"You are who?" Qing Yu asked with an alarmed suspicion.
"The system's name is 'Great Martial Arts Inheritance System', existing to inherit the martial arts legacy, and you are the current host," the voice replied in a standard mechanical tone.
"So, you're my golden finger?"
"That could be said," the system responded.
"What can you help me with?" Qing Yu couldn't wait to ask. Regardless of whatever purpose this so-called 'Great Martial Arts Inheritance System' had, as long as it could help him, that was what mattered. Qing Yu was fed up with this invisible prison life without even a cellmate.
"The system can provide the host with inheritances of all characters from the worlds of martial arts. Host, do you confirm to start?" The system replied back in a mechanical tone.
The flat mechanical tone made Qing Yu's blood surge and his heartbeat accelerate as he quickly said, "What are we waiting for? Activate it now."
"Please wait. Before activating the inheritance, the host must choose the future path."
"Righteous Sect, or, villain."
"While it seems clear, just to be safe, system, you should still explain. What's the difference between the two paths?" At this moment, Qing Yu became calm and asked the system in an even tone.
"It's simple. The two paths represent the host's life choices in the future. If you choose the Righteous Sect path, the inheritances will all come from the righteous characters. Similarly, if you choose the villain path, the inheritances will come from villain characters. The two paths have different methods of acquiring inheritance points, different ways of inheriting, and the content of the associated quests will also differ," the system explained simply and clearly.
"Then I choose the villain path," Qing Yu said without hesitation. "Do I even need to think about it? Apart from a few works, in most works, the villains' combat power is higher than the protagonist's. The protagonist wins against the villain either by luck or because the villain dies from talking too much. With my luck, having obtained the system probably already maxed out my luck for the latter half of my life. As for the Righteous Sect? What are they? Don't they win because they have the protagonist? Like those so-called leaders of the Righteous Sect, if they're not killed off by the villain boss to boost the plot's intensity, then they are hidden bosses. The value of villain characters is clearly much higher than that of the righteous ones," Qing Yu naturally thought to himself.
"Ding, the host has chosen the villain path. Inheritance points are changed to Villain Points, which the host may obtain through villainous acts, with the characters for inheritance being villains."
"System, how do I accept the inheritance?" Qing Yu asked.
"The host may have one Monthly Character Card Lottery. The power level of the character in the Character Card will be the same realm as the host. For example, if the host's power level is in the Postnatal Realm, the power range of the Character Card drawn will be between the Postnatal First Layer and Ninth Layer. The system will issue tasks from time to time, and the host may obtain Villain Points by completing system-issued tasks. Every 100 Villain Points can be exchanged for one low-level lottery, every ten low-level lotteries can be exchanged for one intermediate lottery, and every ten intermediate lotteries for one high-level lottery. The super lottery cannot be exchanged; it can only be obtained by completing system tasks. Lottery prizes are drawn from the items and Character Cards of villains from all the martial arts worlds and are divided into six levels (one to six stars). Low-level lottery draws prizes ranging from non-graded to one-star, intermediate lottery draws two-star to three-star prizes, and high-level lottery draws four-star to five-star prizes, with six stars being Breakthrough Level, only available in the super lottery," the system droned on at length.
"So how many lotteries do I have now?" Qing Yu asked seriously after listening.
"The system is activated, granting one low-level lottery. Additionally, there is one Monthly Character Card Lottery."
"Draw them all for me." Qing Yu had waited half a day just to get help, and immediately motioned grandly.
"Beginning the Monthly Character Card Lottery. Ding, congratulations host for drawing a One-star Character Card—Duke Lu Ding, Wei Xiaobao.
Name: Wei Xiaobao
Realm: Non-stream
Items: Special Strong Lime Powder, Short Pistol (with three bullets), Golden Silk Vest, Mystic Iron Dagger
Martial Arts: 'Divine Transformation,' 'Beauty's Three Moves,' 'Hero's Three Techniques'
Evaluation: The antagonist among protagonists, the protagonist among villains. PS: The weak chicken among villains, a combatant whose power doesn't even reach 5, it's not easy finding a character that matches the host's realm."
Before Qing Yu's eyes appeared a card with a copper-colored frame, similar to the General Card from his previous life's Three Kingdoms Kill game. On the left, from top to bottom, were the words 'Duke Lu Ding, Wei Xiaobao'—six characters in total. To the right of the name was a picture of a character wearing a Daqing Duke official uniform, looking like a little hooligan, and below the picture were the introductions of the realm and items.
"Can Wei Xiaobao be considered a villain? Well, the meaning of a villain is not being a good person. With Wei Xiaobao's behavior, he certainly doesn't count as a good person. However, system, your evaluation is a bit cheeky," Qing Yu mused to himself as he looked at the floating Character Card.
"What does this realm signify?"
"In this realm of martial arts, there are six realms: Postnatal, Innate, Divine Origin, True Pill, Divine Communication, and Tao Realm. Below Postnatal is Non-stream, and Postnatal Realm corresponds to Non-stream and one-star, Innate Realm corresponds to two stars, and so on," the system explained.
"It looks like I'm truly useless. Anyway, let's continue with the lottery."
"Starting one low-level lottery. Ding, congratulations host for drawing a One-star Character Card—Dragon Knight, Yin Zhiping.
Name: Yin Zhiping
Realm: Postnatal Fourth Realm
Items: None (only a display of obtainable items)
Martial Arts: 'Quanzhen Heart Method,' 'Quanzhen Swordsmanship,' 'Golden Wild Goose Skill'
Evaluation: If I could absorb resentment, I would have become a Buddha already. Spanning several decades, generations, and countless people's resentment concentrated into one person, the most cursed villain character in the history of martial arts (proven)."
Looking at the introduction of the Character Card before him, the corners of Qing Yu's mouth twitched involuntarily: "System, that's quite bold of you. By the way, how do I inherit from this Character Card?"
"In the world of villains, there is no etiquette or deference; it's only the law of the jungle. To use the Character Card for inheritance, the system will open up a spiritual space, materializing the spiritual body of the character for the host.
Method of Inheritance: Defeat him, kill him, and you will obtain everything you wish from his body.
Failure: Being killed by him. Spiritually weakened for a day, the weak have no rights, and the Character Card will permanently disappear."
The system's voice was still cold and mechanical, but the underlying hint of blood couldn't be hidden. In this moment, the veil of obscurity over the villain path was finally lifted before Qing Yu, revealing the cold and powerful essence of its strength.
"It really is, quite brutal. But it's exactly what I want," Qing Yu's lips curled in a cold arc. His abrupt illness and death in his previous life, the life of a beggar in this one, his experience in confinement, had all made Qing Yu's heart grow colder and harder. Choosing the villain path wasn't just because villains hold more value than those of the Righteous Sect, but also because Qing Yu knew that he wasn't cut out to be a good person. Even if he had chosen the Righteous Sect, he would have been unable to complete the tasks of the righteous path. He might have a moment of kindness, but he would never mind using any means to achieve his goals.
"I'm so hungry; I should go eat first." Unbeknownst to him, the moon had already risen above the willow tops outside. Qing Yu chuckled and turned to prepare dinner. The coldness on his face just moments ago seemed like an illusion, yet the way he walked now carried an ease and composure he had never had before.