Making it seem like he looks down on others.

【I Want to Sleep: But shouldn’t you go back to class now?】

Sigh.

Su Qi felt that dating an adorable eighteen-year-old girl wasn’t easy—he even had to worry about whether it might affect her cultivation.

Life at the Cardholder Academy was just like that; there was no helping the tight schedule.

……

Only then did Liu Yuan realize she had already skipped nearly half the class.

She hurriedly ran back to the classroom.

Inside, the teacher was explaining the special course arrangements for the next three months.

Liu Yuan quietly slipped in through the back door and returned to her seat.

But the teacher still noticed.

“Liu Yuan, where have you been?”

Liu Yuan’s heart tightened, but she kept her composure: “Teacher, I wasn’t feeling well earlier, so I went to the infirmary.”

The teacher gave her a scrutinizing look, seeming hesitant, but ultimately nodded.

Since Liu Yuan’s grades were decent and she wasn’t exactly a troublemaker, the teacher was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Unlike the teachers of the past, who were responsible for both education and moral guidance, most teachers nowadays were limited to just teaching.

Some even wore tinted glasses—the same words spoken by a top student versus a delinquent would elicit two completely different reactions.

“Next time, remember to inform me in advance. The Martial Exam is coming up—don’t slack off now.”

“As I was saying, regarding the special course arrangements for the next three months…”

“The first month will focus on combat training to select the top-performing students. For the following two months, these students will enter the ‘E-grade Origin Realm’ under the guidance of their teachers.”

“Parents who distrust the teachers’ capabilities may apply to accompany their children. However, the school will not guarantee the safety of accompanying personnel, and unless it’s an emergency, they are not to interfere with the students’ actions.”

“Lastly, all resources obtained within the Origin Realm belong to the students themselves. Additionally, the school will reward the top hundred performers with generous prizes based on their final results.”

As the teacher droned on at the podium, Liu Yuan’s restless fingers fished out her phone again.

【Iris: Gege, gege TAT】

……

Su Qi glanced at his vibrating phone, exasperated.

He had just urged Little Iris to focus on class.

What was it like to have an overly clingy online girlfriend?

What should he do?

Online answers, please—this was urgent.

【I Want to Sleep: Not paying attention again…】

【Iris: Gege, tragic news! We’re gonna be forced apart.】

Su Qi’s heart skipped a beat. What did that mean?

【I Want to Sleep: Did your dad disapprove of our marriage?】

【Iris: No, according to the school’s plans, I might have to spend over a month in the Origin Realm.】

In the past, Liu Yuan wouldn’t have been so confident about qualifying.

But now, with that unnamed card in her possession…

Wait… why was that card’s name ???

Let’s just call it ‘Exclusive White Stockings’ for now.

With that ‘Exclusive White Stockings,’ forget the absurd cultivation speed—just the permanent stat boosts from ‘Daily Adventures’ alone made it hard to imagine how overpowered the equipment would be after a month of accumulation.

Realizing her reply wasn’t about some cliché drama, Su Qi’s frown quickly deepened.

If that was the case, they really were being forced apart—literally.

It was simple.

The so-called ‘Origin Realm’ was essentially like a ‘dungeon.’

Even if some low-grade Origin Realms had been conquered and equipped with signal towers, their networks still weren’t connected to Earth’s.

【I Want to Sleep: D-grade?】

【Iris: E-grade.】

【I Want to Sleep: With teachers supervising?】

【Iris: Yep, teachers will be leading us.】

Well, the school was playing it safe.

Su Qi’s last trace of worry vanished.

Earth’s hierarchy of supernatural abilities was as follows:

Tiers 1-4 · 【Spark】: A single spark can start a prairie fire. Every legend begins here, symbolizing humanity’s unyielding will—burning endlessly, never extinguished.

Tiers 5-6 · 【Candlelight】: Flickering yet enduring, most people’s limits lie here. Though not as fierce as sparks nor as radiant as the sun, they are the unsung foundation, illuminating the path in the dark.

Tiers 7-8 · 【Dawn】: The light that pierces darkness, carrying hope as it spreads across the land.

Tier 9 · 【Moonlight】: Gentle yet lofty, a brilliance many must look up to.

Tier 10 · 【Sky】: Boundless and vast, the dividing line between talent and genius.

Tier 11 · 【Stellar River】: A galaxy shining as bright as the sun and moon.

Tier 12 · 【Emberglow】: On this day, you were so triumphant. After the Martial Exam, you drank with six or seven close friends, certain that each was headed toward a bright future before parting ways.

Three cups in, you were drunk.

Your consciousness blurred.

When you opened your eyes again, a century had passed—a snowy night during the Lantern Festival, an empty courtyard, seven or eight vacant seats, and a jar of pear-blossom wine buried under snow on the table.

The icy liquor burned like fire down your throat.

Even sparks eventually burn out. Who knows how many must fade to leave behind this last glimmer of Emberglow?

Now, your existence is solely for protection.

Like withered grass nourishing next year’s life.

Snow brewed with pears, decay turned to light.

……

These tiers also corresponded to E, D, C, B, A, S, and SS-grade Origin Realms.

With a Candlelight-tier (Tier 6) teacher leading and the Origin Realm’s energy cap at Spark-tier (Tier 4), what danger could there possibly be?

None. It was basically just a field trip for students to gain experience.

Su Qi’s expression softened as he stared at his phone.

After a moment’s thought, his fingers flew across the screen.

【I Want to Sleep: An E-grade Origin Realm? Not bad—just treat it like a vacation. But listen to your teachers and don’t wander off.】

【Iris: Got it! But… Gege, will you miss me?】

Su Qi couldn’t help but chuckle. This little girl was seriously clingy.

【I Want to Sleep: Of course I will. But you focus on training—don’t just think about me.】

【Iris: Hmph, as if I would! (╯＞д＜)╯】

【I Want to Sleep: Good. I’ll wait for you to come back.】

【Iris: Promise! But… Gege, can you do one thing for me?】

【I Want to Sleep: What is it?】

【Iris: Um… After my Martial Exam, can we meet in person…?】

【I Want to Sleep: Sure.】

【Iris: Promise! No take-backs!】

【I Want to Sleep: No take-backs.】

Liu Yuan couldn’t suppress her grin as she stared at her phone.

Even though she’d be away for over a month, the thought of meeting her gege offline after half a year filled her with excitement.

Just then, the teacher’s voice cut in again: “Liu Yuan, what are you doing?”

Startled, Liu Yuan shoved her phone into her desk and looked up to find the teacher glaring at her.

“N-Nothing, teacher,” she stammered, guilt written all over her face.

The teacher frowned but ultimately didn’t say much, only reminding her, "Pay attention and don’t get distracted."

She glanced at the teacher on the podium, then out the window at the bright sunlight.

Her thoughts drifted off again, who knows where...

Honestly, she wasn’t tall and was pretty average-looking... What if her brother took one look at her and bolted like he was catching a train...

...

With these baseless worries, time flew by until evening.

She didn’t even notice when she arrived at her doorstep.

Her mind was a jumbled mess.

Her brother had given her such an amazing card...

Well, "given" was the word.

Liu Yuan suspected that this card couldn’t actually level up—it had been "level-suppressed."

Because her own level was too low to use cards beyond the Spark Realm, he’d forcibly downgraded it to "fourth-tier" just so she could use it.

The so-called "upgrade" was just restoring its original capabilities.

Thinking about it this way, her brother was truly a one-in-a-million genius.

Her 50,000 bucks probably couldn’t even buy a scrap of it.

Click.

Liu Yuan closed the door behind her and walked through the entryway.

Then her eyes met Su Qi’s, who was sitting on the couch.

This was pretty much their usual routine.

After all, just because they didn’t get along didn’t mean they were enemies. With someone that big sitting on the sofa, she couldn’t just pretend not to see him.

This was their version of a greeting.

Like how some people just nod when they run into each other instead of calling out names.

Wait a second—

Liu Yuan suddenly realized Su Qi’s gaze wasn’t actually meeting hers.

Su Qi was...

...

Switching to Su Qi’s perspective.

He remembered Liu Yuan usually didn’t seem like the type to dress up much.

So why was she wearing white thigh-highs today?

Out of curiosity, he couldn’t help but sneak a few extra glances.

Not for long, just seven or eight seconds.

When he finally looked up, he found Liu Yuan staring at him with utter disdain.

Even though Liu Yuan wasn’t tall, Su Qi was sitting on the couch.

So it was still that kind of condescending, judgmental look.

She didn’t say a word, but the message was loud and clear.

Soon after, she retreated to her room, shutting the door with a little more force than necessary.

[Joy +648]

Su Qi: ???

The hell? Joy, my ass?

Sure, getting "low-quality currency" wasn’t a bad thing, but Su Qi couldn’t shake the feeling he’d just been mocked.

Misunderstanding, got it?

Fine.

If she didn’t want him looking, then he wouldn’t look.

Like he couldn’t find better things to admire.

He pulled out his phone.

I’ve got an adorable little sister too, you know?

[SleepyHead: Little Iris, little Iris, I...]

[IrisFlower: If it’s from big brother... >_<]

[IrisFlower: It’s okay...]

See that?

What joy? Gimme some radiance instead.

[Joy +648]

Su Qi: ???