Upgrade

After returning to his dorm, he locked the door behind him and threw his entire body onto the soft bed.

His body wasn't exactly exhausted, but the mental toll was immense. Piloting the Laoji Gundam was incredibly taxing for him.

He was so tired he didn't even want to move. Checking his gains was the only thing he wanted to do right now.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the system panel.

[Current Popularity Points: 674,300]

This number made Chen Guan's heart pound heavily against his ribs.

His chest heaved as he forced down the ecstasy brought on by the digits, but Li Yan's final silhouette stubbornly occupied his thoughts.

He couldn't spend this windfall all at once; he had to save some for Li Yan.

[Dewdrop of the World Tree: A single drop can renew a life essence that is on the verge of depletion. Price: 280,000 Popularity Points.]

This was the safeguard Chen Guan prepared to leave for Li Yan. In other words, the Popularity Points he could actually spend on himself were not that much.

Chen Guan's gaze fell back onto that astronomical string of Popularity Points and began to plan his current upgrades.

First were his attributes. A Tier 5 strength could no longer keep up with what he had to face now; sticking around the protagonist's group was still a bit too dangerous.

Next were his skills.

Scythe Mastery (Blue) was currently his core melee method, but the blue tier was simply too lacking. It needed an upgrade.

[Scythe Mastery (Gold): Your understanding of scythe-type weapons is practically unrivaled. Passive Effect 1: Blade Dance. When using a scythe, attack speed and agility increase by 100%. Passive Effect 2: Lacerate. Your scythe attacks will inflict a laceration effect that cannot be quickly healed by conventional medical means. Active Skill: Moon Wheel. Consumes mental energy to unleash a high-speed spinning, crescent-shaped blade aura.]

A golden legend!

Aside from Scythe Mastery, Chen Guan also upgraded the rest of his skills.

[Name: Chen Guan]

[Identity: First-year student at Huaqing Academy]

[Abilities: Life Type - Fortitude, Mental Type - Illusionist, Mythological Type - Reverberation]

[Special Skills: Combat Technique (Purple), Scythe Mastery (Gold), Breath Concealment (Purple), Cosmic Visualization Method (Gold)]

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 30]

[Stamina: 30]

[Agility: 20]

[Intelligence: 20]

[Spirit: 60]

[Popularity Points: 304,880]

The explosive surge in his alternate identity's strength brought him an unparalleled sense of security. He stood up, preparing to get a glass of water to calm his nerves.

Cold water splashed noisily.

Chen Guan filled a glass and tipped his head back, chugging it down.

As the icy liquid slid down his esophagus into his stomach, the slight restlessness brought on by his sudden surge in power settled down.

Just as he set the glass down, the vibration of his communicator echoed in the quiet dorm room.

The name An Changqing flashed on the screen.

Chen Guan swiped to answer but said nothing.

A long silence hung on the other end of the line.

Only heavy, suppressed breathing could be heard, mixed with the low hum of medical instruments and the sound of people's footsteps in the background.

"Chen Guan..."

Every word An Changqing spoke sounded as if it had been forcefully squeezed from his throat.

"The Principal... Principal Ren is back."

Chen Guan listened quietly.

"The Principal personally intervened. He stayed in the emergency room for three hours."

An Changqing's voice was hollow.

"He came out."

A commotion came from the other side of the phone, with someone offering low words of comfort.

A moment later, An Changqing's voice sounded again, this time carrying an unconcealable tremble.

"The Principal said... there is nothing wrong with Mr. Li's physical body. He has maintained our teacher's bodily functions at their peak state, but..."

"But the life essence that our teacher burned away is irreversible. It was fuel. Once burned out, it's truly gone."

"Even the Principal... cannot replenish it."

"He said that this is no longer within the realm of healing, but the domain of creation."

"At most... at most three days. In three days, when the power the Principal used to sustain our teacher's bodily functions runs out, he..."

An Changqing couldn't go on. Only his choked sobs, which he tried so hard to suppress but still leaked out, remained on the line.

"I understand."

Chen Guan's tone was flat.

His fingertips tightened, pressing down until a faint white mark appeared.

"Is... is that all you have to say?"

A hint of disappointment seeped into An Changqing's voice.

"Yes."

The call was abruptly hung up.

Chen Guan put down the communicator, and silence returned to the dorm room.

He walked to the window and looked out at the pitch-black night sky.

The scene of the hospital corridor surfaced in his mind.

An Changqing and Long Ao would be guarding outside the door, desperately waiting for an impossible miracle.

The fall of a hero was always the most lamentable.

But Li Yan could not die.

At the very least, he would not let him die.

The faint blue system panel unfolded in the darkness.

[Dewdrop of the World Tree]

[Price: 280,000 Popularity Points]

The price was steep, nearly emptying all his remaining earnings.

His finger hovered over the exchange button for a second.

Li Yan's back as he stood protectively in front of him.

The jumping Popularity Points on the panel.

The two images overlapped in his mind.

One second was enough for him to complete his final moment of hesitation.

Then, he pressed it.

[Confirm consumption of 280,000 Popularity Points to exchange for the Dewdrop of the World Tree?]

He silently confirmed in his heart.

The Popularity Points on the panel evaporated instantly, the number plummeting from 324,300 to 44,300.

A soft glow emerged in his open palm.

As the light dissipated, a single dewdrop hovered above his palm.

It exhibited a translucent emerald color, seemingly condensing the vitality of an entire spring within it.

Just looking at it, one could feel an abundant aura of life washing over them.

The mental exhaustion caused by sacrificing himself was greatly alleviated because of it.

Chen Guan closed his fingers, grasping the dewdrop in his hand.

...

The next day, the schedule was changed. His originally fully-packed classes were altered so that not a single one remained.

After such an incident, everyone from the teachers to the students had no mood for classes. The Great Wall faction had already begun preparing to use military force to resolve the issue; it would likely be turbulent for a while.

Chen Guan stayed in his dorm, watching the news from the outside world. He sat there until the early hours of the morning before finally standing up from his chair.

Early morning, Huaqing Medical Department, top floor.

The entire floor had been cleared out, and the atmosphere was so solemn it felt oppressive.

Several academy leaders and mentors stood in the corridor. Their expressions were heavy, and no one spoke.

At the door of the intensive care ward, two men stood perfectly straight.

They were mentors in the school who were good friends with Li Yan. They had volunteered to keep watch through the night to prevent any demon spies from coming to seek revenge.

An Changqing and Long Ao sat on a bench not far away.

Both of them had their heads bowed low, the lines of their shoulders and backs slumped, completely motionless.

The night deepened.

At the end of the corridor, a figure silently peeled itself away from the shadows.

He walked down the brightly lit corridor, his toes landing as lightly as feathers, his breathing merging seamlessly with the flow of the air.

A Tier 7 mentor walked past him with a sorrowful face.

The two were barely half a meter apart. The anxiety in the mentor's eyes was clearly visible, yet he remained completely oblivious to the non-existent person beside him.

The combination of Breath Concealment and Illusionist erased his presence from this space, turning him into a walking ghost.

Chen Guan walked up to the door of the intensive care ward.

The two seventh-tier instructors stood perfectly upright, their eyes fixed straight ahead, completely oblivious to the extra person beside them.

To their senses, the space was entirely empty; not even the flow of the air had shifted.

Chen Guan's hand rested on the cold doorknob of the intensive care ward.