Mingzhu University, Qingdou Hall.
Cheng Xiaoyu stood in the Shadow students' section, leaning both arms on the railing as he lazily watched the arena below and sighed.
He'd thought it would be easy to obtain the other two materials in Demon City. But after conquering three more areas and killing their bosses, he still hadn't gotten any materials. The remaining areas were marked as inaccessible due to his insufficient level, so he'd had no choice but to leave for now.
As expected, rare materials really were hard to come by. The road to saving his mother was long and arduous!
Still, it hadn't been a wasted trip. He'd gotten some more items from the bosses, rather like equipment in a game. They didn't show when worn, but they boosted his stats, and their effects were impressive.
Most importantly, the item dropped by the Giant Demon was called the Greed Orb. Carrying it could double the power of his magic.
But it wasn't much use to him right now. Neither of his two Elements was suited to powerful Destructive Magic. It would be a different story if he awakened the Lightning Element or Fire Element at the Advanced Level...
"Are you... Brother Xiaoyu?"
A delighted voice suddenly called out. Cheng Xiaoyu turned and saw his younger sister's classmates, Mu Nujiao and Aitutu.
The two wore Mingzhu University uniforms. Their exquisite faces and graceful, curvaceous figures looked as though they'd been sculpted.
Below their pleated skirts were long, snow-white legs, wrapped in black thigh-high stockings that showed off their perfect shape.
The other pair wore knee-high socks, covering their delicate calves while revealing smooth, rounded thighs.
The tap of their little leather shoes was enough to tug at any man's heartstrings.
"So it's you two. Welcome to Mingzhu University... Oh, there was another one called 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 care of herself."
Her teacher had called personally, and the dean of Zhejiang Academy had made arrangements for Ye Xinxia, too. Her roommates were kind and reliable girls, so they'd surely look after her.
Besides, after using Repair Potion for three years, her legs had nearly 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 let out a sigh of relief. She figured Cheng Xiaoyu had asked President Xiao for help, then asked, "Brother Xiaoyu, are you competing in the Beast Fighting Competition today?"
"Heh, I'm already a student at the Main Campus. I'm just here to watch the excitement."
Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head. He'd mainly come because President Xiao had mentioned that this year's freshmen included a genius who was Naturally Dual-System. That was how he'd learned it was Mo Fan, so he'd come to see how far the guy had gotten in his cultivation.
He'd chosen to spend an extra year preparing before entering university, and after reaching Intermediate Level, he'd been cultivating four Elements at once. With no powerful backing, could Mo Fan really keep up?
If President Xiao hadn't told him himself, Cheng Xiaoyu wouldn't have believed anyone could possess four Elements at Intermediate Level. 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 had cultivated. The guy must have had some sort of opportunity.
After comforting Mu Nujiao, whose hopes had rested on her as the last competitor, he left Qingdou Hall and went home.
Looking around the empty apartment, Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't help sighing. He decided he'd visit his sister in Hangcheng over the holiday, then threw himself into meditation.
"Brother Xiaoyu, come quick! We've got a job."
Following Leng Lingling's location pin, Cheng Xiaoyu reached the roof of an apartment building. The girl was sitting on the edge, swinging her White Silk-covered legs. He scowled and lifted her down.
"Ugh, I've got a train ticket for tomorrow. You sure know how to order people around."
"Hmph, I don't care. You never let me come along before."
"Don't you have school?"
Leng Lingling attacked Cheng Xiaoyu with her twin ponytails, then explained what had happened that day.
Hearing her out, Cheng Xiaoyu nodded. He more or less understood the situation.
"Something's wrong! That woman's starting to shed her skin, Brother Xiaoyu!"
"I know."
Without hesitation, he leaped straight off the roof and vanished into the darkness.
When he reached the garden, he immediately spotted a humanoid monster.
The woman-shaped creature was covered in green scales, and her appearance was grotesque. Her claws were razor-sharp; her mouth was several times larger than a normal person's, with pointed teeth and a long tongue that reached down to her neck. Her pupils glowed a blood-red.
When the Scale-skinned Mother Demon saw a human, it gave a greedy smile, as though it had found a delicious meal.
[Skill: Killing Intent]
Cheng Xiaoyu snorted, his eyes cold. A wave of intense Killing Intent surged toward the Scale-skinned Mother Demon.
The creature 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. Pain erupted throughout its body, and it let out a miserable scream.
The scream cut off abruptly. Slashes appeared across the Scale-skinned Mother Demon, and its scales fell away as if it were being skinned. A naked woman, covered in slime, was revealed and collapsed helplessly onto the grass.
Then a tiny, blue firefly-like speck slowly drifted out of the corpse and obediently floated into Cheng Xiaoyu's palm.
A Commander Level Essence. My luck seems pretty good 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 to hunt Demon Beasts, this was probably the fastest way to help them grow.
Leng Lingling's voice came through the earpiece, sounding especially anxious.
"Brother Xiaoyu, the man in the bedroom was about to shed his skin, but now he seems to have fainted."
"It's fine. I killed the Mother Demon. The couple were both probably infected, so the job's done."
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 in Modu. He headed straight for Hangcheng.
Although his teacher had asked people to look after her, life outside school was another matter. Cheng Xiaoyu knew Tang Yue and Leng Qing both worked in Hangcheng, so he asked them to check on his sister whenever they had time.
Sigh, little sister... I've done so much for you. These favors won't be easy to repay...
When winter break arrived, Cheng Xiaoyu brought Ye Xinxia back, and the siblings spent the New Year together.
As it happened, once their first semester of mandatory dorm life was over, 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 reassured Cheng Xiaoyu. They really were good classmates.
They really were good classmates—they'd gone out of their way to move in next door to my family. It wasn't a problem when I was home, but once I went back to school, wouldn't that leave only my brother at home?!
Ye Xinxia looked happy on the surface, but she was already feeling miserable inside.
Damn it, I really am a useless little sister...
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