Chapter 1: The Notorious Scoundrel Who Shocked the Entire School

"Three seconds to reach the pinnacle of life, to have people praise you, worship you, curry favor with you—do you want it?"

Chen Yufeng was lying in bed, fiddling with his phone, when the screen suddenly went black, and then a line of glaring red characters appeared.

I want your nonsense—who has so much free time for this?

Thinking it was just some prank from a bored friend, Chen Yufeng couldn’t be bothered, tossed the phone onto the bed, leaned against the headboard, and lit a Red Pagoda Mountain cigarette.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his mind drifted back to the miserable scene that had just unfolded.

He’d just left the internet café, only to witness the class beauty, Qin Ning, being harassed by two punks with dyed hair. Qin Ning spotted Chen Yufeng and cried out to him in desperation:

"Help me!"

After all, they were classmates—how could he stand by and do nothing? Chen Yufeng, acting on impulse, rushed over and took on the two punks.

In the end, after a fierce scuffle, he managed to scare them off with a reckless bravado. Of course, he himself was beaten black and blue, taking more than a few blows.

It still hurt like hell.

Chen Yufeng had expected Qin Ning to thank him, maybe invite him out for some skewers.

But she had no such intention, didn’t even say thank you, didn’t look him in the eye—just coldly handed him two hundred yuan.

He refused to take it.

"Too little, huh? Here’s another three hundred, five hundred total—take it, and don’t expect anything else!"

That was what Qin Ning said as she left.

Chen Yufeng felt as though he’d been slapped hard in the face. What did she mean by "don’t expect anything else"?

It was as if he were a toad coveting swan meat.

He’d taken a beating for nothing. So you’re pretty—big deal. If you’re so capable, why call for help?

Would it kill you to invite me for some skewers as thanks? Why be so hurtful?

Heh, but you do have the right to be proud.

Not only class beauty, but school beauty as well.

And she had a dazzling status—daughter of Qin Yiran, principal of Ninghai Sixth High. A textbook rich, beautiful, and privileged girl.

As for him, he was just a poor nobody.

But he hadn’t shamelessly pursued her—he’d only helped her out of three years of camaraderie. No thanks, just cold cash that shattered his dignity.

Well played!

Ding—

A sound like a system notification from a game startled Chen Yufeng from his reverie. Glancing over, he saw the red characters flashing on his phone screen.

Damn—

Still going, huh!

He cursed under his breath, but curiosity got the better of him, and he tapped YES!

At that moment, something bizarre happened.

Whoosh—

The phone flashed, and a beam of light shot out, transforming into a beautiful girl holding a palm-sized compass.

My god, what is this? Too freaky!

Chen Yufeng was dumbfounded, but after a brief shock, remembered the crazy "system binding" scenes from novels.

He was a high schooler, after all—read plenty of novels, always thinking outside the box. He exclaimed:

"Heavens, is my luck finally turning? Did I stumble upon something this amazing?"

The girl sized him up for a few seconds, a clear look of disdain on her face.

"How could it be you? Tsk tsk, that face..."

"What’s that supposed to mean? With my school heartthrob looks, you think I’m ugly? Not going to let me play?"

Chen Yufeng was frustrated. If the system rejected him for his looks, he’d have to cry in the bathroom.

He’d never heard of a system binding that cared about the host’s appearance—why change the rules now?

"You call that ugly? It’s beyond ugly, truly pitiful!" the girl said, clearly disgusted.

"Come on, listen to me."

Suddenly, Chen Yufeng remembered something, quickly explained:

"I got beat up pretty badly—so I look rough right now, but I’m not actually ugly."

Are you kidding? Am I ugly?

What do classmates say about me? That besides being handsome, I have no other use.

"Ugly is ugly, no point explaining."

The girl rolled her eyes and continued:

"Though your ugliness is undeniable, appearance is a trivial matter—it can all be changed."

"Changed? You mean I’m already handsome, and I can be even more handsome?"

Chen Yufeng finally relaxed. As long as the system didn’t abandon him, he’d be fine.

"Yes, that’s right!"

The girl looked at him with contempt. With your looks, you’d die of embarrassment if you visited the heavens.

"Alright, since that’s the case, I’ll reluctantly agree to be your host."

Chen Yufeng shamelessly accepted, feeling elated. As he grew excited, the girl began to explain...

The compass was a divine artifact, immensely powerful, and the girl was its spirit.

The compass was simple, divided into three sections.

First, System.

Second, Reward Points.

Third, Mall.

There were many systems: Pretentious Face-Slapping System, Good Guy System, Hero System, Romance System...

You earned reward points by: showing off, face-slapping, being a good guy, a hero, flirting...

Once you had reward points, you could exchange or summon items in the mall.

The things you could exchange or summon were endless.

For example: unmatched talent, invisibility, x-ray vision, singer/dancer possession, academic genius possession, superhuman possession...

Secret techniques, divine weapons—you name it.

Even characters from mythology, games, anime, novels could be summoned. Anything you could imagine.

If you could think of it, you could get it—as long as you had enough reward points!

Owning the Divine Compass marked the beginning of the host’s journey to the pinnacle of life. What exactly was the pinnacle?

Put simply, the farther your mind could reach, the farther you could go...

"Little Fairy, what’s going on? It’s been three minutes—why haven’t I reached the pinnacle yet?"

Chen Yufeng felt duped.

"Idiot, three seconds is just the time it takes to become the host. The pinnacle comes later—it’s inevitable."

The fairy looked at him in contempt, and said leisurely:

"I know what’s bothering you most right now. I can help you this once for free—make Principal Qin Yiran praise you, worship you, and curry favor with you before the entire school, and betroth his daughter to you... The rest, you can figure out yourself."

"What? Seriously? You’re not messing with me?"

"Nonsense."

The fairy was too lazy to explain further, but solemnly reminded him:

"This is a one-time free help. You’ll earn reward points—after that, it’s all up to you."

"Alright, alright—Principal Qin praising me before the whole school... Damn, what a scene! That’s going to be awesome!"

Chen Yufeng was beside himself with excitement. Even a nobody could have his day of reckoning.

Just wait and see, classmates!

...

Ninghai Sixth High, Grade 12, Class 7.

It was just after nine in the morning, during class.

With only about a hundred days left until the college entrance exam, it was the final sprint—students were studying desperately, hoping for a good university.

On the podium stood a slightly overweight middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and gold-rimmed glasses—the class teacher, Zheng Mingjie.

Spotting the empty seat at the very back of the fifth row yet again, Zheng Mingjie shook his head and sighed, then loudly admonished the class:

"Classmates, you must study hard, strive for a good university and change your fate. Don’t end up like Chen Yufeng, dragging everyone down and ruining himself."

"His parents are construction workers. I guarantee, when he finishes high school, his life as a bricklayer begins. Want to bet? Within half a year, you’ll see him on a construction site somewhere in our city."

"Haha..."

Laughter erupted from the sixty or seventy students.

No wonder—Chen Yufeng was indeed a super slacker, a massive liability.

To put it simply, for three years, from enrollment to now, he had shamefully occupied a spot in the bottom ten of the grade, never surprising anyone.

He’d always been the class disgrace, abandoned by teachers, a source of pride for his classmates.

Ding dong—

The bell rang for the end of class. Normally, it was time for the students to do calisthenics.

But instead of the usual exercise music, the broadcast sounded with the director’s booming voice:

"All students, please gather on the sports field. No calisthenics today—we’re holding a commendation assembly."

Hearing this, Zheng Mingjie was delighted, clearly anticipating something.

"Everyone, hurry to the sports field!"

He barked at the class.

Then he walked over to a tall, refined-looking boy, patted his shoulder, and said:

"Guan Zhe, you ranked in the top three in the mock exams. This assembly must be for you and the other top students. Prepare your speech, and make sure to mention..."

He gave a knowing look.

"Got it."

Guan Zhe smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, sir, I won’t forget your guidance. I’ll make sure to highlight your teaching methods before the whole school."

"Good, good—you’re my pride!"

As he spoke, Zheng Mingjie helped Guan Zhe tidy his clothes and hair, then they left the classroom together, heading to the field to receive the school's commendation.

When Chen Yufeng reached the sports field, students from each class were lining up. He belonged to Grade 12, Class 7, so he stood with his class.

He’d barely taken his place when he felt a slap on the back of his head. Turning instinctively, he saw it was Zheng Mingjie.

"Chen Yufeng, you have the nerve to show up?"

Seeing the slacker, Zheng Mingjie’s face darkened, and he mocked him:

"What, here to say goodbye to your classmates before heading to the construction site to join your parents?"