After leaving the Lesser Immortal Realm, Ian Song was just about to reach the Outer Sect when Elder Ouyang stopped him. The elder was there to inform him that Scar Yishang, ranked tenth on the Rising Talents Ranking, had arrived in the capital.
Hearing this, Ian couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. After waiting so long, Scar Yishang had finally arrived, giving him hope of completing his second system mission.
So Ian said, "You arrange it however you see fit—the sooner, the better!"
"Scar Yishang happens to be waiting at the Outer Sect. If you don’t mind, Young Master Song, you can challenge him today," Elder Ouyang said with a smile. He was a bit puzzled: with Ian’s current strength far beyond the Rising Talents Ranking, why was he still so invested in his ranking?
Of course, he had no idea this was a system mission—if Ian didn’t complete it, he’d lose a million Fame Points.
With Elder Ouyang leading the way, Ian met Scar Yishang.
"Greetings, Young Master Song."
Scar Yishang, still appearing as a courteous young man, bowed politely to Ian.
"No need to be so formal, Mister Yishang," Ian replied with a smile.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two of them stepped onto the arena platform.
After just a few moves, Scar Yishang was sent flying off the platform by a single palm strike from Ian. If Ian hadn’t been deliberately holding back to save the guy’s dignity, he could’ve ended the fight in one blow.
"Congratulations, Young Master Song, you’re now ranked tenth on the Rising Talents Ranking," Elder Ouyang came up to offer his congratulations.
Ian just smiled and didn’t say much, because at that moment, the system notification sounded in his mind—he’d completed his second mission and earned a reward of five hundred thousand Fame Points.
"So, Young Master Song, do you want to keep challenging the next rank?" Elder Ouyang asked again.
"No need!"
Ian waved his hand. He’d only challenged the Rising Talents Ranking to complete the system mission. Now that the mission was done, he had no interest in chasing empty fame. Besides, he was already famous throughout the capital—who would dare claim he was weaker than the top-ranked youth just because he was officially tenth?
After leaving the Phoenix Heaven Church, Ian didn’t head straight home. Instead, he randomly picked a tavern, went upstairs, and started drinking. Normally, after completing the second mission, the system should’ve issued a third, but weirdly enough, it stayed silent.
Could it be that this world only has two missions?
But the system hadn’t given him any hint about returning yet!
"Did the system crash or something?" Ian wondered darkly.
Suddenly, Ian thought of another possibility: maybe this world had a hidden mission, and only by completing it could he return to the main world.
Even though it’s called a hidden mission, it’s not totally impossible to find—it usually has some kind of causal link. For example, back in the Great Qin world, when he killed that world’s protagonist, the hidden mission was completed.
So, could the hidden mission in this world also be to kill this world’s protagonist?
Going by protagonist tropes, the main character is either a loser who gets a cheat and rises against all odds, or a genius who steamrolls everyone to the top.
Sometimes the protagonist is a transmigrator or someone reborn.
Thinking of transmigrators, Ian remembered that unlucky Lion King guy. Could he be the protagonist of this world?
But after thinking it over, that guy’s luck was just too terrible—he’d never had a single big win, so he probably didn’t fit the protagonist mold.
Still, even if the guy was the protagonist, Ian had no intention of killing him. After all, they’d both come from the same place. Besides, who knew where that guy was off wandering now? Why hadn’t he shown up in the capital yet?
"Forget it, no point overthinking—when the boat gets to the bridge, it’ll straighten itself out!" Ian shook his head, clearing away the messy thoughts.
"With so many beauties waiting for you at home, Young Master Song, why are you drinking alone here in a tavern?"
After Ian had quietly drunk a few cups by himself, he heard soft footsteps behind him. A woman wearing a silver fox mask approached.
"Greetings, Silver Fox Princess."
Ian looked up and smiled at her.
"No need to be so formal." With graceful poise, the Silver Fox Princess sat down facing Ian.
"May I ask what brings Your Highness here today?"
Ian poured himself another drink, downed it in one gulp, and asked. Although her features looked a lot like Princess Jade Fox, there were plenty of people in the world with similar faces, so she might not actually be Jade Fox reincarnated.
"I came today to confirm something with you, Young Master Song."
Suddenly, the Silver Fox Princess’s expression grew serious. She had now recovered all the memories related to Princess Jade Fox. But Jade Fox had been just a mortal, while Sylvia was a powerful cultivator. Aside from the initial confusion, she’d returned to normal. Now, she regarded those memories as a separate life, and though she’d inherited them, all the attached feelings had been erased. As far as she was concerned, she was Silver Fox, not Jade Fox.
Ian glanced at the Silver Fox Princess and said, "Go ahead."
"Do you believe in reincarnation, Young Master Song?"