Chapter 303: The light of righteousness shines upon the earth

On the way home, Lin Li felt as though he could die with a smile on his face.

Although if Li Binbin knew how he was using that idiom, she would definitely make him go to the back of the room and stand for the rest of her Chinese class.

But it didn't matter; only this could express just how happy he was.

Lin Li was determined to die with a smile on his face!

It was truly comfortable to pinch; after all, it was a face maintained daily with skincare products worth tens or even hundreds of yuan.

However, Lin Li now suspected that those products might contain poppy shells; otherwise, how could he be getting addicted after just two pinches?

Hmph, by comparison.

Bai Bufan's butt, which was wiped every night with toilet paper costing a fraction of a cent—Lin Li didn't even want to talk about it; it was disgusting!

Even a dog wouldn't pinch it; in any case, Lin Li was done pinching it.

From now on, don't go shaking it in front of him; it was an eyesore, and he'd beat it every time he saw it.

Arriving home, he went upstairs.

Lin Li shook the mouse, and the laptop screen lit up. After a day and a night of uninterrupted downloading, the queue had shrunk significantly.

Since he had listed the most important items first, they were already finished. He didn't intend to keep Shanqing Daoist waiting too long—even though, in reality, not even half an hour had passed there.

Still, Lin Li decided to make a trip to the cultivation world tonight.

He still had the chance to go again this week for 20 system currency; going once mid-week and once on the weekend was quite reasonable.

Therefore, Lin Li closed the computer and began to pack and prepare his supplies.

When the takeout arrived, Lin Li took his things and headed to the bathroom.

A white light flashed.

The time limit increased by another half hour.

"Little friend, you've finally returned?"

Lin Li hadn't even seen the scene clearly yet when Shanqing Daoist's voice, filled with anticipation and joy, reached him.

He must have been staring at the spot where Lin Li had left the entire time.

Placing the supplies he was carrying on the ground, Lin Li nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, Grandpa Shanqing, I've returned. I shouldn't have been gone for long, right?"

"Not long at all, less than half an hour," Shanqing Daoist nodded, then shook his head with a sigh:

"Your divine ability is profound and mysterious. Not to mention that I couldn't even attempt to follow you when you left, but with this coming and going, the few causal links I had previously used to calculate your path have been wiped clean."

"It's probably just the divine ability protecting me,"

Lin Li replied politely and vaguely. Since he didn't want to dwell on this topic, he immediately changed the subject: "That's not too important. Grandpa, don't you want to see what I've brought for you?"

"Of course. It's just that I felt it would be too eager and lose some of my old face, so I was holding back for the sake of appearances."

Shanqing Daoist came to Lin Li's side, curiously examining the pile of objects, occasionally unable to resist reaching out to touch them, while laughing heartily.

"Grandpa, try this first—a 'Fatty's Happy Meal.' Eat it while it's hot!"

Lin Li handed the takeout paper bag, still sealed, to Shanqing Daoist.

"After you finish this, there's a whole bag of snacks I prepared for you; you can eat all of them."

Shanqing Daoist took the bag, carefully tore the seal, and picked up the food, which was still steaming.

Looking at the characters on the packaging, he recognized them after a moment of careful scrutiny:

"Hua-Lai-Shi."

Lin Li: "?"

He hadn't ordered Tastien? How did it become Wallace?

Lin Li took a look; there really was a big 'W' on the paper bag.

The delivery driver must have dropped off the wrong order. Whatever, he'd just make do.

It was impossible for him to waste this opportunity and return to reality just to contact the delivery driver.

It would be fine.

After all, he wasn't the one eating it.

And if Shanqing Daoist got diarrhea after eating this, Lin Li would have to doubt the caliber of this world's great experts.

Actually, while he wouldn't blindly praise it, one had to remember that a brand wouldn't survive if its food were truly a reliable laxative for summoning "jet-pack warriors."

Of course, while he wouldn't slander it, one should remember that fame is rarely without substance; if you ate it and didn't get diarrhea, consider your gut health lucky.

Shanqing Daoist took out the individual packages. The meal was quite decent: a burger, honey-glazed wings, fried wings, nuggets, and cola.

Lin Li didn't need to teach him how to insert the straw into the lid, because he didn't need it.

Shanqing Daoist simply waved his hand, and the food floated up. Even the cola turned into a brown, bubbling sphere of water that flew into his mouth bit by bit.

Cultivators were truly different; even eating was so high-class. Lin Li cast an envious gaze.

Coach, I want to learn this.

"Hmm~" At the moment the cola entered his mouth, the novel experience made Shanqing Daoist raise an eyebrow. He savored it with his eyes closed before swallowing, then nodded: "A decent beverage."

But the next moment, his expression turned solemn. He pinched his fingers in a gesture, then gave a light, disdainful laugh:

"This water actually attempted to resonate with my chest cavity. Trying to affect a physical form crafted by an Immortal? Wishful thinking!"

Lin Li just smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Shanqing Daoist wasn't suspicious of the cola; the old man was just too lonely, and now he was playing games with himself.

The progress bar in the task list wouldn't lie; Shanqing Daoist was happy now.

He was likely an old urchin by nature, and of the three, he had probably suffered the most during this century of loneliness.

Besides, he could even control his burps, so he definitely wouldn't get diarrhea.

Suddenly, it felt like a pity.

Seeing a great expert have diarrhea would have been a rare sight.

"It's much richer in flavor than this 'biscuit'."

Shanqing Daoist, self-taught, took a bite of the burger and a sip of cola, then pointed at the neatly stacked compressed biscuits on the ground and said to Lin Li.

"Of course, Grandpa. The meaning of eating this 'Fatty's Happy Meal' is for the sake of eating, but the meaning of eating those biscuits is just to stay alive. They are different."

"Take your time eating. Let me introduce these things to you," Lin Li continued.

"This is a mobile phone, which you saw last time. And this one is a new one I bought specifically for you."

"And this is a laptop; you can think of it as a more comprehensive mobile phone. The best way to use a computer is to keep it plugged in while using it, so it can reach its full potential. This is the power bank I brought for you."

"It's the same for the phone. Do you see this port? The computer uses this three-prong one, and the phone uses this two-prong one. Like this, plug in the data cable, and it will start charging."

"This little screen shows the power level of the bank..."

Pointing at the outdoor power bank he had brought, Lin Li introduced it to Shanqing Daoist in detail.

This outdoor power bank could store a full five kilowatt-hours of electricity, also bought yesterday.

Five kilowatt-hours was enough, even if he only came back every half-week at normal flow rates, not to mention the flow rates were different.

When it ran out of power, Lin Li would just bring the power banks he had bought at home to replace it.

"Let's start with the laptop. This is the mouse and keyboard. You probably don't understand the meaning of the letters and symbols on the keyboard yet, but that's okay. I've considered this problem; look at this document on the screen. It's the 'Instruction Manual' I prepared for you."

"Inside, there's not only a user manual so you can see what the English means, but also a Traditional-to-Simplified converter, and a dictionary for specialized terms from our world that you might not understand..."

Lin Li introduced the computer part very seriously, and Shanqing Daoist listened very seriously, not blinking once, even slowing down his eating of the Wallace meal.

"Grandpa, is there anything you don't understand from what I just explained?" Lin Li asked after demonstrating for over ten minutes and finishing a stage.

"I've remembered it all. If I follow the instructions, I shouldn't have any problems," Shanqing Daoist nodded.

"Come, Grandpa, give it a try."

"Alright."

Watching Shanqing Daoist begin to replicate his previous operations without a single mistake, Lin Li revealed a gratified look.

Although Shanqing Daoist was hundreds of years old, he wasn't senile at all; his ability to accept new things was far stronger than Lin Li had imagined.

There is no harm without comparison.

Lin Li would never forget the scene two years ago when he taught Wu Min how to use a computer.

"Wu Min: Lin Li, don't be impatient when teaching Mom computers."

"Wu Min: Think about when you were little, learning to use chopsticks took you several days, and I was always very patient in teaching you."

"Lin Li: Mom, it's different."

"Lin Li: When I couldn't learn it, you would beat me, and you were more diligent in beating me than in teaching me."

"Wu Min: Silly child, it's the same."

"Wu Min: If you can't teach me now, I'll beat you just the same, and I'll be even more diligent than when you were little."

A hall of filial piety, everyone.

Is this right?

Is this language that a human being should be able to speak?

Wu Min really was—never looking for HR in matchmaking—she didn't do human things, purely disrespectful for her age.

But now, for Shanqing Daoist, whose brain was strictly speaking perhaps even sharper than his own, teaching became a very simple matter.

Before his eyes, Shanqing Daoist held the mouse, staring at the screen. On the suspended laptop, the document scrolled down extremely rapidly, so fast that the text was hard to see.

But perhaps for Shanqing Daoist, this was just his most basic reading speed.

Lin Li felt a sense of admiration.

Shanqing Daoist turned back and asked seriously: "Little friend Lin Li, why won't this scrolling stop?"

Never mind, he had admired him too early.

"Grandpa Shanqing, look and see if you've been pressing the side button of the mouse the whole time..." Lin Li hurried over to solve the problem.

After the basic computer experience was finished, Lin Li switched to introducing the phone:

"Operating the phone is even simpler than the computer. You can operate it directly with your voice. Since you don't know how to type yet, it will be very convenient."

"Oh?" Shanqing Daoist was very curious, waiting for Lin Li to demonstrate.

"Bufan, wake up." Lin Li called out to the phone.

"Woof woof, I'm here." The phone responded immediately.

"Open Happy Eliminations for me."

"Woof woof, alright, opening Happy Eliminations for you."

"Using it is this simple. Once you wake it up by calling its name, you can give it voice commands. Although many functions are limited without an internet connection, it's a good substitute for you since you aren't very good at typing yet," Lin Li said.

"This object actually has an artifact spirit? Truly extraordinary." Shanqing Daoist nodded. He hadn't seen Lin Li demonstrate this last time, and he sighed: "The artifact spirit's name is Bufan, and it's a dog?"

"You can understand it that way." Lin Li felt secretly smug.

The setup was for this very moment.

"Bufan, wake up." Shanqing Daoist called out to the phone.

The phone didn't respond.

"What's going on?"

"Grandpa, you have to record your voice first, so it will listen to you."

"Oh, oh, it's an artifact spirit that recognizes its master. It's a good dog!" Shanqing Daoist suddenly realized, clapping his hands.

Lin Li burst into laughter.

He helped Shanqing Daoist record his voice. He had wanted to record a fingerprint too, but was told by the Daoist that the body he had crafted didn't have fingerprints.

However, in order to experience these functions, he spent some extra mental effort on the spot to perfect the details of his body.

A great expert is truly a great expert.

"Also, Grandpa, when we have free time, we usually play games and watch videos to pass the time. Although we can't watch videos without an internet connection, we can play single-player games."

"Considering you probably haven't been exposed to mobile games before, I personally recommend you start with these very basic ones."

"For example, Happy Eliminations, Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Where's My Water..."

"After you've played these small games, you can try more advanced gameplay."

"I've prepared a great many large-scale single-player PC games for you on the computer. I personally recommend you start with simple ones like 'Dark Souls 1', 'Dark Souls 2', and 'Dark Souls 3'..."

Lin Li introduced the gaming aspect and demonstrated how to play a few simple mobile games.

Shanqing Daoist's eyes lit up, as if a new world had been opened to him.

By the time Lin Li returned the phone to him, he had already started trying to slide the animal icons to achieve eliminations, his eyes shining even brighter.

"As for the documentaries and animated films from our world, I've already downloaded them onto the computer and phone, and organized them in this document. If you want to watch them, just click to start. I've already found Traditional Chinese subtitles for the ones that had them."

"For the ones that didn't, you'll just have to adapt yourself."

Many documentaries were foreign and only had subtitles.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lin Li."

Shanqing Daoist was now like a young man who had fallen into the Kingdom of Women, not knowing which one to favor first.

One hand gripped the phone, the other touched the mouse, wanting to look at the left and touch the right.

"Then Grandpa, you go ahead and watch videos or play games. I'm going to start my daily cultivation. My divine ability has a limit on how long I can stay here, so I need to cherish it."

Lin Li, whose throat was a bit dry, took a bottle of water from the supplies he brought, drank it, and explained with a smile.

Shanqing Daoist, hearing this, tossed the phone into the air, letting it float, and walked toward Lin Li, saying warmly:

"Thank you for your patient teaching just now, little friend. It's been a long time since I've experienced what it's like to be a student. I'll put my own experiences on hold for a moment; I think it's time for me to be a teacher for a while."

"Then I won't be polite, Grandpa. I do have many doubts that I need your help to resolve." Lin Li nodded and first manifested the "Spirit-Gathering Heaven Array."

"Grandpa, if I don't control this array, it will automatically expand outward. Can I just let it expand?" He asked while pinching the array core to control it.

It was truly troublesome to have to split his focus to control it every time he was absorbing spiritual energy in the middle.

Shanqing Daoist, hearing this, flashed to Lin Li's side and also reached out to pinch the array core. His previously calm face revealed confusion the next second: "Strange."

"What's wrong?"

"The rank of this 'Spirit-Gathering Heaven Array' is very high. You haven't actually unleashed its full efficacy, but I just tried to help you manipulate and fix it, but I couldn't."

Shanqing Daoist frowned in confusion:

"But this array is almost identical to the 'Spirit-Gathering Heaven Array' I used before, and I haven't even detected any restrictions set by the owner, yet I simply cannot manipulate it."

"The strange thing is that I don't even know why I can't do it."

"Little friend, where did this array come from?"

Lin Li suddenly realized.

This result could only be due to the system.

It probably only allowed him to use it?

"Grandpa, these things I've obtained related to your cultivation world were also obtained through my divine ability. It's quite random, and I can't explain it clearly."

"Take a look at these things. Can you not use them either?"

Lin Li manifested the "Qiankun Ring," the "Formless Sword," and the "Bottle of Hidden Emotions and Desires," displaying them to Shanqing Daoist.

These were almost all of his magic treasure assets.

He left out the "Jade-Faced Buddha of Substitution," his resurrection trump card.

Shanqing Daoist raised an eyebrow and picked up the "Duck Blood Bottle" to take a look: "The object is old, but it's useless."

Lin Li: "..."

"Although I don't know its function, I can tell its rank is very low; it really is useless," Shanqing Daoist explained. "This storage ring is also the lowest grade, but this spiritual sword's rank should be decent. Does it have a sword spirit?"

"Probably not."

"Is it that it doesn't have one, or that it hasn't been nurtured yet, or that you haven't gained its recognition?" Shanqing Daoist asked, looking at the sword passing through his body.

"... I don't know." After careful consideration, Lin Li gave a high-quality answer. "It should... not have one."

"Then it's also useless."

Lin Li: "..."

Damn it.

His entire net worth had been dismissed just like that.

But Lin Li soon let it go.

He was facing a great expert of the cultivation world; the treasures that ordinary cultivators would die for were probably all trash in his eyes.

Just like Hun Tiandi wouldn't be shocked by a shout of "What? Xiao Yan actually obtained the Xuan-rank low-grade Dou Technique 'Sucking Palm'? This child must not be allowed to live," and Ma Yun or Ma Huateng wouldn't send people to conduct a commercial siege just because you opened a small shop in the village and stocked up on cola that cost 1.2 yuan a bottle.

Being able to get a "decent" for the "Formless Sword" was already quite good.

And the "Spirit-Gathering Heaven Array," which could be rated as "very high rank," should be even better than he had imagined.

"Sigh, it's a pity. Our physical bodies were shattered, and the magic treasures and resources we carried were exhausted in the battle against the Demon Race and the final sacrifice. Otherwise, no matter what, I should have given you some pills and treasures as a return gift for just now teaching me."

Shanqing Daoist reminisced about the past with a sigh of regret and lingering guilt.

Lin Li: "?"

Damn!

Lin Li's heart was shattered.

The path to ascending in one step had been destroyed just like that.

Not to mention top-tier treasures—he might not have had the strength to use those anyway—but the spiritual stones and pills in the hands of a great expert would definitely not have been low-grade.

Perhaps just by taking a breath or swallowing one, he could have ascended on the spot and become a small powerhouse in the cultivation world.

He suddenly understood Arnold. After thinking about this beautiful scene, Lin Li felt that even if his head turned pointy after taking one, it wouldn't be a big deal.

However, there was no longer any "even if" or "if."

The damned Demon Race had destroyed everything.

"I, Lin Li, will not share the same sky with all Demon Race members!!!"

—Wait, retract that. Except for Succubi. Succubi can share the same sky.

(End of chapter)