Chapter 24: The Resolve to Kill
According to his plan, Yang Fan began his cultivation. Attending classes every day had become the dullest part of his routine. Not long ago, Yang Fan had yearned for the start of school, but now the courses offered seemed to have little impact on him. Among the new students, more and more were breaking through to the First Rank.
Yang Fan had also discovered over these past few days that Tan Hao was like an information collector, constantly sharing all sorts of gossip and rumors: today someone broke through to the First Rank, tomorrow someone else did something noteworthy. Yang Fan now relied almost entirely on Tan Hao for news from the outside world.
As for Zhou Yiyi, she had not been seen at all. According to Tan Hao, her elder sister had taken her out to gain some worldly experience, and she had not participated in the freshman courses.
Yang Fan thought about it and felt it made sense. After all, she had powerful backing, and these basic courses were probably already mastered long ago. It was a pity for himself: every day, he had to endure lessons that were of no real help to him.
He hadn’t yet mustered the courage to skip classes entirely to focus on cultivation.
Life was hard.
...
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
On the night of January 19th, 2019, Yang Fan finally managed to direct his blood and energy to his bones, officially entering the Second Rank Martial Artist realm.
He was the first among this batch of new students to reach the Second Rank.
The next day, the Combat Arts Division issued a notice and, to encourage other students, awarded Yang Fan thirty academic credits as a reward. They also promised that the first one hundred students to break through to the Second Rank would receive the same treatment.
Accepting the reward, Yang Fan felt a bit embarrassed; it was all too conspicuous. Now, almost every new student in the Combat Arts Academy knew his name, and wherever he went, people greeted him. Yang Fan was not yet accustomed to this sudden attention.
Yet the arrival of the credits brought him joy, confirming something else.
The available points in his system were truly tied to his wealth, and the number of draws was connected to his rank.
Last time he checked:
“Host: Yang Fan”
“Level: First Rank”
“Title: Student of the Shanghai Cultivation Academy”
“Wealth: 1,002,830”
“Qi Sea: 0.6”
“Spirit: 11.12”
“Available Points: 1,001”
“Addable Points: Qi Sea+, Spirit+”
“Shop: Not Open”
“Draws: 0”
Available points were 1,001.
This time, things had changed:
“Host: Yang Fan”
“Level: Second Rank”
“Title: Student of the Shanghai Cultivation Academy”
“Wealth: 1,302,830”
“Qi Sea: 0.6”
“Spirit: 11.15”
“Available Points: 1,301”
“Addable Points: Qi Sea+, Spirit+”
“Shop: Not Open”
“Draws: 1”
One thousand wealth equals one available point. The additional thirty credits increased his wealth by three hundred thousand, and thus available points increased by three hundred. The number of draws was confirmed to depend on rank, not on reaching one million wealth. One draw for First Rank, Yang Fan was now certain.
Although he dared not add to his Qi Sea until reaching Third Rank, the increasing numbers brought him a secret delight.
This powerful system had not yet shown its true value, but Yang Fan believed it would become his greatest reliance in the future.
Having broken through to Second Rank, Yang Fan decided to visit the mission tower, a place he hadn’t explored since joining the academy.
He informed Feng Xiaolin that he intended to take on a mission; Feng Xiaolin showed no surprise, as if it were expected. The First Rank courses were not even halfway done, and Yang Fan was already Second Rank, so the academy could no longer help him—he might as well leave.
In truth, the Combat Arts Division of Shanghai Cultivation Academy had always allowed students to develop freely: they provided enlightenment at the start, but the rest of the path had to be walked alone. According to Tan Hao, upper-year students were rarely seen on campus; nobody knew where they went.
Yang Fan wanted to say they had gone to ruins or outside to complete missions for resources, but since the instructors had not openly explained such matters, he felt it was not his place to mention it.
He wondered why Zhou Ting and Zhou Haifeng had so openly discussed ruins with him back when he was not yet a cultivator. Was it because of his innate talent for First Rank? Yang Fan could not understand. Was it to motivate him? Were they not afraid it would overwhelm him?
If he couldn’t figure it out, he wouldn’t dwell on it. Yang Fan’s current philosophy was that worries stem from idleness.
...
Having received permission, Yang Fan no longer attended classes and went to the mission tower instead.
Upon entering, he found himself in the lobby, where an LED screen scrolled through the available missions.
First and Second Rank missions were on the first floor, Third and Fourth on the second, Fifth Rank on the third, and for Sixth Rank and above, there was nothing worthwhile in this tower.
For those of Sixth Rank, the benefits were minimal, and most were already in the ruins. The Sky Net had its own rules: when weak, one could remain in the rear, but once powerful, one had to go to the frontlines.
Due to the constant recruitment of strong cultivators, rumors about them in society were rare. Few had ever seen a high-ranking cultivator. Lower ranks were managed by the government’s Cultivator Administration Bureau, so ordinary people had little understanding of them.
Yang Fan watched the scrolling LED screen, searching for a mission suitable for himself.
For his first mission, he didn’t want anything too difficult; he needed time to adapt.
“Assist the police in capturing an A-class wanted criminal. Ordinary person, armed. Location: Shanghai. Reward: 5 credits. Difficulty: medium.”
“Assist the Cultivator Administration Bureau in capturing a First Rank Martial Apprentice fugitive. Location: Jiangsu Province, Kunshan City. Reward: 10 credits. Difficulty: high medium.”
“Kill a fugitive Martial Apprentice at the peak of First Rank, wanted by the Cultivator Administration Bureau. Location: near Suzhou, exact location unknown. Fugitive has basic combat arts training. Recommended for Second Rank and above. Reward: 15 credits. High difficulty. Recommended for Second Rank Martial Artists, combat arts trainees.”
...
Missions scrolled continuously, with plenty to choose from. The mission tower was connected to the government network; crimes from all over the country could be found and accepted here. Yang Fan mainly looked for those near Shanghai, since his funds were limited and he couldn’t afford to go far.
All missions were aimed at people—none involved mutated animals or monsters as he had imagined. Only criminals.
Yang Fan felt troubled; all the targets were human. No matter their crimes, the thought of having to kill someone made him uneasy.
Ordinary people say things like “I’ll kill you” in anger, but even if handed a knife, most lack the courage to actually do it.
Yang Fan was no different. He had only been a cultivator for a few months, and could not so quickly abandon eighteen years of ingrained beliefs.
Human life is precious—criminals notwithstanding.
Still, it was distressing. If he accepted a mission, he would be going to kill.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been standing here for a while. Haven’t found a suitable mission?”
As Yang Fan wrestled with his thoughts, a familiar voice sounded behind him.
He turned to see Zhou Ting, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and the recently missing Zhou Yiyi.
Zhou Ting was poised and graceful, while Zhou Yiyi had lost her former vitality.
“Senior sister, Zhou Yiyi, what brings you here?” Yang Fan asked.
“I took Yiyi to complete a few missions. Now we’re back to submit them. I’ve been watching you for a while. Why haven’t you found a suitable mission?” Zhou Ting explained, then asked Yang Fan.
Yang Fan was still troubled, but now that Zhou Ting was here, he decided to ask her; it was better than agonizing alone.
“It’s not that there aren’t any suitable ones. I’ve found several that match my strength, but all of them require killing people. I’ve never killed anyone; I feel uneasy about it,” Yang Fan admitted.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yiyi’s expression changed.
Zhou Ting said, “It’s not strange that you feel this way. When I first killed someone, I had the same concerns. This time, I took Yiyi out so she could better understand the world. Since you’ve chosen the path of cultivation, you should be prepared for this—it’s only a matter of time, Yang Fan.”
Yang Fan replied, “Senior sister, I know it’s inevitable, but taking that first step is truly daunting.”
“That’s a choice you must make for yourself. In fact, everyone on this mission list deserves their fate. Even those listed as ‘capture’ are usually guilty of major crimes. The sooner you deal with them, the more people you may save. Perhaps thinking this way will make it easier—at least, that’s how I managed,” Zhou Ting answered.
“Yang Fan, it’s okay. I’ve figured it out now—it’s only a matter of time. Once you embark on the path of cultivation, there’s no avoiding it. I went out to kill someone this time; my sister says the people of the dark world are no different from us. If we cultivate, we’ll eventually face them. If we can’t adapt to killing, then one day we’ll be the ones killed,” Zhou Yiyi also began to persuade him. She had been pushed by her sister to kill a wanted criminal herself, and though it was a fugitive, the psychological hurdle was not so easily overcome. Seeing Yang Fan troubled, she couldn’t help but try to comfort him.
“Alright, Yang Fan, we’re going to submit our missions. Take your time to think it over. Let me say this: those who only know cultivation are merely cultivators, but those who fight for peace are called warriors. Whether you want to be a cultivator or a warrior is up to you,” Zhou Ting said, pulling Zhou Yiyi toward the mission exchange desk.
She knew that crossing this threshold was something one had to do alone; no amount of advice from others could help if one lacked resolve.
Yang Fan remained hesitant. When he had formulated his plan, he hadn’t expected all the missions to target humans. He thought there would be tasks involving wild beasts, but now, seeing only human criminals, he could guess why there were no beasts left—they’d all been wiped out by the military. Guns and artillery might not work against high-ranking martial artists, but they were still lethal to wild beasts.
...
After much internal struggle, noon arrived, and Zhou Ting and Zhou Yiyi had already left. Yang Fan finally made his decision.
As Zhou Ting said, it was something he would have to face sooner or later, unless he never advanced further or stopped cultivating altogether. Otherwise, it was inevitable.
He had heard countless times that warriors must compete, but only after returning from the island did he begin to understand what that meant. Now, having made his decision, he felt it all the more deeply: killing these mission targets was a form of competition. If others kill and he does not, their resources will outstrip his own.
Having made up his mind, Yang Fan no longer hesitated and walked toward the mission exchange desk.