Chapter Ten: Practical Combat Class

Looking at the simple description, Zheng Li couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.

It seemed completely unreliable.

"Forget it. I'll understand once I start cultivating."

"But before that..."

He sent his consciousness into the Sea of Consciousness and immediately saw Xiao Nai.

"You're here."

"Mm. Sorry, Xiao Nai. I'm making you suffer," Zheng Li said apologetically.

"What am I suffering for?" Xiao Nai asked, confused.

"Of course, for making you stay in my Sea of Consciousness. I'll let you out tomorrow during the day."

The Sea of Consciousness wasn't a good place. Generally speaking, it was a vast white space filled with countless points of light, stretching beyond sight.

For a person to stay in a space like that for a long time would undoubtedly be lonely. It might even drive them to a mental breakdown.

He naturally didn't want Xiao Nai to be alone in a place like this.

If only there were a way to change his Sea of Consciousness, to make it like the place Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness had become after he obtained the Blade of Life, when Electrolux used the Blade of Life to help transform it.

That would be great.

"I'm fine staying here," Xiao Nai said calmly.

Zheng Li: "...Xiao Nai, are you hungry?"

"No. I haven't felt hungry at all, so I suppose I won't."

"Mm, all right. I'm going to start cultivating the Spirit Sutra. Keep an eye on things outside for me, Xiao Nai."

"Sure. Don't worry."

After saying goodbye, Zheng Li was about to leave the Sea of Consciousness when Xiao Nai suddenly asked, "Is Ling Nan cute?"

"He's really cute."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"I do..."

Zheng Li realized what he'd said only after answering instinctively.

"Dream Xiaonai!!"

"Xiao Li, shouldn't I be glad you haven't met any cute girls these past few days?" Xiao Nai said coolly, unmoved.

"It wouldn't matter even if I had," Zheng Li said helplessly. "It's not like I'm the sort of person who wants to take every cute person home."

"Not necessarily. Didn't you say you had feelings for him? You're like that with a boy. What would happen if you met a girl?"

Xiao Nai's face was full of disbelief.

Zheng Li: "Feelings my foot! I hadn't finished what I was saying. Do you really think it's possible for me to have feelings for a boy, Xiao Nai?"

Xiao Nai: "Heh."

"..."

Zheng Li was speechless.

Xiao Nai, where was the trust between us?

"Anyway, let Ling Nan serve as a reminder. Don't lose your head every time you see someone cute. Go cultivate."

Zheng Li: "?!"

He, Zheng Li, wasn't that pathetic! Dream Xiaonai, I think you're slandering me!

Of course, he didn't say that out loud. Being stared at by Xiao Nai's calm, emotionless eyes was stressful, okay?

Rather helplessly, he withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness. After making some brief preparations, he silently recited the words, "Use Spirit Sutra."

A very gentle force immediately guided Zheng Li's Soul Power into motion.

Zheng Li knew it was the system's power.

He focused his mind and memorized the Spirit Sutra's circulation route.

He didn't know anything about the body's meridians. Without the system's help, cultivating the Spirit Sutra wouldn't have been easy.

As time passed, Zheng Li's Soul Power completed one cycle along the route of the Spirit Sutra.

After that, an extremely faint glow appeared on his skin, but it vanished again in an instant.

"Was that my imagination?"

Ling Nan was puzzled. Half an hour had passed since Zheng Li started cultivating, but he still hadn't fallen asleep.

Ling Nan had wanted to chat with him, but when he saw that Zheng Li was cultivating, he hadn't disturbed him.

Judging by the half hour it had taken, the first cultivation session of the Spirit Sutra was undoubtedly very slow.

Part of the reason was that the system had deliberately slowed things down, in case Zheng Li failed to memorize the route the first time.

After Zheng Li took over and guided the circulation himself, it sped up.

He cultivated for the entire night.

It wasn't until the next morning that Zheng Li opened his eyes. They were bright and alert, and he was brimming with energy!

Yet he had plenty of questions.

"System, when the Spirit Sutra helps the Heart of Spirit absorb energy, it doesn't just absorb the natural energy of heaven and earth. What are those other strange energies? Why do they turn into another peculiar energy after being absorbed by the Heart of Spirit, then spread out and fuse into every part of my body?"

As mentioned before, after cultivating the Spirit Sutra, the Heart of Spirit had begun radiating energy on its own while also absorbing and transforming energy from the outside world. There was no doubt that this had increased the amount of energy considerably.

However, aside from a significant increase in his cultivation speed, his Soul Power, and the strange energy, Zheng Li hadn't felt anything else.

"It would be better for the host to figure this out for himself. It will benefit his growth. If the host insists on knowing, this system won't refuse to answer."

"Then forget it."

As long as it wasn't harmful, and didn't affect his cultivation, that was enough.

"Zheng Li, are you awake? Let's go have breakfast together. Class is starting after we eat," Ling Nan said excitedly. Starting class also meant he'd get to make more friends.

"Sure. My treat, like I promised last night."

"No problem. I'm always happy when someone treats me to a meal," Ling Nan said with a smile.

Zheng Li turned his head away.

How to put it? He was just cute.

It proved a saying from Zheng Li's world: If someone was that cute, they had to be a boy!

By sheer coincidence, Ling Nan noticed the movement. He immediately understood why Zheng Li had turned away and gave him a teasing look. "What's wrong? Am I so charming you can't resist? Zheng Li, do you like cute girls?"

Ling Nan had seen plenty of people like Zheng Li growing up. Ever since he was little, lots of boys and girls had coveted his good looks.

"No!" Zheng Li denied it.

Could he really be so sure?

"Don't be shy, Zheng Li. I understand," Ling Nan said with a teasing laugh.

"Get lost!"

Zheng Li rolled his eyes at him.

"Still won't admit it..." Ling Nan shook his head with a laugh. "Come on, we don't have much time. Actually, if you were still cultivating, I was about to wake you."

"Okay."

The two walked out of the dormitory side by side.

"Xiao Nai!" Zheng Li called to her with his mind.

"Is it really okay for me to come out?" Xiao Nai asked. There was a hint of worry in her voice.

"It's fine. Just don't let anything slip. If anyone asks, say you're a Spirit of Light," Zheng Li said.

He wasn't worried about anyone probing her. Even if they did, Xiao Nai's essence was still a Martial Soul.

Xiao Nai was silent for a moment before saying, "Forget it. Just let me out to get some air when there's no one around."

"...All right." Zheng Li knew that once Xiao Nai made up her mind, she rarely changed it.

At the cafeteria, Ling Nan didn't hold back. He ordered a meal that cost a little over one Gold Soul Coin, and Zheng Li did the same.

Zheng Li was never stingy when it came to food.

Besides, he was still a "child" and had to grow. He needed proper nutrition.

After breakfast, they passed Shrek Square and entered the fifth classroom on the left on the first floor of the New Student Teaching Building. It was Class Five.

Ling Nan seemed rather excited, though Zheng Li had no idea what he was excited about.

Zheng Li scanned the class. Quite a few students had arrived. When he saw one of them, his pupils suddenly contracted!

Blond hair, twin pupils, handsome, tall and powerfully built, with a cold expression. He sat in the third row, beside a beautiful black-haired girl.

Dai Huabin!

Zheng Li hadn't expected to see him.

Zheng Li had said before that he'd forgotten a lot of the details.

So naturally, he hadn't known Dai Huabin was also a member of Freshman Class Five.

Dai Huabin seemed to notice someone looking at him. He glanced up at Zheng Li, then lowered his eyes again.

Already a Soul Elder at that age, he had his own pride. Although everyone who could enter Shrek Academy was a genius, he didn't pay attention to ordinary geniuses.

Zheng Li and Ling Nan then chose two seats toward the back, naturally sitting together.

But as soon as Ling Nan sat down, he ran off to make friends.

Zheng Li was about to chat with Xiao Nai, but...

The lively-looking girl behind him patted him on the shoulder.

Zheng Li turned around, puzzled. "Hello, classmate. Is there something you need?"

"Hi," the girl replied, then leaned a little closer and pointed at Ling Nan, who was talking to a boy. "Your girlfriend is talking to another boy. Aren't you jealous? By the way, your girlfriend is really cute!"

Zheng Li: "???"

What the hell, my girlfriend?!

Chapter Ten: Practical Combat Class

"Um, classmate, that's Ling Nan, my roommate. He's a boy..."

Zheng Li's voice was laced with helplessness.

In the Sea of Consciousness, Xiao Nai heard the plaintive note in Zheng Li's voice and wondered: Why are you acting so aggrieved?

The girl talking to Zheng Li froze. Several seconds passed before she finally understood, and an embarrassed look appeared on her face.

"Um, sorry."

How was she supposed to know a boy could be that cute?

"It's fine."

Zheng Li really wanted to ask her: Hadn't she noticed Ling Nan was wearing the boys' uniform?

But the girl probably hadn't paid attention.

People judged by appearances these days...

"Classmate, let's get to know each other. My name is Su Yunqing, and I'm from the Dou Ling Empire." The girl flashed him a sunny smile.

"Hello, I'm Zheng Li. I'm from the Star Luo Empire."

Su Yunqing nodded. "I hope we can look out for each other, Zheng Li. We're both short, after all. Hehe~"

Only after hearing her say that did Zheng Li notice how short the girl was. She was barely... a little over 1.3 meters tall?

"Can I ask how old you are?"