“Three Missing One?”
Lin Xiangyi instinctively shot back.
“Your A-rank mission, of course.”
Shen Ye tilted her head, her fingertip sinking into the soft flesh of her cheek.
Lin Xiangyi froze for two seconds, then it clicked, and his face twisted into an expression of disbelief.
“You?”
He shot it down almost immediately.
“You’re a Spirit Being who just got here, how could you—”
The next second, Shen Ye pulled out that card and shut him up.
“Uh…”
Lin Xiangyi’s momentum instantly deflated.
“What about your injuries? If I remember correctly, you can’t use much Spiritual Power right now, can you? An A-rank mission isn’t a joke.”
“Hmm…”
Shen Ye’s small hand tapped her cheek lightly, putting on a thoughtful look.
“As long as I get one more treatment, I should… be able to make it work?”
Seeing the girl’s naive expression, Lin Xiangyi said helplessly:
“Xiao Ye, I understand your good intentions, but an A-rank mission isn’t child’s play.”
“Missions issued by The Association’s evaluation are divided into four grades, from high to low: A, B, C, D.”
“And Executors are ranked from one to five tiers based on comprehensive data like combat strength and tactical positioning, plus the highest tier, Special-rank, making six tiers total.”
“A-rank missions are already considered the highest tier.”
As for how missions are graded, I don’t think I ever really paid attention to that.
They’re all about the same, aren’t they?
Shen Ye muttered silently to herself.
“Then, we could switch to a lower-difficulty mission, right?”
She asked in a small voice, rephrasing her approach.
“I’ve heard people say that as long as the Executor Examination reaches the final step, no matter which mission you pick, as long as it hasn’t started yet, there’s no restriction on changing teammates or switching missions.”
“So if we just switch to a low-difficulty mission like C or D rank, even if I have to start from tier three, that’s still better than failing the exam, isn’t it?”
Shen Ye voiced her confusion.
She didn’t understand.
Junior Brother had already missed one chance to become an Executor. If he failed this time, he’d have to wait another five years.
Isn’t Junior Brother’s goal in Spiritual Practice to become an Executor?
He even switched to the Life Spirit System without hesitation for that purpose.
Why does he have to stubbornly insist on this A-rank mission?
“Phew—”
Facing Shen Ye’s doubts, Lin Xiangyi let out a long breath.
He ran both hands through his bangs, pushing them up over his head, then leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He thought back to when he was ten years old.
He had just joined the Azure Cloud Sect not long before.
How many years had it been by then?
Two? Or was it three? He couldn’t remember.
He had joined the Azure Cloud Sect with the goal of becoming an Executor for two years already, yet he still saw no results.
Controlling Spiritual Power, commanding the five elements, creating objects out of thin air.
The practice of the Spirit Control Art was much harder than he had imagined.
He had planned to just keep cultivating like this, waiting five years to take his first exam.
Until he heard that his Senior Brother had already become an Executor.
Lin Xiangyi lowered his head, his hair falling forward to cover his eyes with the movement.
When I was ten, Senior Brother must have only been twelve.
That I remember clearly.
Twelve years old. Twelve.
A tier-one Executor at twelve.
In the world today, is there any human more talented than him?
…
How should I explain this to Xiao Ye?
She knows Senior Brother, so she should understand how incredible he is.
Should I say,
as his Junior Brother, I’ve already taken the exam twice, so I ought to match Senior Brother and not embarrass his name?
Or should I say,
I, Lin Xiangyi, am also a genius, so I should pick the hardest mission to prove myself?
Or is it that I’ve always been fixated on Senior Brother…
The fists resting on his knees clenched slightly.
Lin Xiangyi thought for a long time. He felt he owed the girl before him an explanation, and only then did he finally decide to speak.
A faint, bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Guess I’ll just say I’m being stubborn.
“Because—”
“Yo, long time no see.”
A voice came from the side, cutting off Lin Xiangyi’s words.
Both of them turned their heads at the same time.
Zhao Lin stood a few steps away with a smiling face, hands in his pockets, looking entirely at ease.
“It’s you?”
Lin Xiangyi’s brow furrowed.
“What, not welcome?”
Zhao Lin tilted his head, his gaze slipping past Lin Xiangyi to land on Shen Ye beside him.
“Miss, we meet again.”
He gave a slight bow, performing what he considered a proper greeting.
“I was rather rude at the Shopping Mall before. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Running into each other like this is fate. With such a fine opportunity before us, might I have the honor of knowing your name?”
Shen Ye didn’t respond. She just pressed herself closer to Lin Xiangyi.
“Xiangyi, who is he?”
Lin Xiangyi answered flatly:
“No need to know him. No need to bother.”
“Oh.”
The two seemed to be whispering, but in truth, they hadn’t lowered their voices at all.
Zhao Lin’s expression shifted slightly, but he quickly propped that smile back up.
Back at the Shopping Mall, this guy Lin Xiangyi only dared to admit he was a friend in front of this little beauty.
If they were just friends, that meant they weren’t together yet.
Plenty of chances to be had.
He cleared his throat and switched to a more serious tone.
“Miss, allow me to formally introduce myself.”
He pulled a card from his pocket, twirled it between his fingers, then extended it toward Shen Ye.
“I am Zhao Lin, second Young Master of the Zhao Family of River City.”
“I am also a tier-four Executor of the Spirit Master Association.”
When he reached the last word, he deliberately emphasized it, brimming with pride.
“Miss, you must be a new face at The Association, right?”
“Just arrived. Would you like me to show you around?”
“I’m certainly far more familiar with the place than some Apprentice.”
With that, he shot a provocative glance at Lin Xiangyi.
So what if I can’t beat you in a fight? Around here, you’re just an Apprentice.
I’m the real deal!
Facing his provocation, Lin Xiangyi only looked at his face with derision.
He chuckled, then sneered:
“Your family’s healing arts are pretty good.”
Between the lines.
All of it was mockery of that day, that punch.
Zhao Lin’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and looked at Shen Ye.
He had expected Shen Ye to change her attitude because of this, but to his surprise, she still hadn’t spared him a single glance.
How is this possible?
His gaze darted back and forth between the two, until suddenly, as if a thought struck him, his eyes sharpened with clarity.
Could this girl be thinking that Lin Xiangyi has some big backing?
In that instant, he thought he understood why Shen Ye was so indifferent.
That’s hilarious.
“Beautiful miss, don’t you know?”
He put on a look of surprise.
“If you think his Senior Brother Shen Ye is impressive, there’s no need.”
“Lord Shen Ye, as a Special-rank Executor, is swamped with important affairs. He wouldn’t bother with anything outside of missions.”
“Even if Lin Xiangyi here trained under the same master as Shen Ye, he’s nowhere near half as capable as his Senior Brother.”
“As for trash like him, why waste your time on him?”
Zhao Lin sneered inwardly.
Everyone at The Association knows that Shen Ye only cares about Spirit Beings.
Otherwise, when Lin Xiangyi failed his last exam, why wouldn’t Shen Ye have used a little privilege to help him?
Lin Xiangyi, Lin Xiangyi, trying to pick up girls with someone’s reputation,
Better go find someone who’d actually stick their neck out for you first.
“You.”
Hearing Shen Ye speak, Zhao Lin was overjoyed.
Finally, he had gotten the response he’d been waiting for.
The girl’s icy, bottomless dark eyes swept over him, sending a cold shiver down his spine.
Shen Ye spoke, her voice cold as frost.
“Are you done talking?”
“Then get lost.”