The starting point is auspicious; the fiancée will not call off the engagement.

When Fang Zhou returned to the small building, he was carrying an oil paper package in his hand.

The pastry shop at the entrance of the market had just started making a batch of osmanthus and poria cocos cakes today, and he couldn't resist the aroma as soon as he stepped out the door.

Most of those queuing were ordinary people, with a few low-level cultivators dressed in sect robes. The cake was made with spiritual ingredients, but it wasn't expensive; a large piece could be bought for two spirit coins.

Fang Zhou bought three pieces and also bought a pot of tea brewed with spiritual spring water from the stall next door. He was already planning to heat up the pastries and eat them with the tea when he got back, which would probably help him while away half an afternoon.

He had been in Cheng'an City for three days. Everything here was clearly priced, and there wasn't much of a pretentious probing between buyers and sellers.

He walked down the street, blending into the crowd, neither conspicuous nor unusual. It was a strange feeling; even though it was his first time there, it felt like he had lived there for many years.

Fang Zhou pushed open the courtyard gate of the small building and was about to put the oil paper package in his hand on the table when he suddenly stopped.

There are people in the living room.

Ye Ninghan sat at the table, her back straight, like a sword sheathed. She seemed to have been waiting for a while; a cup of tea on the table had long since gone cold.

Fang Zhou's gaze lingered on her for a moment, then involuntarily fell on another object on the table: a palm-sized brocade pouch, entirely black with silver patterns embroidered on its surface, faintly radiating spiritual energy.

Before Fang Zhou could speak, the beast storage bag suddenly moved slightly. Immediately afterward, a flash of light appeared at the opening of the bag, and a white shadow leaped out, landing steadily on the table and then sitting down.

It was a cat, entirely silver-white, with wisps of light swirling among its fur, like moonlight solidified. Its tail was longer than that of an ordinary cat, tipped with a tuft of white fur that left a pale silver afterimage in the air when it swayed gently. Its eyes were amber, and they were fixed intently on Fang Zhou.

"Moonshadow Cat," Ye Ninghan said, "is a low-level spirit beast with a gentle nature. It doesn't need to be fed and absorbs moonlight on its own. I had someone find it from Spirit Beast Peak."

Fang Zhou looked at the cat, and the cat looked back at him. After a moment, it raised a front paw, slowly licked it, and then continued to stare at him with a condescending and scrutinizing gaze.

"How could you..." Fang Zhou didn't know what to say. When he was at the Fang family's house, he kept a yard full of hawks, but he had never mentioned this to Ye Ninghan.

"That's what my aunt said." Ye Ninghan seemed to see through his doubts and calmly explained, "I talked with my aunt a few times during my stay at the Fang family's house."

Fang Zhou immediately understood. His mother had always liked Ye Ninghan. When the engagement was first arranged, she had been talking about her for years, saying that she would definitely grow up to be a good girl. Now that she had met her in person, she probably spilled everything that should and shouldn't have been said.

"Your pet raccoons are still young and just ordinary beasts. Your aunt said she would take care of them if they stayed at the Fang family's house. You can keep this Moonshadow Cat for now. The Spirit Beast Peak said that after it recognizes its owner, it can sense the owner's emotions. You live here alone, so having it around will keep you from getting too bored."

Upon hearing the words "recognize master," Fang Zhou instinctively looked at the cat. The Moonshadow Cat was also looking at him, its tail swaying slowly.

"How do I identify my master?"

"Stretch out your hand."

Fang Zhou reached out his hand. Moonshadow Cat looked down at his fingers, as if confirming something, then raised a front paw and gently pressed it on his fingertip.

The paw pads were soft and slightly cool, and the sensation lasted only a moment, but Fang Zhou clearly felt a very faint wisp of spiritual energy flow into his body through his fingertips, circled his meridians, and finally formed a mark.

Moonshadow Cat retracted its paw, winked at him, and then leaped up, landing steadily on his shoulder.

Fang Zhou froze for a moment, then turned his head to look at the furry thing on his shoulder and chuckled helplessly.

Thanks.

Ye Ninghan nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

Fang Zhou gently pulled the Moon Shadow Cat from his shoulder into his arms and sat down opposite Ye Ninghan. He thought for a moment and decided it was better to clarify some things as soon as possible.

"Ninghan, I want to ask you something."

Ye Ninghan raised her eyelids and looked at Fang Zhou.

How can I join the Ten Thousand Saints Sect?

Ye Ninghan was clearly taken aback.

She looked at Fang Zhou, her brows twitching slightly, as if to confirm whether he was joking.

After a moment, she spoke, her tone tinged with uncertainty: "You want to join the Myriad Saints Sect?"

"Mm." Fang Zhou nodded. He had thought about this issue when he agreed to come to Cheng'an City with her; he wanted to join the Wansheng Sect.

It wasn't because the sect had abundant resources and spiritual energy, but because he wanted to advance the plot; otherwise, a life without any excitement would be too boring.

Moreover, putting all that aside, he was also somewhat curious about the Myriad Saints Sect itself; the world's number one sect must have something special about it.

"But..." Ye Ninghan hesitated for a moment, "you don't have a certificate of completion from the academy."

This time, it was Fang Zhou's turn to be stunned.

"A school?" he repeated, making sure he hadn't misheard.

"When Wansheng Sect accepts disciples, unless they are personally accepted by an elder, they all need to obtain a graduation certificate from a regular school."

Ye Ninghan's tone returned to its usual coldness, "You didn't go to school when you were a child."

Fang Zhou fell silent.

The school. Of course he knew what a school was. The Fang family had their own formal school, and almost every family in Tianyang City with a bit of wealth would send their children there to study and cultivate.

The school teaches not only cultivation, but also classics, history, literature, mathematics, astronomy, geography, and more.

Fang Chongshan once asked him if he wanted to go to school. He refused without even thinking about it.

Just kidding. He's been secretly cultivating since he was six, circulating his energy hundreds of times a day. How could he possibly have time to go to school?

More importantly, in his previous life, he had spent a full fifteen years in school, from kindergarten to university, constantly overwhelmed by homework, exams, and the pressure of getting into a better school. Now that he has been given a second chance at life, he still has to go to school.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Fang Chongshan probably felt genuinely guilty towards him, so he let him go. For the next ten years or so, Fang Zhou focused on cultivation, reading novels and enjoying delicious food when he was tired, living a rather carefree life.

But no matter how much he planned, he never expected that joining the Ten Thousand Saints Sect would require a graduation certificate from the academy.

"What are the conditions for the elder to accept disciples?" Fang Zhou asked, clinging to his last hope.

"It depends on fate," Ye Ninghan said. "There are no exceptions. My master also received it when he passed through Tianyang City on his way out."

Fang Zhou fell silent.

He looked at the Moonshadow Cat in his arms, which was wrapped around his wrist with its tail, and squinted.

"Is there any other way?" Fang Zhou asked.

Ye Ninghan did not answer. She simply looked at him quietly, her clear, cold eyes seemingly concealing some complex emotions.

After a moment, she asked softly, "Why didn't you go to school back then?"

Fang Zhou was taken aback, not expecting her to suddenly ask this.

"I..." He thought for a moment and chose the version that was closest to the truth, "I want to have more time to cultivate."

Ye Ninghan hummed in agreement, without pressing further. She lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the cold cup of tea on the table, lost in thought.

Regarding joining the sect, Ye Ninghan raised her head, "I can help you find a way."

Fang Zhou looked at her and suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

"Okay, thank you."

Outside the window, the sunlight over Cheng'an City was just right.

Fang Zhou reached out and pulled the oil paper package towards himself, then tore off a piece of cake under Hakimi's resentful gaze and stuffed it into his mouth.

Sweet.

Ye Ninghan stood up to leave, but suddenly paused. She turned her head to look at Fang Zhou, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she were recalling something important.

"Your spirit card," she turned around and held out her hand to Fang Zhou, "let me see it."

Fang Zhou was a little puzzled, but he still took the spirit card out of his sleeve and handed it over.

Ye Ninghan took the spirit card, and lightly traced its surface with her fingertip. A string of numbers appeared amidst the flowing spiritual light: 999799. She glanced at it, her brows furrowing even more deeply.

"How come it only cost so little?"

Her tone carried a hint of confusion and slight reproach. Before Fang Zhou could speak, she had already looked up at him earnestly:

"Your essence is flawed, which puts you at a disadvantage in cultivation compared to others. Buy more spiritual herbs to aid your cultivation; you don't need to worry about spirit coins."

After speaking, she took out a pale gold spirit card from her sleeve and lightly swiped her finger between the two cards.

On Fang Zhou's spirit card, the number of spirit runes jumped and became two million.

Fang Zhou opened his mouth, but it felt like something was blocking his throat.

He looked at the number still faintly flashing on the spirit card, then looked up at Ye Ninghan. She was putting the pale gold spirit card back into her sleeve, her expression calm.

"No," Fang Zhou finally found his voice, "do you even know what one million spirit coins means?"

"I understand." Ye Ninghan handed his spirit card back. "Disciples of the Myriad Saints Sect have no shortage of spirit coins. Ask for more if you need more."

Fang Zhou took the spirit card, looked down at the gleaming two million on it, and suddenly realized that all the savings he had accumulated over the past eighteen years were probably less than the fraction of what Ye Ninghan had casually given him on two separate occasions.

When he was in the Fang family, 500 spirit stones a month was considered a privilege. One spirit coin has the purchasing power of about one low-grade spirit stone, which means his monthly allowance was about 500 spirit coins.

He would need to save two million spirit coins for four thousand months, or three hundred and thirty-three years.

"You..." Fang Zhou began with difficulty, "How much money did you save?"

Ye Ninghan glanced at him but didn't answer the question. She simply tilted her head slightly, said, "Remember to buy the elixir," and then turned and walked towards the courtyard gate.

A glimpse of a blue robe at the doorway, and the person vanished into the afternoon sunlight of Cheng'an City.

The living room was quiet for a moment.

Fang Zhou looked down at the Moon Shadow Cat in his arms. Hakimi was also looking up at him, his amber vertical pupils gleaming.

He paused for a moment, flipped the spirit card over and placed it face down on the table, then tore off a piece of osmanthus and poria cocos cake and put it in his mouth.

It's sweet, too sweet.