Chapter 12

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Chapter 12: The Unfound Person

"How wonderful… When will I reach the Minor Achievement? Is there any way to speed up my training?"

Seeing Zhou Xian’s proud expression, Li Zhenhu sighed.

"Make money; with money, you’ll catch up immediately," his friend sitting beside him said.

"How can I earn money? I don’t even know where to start!"

Li Zhenhu naturally understood that making money was the fastest way to cultivate, but he was only nine years old and had no way to begin. He decided not to discuss the topic further and asked, "What level is your Qi Cultivation Technique at now?"

"Ah, I’m still a bit away from the Foundation Level; it’s too difficult!" his friend replied.

In fact, the entire Qi Hall (Ping Class) was in despair.

Due to limitations in talent and resources, most of them had not even completed the Foundation Level after a year of practice.

If the secondary classes didn’t work out, they might even get demoted. At that point, they might not even have the D-level Superior Food for their daily meals, entering a vicious cycle.

However, this was completely unavoidable; they had no money, and forced practice would only lead to regression.

It was quite hopeless.

However, Yun Ye was slightly better off. With three years of hunting practice and one year of studying, he entered the Foundation Level a month ago. No matter what, he had secured his ranking.

But to reach the Minor Achievement, he would need at least three more years, which was not comparable to the wealthy who could afford Superior Food. He feared he might inevitably face demotion.

The hour-long lesson quickly came to an end. After Yu Yu clapped, several carts were pushed in by servants in gray robes.

"Today’s Superior Food is Jade Dumplings? How delightful!"

Li Zhenhu exclaimed, quickly throwing his worries aside and digging in.

Yun Ye perked up upon hearing this.

Every day, the Qi Cultivation Technique class, besides checking mistakes, revolved around this free D-level Superior Food.

Among the D-level foods, Jade Dumplings were the tastiest and easiest to digest.

They wouldn’t even encounter them more than once a week!

Upon receiving the Superior Food, Yun Ye quickly finished it. As he swallowed, warmth surged through his entire body.

Ordinary food simply could not compare to Superior Food; the effects were far too different!

As he ate, Yun Ye pondered.

Throughout the year, besides practicing reading and writing, he had searched many places but still hadn’t found Xiao Yue.

He felt that she might have awakened her Spiritual Roots and left the school.

After all, Xiao Yue had a B-level Spiritual Root and had practiced since childhood; finishing her awakening at eight was not impossible.

This made Yun Ye anxious. Baishi Town was extremely dark, and Xiao Yue had been raised in that environment. Who knew how she had been influenced by now?

Moreover, Xiao Yue was just an infant and lacked self-awareness. Even if Yun Ye told her that she was from a village slaughtered by Baishi Town, it would be a trivial matter for the grown-up Xiao Yue now.

Thinking about this situation, Yun Ye couldn’t help but sigh; it felt utterly unsolvable.

(I must find a way to connect with Xiao Yue early to influence her… Otherwise, will it lead to a situation where a father and daughter confront each other across time and space with swords?)

Yun Ye once again realized how harsh his abilities were.

If he could wake up to a world completely changed, that would be fine.

But he had been instantly reborn and now interacted with people from the past under a completely unrelated identity.

Moreover, aside from Xiao Yue, Yun Ye discovered something troubling.

A year ago, Zhang Xiaozhuang, who should have come with him, was nowhere to be found in the Academy.

In other words, someone had replaced Zhang Xiaozhuang, and it was very likely someone from Mingzhu Village.

The most crucial part was that Yun Ye didn’t know who had taken Zhang Xiaozhuang’s place.

During the past three years, he had spent a lot of time hunting and practicing the Qi Cultivation Technique, leaving him no time to get to know the village children. As a result, it was very likely that they recognized him, while he did not recognize them.

(Stop! Right now, the most important thing is to cultivate. Only by awakening my Spiritual Roots can I reach a higher level, find Xiao Yue, and even connect with Shi Baiyan and the others!)

Yun Ye couldn’t do much else but clear his mind, finish his Superior Food, and return to his residence to cultivate.

Not long after heading out, Yun Ye encountered Wang Yao, who was squatting beside the training ground.

"What’s going on…?"

"Ah, it’s the end of the year! I just entered the Foundation Level, and at this rate, it will take at least two years to reach Minor Achievement! After that, I don’t even know how many years it will take to awaken my Spiritual Roots… If I don’t succeed, I might get sent back!"

Wang Yao looked worried.

The teaching limit at the Academy was sixteen years old.

If someone could not awaken their Spiritual Roots by sixteen, they would be seen as a failure and would have to leave immediately without any second chances.

Basically, the earlier children entered the Academy, the greater their advantage.

Yun Ye and Wang Yao entered the Academy at the same time, but one was eight years old while the other was ten, resulting in a two-year gap.

Some children even started at five.

They had eleven years to practice and awaken their Spiritual Roots, which was the most likely pathway for an ordinary child to succeed.

It was a race against time!

But Wang Yao was already eleven this year; in terms of time, he only had five years left, and that felt incredibly pressing.

Most likely, he would just have stepped into Minor Achievement without having the chance to awaken his Spiritual Roots and would be sent away.

To break through the situation, there was only one way: to make money.

"We need money. How about we team up to make some?"

Yun Ye wrote down his idea.

"Make money? No way, Shi Baiyan, do you have a plan?"

Wang Yao looked up, surprised.

After a year, he had always thought Yang Shi was just like him, born into a humble village.

This Yang Shi, surprisingly, had a way to make money?

"It’s something I created myself, but you should understand how dangerous it is to make money in Baishi Town. Bringing you along is a huge risk for me too. If you don’t trust me, then I won’t share anything."

Yun Ye explained.

"…"

Wang Yao stared at Yun Ye for a long time, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he grit his teeth and said, "Alright! I have nothing to lose anyway; I might as well take a gamble. If not, I’ll just end up as a useless person, and living won’t mean anything! As long as we can make money, I’ll work with you!"

Yun Ye nodded and took Wang Yao to his residence, then brought out a ceramic jar for him.

"Try this."

"…"

Wang Yao didn’t hesitate. He took a small sample from the jar and put it in his mouth. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock. "No way, Shi Baiyan! Where did you get this? If you sold this to those aristocratic families, it could easily be priced in silver!"

"This… how dare you show this to me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you out?"

"Ha ha… Do you trust the aristocrats? If it were you, would you sell it directly to them?" Yun Ye wrote.

Wang Yao’s expression was remarkable. "You really are bold, but you’re right. If it were me, I wouldn’t sell it directly to them! Let alone selling you out, that would be seeking my own death!"

The aristocrats of Baishi Town had zero credibility.

They didn’t need to maintain their status through deception or superficial peace like feudal landlords.

Their brute strength allowed them to suppress the entire population of Baishi Town with just one person.

Even if Wang Yao knew Yun Ye had a way to make money, he wouldn’t dare sell to the aristocrats, because they never played any games; they took what they wanted directly.