Chapter 14 – Job Placement

After the Awakening Festival, students were given seven days to act on their own.

These seven days weren’t for leisure.

Students needed to utilize this short period to form a basic rapport with their spirit beasts, at least mastering the foundational skills of a spirit beast and applying them in combat.

Within these seven days, they also had to decide on the unit where they wanted to intern and write an electronic application letter to Ji Xuan. Ji Xuan would then forward it to various internship units for review. If the application was rejected by the internship unit, they would have to select another position.

Spiritbond Masters didn’t have many options for internships; either the Spiritbond Master Association, the Special Affairs Bureau, or various Spiritbond academies. However, there were numerous positions available within those organizations.

For instance, at the Special Affairs Bureau, if a student’s application to join the Special Response Team was denied, they could still apply to work in the Records Department, which allowed them to remain employed by the Special Affairs Bureau.

An application form listed three internship preferences. Only if all three positions were rejected would a new form need to be filled out.

Yun Xiguang had already chosen his three preferred positions, all of which were within the Special Affairs Bureau.

In reality, the Records Department of the Spiritbond Master Association was the best place to start to investigate the truth about his parents’ deaths, as the complete case files from that time were stored there.

However, Yun Xiguang knew that the upper echelons of the Spiritbond Master Association didn’t want him to know the truth. He wouldn’t be able to join the Records Department. Even if he was transferred to another position, he would still be under surveillance by the Spiritbond Master Association.

The Spiritbond Master Association, the Yun family, and all those who knew the truth back then were all wary of him. Given his current strength, he had no chance of getting answers.

The only breakthrough lay with the Special Affairs Bureau.

As an official institution, the Special Affairs Bureau had oversight authority over the Spiritbond Master Association and noble families. Except for some personal knowledge held by the Spiritbond Master Association and noble families, all other information had to be submitted to the Special Affairs Bureau.

Regardless of the secrets behind his parents’ case, the case files should have been handed over to the Special Affairs Bureau.

If the Special Affairs Bureau had detailed records of the case, Yun Xiguang would do everything in his power to access them during his internship. If the Spiritbond Master Association’s submission to the Special Affairs Bureau concealed important information, the Bureau would have to find a way to force the Spiritbond Master Association to release additional data. At that moment, Yun Xiguang, as a party involved in the case, would be the Bureau’s best justification.

The relationship between the Special Affairs Bureau and the Spiritbond Master Association, as well as the noble families, was subtle. Yun Xiguang, who understood the rules and secrets of the noble families and harbored resentment toward them, was the best entry point for the Bureau to break through the noble families.

Yun Xiguang was confident that the Special Affairs Bureau wouldn’t reject his internship application.

The question was, which internship position was the better choice?

The Records Department was undoubtedly closest to the truth, but such confidential files were not accessible to interns. If Yun Xiguang went to the Records Department, he would only be given mundane tasks like photocopying documents and entering handwritten records into computers. In the end, being near water but unable to drink from it would be the worst option.

Secondly, there was the Assistance Department. This department mainly dealt with coordinating with public law enforcement agencies like the police, procuratorate, and special police forces. It helped them sift through cases involving spirit beasts and transferred relevant cases to the Special Affairs Bureau.

The process of transferring case files provided opportunities to enter the Records Department, making joining this department actually provide more access to information than working in the Records Department itself.

Lastly, there was the Field Operations Group. This was the frontline department responsible for handling spirit beast-related cases. They were often on the front lines, cooperating with state military forces and personnel from the Spiritbond World to face spirit beasts and criminal Spiritbond Masters head-on. It was the most dangerous position and seemingly the farthest from the Records Department.

But in the Field Operations Group, he could enhance his own strength and interact with powerful Spiritbond Masters from the Special Affairs Bureau. Some of them had directly participated in the investigation of his parents’ case, while others were close confidants of the former director of the Special Affairs Bureau. From them, he might glean some clues.

After much deliberation, Yun Xiguang wrote down the Field Operations Group, Assistance Department, and Records Department in the first, second, and third preference sections of the application form, respectively.

He decided to join the Field Operations Group.

Yun Xiguang truly longed to uncover the truth, but he had waited ten years, and he wasn’t in a rush now.

Currently, enhancing his combat experience and his own strength was his top priority. The mastermind behind his parents’ deaths had unfathomable power, and even if he discovered the truth, it would be of no avail with his current abilities.

Moreover, the Spiritbond World had strict hierarchies. Heaven-grade Spiritbond Masters held great authority. With power, he could investigate anything he wanted, and who would dare to obstruct his inquiries? Who would advise him to let go of his vengeance?

He was getting closer to his goal and had to endure. Yun Xiguang thought to himself.

Compared to Yun Xiguang’s deliberations, Wu Ailang was much more relaxed. After Yun Xiguang completed his application form, Wu Ailang borrowed it and copied it verbatim, not bothering to look it over before sending it directly to Ji Xuan, who promptly rejected it and berated him harshly.

“Wu Ailang, you entered school two years later than the other students. You’re supposed to be 20 years old, not 18! Also, your birthdate is December 9th, not August 8th! I have no problem with you copying Yun Xiguang’s application since it’s not a test paper, and copying internship preferences doesn’t matter, but you can’t even get the birth year and month right?” Ji Xuan scolded.

Yun Xiguang took a glance and found that Wu Ailang’s application form was identical to his, except for the name and type of spirit beast. It seemed Wu Ailang hadn’t even bothered to think while copying.

Wu Ailang had no choice but to fill out the form again carefully and resubmit it.

The two submitted their application forms around the same time, but Wu Ailang received the Special Affairs Bureau’ temporary transfer letter the next day, which confirmed his internship unit, while Yun Xiguang’s application seemed to have sunk without a trace.

There was neither approval nor rejection.

After the kitchen explosion, Wu Ailang sought out his father’s life assistant, who directly contacted the landlord and handled the renovation and compensation matters. There was no need for Yun Xiguang to worry about it, and the landlord seemed quite satisfied, almost begging Yun Xiguang to blow up the place a few more times.

With the rental house undergoing renovations and temporarily uninhabitable, Yun Xiguang planned to stay in the school dormitory for a few days. However, Wu Ailang suggested that since they needed to catch up on lessons, Yun Xiguang should teach him some knowledge not covered in school, and it shouldn’t be learned by others. He recommended that Yun Xiguang stay at his house.

Wu Ailang convinced Yun Xiguang using the argument that his private tutors always included room and board. Yun Xiguang packed his essentials and moved lightly into Wu Ailang’s villa.

Yes, he lived alone.

Due to the confidentiality of the Spiritbond Master identity, after students obtained their spirit beasts and became Spiritbond Masters, they were monitored by the Spiritbond Master Association and prohibited from revealing the secrets of spirit beasts.

Once the secret was disclosed, whether intentionally or accidentally, their pact roots would be destroyed, their spirit beasts taken away, and they would be expelled from the Spiritbond World. The memory of the Spiritbond Master who disclosed the secret and anyone who knew the secret would be erased by specialized personnel.

Only individuals like Wu’s father, who had official permission, were qualified to know the secrets of spirit beasts. If Wu Ailang hadn’t become a Spiritbond Master during this Awakening Festival, both Wu Ailang and his father’s memories regarding Spiritbond Masters would have been erased.

As for the sunglasses-wearing bodyguard who had taken care of Wu Ailang when he first enrolled, he was a hired Grade C Spiritbond Master from the Spiritbond Master Association. These individuals had achieved little in the Spiritbond World but had the advantage of having clearance. They earned decent income doing odd jobs like this.

After Wu Ailang formed a pact with the snow wolf, the villa staff would be replaced by people from the Spiritbond Master Association. However, Wu Ailang, who was in the midst of a prolonged rebellious phase and eager to escape his parents’ protection, dismissed all the staff, claiming he could manage the villa himself.

Without staff, Yun Xiguang also felt at ease. As for the temporary accommodation rent, he decided to offset it by helping Wu Ailang clean the villa. The tutoring fees were meant to cover the renovation costs, and each thing was separate. Yun Xiguang never owed anyone favors.

It was precisely because they lived together that Yun Xiguang immediately learned that Wu Ailang’s internship application had been approved, while his remained unanswered.

After waiting a day without news, as it concerned his plans, Yun Xiguang grew somewhat anxious and sent a message to Ji Xuan, inquiring about the specifics.

Ji Xuan, who received the message, had his feet propped up on Li Zheng’s desk and tossed the phone in front of Li Zheng, pointing to Yun Xiguang’s message. “At least give him a clear answer. The kid is waiting. If you don’t want to keep him, our school can still have him intern in the school library. Don’t delay the child’s education.”

Li Zheng gave Ji Xuan a dismissive glance and retorted bluntly, “Didn’t you want him to attend a regular university? I’m holding his internship application until the last hour before rejecting it, so he won’t have time to find an internship unit. He’ll have no choice but to obediently take the college entrance exam. Isn’t that better?”

“Do you have the heart to watch him lead an ordinary life?” Ji Xuan asked.

“Isn’t that what you hoped for?” Li Zheng said meaningfully. “Before the graduation ceremony, when you manifested the Beast Avatar, were you really unsure of whose advice to follow, or did you use this method to force Bai Ze to act, changing the rules to prevent Yun Xiguang from becoming a Spiritbond Master?”

Ji Xuan replied, “Of course, I was just being indecisive as usual.”

Li Zheng said, “Three years ago, when you supported the Special Affairs Bureau in handling a case, you activated Square Inch Land through ‘Dimensional Domain’ when the Spiritbond Master controlled ten hostages. No one made you feel conflicted then.

“You can absolutely master ‘Dimensional Domain,’ yet you insist on disguising it as a passive ability. Are you trying to hide your true strength?”

Ji Xuan lowered his feet from the desk and flashed a polite smile at Li Zheng. “I naturally can’t control ‘Dimensional Domain.’ It’s just a passive skill. Director Li, you’re overthinking things.”

“Just consider it overthinking,” Li Zheng said. “Yun Xiguang cannot go to the Field Operations Group.”

“This year, seven students applied to intern at the Special Affairs Bureau. You approved the applications of the other six. Why are you specifically blocking Yun Xiguang? He’s a sensible child, and I believe in his choices.” Ji Xuan said. “I know you also care about him. Why aren’t you willing to give this child a hand?”

“I am helping him!” Li Zheng slammed the table and exclaimed. “If I wasn’t helping him, I would have approved his internship application long ago! Do you know? On the second day of the temporary sparring, someone secretly approached me, wanting me to keep Yun Xiguang in the Field Operations Group. Someone wants him dead on a mission. Do you understand?”

“Who secretly approached you?” Ji Xuan asked seriously.

“It was someone from the Yun family,” Li Zheng replied.

“The Yun family? They haven’t treated Yun Xiguang well, but they’ve only abandoned him, without any grudges. Why would they harm him?” Ji Xuan wondered.

Yun Xiguang had stayed with the Yun family until he was sixteen. If the Yun family had wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t have survived until now.

Li Zheng sighed. “As his homeroom teacher, don’t you know the situation with your own student? Did you receive Yun Xinglei’s internship application?”

“Not yet,” Ji Xuan replied.

Out of the twenty students, only Yun Xinglei had not submitted an application.

Li Zheng said, “It seems you didn’t know. Just yesterday, the Spiritbond Master Association expelled Grade C Spiritbond Master Yun Xinglei. I received the announcement this morning.”

“Why? Yun Xinglei does indeed have some personality issues, but he hasn’t done anything against the rules. How could he be expelled?” Although he disliked Yun Xinglei, he had taught him for so many years, and Ji Xuan felt uncomfortable hearing this news.

“On that day, among the eighteen students knocked unconscious by the anomaly, the other seventeen merely had their energy drained and would recover after a few days of rest. As for Yun Xinglei…” Li Zheng took out a report from the file folder and handed it to Ji Xuan. “The human-faced owl died instantly, and Yun Xinglei had a burn mark on his forehead. After medical examination, it was determined that his spirit root had been burned by suspected Heavenly Fire or True Sun Fire, rendering him unable to become a Spiritbond Master again.”

Ji Xuan read the report in detail and asked, puzzled, “Bai Ze firmly stated that the anomaly that day had nothing to do with the little spirit bird, that Yun Xiguang was just acting and lying. And based on my understanding of Yun Xiguang, he might openly break Yun Xinglei’s leg, but he would never do something as underhanded as secretly injuring someone.”

After the sparring, everyone who was informed received a message from Bai Ze. Bai Ze indicated that the nine streams of aura indeed flew in nine directions, and the little spirit bird definitely did not inherit these nine streams of aura. However, the anomaly that day was indeed related to the nine streams of aura.

The anomaly was caused by True Sun Fire from outer space, attracted and summoned to the Zhuzhao Academy for some reason. Bai Ze believed that the nine streams of aura were not auspicious signs; they would bring destruction and disaster. The anomaly that day occurred because the spirit beast tamed by a certain student carried the scent of the aura, attracting the disaster.

As for why only Yun Xiguang and Wu Ailang escaped unscathed, it was simply because they were standing the farthest from the eighteen people at that time, thus avoiding the disaster.

“I believe the most plausible explanation for this incident is that Yun Xinglei’s human-faced owl was the spirit beast tainted by the aura, attracting the disaster. It was the source of the summoning, unable to withstand the power of True Sun Fire and died. Yun Xinglei, who had formed a contract with it, was also severely injured as a result. As for the other seventeen students, they were affected by the human-faced owl’s ability at that time, which formed a connection, and that is why they were affected by the disaster,” Ji Xuan said.

“Zhuzhao Academy, the Spiritbond Master Association, and the Special Affairs Bureau share the same thoughts as you, but the Yun family doesn’t see it that way. In the minds of these noble families, the clan is more important than the country, and the clan is more important than the world. Regardless of whether Yun Xiguang attacked Yun Xinglei or not, the fact that they are enemies is already established. The Yun family doesn’t tolerate enemies or potential threats. If I assign Yun Xiguang to the Field Operations Group, he’ll be dead within seven days,” Li Zheng shook his head, utterly disapproving of the Yun family’s actions.

Ji Xuan no longer argued with Li Zheng and sat down, saying, “What can we do then? Yun Xiguang won’t give up.”

Li Zheng held Yun Xiguang’s internship application form and said, “For now, the only option is to temporarily protect him. If he has a way to grow stronger, he can become stronger regardless of where he is.”

Thus, Li Zheng signed Yun Xiguang’s internship form.

Looking at the position Li Zheng chose, Ji Xuan also said helplessly, “This position is indeed the safest one currently.”

Soon, Yun Xiguang received his internship transfer letter.

The Special Affairs Bureau had assigned him to the Records Department.