After He Qing fed the Lantern Flower with a spirit stone, it shrank again, jumping back into its pot. The two small leaves surrounded a single flower bud, looking both delicate and cute.

He Qing placed it on the balcony, “Such a fickle man-eating flower.”

Sun Tu snorted, [You call it a man-eating flower, but I think it’s quite like you.]

“I don’t eat people.” He Qing took off the golden bell barrier, placed it on the table, and went for a shower. After washing up, he laid down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next day, He Qing went to school as usual. Today was a class with Qiao Yi, who held a chalk and a thick notebook while passionately explaining the steps and experiments to extract exotic plant essences. Halfway through, he suddenly paused, “Who wants to assist me?”

The students all shook their heads.

Qiao Yi smiled and pointed at He Qing, “He Qing, come on up.”

Everyone turned to look at him, silently mourning for He Qing. It was well-known that Qiao Yi’s experiments often… exploded.

Curious, He Qing stepped up to help. Moments later, a loud “boom” echoed through the classroom, followed by thick smoke billowing out of the windows, sending the students rushing into the hallway.

Students from the next class peeked over and teased them, “Hey, did it blow up again?”

“Shut up, your chemistry teacher is scarier!”

“…”

He Qing covered his mouth, casting a resentful glance at Qiao Yi through the smoke, “Cough, cough… Teacher, you’re basically concocting pills. Are you sure you’re not refining elixirs? Even the furnace exploded.”

“It was your mistake,” Qiao Yi said, fanning away the smoke with a fan. “This experiment failed. Let’s try again. Clean up and continue the lesson.”

He Qing glanced down at the broken test tubes, ceramics, and glass shards. He quietly started picking them up, “Teacher, maybe next time wait until your experiment succeeds before involving us.”

“I’m proving a point: practice leads to truth.” Qiao Yi remained firm, directing He Qing like a commander, “No backtalk.”

“Yes, teacher.” After much effort, He Qing cleaned up the mess. When the second experiment started, he immediately backed off.

Qiao Yi sneered and pointed to Chu Yan, shifting the responsibility, “Chu Yan, your deskmate can’t handle it. You’re up.”

Chu Yan glared at He Qing. He Qing smiled back, “Good luck, Chu deskmate.”

Chu Yan stared at He Qing’s soot-covered face and then at Qiao Yi. With a dark expression, he stood up and strode forward with an aura of murderous intent.

“…”

He Qing lowered his head, pulled out a wooden fish, and tapped it lightly. Merit +1.

Qiao Yi smiled slightly, “Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Chu.”

The other students hurriedly moved their chairs back. Help! The school bully and the teacher were about to go wild. They were doomed!

Soon, more explosions followed, and the thick smoke led to protests from the teachers next door. Qiao Yi was forced to stop the experiment.

He wiped his blackened face, saying, “When doing experiments, you need to be careful. Some exotic plant fruits contain energy… cough, cough.”

“…Yes, teacher.” The students, faces ashen, muttered in despair.

After finishing Qiao Yi’s terrifying experiment class, the students fled the scene. He Qing packed his notebook into his bag and left the lab. Qiao Yi ordered the class leaders to clean up and followed behind He Qing.

He Qing turned back, “Teacher, do you need something?”

Qiao Yi smiled warmly, pulling him into the storage room and closing the door.

“…”

He Qing, “I’ll scream.”

“Scream all you want… No, wait! I’m a proper teacher!” Qiao Yi lit a cigarette, frowning as he pretended to be deep in thought, “Recently, outsiders are coming for a big diplomatic exchange meeting.”

“Hmm.” He Qing nodded to show he was listening.

Qiao Yi stared at him for a while, “Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to? Duan Chenhui’s leg is injured, and we’re worried that if something goes wrong, the other side might break the peace treaty or make sneaky moves.”

He Qing thought for a moment, “So the general has many enemies. Got it.”

Qiao Yi placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning, “That’s why you should participate as backup.”

“Hmm?” He Qing still didn’t understand, “Backup for what?”

Qiao Yi pulled up a holographic screen for him to see, “It’s a friendly competition between different races. There are prizes, including various bonuses and awards.”

He Qing looked at the screen, understanding now, “Teacher, all of this talk is just to get me to participate, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. It’ll benefit everyone. The alien races have all sorts of strange powers; they’re sly and it’s unfair to us.” Qiao Yi nodded, “Unfortunately, I’m too old for it. If only I were ten years younger.”

“… Teacher, your bone age is forty. Even ten years younger, you couldn’t participate.”

“… You’re such a buzzkill sometimes. Wait, when did you check my bone age?”

“When you were trading watermelons.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Even the general is younger than you.”

“I’m focused on academic research!”

Qiao Yi wiped his face, pulling up the prize section, “If you win, there’s custom mecha and a million in prize money. It’ll be easy for you. Why not go for it?”

“This feels like cheating…” He Qing stared at the prize list and suddenly spotted something.

Qiao Yi chuckled, “You noticed it too, right? One of the prizes is a ten-thousand-year lotus seed. It could be related to you! Besides, you’re still young. This isn’t cheating—it’s young heroes showing their strength.”

He Qing’s eyes widened. That was no relative—it was his true body! He had searched high and low, and here it was, right under his nose.

Sun Tu clicked his tongue, [Oh, so it’s your true body. It’s pretty white, like jade. But why are you such a black-hearted person?]

He Qing snatched the screen and examined it closely, “Where’s the prize located?”

“What are you thinking?” Qiao Yi couldn’t resist ruffling his smooth hair, “The lotus seed is in the Sacred Cup of Special Energy Stones, heavily guarded. Don’t even think about stealing it.”

He Qing pursed his lips, “I wasn’t…” He just wanted to retrieve his true body. How was that stealing?

“It’s currently in the hands of the Plant Tribe, and when it’s delivered, Duan Chenhui will likely have extra security watching over it.” Qiao Yi warned him not to act recklessly.

“If our team wins the competition, we’ll get it, right?” He Qing was anxious. If Duan Chenhui was involved in guarding it, he couldn’t simply take it. Otherwise, Duan Chenhui would be held responsible.

But now that his true body was found, he could heal Duan Chenhui. After calculating the time, the ten-thousand-year lotus was almost ready to bloom. Once he healed Duan Chenhui and dissolved their marriage bond, he could travel freely again, continue searching for the Star Nebula Instrument, and return to the Cultivation Realm.

“Yes,” Qiao Yi said, satisfied that he had convinced He Qing. He retrieved the holographic screen, patting He Qing on the shoulder, “Prepare well. There are 200 spots, with 10 backup spots.”

He Qing looked up at him, “Teacher… I’m ranked 63,000th in the academy.”

“…”

Qiao Yi, “You have three months to prepare. Just challenge higher-ranked people.”

“…”

He Qing, “Thank you for your faith in me, teacher.”

Qiao Yi encouraged him, “You need to win glory for the empire and all of humanity!”

“Something practical, please.”

“You need to get back your relative.”

“… That’s not my relative,” He Qing glared at him, “And I’m not human. I’m a spirit.”

Qiao Yi chuckled, “Either way, I’m counting on you.”

Finally convinced, He Qing left the storage room. As he was walking out, he casually said, “Oh, right, teacher. Shi Lei shared the last two watermelons with the others.”

“What?! That little rascal! How dare he deceive his teacher!” Qiao Yi rolled up his sleeves and stormed off.

He Qing smiled as he walked away, heading to the rooftop where Shi Lei was watering plants, “Shi Lei.”

“Huh? Oh, He Qing, what’s up?” Shi Lei asked, still holding the watering can.

He Qing walked over and patted his shoulder, just like Qiao Yi, “There’s a friendly competition coming up. You should join. I think you’ve got potential.”

Shi Lei scratched his head, “I’ve been feeling stronger lately, but I’m still nowhere near the top ranks.”

He Qing secretly checked him out. Shi Lei had taken some herbs, and the effect was good. He smiled and said, “We can be backups, or just part of the cheering squad. If we get more people involved, we’ll have a solid team.”

Shi Lei’s eyes lit up as he rubbed his hands together, “You’re right! I think I can make it to rank 201! If I win the prize money, I’ll start a watermelon and sunflower farm. Everyone will have free watermelons!”

“…”

He Qing paused for a moment, “As long as you’re happy. Let’s start working hard from today.”

Shi Lei looked at him, hesitating, “Are you serious?”

“Serious.” He Qing pulled up a holographic screen and pressed Shi Lei’s finger to it, “We’re teammates now.”

Ding! Shi Lei has been registered as a member of the Green Leaf Team.

Shi Lei stared wide-eyed at his finger. Did he just get signed up like that?

He Qing glanced at the form and nodded, waving to him, “I’m off to recruit more people. See you, Shi Lei. Oh, and the teacher seemed really mad and is looking for you.”

“??” Wait a minute, He Qing, aren’t you the fragile, helpless Omega? Does the general know you’re aiming to go from 63,000th to the top 210?

Shi Lei’s jaw nearly dropped. Watching He Qing walk away, he suddenly realized—maybe He Qing had also gotten help from that mysterious figure? He touched his stomach, nodded to himself, and decided that must be the case.

But the teacher was looking for him? Time to run.

—

Next, He Qing found Chu Yan, his deskmate, school bully, top student, and poor scholarship recipient, in the cafeteria. Chu Yan was in the middle of a fight, kicking someone’s lunchbox, “This seat is free, so I’m using it.”

“We reserved it ages ago! Are you blind?” The person picking a fight kicked their lunchbox back at him.

He Qing stood nearby, watching the fight unfold. He cheered from the sidelines, “Go, Chu deskmate!”

“…”

Chu Yan’s foot twitched mid-kick, sending it into a steel plate. The plate dented with a loud clang.

“…!!” The opponent took one look at the dented plate, then scrambled away, supporting each other as they fled.

He Qing walked over, “Chu Yan, I wanted to—”

Chu Yan picked up his lunchbox and turned to leave.

He Qing quickly caught up and blocked his way. Everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them with their mouths open in fear.

Chu Yan’s temple twitched, and he dragged He Qing into a corner, “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m eating?”

He Qing pulled up a holographic screen, “Let’s team up.”

Chu Yan glanced at the form, sneering, “The top student and the guy at the bottom of the ranks on the same team?”

“Interesting, right?” He Qing responded immediately, then asked, “Or do you already have a team? That would be a shame.”

“…” Chu Yan, the infamous school bully, always walked around with an unbeatable aura, but in truth, he had no teammates. He looked at the form, pressed his fingerprint on it, “Fine, just stop bothering me in the cafeteria.”

“Okay, enjoy your meal,” He Qing said with a smile and walked away.

“…” Chu Yan scratched his head, then kicked a bottle into the trash can, startling the person who was about to throw something away. Rumors spread again that day.

Chu Yan glared at the person for a moment, then took his lunchbox and went back to his dorm.

—

Finally, He Qing found Zhang Lin and Zhang Yi by the arena, watching a match. He Qing squeezed over, “Nice match.”

Zhang Yi jumped in surprise, “Don’t sneak up on people like that! What’s up?”

“Want to sit down and talk?” He Qing gestured to a nearby stone bench.

They sat down, and Zhang Yi offered him some sunflower seeds. After listening to He Qing’s proposal, he said, “We’ve already decided to participate. You too?”

“That’s good.” He Qing nodded, “I’ll be participating as well.”

Zhang Yi was silent for a moment before shouting, “WHAT?!!!”

Zhang Lin quickly shushed him, “There are people around, keep it down.” He looked at He Qing, “You have three months. If you want to participate, you’ll have to challenge those ranked above you. You can only challenge 100 at a time.”

Zhang Lin pulled up the campus rankings for him to see, “Look for yourself. That’s the campus ranking.”

He Qing did some quick calculations, “That’s only 630 people. I can do it.”

“He Qing, that’s three months! Even if you challenge two people a day, it would take a year! You make it sound so easy!” Zhang Yi whispered frantically, looking frustrated.

He Qing pointed at the rules, “The last rule says that winning streaks let you jump ranks faster. Plus, it’s easier to challenge people on StarNet.”

“…”

Zhang Yi was stunned into silence for a moment, “That… might actually be true…”

Zhang Lin thought about it and said, “It’s possible. Someone has done it before.”

“Who?” He Qing was curious.

“General Duan,” Zhang Lin said thoughtfully, “That’s why he’s my idol.”

“The general has always been strong, hasn’t he?” He Qing was even more surprised.

“When the general was young, he was gravely ill. When his parents passed away, he was at the bottom of the ranks when he enrolled… but everyone’s forgotten about that now.” After Zhang Lin finished, he asked, “Are you aiming for first place, like the general?”

“I’ll surpass first place.” He Qing was a bit distracted after hearing about Duan Chenhui’s past.

“Huh?” Zhang Yi didn’t quite understand, “How do you surpass first place?”

“By defeating the coach and becoming a special reserve.” He Qing looked at them, “These rankings are important to you guys, right?” Since he was from the Cultivation Realm, he didn’t want to take anyone else’s opportunity.

Zhang Yi and Zhang Lin exchanged glances, “Yes.”

—

After plotting with the Zhang brothers, He Qing was on his way back when he saw Duan Chenhui feeding the koi fish in the courtyard. He glanced at Duan Chenhui once, then again.

Duan Chenhui had long noticed He Qing sneaking glances at him. He turned and asked with amusement, “How was class today?”

“Great. The students are all very friendly.” He Qing walked over, thinking about what Zhang Lin had said. He suddenly realized he didn’t know much about Duan Chenhui’s past, let alone his family or background.

Duan Chenhui narrowed his eyes slightly, handing him some fish food, “Hungry? Feed the fish and then we’ll eat.”

“Mm-hmm.” He Qing started feeding the koi while looking at their reflections.

So, how did the general’s parents die…

After feeding the koi and finishing dinner, He Qing sat on his bed, holding his terminal deep in thought. He wanted to look up information, but he was going to leave eventually. What would be the point of knowing?

“Little monk, I just remembered something. Your ten-thousand-year lotus seed must be pretty nourishing. I bet it’ll attract all sorts of demons and monsters lurking in this world.” Sun Tu suddenly slapped his forehead, finally recalling this detail.

“Mm.” He Qing put down his terminal, hugging the wooden fish as he lay down, “You really do have the memory of a goldfish.”

Sun Tu was almost furious at the jab, but instead laughed, “Being eaten isn’t a pleasant experience. You’d better win back your true body.”

“You’ve been eaten before?”

“No.”

“…So someone tried to eat you?” He Qing raised the golden bell barrier and looked at it. He was pretty sure Sun Tu was lying. In the Cultivation Realm, fish could leap over the dragon gate, and koi spirits were known to be quite nourishing. Those with dragon bloodlines were even more valuable.

“I’ve told you a hundred times, I’m not a koi spirit. Those fish are as dumb as the ones in your pond.” Sun Tu scoffed.

He Qing lowered the golden bell and stopped questioning him, “Got it. From now on, no koi fish will be served in the general’s residence.”

“&*#%%…” Sun Tu suddenly felt the urge to run out and curse on the streets.