CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 116: ENCOUNTER

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

"Ugh, seriously..."

Early in the morning, the sound of the national anthem was already drifting in from outside. Ren Suo hurriedly closed the window. However, the teacher’s dormitory wasn’t far from the flag-raising platform, so the sounds of students moving about and the blaring loudspeakers completely disrupted Ren Suo’s Sleep.

On May 10th, all Cultivator Academies across the country began the new term, and Ren Suo officially entered work mode.

He turned over, trying to continue sleeping, but when his head landed on his left hand, he felt a cool touch.

Raising his left hand, a Black Iron Wristband glittered under the sunlight, revealing its exquisite craftsmanship.

Henceforth, this Wristband would replace wallets, access cards, keys, and GPS devices. It integrated most smartphone functions, allowing both the staff and students of Heavenly Lotus Academy to Enjoyment a high-tech living environment of the next generation.

Heavenly Lotus Academy was divided into four major areas: the Teaching Buildings, the Cultivation Ground, the Living Quarters, and the Combat Training Zone. However, the Combat Training Zone was not yet open, so students primarily frequented the other three areas.

There were currently five grades. There were no seniors because it was already May, less than a month before the college entrance exams.

As for the cultivating talents in the senior class, their placement would depend on subsequent national policies.

Since the start of the term, Heavenly Lotus Academy had implemented a fully enclosed education system. Without a valid reason, students were not allowed to leave campus at will.

The on-campus Living Quarters had supermarkets, large canteens, libraries, and internet cafés, with facilities comparable to an ordinary university. Students were allowed to make purchases, but they could only use the Bracelet Points on their Wristbands for on-campus transactions.

They could also shop online. To do so, they would copy the product information into the Wristband’s application, specify the product names and quantities, and a designated person would then make the online purchases, deducting the corresponding Bracelet Points based on the price. All online purchases were distributed uniformly every Sunday.

Doesn’t it sound a bit like the quirky settings from certain novels and comics?

But this had a practical purpose: all enrolled students were exempt from tuition fees, as it was entirely state-funded compulsory education.

The Bracelet Points on their Wristbands could not be traded, and the amount of Bracelet Points received each month was tied to their performance.

There was no collective punishment system either. The Bracelet Points awarded to students were based on individual performance, though inter-class competitions linked to group results would be introduced later.

If a student performed poorly academically and in Cultivation, they would receive fewer Bracelet Points. Such students could only struggle to continue, rely on connections to get by, or apply to withdraw from the academy.

Here, the influence of external power and wealth was suppressed to a minimum and could not affect the students in the slightest.

If students wanted to live well here and have Points to spend, their only path was diligent effort and continuous improvement.

Furthermore, communal living simplified Management and fostered a sense of collective honor. Patriotic education within such an enclosed environment also yielded more pronounced results.

This was what the country Hoped for.

However, for Ren Suo, the greatest significance of this Wristband was that he had to be on call for work 24 hours a day.

As an Emergency Aid Officer, although he had plenty of free time and wasn’t usually required to be on duty at the school hospital, he had to rush to the rescue immediately if anything happened, even if he was in the middle of a shower.

This Wristband could detect the wearer’s vital status. If a wearer suddenly entered a near-death state, Ren Suo’s Wristband would automatically sound an alarm and plot the shortest route for him to quickly reach the patient.

Ren Suo was usually quite idle. However, if the Combat Training Zone opened in the future and students engaged in combat training, he would also have to be on standby nearby.

But that was a matter for the future. After all, the Cultivation Academy was still in its nascent stages, and the Combat Training Zone had only just been set up. According to the teaching syllabus designed by Zhao Huo and his colleagues, it would take at least half a year for students to develop any significant combat power.

The students still had to focus on their academic courses and gradually acclimate to Spiritual Energy, solidifying their foundations. This process naturally couldn’t be rushed like some civil servant crash course.

Whether they could undergo combat training depended on national arrangements, as casualties had to be prevented. Moreover, not all academies had an Emergency Doctor like Ren Suo. So, there was still a long way to go.

The Mysterious Country was also ’crossing the river by feeling the stones’; the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was a new phenomenon for any power.

Ren Suo got up and had a hearty breakfast in the cafeteria. Like the students, he also paid with Bracelet Points, but his were a fixed monthly amount that didn’t change.

These Bracelet Points were purely a benefit, unrelated to his salary, essentially meaning the state covered his room and board. Even if Ren Suo spent all his Bracelet Points, he could overdraw. However, overdrawing meant it would be deducted from his monthly salary until the salary was exhausted.

The academy’s cafeteria was excellent, featuring three levels; the higher the level, the better the quality of food and service. With the Bracelet Points on Ren Suo’s Wristband, he could afford to eat on the third floor for every meal without issue.

In the cafeteria, Ren Suo saw a girl not far away also having breakfast.

She ate slowly, chewing her food thoroughly. She had a smart short haircut and a petite, slender build. A beauty mark just below the corner of her left eye lent her a unique charm.

She held the same position as Zhao Huo: a Cultivation Instructor. Ren Suo vaguely remembered her surname was Dong, but he couldn’t recall her first name.

He only remembered her surname because the surname Dong was quite rare.

This girl wasn’t a Key Carrier, and Ren Suo wasn’t some random creep, so naturally, he had no reason to approach her and strike up a conversation. He quickly finished his breakfast and went home to continue playing his games.

In "Devouring the Spirit of the World," the Red Fox had already spent three entire days in London. She passed her days in the manor, petting cats with one hand and holding antiques with the other, living a blissful life.

The Red Fox’s Skills were formidable, but they wouldn’t make humans completely lose their sanity—after all, a person who has lost their mind is useless.

Antiques possessed a greater Spiritual Energy Quantity than items like floor tiles or lampstands and could be absorbed more quickly. Thus, after holding an antique for a dozen hours or so, the Red Fox would return it. She appeared to be merely ’admiring’ it, causing no damage whatsoever.

That was why those young talents and middle-aged men, completely swayed by hormones and their baser instincts, were willing to pay any price. They scoured various places for antiques, all to win a smile from the Goddess.

Some antique collectors followed them, curious about what kind of Goddess could enamor these talented men to such an extent.

Then, like gamers showing off their SSR pulls, they invited the Red Fox to admire their antique collections.

In the following days, the Red Fox Evolved 13 times. Because her Evolve Level had increased, the Red Fox could no longer gain much evolution progress unless it was from antiques.

Actually, devouring Spiritual Energy should start with various old objects, gradually progressing to Jade Artifacts, art pieces, then to antique art, and finally, the Spirit Treasury...

Ren Suo suspected that the evolution progress granted by a Spirit Treasury was likely a fixed amount. Therefore, acquiring it at a Low Level would only prematurely exhaust one’s Potential.

This was because the Evolve bar’s maximum would continuously increase, much like Experience Points in games.

Now that the Red Fox’s Level had risen considerably, fighting Low-Level Strange Creatures had little effect unless there was a massive quantity of them.

However, Ren Suo didn’t regret it much. This game save likely wouldn’t allow him to unlock all twelve Spirit Treasuries. As long as those twelve Experience Point packs remained, he was content to skip the other minor Strange Creatures.

The Red Fox played for another day in London, and finally, news arrived from the Pangolin’s side.

Old Zhao: "One country is already willing to pay your requested price to have you ignite the Spirit Vein within their nation."

"Our internal assessment indicates that, given their area and population, they should possess Spirit Veins."

"Of course, since this country isn’t far from the Mysterious Country, igniting their Spirit Veins would also provide an excellent observation opportunity for the Mysterious Country."

"However, they have one request. Or rather, it’s a request that all other countries in contact with us have also raised."

Pangolin: "What request?"

Old Zhao: "They hope to witness someone from the Fairy Palace with their own eyes. Preferably... they want someone from the Fairy Palace to make a grand, public appearance!"