An hour later, the bell rang.
Students surged out of the teaching building like a tide, and the noisy corridor quickly fell silent.
At the corner of the hallway, Bai Fan stopped Lin Xincheng and Ruan Mingxi, who were about to head back to the office.
His face was full of confusion.
“What exactly are you two up to?” Bai Fan’s gaze shifted between them. “Why did you suddenly come to the school? Is it an assignment from above?”
Lin Xincheng had a stack of test papers tucked under his arm. He replied calmly, “It’s a bit complicated to explain. You can think of it as… me being on leave for a while.”
Bai Fan was taken aback.
On leave? Then why add the word “being” in front of it?
It didn’t sound like something good.
“Here—have some black tea.” Ruan Mingxi somehow produced a bottle of iced black tea from nowhere and stuffed it into his hand like a magic trick.
The bottle was covered in fine beads of condensation, cool to the touch.
“Well, let me explain.”
Bai Fan immediately turned his attention to her.
“Go ahead, Sister Mingxi.”
Ruan Mingxi clasped her hands behind her back and took two slow steps forward.
“Little Fan must have already sensed it, right? The difference between being a Sublimator… and ordinary people.”
Bai Fan nodded.
Of course he could feel it. The power granted by Spiritual Essence defied many common understandings.
His enhanced perception could easily pick up subtle emotional changes in others.
The flicker of an eye, the pace of breathing, the tension of a muscle—none of it escaped his notice.
Sometimes it even gave him a strange illusion of standing higher and seeing farther.
Without a doubt, Sublimators were extraordinary beings above ordinary people.
Bai Fan paused for a moment, then said honestly, “Sometimes I naturally get this feeling… that I’m right, and I want to dominate others.”
Ruan Mingxi nodded.
“That’s normal. Sublimators spend most of their time in their own circles, and with the power they hold, they slowly become estranged from ordinary people.”
She raised the bottle of black tea and shook it. The amber liquid swayed gently in the sunlight.
“But the foundation of this world happens to be built by them. For example, this bottle of black tea—a Sublimator probably wouldn’t study how to make it colder or tastier.
Nor would they study how to make the packaging prettier or easier to transport. But someone is always doing those things. Those seemingly ordinary people support the entire world.”
Bai Fan looked down at the black tea in his hand and said nothing.
“Sublimators also come from ordinary people,” Ruan Mingxi said, her voice softening. “And many times, the weight of our responsibilities makes it easy to lose our connection to this world.
So if you have time, you should go out more, look at ordinary people’s lives, and never forget where you started.”
Was that so? Bai Fan had never heard this perspective before.
He instinctively glanced at Lin Xincheng beside him.
The young man leaned against the window, listening quietly, neither agreeing nor refuting.
Maybe… she just made up an excuse because she wanted to play.
Bai Fan guessed silently.
“The more direct reason,” Lin Xincheng finally spoke. “Is that the Lincheng Public Security Bureau still needs some settling.”
His voice was calm.
“In the Thirteen Opens Incident earlier, I acted first and reported later. I dealt with a few moles inside the Public Security Bureau, including a senior inspector who had long been in contact with Master Mo.
Although my decision proved correct and the Governance Bureau supported my actions,
the Public Security Bureau is, after all, a local administrative agency. I didn’t have the authority to directly handle their people.
Supernatural institutions meddling in grassroots administrative systems is a taboo in itself.
So it’s not suitable for me to appear publicly for a while. Once the director finishes handling the aftermath, I’ll return.”
Bai Fan felt a headache coming on.
He had never really understood how the various departments of the Federation operated.
But he could roughly tell that the captain was caught up in some internal bureaucratic trouble.
“Then what does that have to do with coming to my school?” Bai Fan still didn’t understand.
“Why did you suddenly become teachers here? You didn’t use some authority to order the principal to arrange jobs for you, did you?”
Ruan Mingxi immediately reached out and ruffled his head.
“Hey, what do you take us for? Do we look like people who throw their weight around like that?”
Bai Fan flashed an awkward but polite smile.
Who knew? Captain Xincheng didn’t seem like that, but Sister Mingxi… that was hard to say.
His thoughts were practically written all over his face.
Ruan Mingxi saw right through him and increased the pressure on his head.
“You little brat! You should know that Senior Brother was the Hua Province Top Scholar in the Federal Unified Examination, ranking first overall in Hua Province and entering Tianqi Academy!”
She said this with immense pride, as if she herself had earned that title.
“When we went to apply, Senior Brother flashed his exam results and student records, and the chairman almost begged him on his knees to teach at the school.”
Bai Fan took a sip of the iced black tea, the cold sensation sliding down his throat.
He suddenly asked, “Sister Mingxi, why are you always talking about Captain’s grades? What about yours?”
The smile on Ruan Mingxi’s face froze for a moment. Though it lasted only an instant, Bai Fan caught it perfectly.
“Ahem.” She cleared her throat.
“My grades weren’t bad either. I was also recommended for admission to Tianqi Academy back then.”
Bai Fan looked at her suspiciously, feeling there was more to the story.
But soon, his attention returned to another matter—the Hua Province Top Scholar.
Every year, hundreds of millions of candidates took the Federal Unified Examination. Even divided among the provinces, it was a competition among tens of millions.
And Lin Xincheng had taken first place.
Bai Fan couldn’t help but look at the perpetually calm young man.
Was there anything this guy couldn’t do? He was almost absurdly versatile.
Lin Xincheng seemed to notice his thoughts.
He smiled, not with pride, but with a hint of nostalgia.
“I’m not as amazing as you think. I once went through a very low period. Thanks to two professors, I managed to get out of it.”
He paused, the afternoon sunlight falling into his dark eyes.
“Speaking of which… your parents were actually my mentors.”
Bai Fan scratched his head. He didn’t remember much about that time, not even the interactions he’d had with Lin Xincheng as a child.
“But… I still have some questions.”
“Go ahead. I’ll answer them all.”
“Like when you arrested Master Mo, aren’t we still investigating the mastermind behind the scenes?”
Lin Xincheng’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“That does need to be investigated, but we have no other leads for now. We have to wait for them to make a mistake and then follow the trail.
I’ve already set up the relevant investigations, and I’ll also spend time tracking down any related leads during the day.”
Bai Fan nodded.
“And the Blood Plague that spread in the city?”
Lin Xincheng smiled faintly, a look that somehow put people at ease.
“Actually, thanks to you, Little Fan. You cured the first batch of Blood Plague patients, stopped the spread, and bought time for the Spirit Research Institute.
The new special serum has been successfully developed. The Blood Plague spreading in the city is basically under control.”
He added, “Of course, we can’t let our guard down. We also need to watch for new Blood Plague Variants.”
Hearing this, the weight in Bai Fan’s heart finally lifted.
It seemed Lin Xincheng had already arranged everything systematically. The investigation, the aftermath, the prevention—all progressing smoothly, no need for him to worry.
“So… why did you come here, Captain?”
Ruan Mingxi immediately put her hands on her hips and stepped forward with a humph.
“Of course, to fulfill your wish! Didn’t you say at the hospital that you wanted to get into Tianqi Academy and see the school where your parents once taught?”
She grinned and pointed at herself and Lin Xincheng.
“So we came.”
Bai Fan was momentarily stunned.
He looked at the smile on Ruan Mingxi’s face.
“Why… are you so good to me?” His voice was a little hoarse.
He hadn’t felt this way in a long time.
Ruan Mingxi reached out and ruffled his head again. “That’s because we want to recommend Little Fan to Teacher Gu Chen’s tutelage.”
“You know, Sublimators have a special admission channel to enter Tianqi Academy. They can be admitted with lower scores.”
Bai Fan was taken aback. He really didn’t know that.
Lin Xincheng took over the explanation.
“As long as an inner academy teacher is willing to recommend and serve as a guide, a student with Sublimator aptitude can enter the inner academy by meeting the basic passing score.”
A hint of a smile appeared on his face.
“One of the reasons we came was to introduce you to Teacher Gu Chen’s tutelage.”
Bai Fan was speechless.
This meant that his future path would be much smoother, that the almost insurmountable hurdles had already been pushed open for him.
Ruan Mingxi looked at him with a grin.
“If Little Fan also enters under Teacher Gu Chen, then you’ll officially be my little junior sister.”
Bai Fan choked.
Wait…
Sister Mingxi, I’m still a boy right now! Don’t keep treating me like a sister!
Lin Xincheng continued, “If you follow the normal academic path, Little Fan, the pressure will be huge. You’d have to compete with tens of millions of candidates.
I’m not doubting your talent or hard work, but because of your upbringing, you’re naturally behind ordinary students in general education courses. That would put you at a disadvantage.”
Bai Fan fell silent.
Because what he said was true. And what surprised him even more was that Lin Xincheng had considered all these things for him.
“Also,” Lin Xincheng looked at him, “your Spiritual Essence has been recovering these past few days. Maybe with one more opportunity, you’ll officially awaken and become a Sublimator.”
He paused. “And I can feel it, Little Fan. You’ve already made up your mind.”
The corridor suddenly grew quiet.
Bai Fan pressed his lips together. After a moment, he spoke slowly.
“Yes, my mind is set. I will become a Sublimator.”
His voice was exceptionally firm.
“Even if I have to live as another gender in the future, I don’t care.”