Chapter 5: Startled Awake from a Deathbed Illness: Learning Requires Personal Practice

She hailed a car online; the driver was talkative and greeted her with great enthusiasm.

Perhaps sensing Jin Li's cold attitude of "not wanting to engage," the driver finally fell silent. Jin Li closed her eyes and performed long, rhythmic breathing exercises.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a small Daoist temple, where only two or three tourists lingered.

Jin Li stepped into the main hall and looked up, discovering that the central altar enshrined Taiqing Daode Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones of Daoism, known as "Taishang Laojun," who happened to be her Master from the Heavenly Realm.

She first offered a stick of incense, then knelt and recited her Master's name, hoping for a response.

As always, there was no response.

Jin Li walked out of the main hall somewhat uneasily, when a surge of prolonged divine power flooded into her body. Her form instantly became light and agile again, and the high fever she had been running subsided immediately.

She waited for quite a while, but no voice echoed in her mind, so she could only leave in disappointment.

On the return journey, she passed a lottery station. Jin Li felt a sudden urge to buy a ticket.

The moment this thought arose, her heart began to beat faster, sending a palpitation through her chest.

Cultivators place the utmost importance on sudden intuitions and spiritual sensations. Jin Li immediately abandoned the idea and headed straight home.

Lying in bed, she soon drifted off to sleep.

In her dream, she saw her Master.

Her Master was shrouded in golden light. A wisp of ethereal mist emanated from Him, enveloping Jin Li, through which she received some information.

Currently, she possessed a mortal body; she could not look directly upon a deity nor communicate with one. Thus, her Master could only convey information indirectly in this manner.

Her Master said that her current body had reached the end of its rope and required daily repair via divine power. Therefore, she must diligently offer incense. He had already spoken with the other Dao Lords on her behalf.

Furthermore, because the luck residing within her was too astonishing, failing to guide it properly could easily cause trouble. Hence, He would seal away most of her fortune and replace it with another type of bonus.

A flood of adjectives instantly floated through Jin Li's mind—

"Loved by all, blooming flowers at the sight, exploding tires for passing cars."

"Unparalleled voice, absolute pitch, sound of heaven."

"Maxed athletics, agile body, number one in dynamism."

Her Master asked which one she wanted.

Jin Li broke out in a cold sweat.

She asked her Master which one he recommended, but He told her to choose for herself.

Jin Li deliberated for a long time until her eyes blurred, unable to determine which option suited her best, so she simply pointed randomly with her finger.

A line of text reading "Twice the result with half the effort" jumped out and landed precisely on her fingertip.

[Twice the result with half the effort]: In a focused state, your efficiency will leap forward (can be developed and excavated).

Jin Li immediately woke from her slumber.

She pondered these words carefully, recalling the final message her Master gave before departing: besides divine power, "Twice the result with half the effort" could also stabilize her body, but she needed to research it herself.

Unwilling to wake up tomorrow with her physical condition still unstable, she immediately began conducting experiments.

First, she cleaned the house, then organized her clothes, and finally cooked a meal.

Previously, completing these three tasks would have taken Jin Li an entire afternoon, but today she finished the first two in just two hours.

Finally, regarding cooking, she reviewed the recipes in her mind and felt she could complete them within half an hour.

Indeed, it took half the usual time!

Her phone suddenly rang; it was her agent, Sui Lingfang, calling.

She first asked, "Is your body feeling better today? How do you feel?"

Jin Li concealed the morning's events, not wanting to worry her, as it would be difficult to explain anyway.

"It's acceptable; I feel quite energetic."

"Hmm—" Sui Lingfang pondered briefly. "The interview livestream you participated in yesterday satisfied Maozhao Live quite well. They wish to establish a long-term livestreaming cooperation with you and have invited you to join their platform."

She explained the recent rivalry between Maozhao Live and Wangwang Live, noting how both were desperately recruiting celebrities. Currently, Wangwang Live had signed more stars, already creating a celebrity effect.

Jin Li asked, "Does joining the platform require daily livestreaming?"

"No, they want you to host one thirty-minute session per week, but that is the requirement for third-tier celebrities, so I refused."

Sui Lingfang explained, "Although your popularity has declined, that is merely because no one has been voting for you on the charts. Your impression among the public remains high; we cannot rigidly benchmark you against third-tier statistics."

Jin Li asked curiously, "So are you benchmarking against first-tier stars?"

Sui Lingfang said regretfully, "No, you don't quite qualify for first-tier yet."

Jin Li laughed. "Then what should we do?"

The voice coming from the phone was sweet and soft, soothing her slight disappointment. Sui Lingfang smiled and said, "I secured an exclusive contract for you between the first and second tiers. You only need to broadcast once every half-month. If you broadcast more often, we will calculate extra payment per session."

"Since they specially invited you, the profit-sharing terms for gifts are very favorable, benchmarked against top streamers. However, given your poor health, I will only have you sign a two-month contract."

Broadcasting once every half-month for two months meant four sessions total.

What Sui Lingfang did not mention was that if Jin Li failed to complete four sessions, the company would have to compensate them instead. She did not want to say this and add pressure on Jin Li.

In case another incident like the previous livestream where she coughed up blood occurred... Never mind, life is more important.

Jin Li asked, "Then what should I do during the livestream? Sing and dance?"

Sui Lingfang's eyelid twitched. "Oh my dear lady, who said you need to sing or dance? You must consider your own health. You only need to chat with the fans. You are a celebrity, not an internet influencer; there is no need to dance in the livestream room."

Jin Li's voice over the phone was cheerful. "OK, then let's sign it."

"Wait, no need to rush."

Sui Lingfang had been wondering how to persuade Jin Li to proceed, but since Jin Li agreed so readily, she was no longer in a hurry.

"Take your time to review the contract first. If there is anything you don't understand, ask me. Let Maozhao Live wait a few days."

After hanging up, Jin Li took out her phone, downloaded the Maozhao Live app, navigated the software, and then entered their forum to browse the discussion threads.

After watching for a while, Jin Li scrolled onto a post discussing herself.

[How do you evaluate Jin Li's interview livestream yesterday, which shot straight to the top of the trending search on the livestreaming network and received a featured homepage banner promotion?]

[Ah, Jin Li; I haven't seen her in ages. Suddenly, my memories of youth past have killed me~]

[She was one of the members of the Fan Girls group, the last and only all-female supergroup under Hua Entertainment. With that kind of fame, isn't it unsurprising?]

[She's from a girl group that faded into obscurity long ago and can never recover. Why give her any traffic?]

[Laughable. Five minutes after Jin Li started streaming, the platform lagged terribly. The number of new registrations on Cat Paw Livestream that day surpassed previous records by over 10,000. If she isn't capable, who is? Even internet celebrities don't have this kind of sales power!]

[She only has a middle school diploma. What is there worth boasting about?]

Seeing this comment, Jin Li's eyes brightened slightly; it seemed she had found something to strive for in the long term.

There will be another chapter before 11:00. Everyone is welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets to help this new sapling grow strong. Comments and messages are also welcome~

(End of Chapter)