DEM Chapter 45: Can’t We Have Some Traditional Tropes?

Su Yuan couldn’t discern any emotion in Tai Bai Tianji’s eyes as he sat calmly in his seat.

He looked as composed as ever.

But that was a facade!

The system’s task progress didn’t lie. Tai Bai Tianji’s attention toward Su Yuan had shot from 0 to 100 in an instant.

If the man didn’t have some thoughts, that would be strange.

Forget about Tai Bai Yuxi being young; her youth only made an old father angrier!

Deceiving and bribing a child, what kind of beastly behavior was that?

Even if the system’s task progress wasn’t reliable, the Raging Heart Strike, which had autonomously activated and was greedily absorbing the surrounding negative emotions, couldn’t be faked.

Where did these negative emotions come from?

The answer was obvious.

Tai Bai Yuxi, oh Tai Bai Yuxi, you’ve really screwed me over!

I could’ve won this Martial Arts Competition fair and square with my skills.

Su Yuan felt a chill down his spine, as if cold air was seeping in. The gazes of everyone, from school leaders to students, sliced into him like knives, making his back prickle.

But things had already reached this point. What could Su Yuan do?

For now, he decided to check what the system had rewarded him.

[Task: Borrow Momentum (Completed)]

[Task Reward: Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger (Issued)]

Instantly, Su Yuan felt a flood of knowledge pour into his mind.

[Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger: Effect 1: When used on a designated magical treasure, the user can sense the treasure’s emotions and gain an initial favorability of 100 points.]

[Effect 2: After sensing the treasure’s emotions, the user can attempt to communicate with it. When the treasure’s favorability toward the user exceeds 120, there is a 99% chance of triggering the Machine Soul Ecstasy trait.]

[Machine Soul Ecstasy: The magical treasure will, for a period, perform beyond its theoretical limits. Conversely, if the Machine Soul is displeased, the treasure’s performance will significantly drop or even malfunction entirely.]

Holy crap! This demonic technique was incredible!

Sensing and influencing a magical treasure’s emotions, achieving resonance with it to unleash a human-treasure unity effect? That’s how it worked, right?

But here was the issue: how could a technique that didn’t seem particularly demonic be ranked alongside Fate Finger and Spirit Finger?

As he puzzled over this, a line of text slowly appeared on the system panel.

[Note: The host should broaden their perspective when using Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger. Causing an enemy’s magical treasure to trigger the Machine Soul Displeasure trait or even making it betray its owner holds great potential.]

Alright, so that’s the proper use of Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger?

Su Yuan suddenly understood.

In that light, this technique was indeed sinister!

Imagine this: you’re an ancient righteous sword cultivator, chasing down a demonic cultivator with your beloved sword.

At the critical moment of deciding the battle, you unleash a decisive strike, only to find that your sword, somehow swayed by the demonic cultivator, has turned against you, its power drastically reduced.

In the ever-shifting tides of battle, your fate would be obvious.

It was terrifying to think about.

But… while Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger was an extremely cunning technique, there was a problem. Where was a poor guy like him supposed to find a magical treasure?

Sway someone else’s treasure?

Stealing others’ property could land you in jail for up to three years!

Use it to mess with peers during a duel?

Heh, wasn’t he in the middle of a Martial Arts Competition? Where were the magical treasures?

High school Martial Arts Competitions banned weapons and magical treasures! How was he supposed to pull off any tricks?

After much thought, Su Yuan reluctantly realized that Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger, while impressive on paper, was currently useless and couldn’t help him much.

Shaking his head, Su Yuan closed the system panel and refocused on the Martial Arts Competition.

He desperately hoped Tai Bai Tianji would take that little demon girl Yuxi away and let the competition proceed normally, so he could prove himself with his skills.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he wished. Tai Bai Tianji remained silent, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Meanwhile, Tai Bai Yuxi, reveling in the chaos, tilted her head and said, "I declared Su Yuan the champion. Why aren’t you all speaking? Anyone object?"

At her words, someone in the crowd finally couldn’t take it anymore!

"I object! This Martial Arts Competition is a farce. I demand a new judge and a rematch!"

The speaker was a tall, mature-looking young man who strode out of the crowd as he spoke.

Su Yuan glanced back and recognized him.

It was Huang Sheng, the competitor from Class Four in this Martial Arts Competition.

Coming from a wealthy local family, Huang Sheng’s physical prowess far surpassed his peers due to his family’s resources, making him the class’s athletic star.

Despite his slightly lacking martial arts skills, his physical strength made him a formidable opponent.

Su Yuan could understand why Huang Sheng was the first to object.

Besides athletics and cultivation, Huang Sheng’s grades were mediocre at best.

If he couldn’t secure a good ranking in the Martial Arts Competition, his chances of entering the special advanced class were slim to none.

With his strength, Huang Sheng had a shot at reaching the top two, but Tai Bai Yuxi’s meddling had eliminated him without even stepping onto the field. Of course he couldn’t tolerate it.

Su Yuan felt he should chime in and push for a rematch.

But before he could speak, Huang Sheng turned his ire on him, striding over and looming above Su Yuan. "You’re Su Yuan, right? I’ve heard you’ve been acting cocky lately, always hanging around the school beauty. But I didn’t expect you to be this brazen right under True Person Tai Bai’s nose!"

"I don’t care how you seduced True Person Tai Bai’s daughter. Right now, you have one choice: apologize to True Person Tai Bai and fight us competitors fair and square!"

Su Yuan: "…"

Alright, alright, finally some classic trope action?

From Huang Sheng’s tone, it seemed he was even jealous of Su Yuan’s closeness with Chen Nuoyi.

This brainless, jealous antagonist was just too perfect!

Su Yuan wasn’t alarmed but delighted, itching to start the fight.

But at that moment, Tai Bai Yuxi wasn’t having it. With a scornful sneer, she mocked, "Who do you think you are? A bunch of rotten fish and shrimp daring to compete with Brother Su Yuan? Even if you and the others ganged up, you wouldn’t be a match for one of Brother Su Yuan’s hands."

Huang Sheng’s face flushed red, and a tidal wave of negative emotions surged toward Su Yuan.

Su Yuan: "…"

Boosting me to death, huh? You cunning little white-haired demon!

Su Yuan vaguely understood Tai Bai Yuxi’s tactic. Her earlier declaration of his victory wasn’t about playing favorites, it was about making him a target of everyone’s hatred!

But taking on seven at once? He wasn’t sure he could win!

As the situation grew increasingly chaotic, Tai Bai Tianji finally cleared his throat. "Yuxi, I’ll take charge of this competition."

At his words, Principal Zhang Youde, the teachers, and students all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

True Person Tai Bai had a sense of propriety and wouldn’t let his daughter keep causing a scene.

The Martial Arts Competition could finally proceed as planned, right?

Just as everyone’s hopes rose, Tai Bai Tianji spoke calmly in the next moment, "We’ve wasted enough time. I don’t think this Martial Arts Competition needs to continue."

"Here’s the plan: all competitors, come add me to a group chat. I’ll send a red envelope, and whoever grabs it gets first place and a spot in the special advanced class."

School leaders, teachers, students, and competitors: "???"

[NEXT CHAPTER]Chapter 45: Su Yuan: Can’t We Have Some Traditional Tropes?

Su Yuan couldn’t discern any emotion in Tai Bai Tianji’s eyes as he sat calmly in his seat.

He looked as composed as ever.

But that was a facade!

The system’s task progress didn’t lie. Tai Bai Tianji’s attention toward Su Yuan had shot from 0 to 100 in an instant.

If the man didn’t have some thoughts, that would be strange.

Forget about Tai Bai Yuxi being young; her youth only made an old father angrier!

Deceiving and bribing a child, what kind of beastly behavior was that?

Even if the system’s task progress wasn’t reliable, the Raging Heart Strike, which had autonomously activated and was greedily absorbing the surrounding negative emotions, couldn’t be faked.

Where did these negative emotions come from?

The answer was obvious.

Tai Bai Yuxi, oh Tai Bai Yuxi, you’ve really screwed me over!

I could’ve won this Martial Arts Competition fair and square with my skills.

Su Yuan felt a chill down his spine, as if cold air was seeping in. The gazes of everyone, from school leaders to students, sliced into him like knives, making his back prickle.

But things had already reached this point. What could Su Yuan do?

For now, he decided to check what the system had rewarded him.

[Task: Borrow Momentum (Completed)]

[Task Reward: Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger (Issued)]

Instantly, Su Yuan felt a flood of knowledge pour into his mind.

[Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger: Effect 1: When used on a designated magical treasure, the user can sense the treasure’s emotions and gain an initial favorability of 100 points.]

[Effect 2: After sensing the treasure’s emotions, the user can attempt to communicate with it. When the treasure’s favorability toward the user exceeds 120, there is a 99% chance of triggering the Machine Soul Ecstasy trait.]

[Machine Soul Ecstasy: The magical treasure will, for a period, perform beyond its theoretical limits. Conversely, if the Machine Soul is displeased, the treasure’s performance will significantly drop or even malfunction entirely.]

Holy crap! This demonic technique was incredible!

Sensing and influencing a magical treasure’s emotions, achieving resonance with it to unleash a human-treasure unity effect? That’s how it worked, right?

But here was the issue: how could a technique that didn’t seem particularly demonic be ranked alongside Fate Finger and Spirit Finger?

As he puzzled over this, a line of text slowly appeared on the system panel.

[Note: The host should broaden their perspective when using Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger. Causing an enemy’s magical treasure to trigger the Machine Soul Displeasure trait or even making it betray its owner holds great potential.]

Alright, so that’s the proper use of Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger?

Su Yuan suddenly understood.

In that light, this technique was indeed sinister!

Imagine this: you’re an ancient righteous sword cultivator, chasing down a demonic cultivator with your beloved sword.

At the critical moment of deciding the battle, you unleash a decisive strike, only to find that your sword, somehow swayed by the demonic cultivator, has turned against you, its power drastically reduced.

In the ever-shifting tides of battle, your fate would be obvious.

It was terrifying to think about.

But… while Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger was an extremely cunning technique, there was a problem. Where was a poor guy like him supposed to find a magical treasure?

Sway someone else’s treasure?

Stealing others’ property could land you in jail for up to three years!

Use it to mess with peers during a duel?

Heh, wasn’t he in the middle of a Martial Arts Competition? Where were the magical treasures?

High school Martial Arts Competitions banned weapons and magical treasures! How was he supposed to pull off any tricks?

After much thought, Su Yuan reluctantly realized that Demonic Technique · Weapon Finger, while impressive on paper, was currently useless and couldn’t help him much.

Shaking his head, Su Yuan closed the system panel and refocused on the Martial Arts Competition.

He desperately hoped Tai Bai Tianji would take that little demon girl Yuxi away and let the competition proceed normally, so he could prove himself with his skills.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he wished. Tai Bai Tianji remained silent, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Meanwhile, Tai Bai Yuxi, reveling in the chaos, tilted her head and said, "I declared Su Yuan the champion. Why aren’t you all speaking? Anyone object?"

At her words, someone in the crowd finally couldn’t take it anymore!

"I object! This Martial Arts Competition is a farce. I demand a new judge and a rematch!"

The speaker was a tall, mature-looking young man who strode out of the crowd as he spoke.

Su Yuan glanced back and recognized him.

It was Huang Sheng, the competitor from Class Four in this Martial Arts Competition.

Coming from a wealthy local family, Huang Sheng’s physical prowess far surpassed his peers due to his family’s resources, making him the class’s athletic star.

Despite his slightly lacking martial arts skills, his physical strength made him a formidable opponent.

Su Yuan could understand why Huang Sheng was the first to object.

Besides athletics and cultivation, Huang Sheng’s grades were mediocre at best.

If he couldn’t secure a good ranking in the Martial Arts Competition, his chances of entering the special advanced class were slim to none.

With his strength, Huang Sheng had a shot at reaching the top two, but Tai Bai Yuxi’s meddling had eliminated him without even stepping onto the field. Of course he couldn’t tolerate it.

Su Yuan felt he should chime in and push for a rematch.

But before he could speak, Huang Sheng turned his ire on him, striding over and looming above Su Yuan. "You’re Su Yuan, right? I’ve heard you’ve been acting cocky lately, always hanging around the school beauty. But I didn’t expect you to be this brazen right under True Person Tai Bai’s nose!"

"I don’t care how you seduced True Person Tai Bai’s daughter. Right now, you have one choice: apologize to True Person Tai Bai and fight us competitors fair and square!"

Su Yuan: "…"

Alright, alright, finally some classic trope action?

From Huang Sheng’s tone, it seemed he was even jealous of Su Yuan’s closeness with Chen Nuoyi.

This brainless, jealous antagonist was just too perfect!

Su Yuan wasn’t alarmed but delighted, itching to start the fight.

But at that moment, Tai Bai Yuxi wasn’t having it. With a scornful sneer, she mocked, "Who do you think you are? A bunch of rotten fish and shrimp daring to compete with Brother Su Yuan? Even if you and the others ganged up, you wouldn’t be a match for one of Brother Su Yuan’s hands."

Huang Sheng’s face flushed red, and a tidal wave of negative emotions surged toward Su Yuan.

Su Yuan: "…"

Boosting me to death, huh? You cunning little white-haired demon!

Su Yuan vaguely understood Tai Bai Yuxi’s tactic. Her earlier declaration of his victory wasn’t about playing favorites, it was about making him a target of everyone’s hatred!

But taking on seven at once? He wasn’t sure he could win!

As the situation grew increasingly chaotic, Tai Bai Tianji finally cleared his throat. "Yuxi, I’ll take charge of this competition."

At his words, Principal Zhang Youde, the teachers, and students all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

True Person Tai Bai had a sense of propriety and wouldn’t let his daughter keep causing a scene.

The Martial Arts Competition could finally proceed as planned, right?

Just as everyone’s hopes rose, Tai Bai Tianji spoke calmly in the next moment, "We’ve wasted enough time. I don’t think this Martial Arts Competition needs to continue."

"Here’s the plan: all competitors, come add me to a group chat. I’ll send a red envelope, and whoever grabs it gets first place and a spot in the special advanced class."

School leaders, teachers, students, and competitors: "???"

[NEXT CHAPTER]