[ Beep ]
[ A.I.Chip, has fused with host soul and has become one entity. The system setting has already been set. Host will receive no interference from the system! Any and all notifications including completion of any hidden mission will be relaid by A. I. Chip. Host can also access his inventory through the A. I. chip. BEEP! Good Luck host.]
As the words were being conveyed to him, Nie Li noticed the gradual shift in tone, from the humorous tone that system had, to the monotonous cold voice of A. I. Chip.
Nie Li has little to no knowledge of what's happening to him and what he should do, he doesn't know if his decision were correct or fatal to this world settings. But he sure he has to make a list of priorities to keep in mind.
'There is too much I don't know about this world' Nie Li thought to himself as he glance towards towering book shelves. 'My best bet right now is this library, this can be a mine for information'.
'A.I. Chip! Can you scan my mind and body and search for any anomaly!"
[Beep! Scan complete! Nothing strange found in the Host's mind and body!]
After a mere moment, the A.I. Chip's mechanical voice replied back.
'Hmm, at least I don't have any weird alignment or maybe I do but my lack of knowledge of this world renders the A.I.Chip inept to find anything.' Nei Li thought.
Nie Li stood up and calmly walks towards the book stands. Picking up a random book at the end of the shelf.
'A.I.Chip, scan the books and record them.'
[Beep! Task established! Beginning the recording of data!]
In almost an instant, it started to record whatever Nie Li read. He also one by one, started to glance over books.
From a strangers point of view it looked as though he was searching for something in these books.
Nie Li didn't care which language the books were in, he kept glancing over the words. Nie Li decided that if he store large amounts of he can simulate a learning program for any language and decode it, hence he took all the books in without any distinction.
'...It would take a while for me to get something of real value. I can't just haphazardly do anything and expect a immediate result.' As A.I.Chip was doing it's work, Nie Li began to think.
Nie li knows that making short time goals is very important for the current him. He need to create a plan and road map to follow, just blindly doing things will yield no results.
'First of all, I will cut down on any useless interaction. I don't have the liberty to play around and waste my time. I will take my time and act as normally as possible, I will spend most of my time reading books here.' Nie Li first began to think of creating a wall between everyone and himself, although he is not paranoid enough to think that all are scheming against him, still he has too many secrets and he wishes to bury it deep down himself.
'I need money and I need it fast, either it's armor, weapons, demon spirit, herbs, pills, elixir or properties. I need money to procure all of them. There is a need to create a way of revenue, I cannot depend on my family for it.'
Demon spirit coins are the currency used in Glory City. Usually, two to three thousand demon spirit coins would be sufficient for a commoner family's annual expenses. The value of items in Glory City is measured with demon spirit coins. For example: battle armours, demon crystals, demon beast furs, elixirs and various other items.
The Holy Orchid Institute's annual school fee would be around three thousand demon spirit coins. For a commoner family, this would be a huge expense for them. But a lot of commoner families would rather live frugally and send their children to the Holy Orchid Institute. This is because, once they become a Fighter or a Demon Spiritualist, even if it's only Bronze rank, they can change their family's fate.
A Bronze rank Fighter, if they join the army and become a soldier, would have an annual salary of about five to six thousand demon spirit coins. At the same time, they can also venture into the St. Ancestral Mountains and gain more benefits from it.
Nie Li belongs to the Heavenly Mark Family. It is a relatively declining Aristocratic family. The Patriarch is a 1-star Gold rank Demon Spiritualist. The family's annual income is around six hundred thousand demon spirit coins. The family's annual expenses is very large. Just the expenses of the children's school fees would be around three hundred thousand demon spirit coins. This, along with various other expenses, often made the family struggle to make ends meet. With no choice but to sell some of the family business to support themselves, the Heavenly Mark Family was able to get all of the younger generations into the Holy Orchid Institute.
'I need to establish relationship, I need to create good friendship with important people. if not friendship I should definitely not make enemies, not until I have the ability to get rid of them.' This part is drilled into his mind very keenly and sharply. No one knows the consequences of such hot headed stupidity better than him.
'But *sigh* this easy enough last task is most difficult for me, because if today is anything to go by, then the people in this world are exceedingly arrogant." Nie Li sighs to himself, either if it's his past life or current. he just cannot stand people being arrogant and cocky before him. It makes his blood boil when he sees frogs in the well jumping, thinking they are dragons.
But it's more like a distasteful thing, than being a very aggressive hatred, he understand that humans are beings who are only satisfied when others are below them. Everyone wants to be praised and be hold in high regards.
To stand above others some people work hard with a fiendish passion, while other make sure that no one gets better than them.
It's a mentality of not seeing above you and marveling at the vastness of the world and strive for more, but to gaze below feeding one's ego to scorn at those worst than you.
'Being a humans is not about being better than others, it's just making sure you are not as bad as others are! ' Nie Li laughed slightly, truly strong men just couldn't be bothered with mundane nonsense of mortals, they raise above themselves and their competition is only themselves.
As Nie Li was turning books after books, he noticed that the sky outside has turned dark and night is about to befall. He look around the library and saw that all were retreating back to dorm one by one. By now he has copied dozens of books.
'It will take a long while to finish recording all of this, I should take a break for today.' Nie Li pushes the current book in his hand into the shelf as he starts to excuse himself from the library. He takes a look back at the humongous library, thousands and thousands of books and just decides to call it a day.
"A.I. Chip! Scan the entirety of the stored data and arrange it, if you can translate the information then do it if not then let it be, and yes scan the memories of this body and transfer it to me!"
[Beep! Task Established! Starting arrangement!]
With his command, all the informations of Nie Li (Original) entire life, from birth to his arrival in Holy Orchid Institute, were all displayed in front of Nie Li's eyes with the A.I. Chip's assistance.
Every single memory, down to what was eaten in every meal, as well as their tastes, were retained and displayed in his mind.
Such a large mass of memory was just too confusing, and was also full of useless information. He deleted all the gibberish and took all of the rest.
At this point, with the help of the A.I. Chip, he was arranging and sorting everything out!
[Data sorting and translation under progress! Estimated time till completion 3hr 43minutes 18 seconds..17 seconds...] The A.I. Chip notification sounded out.
"Hmm..Soul Crystals huh.." While the task was underway Nie Li started to randomly read a book in common language looking for a way to improve his strength quickly.
While reading [Basics of cultivation by Xui Fan] written by a former senior teacher in Holy Orchid few decades ago, he saw an interesting topic about souls and their interpretation in Cultivation world.
Nie Li learnt many basic knowledge about cultivation, the challenge, the many resources, pills and how to use them. Unknowingly hours passed by and A. I. Chup chimed again.
[Beep! Database updated, translation completed. Stored into the file [Holy Orchid Library, translated version{9 files}]
'A. I Chip, does anyone of the translated work have anything in common with Basics of cultivation by Xui Fan.'
[Beep! Searching... Beep! File detected. Opening relevant pages.. ]
Nie Li calmy read though the information but the more he read his expression changed.
'Why is it.. different?'
Nie Li was at first fascinated by Xui Fan's book his way for writing, his explanations, way to use resources were very informative but somehow the translation from ancient text were either different or even completely opposite of many of his theories.
Nie Li kept reading being fascinated to learn that there way more to this topic than it meets the eye. Where Xui Fan only touched the surface, the ancient books dived deep down.
'So unlike they way the Institute tests students aptitude with same crystal, unused soul crystals are actually most sensitive.'
'If a new crystal is used to test a person's soul realm they will be extremely accurate. But once there is more than one person who has used the same soul crystal, the soul crystal will have interference and can barely test the soul realm's type and the strength of the soul force,' Nie Li thought marveling at the ability of A.I.Chip to analyze this information, apparently it's from a ancient scripture which was recorded even before the Age Of Darkness.
'I guess the current teaching have suffered a steep downfall in knowledge, I actually wasted 3 hours reading a downcast version which was inferior or even outright wrong in some topics. I guess I should cross check reference from now on.'
'But other than soul realm's type and the strength of the soul force, there is something else too that seems to have been forgotten about in the sands of time, that is — The attributes and form of the soul realm!'
'I don't have all the necessary information about this, hopefully there is something in the library.' Nei li laid down on his bed.
For now, he needs to make some money to buy a few primary soul crystals. In order to test his soul realm's attributes he needs a soul crystal. Then, he can decide on which cultivation technique to practice with. If the cultivation technique matches one's soul realm attributes, then training would be more effective.
'Well right now I don't need to think of making lots of money, so I think I should just go there. it will be good practice too.' Nie Li decides to earn some easy money the old fashioned way.
.....
Next morning
After making a round around the market, Nie Li had a wry smile on his face and helplessness was apparent in his eyes.
'Well I think I overestimated myself, with my fifty demon spirits coins allowance I am just too poor to do anything.' Nie Li sighs as tried to think of something else. Suddenly his attention was captured by the backs of two kids, and gears starts to turn in his head.