Chapter 2

The turmoil at the City Lord's mansion, as if it had grown wings, spread throughout the entire Qingyun City before nightfall.

"Have you heard? That piece of trash from the Lin family, Lin Xuan, knelt to an outsider at the City Lord's mansion today!"

"More than just kneeling! He hugged the other person's leg and wailed for his father and mother; it was miserable, losing all the face of the Lin family!"

"The strange thing is, it's said that after he finished kneeling, he actually broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage on the spot! It's truly hellish!"

"Just lucky, right? It must be that Young Hero Ye had a chivalrous heart and spared his life, and he had an epiphany and broke through..."

In teahouses and taverns, on street corners, there was discussion about Lin Xuan everywhere. Disdain, mockery, and schadenfreude were the main themes, while that bizarre breakthrough became a topic of conversation that no one could understand.

At the Lin family mansion, the atmosphere was even more depressingly terrible.

The family head, Lin Batian, who was Lin Xuan's father in name, sat in the main seat with a livid face, and the several elders below also had unpleasant expressions.

"Rebellious son! Kneel down!" Lin Batian roared, his voice shaking the roof tiles.

If it were the original owner, he would probably be trembling with fear by now. But the current Lin Xuan just picked his ear and stood in the center of the hall, looking completely unconcerned.

"Father, elders, don't be so angry, it's bad for your health." Lin Xuan said lazily, "Didn't I come back alive? And I even turned a misfortune into a blessing and broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. This is a great happy event!"

"Happy event?!" An elder with triangular eyes slammed the table, his beard shaking with anger, "You've lost all the face of my Lin family! Kneeling in public, wagging your tail and begging for pity—when has my Lin family ever produced such a cowardly disciple who fears death and has no backbone! This Foundation Establishment Stage of yours was traded for by having no shame!"

【Ding! Detected intense anger and disdain from Elder Lin Zhen, Emotional Value +555!】

Lin Xuan felt secretly pleased, but on his face, he put on a wronged expression of "you don't understand me": "Third Elder, you can't say it like that. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood. What I did then was strategic submission; it was wisdom! Look, am I not fine now? And I've become stronger. If I had fought hard, you would only be able to cry over my corpse now."

"Sophistry!" Another fat elder scolded, "Do you know that the whole city is watching the Lin family's joke now!"

【Ding! Detected anger from Elder Lin Yong, Emotional Value +444!】

Lin Xuan blinked, looking "innocent": "Let them watch the joke, it won't make me lose a piece of meat. They laugh, I grab my benefits—isn't that pretty good?"

"You... you..." Lin Batian pointed at Lin Xuan, his fingers trembling. He discovered that this son of his not only had a bizarre cultivation base but his skin thickness had reached an unprecedented realm. He finally waved his hand powerlessly, "Get out! Get back to your courtyard and reflect on your mistakes! Without my order, you are not allowed to go out!"

"Alright, Father, calm down, I'll go back and 'reflect' now." Lin Xuan followed the suggestion and slipped away, leaving behind the elders in the hall whose blood pressure was skyrocketing.

Returning to his luxurious yet slightly tacky courtyard, Lin Xuan dismissed the trembling maids and lay comfortably on the grand armchair.

"System, check the panel."

【Slacking Off Makes You Stronger System】

Host: Lin Xuan

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Stage 1 (30/5000)

Technique: None

Skill: None

Slacking Off Points: 30

Item: None

"Tsk, these few Slacking Off Points can't do anything." Lin Xuan rubbed his chin, "Need to find a way to stir up some trouble."

In his mind, the "good place" he thought of when leaving the City Lord's mansion yesterday immediately surfaced—the martial arts competition for a husband held by the eldest daughter of the Li family!

The Li family was another major family in Qingyun City, and they had always been in conflict with the Lin family. The Li family's eldest daughter, Li Yanran, was sixteen, said to be beautiful as a flower, and had good talent; she was the dream lover of countless young disciples in Qingyun City. This martial arts competition for a husband would certainly be a big scene.

"More people means more sources of Emotional Value." Lin Xuan's eyes lit up, "And if I go up to stir up trouble with my current 'reputation,' the effect will definitely be explosive!"

【Ding! New task issued: At the Li family's martial arts competition for a husband, perform an act of "surrendering without a fight."】

【Task Requirements: Get on the stage, and before the opponent makes a move, take the initiative to surrender loudly and creatively.】

【Task Reward: Calculate Slacking Off Points based on the sensation caused.】

"Haha, the system understands me!" Lin Xuan slapped his thigh, "It's decided then!"

The next day, at the Li family's martial arts arena, it was bustling with noise.

A high stage was built in the center, with colorful flags fluttering all around. On the viewing platform, the Li family head, Li Wanshan, was beaming, and beside him sat a young girl in red, beautiful but with a bit of arrogance—this was today's protagonist, Li Yanran.

Below the stage, young talents from Qingyun City and surrounding towns were rubbing their hands, eager to try. Of course, there was no shortage of commoners who came to watch the fun.

"Look! The Lin family is here!"

"It's Lin Xuan! He actually dares to go out?"

"What is he doing here? Does he want to participate in the competition? Isn't he afraid of being beaten to death by Miss Li?"

Lin Xuan's appearance immediately caused a stir. Today, he deliberately wore an even more flashy bright purple brocade robe, waving a folding fan, and under the "escort" (actually surveillance) of a group of Lin family guards, he swaggered to the front of the crowd, found a good spot, and was only missing some melon seeds.

When Li Yanran saw Lin Xuan, a look of undisguised disgust flashed in her beautiful eyes, and she snorted and turned her head away. Li Wanshan's expression also sank slightly, but due to the occasion, he didn't flare up.

The competition soon began.

Young talents took the stage one after another, fists and feet flying, spiritual power colliding, drawing cheers from below. The atmosphere gradually became heated.

Lin Xuan watched with great interest, occasionally commenting: "This move is no good, it's soft, did you not eat?" "Oh, this guy's stance is unstable, he's going to lose!"

His look of being an outsider made the people around him and Li Yanran on the stage even more speechless. Are you here to participate or to watch a play?

Finally, after several rounds of competition, a burly man with a rough face defeated the last opponent and stood proudly on the stage. His name was Lei Bao, the young master of Lei Family Fort outside the city, with a cultivation base of Foundation Establishment Stage 2, considered a leader among these young people.

Lei Bao cupped his hands toward the viewing platform, his voice like a bell: "Uncle Li, Sister Yanran, it seems that the winner of the stage today is none other than me! Is there any other brother willing to come up and give some advice?"

He scanned the crowd below with a look of disdain. Having fought several rounds, his momentum was high, and for a while, no one dared to come forward.

Li Wanshan stroked his beard and smiled, clearly quite satisfied with Lei Bao. Although Li Yanran was still arrogant, her eyes softened a lot.

Just when everyone thought the situation was settled—

"Wait!"

A clear and slightly lazy voice rang out.

Swish!

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the source of the voice—Lin Xuan, who was slowly putting away his folding fan and tidying his robes.

What is he doing? Does he really want to go on stage? A Foundation Establishment Stage 1 who only broke through by kneeling and begging for mercy, daring to challenge Lei Bao at Foundation Establishment Stage 2? Isn't this courting death?

Under the gaze of countless suspicious, disdainful, and "watching a fool" eyes, Lin Xuan paced unhurriedly and walked onto the stage.

Lei Bao looked at Lin Xuan, who had walked to his opposite side, his brows knitted into a knot, and said in a muffled voice: "Lin Xuan? What are you doing up here? This is not a place for you to mess around!"

Li Yanran on the viewing platform even scolded directly: "Lin Xuan, get down! You are not welcome here!"

Lin Xuan turned a deaf ear to all of this. He first showed a smile that he thought was graceful (but was actually annoying) toward Li Wanshan and Li Yanran on the viewing platform, and then turned to Lei Bao and cleared his throat.

The next moment, he made a move that made the whole scene instantly silent.

He took half a step back, cupped his hands toward Lei Bao, and then used all his strength to shout clearly:

"Brother Lei is god-like in power, brilliant and martial, with profound cultivation. Little brother Lin Xuan feels inferior and admits defeat!"

"No need to fight this round!"

"I surrender!!"

The voice was loud and clear, spreading to every corner of the martial arts arena.

"..."

The entire arena fell into a silence even more thorough than the City Lord's mansion yesterday.

Surrender as soon as you get on stage?! Didn't even make a move, just shouted surrender?! And shouted it so righteously, so... literary?

What kind of operation is this?!

Lei Bao was directly stunned, his raised fist stiff in mid-air, not knowing whether to hit or put it down. He had prepared for a fierce battle, but the opponent just lay flat? This feeling was like a punch with all his strength hitting empty air, making him want to vomit blood.

Li Yanran on the viewing platform saw her pretty face turn from white to red, then from red to green, and finally became pitch black. She felt that her martial arts competition for a husband had been completely tainted by this shameless person! This was a kind of spiritual disgust!

The smile on Li Wanshan's face completely disappeared, the corners of his mouth twitching, wishing he could personally go down and slap this bastard away.

After a brief petrification, the audience below erupted into an uproar and laughter like a tidal wave!

"Hahahaha! My mother! Surrendered directly!"

"Is this Young Master Lin specifically here to be funny?"

"Amazing! Truly amazing! I have never seen such a shameless person!"

"Does he think this is humorous?"

【Ding! Detected extreme confusion and frustration from Lei Bao, Emotional Value +999!】

【Ding! Detected rage and extreme disgust from Li Yanran, Emotional Value +888!】

【Ding! Detected burning anger from Li Wanshan, Emotional Value +777!】

【Ding! Detected that the worldviews of the audience have suffered a nuclear-level impact, collectively losing control of their emotions, Emotional Value +!】

【Congratulations to the host for completing the "surrender without a fight" task, obtaining Slacking Off Points:!】

A massive amount of Slacking Off Points arrived! Lin Xuan was happy in his heart, but on his face, he had a sincere expression of "I know my own limits," nodding to Lei Bao, who was still stunned: "Brother Lei, congratulations, congratulations, I wish you and Miss Li a hundred years of harmony and early birth of a son! Little brother will take his leave first!"

After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave the stage gracefully.

"Lin Xuan!! You stop right there!!"

A shrill cry containing monstrous anger came from the viewing platform. Li Yanran could no longer hold back, stood up abruptly, pointed at Lin Xuan, and trembled all over: "What do you take my Li family's martial arts competition for?! You come when you want and leave when you want?! Humiliating me like this, humiliating my Li family—if you don't give me an explanation today, I won't be done with you!"

Instantly, several powerful auras belonging to the Li family elders locked onto Lin Xuan, and the atmosphere in the arena suddenly became tense!

Everyone held their breath, looking at Lin Xuan on the stage. You played yourself, didn't you? Let's see how you end this!

Lin Xuan stopped, turned around slowly, and faced Li Yanran's murderous gaze and the pressure of the whole arena. Not only was there no panic on his face, but a look of confusion:

"Explanation? Miss Li, what explanation do you want?"

"I went on stage according to the rules of the competition, and I surrendered according to the rules. The rules didn't say you couldn't surrender, right?"

He spread his hands, his expression incredibly innocent: "I know I'm not Brother Lei's opponent. To avoid unnecessary casualties and not waste everyone's time, I took the initiative to surrender. What's wrong with that? Do you have to have me beaten to the point of vomiting blood, broken bones, and tendons to be considered respecting this competition? To be considered respecting you, Miss Li?"

"You... you are using sophistry!" Li Yanran was so angry that her chest heaved, but she couldn't find words to refute him for a moment.

"I am just stating the facts." Lin Xuan sighed, his eyes suddenly becoming a bit "profound," "Perhaps, my way is the greatest respect for life and for this competition."

His sudden "philosophical" posture made everyone stunned again.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

"Boom!"

A loud noise came from outside the city, followed by a shrill alarm piercing the sky!

"Enemy attack! Beast tide! Monster beasts have broken through the West City Gate!!"

"Run! It's a pack of Tier 2 Iron-Backed Demon Wolves!!"

"Help!!"

Chaotic screams and panic spread through the crowd like a plague! The martial arts arena, which was orderly just a moment ago, was suddenly in a mess, people fleeing in panic everywhere.

Li Wanshan and Li Yanran on the viewing platform, and Lei Bao on the stage—everyone's expression changed drastically!

Tier 2 monster beasts are equivalent to human Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they come in packs. For Qingyun City, this is absolutely a fatal disaster!

"Protect the young lady! All Li family guards, follow me to the West Gate to resist the enemy!" Li Wanshan made a decisive decision and shouted sharply, no longer caring about Lin Xuan below.

Lei Bao also roared, jumped off the stage, and rushed toward the West Gate.

In the chaos, no one paid attention to Lin Xuan anymore.

Lin Xuan stood on the gradually emptying stage, looking at the faint smoke and roars coming from the West Gate, the cynical expression on his face slowly fading.

He touched his nose and whispered to himself:

"Tsk, it seems this 'slacking off' daily routine has to be interrupted by a 'save the world' plot."

"System, use all Slacking Off Points to increase cultivation!"

Boom!

Even more massive spiritual power surged and galloped within his body!

(Chapter 2 End)