Chapter 36: The Art of the Squander

Lin Fan sat cross-legged on his mat, the system interface shimmering before him, displaying his healthy balance of 4200 System Points. The dazzling wheel of the lottery beckoned, promising power and potential with its twenty available draws. He had consolidated his peak fifth layer cultivation, achieved his initial Contribution Point goal (surpassing it, in fact), and felt ready for another boost from the system's generosity. His finger hovered over the mental command to begin the draws.

Wait, a thought interrupted him. Twenty draws... 4000 points. What did that really get me last time? Some useful skills, good gear, yes. But is this the most efficient path right now?

He recalled the Outer Sect Market. The first giveaway of basic pills and gear had netted him nearly a thousand points. The second act, buying the mysterious items with a single High-Grade Spirit Stone, had generated almost two thousand points from the sheer shock and envy it produced. Then there were the task submissions – the Wolf Alpha core and the Wraith report – netting him another two thousand points combined due to the bystanders' and clerks' reactions to his accomplishments.

Accomplishments were good, but the points came from the reaction. And nothing generated reactions quite like blatant, inexplicable, overwhelming wealth. His recent tasks, while earning CP and proving his ability, yielded SP almost as a side effect. What if he focused directly on generating SP?

Active squandering yields far more points, far faster, than passively completing tasks, he realized. If I want more draws, better draws, or to unlock potentially expensive future system functions, I need a much larger SP balance. Why spend points now when I can easily earn vastly more first?

The decision crystallized. The lottery could wait. It was time for another performance.

But what kind? Another mass giveaway of low-level items felt repetitive. Buying out stalls was effective but situational. He needed something direct, impactful, and unmistakably showcasing his absurd wealth.

Spirit Stones. The ultimate currency. The resource every disciple desperately craved. What better way to show off than to treat them like worthless pebbles?

His stage? Not the market, not the remote quarry. It had to be central, public, where the maximum number of disciples could witness his 'generosity'. The main plaza, right outside the Contribution and Exchange Halls.

A slow grin spread across Lin Fan's face. He stood up, the lottery interface fading from his mind. He adjusted his simple robes, ensuring the Reinforced Leather Vest beneath wasn't obvious, and strapped the Flowing Shadow Sword to his back – maintaining the image of a standard, if capable, disciple.

He walked out of his hut and headed towards the bustling central plaza. It was mid-morning, peak time for disciples visiting the Halls, reporting tasks, exchanging points, or simply meeting up. Hundreds milled about, a sea of blue Outer Sect robes.

Lin Fan found a relatively open spot near the center, took a deep breath, and projected his voice using his Qi, ensuring it carried clearly above the general din.

"Fellow disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect!"

Heads turned. Conversations faltered. People recognized him – the disciple who had completed impossible tasks, the one whispered to possess mysterious wealth. What was he doing now?

"Your Senior Brother Lin Fan is feeling... particularly fortunate today!" he announced, a magnanimous (and deliberately arrogant) smile on his face. "Cultivation is hard, resources are scarce for many. Allow me to alleviate some of that burden!"

Before anyone could process his words, he waved his hand dramatically.

Clink-clink-clatter!

A pile of gleaming stones materialized out of thin air at his feet. Not Low-Grade stones. These were Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, easily a hundred of them, their gentle luminescence and rich energy instantly drawing every eye.

The plaza fell into stunned silence. A hundred Mid-Grade stones? That was equivalent to ten thousand Low-Grade stones! Enough for a regular disciple to cultivate diligently for years!

"Mid-Grade stones!" Lin Fan declared nonchalantly, gesturing at the pile as if it were gravel. "Good for cultivation, reasonable energy. Who wants some? Don't be shy!"

He bent down, scooped up a handful – perhaps twenty stones – and tossed them casually towards the nearest group of stunned disciples.

The silence shattered.

"He's giving away MID-GRADE STONES?!" "Am I dreaming?" "GRAB THEM!" "Senior Brother Lin, please!"

Disbelief instantly morphed into frantic greed. Disciples surged forward, shoving, scrambling, eyes wide with avarice, completely forgetting decorum or fear of sect rules against public disorder. The lure of free Mid-Grade Spirit Stones was simply too powerful.

Lin Fan laughed, thoroughly enjoying the chaos. He manifested another pile, then another, tossing handfuls into different parts of the rapidly growing, frenzied crowd. He didn't discriminate, simply throwing them out randomly.

DING! [Detected massive public squandering event involving high-value currency!] [Triggered emotions: Utter Shock (Extreme, +800 Points), Rampant Greed (Overwhelming, +1000 Points), Blinding Envy (+1200 Points), Absolute Disbelief (+900 Points), Mass Hysteria (+500 Points), Confusion (+200 Points)] [Current System Points: 4200 + 4600 = 8800]

Four thousand six hundred points already! Lin Fan exulted. This is magnitudes better than task rewards!

The commotion was escalating wildly. Disciples were fighting over dropped stones. More were running towards the plaza from surrounding areas, drawn by the shouts and the unbelievable rumors spreading like wildfire. The scene was pure pandemonium.

To amplify the effect, Lin Fan decided to up the ante. As he tossed another handful of Mid-Grade stones, he 'accidentally' let a single, different stone slip from his grasp. A stone that shone with a brilliance far exceeding the others, radiating an almost blindingly pure energy.

A High-Grade Spirit Stone.

It landed conspicuously near the edge of the main scramble. Someone spotted it.

"HIGH-GRADE! A HIGH-GRADE SPIRIT STONE!"

The hysteria reached a fever pitch. Even disciples who had managed to grab a Mid-Grade stone stared with renewed, almost painful greed at the single High-Grade one. Its value was a hundred times that of a Mid-Grade stone!

DING! [Detected escalation of squandering event! High-value item displayed!] [Triggered emotions: Shock (Peak, +1500 Points), Envy (Critical, +1800 Points), Greed (Critical, +1600 Points), Disbelief (Absolute, +1300 Points)] [Current System Points: 8800 + 6200 = 15000]

Fifteen thousand points! Lin Fan felt dizzy with the influx. This was the true power of the system!

Just as the crowd threatened to completely lose control, a furious bellow echoed across the plaza, imbued with the powerful Qi of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"CEASE THIS CHAOS!"

Several figures descended rapidly from the direction of the administration buildings – Outer Sect Deacons, led by none other than the stern-faced Deacon Meng, whose expression was thunderous. Sect patrols struggled to push through the frenzied mob.

Lin Fan stopped tossing stones, innocently dusting off his hands. He stood amidst the chaos he had created, a calm smile on his face, watching as the Deacons attempted to restore order, their shouts barely audible over the clamor of the disciples. His System Points counter sat at a glorious 15,000+.

Now, he thought, ignoring the approaching, furious Deacon Meng, perhaps it's time for that lottery draw.