Transcending Calamity!

The rain-soaked streets overflowed with damp chill as Le Yu walked through the silent roads.

Though there was no one on the streets, the dim yellow streetlamps illuminated every corner. With light everywhere, Le Yu felt as though he was not heading home, but returning to the palace in a grand procession.

Although Radiance's technological system closely resembled that of his previous life, with ever-burning lamps and four-wheeled vehicles, its production capabilities were limited. There were still few entertainment options at night. Most people stayed quietly at home; the wealthy might go dancing at a dance hall, or get up to something lewd. Ordinary people, meanwhile, could barely afford to listen to the radio and could only get up to something lewd.

The streetlights were sparse, but they at least lit up the main roads. This world also had energy lamps—indeed, they had existed since long ago: solar lamps that used Radiant Stones as their energy source.

Radiance's technological development was quite bizarre. Due to the Radiant Stone's extreme sensitivity to light energy, ancient people had long used them to create all kinds of solar-powered devices, such as Radiant Stone lighters, Radiant Stone lamps, Radiant Stone hand warmers, and so on. The principle was simply storing solar energy before releasing it.

Compared to Earth, the Radiant People had lived in sleepless cities for centuries—every major road in every town was illuminated by Radiant Stone lamps, shining through the night. These lamps only needed repairs once every few decades and required no daily upkeep. They automatically absorbed and stored light energy while the sun was up, then lit up when night fell. Even weak sunlight was no problem. Radiant Stone lamps were highly sensitive to light sources and could store energy even beneath overcast, rainy skies.

Le Yu touched the back of his neck, where the "Radiant Charter"—in other words, a Radiant Stone—lay embedded in his spine. At first, he had not understood why humans would implant stones into their bodies. But on second thought, it was much like getting a vaccine—Earthlings received vaccines to strengthen immunity against disease, while the Radiant People implanted Radiant Stones to develop new traits.

After leaving the main road and turning into a side street, the number of lights sharply dwindled. Judging whether a place was rich or poor was simple—the more lights were on at night, the wealthier it was.

In Qian Yuliu's memories, the upper-class residential district of Star Engraving Prefecture was as bright as daytime at night. If Le Yu stood somewhere high and looked northeast now, he could see the warm lights of the wealthy district and the Star Engraving Dance Hall glittering together in a sprawling mass, as though the stars in the sky had gathered in one place.

Yet the most dazzling sight was the Radiant Bell Tower at the center of Star Engraving Prefecture. As the tallest building in every prefecture, the Radiant Bell Tower not only told the time but also guided lost travelers—if you got lost in a Radiance prefecture or county, do not panic. Walk toward the orange-yellow glow of the Radiant Bell Tower, and you would reach the safe central square.

Though Qian Yuliu held an important post, his family background was ordinary, so naturally he could not afford property in the wealthy district. The side street Le Yu now walked down was only wide enough for four people to walk abreast. From time to time, he could hear children making noise and smell the warmth of cooking.

Le Yu could not help quickening his pace, but his heart only grew more uneasy.

At last, Le Yu arrived before a two-story house. Beside the front gate hung a platinum-colored plaque reading "Rongfang Street B23," with a small wooden sign beneath it that read, "Qian Family."

Le Yu took a deep breath and pulled out his key to unlock the door. Inside stood ten horizontal wooden bars, with an inner door behind them. The bars were spaced a palm-width apart, allowing the owner to reach both hands through and open the outer door. Yet anyone outside would find it nearly impossible to get past them without the owner's permission. It protected against both thieves and scammers.

Le Yu gave the barrier a tug and found that it was not locked. It opened with a light pull. Following Qian Yuliu's habits, he shut the barrier behind him, then turned to see a towel placed in the entryway.

He took off his soaking wet coat, removed his long boots and changed into wooden clogs, wiped his head with the towel, then walked into the living room.

"I'm back."

He spoke to the girl sitting on the rosewood bench in the living room.

Le Yu had no choice.

He had to come here.

He was unfamiliar with this world. Apart from using Qian Yuliu's identity, he had no other options.

Although an Awakened could wield Mental Power and use light to summon wind, move clouds, and call rain, they absolutely could not live without food, subsisting on air, dew, and light—unless humans in this world had evolved chloroplasts.

The girl turned her head, her dark brown eyes fixed on Le Yu. She wore a purple, blue, and white uniform—the uniform of Star Engraving National Middle School.

Naturally, Radiance had schools, even compulsory education—Huiyao Lectures. The central district of every city always had a lecture square, where anyone could listen to teachers give lessons. The teachers taught the same things every year: basic arithmetic, practical writing, useful life skills, and basic medical knowledge. They were employed by the Radiant Court, and listeners needed to spend nothing but time and diligence.

This compulsory education system had been established at the founding of Radiance and continued to this day. It was called the "Elementary Education System." Beyond that was the National Learning System: every administrative region had a National Academy dedicated to teaching the ability to govern through light. Only National Academy students were qualified to take the Radiant Court's imperial examinations and enter government to wield power.

The Star Engraving Military Academy that Qian Yuliu had graduated from was a National Academy. Only National Academies taught military tactics. It was merely that names had changed over the ages, and National Academies had evolved into Cultural Academies and Military Academies.

As for middle schools, they had only emerged within the last century. With the Huiyao Dynasty's explosion of new technologies, the Radiant Court discovered that it needed more skilled workers and more National Academy students, so it established middle schools throughout the land. In the past, only a tiny minority could attend National Academies. Even ordinary people who completed elementary education could never pass a National Academy entrance exam. But the advent of middle schools gave commoners a path of advancement from elementary education to middle school to National Academy. At the same time, National Academies expanded enrollment, allowing many impoverished students to finally rise.

The Qian Family was not particularly wealthy or influential. Qian Yuliu had taken up an important post at such a young age not only because he was genuinely gifted, but more importantly because he had benefited from the times and ridden the tide of history.

Since Qian Yuliu had found success through this path, he naturally intended for his family to replicate that success.

The girl before him was Qian Yuliu's younger sister, Qian Yuya.

Qian Yuya was sixteen this year and preparing for the entrance exam to Star Engraving Cultural Academy. Naturally, this world had no standardized National College Entrance Examination. National Academies in different regions all recruited students independently.

So my little sister is a beautiful middle school girl... Le Yu suddenly thought of some anime he had watched in his previous life and could not help smiling.

Qian Yuya raised her head and blinked at him, looking at Le Yu suspiciously. "What's wrong with you?"

Why had his eyes suddenly gone unfocused? And why was he grinning like an idiot? Had he damaged his brain while out on a mission?

"Nothing." Le Yu sat down in a wicker chair, poured himself a cup of hot water, and drank it slowly, sip by sip.

Qian Yuya glanced at him before lowering her head and returning to her book. Le Yu stole a look. It seemed to be about clinical pathology, and it even had illustrations.

Qian Yuya's goal was to study medicine at the Cultural Academy and become a medical officer after graduation. Radiance had official posts specifically for healers, and the Medical Officer Department in every city was its largest official hospital.

Female medical officers were also common. Due to the influence of Radiant Stones, women in this world were no weaker than men in combat, so women faced no restrictions on employment. The Statistics Department had female agents, and the Radiant Court also had female officials.

After he finished his cup of water, Qian Yuya still said nothing, leaving Le Yu to make awkward conversation. "Have you eaten?"

Qian Yuya glanced at him. "I put your meal in your room."

Le Yu blinked. Thinking back, he realized that Qian Yuliu did indeed have a habit of eating alone. After returning home at night, he always went straight to his room to eat and exercise, rarely interacting with his sister.

That was good. Le Yu also let out a quiet breath. He did not really dare interact too much with Qian Yuya. It was not merely that he feared Qian Yuya might become suspicious of his identity. More importantly, he was afraid of her.

Though Le Yu was not truly at fault, he had ultimately killed Qian Yuliu and taken his place. To him, Qian Yuya was equivalent to "the victim's family." Whenever he faced her, he could not shake an indescribable sense of guilt.

Perhaps it was merely meaningless moral fastidiousness, but Le Yu sincerely hoped he would not become too entangled with Qian Yuya. This choice to voluntarily give up the resources offered by his identity might make the survival challenges ahead even harder, but Le Yu would rather increase the difficulty than break this moral shackle.

For Le Yu, these moral principles from his previous life might be the only symbol by which he could still confirm his own existence. It was precisely because he possessed this naive conscience that he was Le Yu, rather than Qian Yuliu or anyone else.

Le Yu stood up, preparing to head upstairs to his room, when a piece of information suddenly surfaced in his mind: every five days, Qian Yuliu had dinner with his sister.

At the same time, another passage of information appeared:

"To date, there is no unified, systematic, effective method for cultivating Mental Power. No method exists that everyone can use to strengthen their Mental Power. However, Mental Power is not impossible to increase. The following four methods can all enhance Mental Power—"

"① Growth. A person's Mental Power gradually grows, generally reaching its peak at forty, remaining stable until sixty-five, then beginning to decline."

"② Career. When a person takes on more responsibility and gains more authority, their Mental Power also increases significantly. But once they lose that responsibility and authority, the increased Mental Power will decline accordingly. If they are forced from office, their Mental Power may even undergo pathological decline."

"③ Ideals. When a person possesses an ideal they strive toward for their entire life, their Mental Power receives a certain degree of enhancement depending on the extent of their effort and sacrifice."

"④ Transcending Calamity. A Tribulation is something a person wants to do but does not dare to do. Each time a person transcends a Tribulation, their Mental Power rises slightly."

"Of the four methods, the first three require long-term persistence. Only the fourth can be completed simply and decisively. To discover more talent and encourage citizens to actively raise their Mental Power, the Radiant Court had continuously updated the Charter throughout successive dynasties, eventually developing a new Charter function: Tribulation."

"The existence of Tribulation actively makes an Awakened aware of what challenge they can undertake to increase their Mental Power, thereby helping Awakened strengthen their Mental Power more easily. However, the Radiant Court discovered that many people, out of fear and aversion, refused to act even when they knew the challenge. Thus, Tribulation also carries a side effect: when someone knows the content of their Tribulation but does not carry it out, their Mental Power gradually declines. In the end, they may even lose their Mental Power entirely."

"The content of a Tribulation arises according to the Awakened's consciousness and is absolutely something the Awakened can accomplish. Tribulations generally have time limits. If a Tribulation remains incomplete past its time limit, the side effect will occur."

Tribulation...

Le Yu froze for a moment, then opened the virtual panel again and found the Tribulation entry:

"Qian Yuliu's Tribulation: Have dinner with Qian Yuya. Maximum interval: 120 hours. (Time remaining: 29 hours)"

Le Yu sat back down and poured himself another cup of water, sorting through his thoughts while he drank.

He had never expected the methods of increasing Mental Power to be this bizarre. He had thought there might be some breathing technique, meditation method, or similar cultivation art. He had not expected the methods to be so down-to-earth.

"Growth" was understandable. The older one got, the better one's brain became.

"Getting promoted and getting rich" was understandable too. As the saying went, one's position determined one's thinking, and an old proverb said that upbringing changed one's disposition while environment changed one's body. When a person controlled more resources, their vitality, spirit, and bearing naturally rose to another level. But there was also the saying that a plucked phoenix was no better than a chicken. Since this mental strengthening was tied to resources, losing those resources naturally caused one's vitality and spirit to decline.

"Ideals" were even easier to understand. Only those with firm will could strive toward their ideals, and such a will-based trait would naturally affect Mental Power.

"Transcending Calamity" was normal too. It was like when Le Yu played some hardcore game—after clearing it, he would feel utterly exhilarated and spiritually elevated, as though he could hear the sound of his "action game skill level" rising.

But the Radiant Court had actually invented a corresponding function based on this "Transcending Calamity" concept. That was truly slick. It was practically adding a quest system to the real world—and a custom-made version at that.

Perhaps in a few decades, the Radiant Court could standardize everyone's Tribulation as "studying." Fail to study, and your Mental Power would drop. Study more, and your Mental Power would grow. The whole society would sprint toward the stars and the sea.

But did this Tribulation mechanic work on an outsider transmigrator like Le Yu?

Le Yu was not certain. He had the Mental Power attribute, but had he inherited it from Qian Yuliu, or had it appeared after his soul transferred into this body? Or was it a combination of both?

Yet now the attribute panel was telling Le Yu that he also had a Tribulation. If he did not follow it, his Mental Power would decrease; if he did, it would be strengthened.

A Tribulation was a Tribulation, but the content of this one had nothing to do with Le Yu. It was definitely something Qian Yuliu had left behind—who knew why he considered "having dinner with my sister" a challenge.

Still, this Tribulation was naturally of immense benefit to Le Yu. He could increase his Mental Power just by eating a meal. Where else could he find a deal like that?

"Yuya, let's have dinner together today!" Le Yu said seriously after finishing his water.

Though he did not want to get involved with Qian Yuliu's sister, Mental Power was simply too tempting.

I'm going to eat ten meals!

Qian Yuya shook her head. "No."

"Why?" Le Yu froze.

Why was he rejected? Had she noticed something? Had he failed to say one of Qian Yuliu's catchphrases? Did Qian Yuliu not drink two cups of water in a row? Or did Qian Yuliu always bathe first after returning home...?

Qian Yuya glanced at him.

Her gaze held one part confusion, three parts sighing, and six parts disgust.

"Because I've already eaten."

Sorry, Qian Yuliu. Your wise and mighty image probably no longer exists in your sister's heart, Le Yu thought.

PS: Please vote with recommendations. It's important to me.