Ryan asked one last question, his voice hesitating for just a fraction of a second, and Ray smiled even wider, as if he had been waiting for it all along.
"So about the network thing… Can you help us build it in our sects?"
Ray chuckled, looking at Ryan with knowing eyes, and said, "Finally you have said the reason why you came here."
Ryan's face became red almost instantly, the color spreading up to his ears. Grace only smiled as she watched Ryan's reaction, her eyes gleaming with amusement. She had noticed something long ago—Ryan showed different faces to different people. A perverted grin in front of ladies, a straight and cold face before subordinates, a fierce battle-hardened look when facing his siblings, and a gentle and loving expression when with her and Ryan's mother. But in front of Ray… Ryan showed thousands of emotions, as if all his masks slipped away at once.
Ray shook his head lightly and said, "I am not powerful enough to give a network in your country." He let out a quiet sigh before continuing, his tone turning serious. "If I give one to you, then I will have to give it to the other seven countries as well. They would ask for an answer. I am not powerful enough to give it to the others, as they will want to investigate how I create it. I know that if they try to investigate my network tower, it will destroy itself—but that destruction is the real problem."
Ryan frowned slightly and asked, "What could go wrong if it gets destroyed?"
Ray's expression darkened a bit as he sighed again. "I have created those towers using my soul power. If they get destroyed, my soul will be injured." He paused, then added, "But I have another version of the mini tower that is not created by my soul. However, that mini tower is useless if you are away from my soul tower's range. This mini tower can at most handle 300 km."
With a flick of his hand, Ray brought out the mini tower using magic. It floated in the air, faintly glowing, its intricate structure humming softly as he showed them how it looked.
Ryan's eyes lit up as he examined it. "Our Formation Sect is not that far away from the academy. You know the central region, where the academy is the center of the nine countries. If you give me a few hundred of them, it will be great."
Name: Ray Walker
Spiritual Cultivation: 7th Qi Stage
Soul Cultivation: 5th Iron Stage
System: 3/3 [Completed]
Bloodline: Human [Common, (can be evolved)]
Telecommunication Tower: 2/4
Mini Towers: 200/400
Devices: 140,000 / 200,000
Tabs: Attributes | Swordsmanship | Formation | Talisman | Library | Ancient Relic | Storage
Ray smiled while looking at his friend as he finished checking his system. Shaking his head slightly, he said, "Don't you think I want to help? I really do want to do it for you, my friend—but I cannot." His smile faded into a helpless one. "My limit is 400 mini towers, and 200 are already in use. If I give 100 to you and 100 to Grace, what about the other seven countries? If they see I gave you these towers…" He trailed off briefly before continuing, "As I said, wait a little longer. I am trying to find a solution where I can deliver it to all the sects, kingdoms, and such."
Ryan let out a long sigh, the disappointment clear on his face, then nodded. "Then when you start for the next location, it has to be from the Formation or Alchemist sects."
Ray nodded firmly. "I will make sure to go to the Formation Sect next, and the Alchemist Sect after that. Okay?"
Ryan and Grace nodded, happiness returning to their faces. After some more planning and casual conversation, they both left, bidding farewell as the atmosphere slowly settled.
Ray returned to his room and lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day replayed in his mind. He met Aries and gave her a cultivation technique. Then he met two friends from his past life. And now, he still had to speak with the vice principal—who also happened to be his master—to make her the advisor of his club.
With a quiet breath, he picked up the rule book he had been given and began reading. There were many rules, far more than he expected. One of them described the four layers of the academy—from the layer where new cultivators joined, all the way to where the principal and teachers resided.
The first layer was called the Outer Layer, where new students like Ray and the others stayed. Then came the Inner Layer, which offered even better facilities for cultivation. Above that was the Core Layer, and finally the Elite Layer, where the principal, teachers, and elite students lived. The stronger one became, the better the facilities—and the higher the layer they could enter.
Another rule stated that Outer Layer students could not go to higher layers unless they had special permission.
There was also a rule allowing students to challenge others who possessed better houses. If challenged, one could accept or refuse—but refusal was limited to three times. After that, the challenge had to be accepted, or the refusal would count as a defeat.
Ray leaned back slightly, thinking. He considered whether to accept challenges and fight or get demoted and stay low-key. After some thought, he decided he would accept a few challenges—enough to scare others into never challenging him again.
His thoughts drifted to Alice, and a trace of worry appeared in his eyes. Arisa possessed a spirit that was overwhelmingly strong—no one could touch her. But Alice was timid by nature. He hoped she could fight back and hold onto her position.
Continuing through the rules, Ray learned about the mission hall. Students could accept missions to earn contribution points. Contribution points could be traded. Students could work for others to earn them. They could also join clubs, which granted contribution points from the academy itself. It seemed the academy actively encouraged students to form clubs.
Ray also discovered that many ingredients, items, and raw materials could be purchased from shops or specialized halls like the Alchemist Hall and Formation Hall. For now, Ray was especially interested in formation disks and talisman papers—things he planned to buy when needed.
Everything was traded using contribution points—and Ray was currently low on them.
Since Ray couldn't go outside the academy to buy items, he would have to rely entirely on what the academy provided. He carefully read through the rest of the rules—prohibitions, allowances, and boundaries—until he finished the book.
Just then, his wristwatch lit up, showing Alice's name. Ray smiled warmly and said, "Of course!"
After answering the call, he heard that Alice was currently in Arisa's house and that he was needed there for some discussion. Ray shook his head and chuckled softly as he stood up, imagining the scene. That little bubbly girl Alice claiming they had something important to discuss—it was hard not to smile.