"Giggle..."
The panting Giant Sparrow, no longer exuding the spirited air it had while frolicking, spread out its wings and gasped for air with its beak wide open. Its fatigue and weakness were evident.
"Go take a rest." Jia Pengpeng stretched out his arm, and the dark red, feather-shaped marks started to glow again.
With a flash of light, the Giant Sparrow disappeared, and the astonishing heat and life vibrations also vanished from Ye Hanjun's perception.
"Let's go meet Director Jiang."
Ye Hanjun took the lead and walked towards the all-white castle.
The castle was obviously well maintained, with a dry and soft lawn at the entrance and the mild aroma of grass rushing towards them.
On both sides of the entrance, there was a centuries-old peach tree, similar in height and both teeming with large and small flower buds. Just a light breeze would seemingly cause the pink buds to bloom.
"We have guests! We have guests!"
A few steps ahead, a voice speaking perfect human language came from the birdcage hanging on the right side of the gate.
The speaker was a parrot with white, blue, and green feathers, having shiny black eyes and a quirky hair sticking up from its head.
It showed no fear of humans. In fact, one wing folded across its chest while the other spread out, mimicking a human-like welcoming gesture as a beautiful and ethereal voice rang out:
"Welcome! Welcome!"
"The master is in his office upstairs and already knows guests have arrived. Please come in! Please come in!"
"Thank you."
Jia Pengpeng dug out a walnut from somewhere and carefully placed it beside the birdcage.
Then he pushed the heavy metal door open one step ahead of Ye Hanjun, peering inside with a reserved gaze.
"A demon's Fond Spirit... an Elegant Parrot?"
Ye Hanjun tried Talent Identification and successfully obtained an attribute panel that matched his prediction—
[Species Name]: Elegant Parrot
[Chaos Seal]: 'Demon'
[Main Study]: The Way of Enlightenment
[Rank]: Mud-cast Fetus·Great Completion
[Chaos Spirit Pattern]: 12 patterns 'Parrot Mimicry', 25 patterns 'Recording'
[Core Personality]: 'Elegance'
[Current Status]: Keeping Elegance
[Contractual Relationship]: None
"This Director Jiang seems to have a certain pursuit of life quality..."
While silently contemplating, Ye Hanjun acknowledged that although the Elegant Parrot was just a commonplace first-level Fond Spirit, it headed towards the second-level Rainbow Light Fetus with difficulty throughout its entire life.
However, such species are pampered, having meticulous requirements for their environment, temperature, scent... etc.
Moreover, they require companionship.
If not accompanied by a human or another parrot, before long, it will become depressed, expressed by the parrot plucking out its own feathers until it becomes bald.
For Jiang Yongnian to train a non-contracted Elegant Parrot into a qualified "doorbell," it must have taken significant effort.
At the very least, investing enough, hiring someone to take care of it daily, is also an alternative.
"Creak—"
Retrieving his gaze, Ye Hanjun, following Jia Pengpeng, stepped into the castle's interior officially.
Along with the heavy metal door closing slowly, the dark hall that was so dark that one couldn't see their outstretched hand, twinkled with several, finger-thick candles.
Frog croaking, bird calling, insect chirping, wind whistling…
One moment it was a vibrant, natural world, the next it went silent as though they had stepped into the deepest part of a dark forest, with unknown fear lurking in the shadows.
"Director Jiang's house is still so cold..." Jia Pengpeng shivered, feigning calmness.
It wasn't his first time here, but every visit felt like stepping into a haunted castle, causing goosebumps all over his body.
However, for Ye Hanjun, darkness, the unknown, and peculiarity... these familiar attributes felt somewhat like home.
Of course, this level of dimness couldn't affect Ye Hanjun's perception, allowing him to see every unobstructed object in sight clearly, be it surface color or the direction of the patterns.
"Upstairs, upstairs."
Jia Pengpeng swallowed his saliva, boldly striding towards the staircase at the end of the hall.
The staircase was made from a comparatively higher quality ironwood material. However, as per the weight of a body pressed onto it, it would still make a creaking noise, disrupting the otherwise tranquil atmosphere.
Ye Hanjun ascended step by step, maintaining a steady and calm pace.
With the faint candlelight behind him, his shadow elongated and flaunted itself, as though a demon was closely following, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
"There's a lurker, Jiang Yongnian's Contracted Spirit Fond Spirits?"
Ye Hanjun didn't let anything show, but he was on full alert.
The slight noise he occasionally heard wasn't made by him or Jia Pengpeng.
In the darkness, there was some unknown creature!
It seemed to have many legs, lightly touching the walls and other solid objects, producing exceptionally minute sounds of plastic friction.
And, it definitely wasn't a Mud-cast fetus!
A mere Mud-cast fetus, even if Ye Hanjun were in ten times worse condition, wouldn't be able to generate such tremendous pressure.
"Familiar feeling, all my pores are opening further."
"There's no killing intent, and I don't feel hatred, pain, despair, or death..."
"But this Fond Spirit must be closely related to the Dark Attribute! This feeling of blending with the environment... it feels particularly intimate!"
Ye Hanjun was not afraid, nor troubled, but slightly excited.
The world of the Patron was so fascinating that, despite indirectly experiencing it countless times before he turned 16, it could not compare to the eagerness to become stronger and to prove something with his own ability after becoming a Patron himself.
"It should be here. Pushing this door open should allow us to see Director Jiang."
Less than a minute of climbing the stairs left Jia Pengpeng not only with his hair standing on end, but also with a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.
His position was 'Guide', and his rank was the most ordinary G-tier, like that of the 'Sketcher', possessing no Abilities to enhance combat.
The Giant Sparrow he contracted, although nurtured to the Perfection realm of the Mud-cast fetus, possessed some combat power.
However, within the vast and mysterious world of Fond Spirits, such capabilities were nothing, merely another kind of bottom tier.
"Please enter."
A strange male voice suddenly sounded.
From the tone, it sounded like an old man's rather than a vigorous adult man's, carrying a sense of weariness unique to the elderly.
This time Ye Hanjun was the first to push the door open. The wooden door was wide and heavy, requiring nearly all of his strength to push.
With a "creak" sound, darkness invaded his vision, followed quickly by the soft orange light.
Following the source of the light, Ye Hanjun saw a white-haired old man at the end of the darkness. The old man had a bamboo pin on his head, wore a black robe, sat leisurely in front of a table that was ten meters long, and was writing vigorously.
The source of the light was merely a half-human-sized paper lantern.
Besides that, it was quiet all around.
"Why are you here?"
Jiang Yongnian faintly opened his mouth, his eyes never leaving the scroll on the table. Every now and then, he marked something on it, his expression extremely focused.
"Director Jiang..."
Jia Pengpeng was about to speak when Ye Hanjun patted his shoulder and stepped forward.
Obtaining the position of a Mentor was the inevitable result of this journey.
It also meant that from the moment he stepped into the castle, the "struggle" had already begun.
"Director Jiang." With no regard for the dim light, Ye Hanjun stepped on the cold floor tiles, walking right up to the large desk:
"I'll introduce myself. My surname is Han, and my given name is Jun. I'm 20 years old, and I come from a territory outside the Giant Frog Marsh."
"Perhaps it might seem too straightforward to get to the point, and you might think I'm just a wet-behind-the-ears brat speaking grandly."
"But I do not like to beat around the bush, nor do I wish to utter insincere words."
"I have only one purpose in coming here — to apply for the position of 'Mentor' in Canghai Pavilion!"
Ye Hanjun's voice was soft and, due to his weak body, not quite strong or powerful.
It made his speech seem a bit weak.
Standing at the door, Jia Pengpeng's pupils kept enlarging, as he kept listening to Ye Hanjun's straightforward opening remarks. His palm involuntarily began to sweat.
It was absurd...
No matter how he tried to convince himself, a new Patron who hadn't contracted any Fond Spirits, proclaiming that he wanted to be a Mentor—it was an absurd thought, an absurd behavior!
"Oh?" Jiang Yongnian's stroke suddenly halted.
He finally lifted his head. On his weathered face, his eyes sank deep and were lined with wrinkles.
Under the orange light, his seemingly obscure brown eyes flashed a calm and deep light.
"Young man, you come to my Canghai Pavilion, not to be a student."
"But to take on the role of a mentor instead, thinking of shaping raw jade into a jewel?"
"My position is 'Instructor', which is referred to as 'Drillmaster', 'Teacher', 'Counselor', is a type of niche and less popular one."
"In order to grow my position quickly and efficiently, I am not suitable for the role of a student. I must take on the role of a Mentor to better play my role, blend in, and resonate."
Ye Hanjun was concise and to the point, neither humble nor arrogant in his demeanor.
Before Jiang Yongnian could reply, he pulled out a crumpled rectangular envelope from his chest and lightly pushed it onto the table.
"This is my introduction letter. Please review it."
"He even has an introduction letter?" Jia Pengpeng at the door was shocked and unconsciously craned his neck to get a better view.
Unfortunately, the distance was too great and the light was too dim. He could vaguely see the exquisite patterns imprinted on the envelope.
"I haven't heard Mr. Han mention it before. Could he be the descendent of some hidden sect outside the jurisdiction? Otherwise, where would he get the confidence to teach others..."
Jia Pengpeng rambled on with his thoughts, holding his breath and waiting for Director Jiang's review results.
Ye Hanjun, calm and composed, watched the man on the other side open the envelope and saw an interested and surprised expression appear on his weathered face as he read it. His eyes reflected a strange light.
He lied.
This was not a real letter, nor a carrier of any kind of written content. In fact, it was just a piece of blank paper with nothing but creases.
'Forged Verification', one of the two opening items in the Night Trial, was also an assistance item that every contender used to obtain a fake identity.
Its owner, despite being the target of many who wanted him dead, always managed to remain unscathed.
The man chose to serve the Ye Clan in order to survive, becoming a loyal servant of the Night Branch.
He gave himself a non-mainstream code name—"Cold Youth".
Position—"Deceiver".
The rank was not at the end of the rankings like G, F, E, nor was it in the middle like D, C, but was a truly high rank.
—B-level!