The First Expedition of the Squad

"Squad 49... with me, that makes exactly four people now." Chen Guan nodded in understanding. "I'm honored to join."

"It's our honor, actually," Su Yuehe smiled from the side, her eyes curving into crescents. "We'll be fighting side by side from now on, so please take care of us, student Chen Guan!"

"Likewise," Chen Guan returned the smile.

After chatting for a bit longer, An Changqing and Su Yuehe took their leave, allowing Chen Guan to continue his recovery.

After seeing the two off, Chen Guan sat back down on his bed and brought up his personal terminal to check the rewards that had just been credited to his account.

Points account balance: 1150 points.

Contribution points account balance: 500 points.

Special privilege: One-time B-rank resource exchange privilege.

His school account was suddenly flush with wealth. Chen Guan calculated how to use this massive sum. Points could be used to exchange for daily cultivation resources, while contribution points were more valuable and could be used to exchange for rare materials. The B-rank exchange privilege was even harder to come by, allowing him to exchange for a B-rank item or equivalent resources. It required careful planning.

He wasn't in a hurry to use them. Instead, he opened the academy's internal resource vault and browsed the list of items available for exchange.

A dazzling array of goods met his eyes. From basic pills, materials, and low-level cultivation methods to advanced ability cultivation techniques, rare metals, ancient artifact fragments, and even one-on-one tutoring... everything was there.

After looking at the prices, Chen Guan realized just how much of a bargain it was to take Situ Ming's classes.

No wonder countless people racked their brains trying to get into the Tianshu Class.

From the moment they entered the class, the privileges were already in effect.

Chen Guan focused on filtering items related to spiritual energy.

Soon, he locked onto one thing.

B-Rank - Clear Heart and Focused Mind Futon: Woven from Calming Wood and Serenity Grass, with a built-in miniature spirit gathering formation. It can slightly improve meditation efficiency, stabilize the mind, and resist low-level mental interference.

After making his decision, he submitted the exchange application.

Soon, the system prompted that the exchange was successful and the item would be delivered to his dorm.

Having done all this, Chen Guan turned off his terminal. He felt that his body was fine and planned to apply for discharge tomorrow.

He then tried doing some basic meditation again. The new meditation technique was much more systematic than what he had figured out on his own before. Following the technique, he adjusted his breathing, relaxed his body and mind, and slowly let his consciousness sink into that grey spiritual mist.

This time, the meditation process was much smoother. Guided by his consciousness, the grey spiritual mist flowed slowly, like an undercurrent in the deep sea—calm, yet hiding a deadly intent.

He could more clearly feel that the grey energy was now in a state of fusion with his spiritual energy. It was hard to say whether it was a type of spiritual energy or a type of spiritual power. However, it was all his power in the end, and there was no mistaking that.

It wasn't until the medical staff brought dinner that Chen Guan exited his meditative state, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. Even the pain from his injuries seemed to have lessened somewhat.

The next morning, after a final check-up at the medical center confirmed his injuries were stable and only required a few days of rest, Chen Guan completed the discharge procedures, strapped on his coffin, and returned to Dorm 304, which he hadn't seen in days.

Everything in the dorm was the same as before, still looking exactly as it did when he left. Lying on his long-lost bed, a sense of peace washed over him.

Once his injuries healed, classes would naturally be put on the agenda. Looking at the missed coursework, Chen Guan sighed softly. Even though he had graduated from college so long ago, he still had to endure the pain of schoolwork. What a cursed fate.

However, these courses were much more interesting than the filler classes in college, so it was a mix of pain and pleasure.

In the afternoon, the Clear Heart and Focused Mind Futon he exchanged for arrived. The futon was a pale cyan color, warm to the touch, and emitted a faint, calming fragrance of vegetation.

Chen Guan placed it in the center of the room and sat on it cross-legged. Instantly, he felt that many of the distracting thoughts around him were blocked out. His consciousness was easier to focus, and his spiritual energy felt as if it were enveloped by a gentle force.

"Good stuff." Chen Guan nodded in satisfaction. This exchange was definitely worth it.

Over the next few days, Chen Guan's life returned to a regular routine: classes in the morning, practice in the afternoon, and studying books borrowed from the library at night to cram knowledge.

In physical combat class, Li Yan saw that he had recovered well and simply dropped a cold "Since you're healed, do extra training," before assigning him a heavier training load.

Chen Guan gladly accepted, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with his improved agility and consolidate his use of strength. He tried to incorporate a trace of grey energy into his training but found it extremely difficult. This energy seemed to fiercely resist active manipulation.

He temporarily abandoned the idea of using the grey energy in physical combat, focusing instead on honing pure physical techniques and the coordination between his coffin and scythe.

In the spiritual energy class, Instructor Yun Zhi keenly noticed the significant changes in Chen Guan's spiritual energy. She spoke with him privately once, not pressing for details, but simply reminding him of some precautions gently before leaving it at that.

As for Dean Situ Ming's "Special Item Research" class, it proceeded as usual. Seeing Chen Guan return safely, Situ Ming only gave a slight nod and didn't ask much about the mission, instead continuing his in-depth lecture.

Chen Guan brought up some vague feelings and questions about the grey energy during the battle. Situ Ming thought for a long time and provided some possible theoretical directions, but he also admitted that this kind of power was unheard of and would require Chen Guan to explore and verify it himself.

However, he promised to help Chen Guan keep an eye out for any potentially relevant ancient texts or cases. Situ Ming seemed to think highly of Chen Guan; of course, it could also just be his nature as a teacher. Either way, having latched onto this backer, Chen Guan felt much more at ease.

Over the weekend, An Changqing sent a message saying that the Wolf King materials had been processed. After deducting the processing fees, they sold for a total of 4200 points. According to their agreement, Chen Guan received a share of 1400 points.

Adding the 1100 points from the mission reward and his original balance, his points reached 2600. Furthermore, An Changqing and Su Yuehe insisted on transferring a 400-point thank-you fee to him, which he also deposited into his account, bringing the total to 3000 points.

He hadn't touched the contribution points yet, and the B-rank privilege had already been used.

With surplus funds in hand, Chen Guan began considering his next step for enhancement. The school's vault still had quite a few good things, and for a moment, the choices left him a bit dazzled.

Just as Chen Guan was planning his future cultivation direction, his personal terminal suddenly received a message from An Changqing.

"Chen Guan, new intel. There have been abnormal fluctuations in the Black Wind Ruins recently, suspected to be signs of an ancient secret treasure appearing. The Esper Association has classified it as an observation-level secret realm, and the academy is allowing student teams to apply for exploration at their own risk. Squad 49 is preparing to go and will depart in three days. Do you want to come along?"

Black Wind Ruins? Ancient secret treasure?

Chen Guan's eyes instantly lit up.

Without any hesitation, he immediately replied, "I'm in."