Shen Ning’s sensation was quite strange.
First of all, in the initial sleep prevention stage, it went rather smoothly.
After drinking the soup that helped calm the mind and drift into sleep, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she sank heavily into unconsciousness and entered a familiar dreamland.
She let go of resistance, allowed her consciousness to sink into a state of false gestation, camouflaging herself to appear just like other soul forms, following them as they drifted past the entrance of the mine into the Crystal Stone World.
Standing at the entrance, she gazed into the white misty expanse ahead. The young girl hesitated for a moment, unsure if the actions she’d prepared on the other side would be effective, if it would work at all. If not, she might end up somewhere else.
Just then, out of the white mist suddenly shot a rope, which went straight for the girl’s abdomen and began searching inside.
“Ah!”
“Welcome, Your Majesty the Queen! We chant your name here, basking in your radiant glory upon this land. May your holy body descend upon the Divine Nation, may your noble soul guide us all…”
Shen Ning snapped back to her senses. Before she could open her eyes, she heard voices by her ear, a chorus of many people reciting together, making her skin crawl.
Forcing her eyes open, she saw that she was in a desolate small village, surrounded by a dozen or so figures with grotesque forms. Under the leadership of Mei Long, they were reciting the words from before.
“Shen Xiaochun, you’re here!” Mei Long happily greeted her. “See, this ritual really worked, that’s great!”
But Shen Ning was not particularly pleased. “Why did you do all this?”
“It was to ensure you arrived at the right place, per the ceremony. It was Xu Chuli’s idea.”
He was referring to Xu Chuli.
“I know it was her idea, but she didn’t say to bring this many people…”
“Sorry, Xiaolu.” Mei Long scratched his head apologetically. “Due to time constraints, I could only gather this many. If I had more time, I could have brought dozens more…”
“I mean there are too many people!” Shen Ning looked around. These people, who had been somehow gathered, stared at her eagerly. Each of them had strange appearances—some had pointed heads, some had long noses, some had eyelids turned to stone so they couldn’t open their eyes, and they just stood there staring at her.
The girl silently swallowed back the retort on the tip of her tongue.
No matter how she tried to reason, they were her own protectors. As the saying goes, you don’t strike those who smile at you, especially since these people just recited a long speech to praise her.
“Don’t do this next time,” Shen Ning told them. “At least be more tactful.”
However, the others weren’t particularly intelligent. Only Mei Long seemed to understand, saying he’d improve the incantation next time if there was an opportunity.
No more time was wasted on ceremonies. It was time to get down to business. Shen Ning let Mei Long take her to one of the three special places.
“It’s a bit far. This time we can only visit one. Please follow me.”
Mei Long led the way ahead, Shen Ning close behind, and the dozen or so odd folk followed as well, forming a ragtag group. Anyone who saw them might think they were out on a spring excursion.
“Do they all have to come along?”
“It’s safer with them, Shen. In case we run into any opposition on the way, they’ll serve as escorts.”
“…I suppose that makes sense.”
And so it went. The new Empress, following her guide, with an entire household guard, left the narrow alley, crossed the snowy expanse of the plain, stepped through a massive ancient gate, and arrived at the first special area in this world.
A left-leaning sand dune stood ahead, crystalline on the outside. Endless sand poured out from a small opening in the center, as if it would never be exhausted, even after ten thousand years.
“Your Majesty, we’ve arrived.”
Outside the prison, in a small café on the street, Yu Jing sat by the window. Two cups of still-steaming coffee sat on the table.
Before long, Cheng Chen came running in from outside and picked up her coffee.
“I’ve been watching for half a day—there’s no angle from outside where you can see into the prison’s interior. Their basic security is excellent. But you don’t have to worry, since Xu Chuli sent a message not long after she went in, proving she can still use her phone even inside, so communication’s fine… ugh, this is so bitter.”
She’d intended to take a sip and freshen up, but one mouthful made her realize there was no sugar and no milk—just pure, bitter black coffee.
Cheng Chen went up to the counter to ask for some, but they didn’t have plain water. She managed to get some milk and sugar, then returned to the table, pouring them into the coffee as she spoke to Yu Jing:
“You’re still drinking it like that? Nothing added, just pure black bitterness?”
Yu Jing said nothing, simply taking a silent sip of her black coffee.
“You should be more optimistic now. See, I wasn’t lying to you, right?” Cheng Chen gestured toward the prison. “See? Here come two more.”
After the Starfire Squad incident, Yu Jing became the sole survivor. When her appeals for help were fruitless, she initially intended to rely solely on her own strength to seek justice. Although her innate talent was outstanding, she was stuck at the Cultivation Peak of Third Rank for years due to inner demons, unable to break through.
For most Spirit Power users, reaching the Cultivation Peak of Third Rank was already enough to live out the rest of their lives in glory, but she knew that strength was still not enough for her purpose.
At the time, Cheng Chen, a temporary staffer, found out about her situation and persuaded her to become a teacher at Shengling Academy.
Not only was the job easy and non-violent, but there was always the chance to discover a super-genius student. Once the student matured, she could rely on the teacher-student bond to fulfill her wish.
Yu Jing was persuaded and began her long career as the head instructor at Shengling Academy. For a long time, she didn’t find a suitable candidate—until Xu Chuyao and Shen Ning, the “Twin Flowers” couple, suddenly emerged as historical-level geniuses.
“You’ve got a good eye,” Cheng Chen added. “I remember two years ago, when Shen Ning’s identity was still somewhat sensitive, you always spoke up for her at meetings.”
Yu Jing put down her cup and brushed back her hair. “She was only First Rank then. How could I have foreseen her current situation? She’s my student; of course I’d say good things about her.”
Although she’d originally taken the job for ulterior motives, after all these years, Yu Jing had gotten used to her role.
“No matter what, you’ve finally found what you were waiting for. Two students, both this exceptional—especially Xu Chuyao, who isn’t just talented but also clever.” Cheng Chen mixed her coffee to satisfaction and tasted it, finally pleased. “I wonder how she’s doing inside—if she’s having a good time.”
At that moment, in the prison, the much-thought-of student Xu Chuyao… was sweating.
She took advantage of a hair-toss to quietly wipe away cold sweat, pretending nothing had happened.
“What does it matter if her family is rich or not? Bullying on campus is still wrong! Why bring that up—are you trying to say she deserved to be bullied?”
Hearing this, Wen Fang rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Is that what I meant? I just mean there’s no need to dress like that. Wearing a cotton-padded jacket on a sunny day only because she thinks it makes her look like—”
“Enough! Don’t slander her. You’re just making excuses for yourself, no matter what you say!”
Xu Chuli snapped sharply, cutting off Wen Fang and not letting her finish that particular word. In a place like this, everything said and heard would be known by everyone.
Xu Chuyao knew what Wen Fang wanted to say, and she also remembered how, back then, when Ms. Wang Li commented that she looked like a “penguin” in a cotton-padded jacket, Wen Fang and the others had laughed at her for it.
The truth is, she just liked cosplay!
“Forget it, forget it. This girl just refuses to listen, I can’t be bothered.” Xu Chuli stood up, preparing to leave. “Reflect on yourself. See you next time!”
To avoid seeming too eager, Xu Chuyao even lingered at a few other cell doors before finally leaving the prison, making sure to dawdle for a long time before returning to the interrogation room downstairs.
Yu Jing wiped her sweat, sipped her tea, trying to hide her nervousness.
In a small city hundreds of kilometers from the central hub, at a bar that didn’t open during the day, a burly man excused himself from a meeting to take a phone call outside.
“Hello, Lord Penguin, what brings you to contact me… What? You want me to go now? So sudden… I thought you said there’d still be some time before—”
The upper echelons of the Supreme Society had told him to change plans, to forget about playing around with small schemes. He was to take Little Jiu and the rest, rush straight to Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, and join the Valhalla Research Institute as volunteers in preparation for a major operation. Their identities were secured—someone in the Institute would be there to receive them.
But Morris knew that, after the operation, those “volunteers” would most likely all be finished. That’s why, at first, he wanted to wait, to wring a bit more usefulness out of Kegang and the others.
“You’re right, and so are Swina and the others.” The voice on the phone was unmistakably female. “Xu Chuli, that formidable girl, really is something else.”
“Oh?” Morris grew interested. “Can I ask what happened?”
“Just a few days ago, she had someone remind me to pay attention to the Institute’s geography, in case something happened that could affect our defensive line.” There was a low chuckle from the other end. “Ha, she really is uncanny.”
Morris fell silent for a moment.
That was definitely someone who’d already figured everything out—not only hitting the target, but making sure the main player got the message.
“Xu Chuli really is extraordinary. Back when I first went up against her, I felt like my identity was almost exposed,” Morris said. “But, I hear Professor Swina and Bill are still struggling with the rainbow capture test. How’s it going? Not well?”
“Those two useless oafs. If needed, I’ll deal with it myself.”
With that, the call ended.
“Lord Penguin’s temper is still as fierce as ever.”
Morris put his phone away, straightened his collar, and returned to the meeting room, facing the members of Little Jiu’s gang.
“Good news, everyone! Starting today, you won’t have to keep worrying about hiding your money under your skirts. You’re all getting legitimate jobs—well, more or less. Our society’s higher-ups have arranged some proper work for us. Let’s settle down, develop our talents, and make plans for the long term. Tell me, isn’t this fantastic news?”