Meanwhile, when Qin Yang returned to Xia He's side, he immediately noticed that something was off.
Xia He kept glancing over at him, the grin on his face harder to suppress than the recoil of an AK-47.
"You've got some moves, Old Qin!"
Xia He struggled to hold back his laughter, giving him a thumbs-up and teasing him wildly. "What have you been taking lately? You've gotten so slick!"
Qin Yang: "..."
Qin Yang was speechless, rolling his eyes at his wisecracking friend.
"Hey now~ What's with that look, Old Qin! I'm complimenting you here!"
Xia He sucked in a breath through his teeth and sidled up to Qin Yang, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "I mean it as a compliment! Not a single bit of it was an insult!"
"Oh, give me a fucking break..."
Qin Yang couldn't be bothered to play along. He shrugged off Xia He's arm, his mind racing as he continued to ponder the matter with the system.
Although he felt he had vaguely unraveled the mystery, he still found it hard to believe.
Based on the system's previous prompts, it wasn't that just any living creature could trigger one.
Only beings that would still be alive 500 years from now could trigger the system's prompts.
And any being that could live for 500 years would inevitably be a terrifying existence, according to the system.
It went back to that same old saying.
Even a pig, if it lived for 500 years, could become a Beast King!
As for things like the undying cockroach, the Purple Soul Demon Pearl, the Blood-sucking Leeches, or beings with ancient bloodlines, it was understandable that they could become powerful Star Beasts in 500 years.
Other ordinary Star Beasts, without some heaven-sent opportunity, would have kicked the bucket long before 500 years were up.
The same was true for the powerful experts of the current era.
Although they could dominate a region and view all other beings as ants in the palm of their hands, it was all for naught if they couldn't overcome the ravages of time.
If they died before the 500-year mark, it meant they couldn't trigger the system's prompts.
Therefore, when he encountered them now, he naturally wouldn't get a system prompt!
Without a system prompt, by the same logic, there was no possibility of getting a burst of rewards after interacting with them.
'That's right, that's the logic.'
Qin Yang nodded to himself, a wave of realization washing over him.
He once again thought back to the girl he had just met.
No, the future Empress.
'According to the system's prompt, as long as I take this little girl as my master, I'll get a new reward?'
But this task of becoming her apprentice was truly a bit difficult to handle.
Not to mention the embarrassment, Qin Yang just couldn't bring himself to do it; he had too much pride.
Besides, she was already a master at the Postnatal Eighth Layer at such a young age.
She was undoubtedly a heaven's chosen, a cherished pearl in someone's palm.
Her every move was surely being watched by various powerful figures.
If he rashly went up and asked to be her apprentice, he'd probably finish the apprenticeship today only to be noticed by those big shots watching Li Zixuan tomorrow.
What if they saw Qin Yang as someone with ulterior motives?
Not only would he fail to become her apprentice, but he would also attract all sorts of trouble.
Of course, having people from those factions show up at his door was a small matter.
With his current strength, ordinary people couldn't do anything to him.
If they dared to show up, he'd make sure they walked in vertically and were carried out horizontally!
But the problem was, what would he do if he lost his job as a library administrator because of it?
'Such a great job... I can slack off, read Cultivation Method Manuals, and there's even an employee cafeteria... Everyone in the library is a character. I can't lose this job!'
Qin Yang thought, shaking his head.
Besides, Li Zixuan was holding a student ID, proving she was just a student at a Martial Arts Academy.
A grown man like him asking to be her apprentice? She definitely wouldn't agree.
She might even think he was a psycho on the spot...
Thinking it through, the chances of him successfully becoming her apprentice were basically zero!
Impossible!
It was absolutely impossible!
'Damn it, you stupid system! Look at this ridiculous mission you've given me!'
Qin Yang cursed inwardly.
The next moment, the system's stubborn voice sounded again.
"Ding! The Empress has been detected moving away. Host is advised to see the error of his ways and quickly kowtow, lick her boots, and become her apprentice!"
Qin Yang: "..."
Hearing the system's prompt, Qin Yang was already numb to it.
'Fine, fine, fine. So that's how you want to play it, huh?'
Just then, Qin Yang recalled the earlier incident with the cockroach and spider.
He suddenly smacked his forehead. He got it!
'Why should I fall for the system's trap?'
'Last time, the system urged me to run for my life when I encountered the cockroach.'
'But I did the exact opposite, stomped the cockroach to death, and made this stupid system cough up an even bigger reward!'
'In the system's eyes, compared to a powerful expert like the Empress, I'm just an ant.'
'So it thinks becoming her apprentice is the easy and most logical path for me.'
'But if I were to reverse it... '
Qin Yang's eyes lit up as he murmured, "If I make the Empress become my apprentice, wouldn't the reward be even greater?!"
That's right!
That's the logic!
At this thought, it was as if a great weight had been lifted from his mind, and everything became clear.
Take her as his disciple while the Empress is still young!
Then, by interacting with her every day, he could milk that stupid system for huge rewards.
With such a great opportunity, why wouldn't he take it?
This was a massive win!
'I'm going to win so much I'll go numb!'
With this, his thoughts cleared, and he was suddenly filled with anticipation.
He abruptly turned around and started heading back the way he came, toward the girl's location.
But after a few steps, he reached the spot, only to find that Li Zixuan's seat was already empty.
'She's gone?'
Qin Yang looked at the empty seat, a pang of regret in his heart.
'If I'd known, I would have used my status as an administrator to make up some library promotion and get Li Zixuan's number.'
"No way, Old Qin. You didn't actually fall for her, did you?"
Seeing this, Xia He poked Qin Yang's shoulder and teased, "I never thought you'd be into her type. But that girl looks hard to chase. She seems like an iceberg, with a 'do not approach' vibe."
"Sigh."
Qin Yang heaved a long sigh, his face full of regret as he thought about the girl he had just missed.
'The girl herself wasn't important.'
'What was important was that the system reward he'd almost had his hands on had flown away right before his eyes!'
'Who knows when he'd meet her again.'
'What if she never came back?'
'After all, there were limits to his slacking off. He couldn't just stand guard here every day waiting for Li Zixuan, could he?'
"Holy shit, what's with this reaction, Old Qin! Pull yourself together!"
Seeing the look on Qin Yang's face, Xia He couldn't stand it any longer. "If you're really serious about this, your bro here will go through hell and high water to get her contact info for you!"
"Hm? You serious?"
Qin Yang said hesitantly, sizing Xia He up. "Don't you go tricking an honest man."
Hearing this, Xia He raised his eyebrows and said, "Why would I trick you? This library has people coming and going all the time; I know a few of them. Just give me a name, and I'll definitely find a way to get you in touch with her."
"Alright, let's give it a try then."
Qin Yang told Xia He the information about Li Zixuan and her identity as a student at Jianghai Martial Arts Academy.
Xia He immediately thumped his chest, guaranteeing, "The beauty is a student at Jianghai Martial Arts Academy? That makes it easy! Just sit tight and wait, Old Qin. I promise I'll get you some info!"