Chapter 73 – Fusion of Martial Power (Part Two)
The System paused for a moment, seemingly mulling over the intent behind her words, then disheartenedly advised her against it.
“Host, according to your current martial power rating, wasting precious points on fusion is simply not worth it.”
Jiang Pengji’s martial power data from her past life could absolutely make her an invincible monster, but what good is that?
In this ancient world, Jiang Pengji could clearly exchange points for more useful skills or items to improve her life, but she was stubborn and refused to heed the advice.
Besides, it was a palace struggle system after all; the host was meant to become the Empress!
Even though Jiang Pengji never accepted that notion, the System couldn’t just abandon its established goals because the host was unwilling to cooperate.
If she truly perfected the fusion of her past life’s martial prowess, then……
Who has ever seen an Empress able to poke a hole through the Emperor’s head with a single finger?
The image was too beautiful; it simply couldn’t bear to look.
“If you continue to live stream for a few more days, the System will undergo its first upgrade. At that time, the items unlocked in the shop will be more abundant. You could use your points then, which will help you adapt better to this era and make life more comfortable.”
Given that it was called the Dimension Palace Fighting Live Broadcast System, its functions were certainly not as limited as Jiang Pengji initially thought.
Using points on something as useless as martial power fusion right now would leave her unprepared for whatever items she might need later!
Jiang Pengji understood the System’s worries, but she scoffed at them.
“No matter what happens, I’m confident I can handle it perfectly.”
In her previous life, without a System, she still climbed from the ranks of a lowly Federation soldier to the highest military commander.
Now, in this backward ancient time, was she really supposed to struggle without the System’s cheating assistance?
That martial power belonged to her; exchanging points for fusion was just a fair trade with the System.
Due to the limitations of her physical genes, it didn’t matter how much she trained herself—she could never restore even one percent of her previous combat ability.
This body was like a cup of water; no matter how much she poured in, it could only hold the volume of one cup. The fusion the System spoke of was essentially about optimizing her body’s genes, turning the cup into a water tank. This way, the amount of water it could hold would be significantly more.
“Just say it straight: can this paltry popularity points regain some of my past martial power? I don’t want to hear anything else.”
Cornered by her insistence, the System could only reluctantly respond, “Yes, it’s possible, but the points are too few, and the fusion effect will be minimal.”
Zhong Sun Yuan wasn’t put off by that. She had a vague premonition that to fuse all the martial power from her past life and develop this body’s genes to that level would require an unimaginable amount of points. However, no matter how difficult it was, she had to give it a try.
Sometimes, the System was just too bothersome. It seemed submissive yet always wanted to control her actions according to its wishes.
On the surface, it appeared that the Host led the situation, but after testing the System a few times, Jiang Pengji found that the reality was otherwise. Currently, their positions were somewhat equal—a cooperative relationship—but what about in the future?
The System craved popularity points, pushing her to live stream—was there no ulterior motive behind that?
One could boldly speculate that popularity points could make the System stronger. If the host remained stagnant while the System grew, what would happen then?
Her choices conflicted with the System’s goals. It wasn’t apparent now, but once the gap widened, it would be a different story.
Jiang Pengji was never a puppet led around by others, but maintaining her pathetic state would force her to comply, whether she wanted to or not.
Rather than be passive, it was better to take a step back and find ways to gradually regain her past strength.
Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze and said, “It’s fine; little by little, everything takes time.”
Seeing the host’s determination, the System had no choice but to let her go along with her plans, albeit with a stomach full of discomfort, begrudgingly conceding to her choice.
Jiang Pengji heard an unpleasant notification from the System in her ear, and a virtual screen appeared in front of her.
[Host confirms using 10,000 points to continue fusion? Press A to confirm, B to consider further.]
Without any hesitation, Jiang Pengji pressed confirm, and her account’s points immediately emptied, leaving only 34 points.
She waited for a moment; her body showed no reaction. Just as she was about to ask what was happening, a sharp pain shot through the soles of her feet, surging into her brain as if two massive iron nails were forcibly driven in, and her knees buckled almost sending her to the floor.
But this was only the beginning.
In less than half a breath, Jiang Pengji felt excruciating pain that turned her face pale, cold sweat soon beading on her forehead, her lips tinged with a hint of blue. Veins throbbed visibly on her brow, her eyes nearly bulging from their sockets, bloodshot, looking extremely terrifying.
All her muscles were stimulated, going into a mad spasm, and Jiang Pengji realized she was having difficulty breathing, her face changing color in distress.
She looked down at her hands, and the corners of her lips curled in a mocking smile. Her already thin hands were now spasming, curled into claw shapes, with protruding knuckles that looked horrifying. The pain was so intense that she could hardly hold it together.
She accidentally knocked over the paperweight on the table, sending it crashing to the ground.
The Maidservant, Xun Mei, heard the noise from outside the study and softly asked, “Young Master, is there anything you need?”
Jiang Pengji struggled to take a deep breath, barely alleviating the suffocating feeling, secretly biting her tongue to suppress the bloody taste and the muscle spasms in her mouth so she wouldn’t choke. Her voice remained steady, “It’s nothing; I just accidentally knocked the paperweight over. Xun Mei, go prepare some hot soup…”
Xun Mei, unperturbed by any irregularities, respectfully acknowledged and went to instruct the servants to boil water for Jiang Pengji.
At this moment, however, Jiang Pengji was in such agony that she curled up like a shrimp, her breathing growing more erratic, her face even beginning to turn a shade of purple.
After what felt like an eternity, the excruciating pain slowly began to subside. To stifle any sounds from the pain, Jiang Pengji had already exhausted her strength. She lay on the ground, gently closing her eyes, her breath very weak. After another quarter of an hour, her strength gradually returned.
Meanwhile, Xun Mei had returned, reporting from outside the door, “Young Master, the hot soup is ready.”
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Pengji secretly rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth as she got up, hastily wiping the sweat from her face with her sleeve.
“Assist me with my bath.”
Xun Mei carefully gathered her long dark hair, wrapping it in a cloth to prevent it from getting damp.
Jiang Pengji pressed her lips together, the pale color of her lips slowly regaining some blood from the steam. Leaning back in the bathtub with her eyes closed, she appeared to be resting, but in reality, she was communicating with the System. Her entire body felt both sore and swollen; she was too lazy to lift even a single finger.
