The result came as a huge relief to Feng Zhi, and she couldn’t help cheering inwardly.
She also discovered that she could see the Energy Orb’s health.
50/1000
She kept using her Ability until her mana was completely depleted. The Energy Orb’s health had risen to 500/1000.
It seemed that filling an F-rank Energy Orb took two bars of mana. Outside of combat, health and mana regenerated at a rate of 1% per second. That meant she could fill an Ability Fluid Orb in a hundred seconds and earn 500 starcoins.
Feng Zhi couldn’t suppress her smile. Sure enough, becoming a Guide or Sentinel made earning money easy. She’d never even dared to imagine making money this quickly before.
The staff member looked at Feng Zhi, then at the Ability Fluid Orb in front of her, and finally at the information on the screen.
It really did say F-rank, and she had only awakened today. Since when could an F-rank Guide awaken an Ability so quickly?
The staff member asked cautiously, “Miss Guide, are you sure you’re an F-rank Guide? Could the test results be wrong? Would you like us to test you again?”
Feng Zhi thought it over, then nodded. She wanted to know how she had been tested at school, too.
The staff member took her to another room. Inside was the familiar transparent crystal.
Feng Zhi placed her hand on it, but nothing happened.
The staff member frowned and muttered, “Why isn’t it reacting? Could it be broken?”
Feng Zhi remembered something and used Healing on the crystal.
Sure enough, a moment later, the crystal gave off a faint glow, and the words “F-rank Healing” appeared on it.
The staff member stopped in her tracks, still finding it hard to believe. “You really are an F-rank Guide.”
She didn’t know what was going on with Feng Zhi, but the test results couldn’t be wrong. She recorded the information and took Feng Zhi back to the previous room.
She pulled out two boxes and handed them to Feng Zhi. One contained the familiar Ability Fluid Orbs, twenty of them arranged neatly inside.
The other held twenty small items resembling adhesive bandages, though each was no bigger than a fingernail.
Noticing Feng Zhi’s gaze, the staff member explained, “These are for collecting Guide Pheromone. Stick one anywhere on your body, and it’ll automatically collect the Guide Pheromone in your system. It takes about twelve hours to fill one. You’ll get a notification when it’s full.”
Feng Zhi put the items away in her Backpack. “Thank you.”
She was now certain she wasn’t a Guide at all, just an Ordinary Person, so she probably didn’t have Guide Pheromone.
But it didn’t matter. At one Ability Fluid Orb every hundred seconds, she wouldn’t be short on money if she just sold Ability Fluid. After all, as an Ordinary Person, she didn’t need much.
She left the Guide-Sentinel Center and was about to call a car home when someone stopped her.
They were the students from her school who had awakened as Sentinels. Five of them blocked her way.
A thought crossed her mind. Without showing it, she switched on the recording function on her Chip.
“Feng Zhi, since you’re an F-rank Guide, and our Sentinel ranks aren’t that high either, we’re a good match. A Guide can bond with multiple Sentinels. Why not consider bonding with us?”
“Exactly. We’re from the same school, so we know each other well.”
“Guides need Sentinels to protect them. You don’t want to be out on your own, constantly worrying that some mentally unstable Sentinel might abduct you, do you?”
The higher a Sentinel’s Spirit Body Pollution, the more unstable his mind became. And the Guide Pheromone Guides emitted was an irresistible temptation to Sentinels. Those whose minds had become unstable might abduct a Guide and do something terrible to her. That was why Guides usually took Sentinels with them when they went out, for protection.
The five Sentinels closed in, surrounding Feng Zhi.
As they looked at Feng Zhi’s delicate features, their expressions grew more and more heated.
One of them reached out to touch Feng Zhi’s face. “There, be a good girl and bond with us. We’ll be very gentle with you.”
Just as his hand was about to reach her, an enormous force seized his wrist.
Feng Zhi’s wrist was slender, while the Sentinel’s was thick and strong. Yet when her hand closed around it, he couldn’t move at all.
The next moment, a wave of agony shot through the Sentinel’s crotch. He let out a scream, his face instantly turning dark red.
Feng Zhi kicked him away, then quickly pressed the emergency call button.
She raised an eyebrow at the other four Sentinels. “What? Want to find out what it feels like to take a critical hit?”
The four instinctively pressed their legs together. Their faces went pale, and they stared at Feng Zhi as if she were some kind of demon.
They didn’t know much about Feng Zhi. They only knew she was an orphan, pretty, and had ranked first in her studies for years.
Outside of studying at school, she often worked all kinds of part-time jobs, so they hadn’t interacted with Feng Zhi much.
They’d never imagined that this quiet, gentle-looking woman could be like this. They had thought she’d be scared into agreeing.
If they’d known, they never would have picked a fight with Feng Zhi.
In just a few moments, security Sentinels rushed out of the nearby Guide-Sentinel Center.
Feng Zhi showed them the recording.
The security Sentinels quickly assessed the situation.
Harassing a Guide could result in at least a month of detention, depending on the severity of the offense, and would leave a disciplinary record.
The Sentinels went pale and hurriedly turned to Feng Zhi. “Could we pay you and settle this privately?”
“Oh?” Feng Zhi’s eyes shifted. “How much are you planning to pay?”
The Sentinels exchanged glances. “A thousand…”
Feng Zhi frowned. “Hm?”
“N-no, five thousand. We’ll each give you five thousand starcoins.”
Feng Zhi held out the Chip on her wrist. “Pay up.”
A moment later, she received a windfall of twenty-five thousand starcoins.
The four Sentinels helped the injured one to his feet and immediately tried to leave. But then Feng Zhi’s cheerful voice rang out. “All right, officer. I’ve got the money. You can take these Sentinels in now.”
The Sentinels’ faces changed dramatically. “Feng Zhi, what do you mean? We agreed you’d take the money and settle this!”
Feng Zhi gave a soft laugh. “Did I ever agree to that?”
Even the security Sentinels beside her fell silent.
It seemed… Feng Zhi really hadn’t agreed. The Sentinels had made the offer, and Feng Zhi had taken the starcoins, so they’d assumed she’d accepted.
Since Feng Zhi wasn’t settling, the security Sentinels showed no more leniency. They took all five Sentinels away, leaving only the Sentinels’ furious curses and the security officers’ scolding voices in the air.
The unexpected windfall put Feng Zhi in a great mood, so she decided to take a private car home.
She headed off.
Nearby, the window of a hovercar lowered, revealing someone inside.
Beneath his silvery-white hair were striking, exquisite features; his face was deep-set, his lips crimson, lush and splendid as a peony in full bloom.
His silvery foxlike eyes were cool, their outer corners tilted slightly upward, giving him a distant air.
His pupils held Feng Zhi’s retreating figure. Remembering what she had just done, Shen Qingye’s tightly pressed lips curved faintly, and his mood lifted.
He hadn’t expected that a simple trip to this planet to see a friend would let him witness such a scene.
This Guide had a good personality—cunning like him, and quick to repay every slight.