After the evil god left, Grinya sat on her bed, feeling somewhat idle.
Under normal circumstances, she should have been meditating now, seeking resonance with a deity to enhance her perception of mana—what was commonly known as cultivation.
But...
She didn't know which deity to resonate with.
As a follower of Lord Xun Shen, the only object she could theoretically resonate with was Xun Shen.
However, the problem was that Lord Xun Shen was far too mysterious. Aside from knowing his divine title, she knew almost nothing about him, making communication impossible.
Furthermore, if she were to communicate with other gods without permission, it would not only be a betrayal of Lord Xun Shen but would also lead to mental pollution due to the chaotic nature of conflicting divine faiths.
Therefore, she felt extremely lost.
Did this mean her future leveling would depend entirely on experience potions?
But surely those things couldn't be taken long-term...
She clasped her hands together and prayed from the bottom of her heart.
"Great Xun Shen, please listen to the call of your most loyal follower..."
...
Having just finished his gaming session, Lu Xun was ordering takeout for himself.
"Should I order French foie gras, or should I go with Longjiang braised pork rice?"
Looking at the dazzling array of dishes on his phone, Lu Xun's chronic indecisiveness acted up again. Finally, he let out a deep sigh. "This is such a tough choice."
Beep beep!
"Your e-pet is begging for food!"
A rather eye-catching notification suddenly popped up. Lu Xun froze for a moment.
What the hell is an e-pet? Where did this trashy advertisement come from?
Lu Xun originally intended to clear it away, but he accidentally clicked on it.
Damn it, my hand slipped again!
Hm? Why did he say "again"?
After misclicking the small advertisement, Lu Xun discovered it was a mini-game. The background was shrouded in shadows, and at the center of the screen was a pitch-black statue. It was enveloped in grey-white mist, appearing supreme and majestic!
Around the statue were several empty slots, with only one chibi-style character kneeling before the divine statue like a devout believer.
【Click the believer to obtain Faith Energy!】
Lu Xun: "..."
Only an idiot would click that!
He pressed the back button.
【Are you sure you want to exit? Your follower will starve!】
A Q-version, teary-eyed, adorable face was attached to the message.
Lu Xun's finger stopped.
Damn it, this trashy game advertisement is actually trying to use cuteness to get its way!
Moreover, he noticed that the appearance of this chibi character actually bore a slight resemblance to Grinya.
He became even more reluctant to exit.
After all, the character Grinya was someone he had raised with great effort, nurturing her every step of the way; he didn't want to see tears on her face.
"Sigh, I'm an idiot. I'm actually getting emotional over a game character."
Lu Xun let out a sigh and then poked the chibi character on the screen. The character reacted, shaking its head in confusion with a puzzled expression, seemingly curious about who had just poked it.
"Hahaha..." Lu Xun was amused by the chibi character's cute behavior.
...
Grinya looked around in confusion.
Though saying so made her seem like she was losing her mind, in that instant, she suddenly felt as if she were being touched by a deity.
Was it an illusion?
A warm current spread through her body, and Grinya clearly felt her experience bar rise by a small fraction.
"It's not an illusion!"
Grinya cried out in surprise.
That moment just now really was the deity responding to her!
She provided faith to the god, and the god responded with power.
This was the first time she had felt the gaze of a deity. At this moment, her heart was filled with an excitement that words could not express.
She quickly sat cross-legged on the cold floor, entering a state of meditation, and continuously prayed to the evil god in her heart.
...
"Your e-pet is begging for food!"
"Your e-pet is begging for food!"
His phone suddenly began a carpet-bombing mode of notifications. The sentimentality Lu Xun felt earlier vanished instantly. His mouth twitched, and his eyes were filled with nothing but the speechless anger of being scammed.
I was tricked; this trashy spam is definitely a virus!
"To hell with this garbage game."
He angrily uninstalled it.
...
"Hm? Why is there no response again?"
Grinya was somewhat puzzled.
However, she suddenly remembered that when praying to a god, one wouldn't necessarily receive the deity's attention every single time.
Many people spent their entire lives praying in cathedrals without ever gaining the ability to manipulate mana, never becoming a mage in their whole lives.
By comparison, she was already very lucky.
Since meditation was no longer working for now, Grinya went out to the canteen for dinner. Afterward, she buried herself in the library until late at night before reluctantly returning to her dormitory.
"I still couldn't find any clues about Lord Xun Shen."
Grinya felt regretful, but there was nothing she could do.
Carrying a heavy sense of exhaustion, she fell into a deep sleep on her bed.
A few seconds later, she snapped her eyes open.
"Grinya, have you forgotten the evil god's teachings?" She slapped her own cheeks. "Are you going to let comfort destroy you? Remember the evil god's words: only a harsh environment can lead to great achievements!"
She climbed out of bed, casting a reluctant glance at the soft, large mattress.
The next moment, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind.
She sat on the cold floor, and even though she was shivering from the chill, she insisted on persevering.
"The evil god must have a deep meaning behind those words."
Whenever she was about to give up because of the cold, she would tell herself this.
...
The next morning.
Grinya went to the academy's infirmary early in the day.
"Hello, doctor. Can I get some cold medicine? Achoo!"
Grinya looked quite unwell.
The doctor in the white coat gave her a surprised look.
"An unfamiliar face. A freshman?"
Grinya nodded.
"What happened? You managed to catch a cold on the very first day of school. Do you know what important day it is today?" the doctor asked while writing her a prescription.
"What?" This was Grinya's first time attending Yiertaya Royal Academy, so she naturally didn't know about the long-standing traditions and rules of the school.
And the doctor in front of her had clearly been at the academy for many years; any questions she didn't understand should naturally be asked of this senior.
"Today is the Wuxin Island Trial Day. Every freshman must participate on their first day of school," the doctor, who was clearly an 'old-timer' of the academy, said. "This is a trial that directly concerns your graduation credits. If you can't pass, who knows how many extra courses you'll have to take to meet the graduation standards."
"Ah?" Grinya was stunned. She hadn't expected such a thing on the first day of school.
Shouldn't the first day be the opening ceremony?
Are the rules of schools in big cities always this capricious?
Seeing that Grinya was clearly becoming flustered, the doctor smiled again and said,
"You don't need to worry. While the Wuxin Island trial is important, as long as you participate, you'll basically pass."
"The truly important thing about the Wuxin Island trial is that by defeating magical beasts, there's a chance to directly awaken a Life Star skill!"
The doctor paused for a moment and said with feigned gravity, "Work hard, junior. This is the only chance you'll have in your entire time at the academy to awaken a Life Star for free!"
Rate on N.U.
