I'm in the world of cultivation, and I get a system for becoming a wealthy urban tycoon?

Lu Yang opened the menu, glanced at it from top to bottom, and was immediately speechless.

With similar ingredients and the same grade of spiritual food, the Jin Hong Restaurant's prices were a full 50% higher than the sect's canteen.

The braised Fiery Horn Wolf meat in the canteen costs three spirit stones per serving, but here, with a different plating, it costs four and a half spirit stones.

If he were paying for it himself today, it wouldn't matter if it were a little more expensive.

For someone as wealthy as him, dining out is never about saving money; enjoying a satisfying meal is the priority.

But today it's Senior Sister Lin Ying's treat. Every spirit stone she earns is the result of hard work refining pills. If he were to ask for something more expensive, would that be appropriate?

Last time, when Senior Sister Lin Ying ate in the cafeteria, she even told him to order less.

To be honest, if we weren't already seated in the private room, he would have suggested we go back to the cafeteria to eat.

Lu Yang muttered a few complaints to himself, then quickly scanned the menu, selecting only a few inexpensive dishes: "The spiritual food here is much more expensive than in the cafeteria, so let's just order a few things. Roasted spiritual lamb chops, honey-glazed roasted spiritual chicken, golden needle jade soup, red bean spiritual rice—that should be enough."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Lin Ying refused to continue.

She frowned slightly, her voice carrying a hint of seriousness: "Junior brother, why don't you order a few more dishes? Last time, even the two of us ate more than this, so how can it be enough for three people today?"

Qin Nanyue, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and her gaze towards Lu Yang softened unconsciously.

Roasted lamb chops and honey-glazed roasted chicken are among the most affordable meat dishes on the Jin Hong Restaurant's menu.

This junior brother was clearly trying to save Yingying money when ordering food.

He's a nice guy.

Lu Yang smiled and explained, "Last time it was in the canteen of the residence. After eating, I could go straight back to my room to meditate and refine spiritual energy. This is the market town, and it takes more than an hour to get back. Eating too much spiritual energy would be a waste, as I wouldn't have time to refine it. Just tasting it is enough."

Lin Ying pursed her lips, her eyelashes drooping slightly.

She could easily tell that this was an excuse.

Putting aside whether the spiritual energy would be wasted, the way she was carefully trying to save her money made her point very clear.

She didn't respond to that, but instead reached for the menu and ordered three more dishes for herself.

The price of these three dishes was significantly higher than the total price of the dishes Lu Yang ordered.

Lu Yang glanced at the total price and silently calculated it in his mind.

This table alone would cost about thirty spirit stones.

However, since Lin Ying ordered it herself, he naturally couldn't say anything more.

After ordering, the handyman disciples quickly took out plates of spiritual food from their storage bags and placed them steaming hot on the table.

These spiritual foods were all visually appealing and fragrant, filling the table with a spiritual aura, and the intertwined aromas permeated the private room.

The servant bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.

Qin Nanyue glanced at the dishes on the table, then looked at Lin Ying, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Yingying really went broke today~~ We should eat more and not waste any."

Lu Yang nodded in agreement and picked up his chopsticks.

Lin Ying smiled slightly and said gently, "It won't be a waste. I can pack up any leftovers and take them back to my place."

The three of them ate and chatted.

During the meal, Lu Yang mostly listened as Qin Nanyue and Lin Ying chatted back and forth about matters concerning the outer sect.

He is still in the probationary period, and his understanding of the outer sect is limited to the brief introduction in the introductory manual.

Listening to the two talk about their real daily lives, I realized that the world of the outer sect was much more complicated than I had imagined.

Formal disciples who enter the outer sect receive a fixed monthly stipend of twenty low-grade spirit stones.

If you want more spirit stones, you have to go to the sect affairs hall to take on tasks: patrolling the mountain, exorcising demons, gathering herbs, escorting, etc.

The tasks are varied and the rewards are different. Completing the tasks will earn you spirit stones and sect contribution points.

Becoming an outer disciple does not mean you can just lie around and collect your monthly salary without contributing anything.

Every year at the end of the year, the outer department conducts a comprehensive exam for all members.

The bottom 500 people in the assessment will be demoted from outer disciples to outer deacons.

The steward's monthly salary was halved, leaving only ten low-grade spirit stones. In addition, he had to take on a lot of miscellaneous tasks. His situation was slightly better than that of the handyman disciples, but he was still just a high-level handyman.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang couldn't help but gasp.

This is a bottom-ranking elimination system!

I never imagined the competition in the outer sect would be so brutal.

Furthermore, he learned from their conversation that, apart from the disciples of Danfeng, Qifeng, and Fufeng, the disciples of the other peaks must complete a sect mission every year.

This is a strict rule and cannot be shirked.

The disciples of Danfeng, Qifeng, and Fufeng are given monthly quotas for alchemy, weapon crafting, and talisman drawing.

Lu Yang had previously felt that the entire Golden Rainbow Sword Sect was like a giant corporation.

From the bottom to the top, everyone has their own responsibilities, and each person has their own tasks and performance evaluations.

Now, after listening to their conversation, this impression is even stronger.

"However—" Qin Nanyue took a sip of soup, put down her spoon, and said in a relaxed tone, "Although the outer sect assessment is somewhat inhumane, if one makes great progress within a year, or ranks highly in the assessment, the rewards are extremely generous. This can be considered a form of encouragement from the sect."

"That's right." Lin Ying nodded repeatedly from the side. "As one of the top ten outer sect disciples, Nan Yue receives a considerable amount of support from the sect alone."

Lu Yang became interested and put down his chopsticks to ask, "Are the rewards all spirit stones?"

Qin Nanyue shook her head and listed the rewards on her fingers: "Of course there are spirit stones, but there's much more than that. High-level magic treasures, rare spirit fruits, sect-exclusive cultivation techniques and spells—there are quite a lot of rewards. Whatever you lack, the sect will provide it for you."

As Lu Yang listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

To be honest, he wasn't very interested in spirit stones.

He currently has at least 8,000 spirit stones in hand, and with the "confidence of a super-rich person" continuing to pour in, spirit stones are no longer a problem for him.

But cultivation techniques, spells, and rare spiritual fruits—these are things that money can't buy.

In particular, the unique techniques of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect not only require the status of a formal disciple, but also need to be exchanged with sect contribution points, and cannot be bought at all in the outer sect market.

Seeing his interest, Qin Nanyue added with a smile, "We disciples of Golden Core families travel thousands of miles to cultivate at the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, isn't it all for these rare resources? Once you enter the outer sect, try your best to achieve a good ranking in the outer sect assessment. The top student each year can be promoted to the inner sect ahead of schedule and choose an elder to become their disciple."

Lu Yang sighed, his tone quite helpless: "...I really am not a member of a Golden Core family."

Qin Nanyue's expression remained unchanged, still that ambiguous smile that seemed to say, "Do you think I believe you?"

Lin Ying, standing beside her, also had a gentle smile on her face, clearly not taking those words seriously.

Lu Yang gave up.

Believe it or not.

The three chatted and laughed, their chopsticks never stopping.

Before they knew it, the entire table of food had been completely devoured, leaving not even a drop of soup.

After finishing their meal, the three of them leaned back in their chairs, all completely satisfied.

Qin Nanyue patted her stomach, smiled broadly, and winked at Lin Ying: "Hehe, thanks for the treat, Yingying~~"

Lin Ying glared at her irritably: "Next time it's your turn to treat! I want my money's worth!"

"No problem." Qin Nanyue waved her hand generously, as if she were the one treating the meal.

Then she turned her head and looked at Lu Yang, "Next time I treat you to a meal, Junior Brother Lu, please come along if you're free."

Lu Yang naturally wouldn't refuse and immediately replied, "Then I'll thank Senior Sister Qin in advance."

He readily agreed, but he was still planning something else.

This Senior Sister Qin is a system-certified beauty.

If a favorability rating module could be added in the future, the rewards would be substantial.

More friends, more paths; more confidantes, more rewards—this is definitely a win-win situation.

Thinking of this, he took the opportunity to say, "Senior Sister Qin, how about we add a sound transmission mark first? It will be easier to contact each other next time."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Ying, who was holding a teacup, trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, at the tips of her fingers.

She put down her teacup, looked down at the clear tea in the cup, and felt a bittersweet feeling welling up in her heart.

Why did Junior Brother Lu take the initiative to exchange telepathic marks with Nan Yue...?

But in an instant, she shook her head slightly in her heart.

I have only a normal friendship with Junior Brother Lu, and there is nothing special between us. So why should I care who he associates with?

Qin Nanyue didn't think too much about it and readily agreed.

In her view, Lu Yang's background must be extraordinary.

It's always a good idea to befriend the scions of such powerful families.

Moreover, spending more time with Lu Yang would also allow him to help Yingying make a good choice.

This girl is too soft-hearted; she might even help someone count spirit stones if she gets scammed.

The two took out their sect tokens and touched them lightly, thus completing the exchange of their telepathic imprints.

Lu Yang put away the token, turned to look at Lin Ying, a slight smile playing on his lips, and his tone suddenly became serious: "By the way, Senior Sister Lin, I have a gift for you."

Lin Ying paused, then looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes: "A gift? What gift?"

Qin Nanyue also raised her eyebrows curiously, her gaze sweeping over Lu Yang.

After his performance while ordering food, she had a very good impression of this junior.

Given Lu Yang's background and wealth, the gifts he gives out shouldn't be too bad, right?

Under the curious gazes of the two, Lu Yang smiled slightly and gently patted the storage bag at his waist with his right hand.

The next moment, a stream of pure white light with purple hues poured out from his palm.

The Purple Cloud Robe slowly unfurled in his hands, and the spiritual energy in the private room seemed to be stirred for a moment by the robe.

The robe is made of plain white, with pale purple cloud patterns meandering along the cuffs and hem, flowing like living things.

The robe was made of extremely light and thin material, draping like a waterfall, yet it exuded an air of nobility from every line of the fabric.

A faint, ethereal light shone on the robe, making the entire robe seem shrouded in a light purple mist, ethereal and otherworldly.

There was a moment of silence in the private room.

Qin Nanyue stared straight at the robe, her pupils suddenly contracting.

As a direct descendant of the Qin family, who are at the Golden Core stage, her eyesight has been honed since childhood. As long as a magical artifact shows a hint of its spirit, she can estimate its grade with a high degree of accuracy.

However, it was precisely because she could see it that she was even more shocked.

She abruptly raised her head: "This...this is...a top-grade magic artifact?!"