Chapter Eighteen: Harassing Me the Moment You Arrive—How Disgusting.jpg

The promotion of magical girls is notoriously difficult to discern any pattern in.

Even an organization like the Disaster Control Bureau, which possesses extensive data on magical girls, has yet to summarize any consistent rules or effective methods for advancement.

Moreover, magical girls vary widely across different regions, differing greatly not only in abilities but also in their transformation attire.

The timing and methods of promotion are equally bizarre.

Some ascend simply by collecting enough magical artifacts;

Others evolve through a sudden surge of personal willpower during battle;

Some achieve promotion after defeat, by hearing the wishes and encouragement of others, gathering the radiant light of collective hearts;

Still others shout about friendship, using the seeds of both themselves and their companions to trigger miraculous transformations and promotions.

Jiang Si truly despised works that failed to clearly define ranks and promotion conditions.

Frankly, such vague settings are a form of laziness.

They avoid explaining the logic of promotion, the changes in power, the use of skills, or how to reasonably defeat opponents.

They simply emphasize that extreme emotions alone can bring immense power...

Such trash works were enough.

After all, if extreme emotions alone could unleash great strength, no one would need training or seek ways to grow stronger. They would just surround themselves with friends and family.

When enemies appear, capturing and killing one would be the most efficient solution.

Ultimately, basing the logic of becoming stronger on emotions—something anyone can unleash—is inherently unreasonable.

Methods of strengthening must be unique and challenging; otherwise, why should only you succeed while others cannot?

Jiang Si, having pursued the great path for many years, understood its hardships deeply. The path to promotion was no different.

Thus, he was naturally dissatisfied with the chaotic, unstructured promotion routes for magical girls.

Randomness should have no place on the path of cultivation.

Even the mysterious and arcane methods of promotion always have fixed ways and routes.

Probability should only apply to success or failure, not to the method of promotion itself.

But that was fine; since no path existed, Jiang Si would carve one out for magical girls.

He would then spread the teachings across the world, opening an era of cultivation prosperity.

This merit might even help him ascend to higher paths...

As for making everyone capable of transforming into magical girls—cultivation requires spiritual roots, which not everyone possesses.

That was beyond his consideration.

Still, thinking about this now was premature. The method he had found—using the power absorbed from magical crystals to enhance strength—was basic and not very efficient. Most magical girls could barely access the power of disaster beasts.

Their own magic would be polluted, resulting in weaker strength.

Though Qingyun Sect had recently devised ways to purify this magic, the process drastically reduced its quantity, making disaster beasts somewhat scarce.

In fact, the frequency of disaster beasts in Jianghai City in recent years was already high. If only the Disaster Control Bureau existed, they would struggle to cope.

With disaster beasts appearing in multiple locations simultaneously and insufficient manpower, some beasts were inevitably left unattended.

Of course, the Bureau’s choice to act this way was not due to negligence but because they relied on Qingyun Sect’s intervention.

Qingyun Sect desperately needed the seeds of lamentation from these beasts.

They not only hunted disaster beasts the Bureau couldn’t reach but even competed with the Bureau’s magical girls for them.

Though, in press conferences, the Bureau always claimed credit for Qingyun Sect's efforts.

Politicians were the same everywhere.

Beyond accumulating magic power, Jiang Si’s own physical training also improved his state as a magical girl.

Through extensive exercise, his transformed self gained more precise and perfect control over magic, and even a slight increase in magical power.

Yet few in Qingyun Sect were willing to adopt this method.

It was tiring, the benefits were minor, and it took a long time. Since gaining the power to transform into a magical girl, Jiang Si had never slackened, training daily without fail.

Up to now, the magic increase was roughly equivalent to absorbing the lamentation seed from a single C-rank disaster beast.

It was hardly worth promoting.

Still, exercising the body never hurt, so this training was part of Qingyun Sect’s cultivation routine.

Jiang Si sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion in the Illusory Moon Cave Mansion, contemplating the path to promotion. Wisps of smoke curled softly around him, nearby the soothing sound of flowing water echoed, and the rich fragrance of incense filled the air...

“Cough, cough, cough...”

Suddenly, he began coughing violently. Turning his head, he glanced at the incense and coughed again.

“Who... cough, cough... who swapped my incense...?”

The scent was overwhelmingly pungent.

Near the stone table at the center of the Illusory Moon Cave Mansion, a girl in a pale green cloak, clutching a plush rabbit doll, shrank her neck upon hearing him.

Then, a little bird woven from magical energy appeared above her head again.

“It was Yumo! Yumo did it!”

The girl’s face flushed deeply. She hugged her plush rabbit tighter, as if trying to hide behind it, stammering, “N-no, it wasn’t me.”

Yumo, one of the seven true disciples of Qingyun Sect, was carefully selected by Bing Tang for her exceptional talent.

Though shy and timid in demeanor, her strength ranked among the top in Qingyun Sect.

She was at the peak of the Sprout stage—not yet reaching full maturity or half-blossoming, but judging from Silver Lotus’s performance, they were likely of equal caliber.

“I-I just followed what Lord Bing Tang said,” Yumo’s voice grew softer, “to help... change the incense... to new incense...”

Jiang Si stood to check. It seemed Bing Tang had made a mistake; among the bundles of incense, one was of poor-quality coil incense.

He glanced back at Yumo, who looked like an elementary schooler but was actually a first-year middle schooler, one grade younger than Coco.

According to Bing Tang, Yumo had communication difficulties since childhood and was frequently bullied at school, which shaped her timid personality.

Even after gaining magical girl powers, she hadn’t changed much.

Her pale green cloak concealed a pure white princess dress beneath. The cloak was large, with a hood. When shy, Yumo would clutch her rabbit doll and pull down her hood to hide her face.

Due to her communication issues and spending most of her time at Illusory Moon Cave Mansion, she was among the few in the sect who knew Jiang Si’s true identity.

She was also Bing Tang’s fallback to manage the mansion when she couldn’t come.

“This is poor-quality coil incense, the smell is too harsh. This is the proper type of incense needed,” Jiang Si took out the two bundles, explaining, “The immortal aura of the Illusory Moon Cave Mansion comes from this stick incense.”

Yumo tugged her hood down, hiding her face further.

“S-sorry, I’ll remember.”

“Couldn’t you tell by the smell?”

A small breeze stirred beside the girl.

“I didn’t like the old one either, so I kept blowing it away...”

“First, help me disperse the current scent around here.”

“O-okay.”

Jumping down from the stool, Yumo ran to the cushion nearby, waving her rabbit doll through the air.

Gentle gusts swept the choking smoke toward the ventilation.

Before long, Jiang Si had lit the new incense, but Yumo kept blowing away the leftover scent.

Seeing his immortal aura being blown toward the vent, he felt a headache coming on.

“Enough.”

Yumo stopped, looking up at him expectantly.

Humans and machines alike...

“Nothing for you to do for now; go tend to your own matters.”

“I-I don’t have anything to do...”

Having just absorbed the magic crystal of a B-rank disaster beast and finished training, Jiang Si gave up meditation for the moment and looked at her.

“Didn’t Bing Tang assign you a task?”

“Lord Bing Tang said I should come see if you went to school...”

Bing Tang had guessed correctly—he hadn’t gone to class.

In fact, he had attended school but found two math classes in the afternoon.

Not his favorite, so he skipped them.

“Lord Bing Tang also said she confirmed the location of Hyacinth and wants you to check it yourself.”

“Didn’t I tell her to investigate for me?”

“Lord Bing Tang said she’s busy with classes.”

Jiang Si replied instinctively, “Alright, after school is fine.”

“She said she’s very busy and hasn’t finished her homework, so she wants you to go yourself...”

Touching his forehead, he realized Bing Tang was sulking.

The excuse of unfinished homework was weak—she usually completed all her assignments at school and even helped him with his.

Nearby, Yumo worriedly said, “Lord Bing Tang doesn’t seem... very happy.”

“Got it.”

Jiang Si glanced at the Illusory Moon Cave Mansion. The sect was large and managed mostly by Bing Tang. Difficulties were inevitable; it was normal to be unhappy.

Just dealing with Yumo alone was troublesome enough; Bing Tang faced far greater challenges.

So unless necessary, Jiang Si preferred not to trouble this group of troublesome girls with varied personalities.

“Forget it, earn your own money,” he sighed, then stood and packed his bag.

“Give me Hyacinth’s location.”

“It’s... in my mind,” Yumo shyly said, “I’ll guide you.”

The silent magical energy bird immediately flew up.

“Yumo, Yumo’s sneaking off! Going on a date with the sect leader!”

The girl’s face blazed crimson, even her earlobes glowing. She wildly slapped the little bird on her head.

“No, I’m not! It’s not a date! Lord Bing Tang just told me verbally, no messages sent...”

The last sentence was more an explanation to Jiang Si.

He flicked his finger, shattering the magical bird.

The creature was formed from a magical girl’s power; ordinary people rarely touched it, let alone break it.

But Jiang Si knew this ability well. By targeting its magical core, even physical disruption worked effectively.

“Don’t waste time,” he urged. “Let’s go now.”

“Okay, okay!”

...

BH City, Qiyun Academy.

Jiang Si’s Fourth Middle School was quite good, among the top in BH City; otherwise, Bing Tang’s family wouldn’t have been willing to send their child there.

But Qiyun Academy was the premier private school in BH City.

It had been Bing Tang’s family’s first choice, but she insisted on attending Fourth Middle School to be Jiang Si’s deskmate, and her family couldn’t stop her.

Because with Bing Tang’s abilities, the school didn’t matter.

For most students, getting into Qiyun Academy was akin to entering a prestigious university.

The teaching environment was not harsh or cruel but rather relaxed, emphasizing comprehensive development and nurturing students’ strengths.

An ideal educational philosophy, which was fairly well implemented.

Because it was expensive.

This school’s fees were beyond what ordinary families could afford. The comprehensive development approach sounded good, but behind it lay massive expenditures.

Top-notch teachers, sound educational concepts, equipment, facilities—all vastly different from normal schools, with costs multiplied.

Traditional education had many flaws, but its greatest advantage was affordability.

Outside the gates of BH City’s Qiyun Academy, luxury cars came and went, and even those who didn’t drive wore nothing but designer clothes and shoes.

After all, these were wealthy families; wearing uniforms would be somewhat out of place.

Wearing a pale green cloak and standard school uniform, Jiang Si stood out among the crowd after school.

Mainly because their aura was not that of children from rich families...

High school students were at an age of arrogance, and even among the wealthy, many parents did not strictly govern their children’s morals.

So many students laughed as they looked at the two.

Though perhaps not with strong malice, they found the pair’s presence incongruous and amusing.

Yumo was frightened and hid behind Jiang Si, lowering her head tightly, clutching her rabbit doll, hood covering her head.

Like a shy turtle retreating into its shell.

Possessing extraordinary power yet still scared by ordinary people’s mockery.

Jiang Si thought he should discuss the cultivation of the Dao heart with Bing Tang upon returning.

On the path of cultivation, having such a fragile mind was no good.

Facing a heart demon tribulation, one would shatter at the slightest touch.

Near the school gates, Jiang Si said, “I’m looking for Hyacinth, class 7, grade 3.”

The security guard glanced at his uniform.

“Fourth Middle School? Qiyun Academy doesn’t welcome students from other schools. Move along.”

“We’re friends of Hyacinth.”

“More than ten people come here daily claiming to be her friends,” the guard rolled his eyes. “Who are you kidding? I know you’re fans. First, she’s retired from magical girl activities. Second, she’s not meeting fans for now. Third, she has no plans to pursue idol activities.”

Clearly, Hyacinth was very popular...

Understandably so, before Silver Lotus appeared, Hyacinth had been BH City’s magical girl icon. Only after being forced into retirement by the Disaster Control Bureau did her fame begin to fade.

Moreover, Hyacinth was one of the few magical girls to publicly reveal her identity.

So many could find her.

This was also why Susan suspected Hyacinth of being a member of the Witch Association; other magical girls were harder to locate, and if the Witch Association wanted to influence BH City’s magical girls, Hyacinth was their only option.

Assessing the guard and internal security measures, only electrified railings and the guard posed threats.

Charging in was no problem. He was underage, and the school was not a high-security secret facility. At worst, they’d be detained by the police.

If caught, they’d just act as if nothing happened.

Worth a try.

Turning, he planned to lead Yumo around to the back. The electric shock from the railings wouldn’t penetrate his well-trained body for long.

But after a few steps, a dark figure emerged from the school building.

She wore a sailor uniform similar to Fourth Middle School’s but entirely black—so black it was almost blinding.

Her hair, pupils, and clothes were almost all black, contrasting starkly with her pale, almost sickly white skin.

Her black pupils were hollow and vacant, giving her exquisitely doll-like face an uncanny, inhuman aura.

She looked like a pitch-black doll.

Like a prop from a horror film.

Hyacinth stopped at the gate, tilted her head toward Jiang Si.

“You must be Jiang Si, the new magical girl’s brother Susan mentioned. Take off your clothes; let me see.”