NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 6 - A System??
“Detected usable energy source. System loading…”
…
A flicker of surprise flashed through Su Yu’s bright, beautiful eyes.
When it came to systems, Su Yu was no stranger.
He’d read at least eight hundred novels, if not a thousand.
A system was practically standard for protagonists. Without one—or at least an old man in a ring—you could hardly call yourself a main character.
Su Yu’s face remained calm, but inside, his excitement was beyond words.
With this stroke of luck, how could he worry about not cultivating?
But first, he needed to figure out what this system could do.
“Little Qing, step out for now. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
Su Yu glanced at Little Qing, his gaze radiant and captivating.
The young man’s radiant smile sent Little Qing retreating, her heart pounding with excitement.
Sigh, why had the Young Master’s mood suddenly brightened? Was it because of the treasure?
But he’d seen it before and never been this thrilled？
At that moment, Su Yu couldn’t see it himself, but Little Qing could.
The young man’s brows and eyes were flushed with a rosy hue, their tips laced with a captivating charm, his tender lips curving into an alluring arc.
“Don’t let anyone in without my call, okay~?”
Su Yu added with a lilt.
Little Qing froze.
See? See? That cheerful tone, with a wavy little flourish at the end??
What was up with the Young Master?
“System? You there?”
“…”
No response. Su Yu waited a moment.
Well, well—this system didn’t even bother to answer.
Closing his eyes, Su Yu visualized the system in his mind.
Whoever made this thing had zero creativity.
It looked like a cheap interface from some third-rate online game—dozens of little grid squares popped up before him.
In the first slot sat a red gift icon.
That must be the newbie package, right?
A spark of realization lit Su Yu’s eyes.
A mechanical system, without even a shred of instructions.
“So I’ve got to figure it all out myself?”
Su Yu felt a twinge of disappointment, but also a wave of relief.
A non-intelligent system might be a hassle to use, but it also meant no absurd mandatory tasks. That was a relief.
Su Yu had no interest in being the system’s pawn—a nominal “holder” turned into some gaudy minion forced to run errands.
Staring at the holographic panel, he hesitated, then poked the gift icon with his finger.
[System not fully activated. Unable to claim newbie package.]
Su Yu blinked, dumbfounded, only now noticing an activation progress bar at the top.
“One percent?”
His heart sank halfway.
Damn idiot.
He cursed the system under his breath.
Other people’s systems worked right out of the box—his needed him to activate it!
“I want a refund.” He jabbed at the panel.
The system stayed silent.
Right—it couldn’t talk.
Su Yu wasn’t thrilled, but with no way to complain, he had to suck it up.
“One percent activated… How did that even happen?”
Calming down, he glanced at the chest of gold and jewels.
Was it because of the treasure? No, definitely not!
“That special stone.”
It clicked, and a few questions bubbled up in his mind.
Why could the stone activate the system?
What was that stone?
Could it be the legendary spirit stone?
Calling Little Qing back in, he voiced his confusion. She replied, “Yes, Young Master. That spirit stone was a birthday gift from Miss Muqing. You were so happy back then—you even gave her a peck on the cheek.”
Little Qing’s answer cleared up his doubts.
That made sense.
In a world where cultivation was real, spirit stones weren’t exactly far-fetched.
The system needed spirit stones to activate…
Perfect. Problem solved.
Su Yu grinned, satisfied.
“Little Qing, fetch me a hundred spirit stones.”
One stone got him one percent—full activation would take at least a hundred. He’d start with that to test the waters.
Little Qing didn’t budge.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Su Yu asked.
She nodded. “Young Master, we don’t have that many spirit stones.”
Su Yu frowned, then relaxed.
Right—his dear sister only gave him one for his birthday. They must be pretty rare.
“No hundred? Then bring ten.”
“We don’t have ten either.”
Su Yu’s temper flared. “Then how many do I have?”
“Well…”
Little Qing’s brows knit together, her pearly teeth nibbling her lip in distress. After hesitating, she murmured, “One…”
Her head drooped.
Su Yu froze, a bad feeling surging in his chest.
Probing further, he learned from Little Qing just how precious spirit stones were.
An average household earned maybe a tael of silver a month. A single spirit stone? At least ten thousand taels.
And even with that kind of money, you couldn’t buy one—supply was too scarce.
Su Yu was floored. He’d thought he was rich, able to get whatever he wanted.
But looking at his chest of gold and jewels—did it even add up to ten thousand taels?
“This isn’t cultivation—it’s burning cash!”
Su Yu wanted to cry. He’d thought activating the system would rocket him to the top, but he’d been naive. Nothing was that easy.
“Hey, Young Master, the spirit stone’s color…”
Drained of its spiritual energy, the stone had turned a dull gray, just an ordinary rock now.
“Oh, it expired.”
Su Yu tossed it aside, unable to bear looking at it. Ten thousand taels—don’t get him started, it hurt too much.
Spirit stones could expire? Little Qing scratched her head, puzzled.
Su Yu wasn’t in the mood to explain.
He had to figure this out, but a hundred spirit stones—where would he get them?
Ask his father?
He’d probably get beaten to death.
No matter how much they doted on him, no one would hand over a fortune like that for no reason!
And frankly, Su Yu doubted the entire Su family could scrape together a hundred spirit stones even if they sold everything.
At that thought, gloom settled over him. Was there really no way?
Wait!!
His eyes lit up as a realization hit. He’d fallen into a trap of his own making.
The system needed spiritual energy—not spirit stones.
Spirit stones contained spiritual energy, sure—but didn’t cultivators generate it too?
If he could find a cultivation technique—nothing fancy, just basic enough to draw spiritual energy into his body—
Then he’d let the system suck it up. It’d be a renewable resource—no heartache there.
You’re wondering—didn’t men lack the ability to cultivate?
Su Yu smirked. Before, he might’ve worried, but look at his situation now.
Transmigration, drop-dead gorgeous, and a system? Jackpot!
He was the textbook transmigration protagonist. Name one novel where the lead wasn’t a peerless genius!
Sure, it was a female-dominated world, but getting started shouldn’t be an issue.
And come to think of it, didn’t the Su family have some ancestral secret technique? One that no one had mastered? That classic web-novel trope…