American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

In the basement, Zhu Mingyao casually pulled over a futon, sat cross-legged, rubbed his hands excitedly, and mentally opened the system panel—

Zhu Mingyao

Race: human

Age: 19

Class: Celestial Sorcerer LV2

Causal Point Pool: 350

Essence 1.8

Qi Yuan 3.9

Shenyuan 5.1

Talent: [Time-Space Adventurer (Purple)]

专长：外丹药物学LV 1、民俗宗教知识LV2、神秘学LV1、古物鉴别LV2、拳术技巧LV1、剑术技巧LV2

Skill: [Shangqing Secret Manual, Volume 1 (Red)] LV 1

[Maoshan Miscellaneous Collection of Yangfu Classic (White)] LV2

Compared to its bare state when he first obtained the system, Zhu Mingyao's personal information panel is now significantly more comprehensive.

The extra series of expertise he acquired proves that he has not wasted his time these past few years.

But compared to these abilities that ordinary people can master as long as they are willing to spend time and effort, the two Taoist techniques in the skill bar are Zhu Mingyao's biggest gains over the past three years.

Yes, the Tao!

After wiping out that group of evil cultists, Zhang Shouzhong took the boy from the orphanage to his home under the guise of adoption.

Although he said he was going to work odd jobs in the antique shop, the old man, though sharp-tongued, was not some wealthy tycoon. He would not actually exploit the labor of a minor. He just wanted to study Zhu Mingyao's non-existent and peculiar bloodline up close.

After all, the balance of essence and energy is relatively easy to manage, and it's normal for teenagers to have a reasonable increase in it as they grow into adults.

However, it's rather strange that a person's innate spiritual endowment could suddenly increase so rapidly without any external interference.

After ruling out factors such as rituals, drugs, and magic, only the difference in bloodline remains as an explanation.

As for the possibility of cheat systems, even for cultivators with extraordinary powers, such speculation is far too fantastical.

However, having successfully established a connection, Zhu Mingyao was not about to let such a good opportunity pass him by.

Taking advantage of his proximity to the old man, he immediately became inseparable from him, keeping him busy every day as soon as he returned from the community school.

Cleaning the shop, buying groceries, even doing laundry, cooking, pouring tea and water—he acted like a young apprentice from a classical era, drawing whispers from the neighbors.

Perhaps moved by the boy's sincerity, or perhaps unable to bear the contemptuous looks from the community workers who suspected he was using child labor and repeatedly came to inquire, they were also deeply concerned.

In addition, Zhu Mingyao possesses the peculiar trait of increasing his mental strength every so often.

In short, although the master and disciple relationship had never been formally established, the old man still led him into the path of cultivation two and a half years ago, somewhat reluctantly.

Not only did he impart all his knowledge of martial arts, swordsmanship, and general knowledge, but after secretly assessing his character, the old man also passed on two Taoist techniques he had cultivated himself.

Of these two Taoist arts, the most profound one, the [Shangqing Secret Manual], is only of red quality. In the five-level skill classification of white-red-gold-cyan-purple, it is only ranked second, which may seem a bit shabby, but it is not.

Zhu Mingyao's research revealed that the system's criteria for skill assessment are extremely stringent:

Only knowledge that truly contains the secrets to extraordinary cultivation will be recognized as a skill.

Other secular knowledge, such as martial arts and swordsmanship, and even knowledge that touches on the edge of supernatural power, such as mysticism and external alchemy, cannot be considered skills and can only be classified as expertise.

Skills that are recognized by the system and classified as white-level are already quite powerful.

For example, the "Maoshan Miscellaneous Yang Talisman Scripture" contains the true forms and cultivation methods of common Taoist talismans such as exorcising evil spirits, attacking enemies, protecting oneself, and illusionary concealment.

If one mastered even a fraction of it, in their previous life they would have been highly respected masters sought after by the powerful and wealthy. Even in this world with its extraordinary heritage, they could easily live a life free from want.

As for the [Shangqing Secret Manual], which received a red rating from the system, it is a superior Daoist technique that can directly lead to the Yin Spirit realm!

The Taoist sect has five immortals: celestial gods, earthly humans, and ghosts!

Once one cultivates to the Yin Spirit realm, one can be called a Ghost Immortal.

Although the Ghost Immortal is the last of the Five Immortals, he still has the title of "Immortal." As long as he doesn't suffer any external calamities, he can live a carefree life in the mortal world for two or three hundred years without any problem.

Even with only the first half of the scroll, it is enough to cultivate to the point of forming a true talisman nascent soul, which is equivalent to the Golden Core realm of internal alchemy.

This shows how precious this Taoist teaching is.

After understanding its value, Zhu Mingyao was deeply moved.

If in the past, the attentiveness towards the elderly was somewhat utilitarian, now the teenagers genuinely treat them as their own elders and show them filial piety.

These two Taoist manuals, one a method for cultivating inner spirit and the other a technique for using talismans and incantations, complement each other perfectly.

After mastering the two spell manuals, Zhu Mingyao naturally obtained the professional level of a Level 1 Immortal Sorcerer.

This professional level cannot be improved solely by causal points; instead, it is automatically proportional to the level and grade of one's cultivation technique, representing a clear expression of one's cultivation realm.

For example, if his current main cultivation technique, [Shangqing Secret Manual], is at level 1, then his job level would be 2-level Immortal Sorcerer.

If he only knows the [Maoshan Miscellaneous Collection of Yang Talismans], he would have to practice this technique to level 3 in order to get the level 2 Immortal Sorcerer professional rating from the system, because the latter is inferior to the former.

Zhu Mingyao gathered his thoughts, and with a thought, invested all 350 points accumulated in the points pool into the [Shangqing Secret Manual].

As the [Shangqing Secret Manual] was upgraded to LV2, his class level quietly changed to Level 3 Immortal Sorcerer.

A clear magical power emerged from his soul and quickly flowed into his limbs, meridians, and acupoints throughout his body.

He closed his eyes, silently sensing the enhancement of his essence, energy, and spirit brought about by the breakthrough.

"Essence increased by 0.6, Qi increased by 0.7, but Divine Essence increased the most, by a full 1.2."

Thinking about it, it makes sense. The Taoist arts I've cultivated ultimately lean towards the talisman-based spirit-preserving school. If I had learned the internal alchemy school, my Qi would have increased the fastest, though the system would probably have listed me as a Qi Refiner or something similar..."

Zhu Mingyao patted his bottom and stood up, then practiced Tai Chi for a while to familiarize himself with his upgraded physical condition.

He practiced martial arts not to learn from the old Gandalf, but to play some kind of melee-focused violent mage.

It's just that reality forces us to be different now. Firearms are all the rage, and even spellcasters need to be skilled. Otherwise, if they get shot down by a thug one day, they'll have no recourse.

As for relying on his own strength to withstand gunfire and cannons, that is still a somewhat distant goal for Zhu Mingyao, a novice immortal sorcerer who has only been practicing for two and a half years.

Having finished all this, he glanced at the wall clock. There was still some time before dinner, so he decided to first complete an important, daily task that he never missed—

Write a diary!

It is common knowledge that respectable people must keep a diary!

This is a new author and a new book. Please nurture this fledgling work by clicking, reading, and adding it to your favorites.

Chapter 7 Gathering Information: A Dangerous World!

March 10, 2000

...The target is a geoglyph formed from the lingering resentment of the deceased. Normally, it is not aggressive and can only cause a slight yin energy erosion to creatures near its habitat...

...Based on comparison with similar individuals from previous encounters, the danger posed by this entity is determined to be extremely low, with a spiritual energy level of approximately 1-3 points.

At his desk in the second-floor bedroom, Zhu Mingyao was writing furiously, occasionally flipping through a stack of documents next to him to look up something. His focused expression seemed to be a return to his days preparing for the college entrance examination.

Because the system was somewhat vague about how to obtain causal points, Zhu Mingyao spent a lot of time studying it in private.

According to the experimental results, as long as the fate of other intelligent individuals is changed, theoretically, a causal point will be obtained to some extent.

but--

Adhering to the system's consistently high standards and requirements, in order to obtain points in this way, one must cause a considerable change in the fate of others, even affecting their life and fortune.

In any case, those trivial changes in fate will absolutely not earn you a single causal point – this is the conclusion Zhu Mingyao came to after helping old ladies cross the road countless times without any reward.

In recent years, he has been desperately helping others everywhere, and even risked his life to capture a robber and hand him over to the police station. All these actions combined have only earned him a hundred or so points.

Los Angeles is not Gotham City after all. Opportunities to save people from danger are not something that come easily, unless he does nothing but wear a mask every day and fight crime as a street hero.

But that would be putting the cart before the horse. He was trying to earn karma points to cultivate himself and transcend, not to dedicate his life to the people of the Lighthouse and become a superhero.

He might feel a great sense of accomplishment from doing chivalrous deeds occasionally, but he couldn't stand the thought of making it his lifelong career.

Admittedly, following this line of reasoning, large-scale killing of innocents should also yield a lot of karma points, but since he is neither a Paradox Interactive war criminal nor does he have that mustache, he naturally cannot do such a heinous thing.

Since this method is not going to work, it's more reliable to go back to our original plan.

After all, he had already verified the path of slaying demons and monsters when he first transmigrated here.

As the saying goes, "A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools," and gamers know that if you want to farm monsters, you need to do your research first.

For example, the thing in front of him that looks like a diary but is actually a monster encyclopedia is one of his achievements.

The so-called danger goes without saying, and the spiritual power intensity is a measure of how many causal points can be provided after destruction.

……

Before I knew it, the sun was setting outside the window.

With a soft "thud," he tossed the pen onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and muttered to himself in frustration.

"Don't underestimate the few points this Earthbound Spirit gives. It's actually the most cost-effective monster I've ever encountered. But if I try to accumulate enough points to level up using only this, it'll probably take forever."

"It's a pity that the history of this world is vastly different from that of my previous life. Otherwise, by impersonating a prophet and predicting a few major disasters, I could definitely save many people in advance, and my karma points would surely pour in..."

Zhu Mingyao unconsciously tapped the table lightly with his fingers, his gaze falling on the stack of documents laid out on the ground:

"Breaking News! The giant man-eating shark that ravaged Amytie Island, Florida, has been killed by the Coast Guard. It had already caused multiple deaths, and the beach resort, which has been closed for months, is expected to reopen soon..."

"Do ghosts really exist? Ed Warren, the renowned Catholic exorcist, and his wife Rowling gave an exclusive interview to this newspaper, recounting the origins of the Rhode Island paranormal events..."

"The luxury cruise ship Yago has been missing in the Indian Ocean for a full year. More than 300 crew members and passengers, including the ship's owner Simon, are still missing. According to search and rescue personnel, it has been basically determined that there is no possibility of survival..."

This content was cut from several old newspapers.

Zhu Mingyao scratched his head in slight distress.

"This world is indeed wonderful, but perhaps a little too wonderful!"

Ever since he met Jason at Crystal Lake, Zhu Mingyao has been intentionally collecting information of this type.

However, the internet was not yet widely available at that time, and information dissemination was still mainly based on traditional media. Many old news stories were buried in old documents, and some events from long ago were only mentioned in fragments, making them quite troublesome to search for.

Fortunately, after repeated comparisons, he finally confirmed that there were indeed quite a few monsters and demons from his previous life's movies and TV shows that had intruded into this world.