Encountering Grilled Fish Fry

Time flowed on.

In the days that followed, Lu Ran's life gained a few more vibrant colors because of Jiang Nannan.

Beyond his daily routine of cultivation, eating, and blowing off steam, he began frequenting the Outer Academy to keep Jiang Nannan company.

They would stroll through the streets together, cultivate side by side, and count the stars.

Lu Ran and Jiang Nannan lay on the soft grass, surrounded by a swarm of fireflies flickering with warm, gentle light. In the distance lay the brightly lit Shrek City, while the sky above was scattered with countless stars.

Jiang Nannan rested her head on Lu Ran's arm, hugging him as she lay on her side.

This was where the utility of soul power truly shone; without it, Lu Ran's arm would have lost circulation and gone numb in less than ten minutes, forcing him to change positions.

But now, even after resting on it for half an hour, there wasn't the slightest hint of discomfort.

"Nannan, what grade are you in now?"

Lu Ran gently toyed with her hair, which carried a faint, sweet fragrance.

Jiang Nannan's voice was soft: "Third grade."

Third grade...

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Doesn't that mean Huo Yuhao will be enrolling next year?

Ah... time really flies. In the blink of an eye, three years have already passed...

"Then we can be classmates next year."

"Really?!"

Jiang Nannan's beautiful eyes lit up. She excitedly wrapped her arms around Lu Ran, pressing tightly against him: "Doesn't that make me your... senior?"

She clung to Lu Ran, humming:

"Hurry up and call me senior, call me senior..."

As she squirmed, her long hair fell in a messy cascade.

Now it was Lu Ran's turn to hum, the corners of his mouth curling up smugly:

"Don't even think about it!"

"No, no... hurry up and say it, say it, say it..."

In the midst of their play, Jiang Nannan suddenly remembered something and stopped:

"Right, are you going to challenge Bei Bei?"

Lu Ran was a bit confused: "What do you mean?"

"When did I ever say I was going to challenge Bei Bei?"

Where could such a rumor have come from?

Jiang Nannan explained: "Someone asked me to come and ask you two days ago, but that person's name has to be kept secret."

She couldn't say it.

"..."

Lu Ran glanced at her, her eyes gentler than the moonlight.

In an instant, everything seemed to click into place.

No wonder Tang Ya had been gnashing her teeth at him the other day; so that was it.

"Go back and tell Tang Ya that I have absolutely no interest in defeating Bei Bei."

Jiang Nannan was startled again, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

She instinctively recalled her previous words.

She hadn't mentioned Tang Ya's name at all?!

"How did you know?"

Lu Ran looked up at the moon in the sky, hanging high in the night, glowing with a faint, pale blue halo.

"Hmph, isn't it normal for me to know?"

"Tell me, please, I'm begging you, tell me~"

Jiang Nannan rubbed her pretty face against his chest, acting spoiled.

"Just tell me..."

"I won't say."

Her beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed. "You won't say?"

"Watch me steal your body heat!"

With that said, she wrapped herself around Lu Ran like an octopus, her long, beautiful legs coiled around his, her entire body pressed tightly against him, rubbing wantonly against his frame.

The chirping of crickets drifted from the tall grass.

"Xiao Ran, have you decided which Soul Beast to contract next?"

The next day, early morning, Sea God Pavilion.

Yan Shaozhe paid a visit.

Lu Ran pondered: "I've thought about it. The next one should be a fire-attribute Soul Beast."

He already possessed the four basic elements—earth, water, and wind—leaving only the fire element.

He wondered what element fire could combine with.

"And have you thought about the fifth Soul Beast?"

Yan Shaozhe continued to ask.

Lu Ran was a bit confused, but he answered anyway:

"Ideally, something with a light or dark attribute; both are high-tier attributes."

Although the light attribute was rare, it was still manageable for Shrek Academy to find. The dark attribute, however, was relatively scarce. Lu Ran only knew of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and the Dark Sacred Dragon, but the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger that Tang San had absorbed back then seemed to be the very last one.

For a full ten thousand years, there had been no news of them.

As for the Dark Sacred Dragon, that was even more hopeless; one would likely have to go back twenty thousand years to see one.

Yan Shaozhe understood in his heart, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Good, good, he hasn't become obsessed yet.

"Rest assured, the academy will exhaust all its resources to help you search."

He suddenly changed the subject:

"Xiao Ran, do you know how the Tang Sect declined?"

Hm?

What did he mean by that?

Lu Ran blinked.

"You should know that the Tang Sect was once no less powerful than our Shrek Academy. Relying on their peerless hidden weapons, their influence spanned the entire continent."

Lu Ran nodded blankly.

He knew all of this, of course, but why was Yan Shaozhe bringing it up now?

Yan Shaozhe spoke earnestly:

"However, they were always trying to recreate the glory of the Blue Silver Grass, using all sorts of methods, and as a result...

I believe you know, they did not succeed."

Lu Ran thought to himself, Yeah, an ugly duckling can turn into a swan because it was a swan to begin with.

I've never heard of a purebred pheasant turning into a phoenix.

Yan Shaozhe continued:

"It wasn't until over five hundred years ago that the long-declined Tang Sect brought out their final resources, prepared to make one last gamble, exhausting everything to cultivate a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, attempting a death-defying struggle."

"The result was total ruin. Everything was gone, and there were barely any people left in the entire sect."

He paused, "--all because the Tang Sect was obsessed with the Blue Silver Grass..."

He looked at Lu Ran with deep concern: "Xiao Ran, the Blue Silver Grass is indeed legendary, but there are many other plant-type Soul Beasts that meet your requirements. As long as you want them, Dean Yan can find them for you. There is no need to contract a Blue Silver Grass."

"Ah..."

Lu Ran's mouth twitched.

So that was what Yan Shaozhe meant.

So he thinks I want to form a contract with Blue Silver Grass?

He sighed helplessly.

"Dean Yan, I am very clear on what Blue Silver Grass is; I don't harbor any fantasies about how powerful it might be."

Even if I were to form a contract, it would certainly be with the Blue Silver Emperor.

I have no interest in this common Blue Silver Grass.

"However,"

Lu Ran shifted his tone: "I have indeed been very focused on Blue Silver Grass lately, but it is for other reasons."

He looked toward the Blue Silver Grass swaying in the wind outside the window, his gaze turning serious: "I am not intentionally hiding anything, and I ask that you rest assured, Dean Yan. In a year and a half, or two years at most, I will definitely give you an explanation.

By then, you will understand the reason."

Seeing Lu Ran's confident demeanor, Yan Shaozhe looked closely and realized that he had indeed always been a person with his own ideas and opinions.

Was it just a misunderstanding on his part?

The worry in his heart gradually dissipated.

"Very well, I trust you."

Once Yan Shaozhe left, Lu Ran's mind stirred, and he arrived in his Small World.

Before him lay a sea of blooming Blue Silver Grass. Growing from thick roots buried in the fertile soil were emerald green leaves and pale blue flowers, the petals delicate and thin as cicada wings.

At first, he had assumed Blue Silver Grass could not bloom, until he saw it with his own eyes and realized:

Blue Silver Grass could actually flower.

What a major discovery.

Not far away, the Green Wood Vine was growing vigorously, its thick vines winding around towering trees and blooming with massive white flowers, exuding a faint fragrance.

The scent of an entire field of Blue Silver Grass could not compare to just a few Green Wood Vines.

Lu Ran approached the Green Wood Vine, tapped his toes lightly, and landed on the branch of an ancient tree.

He took a small white brush and a Walnut Wood Box from his storage Soul Tool, and aimed at the stamens of the Green Wood Vine, gently scraping off the fluffy, pale yellow pollen, which was rich with the aura of life, collecting it into the small wooden box.