Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Ling Jiu looked up and saw Yin Guoping. Their class teacher was walking toward the rostrum with a list in hand.

  “Whether I’ll live an easy life or slog for the rest of my life, it all depends on this!” Ling Jiu said to himself.

  His student number was “36”, and he was in the fourth batch of his class. After a few minutes, it was his turn.

  “Zhang Hui!

  “Ma Tianyu!

  “Wang Fang!

  “Luo Dachou!

  “Li Xiaoqiang!

  “Ling Jiu!

  “Li Kai!” ……

  “Ol’ Ling, I’m so nervous!”

  Li Kai’s trembling hands were sweaty.

  “Ol’ Li, look on the bright side, this is just an Arcana Trial, not a blind date with a gold-digger. What the hell are you afraid of?”

  Ling Jiu smiled faintly and stepped up the stage first, but because he was too nervous, he stepped on air and stumbled like a fool.

  “Ol’ Ling, are you all right?” Li Kai asked with concern.

  “I’m fine. Sh*t, a bad start!”

  Ling Jiu quickly got up and went up the stage nervously. Then the staff from Longwind Company placed the mind helmet on his head.

  “Whoaaa.”

  Ling Jiu only felt his consciousness blur for a moment before he arrived in a completely unfamiliar environment.

  The wind was howling and bitingly cold. As he looked over, he saw that the earth was covered in thick white snow. This was a world of ice and snow.

  “Is this the virtual world created by the smart computer?” Ling Jiu was shocked. “This is too real, isn’t it?”

  Was it real?

  It was absolutely real!

  The white snow, the howling winds, the white icebergs, and the crunchy sound of footsteps on the snow…… Ling Jiu even felt the bone-chilling cold.

  Was this really a virtual world?

  \r \r \r

  “Roar!!!”

  Just as Ling Jiu was wrecked by uncertainty, a thunderous roar rang out in the distance. As the rolling sound wave rushed over, Ling Jiu’s eardrums felt like they were about to shatter.

  Turning around, he saw a polar bear about hundreds of meters tall leaping toward him.

  Boom.

  Boom.

  The polar bear landed on the ground in thunderous thuds as the earth shook. The terrifying threat sent Ling Jiu trembling.

  “It’s fake! It’s all fake! It’s a virtual environment, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”

  Ling Jiu tried his best to tell himself that, but his body shook uncontrollably, especially when he looked at the fast-approaching polar bear. The fear in his heart became stronger and stronger. In the end, the polar bear lunged at Ling Jiu and crushed his head with a snap of its jaw……

  Woooshhh!!

  Another blur later, Ling Jiu sensed that his mind had exited the virtual space. Right then, he was drenched in cold sweat. His legs were shaking uncontrollably, and his face was extremely pale.

  “That…… That was scary!”

  Recalling the image earlier, Ling Jiu felt the lingering fear in his heart. Before he could completely calm down, though, an excited voice suddenly traveled into his ears. “Someone has awakened!”

  “Awakened? Could it be me?”

  Ling Jiu was shocked as he looked at the owner of the voice. It was Dai Changsheng.

  He only saw Dai Changsheng look in his direction with a gratified expression. “Boy, congratulations on being the lucky one and awakening the power of the earth!”

  “Awakening the power of earth? Is it me?”

  Ling Jiu was so excited that he could not help himself. He then saw the principal, the class teacher, and the top school leaders all walking toward him.

  The principal even stretched out his hands enthusiastically as he tried to shake his hand. Ling Jiu was so elated that he was about to reach out and shake the principal’s hand.

  Unexpectedly, the principal walked past him, and the class teacher, as well as all those from the school’s top echelon, walked past him. They made their way to the person beside him and surrounded that person.

  “This student here, what’s your name?”

  “Li…… Li Kai! I’m Li Kai!”

  “Li Kai, congratulations!”

  “Li Kai, you are the pride of First High……”

  Ling Jiu turned around and looked at Li Kai, who was surrounded by the principal, the class teacher, and the leadership cadre of the school. His whole being was struck by lightning……

  He only saw countless grains of yellow sand surrounding Li Kai and dancing around him like fairies. They did not seem to be bound by Earth’s gravity but were, instead, controlled by Li Kai.

  He then looked at himself; there was nothing.

  “Li Kai awakened the power of earth? Not me?” Ling Jiu felt like he had fallen into an ice cave, and if there was a song to describe his mood now, there was nothing more fitting than the following:

  Fluttering snow……

  Howling winds……

  The world was nothing but a blur…… ……

  “God, why have you screwed me over?!”

  Ling Jiu did not know how he left the stage. The greatest pain in life was to be given hope, only to have it extinguished……

  “Sigh, bloody hell!”

  Ling Jiu was not in the mood to watch the rest of the trials as he prepared to find a place to vent. As for the others…… they could go to hell!

  “Ol’ Ling!”

  Li Kai’s voice rang out from behind. Ling Jiu turned around and looked at Li Kai who was walking over. “Ol’ Li, congratulations!” He forced a smile.

  “Ol’ Ling!”

  Li Kai was still stuck in his state of euphoria as he hugged Ling Jiu and shouted, “Ol’ Ling, I’ve awakened my Arcana! I’ve awakened my Arcana!”

  “Congratulations!”

  Ling Jiu smiled bitterly and congratulated Li Kai. However, he was promptly stunned because the moment Li Kai grabbed him, a few lines of weird golden characters suddenly appeared before him.

  Name: Li Kai

  Race: Human

  Arcana: Earth Manipulation (Awakened, replicable)

  “Bloody hell!”

  Ling Jiu thought that he was hallucinating, and he shook his head vigorously. Yet, the few lines of small characters were stuck in front of his eyes, and they remained there.

  “The hell?”

  Ling Jiu pulled away from Li Kai, and the lines of words disappeared. When he touched Li Kai again, the words appeared once again.

  Name: Li Kai

  Race: Human

  Arcana: Earth Manipulation (Awakened, replicable)

  After several consecutive attempts, Ling Jiu discovered something weird.

  Whenever he came into contact with Li Kai, the words would appear.

  “Could it be…… This is my Arcana?”

  “Replicable…… What does that mean? Can I replicate Li Kai’s Arcana?”

  Ling Jiu’s breathing became erratic as he tried to replicate it.

  Wooosh!!

  The small words instantly spread out and formed a golden light that enveloped Li Kai.

  At that moment, Li Kai seemed to be covered by a thin golden veil, which completely enclosed him from head to toe.

  About ten seconds later, the golden light left Li Kai’s body and returned to Ling Jiu. This time, a set of different characters appeared:

  Replication successful. Assimilate?

  “Assimilate!”


  Chapter 4: Secret Arcana Technique, Attempts to Win Over Commence

  Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Wooosh!!

  The small golden letters transformed into a golden light stream and poured into his brain.

  Immediately after, extremely condensed energy exploded in Ling Jiu’s head and swept through his entire brain.

  Vooosh!!

  Ling Jiu felt like he had been struck by lightning as a heart-piercing pain struck his nerves. He let out a painful scream, hugging his head as he rolled around.

  “Ol’ Ling, what’s wrong?”

  The sudden development frightened Li Kai, and his other classmates also surrounded him.

  “My…… head…… hurts!”

  Ling Jiu had a splitting headache while beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. It felt like his head was about to explode.

  “Ol’ Ling, I’ll take you to the hospital right away!”

  Li Kai took out his cell phone and was about to dial 120. At that moment, the school’s top cadre and Dai Changsheng, who had noticed the commotion, also ran over.

  “What’s happened to this student?” the principal asked nervously.

  “Principal, Ling Jiu says his head hurts!” Li Kai anxiously replied.

  “You have to hurry and send him to the hospital!”

  “Call 120! Call 120 now! We cannot have an incident in school!”

  The principal waved his hand, and immediately, one of the school’s top cadres was ready to make a phone call. However, Dai Changsheng had a look of delight. “Congratulations, Principal Wang!”

  “Mr. Dai, what do you mean?” The principal appeared dumbfounded.

  “If I’m not wrong, this student here is awakening his Arcana!” Dai Changsheng said with a smile.

  “Awakening his Arcana?”

  The principal and the school leadership cadre were taken aback. The class teacher was even more puzzled. “Ling Jiu already went through the trial earlier, but his Arcana wasn’t awakened then. It’s only happening now?”

  “That’s normal!”

  Dai Changsheng smiled faintly. “Under normal circumstances, many people with Arcana talents awaken their Arcana during the trial, but there are also a few that awaken their Arcana after the rest, as there is a buffer period in between!”

  “Oh, I see!”

  Everyone suddenly came to a realization, and the principal said with surprised elation, “Meaning, two third-year students have successfully awakened their Arcana this year?”

  “A joy that comes in a pair, Principal!”

  “I never thought that our school would awaken two Arcanists at once. This is a great achievement, and the reward will definitely be remarkable!”

  “Congratulations, Principal!”

  “Hahaha, same to you, same to you!”

  Hearing everyone’s congratulatory wishes, the principal was so happy that his snot came out of his nose. In the past, it was already nice to have one awakening. But this year, two of them awakened, and good things came in pairs. One needed to know that an Arcanist was much more valuable than a college entrance examination ace.

  The onlooking students also whispered among themselves, their eyes full of envy and hatred.

  \r \r \r

  “What kind of sh*t luck do these guys have?”

  “So many students didn’t manage to awaken their Arcanas, but these two did? Why?”

  Jealousy distorted people. It would have been fine if it had been someone else, but what kind of people were Ling Jiu and Li Kai?

  They had average grades.

  They came from average families.

  They had nothing else aside from their looks, yet these good for nothings actually awakened their Arcanas. The gods must have been blind!

  “Ol’ Ling, how are you feeling?”

  Seeing Ling Jiu gradually stabilize, Li Kai asked with concern.

  “I’m…… okay!”

  Ling Jiu wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and forced a smile. His face was still pale; the headache earlier had wrecked him.

  “Ol’ Ling, you’ve also awakened your Arcana!”

  Li Kai helped Ling Jiu up, his face full of excitement. “Do you realize that you’ve awakened your Arcana?!”

  “I’ve also awakened my Arcana?”

  Ling Jiu pretended to be bewildered as he sensed the principal and the others surround him. “Student Ling Jiu, congratulations on awakening the power of earth!”

  “Ling Jiu, congratulations!”

  Hearing the school leaders and the class teacher congratulate him, Ling Jiu was thrilled.

  The awakening of his Arcana was certainly exciting, but what excited him even more was that the Arcana he awakened…… seemed to be a very incredible one. It was the ability to copy other Arcanas?

  An Arcana that was meant to replicate other…… Arcanas? That sounded awesome!

  Ling Jiu knew that there were many Arcanas in this world, but it seemed as though such an ability to copy other people’s Arcanas had never appeared!

  “I’m able to copy another person’s Arcana…… My own Arcana is just too overpowered! I need to keep it a secret! Before I get a hold of things, I better not let anyone else know!”

  Subsequently, the school leadership cadre, Dai Changsheng, and the others returned to the stage to continue the Arcana Trials while Ling Jiu and Li Kai were invited to join them.

  “Li Kai, Ling Jiu, first of all, congratulations on successfully awakening your Arcanas and becoming glorious Arcanists!” Dai Changsheng smiled.

  “Thank you!”

  “Now, let’s talk about your Arcanas!” Dai Changsheng said with a smile.

  “Both of you are very lucky to awaken the Earth-element Arcana!

  “Both of you should know that Arcanas are mainly divided into four types: Elemental Manipulation, Body Morphing, Mental-type, and uncategorized Special-types!”

  “The Earth-element Arcana that both of you have awakened is the Elemental Manipulation type. It is a very powerful combat ability and rather rare!”

  Ling Jiu and Li Kai nodded repeatedly. Different Arcanas had different uses.

  Some were combat-type Arcanas like the Earth-type, Fire-type, and Gigantization-type Arcanas.

  Some were support-type Arcanas like Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Seeing-through, and Intangibility.

  Other Arcanas were even more special like Mind-reading, Invisibility, Precognition, and Telepathy.

  “Different Arcanas have different usages, but in this world where Direbeasts are rampaging, combat Arcanas are undoubtedly more popular!”

  Dai Changsheng smiled and said, “So I hope that both of you can join our Longwind Arcana Company.”

  “In the name of the branch’s general manager, I assure you that as long as you join us, you will enjoy the following benefits!

  “Firstly, you will gain a low-level Gene Arcana secret technique! I assume both of you have heard of the Gene Arcana secret techniques, right?”

  Dai Changsheng smiled and said, “It’s equivalent to those inner strength techniques that the martial arts masters use. With it, we can absorb the Gene Arcana that’s floating in the air and make ourselves stronger!”

  The Gene Arcana secret techniques!

  Ling Jiu was shocked.

  Since the emergence of the dimensional rifts, the Gene Arcana had appeared on Earth. However, ordinary people could not sense them. Only the Arcanists who had awakened their Arcanas could clearly sense and absorb the Gene Arcana.

  In theory, even without a Gene Arcana secret technique, one could still absorb the Gene Arcana, but it would be far less efficient than it would be with the technique.

  Thus, the Gene Arcana secret techniques were paramount for Arcanists, just like the inner strength techniques were for martial arts masters.

  It was also why so many Arcanists joined Arcana organizations; they would only attain Gene Arcana secret techniques by joining an organization.

  “Secondly, we will arrange a stand-alone villa for each of you! Of course, the stand-alone villas are company properties, so you only have the right to reside in them, not buy or sell them!” Dai Changsheng continued.

  If the Gene Arcana secret technique was a bit foreign to Ling Jiu, as well as Li Kai, and they did not know the value of the technique, the two stand-alone villas moved them greatly.

  Why?

  It was just too extravagant!

  Most parts of the world had been occupied by Direbeasts. Oceans, forests, lakes, rivers, mountains, towns, county seats, and county-level cities had almost been turned into Direbeast lairs, while humans could only hide inside base cities to survive.

  How big could a base city be?

  Not to mention, there were so many mouths to feed!

  So, the land in a base city could only be described as prohibitively expensive, and ordinary people could only live in government-built, low-cost housing.

  Stand-alone villas?

  Do not even bother thinking about it!

  If you wanted to live in a villa, you needed to have not only the money but also authority and status to go along with it. Out of the five million people in the entire Lantian Base City, no more than ten thousand could afford to live in villas.

  Yet now, as long as the two of them agreed to join Longwind Arcana Company, they would be part of this club of five thousand and live in villas. How could they not be excited? How could they not be fired up?”

  Dai Changsheng was very satisfied with their expressions, and he continued, “Thirdly, the employees of Longwind Arcana Company are naturally paid a salary. I will offer you a basic salary of 30,000 a month, not inclusive…… of allowances!”

  “Thirty thousand a month?”

  Li Kai’s breathing became erratic, and Ling Jiu was tongue-tied too.

  Lantian Base City was located in the North, and material prices were relatively low so wages were naturally not high. The average wage was about 3,000 a month.

  Their class teacher had a deadbeat salary of four to five thousand a month, while both of them, mere senior high school students, could get a basic salary of 30,000.

  What kind of reasoning was that?

  “Fourthly, after joining our Longwind Arcana Company, you can participate in the company’s Arcana classes for free and receive free instructions from Arcana trainers. You have free use of the company’s training room, free log in into the company’s website…… and many other benefits!”

  Dai Changsheng smiled. “I believe that in the entire Lantian Base City, there is almost no other organization that can provide such generous benefits. Please consider if you would like to join our Longwind Arcana Company!”

  “Mr. Dai, there’s no need to think!”

  Li Kai was already tempted, and all hesitation went out of the window the moment he heard that. He immediately prepared to agree to it.

  However, Ling Jiu hurriedly pulled him back. “Ol’ Li, this is a major life event. You should at least discuss this with your parents?”

  “Is it necessary?”

  Li Kai was rather disapproving, but the second he saw Ling Jiu’s wink, he nodded obediently. “Ol’ Ling, you’re right, I should discuss this with my parents!”

  Dai Changsheng observed their expressions and looked at Ling Jiu with surprise. “This is indeed a major life event. You should discuss it with your parents. This is my business card. You can give me a call once you’ve made up your minds!”

  “Thank you, Mr. Dai!”