The First Stage of the Cultivation Plan

Returning to the dormitory, Huo Yuhao shared the good news with Ji Siyuan.

"It's great, Siyuan! I'll be able to study under Dean Qian in the future. As long as my proficiency with Soul Tools is high enough, I can stay even if I haven't reached level 20 by my second year."

Huo Yuhao shared this with high spirits, only to be doused with cold water.

Ji Siyuan understood the logic: "Do you want to have a good meal? And get a comfortable night's sleep?"

"Ah, are we not going to set up our stall today?"

"Not today, I'm in a good mood. Let's use some of the Gold Soul Coins we extorted that day. And you should use the Life-Generating Fruit too."

Ji Siyuan still felt a bit bitter thinking about it; why wasn't his starting point Xu Sanshi dropping a Mystic Water Pill?

The gap between a Life-Generating Fruit and a Mystic Water Pill was quite significant.

Xu Sanshi, who was queuing at the school gate, sneezed: "It must be that bastard Bei Bei talking about me behind my back."

Amidst the shouting of the crowd, Xu Sanshi waited for Ji Siyuan and his companion to set up their stall: "Nannan said she likes eating these, I must buy some today."

At this moment, the stall owner had already finished a delicious meal and returned to the dormitory to begin cultivation.

"Are you not coming to wash the fruit? Are you waiting for me to feed you?"

"Siyuan, this is yours, I shouldn't eat it. Your talent is higher; you'll cultivate faster if you eat it."

"You don't think it would be more comfortable if I pinned you to the ground and fed them to you one by one, do you?" Ji Siyuan took out the Life-Generating Fruit, washed it, and placed it on the table, his attitude clear: come over and eat quickly.

Tang San: This little girl is feeling a bit inferior right now.

Ji Siyuan was also puzzled: Indeed. In the books I've read, the characters are usually obsessed with revenge; they wouldn't be this yielding over something right in front of them. Why does it change like this just because she's a girl?

Tang San laughed and scolded: "Hey, are you truly stupid or just pretending? It's already like this, can you not see it?"

The Life-Generating Fruit looked like grapes, so Huo Yuhao only took a few. "I'll have enough with just these."

Ji Siyuan understood; compared to his own talent at this stage, Huo Yuhao felt a sense of inferiority.

He stood up, walked over, pried open Huo Yuhao's mouth, and popped two in.

"How about this, I eat one, you eat one? This stuff is from Duke White Tiger's household, don't you dare be polite with me. If you act like this, how are you going to get your revenge?"

If he didn't give her a good reason, she would just keep dragging her feet.

The effect of the Life-Generating Fruit wasn't very significant for him—the age of the item was truly too low—but it was very effective for Huo Yuhao.

Lying on the bed and closing his eyes to rest, sleeping was more restorative for his spirit than meditation. Huo Yuhao had also started following his cultivation routine.

"Siyuan, wait until I reach level 20. After that, I'll let you see my talent!"

"Mm, you'd better hurry. I just hit level 16."

"What?" The eleven or twelve-year-old girl jumped up from the bed: "You, you're already level 16?"

"Just leveled up."

"No way, I can't rest anymore." Huo Yuhao sat up and immediately began to meditate; the gap was widening.

The next day, he received his special status from Yan Shaozhe.

When he arrived at Yan Shaozhe's office, Yan Shaozhe saw at a glance that he had reached level 16 and immediately stood up in disbelief; they had only met yesterday, and he was level 15 then.

"You broke through as soon as you went back last night?" Yan Shaozhe didn't know whether to laugh or be astonished; he suddenly felt that the goal he had set was a bit too simple.

"Yes. I broke through before going to sleep last night."

His tone was relaxed and effortless; he hadn't encountered a single bottleneck during the breakthrough.

Yan Shaozhe handed him the badge signifying his special status.

"Student Ji Siyuan, the academy has specially convened a Sea God Pavilion meeting for you; this is the highest decision-making body of the academy.

We have decided to provide you with rewards and support in stages. The first stage is that you need to raise your cultivation to level 20 as soon as possible. You have a three-month time limit, and you are not allowed to use pills that boost soul power. Any questions?"

Yan Shaozhe felt he was asking in vain; this breakthrough speed was definitely not a problem.

Ji Siyuan: "Seems about right."

Yan Shaozhe told him very seriously: "There is no such thing as 'about right.' We have given you the minimum time limit. You can complete it as early as possible. Finishing one week early increases the reward value by 20%, half a month early increases it by 50%, and finishing a month early doubles the reward."

Seeing Ji Siyuan's nonchalance, Yan Shaozhe said: "You might not know what the academy has provided for you. First, before the first stage begins, we have prepared items to improve your physical fitness. Millennium Whale Rubber, a millennium Pine-Fir Ganoderma, a Mystic Water Pill, as well as your special status. You have privileges such as free access to the highest-grade meals in the academy cafeteria."

Tang San: Sounds a bit stingy.

Ji Siyuan replied to Tang San: I thought it would be ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. This stuff was common in top-tier noble families; only the higher-aged ones had anything special.

However, this was within his acceptable range: "It's fine, as long as I can eat for free. No need to worry about going hungry. By the way, Dean Yan, can I bring others to eat?"

"You can, but only one person."

Yan Shaozhe still had the authority for this portion of the permissions; opening it up for him wasn't a big problem.

"Do I need to find you to confirm after I break through to level 20?"

"Yes, just come here."

Ji Siyuan: "Then there's not much else, I'll be leaving first."

He turned around, but before he could push open the door, he heard Yan Shaozhe tell him to stop: "Aren't you curious about what the reward for the next stage is?"

"It should be better than what we started with."

Yan Shaozhe: "Aren't you curious about the goal of the next stage? Aren't you curious how many stages we've divided this into for you? What the rewards are for each stage? Aren't you curious about what kind of person we intend to mold you into?"

Ji Siyuan rubbed his nose: "I am curious, I'm actually quite curious about how you all view me. As for the final result, I have my own future! And I believe my future is clear enough."

"Your future may not necessarily be better than what we have planned. You could never imagine what we ultimately want to cultivate you into!"

Tang San: "Siyuan, aren't you disregarding the feelings of others a bit too much? This isn't the God Realm. They don't know the secrets you carry, so everything they've planned for you is likely the best future they can imagine. One should return a peach for a plum."

Ji Siyuan had previously only interacted with his peers.

The elders he had spent time with were all elders from the God Realm, who generally didn't care about his behavior.

If one has taken something from others, one must at least provide some value, and a proper thank you is still necessary.

"Understood, Uncle Tang."

Ji Siyuan: "Dean, isn't it still too early for all that? Even if I asked, you wouldn't necessarily tell me."

"Rest assured, I will definitely break through to level 20 within three months, and I'll be sure to bring you the good news first."

Yan Shaozhe sat down: "I was afraid your goals were only at the level of a Spirit Emperor or Spirit Saint. If that's how you planned your future, I would be beaten to death by the elders of the Sea God Pavilion. As long as you understand that this is just one stage, that's good. Your future is incredibly bright; you must set your sights further!

Also, try to complete the tasks ahead of schedule; the rewards later on are very generous."

"That's absolutely no problem. Two months or so should be plenty of time for this."