Chapter 8: Reactive Points
The system message made Yin Zhe freeze for a moment. His eyes flicked left and right as if the air around him had turned into a puzzle.
"uhh… wait… what…?" he whispered softly to himself. He sounded confused. His voice held that confused shake people get when life is punching them from every direction. "wait.. I don't understand. Did I… did I get cursed?"
He rubbed his forehead with two fingers and let out a small hiss. "Hissss… what kind of mess is this again?.. has the system decided to place a curse on me?"
He slowly looked around, and the first person his eyes landed on was Bao Zi. The poor guy was still sitting in the corner of the cell like someone praying not to be noticed by a ghost or something.
Yin Zhe narrowed his eyes.
"Can the system read his thoughts?. Was he the one that had cursed me inwardly." He frowned even deeper. Not understanding the situation.
Does the system read people's thoughts about me and then give points? Or… does it read mine? Or theirs? Or both?. I'm confused. Perhaps the system had actually cursed me and gave me a reactive point for cursing me"
His mind began to spun like the slot machine he just used.
He felt more lost by the second. "Ahhh… this is really confusing…"
He pulled up his system panel again, the faint glow lighting up his tired face.
There was a notification bar in the system panel and he could still see the cursed notification from earlier still floating there.
His eyes went straight to the Reactive Points account.
[RP: 10,001]
"Hmmm…" he muttered. "It added one… so I really got a point…"
He dropped his shoulders like a man whose entire life had been a long, long headache. His thoughts scrambled everywhere trying to make sense of everything. But after a few moments, he forced himself to inhale slowly and calmed down.
"Focus on the system package first…" he whispered. "The rest can wait."
He nodded at himself, even though the nod held no confidence. He reached out his hand towards the slot machine icon again.
His hand trembled slightly as he grabbed the wooden lever again, then he pulled.
clack!!.
He had pulled it down. Now the reels had began spinning again.
Flick… flick… flick…
The Lights from the reels flashed across his face. Symbols rolled through the reels faster than his eyes could follow. Swords. Flames. Water. Some weird curved blades. Then silver arrows. Then something that looked more like a fish?. Or perhaps a serpent?.
The sounds inside the machine kept humming.
Hum... Hum.. flick.. flick...
Soon Finally. The reels started slowing down.
click… click… click.
The reels stopped.
A message popped up in front of him:
[Lucky you.]
[Spiritual Nine Breaths Cycle (Reactive Technique) gained.]
Yin Zhe stared at the message.
He didn't blink. But didn't move his body. He just stared. Then his mouth started to twitch. Soon his eyebrows also started to twitch.
Then he whispered out loud, "Are you… are you messing with me?. Again. I'm tired of this. I must have lost some brain cells due to this system by now"
He slapped the ground lightly. Pang!!.he had now taken a liking to slapping the wooden floor
"I'm either cursed by the system. Or This system is cursed for real," he said. "Spiritual what?. Nine Breaths what?. Do you think I'm stupid?."
He shook his head in frustration and let out a long "hpmh…"
"I already know breathing techniques from Earth," he muttered in a low voice. "Therapy stuff… calming exercises… all that. I might act stupid but I'm not stupid."
He pressed both palms to his face.
"What's the difference between Earth breathing and this rubbish…? This thing… this broken slot machine… tsk…"
He dropped his hands and let out a deep groan that carried the weight of a thousand disappointments.
"I'm really going to die as a villain in this world… with this useless system… I can feel it… I can feel the funeral drums already…"
He waved his hands around in frustration, he did in a wild motion. His sleeves swayed as he nearly hit the cell bars.
His actions made Bao Zi flinch again.
"H-Hey, calm down…" Bao Zi whispered to himself. "Please calm down… someone should restrain him…"
Yin Zhe didn't hear him. He was too busy pacing inside his own small cell, muttering things under his breath.
After a while, he forced himself to stop and inhale.
"Let me try this stupid technique," he grumbled.
He stood up straight. And placed a hand on his stomach. He took a deep breath.
Whoosh…
The air around him shifted the instant he took in a long breath. At that moment Something inside him moved. He felt like it was a soft ripple in a still lake. The ripple continued growing. He started to feel warm stirring from the inside. A tiny spark was felt from within. It felt so relaxing. It felt like pleasure.
Something from within was gathering. It pulled itself together. It was like dust forming a shape.
Then suddenly. Something broke.
BOOM.
The sound wasn't from outside but from within him. A buzzing sound from inside his body.
Something opened inside him like a door being kicked apart brutally. Thud!..
He gasped. "ahh... Oh my God. what… what is this feeling…?. Am I breaking through?"
A bigger space was now forming inside him. It felt so real. His core essence space was growing larger. He could actually feel the Qi. It was Pure Qi.
He could now feel the flow of Qi a bit more clearly. The raw energy felt warm. His own core essence stirred to life like it had been sleeping its whole existence.
A message flashed:
[Congratulations.]
[Your core essence and chi energy has increased.]
[Current Cultivation: Root Awakening — 5th Stage.]
Yin Zhe froze again in surprise.
His jaw first opened slightly then it dropped. His jaw dropped. His eyes first blinked once then Twice. He was so shocked that he even forgot to breathe.
Across the cell, Ren Tie suddenly flinched. His body had reacted way before his mind did. His body had sensed the change. The burst of pure Qi. The increase in core essence.
He stared at Yin Zhe with wide white eyes. 👀 "What…?" Ren Tie whispered under his breath.
Yin Zhe was still lost in his thoughts when a sudden sound broke his thoughts.
Ding!.
[Surprised Reactive Points +1]
Yin Zhe thought "uhh.. tsk.. the system did it again. What does this mean. But this time it's surprising. It's not cursed like the first one. Hmmm. Yes I'm kinda surprised now. So if it's giving points based on my reaction then why did I get a cursed +1 RP the first time?.. tsk.. tsk.." he scratched the back of his head in confusion.
"Ok one thing is for sure. Hhh. Hmm uhh uh... The system is called a reactive system so it gives me points based on reactions. That sounds right. And if it was based on my reaction my points would be flying sky high by now." Yin Zhe had a sudden realization.
"That means it is not giving me reaction points based on my own reaction. Neither did the system curse me. Back then when I got the cursed notification I was throwing a tantrum. And Bao Zi whose cage was closer to mine was watching me. He had shifted back and hugged his knees.. someone in that situation. It's only normal that he cursed him inwardly." Yin Zhe eye widen.
"So that means. I get points based on other people's reactions about me or towards me.. hehehe. Ren Tie is the only one with a surprise face right now. And he doesn't seem to be that good in hiding his emotions or reactions. He must have added that surprise +1 to my notification bar" Yin Zhe turned to look at Ren Tie.
Ren Tie stepped forward and spoke loudly enough for the others to hear.
"I guess you gained enlightenment," he said. His tone held confusion but also a weird touch of respect. He was clearly referring to Yin Zhe. "You broke through after seeing me break through? Is that it?... You must have also gotten an apifiny from watching me cultivate"
The system reacted again.
[Acknowledged Reactive Points +1]
"Pfft" Yin Zhe nearly spat blood. He looked away and pretended that he hadn't heard any of the gibberish that this guy was spouting.
He wasn't looking at Bao Zi. Or any at any of the other cages. Neither was he looking at the wooden wall or looking at the cracks in the floor.
He was now staring at the air in front of him. Looking Completely dazed.
His eyes were empty like someone who just discovered they might be cursed by fate or the universe itself.
Can the system read everything people think about me?. The question crawled through his mind. Can it hear every thought?. insult?. doubt?. And Every… everything?
His breathing slowed down. He felt his heartbeat echoing in his ears.
Ren Tie's words had made everyone else's turn to look at Yin Zhe.
Whispers, murmurs. And curious eyes floated through the cell room. landing on him one by one like needles.
Ding!!.
[Doubted Reactive Points +4]