Chapter 2: Knowledge is Power—Then You Are the One!

“After waiting two long years to unlock the task system, could it also be malfunctioning?”

Ye Hui’s lips twitched involuntarily, leaving him momentarily speechless.

By the shoe rack, Sakura observed the new classmate whose expression was peculiarly strange.

“Ye Hui, are you alright?”

Snapping back to reality, Ye Hui quickly replied, “I’m fine. I was just practicing spells and tend to mutter to myself occasionally. Please forgive me.”

“By the way, I’m actually an apprentice cultivator.”

“Huh? Cultivator?” The two exchanged stunned glances.

Ye Hui struck an exaggerated flying pose. “Exactly! Soaring through the skies, traveling beneath the earth, eternal life, plucking stars and moons, moving mountains, filling seas... that’s cultivation!”

[Tomoyo Daidouji’s mood +2]

[Sakura Kinomoto’s mood +3]

Seeing the system notifications, Ye Hui paused and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Tomoyo rarely encountered someone so... entertaining.

Even her eyes curved into crescent moons in amusement.

“Ye Hui, you’re quite interesting.”

“Y-yes, very interesting indeed...” Sakura quickly chimed in.

“Hello, my name is Sakura Kinomoto, and this is my friend Tomoyo Daidouji.”

He thought his own embarrassment was enough, but unexpectedly, the school had its share of experts.

Could this be the eccentric person his clumsy brother had mentioned?

“Sakura Kinomoto? What a lovely name. By the way, Tomoyo was right—Sakura is indeed very adorable. Forgive me for being rude, but I couldn’t help snapping a photo of you at the school gate just now...”

“Huh?”

Sakura’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushed crimson, and sweat beaded on her temple as she awkwardly tried to escape.

Her dazed expression in front of Yukito was actually captured in a photo...

This was utterly humiliating!

She would rather study math in the classroom!

[Sakura Kinomoto’s mood +5]

Ye Hui glanced at Tomoyo. “By the way, Tomoyo, if you want the photo, I can lend you my camera to copy it...”

“Ah, I’d be most grateful!”

[Tomoyo Daidouji’s mood +5]

Ye Hui waved his hand and produced a handheld camera from somewhere. “But on second thought, that might be improper. As someone with a Daoist lineage, I must obtain Sakura’s consent beforehand...”

[Sakura Kinomoto’s mood +7]

“Forget it. Let’s leave this dilemma to Tomoyo. You two are close friends—Tomoyo wouldn’t put Sakura in an awkward position, right?”

[Tomoyo Daidouji’s mood +3]

“Well then, Sakura, what do you think?”

...

“Haha, truly interesting.”

On the way to the classroom, Ye Hui’s thoughts drifted back to his earlier actions, his heart still racing with excitement.

He felt he could max out his mood points in a single day.

“But Tongzi, are you sure you didn’t bug out again?”

[If in doubt, please check the system log.]

“The Disciple’s Rise in the Immortal Sect” emphasizes casual play, with simple controls but complex settings.

Ye Hui was responsible for only part of the programming and wasn’t fully familiar with the game’s storyline.

But he knew for certain it wasn’t a romance simulation.

Mood points didn’t fit the xianxia aesthetic at all.

He opened the system log, which recorded operational details so the host wouldn’t miss any notifications.

[You have been registered as an outer disciple of the Ten Thousand Laws Immortal Sect.]

[You hear that outer disciples who fail to establish a foundation within three years are demoted to menial labor. You silently bow your head, remembering that you have a weak spiritual root, making foundation-building impossible.]

[You learn that among your fellow recruits, there is one with a heavenly spirit root named Sakura Kinomoto. Jealousy distorts your face. You decide to surpass her and become the top disciple of this cohort…]

[You hesitate. Finally, you decide:]

[1. Mutual affection, become a Daoist partner.]

[2. Love and hate intertwined, become sworn enemies.]

[3. Casual acquaintance, become sworn mother.]

[4. Respect the capable, become her disciple.]

[5. Emulate the sages, pay respects to sworn father…]

[Filtering elements… Host did not choose, system randomly selects — “Sworn Enemy”! Concerned she flies too fast, you decide to subvert Sakura’s protector, gather fate, and initiate the main quest “Immortal Path Rivalry.”]

…

Ye Hui’s face slowly contorted as he read, resembling an old man squinting at his smartphone on the subway.

“So I unknowingly accepted this ridiculous main quest?”

[The host should build bonds with the world’s protagonist in advance to unlock more branching options.]

Ye Hui rubbed his forehead in disbelief.

Cramming at the last minute was useless. He should have come to Youzhi Town two years ago.

A sworn enemy quest? That’s a trap.

In Sakura’s world, there was no traditional villain, and Sakura herself was unquestionably the heroine.

Opposing the original beloved queen? He was doomed!

Ye Hui asked weakly, “Then what’s the use of mood points?”

[Every 1000 mood points can be exchanged for an adventure map. Mood points are neither positive nor negative, but fluctuations influence character attitudes.]

“Got it, like lottery points. What about favorability?”

[Attitude maxes at 100. The host can bind to a protector close to the world’s protagonist as the sole bond target. Every 10 points of attitude grants a Daoist fate gift pack; at 90 points, the character can be subverted; at 100, there is an unexpected surprise!]

Ye Hui drew a sharp breath.

“System, translate for me—what’s the surprise?”

[The surprise is forming a Daoist bond…]

Ye Hui seethed inwardly, “Silence. Look where we are!”

[Identification complete: The host is on the Immortal Island of the Eastern Sea, corridor outside the Fourth Propagation Hall of the Ten Thousand Laws Immortal Sect…]

Ye Hui shouted in his mind, “This is an elementary school! Youzhi Elementary School! Not a propagation hall! Not the Ten Thousand Laws Immortal Sect! The education I’m receiving does not support this kind of thing…”

Just then, the teacher called Ye Hui into the classroom.

“Today, we have a transfer student joining our class.”

Ye Hui entered confidently.

Seeing the new student, the classmates whispered among themselves.

The teacher noticed Ye Hui showed no embarrassment and gestured for him to introduce himself, writing his name on the blackboard.

“Hello everyone, my name is Ye Hui. My family has lived in Sakura Country for generations. My parents are no longer with me, leaving me only this Chinese name to remind me to leave behind the pain… So I transferred here from Okinawa…”

Thinking of his villa back in Okinawa, Ye Hui hesitated briefly before continuing.

“You may have heard the legend that Okinawans all practice karate, but actually, I study Chinese kung fu. As for my hobby, it’s cultivation—”

The teacher, exasperated, cut him off.

“Alright, Ye Hui is quite humorous… As for your seat, the spot behind Sakura is vacant…”

Ye Hui calmly greeted his classmates and strolled toward his seat.

Oh no, this seat…

Could it be that he was really going to replace Li Xiaolang and become Sakura’s “sworn enemy”?

“Nice to meet you again, Ye Hui. Please sit here.”

Tomoyo smiled warmly.

Watching Tomoyo’s gentle smile, the April breeze swept through her black hair like a graceful sketch.

An idea sparked in Ye Hui’s mind.

“System, is Tomoyo also a protector?”

[Yes.]

“Is completing the sworn enemy main quest mandatory?”

[Choose a target to subvert. After completing a certain number of side quests for that character, you will receive the first-stage reward and unlock other main quests!]

“Can’t skip the main quest, only side quests allowed; other main quests remain locked. Is the game designed to stall progress? The very first main quest is this critical?”

Ye Hui pondered deeply.

The Daoist fate gift pack might be the key item.

He had to get it!

But being a villain led nowhere good.

Besides, Fujiwara had work, Touya and Yukito didn’t attend school with him, and Sakura was already bound—no chance of stealing her.

At school, the only one left by Sakura’s side was Tomoyo.

Ye Hui wanted to unlock other main quests and get the key item but didn’t want to truly be the adorable queen’s sworn enemy…

Fortunately, he only needed to complete the subversion side quests for the protector—not actually be the villain!

“Hmm… If I have to subvert Tomoyo, this villain isn’t so bad after all!”

Anyway, Tomoyo wouldn’t truly be subverted.

Her calm and steady nature made her the perfect candidate for the subversion task without worrying about maxing out progress.

Tomoyo’s devotion to Sakura was no trivial transfer student’s influence.

“Tomoyo is strength. It’s decided—you’re the one!”