After receiving the Mystic Iron Sword, Lin Ming bid farewell to Beichen. Strolling down the street, he checked the time—around 9 PM. The crowds still surged thick and lively.
Lin Ming decided to head back to his dorm at the Academy first. Rest well tonight. Prepare to set out tomorrow.
*Wait!* He suddenly remembered one of the Academy’s requirements. "I’ve been so busy with missions this semester… I haven’t even attended a single class!"
*Eh, screw studying. Money matters more. Let textbooks rot.* The thought vanished as quickly as it came. To him, learning was useless.
"Better buy some travel rations. Snacks for the road." He turned toward the shops lining the avenue.
…………
Inside a snow-white dormitory attic.
"Stupid Lin Ming! Jerk Lin Ming! Damn bastard!" Shangguan Luoxue, clad in cute pajamas, sat on her bed furiously throttling a plush doll. Her curses spilled nonstop—nothing like the cool, elegant girl from the Academy courtyard at noon. She was just a pouting child now.
A lazy voice drifted from behind her. "Miss, time for bed. You’ve been fuming since noon. Let it go already~"
Shangguan Luoxue shot a glare over her shoulder. "Xiao Cui! All you do is sleep! You napped while I trained at dawn. Slept again when I went out today. Are you the reincarnation of the Sleep Immortal?"
Xiao Cui was her handmaiden, assigned by the Shangguan Family since childhood. Their bond ran deep, so she’d followed Luoxue to Azure Spirit Academy.
"Details don’t matter, Miss," Xiao Cui murmured, eyes half-lidded. "Still fighting with Young Master Lin Ming?"
Luoxue kept pounding the doll, voice muffled. "Hmph! It’s not me being petty—it’s his fault! He said it ‘wasn’t necessary to tell me’."
"Aaah! Just remembering it makes me furious! Die! Die!" The noon incident flared in her mind again. She slammed the doll harder.
Xiao Cui watched her vent, a flicker of insight in her drowsy eyes. She yawned. "Yaaawn… I’m off to snooze. You just think about how Young Master Lin Ming must feel… losing his home and family."
She shuffled toward the door.
*Losing his home and family.* Luoxue fell silent. She hugged the doll, lying back on the bed. *I understand that pain… but why won’t he confide in anyone?*
*And why… didn’t he recognize me when we met again?* Years ago, she’d rushed to Azure Spirit Academy the moment she heard he was there. But he’d stared at her like a stranger. His strength had faded too. Confused, she’d stayed at the Academy to uncover the truth.
"Hmph! I won’t give up. Time for snoozes."
…………
Back in her own room, Xiao Cui activated her communicator. "Report Miss’s whereabouts today."
"Understood!" a voice crackled through.
"……"
She listened silently, then hung up. "Same old story. Miss made Young Master Lin come to the girls’ dorm again. As if he’d dare. Seriously… time for snoozes."
…………
Lin Ming returned to his dorm after buying rations. His unit had one bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom—spacious enough.
He entered the bedroom. On a furry mat in the corner sat an egg etched with azure patterns. He wiped it gently with a clean towel. *What kind of egg is this? And who sent it?*
He recalled it arriving at his dorm a year ago. Unknown sender. Free gifts weren’t refused. Every night, it emitted a faint wisp of natural life energy.
Useless for his Life Deficit, but it soothed his hidden injuries.
"There. Sparkling clean." He admired the gleaming egg.
"Time to check missions." He sat on the bed, pulling two jade slips from his Storage Ring. Tapping one, a Light Screen flickered to life—displaying a pretty girl’s photo.
"*Seriously?* The Headmaster’s taste is bizarre. Modern tech on antique jade slips?" He skimmed the details.
**Mission:** Escort Special Admit Yuhan He back to campus.
**Info:** Yuhan He is a rising Songstress in the Alliance, famed as the "Wandering Songstress" for her nomadic performances. The Academy detected her unique Magic and extended an Invitation Letter. She accepted.
**Requirement:** Safely deliver Yuhan He to campus.
**Reward:** 5,000 Gold Coins. Squad promoted to Rank B.
**Current Location:** Wind City
…………
*Headmaster’s Note:* "Promoting your squad to Rank B is already generous! What more do you want? No extra credits. Hmph!"
*…Old thief.* Lin Ming deadpanned at the note.
"A guard mission. Not too bad. Though Wind City’s far…" He sighed in relief.
"The second one!" He activated the other jade slip.
**Mission:** Covertly investigate disappearances in Wind City.
**Info:** Recent unexplained vanishings. Investigate discreetly to avoid alerting suspects.
**Reward:** 100,000 Gold Coins.
**Posted By:** Crescent Moon Alliance
Lin Ming’s expression darkened. "*What the hell?* So vague. No clues. I knew Alliance missions were stingy—but Headmaster, your character’s *this* rotten? Assigning me a half-baked mission… and only paying in coin!"
"Both missions in the same city? How lazy." He shook his head.
"Whatever. Shower time." He stowed the jade slips, stripped off his uniform, and grabbed fresh underwear.
Minutes later, he emerged in just his briefs. He sat cross-legged on the bed, palms upturned on his knees, breath slowing.
*Time to inspect the Seal.*
His mind turned inward. His body thrummed with vitality after today’s treatment at Prosperous Scenery Hall.
But tangled meridians—hidden injuries—still knotted beneath the surface. Countless blockages choked his veins with stagnant blood.
Worst was the gap in his heart. No blood seeped out… but a closer look revealed a wisp of green vapor escaping. His Vital Essence.
The leak was minuscule. Without Jingtian’s years of treatment, the gap would’ve widened. Even this trickle was a threat.
Lin Ming sighed. His gaze shifted to his Spirit Sea—a realm shrouded in darkness. His Seal.
Six weapons carved the darkness into six zones. Weapons he’d carried since birth.
Five had always been there. The sixth was new. Without them suppressing the Seal, he’d have no Spirit Energy left at all.
He focused on the sixth weapon’s zone. All his usable Spirit Energy pooled there—a zone only *partially* sealed, unlike the others.
"*Is this the hope you gave me?*" he whispered bitterly at the unsealed sliver.
But even there, his Spirit Sea was a drought-stricken wasteland. Only a trickle of Spirit Energy flowed.
"Too parched," he murmured. "No circulation. Most absorbed energy just leaks away."
"*Sigh.* Same as always. With enough Spirit Energy… I could break this Seal." He opened his eyes.
"*There will be a chance.*"
