After hearing that, Jiang Chen just thought the other man was joking. He had only been in this world for three years. He hadn't even existed hundreds of years ago!
But this was a world of demonic beasts. Maybe there really was some kind of time tunnel.
Thinking this, Jiang Chen asked:
"Senior Song, is what you said true?"
"Do you think I'd joke about something like that?"
As he spoke, Song Aotian gave a mischievous wink and chuckled to himself.
Jiang Chen hadn't expected Song Aotian, the founder of the academy, to have such a childish side.
It was nothing like the image people had of him.
Song Aotian seemed to know what Jiang Chen was thinking. "It's exhausting, acting serious all the time. I don't actually like it."
"But that's what powerful people are like."
"They stand there without moving, putting on a solemn expression."
"Like they're some great master."
"Actually, when you're like that, you can't laugh when you want to, talk when you want to, or have fun when you want to. It's exhausting. I'm an old man already, and I still can't just be myself!"
"Then when can you stop following me around?"
Having a ghost constantly by his side gave Jiang Chen the creeps, so he asked.
"Staying by your side is the only way I can maintain my soul form. Otherwise, I would've disappeared long ago. I only just woke up, and I'd like to enjoy myself for a while."
Jiang Chen didn't answer. He went straight into his inner world and met Omniscient.
"Omniscient, can you make this ghost disappear?"
Back then, it was with Omniscient's guidance that Jiang Chen had managed to awaken Song Aotian's soul, which had been dormant for hundreds of years.
He had done all that for the super S-Class demonic creature.
Now that the S-Class demonic creature had been eliminated, why was Song Aotian following him?
Omniscient hadn't mentioned this.
"When he wants to leave, he'll leave on his own."
Omniscient had a way to force Song Aotian into the Soul Society, but Jiang Chen wasn't nearly strong enough yet.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen could only agree to let Song Aotian follow him for the time being.
On the way, Jiang Chen moved quickly.
He used Flash Step, moving dozens of times faster than usual.
Song Aotian was curious about Jiang Chen's ability to move great distances in an instant.
After all, if Jiang Chen had already had this ability, he wouldn't have struggled so much against Black Mountain Old Demon.
So he asked, "Little Jiang Chen, did you just awaken this ability?"
"Yes!"
Jiang Chen didn't hide it.
Most people had two or three abilities anyway.
He was exceptionally gifted, so having several abilities wasn't all that strange.
That only made Song Aotian more curious.
Generally, the older you got, the less likely you were to awaken an ability.
After turning eighteen, awakening an ability became much more difficult.
At least, Song Aotian had never encountered anything like it in his era.
This was the first time he'd met someone like Jiang Chen, who could awaken an ability at eighteen.
Thinking this, Song Aotian asked, "Little Jiang Chen, how old were you when you awakened your ability?"
"Eighteen!"
What?!
"So you only awakened your ability recently, and you're already at S-Class?"
As he spoke, Song Aotian couldn't help taking another look at Jiang Chen.
He wondered what kind of monster this guy was, to be so powerful right after awakening his ability.
"We're here!"
Jiang Chen ignored Song Aotian's stare.
Why bother arguing with a ghost?
As he spoke, Jiang Chen walked straight through the entrance.
After asking the server a few questions, he headed toward a private room on the second floor.
"You're meeting someone here for a meal?"
"Yeah. The fatty's probably been waiting so long that he's starving."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen pushed open the door to private room 007 and saw the fatty enjoying his food.
He immediately realized he'd been worrying for nothing.
There was no way someone like the fatty would let himself go hungry.
When the fatty saw Jiang Chen come in, he looked a little embarrassed and wiped his grease-covered hands on the tablecloth.
"Brother Chen, I was just so hungry, so..."
"It's fine. I'm the one who was late. If you were hungry, you should've eaten first. It doesn't bother me!"
As he spoke, Jiang Chen sat down opposite the fatty.
He picked up his chopsticks, ready to eat.
He'd used up a lot of soul power, and the exertion had left him tired and drained of energy.
Eating was one way to replenish his body's energy.
Just as he was about to start, the fatty stopped him. "How could I let Brother Chen eat my leftovers? I ordered another serving ages ago, and I was waiting for you to arrive before having them bring it out."
As he spoke, the fatty clapped his hands and called toward the door, "Bring out the food!"
As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen women wearing elegant qipaos that showed off their long legs walked in on red high heels, carrying dishes.
They set the dishes on the table and said softly, "That's everything. Please enjoy."
Then they gave Jiang Chen and the fatty a slight curtsey and turned to leave.
Looking at the steaming dishes on the table, Jiang Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
Watching Jiang Chen devour the food like a whirlwind, the fatty seriously wondered whether he'd gone three whole days and nights without eating.
"Brother Chen, you've got quite an appetite today!"
The fatty had been watching Jiang Chen for a while and wanted to ask if he was having financial difficulties and needed any help.
He'd said it before, but Jiang Chen had refused.
Jiang Chen had said they were friends, and friends didn't need to talk about that kind of thing.
The fatty was afraid that asking again might hurt Jiang Chen's pride.
But then again, that didn't make sense. Brother Chen had taken care of an S-Class demonic beast and earned hundreds of thousands in prize money. That was more than enough to buy him plenty of food.
So why was he so hungry?
Jiang Chen took a big bite and said to the fatty, "This spring chicken is good. Try some!"
As he spoke, he picked up a chicken leg and handed it to the fatty.
"Don't just watch me eat. You should eat more, too."
Holding the chicken leg, the fatty noticed that the one in Jiang Chen's hand was already nothing but a bone. He asked, "Brother Chen, why did you suddenly get such a huge appetite?"
"My ability takes a lot out of me, so I need food to replenish my energy." Jiang Chen picked up another pig's trotter and started eating.
"Brother Chen, slow down. Don't choke."
The fatty thought Jiang Chen must have used up too much energy dealing with Nie Xiaoqian, so he said, "Then eat more. We can order more if it's not enough."
"Stop eating. Even I'm getting hungry watching you, and I can't have a bite."
Song Aotian watched all this food he'd never gotten to eat when he was alive. He really wanted some, and it was infuriating that he couldn't have any.
"You're a ghost now. You don't have a physical body, so of course you can't eat."
Jiang Chen clearly hadn't been listening to Song Aotian. He continued eating, taking one big mouthful after another.
He felt that the more he ate, the faster his soul power recovered.
Jiang Chen only stopped when he'd eaten so much that his soul power couldn't recover any further.
He looked at the fatty, who'd finished eating long ago, then patted his slightly chubby belly and said, "Fatty, I've got some good news for you."
"I destroyed the Demon's Heart."
What?!
"Brother Chen, did you go to the Ten Thousand Monster Forest?"
"I didn't. The Demon's Heart was inside the Supernatural Ability Academy. Someone ate it and turned into a half-demon, half-human. I found out and took care of them."
"Brother Chen, you're not lying to me, are you?"
"What would I lie to you for? But the crisis facing this city still hasn't been resolved!"
Before you continue