Chapter 122: Medicinal Properties

What? Chen Yun was dumbfounded. What on earth was this? He had come to participate in a singing competition, and they were telling him he couldn't use a microphone? My God, how was he supposed to sing without one? By screaming at the top of his lungs?

"Hurry up and start, there are so many contestants waiting," the judge urged, seeing Chen Yun standing there blankly for quite some time.

"Ah? Oh." Chen Yun snapped back to reality, looked at the microphone in his hand with a conflicted expression, gritted his teeth, and placed it on the ground.

"What are you doing..." the host asked, noticing the action.

"Sorry, I’m allergic to microphones," Chen Yun said with a dark expression.

"..." The entire room fell silent. It was the first time anyone had heard of being allergic to a microphone. If you’re allergic to microphones, why even enter a singing competition?

"Fine... just stand closer to the judges' table so they can hear you," the host said, speechless.

"Alright." Chen Yun walked awkwardly to a spot about a meter in front of the judges' table and said, "The song I will be performing is 'Going to School'."

"'Going to School'?" The judges paused after hearing this. "You mean the original song you’re performing is—a children's song?"

"Yes, a children's song."

"..." The judges slapped their foreheads. They had truly seen it all today. A person allergic to microphones was going to sing a children's song at the Youth Singing Competition, and it was supposedly an original work. The world was changing so fast it was becoming impossible to understand.

"The sun is shining in the sky, the flowers are smiling at me..." Chen Yun had only sung a few lines before he was interrupted by one of the judges.

"Good heavens, a quasi-master-level singer!" an older judge stood up, looking shocked. "No need to continue, you’ve passed."

"Teacher Liu, how could you tell he’s a quasi-master-level singer? I just thought it sounded nice; I didn't feel anything else," another judge asked.

"Because you are not cultivators. The voice of a master-level singer can cleanse a cultivator's state of mind, and listening to it often can even slightly improve it. This contestant’s voice made my heart tremble, which means he is only one step away from being a master-level singer," the cultivator judge said in a deep voice. "I never expected a quasi-master-level singer to participate in a competition like this. My trip here was worth it. Young man, you’ve passed!"

Just like that, Chen Yun passed in a daze. At the same time, he learned the difference between an advanced singer and a master-level singer in this world.

"It seems that in this world, regardless of the profession, once you reach the master level, it marks the beginning of an entirely different path," Chen Yun muttered to himself.

"Chen Yun, all master-level professionals are cultivators. Are you a cultivator?" Yuan Xin, who had witnessed the whole thing, looked at Chen Yun with a complex expression.

"Uh... I suppose so," Chen Yun replied, startled.

"Sigh..." Yuan Xin let out a long sigh and said, "The world of cultivators is a very complicated one. I hope you can keep your original intentions and not let it corrupt you."

"Sister Yuan, what do you mean..." Chen Yun was confused.

"Tuantuan’s father was a cultivator, and a rare elemental one at that. Unfortunately, not long after he became a cultivator, he changed. He became snobbish, heartless, and unscrupulous in his climb to the top. For the sake of his future, he abandoned me and Tuantuan without a shred of mercy, sold the house, took all our assets, and followed a powerful person who had taken an interest in him abroad..." Yuan Xin said despondently.

"Sister Yuan..." Chen Yun knew Yuan Xin’s life wasn't easy, but he hadn't known why. Now he understood; it was no wonder she was struggling, being a woman abandoned by a heartless husband and raising a child on her own.

"Sister Yuan, don't be sad. That ungrateful man will face retribution sooner or later," Chen Yun said, patting her shoulder. "It’s not worth being sad over someone like that. You still have Tuantuan, and you have me as a friend. I will help you achieve your dreams."

"Thank you, Chen Yun. Knowing you is my blessing," Yuan Xin looked up and said. "Although singing is my dream, now I only hope to use it to secure an official imperial position so I can take good care of Tuantuan. I don’t ask for anything else."

Looking at Yuan Xin’s lost expression, Chen Yun sighed. It seemed she had been dealt a heavy blow. What kind of heartless person could crush her dreams so thoroughly?

"Don't worry, Yuan Xin, I will help you realize your dream," Chen Yun decided inwardly.

This time, even without the system’s quest, he would push Yuan Xin to the throne of the National Youth Singing Competition champion, because she needed it far more than he did.

Chen Yun bid farewell to Yuan Xin and returned to his hotel. He had the hotel staff send up a microphone and stared at it, his brow furrowed.

On the way back, he had checked at a bookstore. The "Hosting" skill book was a level 20 skill, and he wasn't high enough level to learn it yet. As the scale of the competitions grew with his progress, he couldn't just keep screaming his songs. Even if he did, how many people in a massive stadium would actually hear him? He couldn't just sing for the judges, could he?

"This is a headache. The preliminary round is in three days. Where am I supposed to get to level 20?" Chen Yun was incredibly frustrated. After level 10, the experience required for each level was absurd. Going from 15 to 16 required 300,000 experience points. Even if the requirement stayed the same, that was 1.5 million experience points total. Thinking back, killing two level-60-plus giant snake bosses had only yielded 350,000 experience points in total. His head throbbed at the thought.

"If I want to help Sister Yuan win the championship, I have to escort her all the way. I must secure a spot for myself in the advancing rounds; otherwise, how can I protect her if I can't even get into the later competition venues?" Chen Yun paced his room anxiously. Suddenly, he caught the scent of grilled fish wafting in from the food street outside his window, and his eyes lit up.

Grilled fish... fish... the sea... the Undersea World... a dungeon!

That was it! Chen Yun slapped his thigh. The Lan Yun City Undersea World was classified as a dungeon by the system. If he wanted the fastest way to level up, it was to kill bosses and run dungeons!

Thinking of this, he couldn't sit still. He left the hotel immediately, caught a ride, and headed to the Undersea World.

"Longda Pharmacy is having a member’s day event! Buy medicine and get free eggs!" As he approached the Undersea World, Chen Yun saw a shop bustling with activity. He parked his ride and went over to take a look; it was a large pharmacy.

"I didn't expect this world to have 'buy medicine and get eggs' promotions too. Let me go in and see."

Upon entering the pharmacy, Chen Yun was amused. The effects of the medicines here had been annotated by the system.

Cold Tablets: White-tier medicine, restores 5 HP per second for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 8 hours. Price: 2 copper coins.

Calcium Tablets: Green-tier medicine, restores 10 HP per second for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 8 hours. Price: 10 copper coins.

Brain Silver: Blue-tier medicine, restores 20 mana per second for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 8 hours. Price: 166 copper coins.

Life No. 0: Consumable, restores 1 point of hunger/thirst upon consumption. Price: 666 copper coins.

Huh? Restores 1 point of hunger/thirst? This was supposed to be a health supplement, so why was its effect so pathetic?