Piercing Illusions

"About how I became a civil servant in the interstellar age, with a former Demon Lord from the Cultivation Realm as my boss."

Shen Cunxi was an ordinary high school senior about to start college. After bravely helping someone, she transmigrated into the Canghai Realm, and somehow acquired a rather eccentric [Benefactor Support System] in her head.

System: "Ding! An A-rank benefactor is nearby! Host, befriend them immediately and expand your network. Time is of the essence!"

Shen Cunxi looked at the straw mat in her dilapidated temple, then at the "A-rank benefactor" thousands of miles away on the System's map. "...Do I look like I can fly on a sword to you?"

To stay alive, she was forced to embark on hardcore survival mode:

She arrived penniless and made her first fortune by using a pig-slaughtering manual to hunt demon beasts instead.

Hunted down as a rogue cultivator, she escaped into a secret realm and used others to kill her enemies, getting something for nothing.

The System nagged her every day to "cling to a powerful patron," so she simply switched it to "silent mode."

Until one day, she'd finally scraped her way to the top and become a major figure in the immortal sect. The System wept with joy. "Host! Hurry and win over that S-rank benefactor! Get rich and reach the pinnacle of life!"

Shen Cunxi: "Oh, I just beat him up. Now I'm his benefactor."

System: ...???

Later, the former top competitor of the Canghai Realm became the current director of the Space-Time Administration.

When new hire Xu Jichu arrived, she looked at the famously cold-faced director who had supposedly "taken down an entire plane single-handedly" and couldn't help feeling that something was off.

Then she heard a familiar electronic voice from the director's office:

"Warning! High-risk parasitic System detected! Recommended plan A: Remove it by force. Plan B: Reform it physically. Plan C: ..."

Xu Jichu, eyes wide with shock: "Why does that snarky voice sound like my unlucky System from back then?!"

Shen Cunxi calmly opened the door. "Oh, it's my intelligent assistant now. I recruited it ages ago, and it even gets social insurance and a housing fund."

She paused, then added, "And the new 'Everyone Loves Me System' that started this month? It got roasted into a crash just last week."

Xu Jichu: ?

Shen Cunxi put on a professional smile. "Welcome aboard, Officer Xu. Now, we're going to persuade your System's manufacturer to... 'turn over a new leaf.'"

How did my System get a new job with you?

Why is this legendary cultivation expert talking nonstop about performance reviews?

Director, are you sure you didn't make your fortune in the Cultivation Realm by mooching off Systems?

--A "heartwarming" story about a top competitor who beats her golden finger into becoming one of her own, then takes it along to the Myriad Worlds to "recruit" other Systems.

Theme: Everything for the people