Ye Lingling Unlocks the Shackles

"Lang Lei, where did you get this thing~?" Just then, Elysia's clear and pleasant voice suddenly echoed in Lang Lei's mind, like heavenly music, but it startled him.

However, upon hearing this, Lang Lei's heart stirred. He quickly lowered his head to look at the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in his hand. It was a peculiarly shaped cover, carved with exquisite patterns, looking quite mysterious.

"Hmm? This thing called the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is useful to you?" Lang Lei looked at the name on the tag with some surprise and asked casually.

"I'm not too sure either, I just feel that this thing, like the big green flower that brought you here before, has a strange attraction to me. It feels very peculiar~?" Elysia's voice revealed a hint of curiosity and excitement.

Lang Lei couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, thinking that Elysia was as lively as ever.

"What is this, intuition?" he teased.

"Not at all, it's a beautiful girl's magic~?" Elysia said playfully.

Lang Lei shook his head helplessly, then picked up another item that had been delivered. It was a strange-looking herb, entirely a peculiar purple, with some fine fuzz growing on it.

"And what do you feel about this strange herb?" Lang Lei held the herb up to his eyes, observing it carefully.

Elysia was silent for a moment, then replied, "I don't feel anything special. Is this useful to Lang Lei?"

"Since it's a thank-you gift from the Heaven Dou Empire, they shouldn't send anything useless. They're practically begging to curry favor with us right now," Lang Lei guessed. "Let me see... Snowfall Goose Down Cattail. That's a nice-sounding name, but I don't know how effective it is. It probably won't be as outrageous as I imagine, though. After all, if they're willing to give it away, they'd keep anything too heaven-defying for themselves. But eating it should be enough to raise my Soul Power by one level, right?"

"I've checked it, this herb is fine~?"

"Mm, thanks, Aili."

"Mhm~?"

"It's okay to praise me more~?"

After some playful banter, Lang Lei tidied up all the items.

The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud clearly had an important role for Elysia, so it would undoubtedly be kept. As for the Snowfall Goose Down Cattail, Lang Lei already had a plan – he intended to use it the next time he prepared to absorb a Soul Ring. After all, no one wanted to linger at a bottleneck for too long; that feeling of being stuck in limbo was truly uncomfortable.

Since he had accepted their compensation, Lang Lei felt he should reciprocate. Thus, he decided to continue to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to show them his stance. It could be considered a form of tacit understanding. Although Lang Lei preferred to resolve issues with his fists, over the years, influenced by his surroundings, he had gained some understanding of social dynamics.

The next morning, Lang Lei arrived at the classroom as usual. He noticed that the bloodstains on the podium had vanished without a trace, clearly indicating that Heaven Dou Royal Academy was quite swift and efficient in handling such matters. Since it was still early, there weren't many people in the classroom, only a handful of students. When they saw Lang Lei walk in, many couldn't help but tremble, as if they had seen a terrifying monster, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Lang Lei completely ignored the people around him, as if they didn't exist. Perhaps his previous actions had been too frightening, making these people hesitant to approach him. However, this had no impact on Lang Lei; he hadn't intended to build good relationships with these noble scions anyway.

As he passed a table, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a girl quietly reading a book. She appeared very calm, as if the surrounding commotion had nothing to do with her. She was engrossed in her book, seemingly completely unaware of Lang Lei's arrival.

Lang Lei couldn't help but feel a bit surprised; this girl was so different. Only when he approached her did she slowly look up, nod politely at him, and then return to her book.

Lang Lei wondered to himself, Was this girl not in the classroom that day? Otherwise, why would she be so calm towards me? Just then, Elysia's voice rang out.

"Wow, what a serene beauty~?"

"Elysia, you seem to be more active during the day lately..."

"What's wrong, Lang Lei, you don't like me?"

"Of course not, I just find it a bit strange..."

"Mhm~?"

Since this girl wasn't afraid of him, he might as well sit next to her. It would save him a lot of trouble.

The girl seemed a little surprised that he sat next to her, a ripple appearing in her usually placid eyes.

"Hello, I'm Ye Lingling," the girl said softly, a slight smile curving her lips.

Lang Lei was somewhat surprised. He had expected this girl to ignore him, given how unpleasant things had been that day. However, she had taken the initiative to greet him, which caught him off guard.

"Lang Lei, a pleasure," Lang Lei replied, regaining his composure.

Ye Lingling's initiative somewhat eased Lang Lei's doubts, but he couldn't help but ask, "Classmate Ye Lingling, weren't you here that day?"

Ye Lingling's smile remained on her face, her voice clear and gentle. "If you mean the first day you came, then yes, I was present."

Lang Lei frowned upon hearing this and pressed further, "Then why..."

Ye Lingling seemed to guess Lang Lei's question and interrupted him, explaining, "This kind of thing isn't uncommon among nobles, it's just that the victims are usually commoners. You were at least more reasonable than them; they provoked you first, and then you acted."

Hearing this, a flash of hostility crossed Lang Lei's mind. He hadn't expected these nobles to be so arrogant and overbearing. And as a Sea Ranger, he detested this kind of bullying the most.

Lang Lei's fists clenched unconsciously, his gaze sharpening as if about to spew fire. If it weren't for the constraints of his other identity, he would have already called upon the Snow Empress and Ice Empress to leave none of these scoundrels alive.

Do not bully the weak, do not kill the innocent – this was the bottom line for a Sea Ranger. In other words, as long as this bottom line was not crossed, any means were permissible for a Sea Ranger.

To Lang Lei, were those nobles weak?

Sea Rangers would certainly regulate themselves with their bottom line, but when someone crossed that line, they would already be on the Sea Ranger's hunting list.

Prey, what human rights do they need?

"Classmate Ye Lingling, thank you for the information," Lang Lei nodded and said no more.

Ye Lingling couldn't help but glance at Lang Lei beside her. Had she... said something beneficial to him?

She had a bad feeling about this