withdrew from his spacial ring and flashed a jade tablet which had the word 'Guest' written on it, then as if a flip was switched, the gates shot open as if they were welcoming him.

Zhang Wei weaved through the grassy area of the front yard by following a stone path that guided him to the actual house.

As he reached the end of the path and found himself to be at the front door, Zhang Wei made a sharp right and headed towards the first window.

He chapped the window three times, then unlocked it by twisting the handle, opened it, and hopped through unabashedly as if he'd done it many a time.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the one and only 'Disciple Hermit'!

"What brings your esteemed secluded self to my humble place, perhaps is it to receive a slap back to society?!

"Seriously Zhang! You are the damn definition of a mundane man!

"Four weeks!

"That's how long you've been studying the theory behind that damned 'Pentagonal Shielding Bubble Talisman' and 'Agility Acceleration Pill' for!

"I mean at this point we can all agree that this rat bastard has forgotten about our brotherhood!"

As Tan Lin's piercing voice said the last sentence, a cascade of 'hms' of approval spread throughout the room.

"Brother Tan is speaking facts!

"Even if you don't want to involve yourself with a puny Foundation-Establishment Realm cultivator, it doesn't mean you should ignore us fellow daoist brothers!"

"Ayy, fuck you, Jin Feng!

"Don't think I don't know your little 'friendship' with Alchemy Elder Ren Ying's precious little disciple!

"You're just a cheater who boosts himself with drugs, an empty shell. If we both fought I'm confident I'd whoop ur ass!"

"What did you just say-!"

Seeing the two young men go at each other mercilessly, each insult getting worse they went back and forth, Zhang Wei couldn't help but ruefully laugh to himself and move his attention to the other two present.

The boy who had auburn hair and was sitting sighing to himself, seemingly sick of these arguments, was Zi Hua.

Compared to a few years ago, he looked more composed and put together than before, and his eyes carried a more mature look within them.

To the left of him was a rather bulky man with reddish hair and green eyes, who was munching on some rice crackers happily, seemingly unphased by the commotion around him.

Naturally, it was Tang Fen. Over the years the only thing that seemed to have changed about him is that he had become bulkier than before.

Seeing everyone back together like in the old days, Zhang Wei let out a melancholic sigh and said in an upbeat manner,

"Looks like all of you dweebs have finally decided to actually meet up!

"And Tan Lin you death-seeker, how dare you call me a hermit!

"I merely value my life and don't actively prance around scarily dangerous areas as a foundation establishment gremlin!

"I mean come on, at least learn to throw out a Qi punch before you battle a damn spirit beast!"

Hearing my almost lecturing words, Tan Lin's rebuttals against Jin Feng paused for a moment and he grumbled to me in an irritated tone,

"Don't chat shit, Secluded Wei!

"How will I ever be able to be like Lin Fan if I don't go through life and death situations!

"Apparently in the biography of Lin Fan, he had gone through dozens of life-threatening situations before rising to fame and dominating a sect elders son!"

Upon listening to Tan Lin's comeback, I just slumped down on my chair and shook my head with disapproval, then said sardonically,

"Speaking of Lin Fan, have you guys about the scandal he's been involved in?!"

As soon as my question popped up, everyone's eyes sparkled with excitement.

The first one to pipe up and speak was aptly Jin Feng, the Cassanova of the outer sect.

"Hahaha!

"Of course I have, the guy went ahead and bagged the crown jewel of the sect, the sect leader's sole daughter, Han Xiu.

"What a fucking man, I can't count the number of times I've wanted to make a move on that chick but don't dare to due to that Nascent Soul father of hers warding me off!

"Where the real punch in the gut comes from is that apparently Han Xiu was meant to be engaged with Snobby Wang who got his ass beat by Lin Fan!

"I mean, come on!

"Could he really face-slap Snobby Wang anymore than this?!"

Everyone let out a hearty chuckle after hearing the famous story, and the conversation couldn't help but shift to the top ten beauty rankings in the sect,

"Brothers, who on the Beauty Rankings is your ideal type?

"Me personally, I'm definitely a Meng Xia type of guy, she has curves in all the right places and her luscious red lips are almost irresistible, she also has a gentle nature apparently."

"Wen Li, no comment needed."

As everyone answered one by one, Tan Lin's turn came around and the words that came out his mouth stunned everyone.

"Fuck it, boys!

"It's all or nothing!

"I'm going to try and court Gu Hua in the ninth place on the beauty rankings board from now on!"

Everyone let out an exasperated gasp and responded in concern as if they had just heard some ridiculous idea,

"Nah, stay calm brother!"

"Don't do this to yourself, Jade beauties are temporary but the dao is forever!"

"Don't fall into such a trap, you'll be bound to get a heart demon!"

Everyone tried to dissuade him from attempting such a risky endeavour, however, Tan Lin's will was unbreakable and therefore soon enough no one said anything else about it.

After all, a man had to make his own decisions and do what he had to do.

The discussions then abruptly shifted to recent updates within the sect.

"The notice on the task board has been updated recently, it says that irregular rates of demonic beasts and increased deaths have arisen.

"Even the beginner's punching bag forest has been made into a yellow zone!

"Absolute dogshit!

"Just what is happening here?

"Is some ancient demon planning on awakening for a prank or something?"

Once again, it was the ever-chatty Tan Lin that expressed his absolute dissatisfaction regarding the situation with the tone of his voice and the deep frown on his face.

Almost everyone seemed to be stunned hearing this type of news, except one.

Fair enough, Tan Lin!

You hit a bullseye with that answer!

First, the Fiendish Sovereign of Terror is going to break free from his already crumbling seal, and then a young Fourteen-Yin Netherworld Fox will awaken to avenge its mother that was hunted down by the previous patriarch of the Azure Profound Sect!

Ugh, just remembering those shitty generic Xianxia names alongside such a nonsensical situation makes it all the more infuriating!

God fucking damnit!

I and my braindead brothers aren't about to die to the guy who is unironically called the Fiendsih Sovereign of Terror!

Fuck that!

As for the fox, if the dude can morph into human form and take revenge I'll respect the hustle.

If not, fuck that guy too!

Soon, the clear dark night sky dawned upon the world leaving merely leaving a radiant silver moon to illuminate the sky.

During these hours of chatting, various topics were covered from serious topics such as principles of everyone's future daos, to funny topics such as Elder Xun's crooked nose!

"Hehehehe, doesn't he totally look like some third-rate villain!"

"Holy shit, brother Zhang, your so right!"

"Yeah, never thought of it that way, plus he's a total fogey who complains for the sake of complaining!"

"His lectures are also boring as shit, I learn more from scratching my ass than whatever shit he's trying to spout!"

"HAHAHA!"

Everyone's eyes teared up from laughter, but the fun soon ended.

In major contrast to the happy mood of the room, a solemn voice rang out saying,

"Hey guys, sorry about this but it's getting a bit late and I need to go for one last trip before all nearby zones become yellow zones."

Hearing Tan Lin's sincere pleading, everyone nodded their head and got up while saying,

"No problem brother, make sure you stay safe."

"Yeah bro, I'll have a chicken wing waiting for your return."

Each person bade their farewells and good wishes until it got to Zhang Wei's turn.

Before he got a chance to say something nice, a system notification popped up.

Upon witnessing the contents, Zhang Wei's lips curled up into an unfathomable smile and he said assuredly and almost demandingly,

"Hear me right now, and promise me, that you come back to the sect area before midday. If you do so, I will guarantee that you will live to see your firstborn child!"

Everyone's eyebrows were raised at Zhang Wei's peculiarly stiff and serious words, and a short silence ensued.

However, the almost awkward experience was salvaged by Zi Hua as he spoke up in a joking manner,

"What you saying Bro Zhang, are you cursing him here?

"There is no way this bitch is ever becoming a father, I'll even bet ten thousand spirit stones on it!"

"I'm actually going to conduct a blood test on your ass if you don't zip it, Mr Fake Godking 6969!"

Everyone began laughing it off as a joke, including Zhang Wei.

However, if everyone had really seen what Zhang Wei had just seen, no one would be laughing.

In fact, beneath the exterior, Zhang Wei was shivering in excitement from what he'd just witnessed.

=============================

[Providence Update: (Protagonist) Lin Fan]

[Awakened Permanent Plot Providence, 'Dragons Are Cool... Yes?']

Description: Throughout one's personal journey, draconic influence will arise at one, or many, points. Currently, protagonist *Lin Fan* has acquired a draconic origin bloodline.

Perks:

-When enraged or determined, the bloodline will activate causing a 250% damage boost and a 50% damage reduction.

-When fatally injured, regeneration will spike by 500%.

-Due to the influence of the bloodline, physique, comprehension, and senses will be enhanced permanently.

-Under extreme conditions, enemies of lower origins will feel immense mental pressure and terror when fighting authority holders, as if they were in the presence of a true dragon.

Restrictions:

-Weak against the weak, tyrannical against the strong.

-Pride will spike due to bloodline, insolence will not be tolerated.

=================================

Hehehe, now that I'm truly witnessing the behind-the-scenes of the mighty plot armour, what's a mere fox and demon in comparison to it?

I've decided.

To reap the maximum rewards, neither strength or defence is needed.

That's what those Op Mc's and hidden experts need.

Nor is speed or escape tactics.

That's what those side characters and innocent disciples need to avoid imminent death.

Hehehe, what I require as a true Ultimate Background Character to witness and experience the scenario is some...

...Heavenly fuckin Concealment.

...