Carving Out a Place in the World!

Outside the Divine Strategy Manor.

"Well, um, I, uh..."

Tang Guochang stood before Tang Wenwan and Qi Lin with a composed expression, but he stumbled over his words.

He stole a glance at the woman in the pink sleeping robe behind them, puzzled... Had Tang Wenwan not noticed that Qi Tianlong was missing just now?

"Brother, did they give you a hard time?" Tang Wenwan was a little angry. "Those fucking idiots at the Divine Strategy Manor..."

"Stop! Hold off on the cursing." Tang Guochang coughed and took out a small white jade token. "It's settled."

Tang Wenwan's beautiful eyes lit up. "That's my brother for you."

"Mm, keep it down." Tang Guochang maintained his composure. "Leave the rest to me. You go back to Mystic City."

He had been hesitating over whether to send his younger sister back, but he had no doubts now.

"Su Fengxuan is finished. I'll go put in a word at the Yongding General Bureau. There shouldn't be a problem with you becoming the new city lord."

Hearing Tang Guochang speak so firmly and authoritatively, Tang Wenwan felt reassured.

"Little Qi Lin, Auntie wants to..."

She took Qi Lin's hand, a subtle, alluring gleam in her beautiful eyes.

"Let go!" Tang Guochang cut her off with a glare. "At your age, take a look in the mirror."

He was genuinely afraid Qi Tianlong would slap his sister to death.

"What's wrong with you?"

Tang Wenwan had been reluctant to part with Qi Lin, but his shout killed the mood, and she hurried away.

"Goodbye, Aunt Tang."

Qi Lin waved gratefully. "If my grandpa can't hold on, come get me as soon as you can. Send me word."

He still couldn't put the matter of Mystic City out of his mind.

For the next three days at least, he feared he would be too worried to eat or sleep.

"The Divine Strategy Manor is divided into three pavilions: One Yang Pavilion, Two Moons, and Three Stars."

As Tang Guochang explained things to Qi Lin along the way, he kept sneaking glances back at his great-grandma.

"Are they divided by cultivation realm or by talent?" Qi Lin studied everything in the Divine Strategy Manor intently.

"Neither. By age." Tang Guochang paused. "Those eighteen and older belong to the One Yang Pavilion, those fourteen to seventeen to the Two Moons Pavilion, and those thirteen and under to the Three Stars Pavilion."

"Then I should enter the Three Stars Pavilion first and move up to the Two Moons Pavilion in a few months?" Qi Lin asked.

"That's right." Tang Guochang nodded, then coughed. "The current Three Stars Pavilion master is Jiang Xinghai. I know him well. He's the youngest son of the manor master, Jiang Daoyuan."

As he spoke, they arrived at an elegant hall called Three Stars Hall.

"Jiang Xinghai, it's me, Tang Guochang."

Here, Tang Guochang had no need to grovel. As the third division saint of the Evil-Warding General Bureau, he had considerable substance.

As soon as he finished speaking, a handsome middle-aged man came out of Three Stars Hall, wearing a star-patterned robe, covered in paint, and with disheveled hair.

Qi Lin glanced behind him and saw that the floor of Three Stars Hall was covered in sheets of painting paper.

They bore paintings of all sorts of beauties with exquisitely lovely smiles. The brushwork was superb, and the beauties differed greatly in style and dress.

Some wore nothing but a strip of cloth.

"What a rare guest, Division Saint Tang," Jiang Xinghai said with a smile.

As soon as he spoke, he caught sight of Qi Tianlong strolling behind them, and his star-like eyes lit up.

"Division Saint Tang, who is this woman, as lovely as a goddess?"

"Her?" Tang Guochang coughed. "She's Qi Lin's older sister... And Qi Lin is a new student at the Divine Strategy Manor. I recommended him, and your father agreed to let him enter the Three Stars Pavilion."

"Approved!"

With astonishing speed, Jiang Xinghai took the small white jade token, tapped it a few times, then pulled a cloth bag from his void ring and shoved it straight into Qi Lin's hands. "Everything's there. You can start studying martial arts and other subjects this afternoon."

Qi Lin froze for a moment. He picked up the Divine Strategy Token and saw several words glowing on it-

Qi Lin, Three Stars Pavilion, zero credits.

"Pavilion master, what are credits for?" he asked.

"You can use them to obtain anything the Divine Strategy Manor has, provided you have enough."

As Jiang Xinghai spoke, he kept his eyes fixed on Qi Tianlong.

"How do I earn them?" Qi Lin asked again.

"Complete classes. The better you do, the more credits you get." Jiang Xinghai was still staring, and he couldn't help exclaiming, "To think such a beauty exists in this world..."

"Beautiful?"

Qi Lin looked back and couldn't agree.

"Young lady."

Jiang Xinghai was already entranced. He went past Qi Lin and walked toward Qi Tianlong, saying dreamily, "Might I paint a portrait of you, so that your peerless beauty may be passed down for a hundred generations?"

"Scram," Qi Tianlong said.

"Young lady, if you have doubts, why not admire my paintings first?" Jiang Xinghai said.

"Keep pestering me, and I'll kill your father," Qi Tianlong said.

Tang Guochang secretly covered his face. "You already did."

Inside a student residence in the Three Stars Pavilion.

Qi Lin settled in.

He settled into a pavilion with just one stone table and two stone stools, enough for him and the little black beast to stare at each other.

That was because his sister had claimed the room.

The moment she saw the bed, she couldn't take another step. She shut the door and said, "Even if the world ends, don't wake me. If you force me awake, I'll make the world end."

Then there was no more sound.

"Damn it, what a talent!"

He had come all this way to study, only to end up sleeping in a pavilion.

How aggrieving!

Qi Lin could only take out the cloth bag Jiang Xinghai had given him.

It contained everything: the Divine Strategy Manor's cultivation rules and details, as well as introductions to its items and facilities.

For his thirteen years, Qi Lin had largely been left to his own devices. At most, he had cultivated his realm, and that was it.

"I must learn some powerful killing techniques here at the Divine Strategy Manor as soon as possible."

Qi Lin looked in the direction of Mystic City. "Only when I've accomplished something in my studies will I be qualified to fight at Grandpa's side and carve out a place in the world for this family."

Now that the family had gained another member, Qi Lin felt an even greater responsibility.

"Poor Sister. She was born prone to sleep, frail and weak, living in a daze..." He looked at Qi Tianlong, who was sleeping soundly inside the room, and couldn't help feeling sorry for her. "She's my own sister. I must protect her."

Without his realizing it, his drive to cultivate grew even stronger.

Qi Lin's heart burned with fervor as he looked outside again!

"The sword arts, combat arts, essence formations, pills, weapons, and the insights and inheritances of generations of predecessors that I want—the Divine Strategy Manor has them all."

"But they all cost credits."

The students of the Three Stars Pavilion were young and could only earn credits by attending classes.

There were many courses to study, divided into two main categories: civil studies and martial studies.

Civil studies included law, governance, state affairs, culture, and more, all worth plenty of credits.

Martial studies... offered fewer credits, but taught practical skills.

"For a nation's talent, civil and martial arts are both indispensable."

Qi Lin had come from a small city, and there was so much he wanted to learn.

He found a class schedule in the cloth bag.

"There's a civil studies class on national law this afternoon. It covers the laws of Great Cang and is worth the most credits!"

Qi Lin checked the time, then had the little black beast turn into a sword.

"I asked Aunt Tang before whether it was legal to kill someone in the Divine Strategy Manor, but she couldn't answer."

"Then I'll go to class and hear it for myself."

With the black wooden sword and the Azure Soul Sword hanging at his waist, he headed for the classroom where the national law class was taught.

At the same time-

From the student residences all around, children of the Divine Capital's rich and powerful, dressed in fine brocade, came out in groups.

Qi Lin was mixed in among them, completely out of place.

All around him was the easy laughter and conversation reserved for those of high standing.

"Huh? Are you new here?"

Suddenly, a girl's sweet voice rang out behind Qi Lin.