Mingzhu University, Qingdou Hall

Mingzhu University, Qingdou Hall.

Cheng Xiaoyu stood in the section reserved for the Shadow students, both arms resting on the railing as he lazily watched the Beast Fighting Competition below and let out a sigh.

He'd thought it would be easy to obtain the other two materials in Demon City. But after taking over three more areas and killing their bosses, he still hadn't gotten any materials. The remaining areas were all marked as too high-level to enter, so he'd had no choice but to leave for now.

As expected, rare materials really weren't easy to come by. The road to saving his mother was long indeed!

Still, he hadn't come away empty-handed. Killing the bosses had earned him some more items, much like equipment in a game. They didn't show when worn, but increased his stats, and their effects were quite impressive.

The most important item was the one dropped by the Giant Demon. It was called the Greed Orb, and carrying it doubled the power of his magic.

But it wasn't much use to him right now. Neither of his two Elements was particularly powerful in terms of destructive magic. If he awakened the Lightning Element or Fire Element at the Advanced Level, that would be another matter...

"Are you... Brother Xiaoyu?"

A delighted voice suddenly rang out. Cheng Xiaoyu turned and saw his younger sister's classmates, Mu Nujiao and Aitutu.

The two wore Mingzhu University uniforms. Their exquisite features and shapely figures looked as though they'd been sculpted.

Beneath their pleated skirts, long, snowy-white legs were wrapped in black thigh-high stockings, showcasing their perfect shape.

The other pair wore knee-high socks that concealed their delicate calves, leaving their smooth, rounded thighs exposed.

The tapping of their little leather shoes never failed to tug at a man's heartstrings.

"So it's you two! Welcome to Mingzhu University... There was another one named Tingting, right?"

"Yeah, she joined the Healing Element. It's a shame Xinxia didn't come to Mingzhu University with us. I wonder how she's doing at Zhejiang Academy."

"Don't worry. I pulled a few strings, so Xinxia can take good care of herself."

Her teacher had personally called, and the president of Zhejiang Academy had made arrangements for Ye Xinxia. Her roommates were all kind and reliable girls, so they'd surely look after her in everyday life.

Besides, after using the Repair Potion for three years, her legs had almost fully recovered. She'd probably be able to give up her Wheelchair for good next year.

"That's great!"

Aitutu clapped her hands happily, and Mu Nujiao breathed a sigh of relief. She figured Cheng Xiaoyu must have asked President Xiao for help, then asked, "Brother Xiaoyu, are you going to join the Beast Fighting Competition today?"

"Heh, I'm already a Main Campus student. I'm just here to watch the fun."

Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head. He'd mainly learned from President Xiao that this year's freshmen included a genius who was Naturally Dual-System. That was how he'd found out it was Mo Fan, so he'd come to see how far the guy had progressed in his cultivation.

He'd chosen to spend an extra year building his foundation before taking the university entrance exam. Now, after reaching the Intermediate Level, he was cultivating four Elements at once, without any powerful faction backing him. Could he really keep up?

If President Xiao hadn't told him himself, Cheng Xiaoyu wouldn't have believed anyone at the Intermediate Level could possess four Elements. But strange things had happened to him too, so he wasn't all that surprised...

After watching the entire Beast Fighting Competition, Cheng Xiaoyu was baffled by how Mo Fan cultivated. The guy must have had some kind of fortuitous opportunity.

After comforting Mu Nujiao, whose last hope had fallen short, he left Qingdou Hall and went home.

Looking at the cold, empty apartment, Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't help sighing. He planned to visit his younger sister in Hangcheng during the break, then threw himself into meditation.

"Brother Xiaoyu, come quick! We've got a case."

Following Leng Lingling's location, Cheng Xiaoyu reached the roof of a building in a residential complex. The little girl was sitting on the edge, swinging her White Silk-covered legs. He grumbled as he lifted her down.

"Hey, my train ticket's for tomorrow. You really know how to make me run around."

"Hmph, I don't care. You left me out the last few times."

"Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

Leng Lingling attacked Cheng Xiaoyu with her twin ponytails, then explained what had happened that day.

After hearing her out, Cheng Xiaoyu nodded, more or less understanding the situation.

"Bad news! That woman's starting to shed her skin, Brother Xiaoyu!"

"I know."

Without hesitation, he leaped straight off the roof and melted into the darkness.

When he reached the garden, he immediately spotted a humanoid monster.

A woman covered in green scales had taken on a grotesque form. Her claws were razor-sharp, her mouth several times larger than a normal person's, and her teeth were pointed. Her long tongue reached all the way down to her neck, and her pupils gleamed a blood-red light.

When the Scale-skinned Mother Demon saw a human, she gave a greedy smile, as if she'd spotted a delicious prey.

[Skill: Killing Intent]

Cheng Xiaoyu let out a cold snort, his eyes brimming with hostility as a thick wave of Killing Intent surged toward the Scale-skinned Mother Demon.

The Scale-skinned Mother Demon shuddered, staring at Cheng Xiaoyu in terror. It couldn't believe it was afraid of a human. The figure before it seemed like some terrifying being!

The next second, the human vanished from where he stood. The demon felt pain erupt all over its body and let out a miserable scream.

The scream cut off abruptly. Slashes appeared across the Scale-skinned Mother Demon's body, and its scales fell away as if it were being skinned. A naked woman, her body covered in mucus, appeared and collapsed helplessly onto the grass.

Then a faint, blue firefly-like speck drifted slowly out of the corpse and obediently floated into Cheng Xiaoyu's palm.

A Commander Level essence. Looks like I'm in luck today...

He tossed the essence into the shadow on the ground. Things like Remnant Souls and essences could be fed to the Shadow Legion. Aside from taking them out to hunt Demon Beasts, feeding them these should be the fastest way to improve them.

Leng Lingling's voice came through his earpiece, sounding especially anxious.

"Brother Xiaoyu, the man in the bedroom was about to shed his skin, but now he seems to have suddenly passed out."

"It's fine. I killed the Mother Demon. The couple were probably both infected, so the commission should be complete."

Cheng Xiaoyu took a blanket from his Spatial Ring, wrapped it around the woman's naked body, and carried her away.

After collecting his share of the payment, he didn't stay long in Modu. He headed straight for Hangcheng.

Though his teacher had asked him to look after his sister, life outside school was another matter. Cheng Xiaoyu knew Tang Yue and Leng Qing both worked in Hangcheng, so he asked them to keep an eye on her whenever they had time.

Sigh. Little sis, your brother's gone to a lot of trouble for you. It's hard to repay all these favors...

When winter break arrived, Cheng Xiaoyu brought Ye Xinxia home, and the siblings celebrated the New Year together.

As it happened, once the first semester's requirement to live on campus ended, Mu Nujiao and Aitutu rented an apartment next door. Bai Tingting moved in with them too.

That meant Ye Xinxia wouldn't lack for company, which was a relief to Cheng Xiaoyu. What good classmates they were.

What good classmates they were, going out of their way to move in next door to my family. It's fine when I'm home, but once I go back to school, won't that leave just my older brother at home with them!

Ye Xinxia seemed happy on the surface, but inside she felt awful.

Damn it, I'm such a useless little sister...