First Interstellar Guide Chapter 12: Sanctuary

Chapter 12: Sanctuary

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Lu Zexuan arranged for the guide essence matching simply because he suspected that he had smelled Yu Ran’s guide essence before. He never expected that their compatibility would be so high. Generally, anything over 80% was considered excellent, but 98% was beyond exceptional, almost like they were “made for each other.”

However, he finally understood one thing—why he was so sensitive to Yu Ran’s guide essence. Over the years, he had smelled many guide essences, but only Yu Ran’s had left a deep impression on him. Five years later, when he smelled it again, he immediately recognized it. It turned out that the 98% ultra-high compatibility had caused his nose to automatically capture and record Yu Ran’s guide essence the first time he smelled it.

This was the sentinel’s innate keen senses, instinctively searching for a guide that would fit them.

Five years ago, at the graduation ball, was the guide who brushed past him Yu Ran? If so, then everything Yu Ran had said could be false, and even his age of 18 could be a lie!

Lu Zexuan turned to look at Yu Ran, who was clearly startled by the high compatibility rate, looking bewildered and lost. Even the usually calm Yu Ran seemed somewhat troubled. He was making every effort to maintain his expression of confusion, not letting anyone see his agitation. The little white fox also cooperated with its master, curling up into a ball behind him.

Mental energy compatibility could be faked because he had two spirit bodies, allowing him to hide half of his strength by only releasing the little white fox to act. But guide essence couldn’t be faked. It existed in the guide’s blood, and even if all of the blood was drained and replaced, the newly produced blood cells would still carry the unique scent of the guide essence.

A 98% compatibility rate was a rare match made in heaven.

Lu Zexuan already didn’t believe in Yu Ran’s background, and now it became even more difficult!

The matching center was just a “matchmaker,” and the compatibility score was just a reference. The guide association wouldn’t force them to date. Whether they wanted to be together or not depended on the personal wishes of the sentinel and guide.

Of course, Yu Ran could reject Lu Zexuan.

But with a 98% ultra-high compatibility rate and Lu Zexuan being such a good sentinel who also saved Yu Ran’s life, if Yu Ran directly refused at this moment, Lu Zexuan would only become more suspicious.

Yu Ran looked up at him, meeting Lu Zexuan’s deep gaze. The large eagle on his shoulder also stared at Yu Ran curiously, as if asking: What are you going to do next?

He was indeed a bothersome sentinel.

Yu Ran took a deep breath and quickly adjusted his emotions. His cheeks turned red as he lowered his head, feeling embarrassed. “Thank you, General, for your appreciation of me. But I’m only 18 years old, and I still need to continue my studies. I’m not ready for a relationship…” His voice trembled with nervousness. “How about we wait until after I graduate from the Sanctuary to consider this? What do you think?”

The guy in front of him kept his head down, his fingers nervously clenching and unclenching. He looked pitiful and helpless, with his tone, actions, and demeanor perfectly fitting the response of an 18-year-old guide encountering a highly compatible sentinel. What he said made sense; after all, he was still young and hadn’t attended the Sanctuary yet, so it wasn’t appropriate to start a relationship at this time.

—A well-played delaying tactic.

Lu Zexuan chuckled and nodded understandingly. “Alright, you are indeed young. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your studies at the Sanctuary.”

Yu Ran breathed a small sigh of relief.

But the next moment, Lu Zexuan said, “I’ll come to see you often.”

Yu Ran was speechless. You’re really persistent!

Mrs. Joseph finally snapped out of her shock. She looked at Yu Ran and noticed his slightly flushed cheeks as he stood in front of Lu Zexuan, embarrassed and bowing his head. Lu Zexuan, on the other hand, looked at him with a gentle expression.

You know what, these two actually look quite compatible in terms of height and looks!

Mrs. Joseph walked over to Yu Ran with mixed feelings, shielding him subtly behind her, and addressed Lu Zexuan, “General, Yu Ran is still young, and as you know, he just awakened as a guide last month and hasn’t received any primary education at the Sanctuary. He won’t be able to control his mental energy yet.”

Lu Zexuan whispered, “I know. I won’t interfere with his studies.”

Mrs. Joseph smiled and said, “Well then, if there’s nothing else, shall we go to the Sanctuary for registration?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “Sure, I’ll accompany you.”

Mrs. Joseph led Yu Ran onto the floating car from the guide association, with Lu Zexuan driving behind them as an escort.

Inside the car, Mrs. Joseph sat across from Yu Ran, sighed, and asked softly, “Yu Ran, do you have any feelings for Lu Zexuan? If you don’t like him, you really don’t need to force yourself. Even if you clearly reject him, he won’t do anything to you.”

Of course, Yu Ran knew that guides could reject sentinel’s requests for relationships, especially since guides were scarce and had a wider selection pool. But the issue between him and Lu Zexuan wasn’t that simple. Lu Zexuan applied for a match, not because he was infatuated with this C-level guide, but obviously to get closer to him and probe his background.

If Yu Ran rejected him, Lu Zexuan would continue to find other ways to investigate.

It might be better to go with the flow and let Lu Zexuan dispel his doubts as soon as possible.

Yu Ran glanced at the car behind them and scratched his head, saying, “Mrs. Joseph, I have no experience in love, so I don’t know what it feels like to like someone. But I don’t dislike General Lu. He’s a very just soldier who also saved my life. Since our compatibility is so high, I think… why not wait until after graduation to try dating him?”

S-level sentinels had evolved to the extreme in their hearing abilities, allowing Lu Zexuan to hear the conversation between Yu Ran and Mrs. Joseph.

This response should indeed align with the persona of a “naive young guide,” considering that Yu Ran feels a sense of admiration for someone who saved his life. Additionally, because of their high compatibility, he nervously wants to give it a try.

Mrs. Joseph didn’t seem to suspect anything. She smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, “Trying it out is okay. If you two really end up together, I’ll have witnessed a good match.” She paused and continued, “By the way, how much do you know about Lu Zexuan’s family background?”

Yu Ran shook his head. “I’m not too sure. I only know he’s the Captain of the Eagle Special Forces.”

Mrs. Joseph explained, “His father is named Lu Tingyu, a three-star general of the Federation and an S-level sentinel with a golden eagle spirit body. His mother is Jiao Shuo, the dean of the guide medical school at the Federation’s first military academy, also an S-level guide with a red sparrow spirit body. Both of his parents are easygoing; General Lu always asks me to find a partner for his son whenever I see him. Dean Jiao is a very calm person and has trained many excellent medical students. Mohr you met before was also her student.”

Yu Ran pondered this information. Lu Zexuan’s parents were both S-level sentinel and guide. With his father having a raptor spirit body and his mother a bird spirit body, their union gave birth to Lu Zexuan, who inherited the King of the Sky — the eagle spirit body.

Eagles are naturally keen, and Lu Zexuan has even evolved flight abilities with his spirit body. Meeting such an S-level sentinel would indeed bring a lot of trouble to his future tasks. He needed to be careful when dealing with him, especially avoiding meeting his parents; those two seniors were not easy to handle.

The scenery outside the window became increasingly familiar.

Half an hour later, the car finally arrived at the Sanctuary.

Lu Zexuan got out of the car and politely helped Mrs. Joseph and Yu Ran out.

Yu Ran curiously looked at the building in front of him — the Sanctuary, the place responsible for the enlightenment education of sentinels and guides. Located in the suburbs of the capital star, with no human habitation within a radius of two kilometers, it was surrounded by flowers and trees, resembling a quiet and secluded paradise.

For awakened guides in their childhood, they couldn’t understand concepts related to “mental energy” and were easily injured. Similarly, too young sentinels could be easily disturbed by external factors, leading to mental breakdowns. Therefore, older guides would set up mental barriers for young evolvers, temporarily sealing their abilities until they reached the age of 13.

Thirteen years old was also the admission age for the Sanctuary, corresponding to the junior high stage of ordinary humans.

At the age of 13, sentinels and guides would receive two years of education at Sanctuary. Depending on their talents, those with exceptional abilities could complete their studies ahead of time.

After graduating from the Sanctuary, sentinels and guides could choose different majors based on their interests to continue their studies. They didn’t need to take the federation’s unified Academy entrance examination but instead participated in special recruitment exams for sentinel and guide-related professional Academies. The exam content wasn’t the typical cultural courses of high school students but rather various tests related to guide mental energy and sentinel physical senses.

Upon entering the Academy, they would study more cultural courses, with a typical duration of five years.

Lu Zexuan looked at the place where he received enlightenment education — when he attended the Sanctuary, he was only 13 years old. Due to being an S-level sentinel with outstanding talents and exceptional comprehension abilities, he also had excellent control over his senses and physical abilities, completing all the courses at the Sanctuary in just three months and graduating before the age of 14.

If he remembered correctly, there was also an exceptionally outstanding guide student who also graduated from the Sanctuary in just three months. However, at the Sanctuary, sentinels and guides attended separate classes, with a tall, thick barrier separating the Guide Academy from the Sentinel Academy, prohibiting any contact between them.

Lu Zexuan didn’t have a clear memory of what that guide looked like or where he went afterward; he only heard some rumors.

The sudden rush of memories made Lu Zexuan frown slightly. He shook off his thoughts and looked at Yu Ran, saying, “Don’t worry. Although you awakened late, there are advantages to that. Sanctuary’s curriculum is quite challenging for 13-year-old children to understand. You’re already 18 years old and have completed the high school stage of ordinary human education, so you should find it easier to understand.”

Yu Ran nodded earnestly. “Yes, I will study hard.”

Lu Zexuan added, “Then I wish you all the best. I’ll find time to visit you again.” He paused and said, “By the way, can we add each other as friends to keep in touch?”

Although Yu Ran was somewhat unwilling, he still cooperated and opened his communication device to add Lu Zexuan as a friend.

After Lu Zexuan left, Mrs. Joseph led Yu Ran into the Sanctuary.

These days were the New Year, and Sanctuary happened to be on holiday. The Guide Academy was deserted, quiet as if stepping into a church.

Exquisite patterns were carved on the crystal glass on both sides of the white corridor. The design of the roof resembled a winding, glittering star river. In the square, there was a large music fountain, and on the distant tall buildings were clocks reminding students of class times. When it was time for class, melodious bells would resonate throughout the entire Academy.

This was where all guide dreams began.

No matter what profession they would pursue in the future or how many experiences they had, as long as they returned here, they would recall the first time their teachers taught them to control mental energy, the first time they successfully used mental tendrils… everything was so fresh, mysterious, and exciting. They were guides, the most outstanding evolvers among humans.

Mrs. Joseph walked ahead, unaware that the young man behind her was lost in thought, seemingly immersed in memories.