Sentry: The guide who's getting extra help is very busy today.

Jin Cheng didn't see Shu Zao until the afternoon of the second day.

"You're here, have a seat." Shu Zao was wearing a cream-colored turtleneck sweatshirt.

There was no way around it; it had been too much of a hassle.

If it weren't for Jincheng to deal with, she would definitely still be lying in bed sleeping.

"I'm not in a hurry. You can rest and then we can talk."

He could guess why she had dark circles under her eyes.

"It's okay, go ahead and tell me."

Edford placed two cups of tea down and then went out.

"I want to stay and form a strong team..." Jincheng said, expressing his idea.

"Jincheng, I'm not as selfless as you. We have different paths, so we can't work together."

He was too idealistic; reality is complex and has many limitations.

Statements like "I can't tolerate any imperfections" or "My world is either black or white" are too absolute. When faced with a direct confrontation, thoughts and decisions will always clash.

This is the norm in the real world.

"You could have done it, so why didn't you?"

Shu Zao smiled gently, a smile that held a hint of tolerance. "You are a great Sentinel. Your level is too high for me to reach."

Every contributor and pioneer deserves respect. Shu Zao would not belittle or ridicule Jincheng because he thought it was an unattainable goal.

There is nothing shameful about trying.

It's really admirable to act decisively in pursuit of goals.

"Jincheng, I can't follow your path. That path requires too much forbearance and humiliation, and I can't do it."

I'm working hard too. I have my own path to follow, please respect my choice.

"Perhaps we will meet at a crossroads in the future, and maybe then we can travel together."

Jincheng considered many possibilities, but this one was the only one he overlooked.

The other party spoke to him politely, without any sarcasm or rebuttal.

She accepted herself, yet she couldn't walk alongside him.

This made him even more upset.

"Do you know what my most frequent reaction to you is?"

"You're the one who insulted me, saying I'm overstepping my bounds. Whether you can do it or not, you don't need to prove it to me."

"But you didn't, you actually praised me, hahaha." Jincheng laughed, holding his head.

Seeing this, Shu Zao said calmly, "Because you want to make this world a better place. What you want to protect is not just the White Tower, but all the guides, sentinels, and ordinary people."

In peacetime, Mingye should step down and let Jincheng take over.

It's a real shame he was born at the wrong time.

"What you think of me is a construct based on external factors, not the real me."

"I'm sorry, I was narrow-minded. You understand my ideals and ambitions, sigh!" This sigh was filled with unspeakable bitterness and sorrow, almost crushing this 23-year-old commander.

"Maurice Dubonne White Tower is great. You can come often. Yuan Li is the first Sentinel. If you have time and he has time, you can spar with each other."

When the sky falls, she hopes that giants will hold it up.

Nobody knows if an even more powerful boss will appear after defeating the big boss.

The more tall people standing in front of her, the better.

"Okay, I'm leaving."

"Not staying for a few days?"

"No, Shuzao, if one day you end up on the same path as me, remember to tell me, and I'll come find you."

Shu Zao didn't say anything, just watched him leave.

They've already reached the same goal through different paths, but their current levels of thinking are different. Forcing them together will only increase conflict.

Fortunately, Fu Yuan didn't have Jin Cheng's lofty and selfless ambitions, otherwise she wouldn't have dared to reach out to him, for fear of delaying him.

"I hate talking about such heavy topics; it makes me feel depressed," Shu Zao muttered to herself.

She took a nap and woke up at four in the morning.

I changed my clothes, sent two messages, and went to the training room.

We didn't encounter any sentries along the way.

She ran into Qingchu at the entrance of the training room.

Shuzao: This guy's gone crazy. He's single, what kind of nightlife does he have?

Qingchu: She's a bit arrogant, but she's also really hardworking. The second time I saw her, it was after dark when she came to train.

"You did that kick on purpose."

Shu Zao naturally knew which kick he was referring to, and a smile played on her lips, showing no sign of backing down.

"Hmm, I didn't say it wasn't."

Qingchu: "..." Who will speak up for his three broken ribs?

"Commander Qingchu, you should thank me. I saved you. Without me, you would be dead and gone without a trace."

Seeing that he didn't speak, Shuzao didn't waste time waiting for him to open his mouth.

He wasted her time by dragging things out. The compensation had already been paid, so whether he thanked her or not was irrelevant; she had only mentioned it casually.

"Thank you," a voice sounded from behind.

"Oh, I heard that." She must have broken a few ribs from the kick.

At eight o'clock, Shu Zao paused her training to rest. She turned on the screen, and a bunch of messages popped up.

After replying, she opened Fernail's chat interface.

[Shuzao]: Does Nair know Lingxi?

Fennell stared intently at Shuzao's message, wishing she could stare a hole through it so she wouldn't see the words and wouldn't have to reply.

[Fennell]: I know you, what's up?

[Shuzao]: Could you give me her contact information?

After sending the message, Shu sent another sum of Star Coins; of course, she had to give her a reward for doing things for her.

[Fennell]: Is that all? Okay, I'll send it to you right away.

I was terrified; I thought something terrible was about to happen.

[Shuzao]: Thank you, Nair. I'll treat you to milk tea sometime. I've just received my Star Coins; I recently made a windfall.

[Fennell]: Well... I won't stand on ceremony.

Just as Funer received the Star Shell, Wu Xuan told her that Shu Zao had killed Bangula.

They even legally "occupied" Bangula's Star Shell.

"Damn, this is really a windfall. Sister Zao wasn't lying to me."

Shu Zao really went easy on me back then, letting me off the hook.

He's so good to her.

Shu Zao asked for contact information and then applied to add Lingxi as a friend.

"Ding-dong."

Friend request approved.

[Shu Zao]: Hello, my name is Shu Zao. I don't know if you remember me. We met not long ago.

[Lingxi]: I remember, thank you so much for saving us that day.

The other person stabbed her sentry, but their intention was to save everyone, which is understandable.

Moreover, after rescuing them, he went to rescue the sentries and guides on the other side; he was too busy.

[Shuzao]: When you use your ability, can the released mental energy be stored?

She wondered if her abilities were a bit too extraordinary, but she tried to store it last night and couldn't.

She only asked Lingxi because she read online that some special guiding abilities can be stored.

[Lingxi]: Yes, you want to deal with pollutants at a critical moment?

She also gave her sealed spiritual power to the special guide she got along well with.

[Shuzao]: Yes, if the cost is too high, then we won't use it.

I didn't want to die like Lingxi!

Shu Zao didn't tell the truth; she planned to use Lingxi's abilities on herself—for desensitization training.

We also need to build a special house where we can't use our abilities at all.

I just couldn't believe that long-term training wouldn't be effective.

Ideally, the only limitation for using the ultimate skill is the time limit.

[Lingxi]: The cost is minimal. Send me your address, and I'll fill it in.

Wow, that's fast!

[Shuzao]: Okay, you can call me if there are any team missions.

[Shuzao]: I can't store the mental energy I use when I use my ability, so I can't give it to you. Can I exchange it for something else?

[Lingxi]: Sure, it's worth it to team up with you.

[Lingxi]: This is a normal phenomenon. Even the special guides I know, who are very capable, cannot store it.

Shuzao: Oh, I see.

[Lingxi]: No need, I'll just hug your leg.

Upon seeing this message, Shu sent her detailed address.

[Shuzao]: Okay, thank you for your mental support and message.

Shu Zao didn't follow the usual etiquette of giving and receiving; she would send Lingxi some valuable medicinal herbs according to the mailing address.

There are also the pastries, dried meat, and dried fruit she makes. (No spiritual energy involved, just great taste)

【灵犀】: You're welcome.