Chapter 8: A New Scapegoat... I Mean, Customer

Chapter 8: A New Scapegoat... I Mean, Customer

Taixu Sword Qi...

Lei Cang never expected that just as he was pondering about creating other cultivation methods for the other four elements, he would find a complete set of cultivation techniques in his own room.

Staring at the dusty book, Lei Cang concentrated for a moment and reluctantly recalled some fragments related to it from his childhood memories.

...Back when he was in the orphanage, he was the oldest among the boys and demonstrated intelligence from a young age, which earned him the favor of the old director.

When Lei Cang turned ten, the old director's health deteriorated, and she became bedridden.

It was at that time when she told Lei Cang an obscure and difficult-to-read incantation. She did not directly reveal the specific purpose of this cryptic incantation, only saying that it could help one find peace from the depths of the heart. She suggested that if Lei Cang recited it to her daily, her condition might improve.

At that time, Lei Cang didn't think too much about it. Even though he probably knew it was mostly a lie, he practiced the incantation tirelessly every day and night as a way to make his recitations more standard and smooth, hoping it might improve her condition.

Half a year later, the old director's health did indeed improve, and the incantation was naturally put aside by Lei Cang.

...That incantation was precisely the cultivation technique for "Taixu Sword Qi"!

Lei Cang fell silent.

In hindsight, the old director probably wanted to pass down the Taixu Sword Qi, but she discovered that Lei Cang had no talent for learning it. Thus, she had to regretfully give up the idea.

He rubbed the cover of the book, and when he opened it, he found that the introduction was torn off, leaving jagged marks. On the second page was a paragraph resembling a general outline.

"Taixu Sword Qi consists of five elements: Heart, Form, Intention, Soul, and Divine."

"Heart Element is the foundation and the second most difficult element. To learn Taixu Sword Qi, one must first comprehend the Heart Element."

"Form Element is used for combat techniques, comprising twenty-one forms that encompass all martial arts."

"Intention Element requires the 'Xuanyuan Sword' to practice, but unfortunately, the Xuanyuan Sword has been lost for five hundred years..."

"Soul Element... Soul Element is the essence of the sword. Understanding Form Element leads to comprehension of Soul Element."

As for the last Divine Element, the book didn't elaborate much and simply used a sentence to replace it:

"Rely on divinity to transform into a sword, and the sword aura naturally forms."

Lei Cang flipped to the next page, where there was a sentence written on the back:

"Guilty person Cheng Lixue... Stuck at the 'Still Water' realm of the Heart Element for a long time, coupled with severe injuries, my cultivation is almost ruined. I fear there is not much time left... I can't face my master with such disgrace, so I'd rather end it here."

"Cheng Lixue"... that was the name of the old director.

The writing on this page was messy, and the trembling handwriting indicated the turbulence of the old director's emotions when she wrote this.

"So the old director had already achieved success in her cultivation... No wonder I hardly saw any change in her appearance in the past decade... I thought everyone in this world was like that..."

Although she was called the old director, that was only after the current director took over. Before that, the children in the orphanage liked to call her "Sister Director."

Pulling his thoughts out of the memories, Lei Cang turned to the next page. Surprisingly, it recorded the cultivation technique for the "Heart Element," divided into four realms. It was exactly the same as the incantation he recited in his childhood.

Following the instructions on the page, Lei Cang attempted to silently recite the incantation and started his cultivation.

...The result was the same as when he was a child. After half an hour of sitting cross-legged and silently reciting the incantation, he achieved nothing except numbing his thighs.

"It looks like I don't have this talent..."

Lei Cang felt a bit embarrassed. He thought that with the addition of the Divine Element, mastering the Heart Element should be as easy as flipping his hand.

"But now that I think about it... the Heart Element is probably similar to the state of mind cultivation in cultivation novels. It doesn't have much to do with one's talent in swordsmanship."

"...Looks like I'll have to find a way to draw more wishes."

Lei Cang flipped through the pages of the book.

"According to the notes left by the old director, the most difficult part of the Heart Element is the initial stage. Once you enter the initial stage, everything becomes much simpler. For now, I'll practice the Form Element."

The Form Element was used for combat techniques and could be used even without the Heart Element, although the effects might be weaker.

After only flipping through the book twice, Lei Cang already had some insights into the first two forms recorded in the "Form Element." He was itching to find a sword and practice them.

...Unfortunately, he couldn't practice because the room was too small.

Suppressing his excitement, Lei Cang carefully placed the book inside a drawer and wrapped it in fabric. He planned to copy a portion of it after he returned home and then start practicing.

With the four thousand yuan he earned from selling the game, and after deducting a few thousand yuan for purchasing supplies for the orphanage, Lei Cang planned to deposit thirty thousand yuan into the system and keep the rest for future needs.

After all, spending money would make him stronger.

With thirty thousand yuan, he could unlock the cheapest upgrade - searching for a new customer, which was also known as a "number one customer."

Lei Cang clicked on the recharge button, and the thirty thousand yuan disappeared from his card in an instant.

In his contact list, under the name of "[草履虫] Lonely," a new name appeared.

"[一生只爱一人] (Love for a Lifetime)."

However, it seemed that this "number one customer" currently didn't have the intention to place an order. Lei Cang estimated that he might have to wait a few days until the customer encountered difficulties before placing an order.

"I should go out first and buy supplies for the orphanage..."

Lei Cang stood up, changed his clothes, and headed towards the door.

At St. Freya Academy,

"Mei Mei, how did I do today?"

The white-haired girl, Kiana, was acting spoiled towards the purple-haired girl next to her.

Kiana giggled, "I managed to pass the exam! Just passing, you know! Even Auntie Flo was surprised, thinking she was dreaming, haha."

"Kiana is amazing." Mei used a tone similar to comforting a child and praised Kiana. Hearing the praise, Kiana became even happier and started to chatter around Mei like a little dog. However, she didn't notice the slight frown on Mei's delicate eyebrows.

Since a few days ago, Kiana's performance had repeatedly surpassed everyone's expectations. First, she defeated the class leader head-on in a competition, shocking everyone at St. Freya Academy. After all, the class leader was Fu Hua, someone recognized as the most diligent and disciplined student in St. Freya Academy. How could she have been defeated by the lazy Kiana?

After much thought, everyone could only attribute it to Fu Hua's carelessness. But today... facing the cultural exam, which was Kiana's weakest subject, she once again surprised everyone.

Facing the deliberately difficult exam set by Bronya, Kiana actually passed!

Oh my god, since she enrolled, Mei had never seen a score above twenty on Kiana's papers!

Two inexplicable events occurred, making Mei, who was sensitive and observant, feel that something was amiss.

Kiana... could it be... could it be that she secretly bribed Bronya with Honkai Manga to get her to create a cheating device that worked both in the virtual world and in reality?

Cheating was not allowed, Kiana!

Looking at the lively and energetic Kiana, a flicker of worry flashed in Mei's gentle purple eyes.

Later, she would find a way to test Kiana and see if she really cheated...

For Kiana's and Bronya's healthy growth, Mei was really worried.

By the way, she accompanied Kiana during the exam today and went out all day. She didn't know if Bronya had eaten properly in the room.

Mei had prepared enough food in the refrigerator that could be heated in the microwave.

Not eating properly was unacceptable; it would affect her growth.

After preparing dinner, Mei opened Bronya's door and called her to eat. But what she saw inside shocked her.

Bronya was lying on the computer desk with lifeless eyes, and there seemed to be foam around her mouth.

On the game screen in front of her, the character "Himeko" was in the same defeat position, with a big "菜" (novice) character written in red.

Mei was immediately startled, "Bronya, what's wrong?"

"Sis Mei... Bronya... Bronya is fine, I just haven't eaten for a day... Help me up, I can still send..."