Chapter 2: System

Creak!

Just as Liang was laughing at his newfound discovery, the door swung open, flooding the room with blinding sunlight, causing him to close his eyes for a second.

Blinking against the sudden light, he saw a striking woman leaned casually against the door frame. Dark waves of hair fell gently upon the snow-white skin of her exposed shoulders. A flush on her face hinted at intoxication as she gazed at Liang with a puzzled expression.

When she spoke, her voice flowed like rich honey, carrying a sultry lilt. "Liang brat, why are you standing there naked? I didn't know that you were a exhibitionist.... Or were you expecting me?--"

Saying this she walked toward Liang. As she approached him with deliberate steps, Liang detected the sweet scent of rice wine mingling with her perfume.

Who's she? And how does she know my name?… Liang wondered to himself, as he had no recollection of this woman.

Before Liang could say anything, the woman placed her hands around his shoulder. Liang could literally feel the heat radiating from her silky-smooth skin. 

"---But the question is, Are you capable enough for me?" She tilted her head playfully as she traced a delicate finger down his chest.

Liang Chen froze, heat rushing to his face. This intoxicating beauty..he had not prepared this simulation.

"I..uh.." he stammered, fumbling for words while struggling to restrain his gaze from wandering her figure.

A roguish grin crossed the woman's face. She leaned closer, "What's wrong, little Brat? Why are you so quiet now?" Her breath washed warmly over his reddening ears.

She tilted her head, the movement causing the stick of hair pinned behind her ear to come loose. As she swept the lock of hair away, Liang's attention was drawn for a moment to her elegant neck and collarbones beneath her disheveled robes.

'Holy shit! From this angle, I can almost see her... well, this is embarrassing.' Liang involuntarily gulped, his face turning crimson. 

Despite his exposure to adult content, the realities of intimacy still eluded him.

In simple terms, He is a Virgin.

[Ding!]

As nervousness crept in, a voice echoed in Liang's mind, accompanied by a progressing bar that had reached 40 and was steadily climbing.

[Warning]

[The Lust Bar is triggered!]

[Indulgence in lust will result in penalties, ranging from loss of cultivation to lifespan. In extreme cases, death!]

[You are advised to exit the situation promptly.]

Liang faced a barrage of warnings, triggering a turbulent flashback to the scene before his transmigration and the choices he had made.

At that time, a series for penalties were announced but death was not part of it.

'D-D-Death? What do you mean death?'

'Again! This was not part of the deal.'

[Lust Bar Progress: 50/100]

[You are advised to get out of the situation as soon as possible.]

The progress bar flashed red as it crossed fifty, and Liang felt a surge of fear gripping his heart as he stared at the meter.

'This is not the time to think about this! I did not die to die again. I mean, I did not transmigrate to die again.'

'I need to get out of this situation!'

Meanwhile, the woman observed Liang, who seemed flustered and confused. A cunning smile played on her lips, as if her scheme had succeeded.

'Well, that was a lot easier than I thought.'

'He just needs to make a move now, and I can have all his belongings.'

'It's what his dad agreed to, after all. If he tries anything with a female in the sect, I can claim his belongings.'

'Being a female sect member has its perks. Although he's just a kid, belonging to the Liang family means he must have treasures on him!'

'He's a drunkard too, so he must have quite a collection. I can treat myself with those. Hohoho.'

'What a windfall!'

'Kid! If you want to blame someone, blame your father.' Just as the woman was entertaining these thoughts, she noticed Liang lifting his head and looking at her with eyes filled with determination.

'It's here! The moment he touches me, I'll knock him out and break a few bones.'

'No, breaking bones is too cruel. After all, I'm claiming all of his belongings.'

'Just knocking him out is good enough.'

The woman was ready to take action. She saw that Liang raised his hands and pushed her hands from his shoulder with a swift motion.

And then, Liang stepped forward swiftly, his moment surprisingly agile and then with a firm but gentle push, he guided the woman out of the room. 

The woman, who waited for Liang to do anything inappropriate was stunned with a series of actions as she stumbled backward and the doors swung shut with a muted thud.

Outside, she stood rooted to the ground, attempting to process the sudden turn of events. Gazing at the closed door, her initial bewilderment was replaced by a curious expression. Straightening her clothes, her gaze, still carrying a hint of intoxication, narrowed slightly in contemplation.

A mischievous smile graced her face as she muttered to herself, "Interesting!"

"Is my charm not good enough? Or is he different from the rumors?"

"Anyway, things are getting more and more interesting." Despite being pushed out, the woman showed no signs of anger; instead, a sense of curiosity emerged, as if she had stumbled upon something unexpectedly intriguing.

In short, she had found a new toy to play with.

..... 

As the door closed, Liang took a deep breath, his quick heartbeat gradually returning to a more regular pace. 

"Damn! That was a close call." Liang wiped out the non-existent sweat from his forehead and walked toward the bed and sat on it.

"The Lust Bar finally stopped at 70. Oh? It's coming down." Liang had a look of surprise on his face as the number of Lust Bar started to come down.

[50/100]

[40/100]

"Makes sense! Now that I am Calm, there is no lustful feeling inside me. And even my boner is gone." Liang sighed a breath of relief seeing the situation.

[30/100]

As everything was back to normal, the initial panic was now replaced with rage.

"You dumb shit! Can you stay true to your words?" Liang's eyes narrowed in irritation as he glared at the progress bar hovering in his vision. 

"How come you added death to the list of penalties? Do you think its funny" 

The sarcasm in Liang's voice was palpable. The absurdity of facing the death penalty for indulgence in lust made him infuriated.

Losing life span, losing cultivation is fine, as long as it's worth it!

But the death penalty? Hell no!

[20/100]

"Come out now! Why are you playing dumb? Before you were pretending to be mysterious. You are my system, right?" Liang gaze remained fixed on the progress bar, his impatience grew. The arbitrary numbers seemed to taunt him, adding to his frustration. 

[0/100]

As the countdown reaches 0, light enveloped Liang, emanating from the progress bar.

[Reward unlocked]

[Congratulations, Earthling! You have successfully resisted temptation. As a reward for your resilience, You shall receive: Cultivation Boost]

[Cultivation Boost]

•Duration: 10 Days

• Enhancement: +50% to Cultivation speed

[Utilize this reward wisely on your journey through the cultivation world, May your path be prosperous.]

"Reward?" Liang looked at the words and blinked his eyes in curiosity, "Indeed, I got Reward for resisting temptation. So when the needle at the progress bar reaches zero, I get a Reward?"

But when he looked at the reward his eyes widened with a min of disbelief and excitement as he stared at the holographic display in front of him. 

"No way… A cultivation boost? Is this for real?" Liang exclaimed, his voice tinged with excitement. He couldn't believe that the fantastical world of cultivation, once confined to the pages of novels, was now within his grasp.

A grin spread across his face revealing the joy bubbling within him. Liang was so happy that he even forgot anger toward the system for adding the death penalty.

"Hahaha! I finally got to cultivate and level up. Let's see if I can level up as fast as those protagonist's in the novels." 

As Liang was beaming with joy about the prospects of cultivation. A sudden surge of pain pierced through his head, causing him to wince in agony.

"Gah! What the hell is happening?" He grimaced, the excitement replaced with an unexpected torment.

The room seemed to blur as the pain intensified. In the midst of pain, the holographic display flickered, and floodgates of memories swung open. 

"Liang Chen…"

"Liang family…."

"VoidWeave scripture…"

"Celestial Harmony Sect…. Divine Blossom Pavilion…"

Little by little Liang received unfamiliar memories and finally understood his current identity and location.