Chapter 107: The Cat

"A cat?" Qin Ye stopped in his tracks, just about to step out of the shop. He turned his head and looked at the man deeply. "What cat?"

"You don't know?" To his surprise, Master Ning was taken aback by this question, then immediately clamped his mouth shut. "It's nothing."

Looking at Master Ning, Qin Ye finally understood the rules that Li Tao had mentioned.

Daishan City had a population of several million. It was impossible for it to be completely free of hunting grounds. No matter how thoroughly the government tried to eradicate them, some would always remain in hiding. Those evil spirits drooled, staring with bloodshot eyes at the fresh, succulent flesh of their prey, yet they dared not move.

To move was to die.

This was instinct.

However, there were always those who couldn't help themselves. The instructors' credit points would likely be earned by dealing with these paranormal events, as there were surely not enough cultivators for the millions of people in Daishan City.

These supernatural occurrences were hidden deep, like fine fish bones in a fillet—tasteless to eat, yet impossible to discard. Thus, they were using this as an opportunity to assign them as academic credits, using the tasks to train this newly formed faculty team.

The last of the points Li Tao mentioned in the car was: Do not disturb unrelated parties with forceful means.

"Are you sure?" Qin Ye did not press further, instead looking at Master Ning with a faint, enigmatic smile.

Master Ning swallowed hard, his chest heaving noticeably. After a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and waved his hand. "Xiao Chen... see the guest out... help me escort this gentleman."

With that, he bowed deeply to Qin Ye and retreated to the back of the shop.

"Well done," Alsas said as soon as they stepped outside. She was about to add something, but before she could finish, Qin Ye's phone began to vibrate violently.

It had to be said, Momo was a magical piece of software.

Audio and video calls could be connected at any time, and it could vibrate or provide voice alerts just like a phone.

Like right now.

Qin Ye opened his phone to see a call request on Momo from: Department Chair Zhou Xianlong.

He answered without a moment's hesitation.

He was immediately joined into a voice group chat. A quick glance showed that all the instructors who had come to Daishan for training were present.

"Good day, fellow instructors," Zhou Xianlong's voice was as rigid as ever. "Now, I am announcing the faculty credit status for the First Cultivation University."

At the same time, in a restaurant, Su Feng, whose face was flushed red from drinking, pushed away Lin Han, who was just as red as a baboon's behind. Everyone listened in silence.

On the street, a middle-aged woman choosing clothes put on her earphones and went quiet.

In a KTV, several young men and women signaled for silence and pressed pause, instantly silencing the room where the music had been blaring.

Nearly two hundred people scattered across various districts in Daishan City listened intently.

Five seconds later, Zhou Xianlong’s voice sounded again: "S9527, obtained 5 faculty credits. A8574, deducted 10 faculty credits. A1298, deducted 10 faculty credits. A5648, obtained 5 faculty credits. S3221, obtained 5 faculty credits..."

Only Zhou Xianlong's voice echoed in the group chat, mentioning a total of thirteen names.

Three had gained points, while ten had been penalized!

"Now, I am announcing two temporary supplementary orders."

His voice was calm and steady. "First, unless you were registered as a team at headquarters beforehand, you are not to inquire into the process by which others gain or lose faculty credits in any way."

"Second, at the end of the two months, all instructors with fewer than 60 credits will be dismissed."

"Rest assured, this will not be reported to your original units."

***

Boom!

A stone stirred up a thousand ripples!

No one had expected that what was supposed to be a peaceful vacation would suddenly tear away its veil to reveal the grim reality beneath!

The First Cultivation University had no room for dead weight!

They only wanted the elite of the elite!

The mobilization competition was only a part of it. Combat power was by no means equivalent to true strength.

"How could this happen?" In the restaurant, Lin Han was shocked sober. "Little Qin got 5 points? How did he get them? Dismissed if under 60? Why wasn't this mentioned before?"

"Shut up!" Su Feng’s eyes were clear, flickering as he stared at his phone. "We were negligent."

As if responding to his confusion, Zhou Xianlong's voice sounded again: "You were given enough hints in the car. Let me say it again: you are the elites of Anhui Province. As elites, the first thing is to clarify the current situation, judge the circumstances, and capture danger or opportunity from mere fragments of information."

"You are to lead students arriving from all over the country. Some sects were founded as early as the pre-Qin period. Their grandmasters were the first practitioners of Qi in China. They have sent their disciples."

"Some are traditions that survived through the cracks of the Three Kingdoms era; they too have sent their disciples."

"Some are legacies of the great giants from the era of 'discarding the hundred schools and honoring only Confucianism'; they have still sent their disciples."

"There are also disciples of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism... They will all gather together during the start of the semester. You will share your experience and knowledge with them, but more importantly, you must lead them to understand what we are facing!"

"It is an enemy we have never encountered before, an invisible enemy, a mysterious force whose methods of killing do not exist in science! Without a keen sense of smell, you aren't teaching—you're killing!"

His voice softened slightly. "I regret that in the Combat Department, which has the heaviest tasks, other than one instructor who took the lead, the rest are still drinking? Do you think sixty days is a long time? Do you think sixty points is easy to achieve?"

"That is all I have to say. To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. If you want to enjoy the benefits of the First Cultivation University and want your names to be known among the hundred schools of thought, then show it with your actions!"

*Beep...* The group chat went dark.

No one spoke again. However, all the instructors in Daishan City were in an uproar.

The woman picking out clothes stopped her hands. The shop owner asked with concern, "What's wrong? Not a good fit? We have others..."

"Sorry, urgent matter." The woman put the clothes down and walked out quickly in her high heels. Her soft features were now creased with two faint, furrowed brows.

"Where did things go wrong?"

"How did they get their points? Right... sixty days, sixty points. Why is Grade A one hundred points? Where do the extra forty points come from?"

In the KTV, there was silence. After a few seconds, a middle-aged man stood up and left. "Everyone, excuse me, I must go."

As soon as he left the lobby, he immediately picked up his phone and opened a Momo group: "Old Third, gather everyone else and come to Anhui University immediately."

In the restaurant, Lin Han’s mouth was wide open, and everyone in the team had flushed faces.

Collateral damage...

And, to be pointed out specifically...

"Damn it! Little Qin is too heartless!" Lin Han slammed his glass down. "Boss, stop eating! Old Man Zhou is watching us!"

"What's the hurry?" Su Feng sipped his drink slowly, his eyes flickering. "It’s our mistake. When facing things like vengeful spirits, one can never let their guard down... Don't rush into action yet. Let's first see what rules this game has actually set..."

On the street of funeral shops, Qin Ye lowered his earphones in deep thought.

"This is a selection trial. And it started the moment we entered Daishan City," Alsas said calmly.

***

Qin Ye gently rubbed his chin. His previous speculations had all been confirmed, and now that it was clear he would be dismissed if he didn't reach sixty points, how could he bear to give up the fat piece of meat that was the Special Investigation Bureau?

"I obtained five points, which means... I triggered one of the tasks. The cat?"

Alsas continued, "Not only that, the information revealed by this judge named Zhou is quite significant. First, it wasn't just us who figured it out; thirteen others did too. But... they were penalized."

"This is a warning." Qin Ye narrowed his eyes, looking at the street of funeral shops. "They must have violated the prohibitions Li Tao mentioned in the car. I suspect it was 'Do not disturb unrelated parties with forceful means.' They were too eager for success... Furthermore, the Department Chair is telling us that he is watching us at all times, so don't even think about playing any tricks."

"This is a test of one's keenness and observation regarding events, the environment, and information," Alsas added. "As a Judge, if he wanted to, he could see every move made by every cultivator in Anhui Province. That's why I said before that you did well; you didn't forcefully coerce the other party into telling you what the 'cat' was."

Qin Ye put his hands in his pockets and continued deeper into the funeral street.

If Master Ning wouldn't speak, there were still Master Ma and Master Gou.

However, he asked almost everyone on the street. The first thing he would ask upon entering any shop was, "Shopkeeper, do you know about 'the cat'?"

Twenty percent knew, but not a single one would spill the beans.

It was as if... it were a forbidden word.

"Interesting." An hour later, he walked out from the other side. "I'm afraid... they have discovered a hidden hunting ground, and someone has warned them not to disclose any details."

"Who?" Alsas asked casually.

"It can only be the Special Investigation Bureau. It seems the school prepared some entertainment for us before we even arrived..." The wind picked up. Qin Ye brushed aside his wind-swept bangs and smiled. "Looks like these two months won't be too boring."

"You still have the leisure to say that?" Alsas sneered. "It's not just you thirteen people who are moving now; I suspect all the cultivators are searching for details. Why don't you... just activate your Yin Agent's eyes, find the hunting ground, and kill them?"

Qin Ye shook his head. "Old Man Zhou holds an inexplicable hostility toward this official. If he finds out I bypassed the process and jumped straight to the result, there will be trouble."

"Then what now?"

Qin Ye smiled and picked up his phone. "Now? Some inquiries don't require using human mouths."

He opened his phone, entered a search engine, and typed in: "Daishan City Urban Forum."

Immediately, three options appeared.

One was the local Daishan City tieba (forum). Another was the largest forum for food, drink, and entertainment in Daishan City, and the third was a Daishan City chat group.

He clicked into the local tieba. As soon as he entered, he saw a pinned red post.

"Who has seen my cat?"

"There really is one..." Alsas found it hard to believe. Qin Ye laughed. "It's quite normal... Cultivators need to communicate too. As cultivators, how could they be such tech-savvy nerds? Could they build their own websites? Do you think everyone is the Special Investigation Bureau?"

He answered his own question: "How do they communicate? It's simple: mix real information into ordinary information, then book a top-post with the moderator. In a time when the world is full of paranormal news, this kind of post is not at all out of place. Those who see it and understand, will understand; those who don't, won't."

He clicked into the pinned post.

"Have you... seen a cat?"

"Pure black, no other colors. Very thin."

"It... always appears at my doorstep at twelve midnight. Just like that... staring straight at me, as if... looking at something behind me..."