As the saying goes, a thief can steal for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days in a row. No one can perfectly hide their secrets forever. The only way is to both conceal your secrets and use every spare minute to rapidly build your own strength so that those who seek your secrets will begin to feel fear and won't even dare to think about coveting them. Only then can you protect yourself to the fullest.
Shen Xingyan mentally warned himself that in the future, he must not relax under any circumstances!
Lost in these thoughts the entire way, he arrived at the school gates, where he finally cast aside his reflections, gathered his courage, and greeted the on-duty teacher with a smile.
Having been at the school for over ten years, he knew practically every teacher, though he was more friendly with some than with others. Although Shen Xingyan had already awakened his profession, he hadn't officially graduated yet. That would only happen in twenty days, after completing his trial and graduation procedure. In a strict sense, he was still a student of this school, and the restrictions for outside professionals did not apply to him.
The on-duty teacher, of course, recognized Shen Xingyan—after all, he was a notable figure in the school, and teachers usually remember such students well. Looking at Shen Xingyan, the teacher only felt a certain amount of regret.
Having received permission from the on-duty teacher, Shen Xingyan headed to the training hall where his sister was.
In over ten years of school life, Shen Xingyan had learned every blade of grass in the school. Without wasting time on sentimental reflections, he confidently arrived at the training hall where his sister was training at this stage of her education.
Shen Xingyan stopped at the entrance to the hall and cautiously peeked inside. Seeing that his sister was training diligently, he finally sighed with relief.
Not wanting to disturb her training, he watched her for a little while longer and then quietly left.
Walking slowly down the familiar main avenue of the school, Shen Xingyan allowed himself to indulge in the memories he had previously held back. The places that had special meaning for him evoked particularly strong feelings.
Although only about ten days had passed since he left the school, it now seemed completely different to him, as if everything had changed.
Just recently, he had been an honor student, completely focused on absorbing the school curriculum and overcoming his body's physical limitations.
But now, in just over ten days, his thoughts and aspirations had greatly changed, becoming less pure and unambiguous.
After awakening his profession, he saw so much more; his life became much more interesting. The disappointment of getting the Farmer profession, the excitement from his two powerful skills, breaking the Star Source record, and yesterday's unexpected good fortune—all of it showed him a different side of the world.
But at the same time, a greater responsibility was also laid upon his shoulders.
The calm and peaceful life in the Star Source world charmed him, especially after a long time spent in the shadow of the real world's dangers. Unfortunately, the outside world was full of Disasters, and he himself had a blood feud, which meant it was impossible to live life as a regular farmer—growing crops, getting enough sleep, and spending his days in serene comfort.
While Shen Xingyan was reflecting on these changes, he suddenly felt his Star Card vibrate. Guessing who it might be, he took out the card and, as he expected, saw an incoming call from Chu Wei.
"Shen Xingyan, did you forget about me?! It's been so many days, and you haven't called even once! Are you even alive over there?! Huh?!" As soon as Shen Xingyan accepted the call, Chu Wei's loud, agitated voice came from the card.
This exclamation instantly dispelled Shen Xingyan's melancholic mood, as if returning him to his school days. Sensing the change in his mood, Shen Xingyan couldn't help but smile: having such a good deskmate as Chu Wei was truly a great stroke of luck in his life!
He quickly reassured her: "Of course I'm alive! Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to reach me, right? What's wrong? Why are you so angry? Who hurt you?"
"Who hurt me? Who else but you! Didn't you promise to give me a few jin of the new harvest? What, did you forget already? You made me so worried! Do you know how long I've been waiting for those few jin of grain?! Huh?!"
Chu Wei on the other end of the line was like an enraged lioness, venting her anger at the Star Card. If her teammates in the Star Source world saw their usually wise and cool-headed leader talking so emotionally with some guy, their jaws would probably drop to the floor.
Of course, the real reason for Chu Wei's call wasn't the few jin of grain she was talking about. The thing was, Shen Xingyan hadn't called her for so long that she felt she wasn't important enough, and she needed to vent her irritation.
Chu Wei's shouts instantly brought Shen Xingyan back to his school days, reminding him of what she looked like when she was angry. A nostalgic expression appeared on his face. In similar situations in the past, Shen Xingyan knew that the only way to deal with Chu Wei was to give in. Experience told him that if he were to be stubborn, it could lead to a real quarrel.
"Calm down, calm down," Shen Xingyan said with a smile. "How could I forget? I was just very busy. You know the farmer profession—there's too much farm work; it takes a lot of effort. Don't worry, I'll definitely give you the grain at our next meeting!"
After these reassuring words, Chu Wei, who was simply looking for confirmation of her importance, almost completely calmed down and began to ask Shen Xingyan about his life, whether he had enough money, and so on. Although Shen Xingyan couldn't tell her the whole truth, he mentioned that his yield was a bit higher than that of regular farmers to put her mind at ease.
Hearing about Shen Xingyan's good harvest, Chu Wei was very happy and quickly praised him: "I knew it! Whatever you do, you're always the best!"
She then began to share with him amusing stories and tales about the unusual monsters she had encountered. Talkative, Chu Wei displayed her outstanding oratorical talent, which was completely unlike her usual reticence with outsiders.
Shen Xingyan walked slowly, patiently listening to her. This way of communicating seemed to bring them back to those nostalgic times that they both cherished.