Having successfully subdued an Innate Eighth Layer cultivator, Ian felt quite pleased. Of course, he hadn’t used Puppet Mastery on Shawn Hsiang—first, because he saw Shawn as a man of deep loyalty and emotion, and once someone like that pledges himself, betrayal isn’t a concern; second, Ian doubted his current spirit power could enslave someone that strong.
Back when he consumed the Heavenly Dao Fruit, his spirit power had already reached nearly 500 points. After accumulating for a while, it now stood at 499—just one point short of leveling up again.
Still, Ian found it odd that the level attribute seemed so single-purpose—was it really only good for breakthroughs and lotteries?
"Looks like you’re not completely clueless—you finally figured out the use of the level attribute!"
Before he knew it, Meow-Meow’s voice echoed in Ian’s mind, laced with sarcasm.
Ian was used to Meow-Meow’s mockery, ridicule, and teasing, so he didn’t mind at all. He simply asked in his head, “So tell me, what else does the level attribute do?”
“If you want to know, hurry up and reach level 10.” Meow-Meow replied playfully.
“Damn cat, you’re really annoying!” Ian said through gritted teeth.
Meow-Meow wasn’t ashamed—in fact, it was proud. "Of course, if you’re willing to give me a million Fame Points, I don’t mind giving you a hint."
“Fine, take your million Fame Points!” Ian snapped. Although his Fame Points had been growing slowly lately, he still gained over a hundred thousand per day.
After deducting a million Fame Points, Meow-Meow finally spoke: “Once you reach level 10, the system will upgrade and unlock a new feature.”
“What new feature?” Ian asked, curious.
“Fictional Worlds.”
“Fictional Worlds? What’s that?” Ian pressed.
Meow-Meow explained, “Simply put, the system will use fictional movies, TV shows, or novels to create a real world, then throw you in for a trial!”
Ian was stunned. “That’s insane!”
He couldn’t help feeling excited. “So once I enter those worlds, can I do whatever I want?”
Meow-Meow sneered, “Do whatever you want? Dream on! Once you enter a Fictional World, the system will issue missions. If you fail to complete the mission within the set time, there’ll be punishment. Fail three worlds in a row, and congratulations—the system will rip itself out of your body!”
Ian’s heart sank, but he wasn’t afraid. “So if I complete the missions, do I get rewards?”
“Naturally, there are rewards. What kind? You’ll find out when the time comes. Of course, there’s another benefit to entering Fictional Worlds: it helps you gather Fame Points. After all, the population on this planet is limited. The higher your level, the more Fame Points you’ll need. Relying on just this planet, you might never reach immortality in your lifetime!”
“Immortality? That’s way too far off!”
“Spineless kid. Let me tell you—the system gives you two hundred years. If you don’t become an immortal in that time, the system will still tear itself out of your body!”
Hearing that the system might leave, Ian clenched his fists. “Two hundred years? That’s nothing! I’ll definitely become immortal!”
“Anyone can brag like that.” Meow-Meow snorted.
Suddenly, Ian had a thought. Right now, he had five hundred million Fame Points. If he converted all of them into spirit power, he could break a thousand points and reach level 10.
“Should I just go for it?”
After thinking it over, Ian decided against it. After all, there would be plenty of uses for Fame Points in the future. Burning through them all now would hurt his long-term growth.
“At least you’re not totally stupid!” Meow-Meow’s voice continued. “If you really did that, you still wouldn’t be able to enter a Fictional World—each entry costs a ton of Fame Points!”
“What a money-grubbing system!” Ian cursed inwardly when he heard that.
Once the conversation with Meow-Meow ended, Ian started planning his trip to Blackfield.
Blackfield might be a neighboring country to the Yanhuang Republic, but you still needed a visa. With only three days left until the Blackfield Public Auction, there was no way he could get a visa on his own in time. So, he had to rely on Nathan Nangong.
This time, he planned to bring Shawn Hsiang along.
He had life-saving treasures, but each use meant one less. With Shawn Hsiang by his side, as long as they didn’t run into an Innate Ninth Layer powerhouse, his safety was assured.
Nathan Nangong was efficient—by the next day, he had someone deliver two visas straight to Ian’s place.
Oh, and another thing worth mentioning: the college entrance exam results were out.
Ian, with his monstrous scores, had become Tianhe State’s top science student. Out of a total 750 points, he scored a perfect 750 without any bonus points.
Just as a swarm of reporters arrived in Riverstone City to hunt down and interview the new top scorer...
Ian had already quietly boarded a flight to Jadeport, the capital of Blackfield, with Shawn Hsiang.
He wasn’t worried about the jade boutique—Su Huiyun was handling things there. He’d also pushed Hannah Han to the front, having her learn from Su, and secretly ordered Lena and Sierra Leng to alternate in protecting Hannah from the shadows.
Unfortunately, this flight wasn’t on Eastern Airlines, so Ian missed out on a free ride this time.
Of course, with his current wealth, buying two first-class tickets was no big deal.
Shawn Hsiang was the silent type—if you didn’t talk to him, he could go the whole trip without saying a word. So, once on the plane, Ian just asked the flight attendant for an eye mask, put it on, and rested.
Several hours later, the plane landed at Jadeport Airport.
Compared to major international airports like Flame City or Twin Rivers, Jadeport Airport was much more rundown.
The Blackfield Public Auction wasn’t held in Jadeport itself, but in a nearby small town.
Luckily, Ian had drawn a Language Pack for Blackfield’s language last time, so communication was no problem.
They ended up in a black-market cab, heading straight for the city center. It wasn’t that Ian didn’t want a regular taxi—there just weren’t any to be found here.
The cab was a beat-up, secondhand compact—really falling apart.
It rattled and clanked along the broken road, making Ian wonder if it would fall apart before they got anywhere.
“Driver, this route seems a bit off, doesn’t it?”
Ian asked in Blackfield’s language; before coming, he’d memorized the country’s maps and routes.
The driver was a local in his thirties, short and dark-skinned.
When Ian questioned him, a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but he forced a calm reply: “No worries, sir—I’m just taking a shortcut!”
“A shortcut shouldn’t take us in the complete opposite direction, though.” Ian replied coldly.
Suddenly, the driver slammed the brakes, yanked out the key, and bolted out the door.
Ian and Shawn looked outside and saw a group of Blackfield locals rushing over with clubs, quickly surrounding the car.
“Old Shawn, looks like we’ve run into a robbery.” Ian said, half amused, half annoyed.
“I’ll handle them.”
With a calm tone, Shawn said that and then pushed open the car door, darting out.
Author’s Note: Quick poll for everyone—once Ian reaches level 10 and gains the ability to travel through Fictional Worlds, would you prefer worlds based on Earth’s movies and novels, or ones completely created by me? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.