I pressed the Big Tick down onto the cockpit console and pierced its swollen crimson belly with a fine needle.
That belly deflated rapidly like a burst balloon, shrinking down to nothing.
The blood inside was drawn into a test tube, flickering with electric sparks within the glass.
“Pfft—”
Once the blood was extracted, the tick seemed to lose all vitality, quickly withering away into dust.
Only a wisp of black smoke, strangely familiar to me, emerged and tried to slip away.
“The Soul Fragment of Qiongqi?!”
I was quick enough to grab that wisp of black smoke.
But the moment it saw me, like spotting a natural enemy, it immediately self-destructed on the spot!
“Tch, seriously?”
I shook my slightly numb hand from the blast, clearly disappointed.
I turned to the train control panel.
With the tick no longer causing trouble, the control panel had returned to normal and was beginning to receive signals to decelerate.
“Done. It was a tick, but the blood in its belly was unusual. I’ve collected a sample.” I reported the mission progress to my watch.
[Very good, the train has started slowing down and will soon stop safely at Jiangdong Airport Station. Well done, Xiao Luo Xian.] The voice of the Suzaku Mentor came through the watch.
“Phew~”
I sighed in relief and sat in the passenger seat, gazing out the window at the passing scenery.
Soon, the train pulled into the station, and I disembarked.
[As a core member, successfully resolved an A-level high-risk emergency. Reward: 500 Academy Credits.]
“Your performance was quite surprising,” the Suzaku Mentor greeted me as I exited the station. “Calm and collected, bold and daring, even meticulous enough to collect a disaster sample from the malevolent spirit.”
“I’m curious myself,” I shrugged. “I want to know what that tick bit to gain such powerful electricity. If it’s a Qilin, maybe I can find a mate for my little one.”
No sooner had I said that, the Little Qilin suddenly jumped out and bit me.
“Ow—That hurts! Why did you bite me?”
The Little Qilin wore a displeased expression.
What’s there to be unhappy about? Unhappy because I want to find it a mate?
Alright, maybe I’m jumping the gun on matchmaking.
“This is the blood sample.” I handed the collected blood to the Suzaku Mentor. “I’m not skilled in research. Leave the DNA identification to the professionals.”
“Mm.”
Soon, someone dressed in a hazmat suit took the blood sample away.
“How does it feel, your first mission?” the Suzaku Mentor asked.
“I feel like the other three academies are totally unnecessary,” I pouted unhappily. “What do they have to do with this mission?”
“Because time was so tight, the other three academies couldn’t step in. But such urgent missions aren’t common. Other tasks still require their involvement.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Most missions are independently handled by Suzaku Academy,” the Suzaku Mentor shrugged. “That’s why Suzaku Academy is also known as the Omni Academy.”
“I’d say it’s the Great Patsy Academy,” I said bluntly. “Anyway, I’m definitely not choosing Suzaku Academy next semester.”
This kid really can’t even fake it!
“Our academy has its perks,” the Suzaku Mentor sighed softly and explained, “You probably noticed when you finished the mission… 500 Academy Credits. You received a one-time reward of 500 credits.”
“Our academy’s students often arrive first and handle missions alone, thus keeping the entire Academy Credits reward for themselves. That’s why our credits total is the highest.”
“What can Academy Credits be used for?”
“Too many things… like exchanging potions to cultivate Immortal Spirits, or finished Soulforce Vessels, and all kinds of materials.”
“Materials?”
“Yes, just ones you don’t recognize, not ones you want but can’t find. I can say for sure that the academy’s materials are the most complete collection in the world. Even if some rare herbs are missing, you can put out a request and have seniors help you find them.”
That’s not bad at all.
I should start preparing for the Jindan Formation stage soon; it requires a lot of herbs.
“You can even customize tails,” the Suzaku Mentor added.
“???!!!”
In an instant, I grabbed onto the Suzaku Mentor’s thigh, looking up at her with wide, hopeful eyes:
“Teacher, tell me more!”
“Hm? So you actually have that kind of need?”
The Suzaku Mentor laughed wryly and shook her slender jade-like leg. When the dangling accessory wouldn’t fall off, she just carried me forward.
“The Immortal Spirit traits shown on a Master—like beast ears, beast tails, tentacles, wings—are manifestations of their Immortal Spirit power. The more features displayed, the stronger their Immortal Spirit power.”
I see.
No wonder Kiruru’s tentacles are so hard to deal with… she has so much Immortal Spirit power…
“At the Academy Credits store, there’s a potion that enhances Immortal Spirit power and another that modifies the visible features of Immortal Spirit power. These two potions should be able to fulfill your wish.”
Ah!!
Great!!!
Looking at the adorable little face full of dreams clinging to her thigh, the Suzaku Mentor’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
It seemed… this Qilin Master was still just a pure little child.
At least she hadn’t been too influenced by her two ruthless parents.
The academy leadership was fully aware of what had happened to the Mu family.
Manipulating mother and child to slaughter at the birthday feast… The parents of this Xiao Luo Xian, Yun Xian and Mu Qingyou, were absolutely cruel and ruthless.
After overnight discussions, the academy leaders were deeply worried about the psychological health of the Qilin Master.
As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice’s children dig holes. A child’s personality and skills are heavily influenced by their parents.
With such heartless and ruthless parents… it was unlikely these two children could remain psychologically healthy.
And this was a Divine Beast Master.
If she went insane like her parents, the consequences… would be unimaginable.
[Ding ding—Real-time update, 13 kilometers away. Ghost-type malevolent spirit: poured the homeowner’s freshly made instant noodles into the toilet.]
Emmm…
Let’s have a moment of silence for this unlucky soul.
“Don’t we have to handle that mission?”
“You’ve already completed an A-level mission today. Unless a city-wide emergency occurs, you have the right to rest this afternoon and don’t need to take on any more tasks.”
Well then, I’m ignoring it~ The rewards for that mission aren’t even much.
Meanwhile, thirteen kilometers away.
At the Major Crimes Division, Ishida stared hopelessly at the empty instant noodle cup before him.
“Did I just time travel? To when I finished my instant noodles? Twice?”
This is insane. The freshly made noodles somehow vanished into thin air.
With lunch break almost over, he hadn’t even eaten a single bite. What a terrible day!
Back at school, I was enjoying a leisurely afternoon basking in the sunlight.
Suddenly, my phone rang.
Answering it, it was Master Lu.
Master Lu—that meant… it was about the Immortal Potion Shop?
[Xiao Luo Xian! Big trouble! Suddenly a bunch of people are saying our Immortal Potion Shop’s potions have excessive heavy metal content, and they’ve got case evidence!]
“?”
[Now public opinion is overwhelmingly negative. They say our potions are cheap and effective because we add poison that overdraws the Master’s body. They’re accusing us of making dirty money! If this continues, our potion shop will be forced to close!]