CSMCDB - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

[...Kid, you wouldn't...]

"I might." Wen Yuncheng scratched her head in frustration and put away the communication stone. At night, there were hardly any students strolling around the academy, so as Wen Yuncheng walked, she felt as if she were the only person left in the world.

That's right, she didn't belong to this continent in the first place. After meeting 1947, she had become a unique and special existence here.

Wen Yuncheng looked up at the stars in the night sky. The nights on the Starry Sky Continent were beautiful, always filled with countless stars. Each star represented a cultivator striving to become stronger.

Lin Jinyu was only a second-layer Star Apostle right now, so her star probably wouldn't be too bright. Wen Yuncheng didn't know which star belonged to Lin Jinyu. But precisely because she didn't know, she felt that every little star that wasn't so bright had become lovely.

"1947, I think I might like her."

[...O-of course that's fine! It's perfectly normal for a Long Aotian to fall for his good brother!] 1947's processors spun up frantically. Noticing Wen Yuncheng's extremely low spirits, it started spouting nonsense. In truth, none of the Long Aotians it had guided had ever fallen for their brothers, but that didn't matter. If it said they did, then they did. [This is very normal, yes, you're excellent! Really! You can pursue her, you...] 1947 suddenly froze, remembering that Lin Jinyu knew Wen Yuncheng was a girl. It felt its processors were failing.

"I think so too." Wen Yuncheng let out a long sigh and pulled herself together. It was normal to like someone excellent, especially when that person was not only excellent but also exceptionally beautiful, and not only that but... was only gentle with you. Wen Yuncheng thought it was normal for her to be unable to resist. She patted her cheeks. "It's no big deal. I liked Lin Jinyu before, I like her now, and it's fine even if I like her in the future. It's all just liking her, anyway."

[Yes.]

"Time to go back and sleep! Tomorrow is a new day!" Wen Yuncheng patted her face to wake herself up, thinking, It's nothing. Her feelings wouldn't trouble Lin Jinyu, nor would she let Lin Jinyu know that her affection had changed. Everything would be the same as before. She and Lin Jinyu were good friends, and everyone else thought so too.

However, when Wen Yuncheng returned to her dorm and saw Lin Jinyu waiting at the door, all the thoughts in her mind vanished in an instant.

"Sorry, I was worried something might have happened to you... So, what's wrong?"

"..." For a moment, Wen Yuncheng didn't know how to answer. She lowered her head. "I wasn't in the right state of mind just now. Why-why did you come over? Have you been waiting long? I'm actually much better now."

"Alright," Lin Jinyu said. "Should I go back then?"

"...Ah, okay. Um, I want to hug you, is that okay?"

Lin Jinyu didn't answer, simply stepping closer and wrapping her arms around her.

"It's normal to go a long time without a breakthrough in cultivation. You have great talent. Don't be anxious, don't worry," Lin Jinyu comforted her, thinking of the recent rumors that had inexplicably started to spread, things like "Wen Yuncheng has hit a cultivation bottleneck" and "the drawbacks of the super-fast star progression from her Star Power mutation are showing."

"Yeah, I know." Wen Yuncheng felt her heart pound and her whole body grow hot. Afraid that Lin Jinyu would see through her, she went along with what she said. "I was just afraid I'd really stop progressing. But, as long as I try my best to cultivate and do what I can, I won't have any regrets. It doesn't matter even if I'm a third-layer Star Apostle for the rest of my life."

"You won't be," Lin Jinyu corrected her seriously. "You're very formidable."

"...Yeah, I'm much better now. Thank you."

Long after Lin Jinyu had left, Wen Yuncheng still felt a little drained. Lying on her bed, she found it hard to believe that someone like Lin Jinyu could exist in this world.

"1947, can your shop stock snacks from my previous life?"

[...It should be possible. But it's not cost-effective to use points for ordinary snacks. What do you want?]

"Mentos. I feel like having some candy," Wen Yuncheng said, covering her face. "The cola-flavored ones. I like that flavor."

[Alright, I'll go place an order with another system. It might take a while.] 1947 began contacting systems from other planes one by one, inquiring about purchasing channels. As it worked, it asked Wen Yuncheng, who seemed to be spacing out again, [Why the sudden craving for this?] You've never mentioned it before.

"...Because I feel it's a bit like Lin Jinyu. Hard at first, but actually soft on the inside."

[...] 1947 thought its kid had probably gone mad.

The only thing 1947 was thankful for was that after that day, Wen Yuncheng seemed to have genuinely pulled herself together. She wasn't as lost in thought as before. It watched as its kid ordered a hundred thousand Star Stones' worth of Star Iron, then purchased flint, a sleeping bag, a water bottle, a Star Power lamp, dried rations, fruits, seasonings, and a whole series of other things one might need in the forest.

In a town on the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Great Forest.

"Here are ten distress signals. Remember to look at the map. If you run into trouble, set one off," Yan Ling said, handing the items to Wen Yuncheng. "If you can't win, run. Don't try to tough it out. Even though you have turrets, you can still run into trouble with certain demonic beasts."

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher!" Wen Yuncheng thanked her earnestly.

[Time-limited Daily Mission Activated: Slaughter]

[Mission Requirement: Seek a breakthrough in battle.]

[Mission Reward: Gain 10 EXP for each demonic beast killed below your star level, 100 EXP for killing a demonic beast of the same star level, and 1000 EXP for killing a demonic beast above your star level. Rewards are halved for cooperative kills.]

Now that they were second-year students, they no longer needed an instructor to accompany them into the Demonic Beast Great Forest. After all, it was a place for self-training and continuous improvement. If someone was always there to protect them, the students would never be able to break through their limits in a crisis.

Returning to the Demonic Beast Great Forest after a year, Wen Yuncheng took a deep breath. She felt that the air here was much fresher.

[Nonsense. There's no pollution on the Starry Sky Continent.]

Wen Yuncheng chuckled. You wouldn't understand!

She met up with Lin Jinyu and they headed into the forest. This time, Wen Yuncheng had carefully studied the map and had a rough idea of her location. As Star Apostles, they naturally needed to find Star Apostle or Star Master-level demonic beasts. Although Wen Yuncheng gained experience from killing anything, she hoped her Little Ice Mountain could have a breakthrough as well.

1947, do you think there'll be another fortuitous encounter this time?

[What are you dreaming about? How could there be so many lucky encounters in one map?]

Wen Yuncheng smiled without replying. She turned to Lin Jinyu and suggested, "Let's go find that Winged Tiger, the one from last year."

"Okay."

I hope that Winged Tiger isn't dead, Wen Yuncheng thought. It ate two of my braised bones, so it's about time it coughed them back up. Oh, right, and those disciples from the Sky High Sect. She'd better not run into them, or else... Hmph, the forest wasn't a tournament ring. She'd blast them to bits with her turrets.

If Yan Ling and Qiu Fei wanted to improve through combat, they had probably already gone to the middle region of the Demonic Beast Forest. As for the depths... or the very deepest parts, perhaps only powerhouses at the Star Venerate or Star Emperor level would venture there. But demonic beasts of that level wouldn't move around much. It was possible that the human powerhouses and demonic beast powerhouses had already reached some kind of agreement. After all, that's how it was written in many novels. Wen Yuncheng mused, comparing the map to her current position as she headed toward the cave where the Winged Tiger had appeared last year.

[Kid, let me ask you a blunt question. Are you gay?] Having crammed all sorts of knowledge, 1947 felt it was now capable of counseling Wen Yuncheng.

Wen Yuncheng: Nope. I'm straight.

[???]

Wen Yuncheng: I just have feelings for Lin Jinyu.

[???]

1947 fell silent. It seemed that cramming knowledge hadn't been very useful after all. It still had a long way to go.

The Winged Tiger, having charged human towns with the Beast Tide a few times, was now resting in its lair. It rested its head on its paws, suddenly recalling its deceased partner. It lowered its head and licked its paws, thinking it should probably find a new place for a lair.

...When would it meet another Winged Tiger? it wondered. Thinking about last year's events, it remembered the weak human it had encountered, and the delicious bones that human had.

As it was savoring the memory, the relaxed Winged Tiger's ears suddenly perked up. It became alert, a low, threatening growl rumbling in its throat. But before it could let out a roar, the sound of a massive explosion from some unknown thing sent rocks tumbling down from the ceiling of its cave.

"ROAR--!"

The Winged Tiger charged out of its lair. It spread its wings and flew high into the sky, dodging several Star Power-infused cannonballs, and spotted the weak human it had just been reminiscing about right behind the strange, cannonball-spitting turrets.

The human with the delicious meat bones.

"The Winged Tiger is so fast, it's hard to aim!" Wen Yuncheng felt a headache coming on. With her arm strength, it was difficult to throw a stun grenade at the Winged Tiger in the air. If the tiger kept dodging, the turrets couldn't hit it.

"I'll do it." Lin Jinyu drew her longsword, and Star Power instantly coated the entire blade. Stepping on one of Wen Yuncheng's turrets, Lin Jinyu leaped nimbly to the top of a tree and slashed two Star Power blades at the Winged Tiger. At the same time, she pushed off forcefully, launching herself into the air. As she fell, she unleashed a Star Power slash at the ground, using the force to suspend herself in the air again, instantly closing the distance to the Winged Tiger.

"...Wait, that Winged Tiger is! That Winged Tiger is at the Star Master level!" The turrets might accidentally hit her Little Ice Mountain. Wen Yuncheng was frantic. She raised her Star Hand Cannon and fired a shot at the Winged Tiger, but it was useless.

"ROAR--!" The Winged Tiger, already enraged by the constant turret fire, saw the weak human audaciously approach it. It let out a low roar and pounced directly at Lin Jinyu.

Just then, Lin Jinyu abruptly threw her longsword. A visible line of Star Power connected her to the sword. The thrown sword instantly split into another identical one, though this replica was made entirely of Star Power. In the blink of an eye, five replica swords and the original formed a circle in the air, trapping the Winged Tiger. The six longswords spun continuously, and Wen Yuncheng could even see a thin layer of ice forming on the Winged Tiger's fur!

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