After counting everything—
A total of seventy-three Tier-4 Land King Crystals.
At five million each, Zhao Xuan's final income amounted to three hundred and sixty-five million.
Although it wasn't even half of the total value of all the spirit herbs he had consumed during the past seven days—
Still.
Spirit herbs were spirit herbs, and money was money.
In both his lives combined, Zhao Xuan had never seen this much wealth.
When the deposit confirmation popped up on his banking app, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
But before long—
He calmed down.
He purchased a large batch of energy fluid and Spirit-Nourishing Fruits, said a quick goodbye to Lian Jie, and returned home.
He decided, on the spot, to extend his seclusion by one more day—
To spend the entire day pushing his Azure Dragon Fruit ability proficiency to the Mastery level.
Time flew quickly.
The next morning—
Inside his apartment—
A flash of white light lit up the room, and a figure appeared.
It was none other than Zhao Xuan himself.
"Still ten proficiency points short…"
He frowned slightly as he glanced at his attribute panel.
"Forget it, no rush. The college entrance exam results are released today, and the Provincial Exam starts the day after tomorrow. As long as I reach Mastery before that, it'll be fine. I'll head into the ruins later and fight a couple more Desert Statues after school—should be enough to push me over the edge."
With that thought, his expression relaxed.
He took a bit of time to wash up, trimmed his messy, bird's-nest-like hair, and headed out for school.
On his way past the Ability Users' Guild, Zhao Xuan noticed Lian Jie walking out with several Tier-3 ability users, their faces grim and tense.
Something's happened!
Seeing the heavy look on Lian Jie's face, Zhao Xuan immediately thought so.
He hurried over. "President Lian, what happened?"
"Oh, Zhao Xuan!"
Lian Jie's expression eased slightly upon seeing him, though his tone remained heavy. "Just half an hour ago, our guild's camp at the Mystic Bird Ruins entrance was attacked by the Demon Sect. The team managed to drive them off, but the casualties were severe. And according to reports, those cultists might not have retreated at all…"
"The Demon Sect?"
Zhao Xuan's brow furrowed instantly.
The Demon Sect—infamous across the world.
Its members were nearly all hardened, bloodthirsty criminals.
However, ten years ago, Shenzhou had launched a nationwide eradication campaign, destroying the sect's three main bases within the country and killing both the leader, the deputy leader, and three Grand Elders.
From that point on, the Demon Sect had vanished from Shenzhou.
In the years since, while the sect remained active overseas, none of its members had dared set foot within the borders of Shenzhou.
And yet now—
After ten years of silence—
They had resurfaced.
A bad omen… something big is about to happen.
The thought flashed through Zhao Xuan's mind. He quickly said, "President Lian, if the Demon Sect dares to attack within Shenzhou again, and to strike at a guild camp no less, that means they came prepared. And if they came prepared, there's no way the lightly manned camp could've truly repelled them! I suspect this is a trap—a trap aimed at you!"
"Don't worry, Zhao Xuan."
Lian Jie managed a faint grin. "I had the same suspicion. That's why I've already contacted the Admiral. He'll accompany me there—covertly."
"I see…"
Zhao Xuan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Alright, enough talk."
Lian Jie patted his shoulder. "Today's the day exam results come out. I'll be waiting for your good news."
After watching Lian Jie and his team leave, Zhao Xuan continued on his way.
Before long, he arrived at Tongcheng No.1 High School.
He chatted idly with his classmates as everyone waited for the results to be announced.
Time trickled by.
In the blink of an eye, it was already nine-thirty in the morning.
Just half an hour remained before the results would go live.
Students were buzzing with excitement, making bold predictions about each other's scores—
Meanwhile, at the school gate—
A parked Baling minivan sat quietly by the curb.
Inside, the man in the passenger seat suddenly opened his eyes.
He looked toward Tongcheng No.1 High School, listening to the distant chatter and laughter of the students.
A twisted grin slowly spread across his face.
"The time has come. The two Tier-4 ability users stationed in Tongcheng have both been successfully lured away. Next—"
He leaned forward, voice turning cold and sharp.
"—it's slaughter time! Remember, we're on a tight schedule. We only have twenty minutes!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
The other black-clad men in the van all bared their teeth, gazes turning feral as they looked toward Tongcheng No.1 High School.
Their twisted grins grew wider.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0