She noticed I’m a Spirit Awakener... Chen Qi felt his heartbeat speed up.

Once an ordinary person steps onto the Transcendent path, they begin to emit a unique spiritual field.

But ultimately, he was only a Spirit Awakener—not a true Transcendent—so the aura he gave off was extremely faint.

The complete opposite was true for her spiritual pressure.

Though she looked like a delicate young girl, to him, she felt like a towering white tiger standing tall and proud!

She was completely different from the other Transcendents he’d met—Little Crow, Captain Blackeye.

What a strong spiritual pressure!

Chen Qi couldn't help but be impressed.

Sniff, sniff, sniff!

An continued observing him, then asked curiously,

“Have you had your spiritual awakening?”

“Yeah.”

Chen Qi nodded.

An turned to Mayor Damarro and asked,

“Mayor, didn’t you say the town only had six Spirit Awakeners?

And that one of them was around my age? For someone to awaken this young—it’s impressive.”

Is that… a compliment? Chen Qi quietly popped another peanut into his mouth.

She seemed genuinely happy to see him. There was no malice in her eyes.

“There are only six…”

The mayor looked puzzled, turning his gaze to Chen Qi.

Despite being miserly, as mayor he knew everyone in town—including all their dirty laundry.

Black hair, young, and clearly just soaked by the rain...

Wait a second—wasn’t this the boy named Qi, who left for Moonstone City for work after falling ill?

“Qi!”

Mayor Damarro blurted out, giving him a once-over again.

“You’re back. Did your illness get cured?”

His Sea Beast Disease had been suppressed thanks to his Deep Sea Affinity.

So I’ve been recognized... Chen Qi skimmed the original owner’s memories to recall people better:

“No, but I’ve managed to suppress it for now. To fully cure it, I’ll still need quite a bit of money…”

“Oh? That’s a miracle—an actual miracle…”

The mayor nodded, choosing not to press further.

Someone coming back from the big city had clearly been through a lot. No need to poke at wounds.

The mayor held back his questions, then said in his rough voice,

“You’ve had your awakening!?

That’s great news! Our archipelago needs brave Transcendents!”

He then introduced Chen Qi to An, describing him as a gifted young man who had suffered from Sea Beast Disease.

How did I suddenly become the center of attention... Chen Qi sighed, popping more peanuts.

“I see.”

An reached out and introduced herself to him.

“Qi, nice to meet you.

I’m An, Damarro Town’s newly appointed Beginner Mentor. I’m responsible for helping and training all young people with Transcendent potential in this area.”

Beginner Mentor...

Hearing that term triggered a rush of memories—Chen Qi finally recalled her identity!

In simple terms, a Beginner Mentor was like the priests, village elders, or guides you’d meet in most games.

It was a result of a unique system used in Shell Kingdom’s academies.

Each year, they would select top students to serve as Beginner Mentors in remote areas, training locals with potential.

They’d assign quests, reward people with money, Transcendent resources—and even profession cards!

They also helped maintain basic order in these outlying regions.

To players, Beginner Mentors were literal “mentors” and the most frequently encountered NPCs during the early stages.

Many top-tier guides on the forums were based on data gathered from these mentors.

There was even a ranked list of Beginner Mentors in the Witch Sea expansion.

This girl—An—was one of the most famous Beginner Mentors on that list!

Chen Qi gave her another good look.

An, graduate of Royal University, a mage-type who specialized in large-scale AoE damage.

She had two nicknames.

Because she reached Tier 3 at such a young age and developed faster than most players—

And because she frequently beat up pirates and mocking nobles like dogs—

She earned the nickname “An Ao Tian”.

But due to her dedication and patience as a mentor, she also had a more affectionate title:

Mama An.

Still, Chen Qi preferred something more neutral: Instructor An.

An tucked her white hair behind her ears and added,

“The spiritual field around you is much stronger than the average person’s. That means you have the potential to become a Transcendent.

If you want to walk that path, I can guide you.

That is, if you need the help.”

She extended her hand.

Beginner Mentors didn’t just train Transcendents.

In small towns like Damarro, anything remotely mystical or Transcendent fell under their domain.

Chen Qi already had a decent understanding of New Sun’s Transcendent system.

But the quickest way to get info on nearby cracks was definitely to ask this Beginner Mentor.

Chen Qi extended his hand and replied,

“I do want to become a Transcendent—and I do need guidance.”

The crowd looked on in surprise. They hadn’t expected Qi to survive, let alone turn out to be a gifted Spirit Awakener.

At that moment, An’s father, the flushed-faced tavern owner, boomed,

“Alright, An! This is your celebration party, not work time—and certainly not time for some old fool’s rambling.

Everyone still wants to hear about what you saw in the capital!”

He shot a fierce glare at Mayor Damarro.

“Now’s not the time for some pompous big shot to make crazy demands.”

The mayor bowed his head. He suddenly looked much smaller.

An chuckled helplessly and turned back to Chen Qi:

“Let’s talk after the celebration, okay?”

“Sure.”

Chen Qi agreed.

As An walked away, the dejected Mayor Damarro sighed, looking defeated.

Then suddenly, his eyes lit up and he scratched his already thinning hair.

“Qi, you’re back. Looks like things didn’t work out in Moonstone City.

But don’t worry—your timing couldn’t be better!”

“Why’s that?”

Chen Qi feigned confusion.

He had a theory: the reason An had come to Damarro as a mentor was due to decisions from the Shell Kingdom’s higher-ups.

With the Crack Tide approaching, their monitoring division must’ve detected anomalies.

So they’d sent out Transcendents in advance, preparing for things to escalate.

Of course, they probably hadn’t confirmed the Crack Tide’s arrival yet.

Once they did, many more Beginner Mentors would flood these coastal islands.

Mayor Damarro stroked his little mustache:

“You probably haven’t heard—there’ve been several new cracks appearing around the Moonstone Archipelago recently.”

Brand new, unknown cracks! Chen Qi’s eyes lit up. He immediately followed up:

“Cracks? Mayor, do you have details?”

“I don’t, unfortunately. I’m too old for that sort of adventure.

But judging by the mentor’s reaction, you’ve got some real talent.

With a bit of luck, maybe in a few weeks, you’ll reach Tier 1—just like my son.

You’re about the same age. Maybe the two of you can support each other.

Because you know how it is—cracks are dangerous. One wrong step and you’re dead.

We’re not like those pampered nobles who get handed profession cards while they’re still nursing…”

The mayor went on and on.

Even he didn’t know the crack details. Looks like I’ll have to ask An... Chen Qi thought as he sipped more wine.

The mayor poured himself a drink and clinked glasses with him:

“Sigh... Not every young person’s born gifted like An...

Some are like you—or like my kids. Talented, but unlucky enough to fall ill.

I hope that now you’re back, you can become a Transcendent and earn the money you need to get better.

If you’re ever short on cash... you can borrow from me.”

He clinked again and rambled on with his worries.

He wanted his kids to grow strong—

But he was terrified they’d die in the cracks.

Eventually, he tried to down another round, but before he could—

Thud! He collapsed face-first on the counter, drunk out cold.

That’s it? Lame… I didn’t even finish eating yet.

Chen Qi suddenly noticed two newspapers lying where the mayor had slumped.

In this internet-less world, newspapers were the fastest way regular folks learned about world events.

Chen Qi picked one up. Across the top, it read:

White Dove Times

And just beneath the headline:

Perot Laen — printed in gold.

White Dove Times was famous for speed. Their mission: report big events in the Witch Sea first.

Judging by the date in the lower left, this edition was printed just yesterday.

“Witch suspected of appearing, slaughters Black Rabbit Gang. Real or rumor?”

“Massive mobilization by the Pirate Emperor’s Black Whale Crew.

Insiders claim the crew has found a legendary treasure map.

As of yesterday, over fifty of their ships have set sail.

What kind of treasure could drive them this mad?

Stay tuned for the exclusive report from White Dove’s lead journalist, Perot.”

Black Whale Crew... Chen Qi pondered.

Captain Blackeye was probably still looking for him.

He’d been sold to the Sawshark under the Black Whale pirates by a human trafficking group.

Those traffickers rarely cared where their slaves came from.

Meaning, the Sawshark crew didn’t know his origin.

Finding him would take some effort.

Chen Qi folded the paper. He still needed to stay vigilant.

The second paper was the Witch Times, also published by White Dove—but with very different content.

Witch Times aimed to depict human love and drama in an “artistic” way.

Their editor loved using her paintbrush to vividly portray every curve and twist of her story’s main characters.

In short: gossip with a touch of skin.

Chen Qi frowned as he skimmed, snacking as he read.

Two hours of free food and drink flew by…

...

“Hoo~”

Chen Qi rubbed his full belly. This had been his most satisfying meal since arriving in this world.

Most people were now drunk and passed out on the floor like puddles of goo.

Only a few remained sober.

Thud!

“You didn’t get drunk?”

An rolled up her pants, cat-like, and hopped over the collapsed mayor to stand before him.

Chen Qi said,

“No, I didn’t drink much. Just ate a lot.”

“I’m not good with alcohol either.”

She let out a long breath, her sparkling blue eyes looking at him.

“Now that it’s finally over, let’s talk. It reeks of booze here—would you mind coming to my room?

I’ve got a pretty good Transcendent profession to recommend for you.”

A profession recommendation?

Chen Qi’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. He got up and followed her.