Chapter 12: Chapter 12: The Four Systems
"Excuse me, does Su Yu live here?"
A feminine voice sounded from outside the Sword Hall. It was gentle with a hint of crispness, making a very good first impression.
"Coming, coming, one moment!"
Su Xing quickly called out, walking toward the entryway. The sound of his footsteps echoed, PATTER PATTER, on the floorboards. Soon, Su Xing reached the wooden door, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open. The first thing that greeted him was a fresh scent, one he couldn’t quite place as either body wash or shampoo.
Standing outside was a young woman. She had her hair in a neat ponytail, with bangs that didn’t go past her eyebrows. She wore a traditional, light blue, short-sleeved school uniform and had a backpack slung over her shoulders—the very picture of a female student.
Although Su Xing had never seen this uniform before, he could read the line of text on the school emblem: Cang City High School. This was indeed the high school Su Yu attended.
"You must be Yu’s classmate, right?"
"Yu told me you were coming. He’s in his room right now. Should I call him out?"
Su Xing said with a smile.
’As expected of the official organization. The bodyguard they picked is truly impeccable. Anyone else would never suspect a thing about the young woman before them; they’d probably just see her as an ordinary high school girl.’
’It’s just... sending a girl to stay overnight at a guy’s house seems a little inappropriate.’
However, Su Xing didn’t really mind. His younger brother was valued and protected by the government; Su Xing couldn’t be happier about it. He certainly wasn’t going to harbor any ill feelings toward the girl. At worst, he’d just gain a sister-in-law. As long as it didn’t affect his own class-ups and point allocation, it was fine.
"You must be Su Yu’s older brother, right? My name is Shen Ruyun. I’m so sorry to intrude. If Su Yu is in his room, Brother Su, may I go see him directly?"
Shen Ruyun smiled shyly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear with her fingers as she spoke in a soft voice.
"Ah, of course. Go ahead and find him yourself. Just walk straight out of the training hall, and it’s the fourth room from the left."
"I’ll go get a room ready for you."
"You’re staying the night, correct?"
Su Xing agreed without hesitation.
Shen Ruyun seemed a bit surprised that Su Yu’s brother was so easygoing. She froze for a moment, then a lovely smile graced her lips as she said gratefully,
"Yes, thank you so much."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Shen Ruyun went to Su Yu’s room as directed, while Su Xing picked a guest room near Su Yu’s, tidied it up a bit, and prepared it for Shen Ruyun to stay in for the night.
As for why he chose a room so close, there was a reason for it. Close-quarters protection naturally required being close.
If the Spiritual Sect was truly targeting Su Yu, then the closer the protector, the better. If it hadn’t been a girl, Su Xing, fearing he might cause a "fatal" incident, might have just told them to sleep in the same room.
After Su Xing finished preparing the room, he walked to Su Yu’s door. He was about to push it open and tell Shen Ruyun that the room was ready, but he heard her inside, seemingly discussing some secret information. Her voice was very low, but Su Xing could still hear it with perfect clarity.
Shen Ruyun’s voice was now direct and crisp, completely different from the little-girl act she’d put on for Su Xing. He knew that anyone sent by the government to protect Su Yu couldn’t be simple. She had to be a Tier Two Sequencer at the very least. So, Su Xing held his breath and began to listen patiently to the sounds from within the room.
After all, even though Su Xing had a system, all he knew how to do was add points. When it came to the fundamental state of the world, he was completely in the dark, still fumbling his way through it all on his own.
Besides the existence of Sequencers and the Spiritual Sect, he knew nothing.
Soon, Shen Ruyun’s voice rang out from the room:
"I was sent by Elder Li to protect you."
"I heard from Elder Li that you should be nearing the peak of Tier One. That means it’s time to prepare for your breakthrough to Tier Two Sequencer."
"So, let me tell you about some things.
"I know you only joined our department a little over a month ago, so there must be a lot you’re unclear about. Elder Li might have told you a few things, but probably not in great detail. So, let’s start from the very beginning."
"Su Yu, do you know if there are any other Extraordinary powers in this world besides us Sequencers?"
"Brother Ming mentioned it, but I don’t know much."
Su Yu said, shaking his head.
Although he remembered most of the sequences on the sequence list and knew that his second sequence, Judgment, was the highest-ranking sequence currently discovered in the Xia Country, he truly didn’t know what else existed in this world besides Sequencers.
Shen Ruyun had no intention of keeping him in suspense. She sat on Su Yu’s bed, set down the backpack she’d been carrying, and began to speak.
"It’s normal not to know. Many people in the organization don’t know either."
"Our research has shown that besides Sequencers, there are at least three other distinct Extraordinary systems."
"In recorded history, Sequencers like us were collectively known as ’Prodigies.’ The reason is simple: every Sequencer’s abilities are different. Some are incredibly powerful, while others are purely support-oriented. The variety is staggering and endless, highlighting the ’prodigious’ nature of it all."
Su Yu nodded silently. "Indeed, that’s a very fitting name for Sequencers."
"Besides Prodigies, there are also Qi Cultivators, Martial Artists, and Confucian Scholars."
"Qi Cultivators cultivate a breath of qi in their hearts to cast all sorts of profound and mysterious Magic. They can even grant power out of thin air, allowing ordinary people to wield the power of a sequence for a limited time."
"Although our organization has no Qi Cultivators, our investigations have led us to reasonably suspect that the ’Spirit’ worshipped by the Spiritual Sect may be a Qi Cultivator."
"Because of this, we collectively refer to Qi Cultivators as Spiritualists or the Spirit Race."
"We just haven’t yet figured out why those believers who receive the ’Spirit’s’ blessing frequently and brutally murder ordinary people to perform ’filthy rituals’."
Shen Ruyun delivered this long speech in one breath, then picked up a nearby water bottle, poured a glass, and drank it all down before continuing.
"As for Confucian Scholars."
"These are rather unusual."
"History records many Confucian Scholars of incredible power, but it’s been several years since the Spiritual Qi revival, and we’ve never seen anyone walk the path of ’attaining sainthood through study’."
"Many in the organization have started to suspect... perhaps the current environment is no longer suitable for the emergence of Confucian Scholars, and it’s likely to be very difficult for one to be born in the future."
Su Yu sat to the side, listening quietly.
Although he had heard some of this before, there was still much information that was new to him. Every time he learned more, he was struck by the feeling of how vast this world was, and that little bit of pride he held for his twin sequences gradually melted away.
Outside the door, Su Xing also leaned in, silently committing everything Shen Ruyun said to memory, engraving it into his mind.
’What she’s talking about is probably the basic framework of this world’s Extraordinary powers, centered around Sequencers, supplemented by a few hidden Spiritualists, and the yet-to-appear Confucian Scholars.’
Su Xing mused, ’Sequencers, Qi Cultivators, and the yet-to-appear Confucian Scholars have all been covered. Only the last one, Martial Artists, remains. By process of elimination, I should be a Martial Artist.’ This thought made Su Xing listen even more intently.
After a long moment, Shen Ruyun organized her thoughts and continued,
"The last cultivation system is the Martial Artist."
"In ancient times, it was the most popular cultivation system. There were so many Martial Artists in the world that you could throw a handful of beans from the sky and be guaranteed to hit a large group of them. Of course, the reason there were so many was that they were powerful enough, nearly invincible among those of the same realm."
"Because Martial Artists are different from Sequencers, the Spirit Race, and Confucian Scholars."
"Their entire purpose in cultivation is to kill. Their bodies are powerful, their techniques are direct, and a single slash of their blade can make the heavens and earth tremble. This is also why so many people flocked to become one."
Hearing this, Su Yu suddenly spoke up.
"If that’s the case, then why does our organization only have the Sequencer system now?"
"The reason is actually simple. In our era, all systems besides the Sequencer’s are very difficult to cultivate. Most people can’t even reach Tier One, which is why our organization exclusively recruits Sequencers."
Shen Ruyun shook her head, then changed the subject.
"However, we have found some signs of a Martial Artist. Do you remember those dozen or so white lines you encountered last night?"
"After extensive research, we think... those white lines might not be some new sequence, but rather an unregistered Martial Artist."
When Su Xing heard this, his heart skipped a beat.
’Just stick to your own business, why did you have to bring me into it out of nowhere... Aren’t those dozen or so white lines the ones I created with a single slash of my sword?!’
