Chapter Thirty-Two: Dual Cultivation

Yu Hanyi could tell from her reaction that she was interested. He opened the official website of the Starspirit Fleet. “Look, it’s written here very clearly.”

Jiang Wangshu skimmed through the page, grasping the essentials at a glance.

It wasn’t just about giving out apartments and vehicles—there were also rewards for slaying Celestial Demons.

Each Celestial Demon was worth twenty million, and the bounty for higher-level demons was even more substantial.

She was sorely tempted.

“How do you get in?” she asked.

What she didn’t know was that the reward for hunting Celestial Demons was so high precisely because they were exceedingly difficult to kill. These entities were formless and incorporeal, capable of disrupting a cultivator’s mind. Many couldn’t withstand their influence and left the Starspirit Fleet within a year.

Since the Fleet’s founding four centuries ago, the total number of Celestial Demons slain barely passed a hundred—a testament to the challenge.

Jiang Wangshu was unaware of all this.

As for her pay-to-win system, it was too busy counting spiritual stones to offer any warnings.

Yu Hanyi’s face creased into a smile. “It’s simple. All you have to do is place in the top three of the National Academy Competition, and you’re in.”

“National Academy Competition?” Jiang Wangshu looked utterly perplexed. She’d never heard of such a thing.

Yu Hanyi’s eyes grew nostalgic. “The last competition was ten years ago. Normally, there’d be two years left before the next, but I heard it’s been moved up a year.”

She counted on her fingers. “So, that’s next year.”

“Exactly. You have all of this year to prepare.” Yu Hanyi patted her shoulder. “You can do it. I believe in you.”

Jiang Wangshu suddenly remembered what Li Huanyi had told her: “Foundation in a year, Golden Core in three.”

Someone as upright as Li Huanyi would never give such advice without good reason. Danger must be looming over her—why else would he warn her so earnestly?

Rather than constantly looking over her shoulder, why not rise to a height her adversaries could never reach?

The Starspirit Fleet seemed the perfect sanctuary—after all, entry was subject to rigorous scrutiny. Anyone wishing to harm her would have to work a lot harder.

Embracing the idea of gathering more information and creating more paths for herself, she and Yu Hanyi chatted enthusiastically, oblivious to the fact that her communication talisman in her storage pouch was vibrating furiously, nearly shattering.

Jiang Mingqian, who had rushed over overnight, arrived at the Eagle Academy only to find her missing. He’d called her hundreds of times, but not a single response.

He began to wonder if someone was trying to set a trap for him.

At that moment, voices drifted over from the roadside.

“This Jiang Wangshu is really something—only two days in, and she’s already caused such a stir.”

“She’s flashy, but lacks character.”

“Oh, don’t be so bitter. You’ve never even met her—how do you know what she’s like? What a joke.”

Jiang Mingqian waved a hand, signaling his subordinate to buy an Eagle Academy jade token from a student.

He searched the forum for information on Jiang Wangshu, and a flood of illustrated posts gave him the full story in moments.

A suspicion crept into his heart—could Jiang Wangshu have already entered the Celestial Realm secret territory?

His hand unconsciously rubbed the feather pendant at his chest. He felt reassured—the key was with him. No matter how skilled anyone was, they couldn’t get in without it.

It must have been a contingency Shuti left for her.

But with her so dazzling, spiriting her away would be far more difficult.

“Let’s find somewhere to stay tonight. We’ll return tomorrow.”

Confirming that Jiang Wangshu was indeed here, Jiang Mingqian was in no hurry. He led his men away from the Eagle Academy.

Night had fallen when Jiang Wangshu finally found her way back to the dormitory.

“Ta-da!” She sprawled across a boulder by the stream, waving a fragrant meal in her hand and calling out, “Who could possibly have such delicious food?”

“Oh, it’s me!”

The stream gurgled gently.

“If the little fish doesn’t want any, I’ll just eat it myself.”

Splash! Water sprayed all over her.

Little Black emerged from the water, his chest sleek and strong, his handsome features tinged with a wild, dangerous beauty. Long fins peeked from behind his ears, and subtle scales glimmered at his jaw, enhancing his exotic allure.

He opened his mouth, his voice clear as the stream, his words as simple and direct as a child’s: “Bad.”

He was even more like a pet now, wasn’t he? Jiang Wangshu couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “You really don’t get it—my sense of humor is so lowbrow.”

Little Black’s eyes narrowed slightly. He splayed his fingers, gripped the rock, and with a flick of his tail, vaulted onto the boulder, baring sharp teeth at her neck.

“All right, enough messing around. If the food falls in the water, it won’t taste as good,” she chided.

She leaned forward, wrapped an arm around his slender waist, rolled him onto the stone, and carefully unwrapped the packed meal.

Little Black sniffed the delicious aroma, his gaze fixed on the nape of her neck as it peeked out from her black hair.

Never mind—he’d find a chance to teach her a lesson later.

“This is your ration for tomorrow. Once it’s gone, there’s no more.”

A trace of satisfaction flickered in Little Black’s eyes. In light of her offering, he would be magnanimous—he’d wait until she stopped giving him food to eat her.

Jiang Wangshu lay on the boulder, gazing at the star-filled sky. The sound of Little Black eating beside her dispelled a bit of her loneliness, bringing her unexpected comfort.

She was actually quite lucky. Though Little Black was always scheming, he was easy to mollify and not complicated at heart.

Taking out some spirit stones, she closed her eyes to meditate, circulating her internal techniques.

After two hours, her breathing became slow and even.

Little Black flicked his tail in disdain—lazybones!

He wiped his mouth, put away the food in his storage pouch, and dove back into the water to cultivate.

As he began, the spiritual energy from his body was unconsciously drawn toward the stone, and his body inched closer and closer to it.

But he was too deep in meditation to notice.

Meanwhile, a gentle glow of spiritual power shimmered on the sleeping Jiang Wangshu, blending with the aura radiating from Little Black.

The pay-to-win system finally finished counting its little hoard and, thoroughly satisfied, withdrew its barrier, peering outside.

“Oh! How embarrassing!” Its matchstick-like hands parted the wide seam as it covered its bean-sized eyes.

When did its host learn dual cultivation? Had she discovered the secret of their contract?

Thank goodness she wasn’t angry.

The system spun in delighted circles, then looked at Little Black in the water.

So, this black fish was going to be its host’s husband from now on!

He looked decent enough—barely worthy of its host. But honestly, their dual cultivation method was awfully basic.

To thank its host for not being upset, the system decided to raid its personal vault and present her with a top-tier dual cultivation technique.

After a long search, the system finally pulled out a yin-yang fish talisman.

As soon as it appeared, the talisman sought out its targets: the white yang fish turned into a stream of light and entered Jiang Wangshu’s brow, while the black yin fish slipped into Little Black’s.

At that moment, both of them, still asleep, vaguely perceived a new cultivation route. Their spiritual energy began to flow involuntarily along that path.

The sensation was so soothing and pleasurable that they lost themselves in it.

Watching the increasingly harmonious fusion of their auras, the system clapped its hands in satisfaction. With this supreme dual cultivation technique, its host would surely become even stronger.

What a selfless and clever little system it was!