Volume 1, Chapter 2: The Latest Mission

"What? You agreed to that brat's invitation on my behalf?"

A tall woman in a pink dress leaned against the doorframe, whispering sharply. "I'm not going! Who told you to accept for me?"

Seeing Yan Jin refuse, Mo Daoke hurriedly explained, "Junior Sister Yan, the Immortal Spirit Pavilion is no ordinary restaurant. The dishes and wines served there are top-tier delicacies from the Strange Wilds; they replenish energy, relieve fatigue, and improve cultivation. It’s not cheap, either."

"So what? He humiliated me in public, and you're still pleading his case?"

Seeing the indignation written all over Yan Jin's face, Mo Daoke immediately changed his tune, raising his right hand to swear. "Don't worry, I’ve already taught that brat Si Nanxi a lesson. When the time comes, I’ll make him apologize to you in front of the entire academy. Would that satisfy your grudge, Junior Sister?"

The displeasure on Yan Jin's face faded slightly, though she remained silent. Seeing an opening, Mo Daoke pressed his advantage. "The signature treasure of the Immortal Spirit Pavilion is the Exotic Snow Lotus. The porridge made from it is not only beneficial for those who cultivate spiritual energy, but it also has beauty-enhancing properties for ordinary women. You’ve been working so hard lately, Junior Sister; you really need this to nourish yourself."

Yan Jin asked in surprise, "Really?"

Mo Daoke chuckled, "I wouldn't dare lie to you, Miss Yan."

Indeed, regardless of the era or age, women are rarely immune to the allure of beauty products and skincare treasures. Yan Jin was no exception. Upon hearing this, she stopped fretting over Si Nanxi’s insolence, her eyes darting around thoughtfully.

"Very well, I'll give you this face for now. Just remember not to make decisions for me again."

With hands on her hips and her chin slightly raised, Yan Jin made it clear she didn't care much for Mo Daoke; she was simply swayed by the benefits of the Exotic Snow Lotus.

At the Wall-Facing Cliff, Si Nanxi held his dislocated shoulder and forced it back into place, wincing in pain. Just as he was pondering how to get back at them in a few days, a flash of light crossed the sky, and his consciousness was pulled into a virtual space.

"014, how have things been lately?"

Hearing the familiar voice of the system, Si Nanxi knew a new mission was coming.

"Hah! All thanks to your last mission. My cultivation was crippled by that freakish old man, and now that I've been beaten up, I have to play the coward for a while."

"Don't blame me for that. That old man asked if you wanted to advance your cultivation, and you agreed faster than anyone."

Si Nanxi cursed inwardly. "I spent years of blood, sweat, and tears on this cultivation, and in that old man's eyes, it was worthless. He claimed my path was wrong and that I'd only get worse, so it was better to scrap it all and start over."

"Whether it's a blessing or a curse depends on your own destiny. Perhaps, as the old saying goes, this is a blessing in disguise?"

After some idle chatter, Si Nanxi grew impatient and urged, "Cut the nonsense. Hurry up, what's the new mission?"

"No need to rush; this one isn't difficult."

"Oh?"

"Complete all the assessments at the Spirit Appraisal Academy within six months, become an inner-peak disciple of the Spirit Cultivation Academy, and earn a spot in the Divine Martial Tournament. Not too hard, right? I'll tell you the rest of the mission once you've qualified for the tournament."

Si Nanxi pondered for a long moment before speaking. "The Divine Martial Tournament? If it were two months ago, that wouldn't be hard, but now..."

Looking at his body, currently devoid of spiritual energy, Si Nanxi shook his head helplessly. "To recover to the Great Completion of the Spirit Realm within six months, or even break through to the next stage, will not be easy given my current state."

"Are you afraid?"

Si Nanxi froze for a moment, then shrugged with an air of indifference. "I was a man on the brink of death anyway. Since I have the chance to roam another world, what else is there to fear?"

"Good. Among this batch, you have the clearest perspective. I hope you can return to the real world soon, rejoin your organization, and see the person you want to see."

With a chime, Si Nanxi shook his heavy head as his consciousness withdrew from the virtual space.

During class today, Yan Jin had mocked Si Nanxi for doing unspeakable things in the middle of the night—and she hadn't been making it up.

The new students at the Spirit Appraisal Academy are mostly children between eight and ten years old. By rule, they must live on campus for a year to get to know their fellow disciples.

Si Nanxi, a grown man, found it highly inconvenient to live with a group of young disciples who still wet their beds at night. Thus, he pulled some strings and moved off-campus.

However, he had entrusted the wrong person. He had told Old Wu to just find a place that was lively and convenient, but Old Wu had misunderstood these two simple requirements entirely.

By the time Si Nanxi finished handling the admissions and headed home to rest, he realized the place Old Wu had found was in the heart of the famous red-light district of Lin'an City.

Coming and going through that area every day, strange rumors about Si Nanxi naturally reached the ears of the faculty at the Spirit Appraisal Academy.

After receiving his ninth mission, Si Nanxi couldn't be bothered to attend the afternoon "General History of the Strange Wilds" class. After dinner, he went to the pharmacy outside the academy, bandaged himself up, and returned home to rest.

Under the cold moonlight, Si Nanxi lit a lamp and searched through the dusty bookshelves.

"What is the Young Master looking for?"

Si Nanxi glanced up, not stopping his search. "Ahem, I don't know where I tossed the Spirit Appraisal Academy entrance handbook."

"Is that all? If I had known, I would have told you. Instead of rummaging through boxes, you should have just asked me. I may not know every book by heart, but I certainly remember which shelf and page contains what."

A short girl of about twelve or thirteen was crouching on the ground, staring at Si Nanxi with wide, watery eyes.

Si Nanxi looked at her with interest. "Little Liuli, I didn't know you had a photographic memory."

The girl called Liuli adjusted the glasses on her nose and grinned. "Ever since you made these glasses for me, my vision has improved. I didn't have much to do, so I started flipping through the books on your shelf. After reading them a few times, I just remembered everything."

"It's a pity such a clever head is in the Strange Wilds. Tell me then, what are the ways to be directly promoted to the Spirit Cultivation Academy from the Spirit Appraisal Academy?"

Liuli's eyes twinkled as she whispered with a smile, "That's simple. Although the main text of the handbook doesn't explicitly state the method, it's in the appendix at the back."

"Tell me."

"The Spirit Appraisal Academy holds a grand exam once a year. The top three disciples can apply for promotion to the Spirit Cultivation Academy. If they pass two assessments there, they become official disciples."

"No, a year is too long. Is there a way to skip ahead?"

"Yes! That’s the second exception. If a disciple wants to bypass the annual exam, they must successfully challenge a high-ranking disciple from the Spirit Cultivation Academy."

Si Nanxi’s eyes lit up. "Just beat one?"

"Not quite. As far as I know, there were disciples in the Spirit Cultivation Academy who used to lose on purpose to low-level challengers for money. To prevent this, the dean at the time added two rules."

Hearing this, Si Nanxi looked at Liuli, his expression complex. "Go on, what rules?"

"First, you must pass the grand assessment at the Spirit Appraisal Academy. Second, a teacher from the Spirit Cultivation Academy must be willing to accept you as an exception."

"I thought getting into the Spirit Cultivation Academy was just a matter of spending some silver. I didn't realize it was so complicated."

Little Liuli laughed, "You're only just realizing that?"

Looking at the girl who had been by his side for five years, Si Nanxi suddenly noticed that she had lost some of her childishness and gained the soft, shy aura of a young woman. He muttered to himself, "It seems I can't have her living with me anymore."

Liuli seemed to hear his whisper and was about to ask why, but as she turned, Si Nanxi lightly poked the dimple on her right cheek with his finger. She blushed instantly.

Si Nanxi let go and teased, "You're blushing?"

Liuli pouted, neither confirming nor denying.

"Alright, enough teasing. Get some rest tonight. I'm going to discuss something with Old Wu."

***

Leaving his courtyard, Si Nanxi took a few turns and arrived at a tavern that stayed open all night. He shouted toward the second floor, "Old Wu, get out here!"

A moment later, a portly middle-aged man poked his head out the window, holding a half-empty porcelain wine bottle. He swayed his heavy body, gesturing for Si Nanxi to come up for a drink.

"Stop drinking. Bring your gear and follow me to the backyard."

At Si Nanxi’s command, Old Wu didn't dare delay. He slapped some currency on the table and leaped down from the windowsill.

"What are we doing?"

Si Nanxi smiled. "Training."

Old Wu was puzzled. "Training? What kind of training?"

"Do you have a technique that can take someone from zero cultivation to something in five days? It doesn't have to be strong—just enough to maintain the third stage of the Spirit Realm."

"No."

"You could have one."

"I really don't."

Si Nanxi cursed at him, then extended his left hand, revealing his shoulder wrapped in bandages.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Who beat you up?"

"Don't ask. It's embarrassing. We'll talk when we get back."

The two returned to the backyard. Si Nanxi sat cross-legged, and Old Wu understood his intention. He twisted his hands, and a faint green light flickered between his fingers. He placed his hands on the crown of Si Nanxi’s head, sensing for a moment before speaking.

"Your spiritual meridians are clear, but there is almost no spiritual energy to be felt."

Si Nanxi placed his hand on his injury. "Is that old man who crippled my cultivation really as legendary as you say?"

"He can capture a South Abyss Python single-handedly. His strength is unmatched beneath the Grandmaster level. If he said your path was wrong and that starting over was the only way, there’s likely some truth to it."

"I can't worry about that now. I just need a quick-start mental cultivation technique and a couple of Nine-Orifice Spirit-Boosting Pills to temporarily raise my cultivation."

Si Nanxi was worried about how to get his revenge for what Mo Daoke had done today, and now the opportunity had presented itself.

A high-ranking expert from the Spirit Cultivation Academy, publicly defeated by an admission-test freshman with no spiritual energy—just the thought was amusing.

Upstairs, Little Liuli, half-asleep, heard some rustling in the backyard. She threw on a windbreaker and went down, finding it was just Old Wu and the young master.

Si Nanxi knew Old Wu lacked the patience to teach him the basics from scratch. Looking at the yawning Liuli, he thought of a plan.

After a moment's consideration, he leaned into Liuli's ear and whispered.

"Don't go anywhere tonight. Just pester Old Wu until he recites all the introductory cultivation techniques to you. If he dares to refuse, just pretend you're going to smash all those jars of aged wine he keeps in the kitchen cellar. It’ll work, I promise."

Liuli giggled. "And then, after I memorize the techniques, I'll teach them to you tomorrow, Young Master?"

Si Nanxi snapped his fingers and praised, "Smart! You catch on fast."

"Of course, I won't have you help for free. For every technique, I'll make you a grilled fish. How's that?"

"Really? Pinky promise!"

"Yes, yes, I wouldn't lie to you."

Si Nanxi leaned down, hooked her pinky, and ruffled her messy hair. "My life in five days depends on you!"