When system cheat becomes rampant!

In the clean and tidy office, Mu Yiqing sat leisurely in her chair, observing various comments about Xiang Beifei on the computer with a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Given Xiang Beifei's current popularity, virtually all Level N Awakeners were eagerly supporting him, striving to prove themselves "the choice."

It was like a nationwide frenzy in Jiuzhou.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, elevating Luo Yunxian's disciple to such heights?"

Across from Mu Yiqing sat a man in a suit and leather shoes. He appeared just over fifty, without a trace of white in his neatly combed, glossy hair, impeccably groomed to reflect the nobility of a superior.

This man was He Caiwei, the current Commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department.

The previous occupant of this position was none other than Luo Yunxian.

"Aren't you worried that Xiang Beifei could become an anti-Alliance force secretly nurtured by Luo Yunxian? Isn't this an opportunity?" Mu Yiqing said with a smile.

"How so?"

He Caiwei poured himself a cup of tea, the aroma wafting, soothing to the soul, as he gently blew on it and took a delicate sip.

"Consider what would happen if we left Xiang Beifei alone, allowing him to grow quietly at Liangzhou University?" Mu Yiqing countered.

He Caiwei set down his teacup, pondered for a moment, and nodded slightly.

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"I see what you mean."

Luo Yunxian was a genius, and Xiang Beifei was even more so a genius taught by him!

Given Luo Yunxian's discernment, every disciple he took on was noteworthy. Especially Xiang Beifei who once, with a single punch, had defeated SSR's Hou Chengwu and even subdued a late-stage desolate beast with Meridian Opening!

For the high-ranking members of the Alliance, a late-stage desolate beast was trivial, easily defeatable. But the issue was that Xiang Beifei was just a student who had been in the Awakening System for merely six months.

That was a completely different matter.

Neither He Caiwei nor Mu Yiqing could achieve that at Xiang Beifei's age!

Such a student, therefore, could not be ignored.

"But are you sure Xiang Beifei will stand with us?" asked He Caiwei.

"It would be best if he stood with the Alliance, but it doesn't really matter if he doesn't. The key point isn't where he stands, it's that he's now a well-known genius. That means he can't remain low-profile anymore. That's the crux."

Mu Yiqing stretched her delicate finger and gently flicked a pen on the table.

"So what?"

"Once a person has been exposed by the media and becomes a star everyone admires, with fans wanting to know more about his private life and paparazzi eagerly waiting to capture his scandals, then it's like having countless eyes watching him for us. Every move he makes will be under the scrutiny of the media," Mu Yiqing explained.

This way, anything Xiang Beifei does will be known to them. If Luo Yunxian plans to cultivate Xiang Beifei as his secret weapon, then in such a public setting, a secret weapon would essentially be exposed.

"I don't think it's a good idea though."

"So what would you suggest?" asked Mu Yiqing.

"All Awakeners should unconditionally obey the Alliance's commands."

He Caiwei put down his teacup, poured another cup of tea for himself, with the tea lightly chiming as it flowed into the cup. He picked up the cup, gently swirling it.

"Not even geniuses are exceptions," he said indifferently.

Mu Yiqing frowned slightly, "He is no ordinary genius."

"The Alliance never lacks geniuses, and those geniuses all obey."

He Caiwei sipped his tea again, then paused to look at the tea in his cup, seemingly dissatisfied with it.

"It's supposedly a high-quality tea, all brewed out of the same teapot, yet there are always one or two cups that don't taste right. For me, tea that doesn't taste right is undrinkable."

He Caiwei nonchalantly poured the tea from his cup into the tea tray.

Mu Yiqing watched the tea, her gaze flickering uncertainly.

"It's too early to draw a conclusion now; we should give him a chance; he hasn't done anything out of line so far," Mu Yiqing said.

"He'd better not have."

He Caiwei spoke flatly, then brewed himself another pot of tea.

Grabbing the tea leaves, pouring boiling water, washing the tea, brewing it, filtering it, pouring it.

The whole process was fluid and elegant.

"Before brewing, always wash the tea to remove residual impurities so you can brew a good pot of tea,"

He Caiwei seemed to be introducing tea-ceremony to Mu Yiqing as he poured himself another cup of tea, gently smelling the fragrance, and taking a light sip, looking more satisfied.

"Good tea must be brewed strictly," he said.

Mu Yiqing was silent for a moment. She understood He Caiwei's implication.

"I have always thought of him as a fine cup of tea," Mu Yiqing said.

"Then we'll see how he performs next," He Caiwei said indifferently.

Mu Yiqing remained silent.

She was adept at socializing and discerning others' thoughts. In a place like the Alliance, she knew what to say and what not to say.

She understood better than anyone just how deep the waters were here.

Luo Yunxian was once the Commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department.

He stepped down, and that was how He Caiwei got the opportunity.

To say that he picked up the position wouldn't be wrong.

Not everyone in the Alliance opposed Elder Luo. Even to this day, many within the Alliance supported Elder Luo's actions, deeming his killing of that SSR to be justifiable.

Many believed that Elder Luo was the backbone of the Alliance.

It's just that their voices weren't strong enough to stir any waves.

But privately, many in the Alliance were aware that if a beast tide erupted again, they would rather see Luo Yunxian stepping forward.

Not He Caiwei.

But He Caiwei clearly didn't like living in the shadow of Luo Yunxian.

Mu Yiqing turned her gaze toward the window.

"Xiang Beifei, Xiang Beifei, I've been trying my best to help you, but you need to think carefully about where you stand."

Although Xiang Beifei was a conversation stopper, perhaps for this reason, Mu Yiqing was also filled with a bit of curiosity about this guy.

She hoped Xiang Beifei would stand by her side.

Even if he didn't, at the very least, she hoped he wouldn't cause any trouble and just quietly set an example for N-level Awakeners.

——

——

At the banquet, everyone was still teasing Xiang Beifei, and Xiang Qingde, unusually, drank a bit of alcohol and spoke a bit louder. Having such an outstanding grandson made him feel proud.

Xiang Beifei didn't mind the teasing, as they were all his people; joking around didn't bother him at all.

Lu Zhiwei looked like a naive person, completely oblivious to anything. She simply giggled along with the others while Kong Xiuwen was actively sharing netizens' comments about Xiang Beifei.@@novelbin@@

But then, Xiang Beifei's phone rang, and he saw it was Mu Yiqing calling.

He had set his phone to "Do Not Disturb" mode to focus on his cultivation and Meridian Opening, missing almost two calls daily from her. Today, she called again.

"I'll take a call."

Xiang Beifei stood up and walked to the balcony.

"Finally, you answered the phone!" Mu Yiqing's voice came from the phone.

"Is there something up?"

"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?" Mu Yiqing asked.

"Then I'm hanging up."

"Wait! I was just kidding."

Mu Yiqing's tone sounded very melancholic.

After a pause, she continued, "Would you welcome me coming upstairs?"

Xiang Beifei frowned slightly and looked down from the balcony.

On the street below, Mu Yiqing was leaning against a tree, lazily watching him.

"Not welcome," Xiang Beifei said.

Mu Yiqing: "..."

What a romantically clueless guy.

"I won't come up; come down then," Mu Yiqing suggested.

Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment, knowing this woman had thick skin. If he ignored her, she would probably come up and ring the doorbell soon. Everyone at the banquet was someone Xiang Beifei knew, making it a friendly atmosphere, but if someone from the Alliance showed up, and especially an SSR, the mood would change.

He turned to glance at the people in the living room, then pivoted on his feet. He vanished from the balcony, and when he reappeared, he was standing behind Mu Yiqing.

"I'm not a ruthless desolate beast; why such an unwelcome?" Mu Yiqing ended the call and turned to face Xiang Beifei.

"What's the matter?" Xiang Beifei asked.

Mu Yiqing eyed Xiang Beifei. For some reason, she felt like his aura had changed, yet she couldn't pinpoint the depths of the change.

"What have you been doing these days?" Mu Yiqing asked.

"You already know, so why ask," Xiang Beifei replied.

He had been shut indoors practicing, and a person like Mu Yiqing unable to contact him would undoubtedly come to investigate.

"Sometimes, even when you know, you pretend not to know. It appears less abrupt; that's the etiquette of social interactions. You really should learn how to converse properly."

Mu Yiqing sat on a bench by the tree, lazily leaning back on the seat, her elbow on the backrest, and tilted her head to look at Xiang Beifei.

Xiang Beifei didn't speak, just watched Mu Yiqing.

Mu Yiqing, feeling stared at for a moment, suddenly became a bit uncomfortable.

Strange, she was an experienced SSR; how could she feel intimidated by a young man's stare?

Xiang Beifei kept watching her, the atmosphere turning slightly awkward. She could only cough and then said, "That said, your fan count has already surpassed a million. Aren't you going to thank me?"

"Oh."

Mu Yiqing: "..."

Communicating with this wooden guy was truly exhausting.

Mu Yiqing hyped the whole thing up. Xiang Beifei's account jumped from zero to a million fans in less than a week, a growth rate that made countless popular stars green with envy.

The fan counts of many popular young stars were mostly bought, zombie followers; out of a million fans, having ten thousand genuine ones would be a miracle.

But Xiang Beifei obviously didn't need to buy followers. His fan count was genuinely growing.

An N-level defeating an SSR—just that fact alone was enough to win countless admirers.

To most people, SSR Awakeners seemed too distant, usually lofty and hard to encounter. But N-levels were a common sight!

N-level Awakener! Top scorer in original college entrance exam grades! Martial artist! City hero against desolate beasts! Defeated an SSR!

Carrying such tags, Xiang Beifei was more relatable and instantly became a sensation.

He did nothing, not even a second post, yet the inherent topical traffic around him knocked many popular young stars off their pedestals.

Those who had awakened something like the "Superstar System" were outright envious.

"Your story really attracts fans. Most of the 'options' are N-level Awakeners, and they all like you. It seems only right to make a post," Mu Yiqing said.

"Sure," Xiang Beifei took out his phone.

Mu Yiqing suddenly remembered something and hastily said, "Wait, don't post! I'm scared of what you might post! I'm scared of you!"

This conversation-ender, what a blunt guy. He had no idea what he might post next, and if the copy was poor, he could lose followers.

"Being straightforward is better," Xiang Beifei put away his phone and said.

Mu Yiqing pursed her lips and then said, "Fine! You are a student from a prestigious university and a promising youth cultivated by our Jiuzhou Alliance. The Alliance is optimistic about your future and hopes you can set an example for all N-level Awakeners, conveying to them the right values."

She deliberately attributed all of Xiang Beifei's accomplishments to the Alliance's training, not to Liangzhou University.