Gu Jin was qualified for the National Alchemy Team. When the news reached the principal of the Beijing University, he was overjoyed.
Prinicpal Lan personally invited her to his office and praised her,
"Gu Jin, you did something incredible. Making an Earth Rank pill at your age... it’s something even experienced alchemists struggle with."
Gu Jin sat politely in the chair across from him. "Thank you, Principal Lan."
Principal Lan smiled warmly. He looked like he couldn’t stop smiling.
"You’re now part of the National Alchemy Team," he said proudly.
"I hope you can make it to the top 3 of the international ranking and possibily rank first."
"I’ll do my best," she said quietly.
Principal Lan nodded.
"That’s all I ask. You’ve already made history in our school. But now, it’s time to show the world what you’re made of."
He handed her a red envelope.
"This is a gift from the school. And the National Alchemy Association also sent you a reward. This is not much, just 2 billion yuan,a spot in the national training camp, and a token to cultivate in Time Tower for 10 months."
Time Tower was a special property of the Beijing University.
Each floor has a different elemental energy, and the time flow is 10 times slower. This makes the time tower one of the rare cultivation places.
It was also because of this tower that Beijing University’s graduates are hailed as some of the most talented mages.
Being able to cultivate in such a tower was equivalent to cultivating 10 times more fastly than your peers.
Principal Lan chuckled. "Yes. You earned it."
Just then, his secretary knocked and came in. "Sir, reporters are waiting outside."
"Let them wait a little longer," Principal Lan said. "Gu Jin deserves some peace first."
Gu Jin stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Principal."
He waved his hand. "Go. Your family must be waiting."
Outside the office, Gu Jin found her brother waiting with a proud look on his face.
"Done talking with the principal?" Gu Jihu asked.
Gu Jin nodded. "He gave me rewards... and said I’ll be joining the national training camp."
Gu Jihu ruffled her hair. "Of course you will. My little sister is amazing."
As they walked down the hallway, some students stared and whispered. Others bowed politely.
"She’s really the one who made the Earth Rank pill..."
"She’s going to the nationals!"
Gu Jin didn’t mind. She was used to the attention by now.
That evening, the Gu family had a small celebration dinner.
There were no fancy guests, no big party. Just family.
Mrs. Gu made Gu Jin’s favorite dishes. Mr. Gu even poured a special tea he had saved for a long time.
"Cheers," he said. "To Gu Jin. Our pride."
They all clinked their cups and drank.
Then, someone knocked on the door.
He stood outside, holding a small wooden box.
"I... I’m sorry to disturb your dinner," he said politely. "I just wanted to give something to Gu Jin."
Everyone looked at him quietly.
Gu Jin stood up. "It’s okay. Let him in."
Long Yifan walked in slowly and gave her the box.
Inside was a silver hairpin, shaped like a phoenix.
"I made this," he said. "It’s a spirit item. It can protect you from a fatal strike... once."
Gu Jin looked at it for a long time, then closed the box gently.
"Thank you," she said.
Long Yifan nodded, then turned to leave.
But before he stepped out, Mr. Gu spoke.
"You can stay for dinner... if you want."
Long Yifan froze, surprised.
He turned back. "I... would like that."
So he sat down, quietly, at the corner of the table.
The Gu family didn’t talk much to him, but they didn’t push him away either.
And for now, that was enough.
Later that night, Gu Jin sat alone in her room, staring at the moon.
Suddenly, a white lizard crawled into her room through the window.
Gu Jin smiled and rubbed its head,
The white lizard nodded with a dumb look in its eyes. Its size had increased, and instead of looking like a lizard, it looked more like a small crocodile.
Gu Jin pulled in her arms and sighed,
"Your skin is cool and so amazing to touch. Little white, did you eat properly during the time I was away?"
"So you have gained a bit of intelligence now?"
Little white nodded again.
"Great. I am waiting for the day when you will fully recover your intelligence; then I can take you out for adventures."
Little White tilted its head and wagged its tail happily. It made a soft purring noise, like a cat.
Gu Jin smiled and poked its chubby cheek. "You’ve gotten fatter, too."
Little White growled in protest and rolled over, showing its belly.
Gu Jin giggled. "Alright, alright. You’re still cute."
She laid back on her bed with Little White curled beside her. The room was quiet except for the sound of the wind brushing past the windows.
Gu Jin attended the classes and realized a problem.
Due to being away for a long time, she gradually missed a lot of lessons. It was still fine now.
But when she does international tours for alchemy competitions and that too for months, how would she be able to cover everything?
There was also a national training camp.
"Should I just apply to exempt from the training? I should ask Master Qiao."
After class, she went straight to the alchemy building and looked for Master Qiao.
She knocked on his door. "Master Qiao, are you there?"
"Come in," his deep voice said.
Gu Jin stepped inside. Master Qiao was sitting behind his desk, writing something with his brush.
The moment he spotted Gu Jin, a smile appeared on his face.
"I heard the news." He smiled faintly. "You’ve made us all proud."
"Thank you, Master." Gu Jin hesitated, then asked, "I... I wanted to ask about something."
Master Qiao put down his brush and looked at her. "Speak."
"I’m worried about my studies. With the national training camp and international competitions coming up, I’ll be away for months. I’m already missing lessons. What if I can’t catch up?"
Master Qiao nodded slowly. "A fair concern."
"I was thinking... can I apply to be exempted from the national training camp? I’ll still study the material on my own," she said quickly. "I’ll take the tests too."
She was already at the Earth Rank Peak Stage.
While her peers were only at Yellow Rank. The study material would be too easy for her.
(Apprentince --> Yellow --> Earth --> Black)
(Sub catergory: intial --> intermediate --> advanced --> peak)
Master Qiao didn’t answer right away. He tapped his fingers on the desk and looked thoughtful.
"Gu Jin," he said slowly, "you’re not wrong. The national training camp is designed for students at Yellow Rank or below. For someone like you, it might not be useful."
Gu Jin nodded. "That’s what I was thinking too."
"But," he continued, "the camp is not just about study. It’s also a place to meet other top students from around the country. There will be team missions, alchemy trials, and special instructors. You might learn something unexpected."
Gu Jin was quiet for a moment. She hadn’t thought of that.
"So..." she asked carefully, "should I still go? Then what about the lectures? Shoudl I ask someone to record lectures for me?"
After a moment, he said, "Actually, I was going to suggest that myself. The school is already preparing special arrangements for you."
Gu Jin blinked. "Special arrangements?"
He stood up and walked to the bookshelf, pulling out a thin jade tablet.
"This is a Learning Jade. It holds all the course materials and lessons. You can carry it with you, and it will update automatically as new content is added."
He handed it to her. "Also, the principal has agreed that you can skip regular classes and study at your own pace."
Gu Jin’s eyes widened. "Really?"
"You are not a normal student anymore, Gu Jin. You are representing the school—and the country. Your path is different now."
Gu Jin looked down at her hands, thinking.
"Alright," she said softly. "I’ll go."
Master Qiao smiled. "Good. You’re smart, Gu Jin. But remember, talent alone isn’t enough. You’ll need allies, too."
Gu Jin bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master."
He waved his hand. "Go. Prepare well. The camp starts in two days, right?"
She nodded. "Yes. We’re supposed to gather at the South Gate."
"Then use these two days wisely."
In the end, Gu Jin spent the two days covering her syllabus and going on a movie date with her family. She went to an amusement park on the 2nd day.
The casual outing, however, turned into a disaster in the end.