Back ho, Sebastian spent so ti with his family at dinner, his father asking about school, his mother fussing over the bandage on his face until Sebastian assured her it was nothing serious.
After dinner, he headed to his room, planning to cultivate for a few hours.
His phone buzzed just as he closed the door.
Incoming Call: Isabelle
Sebastian smiled and answered. "Hey."
"Sebastian!" Isabelle’s voice ca through, warm and slightly breathless. "I heard what happened today. Are you okay? One of my friends said you got attacked?"
"I’m fine," Sebastian assured her. "Just a small cut. Nothing to worry about."
"A small cut? Sebastian, that’s not nothing!" Isabelle sounded genuinely distressed. "Who did it? Why would soone attack you?"
"I don’t know who they were. They wore masks." Sebastian kept his tone calm, soothing. "But it’s over now. Miss Sloane helped , and I’m perfectly safe."
"Still..." Isabelle hesitated. "Can I co see you? Just to make sure you’re really okay?"
Sebastian chuckled softly. "Isabelle, it’s almost eight PM. It’s too late now, the sky darkens early now."
"Then... can we video call? Please? I just want to see your face."
The girl was lovestruck, always trying to find a way to spend more ti with him.
As one of the heroines, Sebastian was naturally not going to say no. She was a beauty, and more importantly, she was useful, constantly giving him rewards. Once she reached 100 affection for him, he’d tie the knot properly. For now, he had to focus on dealing with Ethan.
"Alright," Sebastian agreed. "Give a second."
He switched to video call, positioning the phone so the bandage was visible but not dramatically so.
Isabelle’s face appeared on screen, her eyes imdiately going to the cut above his eyebrow.
"Oh, Sebastian..." Her expression was pained, as if his injury hurt her personally.
"See? I’m fine." Sebastian smiled reassuringly. "It looks worse than it feels."
They talked for about twenty minutes—Isabelle asking questions, Sebastian providing carefully edited answers, both of them just enjoying each other’s company.
Finally, Sebastian said, "I should let you go. It’s getting late."
"Okay," Isabelle said reluctantly. "But Sebastian? Please be careful. I don’t know what I’d do if sothing really happened to you."
"I will. I promise."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Isabelle."
After ending the call, Sebastian set his phone aside and sat down cross-legged on the floor.
Ti to cultivate.
He closed his eyes, focused on his breathing, and began drawing in the thin threads of spiritual energy from the atmosphere.
[2/200]
[3/200]
The progress was steady but slow. The ambient spiritual energy in his room was sparse, making each thread difficult to capture and absorb.
Sebastian continued, losing himself in the rhythm of breathing and energy gathering.
[5/200]
[6/200]
He reached for one of the Spirit Gathering Incense sticks and lit it, placing it in the holder on his desk. The familiar fragrant smoke began to rise, imdiately making the spiritual energy in the room slightly more concentrated.
Sebastian sat back down and resud cultivation, feeling the difference imdiately. The threads of spiritual energy were slightly thicker, easier to grasp.
...
[14/200]
Sebastian opened his eyes, rolling his shoulders. His body felt stiff from sitting in one position for so long.
[Current Progress: 25/200]
After another hour with the incense burning, Sebastian finally stopped for the night.
Twenty-five percent progress toward Spirit Apprentice Level 2. Not bad for a few hours of work, especially with the incense boost.
Sebastian stood up, stretching his muscles. His body felt energized rather than tired, one of the benefits of cultivation was that it refreshed the body even as it strengthened it.
He checked the ti, it was late, but not unreasonably so.
Sebastian pulled up his status to review his progress.
===Status===
Host: Sebastian Fairfax
Combat Power: 187 (Average human: 100)
Villain Points: 1,750
Villain Halo: 415
Luck: E
Charm: E
→ Skills: Silver Tongue
→ Inventory: Spirit Gathering Incense (x6), Teacher’s Appreciation Gift Set
→ Assets: $850,000, 7% equity stake in Bella Vista
→ Cultivation: Spirit Apprentice Level 1 [25/200]
Solid progress across the board.
His Villain Halo had surpassed 400, his relationships with both heroines were developing well, and his cultivation was advancing steadily.
anwhile, Ethan was spiraling—reputation destroyed, heroines slipping away, protagonist halo declining.
Sebastian changed into sleepwear and climbed into bed, but his mind was already planning tomorrow’s moves.
He needed to continue monitoring Ethan’s movents through his lackeys, plan his approach for the first tutoring session next week and decide what to buy from the Exchange Mall with his remaining Villain Points
’Should I save up for the Mid-Level Cultivation Manual?’ Sebastian wondered. ’Or invest in more imdiate power-ups?’
The manual cost 2,500 points, and he currently had 1,750. Just 750 more points and he could upgrade his cultivation speed significantly.
’I’ll wait and see what opportunities co up,’ Sebastian decided. ’No point forcing things when I’m already winning.’
He closed his eyes, the faint scent of incense still lingering in the air.
Tomorrow would be another good day.
He could feel it.
The next day arrived, and Sebastian stepped out of his limousine at the school gates.
Imdiately, heads turned.
Students stared as he walked past, their eyes drawn to the bandage above his eyebrow. Whispers followed in his wake.
"That’s Sebastian Fairfax..."
"I heard he got jumped by three guys..."
"Yeah, I saw the video. It was brutal..."
"But he’s walking around like nothing happened. That’s pretty badass..."
"I wonder who did it..."
The attention was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it painted him as a victim. On the other, being beaten—even by three masked attackers—could damage his reputation as soone powerful and untouchable.
It was a small price to pay for getting close to Alia, but Sebastian wasn’t going to let the narrative stay as "the rich kid who got jumped."
He needed to control the story.
So Sebastian had a plan to fix his reputation.
During the first break, Sebastian approached two students.
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