It was a beautiful landscape of peaceful farms and great trees. The grass was green like emeralds and the river that he was walking along was the clearest blue imaginable. Time stood still as he walked under the clear blue sky, his long hair blowing in the wind. It was a place that could only appear in the greatest of-

“Mr Harder. Mr Harder!”

Amidst the wonder, a loud and raspy voice broke into his ears. Cody, who was lying on his desk, suddenly opened his eyes and slowly raised his head. Everything in front of him was a blur but as his consciousness became clearer, his daze receded and his surroundings gradually became clearer.

“Mr Harder, looks like you had a good nap. Congratulation, now get out of my classroom.”

At this moment, the cold voice of his teacher finally registered with Cody. He snapped out of his reverie and saw a stout man with a shaven head and thick powerful arms standing in front of the classroom.

It was his teacher, Mr Oster, and he had a furious expression on his face. Cody realized that none of his classmates were in the classroom and couldn’t help but silently cursed.

Couldn’t someone wake me at the end of the class? Why didn’t anyone call me? I may be at the back of the classroom, but how difficult could that be?

“Mr Harder! I will say this one more time. Stand up and leave my class. I have students who actually want to study coming in!”

Looking at Mr Oster, Cody stood up and immediately apologized.. “Mr Oster! I am sorry sir, I shall leave immediately!”

Mr Oster spared a moment to look at him in disappointment before going back to shuffling the papers on his desk. The classroom had two doors and Cody quickly pick up his school bag and headed to the door at the back of the classroom. It was closer to him, and he did not have to go near Mr Oster.

“Mr Harder, make sure to do the assignment for the weekend.”

Cody turned at his teacher’s voice and looked at the big screen in front of the class. He saw the question.

[Show how machinery and technology are still needed in the Cultivation Age.]

So that’s what the class today was about.

Luckily, Cody was always T&T, when he wasn’t sleeping in class, and knew half a dozen answers to the question. Mr Oster’s Technical & Technology class may not the most popular class in school but Cody was good at it, and there was no doubt in his mind about the need of technology in this world. Essence may have changed the world, improving it tremendously, but the old technological prowess of Homo Sapiens could not be denied and the invention and popularization of cultivation technology was still an integral part of the new age.

This was an easy assignment.

“No problem, Mr Oster. I’ll get right to it once I’m at home.”

It was an absolute lie, and both of them know it. However, Mr Oster didn’t say anything as Cody turned to walk out of the class. The door slide open, Cody walked out, and immediately saw trouble. A group of students was right outside the door, blocking his path.

This day just keeps getting better.

Usually, this was not an issue but Cody know this group of people. They were a clique consisting of the more advance students in the school, and their leader was a lanky tall girl named Jenni.

Jenni was standing in the middle of their group and she always made Cody a bit uneasy. The reason for that was on full display right now. Jenni was lifting another girl in the air with one hand, pinning the poor girl against the wall.

Cody recognized the girl as one of his classmates, Katherine, more commonly known as Kitty. She lived in the suburbs while Cody live in a small town outside Venspur City, and they had been taking the same bus to school for years.

The clique turned to face Cody as the door opened. They were surprised at his presence and Jenni released Kitty. Their looks dared Cody to try something but Cody was no fool. Cody was just a Mortal-One cultivator while most of the clique were at Mortal-Three. Jenni was Novice-One, a rank above everyone here, and a star student of Venspur West Cultivation High. Cody couldn’t help Kitty even if he wanted to.

And he did not.

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Kitty was a classmate, but Cody did not really know her. He wasn’t close to any of his classmates and Kitty was just someone he knows. Cody couldn’t say if he had ever spoken more than ten sentences to her before.

“Turn back, townie.”

Cody did not see the person who said it but it was someone in the clique, and it was good advice. He should turn around and pretend he didn’t see anything. However, there was someone still in the classroom.

“Mr Harder. Why are you still standing there? Don’t you have a class to get to?”

Mr Oster was in the classroom behind him and turning back was not an option. He was in enough trouble with the T&T teacher and between the clique and a teacher, Cody would much rather offend the clique.

Fortunately, most of the clique realized this and a path opened for him. Cody was grateful none of them wanted the attention of a teacher. He walked through.

Then, in a fit of madness, Cody reached out and grabbed his classmate as he walked passed Kitty and Jenni. He grabbed Kitty by her arm and pulled her along as he walked away. Cody noticed the heated glare from Jenni but knew she would not try anything so close to the classroom.

Any reprisal would come later.

They walked away from the clique, went down a floor, and turned a few corners before Kitty stopped. They were alone. Kitty turned and faced Cody with a look on her face that told Cody how stupid she thinks he is.

“Why?”

“Why not?” Cody said after taking a moment to decide his answer. “You look like you needed the help, and I was in the position to do so. So, why not?”

“That may cost you. Jenni may not be willing to let this go.” Kitty warned.

Cody could only shrug. “Nothing I can do about that now. I just did what I wanted to do. And I don’t even know what ‘this’ is. What was that about? I didn’t know you had any dealings with Jenni and her clique.”

“I don’t.”

Kitty’s answer was short. Cody knew he should not probe, it would be safer not to, but he was always a curious bastard.

“I just save you from a beating. A bad one from the looks of it. I think I deserve a bit more than that, don’t you?”

Kitty had an exasperated look on her face, but she did not deny his words. “Fine. Jenni want me to hook up with someone. He is interested in me and is willing to trade resources with her if she could make it happen.”

If Cody had a more expressive face, his eyebrow would have raised at that. Tall, athletic, muscular but still feminine, with long, straight black hair that reached the middle of her back, Kitty was always known to be one of the most beautiful girl in school, but to give cultivation resources just to hook up with a high school student? Cody do not understand why anyone would do something that stupid.

“Why?” Cody blurted out before realizing how that could be taken. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. You’re beautiful and all, but to give resources to bang you…sorry, that’s not the right word. To go out with you seems…well, there are more beautiful women in the city.”

Kitty chuckled at Cody’s attempt of saving himself. There is a reason why no one had ever accused Cody of being a social butterfly. He barely spoke to any girls.

“Jenni is a pimp.”

“What?”

“She is a pimp. She arranged meetings between beautiful girls and men who are willing to pay for these meetings.”

“Oh! In pay, you mean…”

“Cultivation resources. They pay in cultivation resources like Tropic Herbs, Body Cleansing Pills, Mind Improvement Waters, and other stuff of that nature. It’s how Jenni managed to get to Novice-One at sixteen.”

“And she is forcing girls to work for her? Sorry, but I don’t buy that. She’s no idiot. It’s too much of a risk.”

Kitty laughed. “You’re smarter than you look, Cody.”

Cody frowned. That was uncalled for. As a Mortal-One cultivator, Cody knows he did not have a tight muscular body, or the refined look of a scholar, but he kept up with his training and had the fat but strong look of a powerlifter. He did not think he looked that bad.

“Fine. If you really want to know, this is all consensual. All of us are more than willing to work for her. How do you think I got to Mortal-Three?” Kitty finally admitted with a rueful smile.

“Oh!” Cody would like to say he was surprised, he really wasn’t. You do what you have to in order to get ahead in your cultivation. It is a fact of life. “So, why did she do that to you?”

“Because she is holding out on me. On a lot of the girls really. She’s not paying our cut like she is supposed to.”

“Sound stupid. It’s none of my business but that’s no way to run a business. You know why is she doing it?”

“Why else? Jenni want to advance to Novice-Two by the end of the school year. After all, there’s no business to run once we all graduate.”

That make sense to Cody at least. Jenni and Kitty were in the same year as him, and this was their last year in high school. Everyone would be graduating at the end of the year and for a talentless Mortal-One cultivator like Cody, this means entering the workforce. Anyone seeking higher education would need to enter a Sect or join the Cultivation League.

The Cultivation League is really more for cultivators seeking combat work, and no one studying at Venspur West had parents rich enough, or connected enough, to buy a place in the Sects but the Sects are always on the lookout for talent. Most Sects recruit talented young cultivators yearly and the cut-off point was usually the Novice ranks.

Any student who finished high school in the Novice ranks is almost certain to be offered a spot somewhere. The higher the rank, the better the offer, the stronger the Sect, and the difference could be stark. A Novice-One cultivator would start as an office drone in the Sects, working for them in one of the Sect’s many companies while receiving resources to improve their cultivation. A Novice-Two could be on the management track, gaining the Sect’s secret cultivation methods along with improved resources. Jenni could be aiming for that, or pushing for a spot in one of the bigger sects in the region. Kitty could be doing the same.

Cody mentally cursed himself for getting involved.

“This is not just a business dispute, is it? You need the resources to breakthrough to Novice-One, but Jenni would rather you didn’t. Can’t have too many Novices in our year, as it just means more competition.”

Kitty gave him a shrug, all but admitting Cody’s guess.

“Well, I’m late to class. Keep safe, Kitty.” Cody said before walking away. Behind him, Kitty said with a chuckle.

“You mean you’re going to class to sleep in again.”

“Too much excitement for that. And the sass is unwarranted, especially since I just save you from a beating.”

Kitty replied with a laugh and Cody could only shake his head as he walked away. He just had to be a hero.