Upon witnessing the quantity of beast Qi cores that Alex was placing on his counter, Elder Zhen's countenance briefly flickered with astonishment.
This momentary lapse was quickly replaced by his usual amicable grin. "Young man, it looks like you've been quite industrious lately," he remarked, his smile remaining as affable as ever.
Alex, who found the ceaseless smiling from the old man rather disconcerting, thought to himself, "Enough with the grinning, elder. Your incessant smiling is rendering your aged visage somewhat disturbing." However, externally, he simply responded with a noncommittal "Hmm?" before promptly addressing the matter at hand. "So, how many contribution points will I receive for these cores?"
Caught slightly off-guard by Alex's straightforwardness, Elder Zhen hesitated as his face twisted in confusion. "You seem...different than before. Have you changed in some way?" he queried, his gaze penetrating as he studied Alex, suspicion lingering in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Alex thought to himself, "Changed? Of course, I've changed. I'm no longer the submissive Li Wei you once knew. I am now Alex Reed." Outwardly, he merely responded, "I suppose I'm just worn out from hunting for so long." Inwardly, he added, "I will have to adjust to Li Wei's lifestyle if I am to continue using his body. But I must be cautious not to change too drastically to avoid arousing suspicion, especially since my cultivation level is currently low." He steeled himself for his new path.
Elder Zhen merely nodded in understanding, "Ah, it seems you could use a good rest." He extended his hand toward Alex, prompting him to take action.
Without hesitation, Alex produced a token and passed it to Elder Zhen.
This was the Cloud Moon Sect's disciple token, an emblem of one's affiliation with the sect.
Beyond serving as an indicator of discipleship, this token also functioned as a depository for contribution points. Unfortunately, the token held by Alex displayed a pitiful zero.
One might naturally question where all of Li Wei's points had disappeared, especially considering he didn't possess any notable weapons.
The answer was rather disheartening - Li Wei was frequently bullied by his fellow disciples.
With a lower cultivation level than his tormentors, he was frequently injured and thus forced to spend his hard-earned points on healing potions and pills.
His life had become a cruel cycle of completing missions, being beaten by his peers, healing himself, and then taking on more missions.
"Such a pathetic existence," Alex mused, staring at the zero on the token. He was glad to be in the presence of Elder Zhen - if not, he might have facepalmed so hard that he'd knocked himself unconscious from the sheer force.
After a brief moment, Elder Zhen returned Alex's disciple token, his face adorned with the same infuriatingly friendly smile that never failed to irritate Alex.
As Alex glanced at the token, his eyes widened in astonishment.
The number displayed on it was a staggering two hundred and fifty points, a quantity that had never before graced that particular disciple token since it was bestowed upon Li Wei.
The sight of the contribution points on the token filled Alex's mind with newfound hope. "It seems that I will finally be able to acquire a higher quality weapon," he pondered to himself, a glimmer of anticipation flickering within him.
Obtaining such a weapon would bring him one step closer to fulfilling the mission bestowed upon him by the system.
A faint smile crept onto Alex's face as he carefully returned the token to its original position.
He then raised his gaze to meet Elder Zhen's peculiar stare. The elder's voice broke the silence, "It appears that you have become quite popular in recent days," he muttered, his gaze drifting beyond Alex's shoulders.
Following Elder Zhen's line of sight, Alex turned his head to see a crowd of people still fixated on him, their whispers filling the air.
However, this time, their whispers were accompanied by a range of emotions.
Some glared at him with anger etched upon their faces, while others cast empathetic and pitying looks his way.
Alex couldn't help but feel surprised by this sudden shift in attention.
When he first arrived, he assumed that the stares were due to his shabby appearance.
Now, observing the emotions displayed on their faces, he couldn't resist glancing down at his own body once more, half-expecting to find some physical changes resulting from his transmigration into Li Wei's body.
To his bewilderment, he remained in Li Wei's body, unchanged.
Confusion clouded his thoughts as he pondered, "According to Li Wei's memories, there was nothing he did to warrant such attention." Suddenly, a thought struck him, causing his mind to race. "Or perhaps... could it be that the system failed to retrieve all of his memories?"
Alex's mind became a whirlwind of thoughts as he desperately tried to unravel the mystery behind the peculiar attention he was receiving.
Yet, despite his efforts, he found no answers. After a while, he reluctantly gave up and turned his attention back to Elder Zhen. "I have been absent for four days, and I too am perplexed by the situation," he replied honestly.
In truth, this was Alex's first visit to the Cloud Moon Sect since his transmigration into Li Wei's body.
Upon receiving the mission from the system, he had chosen to remain in the Voidland, searching for a way to complete the task before the deadline.
His return to the Cloud Moon Sect today was solely to obtain contribution points, which he intended to exchange for a higher-quality weapon.
Elder Zhen nodded understandingly and gestured for Alex to depart. "Very well, you may return and rest now," he said, his friendly smile still intact.
Annoyed by the persistent display of friendliness, Alex grumbled inwardly as he turned and made his way toward the exit of the mission pavilion.
As Alex stepped out of the mission pavilion, a voice filled with disdain and mockery pierced through the air, interrupting his thoughts. "Ah, it seems that Li Wei, the worthless one, has finally emerged from his hiding place," the voice sneered.