The Programmer Cultivator

Staring at the Qi Fortune Light Ball, Zhang Deming froze for a moment before it dawned on him: his second ’loop’ light ball had finally appeared.

In the two years since the panel had activated, he must have harvested several hundred, nearly a thousand, Qi Fortune Light Balls. ’Branch’ light balls were never in short supply, and the probability of ’sequence’ ones was also stable. Since they weren’t universally applicable, he wasn’t really short on them either after collecting a certain base number.

Only this ’loop’ Qi Fortune Light Ball was different. Aside from the first one that appeared by a stroke of luck, he hadn’t seen another one since. Now, after two years, a new ’loop’ light ball had finally materialized.

’This thing is incredibly rare.’

He stared at the light ball with a fervent gaze for a long time before setting it aside. He had decided on a use for this second ’loop’ light ball long ago and couldn’t afford to waste it.

If he wasted it, there was no telling when the next one might appear. With only two having ever shown up, the sample size was too small to estimate its probability. The element of chance was simply too great.

He didn’t even know if the appearance of these ’loop’ light balls was completely random or if some special condition was required for a ’loop’ Qi Fortune Light Ball to coalesce.

·········

After a long while, Zhang Deming finally calmed down and left the Spirit Nurturing Space with a smile.

Just as he was about to start dealing with the matter of the buried Bean Soldiers, his Identity Card vibrated. Zhang Deming paused, took out the card, and saw that it was a message from Song Huidong, the day-to-day supervisor of Spirit Nurturing Peak.

"Junior Brother Zhang, I heard you’ve returned to the Sect?"

Zhang Deming looked at the message, slightly puzzled. ’Is he looking for me for something?’

"I just got back a moment ago. Did you need me for something, Senior Brother Song?" Zhang Deming replied as he pondered.

"Wait for me a moment!"

After that brief message, Song Huidong went silent.

Zhang Deming stared at the message and pondered for a moment. He then stood up, left his room, and went out into the small courtyard. With a wave of his hand, he took out a tea set and slowly began to brew tea.

A moment later, an Immortal Crane flew to the cliff’s edge, and Song Huidong jumped off. When he walked into the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower and saw Zhang Deming brewing tea, he was slightly taken aback. "Junior Brother Zhang, you’re as leisurely as ever," he said. "Every time I come here, I can’t help but feel envious."

Zhang Deming smiled, his hands never ceasing their motion as he replied, "Senior Brother Song, if you truly think this kind of life is so great, you could always resign from your post as supervisor of Spirit Nurturing Peak.

"With your status, Senior Brother Song, finding a decent Cave Mansion to cultivate in peace shouldn’t be too difficult, I imagine."

Song Huidong shook his head with a wry smile. "I’m not so fortunate."

’More importantly, I don’t have your luck. I don’t have a childhood sweetheart like yours, nor a master like Master Yuee. If I really lived like you, I could forget about ever attempting to reach the Three Talents realm in this lifetime.

’I’d be waiting in line until I die, and the resources for promotion would probably never fall into my lap. I likely wouldn’t even be able to gather enough Contribution points for them!’ Song Huidong thought to himself as he watched the relaxed Zhang Deming.

"It’s not that you aren’t fortunate, Senior Brother Song, it’s that you can’t stand being idle!" Zhang Deming said with a smile as he handed over a freshly brewed cup of tea. "Have a taste. This is one of the best batches you all sent over!"

Song Huidong sat down and said, "Then I must savor it. Your share, Junior Brother, is on par with only four others on our peak. The shares for the rest of us Disciples don’t include such fine goods."

Zhang Deming chuckled. "It is merely due to the favor of the three Peak Masters."

Song Huidong’s tea-sipping motion paused. He glanced up at Zhang Deming before continuing to drink.

"Was there something you needed me for, Senior Brother Song?" Watching Song Huidong sip his tea, Zhang Deming waited a moment before asking directly.

He had other matters to attend to and didn’t have the spare time to beat around the bush with Song Huidong today.

Hearing this, Song Huidong put down his teacup, reached out, and took out a jade-like Command Token, placing it gently in front of Zhang Deming.

The Command Token was made of flawless white jade, oval and hollow like a personal pendant, with specks of Spiritual Light flickering within it.

Zhang Deming frowned at the Command Token for a long time but couldn’t make out what it was. Puzzled, he said, "Forgive my ignorance, Junior Brother, but I really can’t tell what this is."

Song Huidong replied, "These are some of the rewards allocated from above. There are also many physical items that will be delivered later. As for this thing in front of you, it’s an ordinary authority Command Token.

"Since you weren’t here a few days ago, Junior Brother, and some important permissions require in-person activation, the people from the Sect’s Main Peak left this behind.

"You just need to take out your Identity Card and link it up. The Array Department has learned many concepts from the Outer Realm regarding information processing these past few years, so things have become much more convenient.

"This is also why the Sect is so keen on the current exchange with the Outer Realm. After all, the benefits are substantial, and the results are plain to see."

Zhang Deming asked in confusion, "Rewards? I don’t remember..."

Halfway through his sentence, Zhang Deming remembered something and asked, "Are these from the Supreme Elder?"

Song Huidong nodded. "Yes. If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have made a personal trip just for a single Command Token.

"The junior brother who handed this over to me said that it involves permissions for several Tier Five Cultivation Techniques, the authority to freely enter and exit Secret Realms, and so on. In any case, he said a lot of permissions were being transferred this time.

"That’s why he repeatedly instructed that I had to deliver it personally into your hands, Junior Brother."