MTL - A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks of the Imperial Examination - Chapter 9 stepmom

Ye Yang, the 4th young master of the Ye cultivation clan, was once the weakest member of his family. His feeble cultivation and stagnant growth made him a target for bullying, and he was stripped of his chance to become clan head. While his peers surpassed him, reaching advanced stages like Qi Awakening and Meridian Opening Cultivation Stage, Ye Yang remained stuck at the 9th level of Body Tempering.Ashamed and defeated, he isolated himself from his family, refusing to meet anyone, including his mother Yu Mei and sisters Ye Ling and Ye Mu. Although his father saw him as a disgrace to the Ye family, he still tried to help Ye Yang overcome his limitations. In a desperate attempt to escape his misery, Ye Yang tried to end his life by cutting his wrist. But as he lay dying, a mysterious voice intervened:“If you don't want to live for yourself, then be mine and entertain me.”Ye Yang lost consciousness, only to awaken the next morning to a strange screen window:[Choice-based System][Welcome: Player Ye Yang]This marked the beginning of his transformation, as he embarked on a journey guided by the enigmatic System, confronting his dark past, and uncovering the secrets of his world.

Having transmigrated into the world of Journey to the West and become Tang Monk, equipped with a gaming system that allows for battling demons and leveling up, while looting equipment, from then on, the demons on the path to the Western Heaven were in danger. Monk Sha: Big Brother, it’s not good, another demon has been captured by Master. Tang Monk: You all listen to me today, it’s not you protecting your master on his journey to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures, but rather your master has to drag you all along, you know? Without you, your master alone would have fought, uh, made it to the Western Heaven by now...

Warning This fiction contains:

Graphic Violence Profanity Sensitive Content

Summary – Level 1:

Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.

Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.

Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.

Did I mention that there will be math?

Summary – Level 2:

Okay, but what are you in for, really?

Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme.

...

What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure?

Yes!

Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap–

Now!

Okay, okay!

The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we?

Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no?

Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not.

POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place.

Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare.

Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships.

There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture.

The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving.

The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it?

Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story!

# consume

Lu Yu, a foodie, transmigrated to a parallel world where all living beings on Earth had awakened to superpowers.

Fearsome Beasts rampaged everywhere and the lives of mankind were threatened.

When they came of age, youths would awaken their talents at the various martial arts dojos. They would then use their talents to protect their homeland.

Lu Yu awakened the power of Gluttony, an SSS-class talent.

His strength would increase every time he consumed the flesh of Fearsome Beasts. His spiritual soul would grow stronger every time he consumed their cores.

In other words, he was what he ate and he grew stronger by eating.

Apparently, the effect of Gluttony would even intensify when he consumed more high-end raw ingredients and better cooking methods.

As such, he embarked on the journey of becoming stronger through eating.

[Ding! Detected that host has consumed the flesh of a B-class king cobra. Acquired: Attribute of Poison Immunity.]

[Ding! Detected that host has consumed the heart of an A-class firebird. Obtained: Skill of Erupting Lava.]

[Ding! Detected that host has consumed the nerves of an SSS-class white dragon. Acquired: Talent of Endless Rebirth.]

While the others wailed, “The monsters are here! Run!”,

the monsters howled, “Lu Yu is here! Run!”

Lu Yu thought, “Standing at the top of the food chain feels nice!”