Chapter 2
No one mentioned the wish again.
They just crowded around me and took me to the most luxurious restaurant in DivineCapital for a feast.
“Little friend, please wait!”
The white-bearded elder who had been on the DivineAltar suddenly appeared and handed me a white jade token.
“With this token, no test is needed. Tomorrow you may directly enter ShenduSect.”
Whoa. A special-admission notice.
But no cultivator has ever appeared in my family’s history.
I exclaimed, “Could it be I have extraordinary aptitude? Heavenly bones?”
The white-bearded elder’s mouth twitched.
“Not… exactly.”
I deflated. “Then never mind.”
Cultivation is exhausting and hyper-competitive. I’d rather go home and mooch off my parents.
The elder looked like he hadn’t expected such a blunt refusal. He coughed twice to save face.
“Little friend may not know—FortuneLuck is also a crucial part of strength!”
“Protected by the fortune of heaven, your cultivation will… progress twice as fast with half the effort.”
I still looked unmoved.
His gaze fell on the StarfallPastry in my hand. His tone turned meaningful.
“The StarfallPastry sold in the mortal world is merely tainted with a trace of starforce from the SeaOfWishes.”
“The true StarfallPastry glows like molten gold in the night, its fragrance enough to summon celestial birds from the Ninth Heaven!”
“Only ShenduSect disciples may taste it on special occasions.”
He closed his eyes as if savoring the memory, then sighed softly.
“That taste…”
What was I waiting for?
“Fine. I’ll report tomorrow.”
Little pastry, you’ve successfully caught my attention.
My parents heard I was joining ShenduSect to cultivate and immediately bought a luxury school-district house in DivineCapital.
In the morning, Mom tearfully saw me off to “school.”
I patted her shoulder. “Don’t cry. I’ll be home for dinner tonight.”
Her tears and snot stopped instantly.
Beaming, she handed me a little backpack stuffed with snacks.
…
The opening ceremony had about fifty new disciples.
The sword cultivator boy XiaoJian and the little princess—who were chosen alongside me yesterday—were both there.
There was also a strikingly handsome, quiet young man who stood out.
He looked oddly familiar.
I was too embarrassed to ask if we’d met before. That kind of pickup line feels so dated.
The little princess seemed really drawn to his looks and kept orbiting him.
But he—
Probably lured by the scent of my snacks—kept sticking close to me.
The elders on stage had been droning on for three whole hours.
I saw my chance.
I secretly slipped him a piece of yesterday’s StarfallPastry.
“Hey, handsome, have you eaten breakfast? Have this to tide you over…”
He paused, then took it and introduced himself.
“QiYaoheng.”
“Ohhh, PrivilegedInsider, nice to meet you. I’m SuXiaotang.”
For the first time, a trace of confusion appeared on his usually expressionless face.
I leaned in and whispered.
“You didn’t even take the test yesterday, yet here you are today. Classic PrivilegedInsider move.”
“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”
What I didn’t say was that the sect leader kept glancing at him.
Very discreetly.
I’ve always been sensitive—able to notice things normal people miss.
And when I got closer, I noticed QiYaoheng’s ears had turned just a little red.
…