Translator: CinderTL
Jiang Ye cleared his throat. "I apologize for the trouble I caused you back then, Teacher."
"It's alright, I'm not blaming you," Chen Zilu said gently. "Tell me honestly, did you really stay for seven days?"
"Yes, I did," Jiang Ye nodded.
"Good."
Chen Zilu smiled, her voice sweet and clear. "You're truly remarkable."
Her tone carried both admiration and a hint of complex emotion.
Jiang Ye's heart stirred, and he couldn't resist asking, "Teacher, how long did you spend during your cosmic tempering?"
"I stayed for five days," Chen Zilu admitted. "Not as long as you."
"Five days?" Jiang Ye was shocked.
He knew firsthand the excruciating pain involved. His ability to endure so long was entirely due to his training on the second level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
But Chen Zilu? A normal girl, yet she could withstand such torment? It was unbelievable.
Moreover, Chen Zilu possessed Dao Bone Aptitude, granting her terrifyingly efficient absorption. Her five-day stay didn't necessarily mean that was her limit.
"Teacher, you're truly amazing," Jiang Ye said sincerely.
"Not as amazing as you," Chen Zilu replied with a smile. "Enough about that. What's your current total score across the four martial dao disciplines?"
Jiang Ye shook his head. "There haven't been any recent assessments. My last monthly exam score was 520."
Chen Zilu said, "After this cosmic tempering, you should be close to 600."
"For the College Entrance Examination, you have a good chance of scoring over 700," she added, carefully planning for him.
'700?' Jiang Ye smiled but remained silent.
Chen Zilu said earnestly, "To achieve that goal, you need to participate in every cosmic tempering session during the second semester of your third year."
"Each cosmic tempering session costs 50,000 yuan."
Jiang Ye was taken aback.
50,000 yuan per session?
He had assumed it would cost only 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.
50,000 yuan? For the next three sessions alone, I'll need to prepare at least 150,000 yuan.
Noticing his silence, Chen Zilu asked, "Do you have enough money?"
"Yes," Jiang Ye replied. He would never ask her for money again.
She had already given him so much; asking for more would risk damaging their relationship.
He wanted to preserve their friendship for more important matters than money.
In truth, for Chen Zilu...
If Jiang Ye had actually asked her for money, she would have given it to him. But the next time? She wasn't so sure.
She could support Jiang Ye temporarily, but could she support him for life?
Even though she had high hopes for him, she wouldn't keep giving endlessly without expecting anything in return.
"There are many ways to make money," Chen Zilu said earnestly. "The Elite Class at your school has plenty of missions that pay well."
"Don't think you don't have time for missions. Time is always something you can squeeze out."
Her words gave Jiang Ye much to think about.
"Thank you," Jiang Ye said sincerely. "I understand now."
The fact that someone so far away would care so much about him was a kindness beyond measure.
"Good luck," Chen Zilu said with a sweet smile. "I hope to hear good news from you after the College Entrance Examination."
After hanging up, Jiang Ye took a deep breath and opened his system panel.
[Warning! Warning! Your hearing has completely exceeded the system's detection range!]
[System Overload]
Jiang Ye stared at the panel, speechless.
He had already seen the system's message earlier.
He never expected that after so much time had passed, the Low-Martial System still hadn't caught up.
Could he have crashed it completely?
"This system is such a joke," Jiang Ye muttered, shaking his head.
Just then, the interface finally changed.
[Detected: Your hearing has completely exceeded the detection range, suspected use of cheat methods!]
[Achievement unlocked: Cheat Ear!]
[Reward: Freely adjustable hearing. Adjustment range: 0% - 1000%]
"Huh?!"
Jiang Ye's expression was a perfect embodiment of the Confused Nick Young meme.
You can play like this?!
Okay, okay, okay.
They even gave me a Cheat Ear!
"Now I really have a cheat?" Jiang Ye muttered, his face twisting into a strange expression.
He immediately began experimenting with his new ability.
The moment the achievement unlocked, Jiang Ye felt his ears transform into incredibly precise instruments, controlled by his will.
First, he set it to 0%.
Mute the world!
In an instant, the entire world plunged into absolute silence, devoid of all sound.
"A godsend for insomniacs," Jiang Ye remarked, shaking his head. "Too bad I never have trouble sleeping."
Next, he tried 100%, which was normal hearing.
200% doubled his hearing.
250%.
300%.
As his hearing amplified step by step, reaching 300%, a torrent of sounds flooded Jiang Ye's mind.
Boom! The force nearly shattered his eardrums.
Startled, Jiang Ye quickly lowered the adjustment.
Only then did his senses gradually return to normal.
"Although I can adjust it to 1000%, my current endurance limit is only 300%," Jiang Ye mused.
His hearing had already been enhanced by 200%, far surpassing that of ordinary people.
Another 300% increase? Even cosmic martial artists would likely pale in comparison.
"This is enough for now," Jiang Ye said with a smile.
The most valuable aspect of enhanced hearing wasn't just the extended range, but the increased precision.
This improvement was the greatest benefit.
"Once I achieve my first breakthrough," Jiang Ye thought, "I might be able to attempt higher amplification ratios."
As he pondered this, a thought suddenly struck him.
"If I could unlock the Cheat Ear, could I also unlock a similar achievement for a Hacker's Eye?" Jiang Ye wondered.
When he had previously unlocked Swiftwind Step, he had speculated whether watching videos could unlock an achievement similar to clairvoyance.
Unfortunately, that attempt had failed.
Jiang Ye speculated that the previous failure was likely due to his proximity to Chen Zilu. A video call spanning only a few kilometers couldn't exceed the Low-Martial System's limitations.
But now? Chen Zilu was tens of thousands of miles away.
A video call under these circumstances might yield different results.
"I'll try again when I get back," Jiang Ye thought to himself.
Speaking of Chen Zilu, he was reminded of the need to earn money.
"Besides cosmic tempering, I also need to supplement my regular training with martial dao ingredients."
"And of course, taking medicinal pills is essential."
To achieve a score approaching 900 on the College Entrance Examination required more than just a first breakthrough.
He needed to undergo further transformation after his initial breakthrough, constantly pushing his physical body to evolve.
This made medicinal pills indispensable, as they directly acted upon the body.
Fortunately, his body had become significantly stronger after cosmic tempering.
He could now fully withstand the side effects of the pills.
"But all of this requires substantial financial support."
"Right now, I'm completely broke," Jiang Ye sighed inwardly.
I need to earn money.
Jiang Ye shook his head, stood up, and walked to the electronic mission board at the back of the classroom.
Just as Chen Zilu had said, he needed to squeeze in time to complete missions.
The mission list on the board was different from what he had seen last time.
The mission board refreshed daily.
After all, these missions weren't just for Ancheng Third High School; all the high schools in Ancheng received them.
Therefore, if you hesitated even for a moment, someone else might snatch up the most sought-after missions first.
But now that it was almost time for school to end, there were few people around the mission board.
The dangers of the night were deeply ingrained in everyone's minds.
Most students hurried home before darkness fell.
"Doesn't seem like there are any good missions," Jiang Ye muttered, glancing quickly at the board before turning to leave.
But just then, a new mission suddenly appeared on the board.
Latest Mission!
Location: Ancheng Suburbs, near the Longyun Mountains.
Objective: Eliminate the remnants of the Hidden God Organization's hideout.
Reward: 100,000 Federal Currency.
Note: This mission requires a team of two or more members. Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆
"Hundred thousand federal credits?!"
Jiang Ye felt the world around him vanish, leaving only those three words before his eyes.
Without hesitation, he scanned the mission details and immediately clicked to accept it.
He filled in his student name and ID number.
Your grade ranking is 89th. It is not recommended to accept this mission. Are you sure you want to withdraw?
Yes/No
Jiang Ye was about to click "Yes" when he realized what the message said. He cursed under his breath and quickly clicked "No" instead.
You have accepted the mission. You must now find at least one teammate.
Another message popped up on the screen.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Ye opened his communicator watch and dialed Wang Zi'ang.
Having been in the Elite Class for several days, he already had Wang Zi'ang's contact information.
Beep
The call connected.
"Brother Wang, there's a team mission. Want to sign up?"
"Sure, my student ID is xxx."
Wang Zi'ang agreed without hesitation.
Jiang Ye admired his straightforward and decisive nature. Whether as brothers or friends, he was always easy to get along with.
Jiang Ye immediately submitted Wang Zi'ang's identity information to the system.
Curious, Wang Zi'ang asked, "What's the mission reward?"
"One hundred thousand yuan," Jiang Ye replied.
"What?!" Wang Zi'ang exclaimed in shock. "What kind of mission did you accept?"
A reward of one hundred thousand yuan was exceedingly rare, indicating the mission was highly unusual.
Jiang Ye didn't hesitate to explain the mission details.
After hearing the full explanation, Wang Zi'ang immediately said, "Wait, I'm not going on this mission."
"I've already submitted our application," Jiang Ye replied.
A long silence hung between them.
Finally, Wang Zi'ang slowly spoke, "Jiang Ye, you're a real devil! You dare accept a four-star mission?"
"If I didn't grab it quickly, someone else would have," Jiang Ye said, shaking his head.
One hundred thousand yuan! For him, that was a substantial fortune.
Wang Zi'ang, however, was frantic. "This is an extremely dangerous four-star mission! We're going to raid the Hidden God Organization! There's a high chance we'll see blood!"
Jiang Ye chuckled. "You mean killing people? Just treat them like Shadow Clan members."
He was well aware of the difficulty of a four-star mission.
But since the school had issued it, they clearly believed the students were capable of handling it.
Fortune favors the bold.
With only six months left, how else was he supposed to make money if he didn't take risks?
What was the point of cultivating cosmic martial arts if you were afraid of everything?
As he spoke, Jiang Ye added casually, "What's wrong, Brother Wang? Are you afraid of a four-star mission?"
Wang Zi'ang immediately sneered. "A mere four-star mission? I've taken on far more challenging ones before. Do you really think someone ranked third in the entire grade would be scared? I'm just worried about you."
He emphasized his third-place ranking, making it clear he wasn't afraid.
Jiang Ye nodded repeatedly. "Brother Wang's strength is truly transcendent. Completing this mission with you will be no problem at all."
"Of course." Wang Zi'ang chuckled, but quickly added, "Still, this mission is too much for just the two of us. We need another expert. If we get the class monitor involved, we'll be guaranteed success."
Jiang Ye nodded. "I know, but I don't have her number. Could you contact her?"
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
Read [Cultivator in a Wizard World!?] exclusively on the site. Upto 100+ Chapters Available!
🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 6,100+ FREE