It wasn't until he walked out of the Inspectorate Building that Lu Xuan realized something wasn't quite right.
'Didn't I come here to collect my stipend? How... how did I suddenly become a probationary deputy director for the Inspectorate?'
According to Director Ji, submitting the report was just a formality. In two weeks at most, his appointment would be finalized...
Lu Xuan scratched his head, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. Then, he touched the bank card in his pocket, a wide, happy smile spreading across his face.
Fifty thousand!!
A twenty-thousand stipend for a Bone Forging Realm Great Martial Artist, plus a thirty-thousand salary for a deputy director...
And it wasn't a one-time payment. From now on, he would get fifty thousand every month. Every single month!
'I'm rich!!'
Lu Xuan's eyes lit up, and he broke into a foolish grin, laughing like a child.
After all, he was still just a child.
"Is that you?" an aged voice suddenly called out.
Lu Xuan froze, wiped the silly grin off his face, and instinctively turned his head to look, his eyes widening.
"Teacher... Teacher Lu!"
The newcomer was none other than Lu Xiuyuan.
Lu Xiuyuan studied Lu Xuan with curiosity for a moment before a smile spread across his face.
"What a coincidence. I was just wondering how to find you, my boy, and here you are."
Lu Xuan hastily straightened up and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Master Lu."
He felt a bit timid and guilty—after all, he had often been eavesdropping on the man's classes. At the same time, however, his heart was filled with gratitude.
'Strictly speaking, it was Master Lu who guided me onto the path of cultivation!'
Lu Xiuyuan smiled warmly and stroked his long beard.
"Mm, this must be fate... Child, what is your name?"
"My name is Lu Xuan."
After a pause, Lu Xuan couldn't help but ask:
"Teacher Lu, you were looking for me?"
"Yes," Lu Xiuyuan said with a chuckle. "East Sea High School is starting a financial aid program for students in need, and I was planning on submitting your name. That way, you won't have to hole up in the wasteland outside the walls anymore."
Lu Xuan's face flushed slightly, and then his expression turned to one of excitement.
"I... Thank you, Master Lu!"
He bowed respectfully once more.
"No need to thank me," Lu Xiuyuan said calmly. "You have a thirst for knowledge, and your disposition is good. I was just giving... Wait a minute, what did you say your name was?"
"Huh?" The young man was baffled but still answered honestly, "Lu Xuan."
Lu Xiuyuan looked surprised.
"Do you have any connection to Longque Technology?"
Lu Xuan was confused for a moment, but his mind quickly put the pieces together, and he figured out what was going on.
'Financial aid program... Longque Technology... and my name... Hmm, is it because of Li Xiaosang?'
He didn't hide anything and briefly explained the situation.
"So that's how it is!" Lu Xiuyuan slapped his forehead in realization, then remarked with a sigh, "It seems you're quite blessed by fortune. If only your innate talent were a little better, you could have a truly great future. What a pity..."
He still believed that Lu Xuan had left that day because he couldn't even achieve Introspection, and he felt it was a great shame.
But no matter how clever Lu Xuan was, he couldn't have guessed this part of the misunderstanding. He simply assumed his own talent truly wasn't very good. 'It must all be thanks to Mediation of Creation and that one grain of Spirit Rice, right?'
Just as he was starting to feel a little dejected,
Lu Xiuyuan spoke up again with a chuckle.
"Well, that's fine too. It saves me the trouble of making an introduction for you... Tell you what, I have some things to take care of, so we'll cut this short. Report to East Sea High School next Monday. I'll personally guide you one more time then and see if we can get you to achieve Introspection."
"Huh?" Three question marks practically appeared over Lu Xuan's head. 'What in the world?'
'Introspection?'
It took him a moment to even remember what that was. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he wanted to explain, but Lu Xiuyuan cut him off.
"Remember to report next Monday... You can probably skip most of the academic classes; there isn't enough time. If you want to get into a Cultivation University, you need to focus entirely on your cultivation."
He paused, and without giving Lu Xuan a chance to speak, he continued:
"Next Monday, I'll give you a comprehensive aptitude test. As long as your results aren't truly terrible, with your perseverance, you have a chance of reaching the Martial Artist level before the university entrance exams... Alright, I have to go."
Lu Xuan opened his mouth, feeling helpless, but he gave up on trying to explain. Instead, he just bowed again.
"Take care, Teacher Lu."
Only after watching Lu Xiuyuan enter the Inspectorate did he straighten up, scratching his head and muttering to himself:
"Something still feels off... Did I misunderstand something, or did Teacher Lu?"
"Whatever. It's only Tuesday... I'll worry about it next Monday!"
With that, Lu Xuan stopped dwelling on it and hurried excitedly back toward the Lower City District.
...
After grabbing a quick bite to eat and stopping by Wu Xiaoxu's place for a bit, Lu Xuan returned to his small cabin and lay down on his bed.
He took out his identity card and bank card, staring at them in a daze as a heavy, emotional feeling settled in his heart.
'I finally have a proper identity again. I'm not an undocumented person anymore.'
'But... but what about the tens of millions of people from Qianlong City?'
Lu Xuan was silent for a long time, the excitement from his newfound wealth slowly fading.
"I have to get stronger. I have to become strong enough to uncover the truth behind all of this..."
He carefully placed the two cards under his pillow and whispered to himself again,
"I will find out who you are... I swear it."
Shaking his head, Lu Xuan put these thoughts aside for the moment. He focused intently on deciphering the abstruse characters in his mind, while also continuing his cultivation, circulating Essence Qi to temper his bones.
Time passed, and in a flash, it was nearly dawn.
"Mmm, my spiritual energy feels mostly recovered. Should I give it a try?"
As he spoke, he opened his palm and visualized the seventy-five profound and majestic characters.
"Mediation... of Creation!"
The air vibrated. A rift opened in the void, and ripples spread out from it, just like waves on water!
Lu Xuan could feel his spiritual energy draining away rapidly, and he was gradually losing control.
Thankfully, just as his spiritual energy reached its limit, the ripples ceased.
Another translucent grain of Spirit Rice fell into his palm.
"Unfortunately, my spiritual energy is still too weak, and my understanding of Mediation of Creation is too shallow. Creating a single grain of Spirit Rice out of thin air is my limit; I can't create anything else."
"Now, let me see if last time was just a coincidence!"
With that, he tilted his head back and swallowed the grain of rice in one gulp.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
"Here it comes!"
The familiar, immense flow of energy erupted once more!
Having been through this once before, Lu Xuan didn't panic. Instead, he methodically guided the energy throughout his body, focusing on tempering his bones and even attempting to refine the 'marrow' within them.
His body once again underwent a drastic transformation.
By the time he had absorbed most of the energy, it was well past midnight, and the moon hung high above the treetops.
Lu Xuan gently exhaled a breath of turbid air. The breath shot out like a sharp arrow, piercing the wooden wall and leaving a small, round hole.
"So sleepy..."
A profound exhaustion bloomed from the depths of his soul. Lu Xuan couldn't fight it any longer. He collapsed onto the bed and was instantly fast asleep.
And once again, he dreamed.