The school rooftop.
A place where confessions happened in countless anime.
Bai Jue looked at the alluring woman standing before him, a trace of confusion appearing on his face.
"Captain Sikong, may I ask why you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, I came for something very important."
Sikong Xi, whose expression had always been calm and indifferent, now smiled softly—like drifting smoke.
"Student Bai Jue, there's only one reason I came to find you. I'd like to invite you to join the Night Watchers of Tiankui City."
"Night Watchers?"
Bai Jue frowned slightly, clearly puzzled.
Sikong Xi smiled and continued.
"You should already know how generous the待遇 of a Festival Adept is, right?"
"I have a rough idea."
"The待遇 of the Night Watchers is far superior to that of ordinary Festival Adepts. Since you haven't agreed yet, I can't give you too many details. I can only tell you this—once you join the Night Watchers, any resources you need in the future can be obtained through our channels."
"And I can guarantee that the待遇 will far exceed your imagination. Ordinary Festival Adepts don't even qualify to join."
"You, however, do—because you awakened Zhongyuan."
She paused briefly, then added in a more serious tone:
"And most importantly—if you wish to become a Festival Envoy, or even a Festival King, then the Night Watchers are something you absolutely cannot miss. Within the Night Watchers, you'll be able to grow much faster."
Festival Envoy—
a position only a Sixth-Rank Festival Adept could hold.
Festival King—
required Seventh Rank or above.
After speaking, Sikong Xi took out a business card and handed it to Bai Jue with a gentle smile.
"Take it. I still have many matters to attend to, so I won't say much more. You can think it over. Once you've decided, you can contact me using the number on the card—or come find me directly at the address listed."
"I'll be waiting for your answer."
With a faint smile still on her face, Sikong Xi brushed past Bai Jue and walked toward the stairs.
Bai Jue stared at the business card in his hand, falling silent.
Conflicted thoughts stirred within him.
Night Watchers.
Just the name alone made it sound far from ordinary.
Yet the details were vague, which made him hesitate.
That said—
even the待遇 of an ordinary Festival Adept was already tempting enough.
If the Night Watchers offered even better待遇…
That was hard to ignore.
Just as he was lost in thought, his eyes landed on a line printed on the business card.
[Commander-in-Chief of the Tiankui City Special Operations Unit — Night Watchers: Sikong Xi]
"Special operations unit…"
Bai Jue murmured, rolling the words around in his mind. Some guesses gradually formed.
And at that very moment—
Sikong Xi's voice sounded again from behind him.
"Oh, right. Student Bai Jue—one more thing I forgot to mention."
"If you become a Night Watcher, polygamy is allowed~"
"And once you join, I'll personally select the cultivation method most suitable for you."
Bai Jue turned around.
Sikong Xi was smiling, her expression unexpectedly playful. She even blinked at him.
Then she turned and left, her figure disappearing down the stairwell.
But her words lingered in Bai Jue's mind.
"…Interesting."
Stuffing the business card into his pocket, Bai Jue's lips curved into a faint smile, his eyes glinting.
He was becoming more and more tempted by Sikong Xi's invitation.
Mm.
Not because of polygamy.
Absolutely not.
It was because of the cultivation method.
Those things were incredibly rare.
And they came in different grades.
Most cultivation methods originated from spatial gates—priceless legacies obtained by countless predecessors through blood and sacrifice. As a result, they were extraordinarily expensive.
With Bai Jue's current finances, even selling himself wouldn't be enough to buy a single cultivation method on the open market.
While schools did provide cultivation methods, they were the most common and basic ones.
If you wanted something truly suitable, you either needed money—or absurd luck.
So yes.
He was tempted.
Very tempted.
"But I'll deal with that after seeing the principal."
Shaking his head, Bai Jue left the rooftop.
…
Five minutes later, Bai Jue arrived at the principal's office.
He knocked on the door. After hearing the elderly principal's voice say "Come in," he pushed the door open and walked inside.
Ji Yingying and Cheng Taihe were already standing in front of the desk.
The principal of No. 1 Festival High School was an elderly man with snow-white hair. He was well over a hundred years old.
It was said that he had once been a Festival Envoy, but after suffering a severe injury and growing old, his strength declined. He eventually withdrew from the frontlines and returned to his hometown—Tiankui City—to serve as principal and nurture talent for the Federation.
Seeing Bai Jue enter, the old principal smiled warmly.
"You must be student Bai Jue, yes? I heard from Xiao Wang that you awakened Zhongyuan. Not bad—quite the outstanding young man."
"Xiao Wang" was how he referred to the homeroom teacher.
"Haha… you flatter me, Principal."
Bai Jue forced an awkward yet polite smile.
This kind of praise was something he'd only ever heard in TV dramas. Having someone say it to him in real life felt… strange.
But then again—
awakening a powerful festival really did change how people treated you.
"I also heard that Sikong that girl just came to see you," the principal said with a chuckle. "She probably invited you to join the Night Watchers, didn't she?"
Bai Jue was slightly surprised and nodded.
"Yes. You knew, Principal?"
"Heh. With your talent, and with her being the Night Watchers' captain of Tiankui City, there's no way she'd let you slip by."
The principal stroked his beard and continued:
"You can consider it. Joining the Night Watchers is dangerous, but if you truly want to become strong, they'll temper you well and forge the will required of a true powerhouse."
Bai Jue frowned slightly.
"Principal… could you tell me more about the Night Watchers?"
Ji Yingying and Cheng Taihe also turned their curious gazes toward him.
They didn't know what the Night Watchers were either—but that didn't stop them from being interested.
However, the principal merely shook his head with a smile.
"You haven't agreed yet, have you? Then I can't say too much. The Night Watchers have strict rules—ordinary people aren't allowed to know."
"Enough about that. Let's move on."
"I'll give you what you're here for. I imagine you've been looking forward to it."
As he spoke, the principal lightly waved his hand over the desk.
Three wooden boxes appeared instantly.
"This one is for Ji Yingying."
"This one is for Cheng Taihe."
"And this one…"
He pointed to the last box.
"…is yours, Bai Jue."
Each of them received one box.
Bai Jue looked at the box before him.
Without a doubt, it contained the cultivation resources issued by the school.
Opening it—
Sure enough.
Inside lay a pitch-black book.
And beside it—
A small bottle filled with liquid.
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