September 27, 2015, 9:25 AM. Clear, no clouds.
Lii Yeyu, female, 18. A student in the Practical Combat System at the Western Capital Qinxing Academy. Just your average, run-of-the-mill beautiful girl Cultivator.
Right now, she was gathered on the athletic field with a group of other students, awaiting further instructions.
’There’s a special deploynt order today? Dad didn’t ntion anything. This must be really confidential.’
Lii Yeyu, who was taller than the average girl, stood in the back half of the formation. The thought of being sent off to so remote corner of the world for a mission, just like her dad, filled her with a sense of lancholy. ’Sigh, I wonder when I’ll get a break. We’ve been training for a month straight, and the daily physical conditioning is like they’re trying to turn us into professional athletes. My bones feel like they’re about to fall apart... I’m dying for so bubble tea and a crêpe...’
Of course, despite this inner turmoil, she maintained her persona on the outside: cool, calm, and collected.
You can lose your head, you can shed your blood, but you must never break character. That was the family motto.
After standing around foolishly on the field for ten minutes, an announcent from the Academy’s leadership finally ca over the broadcast. Lii Yeyu at last learned their mission objective: they were to head to the vicinity of the Kunlun Ruins on the Northwest Plateau to assist local troops in a joint blockade. ’Well, that’s not so bad. As long as nothing goes wrong, it’s basically a half-vacation.’
By this ti, the Tutors and professors had entered the field, ready to lead their teams to the airport. Lii Yeyu spotted her father, Lii Wanyan. The stern-faced Professor Lao Lii was currently trailing behind a young man, his own expression just as cool, calm, and collected, betraying no emotion.
But that didn’t stop his daughter from clucking her tongue. ’The one in the lead is Professor Su. Dad warned not to ss with him. When I asked why, he just played it cool and didn’t say anything, but I could totally tell he got beaten up by him!’
’Even though Dad likes to brag, he’s actually quite strong among the mbers of the Security Bureau. He’s mastered the Tongyou Divine Techniques far better than I have. He can jump between shadows almost non-stop. Setting aside whether he can win, he’s hard to defeat if he’s focused on dodging... For Professor Su to be so young and so powerful, it’s no wonder he was granted a professorship ahead of schedule.’
Thinking of this, Lii Yeyu couldn’t help but feel a little envious. ’Sigh, when will I beco a professor? Once I do, maybe I can take Dad’s place and let him go ho to spend more ti with Mom...’
If Professor Lao Lii knew that his daughter’s inner thoughts were actually about forcing him into unemploynt and retirent, who knows what complex emotions would have welled up inside him. What a rebellious daughter!
They took a troop transport to the airport. In recent years, airports all over the country had been continuously expanding and undergoing renovations, and now their true purpose was becoming clear: almost every day, all kinds of new aircraft models, never seen before, could be spotted taking off and landing for test flights. The debut of these various new Creations sent many military enthusiasts into a frenzy, roaring with excitent.
But compared to the true behemoth—the Profound Bird-level Flying Vehicle—those novel new planes were nothing more than little toys.
’Whoa, it’s huge! And so beautiful!’
Seeing its sleek, aerodynamic fuselage, wings so massive they seed capable of eclipsing the sky, and the hazy yet harmonious Spiritual Light enveloping the entire craft—clearly visible to any Awakener—Lii Yeyu really wanted to gasp in amazent along with her friends. But because of her upbringing, she kept her expression blank, sticking to her persona of soone whose thoughts were hard to read. Of course, that didn’t stop her inner excitent. ’So cool! Are we really taking this for our mission?’
’This is aweso!’
Once they had actually boarded the aircraft and learned which Tutor or professor their teams were assigned to, Lii Yeyu was surprised yet again. ’Huh? It’s Professor Su? I thought it would be either my dad or the vice-principal.’
A typical squad had six to ten mbers. Lii Yeyu’s squad only had four, but they were all geniuses with a Spiritual Energy Affinity of over 80%. They had worked well together back in training camp, jointly securing first place in team Points.
Only in modern society, with its massive population, was it possible to find so many geniuses of the Innate Daoist Body level and organize them into squads.
Originally, Lii Yeyu had thought the Academy would assign them a seasoned, experienced professor transferred from the Security Bureau to lead them. Otherwise, it would be a bit awkward, as so instructors couldn’t even match the students in terms of raw power. She never expected the Academy to just throw them to Professor Su. Well, that certainly solved the problem. Who would dare say Professor Su wasn’t strong enough?
’Professor Su really isn’t bad. Not only is he powerful, he’s also quite handso.’
That being said, when Lii Yeyu recalled seeing Professor Su eating lunch with her teammate Shao Qiming in the school cafeteria—devouring a al ant for more than twenty people in one sitting—for so reason, the fluttering in her heart completely vanished. She decided it was better to just admire his looks from a distance. In truth, Lii Yeyu was filled with awe for Su Zhou’s insides. ’What kind of anatomy could possibly hold that much food... As expected of a Transcendent!’
’He’s handso, but... never mind.’
Inside the aircraft, Su Zhou briefed the squad on the specifics of the mission. Later, as they traveled from the landing zone to the mission objective in an armored vehicle, Su Zhou did his best to fulfill his duties as a professor. He asked the students about their condition, intending to fine-tune their training plans based on their individual strengths after getting to know them better.
’I can tell Professor Su is a talkative person, but Li Hanshan is a total clam, a classic shut-in. Sothing went wrong with his Chongming Li Family’s sound-based inheritance. Not only can he not use the Chongming Bird’s "Phoenix Cry" power, but speaking too much even has negative side effects. Being raised like that from childhood... of course he’d seem like a shut-in.’
Lii Yeyu had already prepared a whole series of answers in her head. But after hitting a wall with Li Hanshan, Su Zhou just glanced at her, looked like he was about to say sothing, then stopped, then looked like he would try again, and finally gave up on asking altogether. He muttered sothing like, ’Are all geniuses shut-ins? But I’m not a shut-in...’ and turned away without another word.
Lii Yeyu, who was only pretending to be taciturn, was stunned. ’Just ask already! Why are you giving that "you don’t look like you talk much either, so I won’t bother" look? I’m not a shut-in like Li Hanshan! You getting shot down by him has nothing to do with !’
’And speaking of Li Hanshan—he’s a good-looking guy, so why is he such a clam that he just turns his head and trembles whenever soone asks him a question!’
At this thought, Lii Yeyu snuck a peek at her two other, slightly more normal teammates. ’Guan Wanjing must be a successor of the "Only Martial Liu Family" lineage. That line doesn’t care about bloodlines, only about forging the body through scientific training. It’s called the Liu Family mainly because its founder’s surna was Liu... Hmm, his muscles are definitely firm and handso, but he’s trained them into a suit of muscle armor. I think I’ll pass on that one, too.’
’Looks like only Shao Qiming is a good option. He’s always smiling, he’s good-looking and talkative, has great Talent, and a normal body type. He’s my type!’
—Though, do I have a few too many "types"? No, that’s not right. If I like one type each day, that’s not being fickle, that’s being devoted!
Lost in her own wild thoughts, Lii Yeyu maintained her deadpan expression the entire way. The group arrived in the vicinity of the Kunlun Ruins and were led to their camp by Bai Canglang.
The Spiritual Pressure around the Kunlun Ruins was indeed unusual. An ordinary Cultivator might not have noticed it, but as a wielder of the Tongyou Divine Techniques, Lii Yeyu felt a distinct sense of oppression. It felt like a strange atmosphere was seeping out from the distant, glowing Lingguang Mountain, making her very uncomfortable.
Just as Lii Yeyu was looking for an opportunity to speak up and report her findings, Su Zhou frowned first and said, "I sense Demon Qi."
"Sothing’s not right."
’So that strange atmosphere from before was Demon Qi?’ Everyone present went on alert after hearing Su Zhou’s assessnt. Although the Kunlun Ruins were a known stronghold for Mimic Dao, making the presence of Demon Qi perfectly normal, Su Zhou’s aning was clear: this wasn’t the overt Demon Qi they’d expect. He had sensed sothing wrong.
"You all stay in the camp for now. If you receive a mission, proceed as normal... Lii Yeyu, your father is a senior leader in the Security Bureau, so you should be very familiar with the relevant procedures. You’ll be the team captain for this operation."
After discussing for a while with Bai Canglang, Su Zhou gave his orders and then headed to the main camp for a eting.
Huh? ? It didn’t register at first, but Lii Yeyu found her body had already instinctively and seriously nodded in agreent.
What’s done is done. Since she had already accepted, she couldn’t very well refuse by saying sothing like, ’I’m not suitable. You should really find soone more qualified for the captain’s position.’
After Su Zhou left, Lii Yeyu took on her responsibilities as captain. She began assigning rooms and giving orders for the squad to start cultivating for the ti being, waiting for any distress signals in their assigned area.
Thankfully, the other three squad mbers had no objections. After all, one was a shut-in, and the other two weren’t the power-hungry types who insisted on being captain. And so, they began to organize their Military Equipnt.
Students in the Practical Combat and Exploration systems all had to undergo combat evaluations, which naturally ant they also had to choose their weapons for battle.
Shao Qiming’s weapons were quite ordinary: a handgun loaded with Spiritual Power Bullets and a special high-performance Blinding Flashlight. Combined with his Spiritual Attribute, the intense light from the flashlight could even eliminate Low Tier Spirit Bodies over a wide area. He wasn’t a main combatant. His role was support and healing, so he didn’t focus on destructive power; self-defense and providing crowd control were enough.
As the squad’s vanguard, Guan Wanjing’s weapons were a Warhamr, a large custom-made shield, and a shotgun. He had undergone firearms training and imdiately used his connections to get a legal firearms license after applying to beco an official Cultivator. The shotgun itself was also custom-made; in a crisis, it could be used as a club. When the ti ca, he could drop his shield and dual-wield warhamrs to dish out damage.
Li Hanshan’s role was reconnaissance and ranged attacker. His weapon was a Military Sniper Crossbow forged using traditional Spiritual Artifact techniques. At close range, its stopping power and lethality against large targets far exceeded that of a bullet, making it a weapon designed specifically for various giant Demon Beasts and Spirits. Unsure if the interior of the ruins would be suitable for shooting, he also carried a longsword for close combat.
As for Lii Yeyu herself, with her role in stealth and reconnaissance, her weapons were also a handgun configured with Spiritual Power Bullets, and for close combat, an Armor-Piercing Cone designed for hit-and-run attacks to break through a Spiritual Shield.
The scenery in the Kunlun Mountain Range was quite beautiful. Combined with the extrely high concentration of Spiritual Qi, even the heavy snow that began to fall shortly after didn’t hinder the Cultivators’ training. As they cultivated in this environnt, feeling the Spiritual Power that was so much denser than in ordinary regions, it wasn’t just the normal guys like Shao Qiming and Guan Wanjing who were smiling—even the seemingly shut-in Li Hanshan’s complexion improved considerably.
Even Lii Yeyu herself felt a pleasant tingling sensation as she cultivated here. The speed at which Spiritual Power perated her body was far faster than usual!
’The high-altitude region puts a greater strain on the body, but the dense Spiritual Qi accelerates the body’s adaptation to this unusual environnt! It increases the speed of Cultivation while also tempering the physical body!’
’No wonder ancient Cultivators chose to train under waterfalls and enter seclusion in snowy mountains. There’s a real logic to it!’
It was only then that Lii Yeyu understood why the Academy had summoned all the students from the Practical Combat and Exploration systems. Although the mission was dangerous, the rewards were also great! Staying safely in the rear would allow for safe Cultivation, but you’d miss out on these front-line benefits.
’I really hope we can just keep cultivating peacefully like this.’
She hoped for that, but as soone who could sense the strange, demonic atmosphere around her, Lii Yeyu knew that was highly unlikely.
「Sure enough, the next day.」
A crimson distress signal flared up in the area Su Zhou’s squad was responsible for.
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