Chapter 31: Some Cunning Schemes

My name is Wen Li, and I am currently being held in the arms of a female Guide.

If you ask me how I feel?

I can only say, heh heh!

Feeling my cheek pressed against someone’s soft curves, my face turned bright red. My heart felt like a boiling kettle, bubbling over with excitement. As soon as this mature beauty had sat down, she had pulled me into her embrace, her soft hands continuously stroking my face.

I noticed the young Sentinel at the table next to us let out a long sigh of relief and offer me a grateful smile.

I thought: Well, I suppose that counts as a rescue of sorts.

Bai Yan was absolutely enamored with the little thing in her arms; unlike those smelly Sentinels, fragrant and soft Guides were her true passion. Unfortunately, there were none like me at the clubhouse; most were stuck-up, especially those healing-type Guides.

I gently pushed against the woman, extricating myself from her warm embrace. My face was still flushed, and my eyes darted about, looking as though I had done something shameful.

"I… my name is Wen Li."

Bai Yan smiled in a way that was utterly bewitching, propping her chin on her hand as she lazily observed the little Guide before her.

"Wen Li, what a lovely name. Where are you from? The First Military District? The Talis family?"

She paused, then shook her head and continued. "Probably not. I already saw those Guides yesterday. You look a bit like someone from the Southern Theater of Operations. Are you from the Ji family?"

Yue Li spoke up: "Guide Bai Yan, we are from the White Tower."

The woman didn’t even glance at the Sentinel. As soon as she heard "White Tower," her high spirits vanished instantly.

"The White Tower, huh? What a pity," she said, looking completely uninterested.

With that, she walked away. Her attitude had shifted as abruptly as a tornado.

I was full of confusion. "Yue Li, what’s wrong with White Tower Guides?"

Yue Li touched the red mark on my cheek, rubbing it gently. "Don't pay any attention to what you hear these days. My little butterfly just needs to know that she is the best."

Cyril, having just finished his tasks, walked over and saw the sexy attack-type Guide leaving my side. Thinking something had happened, he scanned me from head to toe. Aside from my flushed face, there was nothing amiss.

"Did Bai Yan come to see you?"

I nodded, still puzzled by the woman's rapid change in attitude. Was the reputation of the White Tower really that bad?

Cyril knew that the attack-type Guide looked down on anyone serving in the White Tower.

***

Seeing that everyone had finished eating, Cyril told us to go back and familiarize ourselves with the competition procedures for tomorrow.

As the only team from the White Tower, our accommodations were impeccable—a standalone villa. To make it easier for me to perform purifications on Yue Li every day, I was staying in the room right next to his.

In truth, the most important thing was that if I spent too late petting his giant panda, Yue Li could just carry me back to my room.

With the black-and-white furball in my arms, we began discussing the schedule for the coming week. There were three matches in total, from Tuesday to Thursday. The competition used a point-based system; the one with the highest total score across the three rounds would be the champion, with the awards ceremony held on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the clubhouse would take the competing Guides on a tour of the "Home of Guides."

If all went well, I could return to the White Tower by the end of the week.

I had been placed in the S-class Guide group, which meant I wouldn't run into Bai Yan, the attack-type Guide from this morning.

Yue Li had just finished his purification, and his attachment to me hadn't faded; he clung to my arm like a limpet.

"Yue Li, take a look at this—what does this mean?" I asked, not quite understanding the first rule. "What is a 'percentile of aberration index'?"

The Iron-Eating Beast opened its eyes and rolled over, exposing its soft belly to me. The little creature in my arms looked so content that I couldn't help but reach out and playfully tickle it. The beast immediately arched its back, mouth hanging open in a daze as it swatted at my wandering fingers with its paws.

Suppressing the urge to tackle me, Yue Li painfully recalled his spirit beast. My lap felt empty, replaced by the weight of his furry head.

"Taiyang is a bit tired, so I sent it back," Yue Li said.

I realized then that it had been out for quite a while. "I'll be more mindful of the time next time."

Yue Li thought silently: *No, next time I'll just turn off her terminal in advance.*

Glancing at the requirements, he explained, "You can think of this competition as having two standards. First, the aberration index, and second, the amount of mental power increase for the Sentinel."

I knew that Sentinels experienced a mental boost during purification, mostly due to the method used. If a Guide entered the mental sea directly, it was inevitable that their mental power would touch the Sentinel's, causing some degree of influence. However, using a spirit beast to purify another spirit beast didn't generate that same boost.

***

"Then I don't actually need to summon my spirit beast," I mused.

Little Flash had been acting unhappy lately, lying listlessly in the field of violets, unwilling to see me.

Pushing his head off my lap, Yue Li sat up and swiped at the light screen in front of him. "Look at the second event—it's spirit beast purification combat. You still need to summon your spirit beast."

I calculated the points for the second event; it didn't seem to account for much. "If I don't summon my spirit beast for the second event, does it still count for points if I get the opponent out?"

Yue Li thought about it and realized the rules didn't explicitly state what would happen if one didn't summon a spirit beast. "But wouldn't that significantly lower your chances of winning?"

I considered this. As a "disabled" Guide, my incomplete spirit beast was a fatal weakness. If I didn't get points in the second round, I would just have to take first place in the first and third rounds to win the championship.

"I don't think the rules for the second round are that strict. As long as I get at least a few points, it should be fine. Besides, what kind of schemes could a weak little Guide like me possibly have?"

Thinking of my little plan, I felt quite pleased with myself. Yue Li rubbed his head against my arm. "Just make sure you don't get hurt."

I tapped my chin with a slender finger, lost in thought. Suddenly, an idea struck me, and I exclaimed, "Yue Li!"

The boy jumped, sitting bolt upright. "What is it?"

My eyes sparkled as I looked at the bewildered Sentinel. "For tomorrow’s first match, you and the other team members are responsible for helping me record the spirit beasts of the other contestants!"

"Why record those?" Yue Li asked, confused.

I didn't answer, continuing to ponder. My clever mind had already figured out how to handle the second round.

After checking that Yue Li's mental sea was stable, I left the bedroom and drifted off into a pleasant sleep.

The next day, the clubhouse was bathed in bright, beautiful sunlight. I led the team to the competition grounds, where every Guide was surrounded by at least five Sentinels, some from the same region or family.

Most striking were the clubhouse staff in their white suits. The gold trim outlined their figures, making them look elegant and noble. Pinned to their chests was a golden rose badge—the signature emblem of the clubhouse.

The Golden Rose.