Inside the Lin Estate, Jasper Cole couldn't help asking, "House Lin is packed with experts. Bronze Tier, Rank 5 fighters are everywhere, and even Steward Xu is Bronze Tier, Rank 7. I'm only Bronze Tier, Rank 3. Why pick me as Lady Lin's shadow guard?"
The elderly man chuckled. "You're right. As you are now, you're not qualified to stand in Lin Li's shadow."
Then his smile thinned slightly.
"But I see talent in you. From what I've learned, you only started cultivating a few months ago—yet your willpower is high C-tier. In all of Windcloud City, you're second only to me. That's what I value."
He leaned back, calm as if he were discussing the weather. "I can train you. I'll cover your cultivation resources. If you follow my plan, you'll reach Bronze Tier, Rank 5 by next year."
Bronze Tier, Rank 5… Jasper's mind moved fast. House Lin definitely had pills and materials that could push cultivation forward.
He paused, then looked the old man in the eye. "You're not doing this just so I can become Lin Li's shadow guard. What else do you want?"
The old man gave him a look that said sharp kid. "Correct. I have another purpose."
He tapped a finger lightly on the armrest. "But it benefits you. Two years from now, the Cloudspire Empire's once-every-twenty-years Nether Expedition begins. Each noble house may send one member."
His gaze sharpened. "This generation, the best House Lin has is Lin Li. Unfortunately, that girl refuses to apply herself. So I want you to go in her place."
Jasper blinked. "Me? I'm not even from your house. You're really going to trust me with something like that?"
"Of course I don't trust you." The old man's tone didn't change. "Which is why I prepared this."
He produced an old sheet of parchment. A string of enchanted letters crawled across it like faint embers.
"This is a contract," he said. "Once we sign it, neither of us can break the agreement. I only require one thing from the Nether—Nether wart."
Jasper's eyes widened. "Nether wart… You want to make medicine."
Anyone who knew MC rules understood what that meant. Whether it was potions or pills, Nether wart was the base—stabilizing, binding, letting the properties fuse. Without it, refinement failed from the start.
The old man's expression flickered, briefly annoyed. His information had painted Jasper as some kid from a village barely on its way to becoming a town. Yet Jasper recognized Nether wart instantly.
Still, he nodded. "Yes."
Then he waved a hand as if the matter were simple. "It's difficult, but House Lin will fund your cultivation. In the Nether, everything you obtain is yours—except the Nether wart I asked for."
He huffed like he'd made a terrible compromise. "You've already profited plenty. Don't tell me you're refusing."
Jasper lowered his eyes, acting hesitant.
Inside, he was laughing.
The old man had no idea Jasper carried a system inventory. To him, bringing back Nether wart meant carrying it in a pack with limited space. In reality, Jasper could haul back half the Nether if he survived.
The old man handed the parchment over. "Just push your willpower into it. I've already done my part."
Jasper took it and injected willpower into the parchment.
For a moment, he felt something inside him get pulled out—thin, cold, like a thread being drawn from his chest. It sank into the parchment… then the sensation vanished.
A contract.
The old man rose. "I am Lin Li's grandfather. Since the contract is done, I'll provide your resources."
He walked to a cabinet and pulled out bundles of rare materials and bottles of cultivation pills—most likely purchased at a steep price. He stuffed everything into a pack and handed it to Jasper.
"Enough to carry you to Bronze Tier, Rank 6," he said. "Now come with me. You'll train in the Cultivation Tower."
Jasper slung the pack onto his back and hurried after him.
The old man walked at an easy pace, yet Jasper couldn't gain even half a step. No matter how he pushed, he stayed behind—like an invisible line kept him there.
A movement technique… Jasper thought, frustrated. And of course he won't teach it. He'll only feed me resources. Stingy old man.
They arrived at a tall tower, dozens of meters high.
The old man stopped before it. "Hundreds of years ago, House Lin was considered a second-rate house. Not anymore." He sighed. "Family shame isn't something to brag about. I won't explain."
Jasper froze anyway.
Second-rate houses required Terrestrial Tier experts. First-rate meant Celestial Tier. Third-rate was what House Lin was now—still strong enough to need Arcane Tier backing. As for fourth-rate…
There wasn't even a category for it.
The old man ignored Jasper's reaction. "This tower is a legacy artifact. It can generate enemies based on your strength. It's a Terrestrial Tier treasure."
He glanced at Jasper. "Runes conceal it, so there's no violet glow from the outside. That's one reason House Lin hasn't been swallowed by the other houses. If you hadn't signed the contract, you wouldn't hear a word of this."
He turned to leave. "No more talk. Go in. The tower will provide food automatically."
With that, he stepped out.
The doors closed on their own.
Jasper immediately stored the pack into his system inventory. Safer there. Walking around with a bulging bag was an invitation to get robbed.
The world around him blurred.
Then the training floor shifted.
Ten Bronze Tier, Rank 2 enemies appeared ahead, each carrying an iron saber. They charged.
Jasper snapped out both wrist blades.
He used Twin Assassination five times.
Ten enemies dropped. Their bodies dissolved into smoke and vanished.
Ten minutes later, another wave formed—ten Bronze Tier, Rank 3 saber soldiers.
Jasper handled them the same way. Clean. Efficient. Almost easy.
Fifteen minutes after that, the tower stopped playing nice.
Five Bronze Tier, Rank 4 saber soldiers appeared—along with five Bronze Tier, Rank 4 spear soldiers.
The spearmen kept stabbing in tight rhythm, forcing Jasper to dodge again and again. Each time he tried to slip inside their reach, the saber soldiers cut him back out.
Jasper's body was strong—he'd practiced the Mad War technique—but it wasn't complete. And these were Rank 4 enemies with deeper battle qi reserves. A drawn-out fight favored them.
A spear finally punched through his thigh.
The moment his leg buckled, four more spearpoints drove in.
He endured it—barely—through sheer toughness.
Then the saber soldiers rushed in.
His vision went black.
When Jasper opened his eyes again, he was back at the tower's starting area. A pale ring of light waited nearby—an entry point to continue.
His thigh still ached.
So the pain was real.
Terrestrial Tier treasure, he thought grimly. Of course it is.
He sat down, pulled out a bottle labeled as a mid-grade Bronze Tier cultivation potion, and drank it down in a few gulps.
It was sweet and sour.
The potion warmed his stomach, then spread through him as battle qi. Jasper focused and began refining it. The lingering pain faded as his body stabilized.
If this pace held, Bronze Tier, Rank 5 by next year wasn't a dream.
And with the resources Lin Li's grandfather had given him…
Even Bronze Tier, Rank 6 was within reach.
Three months until "next year."
Plenty of time.