When Yan Zhen woke up, he discovered that he had advanced to a Six-Star Mystic Practitioner. At the same time, he had completed a system task.
The reward was the Special Trump Card: Burn.
【Special Trump Card: Burn: When used, ignites the target’s flame of desire. Turns men into horndogs and women into hot messes. Effect varies based on the realm gap between host and target.】
“……”
The Special Trump Cards were getting weirder and weirder.
What the hell was this even for? It felt like something out of a lust cultivator’s playbook. He’d take straight-up damage cards over this bizarre crap any day.
Yan Zhen opened his System Backpack and reviewed every Special Trump Card he had collected.
There were two summon cards: one for Flame-Headed Sanzang and one for Stick Wielder.
【Special Trump Card: Stick Pilgrim: Summons a monkey with a furry face, thunderous roar, and a stone cudgel in hand. Matches the opponent’s realm but is extremely prone to going berserk. Power slightly diminishes if Flame-Headed Sanzang is present, but eliminates the risk of losing control. Ultimate move: Which Stick Do You Want? Randomly selects from Water Cudgel or Fire Cudgel. Water Cudgel stirs raging seas and inverted rivers; Fire Cudgel scorches everything for ten li around.】
It was full of gripes, but Yan Zhen held his tongue.
Summon cards only seemed to appear when he learned new techniques. Flame-Headed Sanzang came from the Emperor Flame Technique task, while Stick Wielder originated from the Ancestral Symbol Scripture task.
The rest were skill cards, all leaning toward support roles. They didn’t synergize much with each other, and he wasn’t sure if he could even build a deck out of them.
He’d have to think it over properly when he had time.
Yan Zhen got out of bed and stretched his body, then washed up and changed clothes. By the time he reached the dining hall, all four women were already there.
It looked like he was the one who had slept in today.
“We’re having dumplings today?”
“Yeah, Mentor made them. Some with chives, some without. Which kind do you want, Cousin?”
“Either works for me.”
“Then try the chive ones first. They’re super tasty.”
With that, Yan Meng’er swiftly picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks, dipped it in vinegar, and fed it straight to Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen reached out with his own chopsticks to meet it halfway, not finding anything off about the gesture at all.
“Delicious.”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s skills were indeed top-notch.
The other three women exchanged subtle glances, wondering how Yan Zhen had gotten so used to Meng’er feeding him like this.
They must do this all the time when eating lunch together.
—So jealous!
“If you like it, eat more. We made a ton. Try this pork filling one.”
Mentor Yu Xuan picked up a dumpling and placed it in Yan Zhen’s bowl. She seemed to be in high spirits, her gentle smile carrying an enchanting allure that could drown a man.
“Thanks, Mentor.”
Yan Zhen had just picked it up and taken a bite when another pair of chopsticks appeared at his mouth. At the other end was Mi Xue’er.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, this one’s egg filling. It has a unique flavor—give it a try.”
Yan Zhen couldn’t refuse. He took it in his mouth and, after chewing, gave his verdict.
“A bit more fragrant, but it doesn’t have that lingering sweetness like the pork one.”
“And here are the shrimp dumplings.”
Yan Ruyu’s face flushed slightly as her slender fingers gently nudged the plate—now only half full—toward Yan Zhen.
“Shrimp dumplings are my favorite.”
Yan Zhen dove in eagerly, stuffing his mouth until his cheeks bulged.
Once he finished eating, Yan Zhen paused for a moment before speaking up.
“Mentor, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Mentor Yu Xuan tilted her head.
“Go ahead.”
“Well… I want to request leave. At least half a month.” Yan Zhen hesitated, then added, “I won’t attend anything except the exam.”
The words “request leave” made Mentor Yu Xuan tense up at first, thinking Yan Zhen was unwell again. But then what? He wouldn’t attend anything except the exam? Was he staging a mutiny?
Right—in his previous life, he had pulled something like this. It had infuriated her back then. She’d finally found a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy, only for him to skip classes. So she’d chewed him out thoroughly.
They had eventually made a deal: if Yan Zhen took first place in the Monthly Assessment, she’d approve his leave. Otherwise, it would count as truancy.
He had naturally aced it, but she’d never figured out what he did during that leave. He wouldn’t tell her no matter how much she asked.
“What do you need the leave for?”
The other three women stared at Yan Zhen curiously as well.
To train pill refining with Beautiful Master in the Crystal Stone Space, Yan Zhen said silently to himself.
“The current classes aren’t helping me much anymore. I want to cultivate on my own.”
As he spoke, he revealed his Six-Star Mystic Practitioner cultivation base.
“You advanced again?”
Only Yan Ruyu looked truly shocked. Yan Meng’er, Mi Xue’er, and Mentor Yu Xuan all seemed relatively calm—they had half-expected it.
This left Yan Zhen puzzled. In the script, when he revealed his Six-Star cultivation in Mentor Yu Xuan’s office, the mentor and the three women present had all been stunned.
Why was it that during his performance, only Ruyu was shocked? The other three weren’t even pretending.
—Am I not impressive enough? You’re making me look like a fool here.
Yan Zhen shot them a plaintive look and continued.
“Getting from Six-Star to Seven-Star is just a small hurdle. I want to push past it quickly, but classes take up too much time.”
“You can’t request such an outrageous leave! Aren’t you putting Mentor Yu Xuan in a tough spot?”
Yan Ruyu furrowed her delicate brows, her tone a mix of exasperation and concern.
“I guarantee I’ll take first in this Monthly Assessment. I absolutely won’t embarrass you or Mentor.”
With that, Mentor Yu Xuan should relent, Yan Zhen thought.
But Mentor Yu Xuan shook her head.
“No need for guarantees.”
“Huh?”
“Yan Zhen, I approve your leave. But you must submit to my daily inspections. If I find your cultivation stagnating, you’ll come right back to class. Deal?”
“This…”
Why did it deviate from the script?
Was a daily check stricter than first place in the assessment?
Mentor, snap out of it—the results of your student’s Monthly Assessment affect your performance bonuses!
Mentor Yu Xuan couldn’t care less about performance or bonuses. She only knew that whenever Yan Zhen got leave in the past, he vanished completely, only surfacing right before and after exams.
Now that they lived together, she had grown accustomed to seeing him every day. Even missing one day left her feeling empty inside.
She put on a stern face, feigning anger.
“If you won’t agree, then forget it. I can’t just let you run wild unchecked.”
Seeing her expression shift, Yan Zhen quickly acquiesced.
“I promise to show up on time every morning for your inspection.”
“And if you’re not on time?”
“Absolutely on time!”
“Hmph, sly little fox.”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s smile returned, and Yan Zhen grinned along with her. The three women, however, felt a pang of loss.
Especially Mi Xue’er and Yan Ruyu.
Without Yan Zhen in class, they wouldn’t get to sit together anymore.
What was the point of going then? Mi Xue’er wanted to request leave too. As a reincarnator, she didn’t need classes anyway—self-cultivation was far more efficient for her.
“Cousin Ruyu, Senior Sister Xue’er, keep cultivating hard while I’m gone.”
Yan Zhen waved them off warmly as they headed out to school. Then he returned to his room and entered the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
