This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Translator's note: So here we are, a classic flea market, just like the ones in any other cultivation stories. Maybe an auction will come next?
“What’s wrong?” Bai Yu nudged me when I didn’t move. “Not used to it? My broom isn’t the newest model, but I just replaced it recently. Don’t you want to give it a try? You know—like you always say. Speed and thrill.”
“I… uh…” I hesitated, then sighed. “Alright, alright. Fine. I won’t hold back then!”
After being teased by Bai Yu one too many times, I finally gave in.
I’d flown outside before during my license assessment, sure—but flying freely, without restrictions? This was my first time.
And this time, I wasn’t alone.
The fact that I’d be carrying Bai Yu with me was something I’d never even dared to imagine before.
I swung my leg over the broom and sat down. The broom immediately began drawing mana from my body—far more aggressively than during practice.
Looks like this model’s an upgrade in performance, but also a mana guzzler. Good thing I already had three mana cores. More than enough to keep us airborne for a long while.
“Bai Yu, are you seated properly?” I glanced back. The rider in the back didn’t get to enjoy the soft, cushioned airflow that the front rider did. I wasn’t sure how comfortable it would be for her.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she replied.
She was sitting sideways, though, and judging from how often she kept adjusting her position… yeah, she was definitely uncomfortable.
“Alright then,” I said with a grin. “We’re taking off~”
I guided the broom into the air. With another person on board, everything felt unfamiliar—I didn’t dare fly too wildly.
“Heh,” I teased. “Not very comfy back there, is it?”
“…Yeah. No built-in seat cushion at all. Kinda hard on the hips. Why didn’t Yuehan tell me sooner?”
“I just assumed it was always like this,” I said helplessly. “Hold on to me—we’re about to speed up~”
The moment I accelerated, we turned into a black streak slicing through the air.
Below us, the newly enrolled students stared up in shock. Sure, seniors flying overhead wasn’t rare—but taking off this close to the ground?
That was new.
And it only fueled their anticipation for the world of transcendence.
After all, who doesn’t dream of flying?
I cast a protective spell around myself to block the fierce wind pressure from high-speed flight. Unfortunately, I couldn’t extend it to others yet—otherwise I would’ve put one on Bai Yu too.
“Yuehan,” Bai Yu said, surprised, “You can already use defensive spells? I was about to tell you to slow down.”
“Yeah. The bakery owner taught me,” I replied casually, still immersed in the rush of speed. “I helped out a bit, so she returned the favor.”
I’d wanted to experience this kind of flight for ages. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
“Bai Yu~ where should we go?” I shouted over the wind. “You pick a direction!”
“Anywhere’s fine,” she laughed. “This way works.”
She’d tossed the decision right back at me.
“Alright then~ I’m landing wherever feels right. If it’s boring, I’m blaming you.”
From above, I scanned the campus. The Academy’s layout was meticulously planned.
The most striking area was the central academic district—the most advanced zone by far. Lecture halls, laboratories, libraries… the heart of the Witch School. The reason it was called an academy at all.
Definitely not the place for fun.
Today was about escaping structure. I steered us away from the formal learning zones, toward the outer areas—somewhere I hadn’t explored yet.
The Witch School was massive, and honestly, I hadn’t unlocked much of its map. My routine had always been too predictable.
As I slowed down, the scenery came into focus.
This place was lively—rows of streets, senior students bustling about, each absorbed in their own business.
It didn’t feel like the first day of school at all.
“Yuehan,” Bai Yu said flatly, “why did you come here? There’s nothing fun around.”
“…Yeah,” I agreed immediately. “This one’s on you, Bai Yu.”
“Okay, okay,” Bai Yu said with a smile, taking the blame without hesitation. “My fault then. In that case, let’s leave quickly. There’s really nothing fun around here.”
“But it looks pretty lively,” I replied, glancing around. “I’ve never been here before. Let’s count it as unlocking a new area. Who knows what they sell here? I might need something like this someday.”
I ignored Bai Yu’s suggestion.
Any place inside the Academy that I hadn’t visited yet was worth coming to.
Especially a bustling, old-fashioned district like this—wandering around here felt like opening blind boxes. You never knew which shop might be hiding something genuinely interesting.
Places like this were usually closer to flea markets: chaotic, cheap, and sometimes—you got lucky.
“This…” Bai Yu hesitated.
“Just walk around with me a bit, okay?” I said softly, dragging out her name. “Bai Yu~”
“…Fine,” she sighed at last, clearly defeated by my tone. “But stay close. Don’t wander off, alright?”
“Hehe~ I won’t.”
Walking deeper into the streets, I felt a mood completely different from the rest of the Academy.
No sleek architecture. No cutting-edge technology.
Instead, it was noisy, cluttered, almost rustic—and somehow comforting.
Vendors lined the road, makeshift stalls propped up under simple canopies. Merchants selling strange goods called out to passersby, their voices overlapping in a chaotic chorus.
“Bai Yu,” I whispered, eyes wide. “Everything here is so weird. What is all this stuff?”
“Most of it is materials that contain traces of transcendence energy,” she explained calmly. “Things that can’t really be used properly. They’re overpriced on purpose—meant to scam freshmen who don’t know any better. Even if you buy them, they’re basically just decorations.”
“Oh…” I kept scanning the stalls, taking in one unfamiliar object after another. “So it’s all like that?”
Seniors occasionally approached us, trying to pitch their goods, but Bai Yu blocked them all effortlessly. Thank goodness she was here—I couldn’t even imagine how many times I’d get talked into buying nonsense otherwise.
Even with the male enrollment subsidy the Academy gave me, it wouldn’t go very far in a place like this.
“Well,” Bai Yu added. “Those things do have other uses—but not at your current stage. If you want souvenirs, you’re better off looking at alchemy items. The ones without practical effects aren’t expensive. They’re fun to play with when you’re bored.”
She led me to a small alchemy shop.
Inside were rows of delicate little objects—gears, crystals, charms, tiny mechanisms. I activated Psi-vision instinctively and saw faint currents of transcendence energy flowing through them.
Definitely alchemical products.
“Hey there, juniors!” A senior student greeted us cheerfully. “Looking for anything? These are all my practice pieces—buy one, get one free. Just charging the material cost. Gotta recover my training expenses, hehe~”
She was surprisingly straightforward, openly admitting these were practice items meant to recoup costs.
Which… actually made her more trustworthy.
At least, it didn’t feel like she was trying to scam us.
I glanced at the shelves again.
…Surely, at this point, she wouldn’t still be trying to trick us, right?