Chapter 18: The Fate of Li Xingming

Tomb raiding is a high-risk profession. It was so in the old days, and even more so now. Apart from strict government regulations, ancient ruins themselves are far more perilous than ordinary graves.

Getting lost, traps, pools of corruption, misleading advice left by ancient adventurers, hovering ladders that suddenly collapse halfway, octopus monsters disguised as treasure chests, supernatural creatures more aggressive than annoying chatroom trolls...

Any one of these obstacles alone would intimidate low-level supernaturals and could easily cost a life if one is not careful.

It must be understood that resurrection crystals are expensive; ordinary tomb raiders cannot afford them. If one dies too many times, the cost of buying resurrection crystals alone would exceed the profits from tomb raiding.

Not to mention the damage death inflicts on the soul.

After becoming a high-level supernatural, one gains the ability to explore ruins independently. But then, why would a high-level supernatural resort to tomb raiding?

There are legitimate archaeological teams to join, with generous profit shares, making it unnecessary to take such risks alone.

“What rank are tomb raiders?”

“Second rank. Seems like a junior stage, but she’s not an ordinary junior stage...”

“An accomplished junior stage?”

“Not at all, just a cultist of an evil god... She sacrificed her life force to drastically boost her combat ability for a short period. When she escaped from the provincial prison, she injured quite a few people. Oh, and the third-rank officer on duty that day was disciplined. The officer belonged to the Spirit Clock Tower faction. Apparently, the tower wanted to protect him, but the provincial authorities were very firm.”

Every supernatural must choose their own cultivation path, which involves two fundamental concepts: "Faction" and "Destiny."

"Faction" can be simply understood as a profession. For example, Ye Sheng specializes in the “Arcane” faction, focusing on instant spiritual structure construction and complex derivations.

Li Xingming chose the “Support” faction for Jiang Qianqian, who plays VR simulated battles at the Silver rank, so her role in the team is naturally support.

“Destiny” is a bit more complex and mainly concerns belief.

It’s important to note that both faction and destiny significantly affect how a supernatural utilizes their spirit creatures.

The same spirit creature can perform vastly differently in the hands of supernaturals from different factions and destinies.

Sometimes, it even activates hidden effects of the spirit creature...

Some misguided individuals, feeling that orthodox beliefs aren’t powerful enough, choose to walk the crooked path for power.

“Being tough is the right approach,” Li Xingming switched to political commentary mode with Ouyang and sharply criticized, “When something goes wrong, someone must be held accountable. You can’t just escape consequences because of your background.”

“Exactly. I think this time it’s handled well. A few years ago, the tendency would’ve been just a slap on the wrist with three cups of wine.”

“Sigh, Gillette’s Dou Zheng!” “Sigh, Spirit Clock Tower!” “Sigh, Zibeng!” “Sigh, sigh sigh!”

---

“You two, whispering again? Ouyang, come to the board and solve this problem,” the math teacher said, tossing a piece of chalk.

“...”

Political commentator Ouyang stepped back; now standing before everyone was Ouyang at the blackboard.

This class was math.

Ouyang’s math grades were not ideal.

The modern college entrance exam has undergone many reforms to keep up with the times. For instance, traditional foreign languages were replaced by Siris language (so no chance to choose Japanese anymore), and physical education scores were included in the total.

Also, the difficulty of math courses has increased significantly.

“The math level of your basic education would make officials in our Sixth Era in the education department apologize profusely,” an ancient awakened person once bluntly said during talks with the authorities in a certain ruin.

Mathematics is the mother of science.

Supernatural abilities, at their core, are science from another dimension. This means that the process of turning technology into supernatural power requires participants to have extremely solid math foundations.

The old rote drills of conic sections in traditional high school education no longer suit the new era. Engineering-level mathematical analysis and linear algebra are now taught in high school, and even elementary students need to grasp what an Abelian group is if they want to avoid falling behind in the transition to middle school.

“Ouyang, I know you chose ‘Public Governance’ for your awakening path and math D for the elective, which isn’t too hard, but at least you need to understand the homework, right?”

“Sorry.”

“Go stand outside. Li Xingming, you do this problem... wait, where are you going?”

“I’ll go stand outside too.”

“...”

Well, that escalated quickly.

Actually, Li Xingming could solve the problem. His math wasn’t outstanding but definitely not bad. He just disliked the teacher’s style and preferred to stare out the window in the corridor, daydreaming and meditating.

Li Xingming was about to turn eighteen.

He decided to awaken on his birthday, choosing a destiny consistent with his past life.

The math teacher finished reviewing yesterday’s homework and went outside to check on the two unfortunate students.

Ouyang was gone.

That was normal; a competent politician knows when to adapt and never stands foolishly when it’s time to run.

---

Super Ouyang, boldly ran away!

As for Super Li, he had already entered meditation.

Leaning against the wall, standing straight, Li Xingming’s arms were raised and crossed in a strange gesture, as if performing an exquisite hand dance.

The math teacher didn’t recognize which destiny ritual this was, but the ancient spiritual energy swirling around Li Xingming proved he was indeed meditating, not just posing.

Li Xingming’s math grades were excellent.

But he was rebellious, a free spirit. The math teacher cared about her authority and often singled him out.

So Li Xingming ended up standing in the corridor, meditating as punishment.

You could say he was diligent—he never did the classwork; or say he wasn’t—he had to meditate while standing.

Meditation is the most universal and simplest preparation for the awakening test.

Awakening as a supernatural essentially means fully understanding the concept of one’s chosen destiny and merging the “concept” with the “soul.”

For example, if you choose the “Builder” destiny, you need to understand civil engineering concepts, study math and physics thoroughly, and take introductory courses in structural mechanics...

The awakening test assesses whether the candidate’s grasp of the concept is sufficient. If so, the state issues an awakening potion, which helps the student break through the final barrier into the supernatural world.

Li Xingming never revealed his destiny. When senior year started, his application form simply read “Other.”

According to regulations, supernaturals with special destinies can keep their identity secret if approved by the authorities; this is considered personal privacy and can be kept confidential as long as it poses no harm to society.

Those not yet awakened don’t even need official approval.

The math teacher didn’t dare disturb Li Xingming’s meditation—if anything went wrong, she’d be responsible, and she didn’t want to be fired and lose her pension out of recklessness.

The first two periods were math; Li Xingming meditated his way through.

Eyes opening, feeling refreshed.

A familiar melody played across the campus; it was time for the mid-morning exercise run.

Li Xingming didn’t join the crowd going downstairs. Instead, he went straight to the Siris language research office and told Teacher Liu:

“I’m skipping class.”