Ruo Lin took a deep breath and suppressed her exasperation.
If anyone else had dared speak to her like that, she would have already cursed them out. But Ye Xiu standing before her was a Three-Star Dou Ling—and a fifteen-year-old one at that. She couldn't curse him out, and she definitely couldn't beat him.
"Fine, you win." Ruo Lin waved a hand. "Take as much leave as you want."
A genius of Ye Xiu's caliber would be practically worshipped at the academy. He could take leave, or even skip classes altogether.
She turned to Xiao Yan. "As for you, if you can last twenty moves against me, I'll approve your leave."
Xiao Yan paused, then smiled. "Mentor, you said it."
An incense stick later.
On the open ground outside the tent, Xiao Yan lay sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
Ruo Lin stood beside him and clapped her hands. "That was just barely twenty moves. I'll count it as a pass."
Xiao Yan smiled wryly. "Mentor, you're incredibly strong. If you'd gone all out, I doubt I'd have lasted even three moves."
"If I had to go all out against a new student who's only a Dou Zhe, how would I ever show my face at the academy?" Ruo Lin shook her head helplessly. "Since you passed, I'll approve your year of leave."
Xiao Yan got to his feet and grinned. "Thank you, Mentor!"
Ruo Lin waved him off, signaling for him to hurry up and leave.
By the time Ye Xiu returned to the courtyard, the sky was nearly dark.
Ya Fei was sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard. The moment she saw him come in, she stood up.
"Senior, you're back."
Ye Xiu walked over to the rattan chair and sat down. "Have you been here the whole time? Aren't you the chief auctioneer at the Miteer Auction House?"
Ya Fei pretended not to hear his teasing. She followed him over and stood beside him, biting her lip as she asked softly, "Senior, are you leaving?"
Ye Xiu glanced at her and nodded. "Mm. I'm leaving tomorrow."
Ya Fei lowered her head and fell silent for a moment. Then she looked up and forced a smile. "Then Ya Fei wishes you a safe journey, Senior."
Ye Xiu said nothing. He took several jade bottles from his Storage Ring and set them on the stone table beside him.
"Take these."
Ya Fei froze for a moment and looked down at the bottles.
"This is Fourth-Grade Gathering Qi Powder." Ye Xiu pointed to the first jade bottle. "When your Dou Power reaches the peak of the ninth stage, taking this will let you break through to Dou Zhe."
He pointed to the second bottle. "This is a Third-grade Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill that I created. Once you reach nine-star Dou Zhe, taking it will increase your chances of breaking through to Dou Shi."
Then he pointed to the third bottle, which held three pills. "These are Third-grade Green Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills. I created them too. During the Dou Zhe stage, each pill can raise you by one star, and your body won't develop much resistance to them. But you can only take three at most. Any more won't help."
Ya Fei was completely stunned.
She looked at the jade bottles on the stone table, and her eyes slowly reddened.
A month ago, she had been stuck at the seventh stage of Dou Power for three years, unable to advance. Now she was about to break through to Dou Zhe, and in the future, she could even reach Dou Shi.
And all of it was thanks to the young man before her.
She looked up at Ye Xiu and opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
Ye Xiu waved a hand. "You don't need to thank me."
To be honest, he didn't have any particular feelings for Ya Fei. He had only been fooling around with her. Still, he had promised her something, and he would keep that promise.
Ya Fei bit her lip, then suddenly stepped forward and threw her arms around Ye Xiu.
Feeling her soft body in his arms, Ye Xiu stood still.
Ya Fei held him and buried her face against his shoulder. Her voice muffled, she said, "Senior, I'll remember your kindness for the rest of my life."
Ye Xiu patted her back. "All right, let go."
Ya Fei released him, stepped back, and wiped the corner of her eye.
Ye Xiu reached out and pulled her by the waist into his arms.
Ya Fei shivered, then went limp against him.
"Come on. Let's go inside," Ye Xiu said.
Ya Fei's face flushed red as she nodded.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten,
Ye Xiu came out of the room and stretched in the courtyard.
Ya Fei followed him out and stood in the doorway, watching him.
Ye Xiu took a few more bottles of pills from his Storage Ring and set them on the stone table.
"These are for healing and replenishing your qi. They might come in handy if anything goes wrong while you're cultivating."
Ya Fei nodded and stood silently.
Ye Xiu walked to the gate and glanced back at her.
Ya Fei stood in the courtyard, her eyes red as she watched him.
Ye Xiu nodded, opened the gate, and walked out.
The moment the gate closed, Ya Fei's tears finally fell.
A week later.
Qingshan Town.
It was a small town at the foot of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The streets were crowded with people, most of them mercenaries heading into the mountains to hunt magical beasts. They carried weapons and looked dusty from the road.
Ye Xiu walked down the street, casually taking in his surroundings.
The town was small, with only one main street. Shops lined both sides, selling weapons, medicinal herbs, and pills. There were also a few taverns and inns.
He found an inn and rented a room.
Once inside, he shut the door and sat cross-legged on the bed.
As soon as he sat down, a voice rang in his mind.
"Ding!"
"Host detected at check-in location: Magical Beast Mountain Range, Qingshan Town."
"Check in now?"
Ye Xiu's lips curled. "Check in."
"Ding! Check-in successful!"
"Congratulations, Host. You have gained cultivation: Three-Star Dou Wang!"
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from within Ye Xiu.
The power came too quickly and fiercely for him to react. It was as if he had been thrown into a furnace; every piece of flesh and every bone in his body began to transform wildly.
Dou Qi surged through his meridians like a flood bursting through a dam, washing over his body again and again.
In the space of a single breath!
Dou Wang! Achieved!
Ye Xiu opened his eyes and looked down at his hand.
He clenched his fist, relaxed it, then clenched it again.
The sense of power was more than a hundred times greater than before.
"Three-Star Dou Wang..."
He murmured to himself, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
And that wasn't all.
A vast flood of information suddenly surged through his mind.
Blood Lotus Pill, Spirit Recovery Purple Pill, Dragon Strength Pill...
Methods of refinement, control of the flame, combinations of medicinal ingredients, techniques for forming pills...
It all exploded into his mind. He was as familiar with it as if he had spent decades refining Fifth-grade Pills.
Ye Xiu took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement.
"Three-Star Dou Wang. Fifth-grade Alchemist."
He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
Outside, the street was bustling. Mercenaries came and went, their shouts and laughter blending together.
Ye Xiu narrowed his eyes and looked toward the distant Magical Beast Mountain Range. Mountains stretched endlessly beneath a veil of clouds and mist.
"Green Lotus Core Flame..." he murmured. "Wait for me. I'll be there soon."
Before you continue