At the association office, Li Yun smiled as she put away Ji Jue’s application form. “All right. That completes your registration. Please keep an eye on your messages from now on so you don’t miss any notices.”

She slid a card reader across the desk. Now came the painful part. 

When Ji Jue’s trembling fingers finished entering his PIN and a payment notification popped up on his phone, he felt his heart break all over again. He had now learned firsthand that Ember had its own currency, and that the exchange rate against Fedra was absolutely brutal. 

Just like that, 410,000 Fedra vanished from his account, leaving only a pitiful balance behind. It had taken him only a few days to go from getting rich overnight to nearly broke again. His bank balance had risen and crashed like a roller coaster, and Ji Jue felt like he was falling apart with it. 

“There are still a few days before the exam. Make good use of your time and review what you can,”...