Chapter 59:
"Teacher, this blue skill book can summon rock walls to block and attack enemies. It's not suited for me, so I'll pass it on to you."
Tang San was eager to strengthen Yu Xiaogang. Clearing dungeons alone was difficult, but with a partner, efficiency increased—whether it was tracking monster lairs or dividing the workload.
Yu Xiaogang hesitated. He hadn't contributed much to defeating the boss, yet he was being offered the most valuable skill book. As Tang San's teacher, he couldn't bring himself to accept it so easily.
After a brief pause, he said, "Keep it for now. If the opportunity arises, you can trade it for something more useful to you. As for me, don't worry. I recently contacted an old friend—a Seventh Ring Soul Saint. He'll be visiting me soon, and I'll attempt to transcribe some of his skills using the File Scholar's ability."
Yu Xiaogang had great confidence in his research abilities. In the past three months, he had successfully replicated two of Luo Sanpao's skills. Though he rarely used them, it was still a promising start.
Seeing his teacher's firm stance, Tang San didn't press the matter. After a short rest, he gathered his strength and went to handle the pangolin boss's corpse, along with the dozen or so white and green items it had dropped.
They had no intention of staying overnight in the underground city. After packing up, they made their way back to the surface.
To save time, Tang San continued meditating to refine his soul power while resting. That way, he wouldn't need to train separately upon returning to Notting Academy.
As night fell, the red sunset faded, leaving only a sliver of light on the horizon. After some thought, Tang San decided to head to the blacksmith shop overnight, hoping to borrow a forging bench to process the pangolin scales.
Before leaving the academy, he caught the scent of roasting meat drifting through the air.
His stomach growled. Pausing slightly, he glanced toward the back garden before pulling out some dry rations from the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges and eating as he walked away from Notting Academy.
---
In the back garden, Ying Tian let out a satisfied burp before landing on the ground.
Lin Bai lounged on the dragon's back, looking at ease. "I'm stuffed. Xiao Wu, clean up after the meal."
He issued the command as if it were only natural.
"You—!" Xiao Wu clenched her teeth, itching to take a bite out of him.
Only then did she remember her agreement to serve as Lin Bai's maid. She had been so focused on leveling up that she had nearly forgotten.
Neither Lin Bai nor Xiao Wu had mentioned this arrangement to Zhu Zhuqing. So, when Zhu Zhuqing saw Xiao Wu—who was usually so mischievous—obediently tidying up the cooking utensils, gathering the used spices, and even cleaning up the trash, she was perplexed.
It was a messy effort, but at least the place ended up clean.
Just as Xiao Wu was about to feel proud of herself—
Ying Tian flicked his dragon tail, shaking off grease in all directions. Caught off guard, Xiao Wu found herself drenched in fragrant oil, mixed with expensive spiritual plant spices, as if she were being marinated for flavor.
"Ying Tian! Look what you did!"
Xiao Wu bared her teeth and claws, lunging at Ying Tian with punches and kicks.
"Hmm~"
Ying Tian let out a comfortable hum, curling up like a giant caterpillar as Xiao Wu's fists bounced harmlessly off him. He seemed to enjoy the vibrations.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu huffed in frustration and stopped her pointless assault. Instead, she turned to Lin Bai. "You need to control Ying Tian! He's always pretending to be innocent while finding new ways to mess with me!"
Lin Bai lazily lifted his eyelids. "If you didn't tease him first, he wouldn't react. Besides, Xiaotian is just a three-month-old baby—stop bullying him."
"Yeah, right. A 'baby' that's over five meters long."
Xiao Wu rolled her eyes, giving up against the duo's shameless teamwork. She threw down the broom and dragged Zhu Zhuqing away in exasperation.
Lin Bai remained unfazed. Nudging Ying Tian with his head, he said, "Since you annoyed Xiao Wu, you're cleaning up the mess."
"Hmm~"
Ying Tian let out a pitiful whine, trying to act cute.
Lin Bai didn't budge. "Hurry up. If you leave it, the smell will get worse later."
Realizing his act wasn't working, Ying Tian reluctantly used telekinesis to clean up the grease and scraps. After all, barbecuing in the academy garden was already pushing it—they had to clean up afterward.
Lin Bai closed his eyes, making no effort to help.
He trained hard, not just to grow stronger, but also to make life easier for himself.
As the moon rose, dew glistened on Ying Tian's dragon scales. Both he and Lin Bai had extraordinary physiques, indifferent to cold or heat, and slept soundly through the night.
---
At dawn, Lin Bai gathered Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu for their daily training.
Their soul power flowed in harmony with the earth's evil energy, circulating between Lin Bai and the two women—though he trained with them separately.
As for Ying Tian, Lin Bai didn't let him cultivate soul power. Dragons already had long lifespans; there was no need for him to take the soul beast route and face bottlenecks. After all, a hundred-thousand-year lifespan was nothing special for a true dragon.
After training, Lin Bai intended to head to the seventh-floor dungeon for monster hunting. But before reaching the academy gates, he spotted Dai Mubai and his group entering, curiously surveying Notting Academy.
"Why are they here?" Lin Bai murmured.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. If Dai Mubai had come alone, she might have assumed he was looking for her. But given the entire group's presence, that was unlikely.
With their sharp eyesight, Dai Mubai quickly noticed Zhu Zhuqing. His eyes lit up, and after whispering something to a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he strode forward.
"Zhu Zhuqing, we meet again."
He knew she wasn't happy to see him, but he maintained his refined demeanor, quite different from when he was with Ma Hongjun.
Not bothering with small talk, he explained his reason for coming. "We have a friend studying at Notting Academy. Are you students here? Do you know where a teacher known as 'Master' lives?"
Yu Xiaogang's self-proclaimed title was often the subject of mockery among Notting Academy's students. Zhu Zhuqing had heard of it and didn't hold back. She spotted Tang San returning from outside the academy and pointed at him.
"That's Tang San. His teacher is the one you're looking for. Ask him."
Tang San's senses were sharp. Hearing his name, he turned around. Despite having stayed up all night forging thousands of pangolin scales, he didn't look exhausted. Instead, he was in high spirits, having pushed his limits and broken through to level 20.
Dai Mubai glanced at Tang San, then at the striking figures of Lin Bai and the others, momentarily puzzled. When he first saw Lin Bai's group, he assumed one of them must be the disciple of Dean Flanders' old friend. But apparently not.
If even such a talented student hadn't been taken in, Dai Mubai's expectations for the so-called "Master" immediately lowered.
"Thanks for the information. We'll be staying at Notting Academy for a while. Let's explore the dungeon together sometime."
With that, he approached Tang San to state his purpose.
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