Can the Silver Dragon King Hiss?

"What... are you going to do?"

The six people turned around at the sound.

Yun Jingheng stood at the other end of the corridor, holding a cup of cold drink. He was dressed casually, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and looked no different from usual.

If I had to point out any difference, it would be that my complexion was a little paler than usual, and my lips didn't have enough color.

But he stood firmly, his hand holding the cup steady, and his eyes were full of doubt as he looked at them.

"You're not here to steal my Soul Tool, are you?"

He took a sip of his cold drink, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the six people before finally settling on Xie Xie. "No way... even my dad doesn't know I made this thing."

Xie Xie wide-eyed, then slapped his thigh one last time. "I told you, bad people live a long life! Yuan En, see if I wasn't right!"

Yuanen Yehui ignored him.

Her gaze swept over Yun Jingheng. He stood upright, breathing steadily, and apart from being a little pale, he looked more energetic than the others who had just spent half the morning in the sun at the ceremony.

She looked away and said expressionlessly, "If others are troublemakers, then what are you?"

"What are you saying?" Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow in displeasure. "Can't you wish me well for once?"

Tang Wulin was the first to walk over.

Unlike Xie Xie, he didn't shout or yell. He simply walked up to Yun Jingheng, looked him up and down, and then patted him on the shoulder.

The force wasn't strong, but when the hand struck, it lingered on his shoulder for a moment, as if trying to convey some message through that movement.

"Looks like you've withstood the consequences?" he said, his voice low, just loud enough for Yun Jingheng to hear.

Yun Jingheng paused for a moment, then smiled and touched Tang Wulin's hand with the bottom of the cup.

"If you can't hold on, you'll really die."

Gu Yuena stood next to Yuanen Yehui without saying a word.

Ye Xinglan looked at him expressionlessly.

"When did that mark appear on me? Did you see something you shouldn't have seen through the mark before?"

Yun Jingheng's lips twitched. "My surname is Yun, not Xie, so I'm not a pervert."

Xie Xie was completely bewildered. "Huh?"

"Alright, alright, stop standing at my door. Let's go inside and talk—by the way, do you guys want some cold drinks? I just came up with a new recipe, and I think it tastes pretty good."

Xie Xie's eyes lit up, and he was the first to rush in.

Xu Xiaoyan pulled Gu Yuena along and followed, while Yuanen Yehui walked at the back, stopping briefly as he passed Yun Jingheng.

"Are you really alright?"

"I'm really fine," Yun Jingheng said.

Yuanen Yehui nodded, a hint of a smile in his voice, "I can start designing my Two-Word Armor now. Would Young Master Yun do me the honor?"

Yun Jingheng's lips twitched.

Yun Jingheng's room was much larger than the Work-Study Student Dormitory, but he didn't have many things.

Against the wall was a desk with several open ancient books and several sheets of draft paper covered with rune structures scattered on it. The bookshelf next to it was crammed with various Soul Tool parts and semi-finished products.

On the windowsill sat a pot of unidentified spiritual plant, its leaves shimmering with a faint silvery-blue hue in the sunlight. Yun Ming had brought it back from somewhere, though no one knew where.

As soon as Xie Xie entered, his eyes were drawn to a spherical Soul Tool on the table. He reached out to take it, but Yun Jingheng slapped his hand away from behind.

"Don't touch it. That's still in the testing phase. If it explodes, you'll have to pay me back all your credits for the semester."

"Is it really that bad? It'll explode if I just touch it?"

Xie Xie withdrew his hand, but his eyes remained fixed on the ball. "What's this thing for?"

"Keep it confidential."

Yun Jingheng took out six cups from the cupboard and lined them up on the table. Then he took out a sealed glass pot. The liquid inside was pale blue and shimmered with a subtle silver light under the light.

As he poured the drinks, he said, "I'll tell you when the test is successful. If I tell you now, I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep tonight."

"Cut."

Xie Xie took the cup and took a swig, then his eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, this is delicious! It's better than the last one!"

Xu Xiaoyan held the cup with both hands, taking small sips, her eyes curving into crescents. "Jing Heng, if you don't become Soul Master anymore, you could open an ice cream shop; it would definitely be a huge success."

"Running a shop is too tiring; I only need to take care of you guys now."

Yun Jingheng handed the last cup to Gu Yuena. When she took it, her fingertips touched the side of the cup; it was cold.

She lowered her head, took a sip, and didn't say anything, but her brows and eyes relaxed slightly for a moment.

"By the way," he said, "What were you doing, lurking around the door like that? Were you really here to steal something?"

"Who stole something! We came here to—" Xie Xie stopped mid-sentence.

He couldn't very well say, "We've come to see if you're dead yet," could he? He turned to look at Tang Wulin for help, while Tang Wulin, holding a cup, pretended to admire the spiritual plants on the windowsill, putting on quite a convincing act.

"Don't you want your Immortal Herb anymore?" Ye Xinglan's voice came from the bookshelf. She was standing in front of the row of unfinished Soul Tool, her finger hovering above a small array plate.

"The Immortal Herb? I want it! Of course I want it! It's my right!"

Tang Wulin took out a jade box from his Storage Soul Tool and placed it on the table.

"Inside is the Black Jade Lunar Ganoderma. Aromatic Silk Beauty says it's the most suitable Immortal Herb for you."

Yun Jingheng opened the box and took a look. Before he could express his opinion, Zi Ji's complaints echoed in his mind, "This thing... it's better than nothing if you eat it."

Thanks.

Yun Jingheng put the box away, noticing the slightly awkward atmosphere in the room.

"Wulin, Gu Yue, you guys...?"

Tang Wulin glanced at Gu Yuena meaningfully, "Um... the Golden Dragon King Bloodline has been extracted, but I haven't lost my Second Martial Soul. Gu Yue said..."

Gu Yuena continued, "Wulin's Golden Dragon King Martial Soul has degenerated into the Golden Dragon Martial Soul. It's just a change in rank; the attributes of his ultimate power remain the same. Furthermore, his spirit is no longer affected by the Ruin."

"The result wasn't bad, was it? You guys...?"

"Ugh, actually I just don't know how to bring it up with you..." Xie Xie scratched his head.

Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow, strode towards Gu Yuena, and, amidst her puzzled gaze, reached out and scratched her chin.

Gu Yuena:...

Her brows furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her silver pupils widened slightly as she stared at Yun Jingheng's hand, which hadn't yet retracted, as if considering whether to slap it down.

"Then why did you scratch my chin?" She leaned back, creating some distance between them.

"Let's see if you start gurgling."

Yun Jingheng withdrew his hand with a straight face, picked up his cup, took a sip, and looked serious.

"It turns out that's not the case. Okay, experiment over."

Xie Xie was the first to break down, laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh.

Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling, her eyes curving into crescents.

Yuanen Yehui leaned against the bookshelf, arms crossed, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Ye Xinglan turned around from the bookshelf, her eyes seeming a little sore.

Gu Yuena took a deep breath.

She looked at Yun Jingheng's calm face, as if the "experiment was over," then glanced at her companions around her who were struggling to hold back their laughter, and finally slammed the cup down on the table with a soft, crisp sound.

Then she stretched out two fingers and pinched Yun Jingheng's sleeve.

The pressure wasn't heavy, but the grip was precise, hitting exactly two inches above the cuff, making it impossible for him to pretend he didn't feel it.

"Yun Jingheng, tickle me again," she said, her voice returning to its usual calm, but a faint pink tinge hadn't completely faded from her earlobes.

"I'll tell everyone about how you stole the dried meat Xie Xie hid last time."

The laughter in the room stopped abruptly.

Xie Xie's laughter caught in his throat. His expression shifted from maniacal laughter to shock, then to anger, finally settling on a look of heartbreaking grief at being betrayed by a loved one. "What—?! My packet of five-spice milk?! You told me last time it was stolen by a stray cat!!"

Yun Jingheng's hand, holding the cup, froze in mid-air.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Gu Yuena.

Gu Yuena sat upright in the chair, picked up her cup and took a sip of her cold drink. Her expression was calm and composed, the annoyance from before completely gone, replaced by a sense of ease and cunning.

She put down her cup and added, "Five-spice flavor, August 17th, night, under the third tree behind the Sea God Pavilion. You ate half a pack by yourself, and hid the other half in the box labeled 'Danger Item - Keep Out' on the second shelf of your bookshelf."

"How do you know so much?! Were you spying on me?!"

Yun Jingheng's voice was unsteady.

"I am the Silver Dragon King," Gu Yuena put down her cup, looked up at him, and her eyes held a very faint hint of mockery that would be easily missed if one did not look closely.

"Your eyesight is quite good."

Xie Xie had already pounced on the bookshelf.

Yuanen Yehui reached out and grabbed him by the back of his collar, pulling him back. "He's Soul Saint, you can't beat him."

"Yuan En, let me go! I'm going to make him spit out that half-bag of jerky today!"

Tang Wulin watched this scene, smiled, and shook his head.

He leaned against the windowsill, twirling an empty cup in his hand, his gaze shifting from Xie Xie to Yun Jingheng, and then from Yun Jingheng to Gu Yuena.

Gu Yuena happened to be looking over as well, and when their eyes met, she looked away first.

It wasn't that she was indifferent; it was that she didn't know what expression to use to deal with that situation.

Yun Jingheng scratched his chin, and he almost got angry, but he ended up retaliating by striking back, and the whole thing was witnessed by a group of people.

Tang Wulin coughed lightly, steer the conversation back on track. "Alright, alright, let's talk about something else. Jing Heng, have you heard about the Sea God Fate?"

Having barely escaped Xie Xie's jerky crisis, Yun Jingheng sat back on the windowsill, took a sip from his cup to calm his nerves, and then nodded. "We had a meeting last night to discuss holding it around early October, but the specific date hasn't been decided yet."

He scanned the room, his gaze lingering on each person's face for a moment. "You're all too old. Don't expect me to squeeze you in."

"Wait, wait... you've already entered the Sea God Pavilion's circle?" Ye Xinglan sensed something unusual.

Yun Jingheng nodded calmly, "Hmm... you can't say that, can you? I was just listening in, and I only offered my opinion when my name was called upon."