After harvesting the Sea God Grass, Lin Qianyi had some extra thoughts about that piece of land.
He didn't want to keep planting Sea God Grass for now.
Maybe it was time for a change.
After rummaging through the warehouse, Lin Qianyi's eyes settled on a box of ordinary seeds.
Four-leaf clover seeds.
In this world, the belief that four-leaf clovers bring luck also existed.
Most wild clovers outside had three leaves—only a rare few grew a fourth.
The ones here were specially cultivated strains Lin Qianyi had collected.
They took about ninety days to mature.
Lin Qianyi had once gambled with these and won the attribute tag [Minor Luck].
[Minor Luck: After consuming this lucky clover, you'll receive a slight luck bonus for the next ten minutes.]
It was called "minor" luck, but Lin Qianyi felt it was anything but minor.
During those ten minutes, he bought hundreds of redemption codes at a lottery store. Individually they didn't win much, but in total, he made over 400,000 federal credits.
Federal credits had strong purchasing power.
If you were just buying daily necessities, that 400,000 would last a person over a hundred years.
Over the years, Lin Qianyi hadn't exactly been frugal—he bought snacks, beef, little toys, and even a 30,000-credit computer...
Even so, he still had 130,000 left.
That's including the drone and COS armor he had just bought.
All that cost just over 30,000.
As for the remaining 130,000? Lin Qianyi didn't have any big plans for it.
The federal classification system was extremely rigid.
What ordinary people and evolvers could purchase was strictly separated.
Citizens had their own tiers too.
Ordinary citizens were like Lin Qianyi—regular people with an interference value under 1,000.
They made up the bulk of society.
They were the bottom layer.
First-tier evolvers, with an interference value above 1,000, were junior citizens.
Already considered elite among humans.
Second-tier evolvers (10,000+) were intermediate citizens—the backbone of society.
Third-tier evolvers (100,000+) were senior citizens—the upper-middle management.
Fourth-tier evolvers (1,000,000+) were special-grade citizens—elites of the elite, truly at the top.
Only Domain Lords ranked higher.
With Lin Qianyi's status as a normal citizen, what he could buy was also limited to that tier.
Of course, after entering university, he could access higher-tier resources through academic channels.
But it was hard to take things out of school. Those were strictly controlled.
When Lin Qianyi was seven, he'd already witnessed a disaster caused by failed containment.
A student smuggled out a parasitic cellular lifeform from the university. In just two hours, it spread and infected tens of thousands.
It took four third-tier evolvers to contain the situation.
The student ended up in prison—possibly for life.
And by comparison, that was one of the milder disasters Lin Qianyi had read about in the news.
There were worse cases—like the reason he was now a war orphan.
Deep Space War.
An interstellar lifeform from beyond the domain left a single shockwave that wiped out half a city. Over a million people were vaporized.
That Lin Qianyi had survived could only be called a miracle.
This world was cruel like that.
Some ordinary people did live long, peaceful lives.
But many didn't even get the chance to.
Still, Lin Qianyi didn't let this constant danger push him into paranoid overdrive.
His past life had given him a more relaxed approach to life—he liked comfort.
Of course, he would work hard—but if you worked hard and never enjoyed yourself, what was the point?
What if he died tomorrow? All that effort and no joy—he'd be no better than Zhou Ke'er.
So: eat when it's time to eat, play when it's time to play, work when it's time to work.
After planting the lucky clovers, Lin Qianyi idly played some games on his computer, then cooked, cleaned up, and got ready to rest.
He was starting to feel a bit bored.
He suddenly had the urge to head back into the training space.
Had his subconscious been manipulated?
Was the training space PUA-ing him?
Main God, you win!
---
Three idle days passed.
Lin Qianyi finally received a reply from Fang Jun.
> "You'll report in a couple of days. Get your things together—although, honestly, you don't need to bring much. You were specially admitted, so you'll get a generous living stipend. Accommodation's arranged too. Oh, and be on time—don't miss the boundary shuttle. This one's paid for by the school. If you go on your own, the ticket starts at 500,000!"
By the flowerbed, Lin Qianyi and Fang Jun were squatting together, chewing on beef jerky while talking.
"I'll miss you, Boss," Lin Qianyi said with a touched expression.
"Come back to visit when you've achieved something," Fang Jun replied.
"What if I don't achieve anything?" Lin Qianyi asked.
"Then pretend I never taught you."
"Boss, that's kinda heartless."
"I'm teaching you one final lesson: society is cruel and realistic. Without strength, you won't get respect." Fang Jun patted his shoulder. "Work hard. Don't slack off in university. You're different from others—you've got to rely on yourself!"
Then he stood up to leave—and grabbed Lin Qianyi's beef jerky while he was at it.
Lin Qianyi watched him go, his expression a little complicated.
He and Fang Jun had similar backgrounds.
Both orphans.
In his youth, Fang Jun had no one to depend on, was withdrawn, lacked confidence, and had suffered a lot. He became especially stubborn.
In comparison, Lin Qianyi's aloofness just stemmed from not fitting in with his peers. He didn't really care.
After all, he'd lived a second life—he was just used to it now.
---
"Senior!"
This time, Lin Qianyi was waiting at the school gate and greeted Wang Xiaoyi.
She playfully pretended to crash into him, as she had successfully done before.
Lin Qianyi stopped her with a hand on her forehead. "Girl, have some restraint, will you?"
"Hehe, I like you, Senior," Wang Xiaoyi grinned.
"Expressing yourself is a good thing," Lin Qianyi smiled. "Better than keeping it bottled up and being awkward."
Wang Xiaoyi had confessed before, and Lin Qianyi had rejected her—but it hadn't worked.
"So, Senior, do you like me?" she asked seriously.
"A little. I like all cute girls, to some extent," he replied.
"Being a flirt never ends well, Senior!" Wang Xiaoyi frowned.
"There's no monogamy law in most parts of the Federation, is there?" Lin Qianyi shrugged. "Besides, I haven't crossed any lines."
"So you're one of those guys who never says no, never commits, and always escapes responsibility?" she said, annoyed.
"Where'd you learn that? Watch fewer videos. I'm just a lost traveler… wandering off my destined path…"
"That fake-deep mysterious persona makes you even worse…" Wang Xiaoyi retorted.
"Slander! I rejected all those love letters seriously," Lin Qianyi protested, tapping her forehead.
"None made your heart flutter? Didn't you say you liked all cute girls?"
Wang Xiaoyi covered her forehead, looking adorably indignant.
"Well… I do have some principles. I don't want to toy with a girl's feelings…" Lin Qianyi said thoughtfully.
When it came to relationships, he handled them a bit crudely.
Having experienced so much, he'd become indifferent—no longer held naive fantasies about love.
He had some principles—just not many.
He was clearly "scummy," and if someone still liked him after that, and he felt the same, he wouldn't reject them.
"Then what about me, Senior? Are you serious about me?" Wang Xiaoyi asked.
"You're being a bit sharp, girl," Lin Qianyi said.
"That's sharp? You still haven't answered!"
"In harem dramas, the male lead just dodges and changes the topic, and it works."
"They rarely give a real answer, though."
"Exactly—infinite possibilities," Lin Qianyi raised a brow.
"So you are playing with my feelings!" she said.
"Let's call it a gentle rejection," Lin Qianyi smiled.
"I don't accept your rejection."
She made an X with her hands, visibly unhappy—just like the last time she got turned down.
"Well, then I've got no choice. I guess I'll grow wings and fly away…" Lin Qianyi shrugged.
"Too many wings get heavy," she frowned.
"Then I'll just become a time-management master."
"Senior, you really are scum!"
"You even understand that? You've researched me too much. I don't want to be called that by a cute underclassman!"
"Don't think sweet words will fool me! You're nothing like a harem protagonist! You're not even dense! You'd better drop all your other thoughts and date me seriously and get married!"
"I've already dedicated my life to the Great Dao. I'm a man you'll never own…"
"I'll steal you back from the Dao!"
She looked at him, completely serious.
"If you can steal me and pin me to the ground, maybe I'll be your Star Wrath," Lin Qianyi said.
"Don't say such wild things to a minor!"
Her cheeks turned red instantly.
"Your browser history is worse than mine—and weirder. Like imagining a genderswapped me as your bestie or something…"
Lin Qianyi winced.
He really didn't want to check her privacy ever again. He'd only been curious what a teen girl liked… and now deeply regretted it.
"You looked at my phone? That time I let you hold it while I went to the bathroom—no way, I have a password…"
Then she realized—
"You used my birthday as the password! That's basically no defense at all! Senior, your shoulders better be strong—I'm heavy with love!"
"My shoulders are strong enough to carry the Thirteen Districts of the Federation," Lin Qianyi said.
"Senior, I mean it. I'll pull you away from the Dao..."
Her gaze was serious. After being abandoned by both her parents, she knew the reality better than most.
If she didn't work hard, she'd definitely be left behind.
"You don't have to push yourself so hard. My back's broad enough," Lin Qianyi said softly, patting her head.
"I don't want to be a wing. I want it all to myself!" Wang Xiaoyi said while swaying her head under his hand.
"Greedy girl," Lin Qianyi sighed.
"Love is possessive. What's wrong with being greedy? Once I get into university and become an evolver, I'll ravage you until you give up all your silly fantasies!"
"So scary! I can't afford to slack off, or I'll become your private property!" Lin Qianyi said dramatically.
Their conversation slowed.
Wang Xiaoyi noticed that Lin Qianyi hadn't gotten in the car yet—normally, he'd have left by now.
"I'm leaving for university in a few days," he said.
Wang Xiaoyi was momentarily stunned, then quickly composed herself.
"I'll come see you off, Senior."
"Thanks," he said, then added, "Let's walk back. It's not far."
"Okay," she nodded.
They walked together.
On the way, Wang Xiaoyi tried to keep the conversation going. Lin Qianyi replied halfheartedly.
The walk was longer, but there would still be a farewell at the end.
"Goodbye," Lin Qianyi said.
"See you tomorrow, Senior!" Wang Xiaoyi waved with a smile.
Then she turned and walked away.
Her smile shifted slightly, showing a bit of sadness—but she quickly pulled herself together.
A brief parting was for a better reunion.
She wasn't going to stay down for long.!