Chapter 2

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Zhuanleme Part-Time was a job platform launched by StarNet in its early years, allowing both task posters and job seekers to transact through the platform with great convenience. The platform was widely used across the interstellar territories, and its brand logo had become almost ubiquitous.

In the past, Xu Jintang had taken on a task to gather Snow Spirit Grass to earn some pocket money. Since then, the platform would occasionally push her similar tasks based on big data recommendations.

Typically, collecting Snow Spirit Grass paid around four to five hundred star coins per task.

This urgent order, however, offered twice the usual reward.

As it happened, Xu Jintang had no classes scheduled at the academy this afternoon, so she decided to earn a little extra.

She accepted the task immediately.

Half an hour later, Xu Jintang spent five star coins on public transport and arrived at the outskirts of the Blizzard Forest.

The entire black forest was blanketed in white snow, the chill biting to the bone. She could feel the cold seeping into her even before entering the woods. Roars of wild beasts occasionally echoed from deep within, evoking a natural sense of dread.

The dangers and monsters lurking inside were far beyond what she could currently handle.

Fortunately, Snow Spirit Grass only grew on the forest’s periphery, where the probability of encountering monsters was lower and the risks were much more manageable.

“These lower-grade star regions barely have any Inscription Shops. There’s nowhere to buy healing inscriptions at all.”

“It’s fine. Let’s wait until the assessment is over and we’re back at school to buy them.”

Voices drifted over from behind.

Curious, Xu Jintang glanced back.

A group of well-dressed young men and women were walking her way.

From their conversation, it was clear they were from a higher-grade star region.

Could they be military academy students?

As she pondered, the group stopped before her. The leader, a young man with delicate black hair and a friendly smile, spoke up, “Hello, may I ask if the Tier-2 monster, the Blizzard Ape, lives in this area?”

Blizzard Ape?

Xu Jintang pointed deeper into the Blizzard Forest. “Yes, but you’ll have to go further in.”

“Alright, thank you.” Xiao Yiming thanked her, then led his team to an open patch nearby. “Let’s rest here for a bit since we’ve been walking all this way. Get yourselves in shape. We’ll head out again in fifteen minutes.”

After seeing the group settle down to rest, Xu Jintang crouched beside a clump of Snow Spirit Grass and hurried her gathering.

She wondered what business brought them here.

Best to finish her task quickly and leave.

The blossoms of the Snow Spirit Grass were crystal-clear white, swaying gently in the breeze under the sunlight.

Xu Jintang carefully loosened the soil around the plant, extracting it with its roots intact before stowing it away in her spatial bracelet.

“Hello. This is a second-level water-attribute defensive inscription. Please take it as a token of thanks for your directions earlier.” A sky-blue inscription, about the size of a badge, was handed to her.

Xu Jintang paused mid-dig.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the inscription.

A second-level attribute inscription like this would sell for at least seven hundred star coins!

She stood, brushed the dirt from her hands, and accepted the token with a smile. “That’s very kind, thank you.”

After storing the inscription in her spatial bracelet, she offered Xiao Yiming a bright smile. “Actually, I wasn’t very specific earlier. If you enter the forest here and keep left, you’ll come to a clearwater lake. Beyond that is the Blizzard Ape colony.”

Xiao Yiming’s smile deepened. “Thank you.”

Just as he’d expected, this girl knew the exact location of the Blizzard Apes.

He could sense the aura of a psychic from Xu Jintang, weaker than his own—she was likely a Tier-1 psychic.

The Blizzard Forest was riddled with dangers and monsters. That a Tier-1 psychic dared to venture alone to the outskirts to gather Snow Spirit Grass meant she must know the forest well.

Xiao Yiming returned to his team and relayed the information he’d just received.

His teammates looked stunned.

One of them whispered, “You think she’s tricking us?”

Xiao Yiming shook his head, shooting another glance at Xu Jintang, who was still digging. “She’s wearing the local academy uniform. As a local, she knows the area better than we do. Besides, she volunteered the information—there’s no reason for her to lie.”

Though the others said nothing more, they remained wary of Xu Jintang.

She finished gathering another clump of Snow Spirit Grass and stood to stretch her back.

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She counted the Snow Spirit Grass in her spatial bracelet—exactly ten stalks.

Task completed.

She put away her spade and brushed the dirt off her hands.

Just as she was about to leave, a strong sense of being watched crept over her from behind.

A monster!

Xu Jintang’s eyes darkened as she quietly activated her psychic ability.

When she first awakened her powers, the instructors had taught everyone how to channel mental energy.

Soon, the spiritual power in her mind spread through her body like flowing water.

Invisible energy radiated outward.

Within a five-meter radius, every detail became instantly clear in her mind.

A Phantom Cat Demon crouched behind a tree four meters away, fangs bared and ready to pounce.

Xiao Yiming and his four teammates also sensed the threat and rose quickly, taking up defensive stances.

“Who’s there?” Xiao Yiming frowned, scanning the surroundings warily.

“It’s a Phantom Cat Demon. No idea how it wandered out of the forest. It’s only Tier-1, but very agile with incredible leaping power—not easy to catch.” Xu Jintang raised her voice, quickly sharing the information she knew.

Xiao Yiming was momentarily stunned, surprise flashing in his eyes. “How do you know it’s a Phantom Cat Demon?”

He and his teammates hadn’t seen any sign of the monster.

Could Xu Jintang have x-ray vision?

The other four also cast suspicious looks her way.

Xu Jintang had no time to explain. She pointed to the spot where the Phantom Cat Demon was hiding. “It’s behind that tree!”

As Xiao Yiming hesitated, the exposed Phantom Cat Demon sprang from its hiding place.

With a snarl, it leapt, claws extended, straight for Xu Jintang.

The Phantom Cat Demon was as intelligent as a six- or seven-year-old child.

It couldn’t speak, but it understood that Xu Jintang had given away its position.

She had to be dealt with first.

Its pupils glimmered with a wicked light, but just as it reached Xu Jintang, its body abruptly slowed.

All its movements became sluggish, as if someone had dropped the playback speed to 0.5x.

—Domain Slow.

Xu Jintang, her powers activated, shimmered with a faint halo.

The next instant, she whirled and sprinted toward Xiao Yiming’s group.

Clearly, they were all highly capable.

She was a support type—this was the perfect moment to stick with the strong!

Seeing the sudden sluggishness of the cat demon, Xiao Yiming’s expression turned cold as he moved.

“Glass Sword, break!”

A slender sword, translucent as jade, materialized before him.

The meter-long blade, glinting coldly in the light, sped toward the cat demon.

This must be his artifact-type ability.

Xiao Yiming directed the Glass Sword into battle with the cat demon.

Claws and blade clashed, ringing out sharply.

After several strikes, the Phantom Cat Demon finally howled in pain and collapsed.

Xu Jintang, who had been hiding behind, let out a small sigh of relief.

With the threat dealt with, Xiao Yiming withdrew his Glass Sword and looked at Xu Jintang, hesitant. “So, just now…”

Xu Jintang smiled and answered honestly, “It was my ability.”

“I see.” Xiao Yiming smiled and clasped his hands in thanks. “Thank you for the warning just now.”

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“Not at all,” Xu Jintang replied modestly, waving her hand.

Xiao Yiming signaled to his teammates. “Alright, let’s keep resting. In five minutes, we move out.”

After this brief encounter, Xu Jintang and the others were now somewhat acquainted.

She crouched beside them, curiosity piqued. “I overheard you talking about school and an assessment. Are you students as well?”

Xiao Yiming nodded. “Yes, we’re first-year students at Red Ridge Military Academy. We’re here today for our assessment.”

The other teammates began to complain. “You have no idea how brutal our school is. The assessment requires us to hunt twenty Blizzard Apes in three days.”

“We spent half a day just getting here from the academy. If we hadn’t run into you, we’d have had to search for the Blizzard Apes’ habitat ourselves once inside the forest. That would have wasted even more time. If we ran into other monsters, we’d lose even more time. Three days isn’t nearly enough.”

“That’s right. Even though we’re all Tier-2 psychics, monsters of the same level are always stronger than humans. If it weren’t for Captain Xiao, the four of us alone could never complete this time-limited assessment.”

Xu Jintang stroked her chin thoughtfully.

It seemed military academies really weren’t for the faint of heart.

The first-year assessment was already this tough.

She was set to graduate from Dawn Primary Academy next year, and after that, she’d have to prepare for the higher-level military academy exams just like other psychics.

Xu Jintang looked up, probing further. “Are military academy entrance exams hard these days?”

Xiao Yiming replied, “Ordinary ones are fine, but the top five are extremely tough.”

Xu Jintang fell silent.

She was familiar with the top five military academies.

They were like the Tsinghua and Peking Universities of her previous life—legendary schools most people could only admire from afar.

…Why is everything so competitive, no matter where you go?

After chatting a bit more, Xiao Yiming and his team got ready to move on.

Xu Jintang reminded them of a few monsters to watch out for in the forest, then bid them farewell.

Having gathered enough Snow Spirit Grass, she had no intention of lingering.

As she walked back, she examined the blue inscription in her palm.

Inscriptions were crafted by Inscriptionists through special techniques and commanded high prices. Advanced inscriptions were priceless and rarely available.

Nevertheless, the demand for inscriptions remained enormous.

Their effects were simply too powerful.

For instance, the second-level water-attribute defensive inscription Xiao Yiming had just given her.

Once activated, it would form a water-attribute shield around the psychic, capable of withstanding three or four attacks from a Tier-2 psychic.

In a critical moment, those three or four blocks could make all the difference.

However, Xu Jintang had actually kept one card up her sleeve.

After all, the Blizzard Forest was a haven for monsters; even the outskirts, though less dangerous, weren’t entirely safe.

So, three months ago, when she decided to take on a gathering task in the Blizzard Forest, she had scrimped and saved to buy herself a second-level teleportation inscription.

Once triggered, the inscription could transport her instantly a kilometer away—a very practical escape tool.

This was her true reason for daring to venture into the Blizzard Forest alone.

Satisfied, Xu Jintang tucked the inscription back into her spatial bracelet.

Just as she was about to leave the outskirts of the forest, the air temperature around her suddenly plunged. A wave of cold seeped in through her collar.

Xu Jintang shivered involuntarily.

Why had it turned so cold all of a sudden?

“Little girl, care to make a deal?”

A mysterious, ancient voice rang out behind her.

A massive dragon’s shadow slowly descended over her, blocking out the sky and sun, plunging the world around her into darkness.