On the other side.
Lin Yan opened the door and was about to throw himself onto the bed and lie down for a while, only to find Ning Rongrong already lounging in the rocking chair. He had no idea when she had gotten there.
The girl spotted Lin Yan and eagerly stepped forward to greet him, as though she were the owner of the room.
"Why did you take so long to get back?"
Lin Yan couldn't be bothered to ask how she had gotten in or why she was there. He headed straight for the bed and collapsed onto it.
His body landed heavily on the soft blankets, bringing him some much-needed relief and relaxation. Only then did Lin Yan manage to speak, his voice weak.
"Tang San's teacher showed up. Sigh..."
Ning Rongrong looked puzzled. "Didn't you say his teacher was pretty amazing? Why do you look so glum? Did he give you a hard time?"
"No! Why did you come looking for me?"
The moment the girl was asked what she wanted, a brilliant smile spread across her face. "Let's go shopping! Come with me to Suotuo City. We just got back from Star Dou Forest, so I want to go out and have a proper meal."
Lin Yan was speechless. "We just got back. Aren't you tired?"
"I am! But you can use Blue Silver Grass to restore my energy, can't you?"
Ning Rongrong said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, treating Lin Yan like family.
But Lin Yan was genuinely exhausted. He had spent most of the journey treating Tang San, and the soreness in his meridians from using Soul Power for so long left him wanting nothing more than a good rest.
"Forget it. Tomorrow. I want to rest."
Rebuffed, Ning Rongrong didn't give up. She immediately brought out her most practiced tactic: acting cute!
She came to the bed, grabbed Lin Yan's arm, and began shaking it.
"Please~"
"Come with me, okay, Lin Yan..."
"Didn't you say you'd give me a present? I don't want the present anymore. I just want you to come shopping with me now."
Lin Yan didn't even lift his eyelids. "I really don't want to go. You may not be tired, but I am."
But Ning Rongrong was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Aside from being willful and spoiled, she was best at acting cute.
When Lin Yan refused, she kept pestering him, trying every pitiful expression in her repertoire. She was practically about to climb on top of him.
In the end, Lin Yan couldn't stand it anymore and finally relented. "Go ask Zhu Zhuqing. If she agrees to come, then I'll go."
Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly and planted a forceful kiss on Lin Yan's fair cheek.
"Hehe~ You're the best!"
Leaving him with those words, she turned and headed back to the girls' dormitory to find Zhu Zhuqing.
Dusk.
On a street in Suotuo City.
Lin Yan had an arm around Zhu Zhuqing on his left and Ning Rongrong on his right. One was voluptuous and alluring, the other lively and charming. With Lin Yan's own handsome face and its hint of wicked charm, the three of them drew frequent glances from passersby.
Seeing the envy and jealousy in people's eyes, Ning Rongrong pursed her lips and looked smug.
She lifted her chin and looked at Lin Yan. "What was that present you said you'd give me?"
Lin Yan was taken aback, his expression turning a little odd. "Didn't you say you didn't want it anymore?"
"Who said that?" Ning Rongrong immediately protested. She had only said that to get Lin Yan to come shopping with her. How could she actually give up the present?
"You already promised! Hurry up! What are you giving me?"
On the street, Ning Rongrong hugged Lin Yan's arm and kept shaking it, making the ample whiteness in front of Zhu Zhuqing tremble along with it.
Unable to withstand her coaxing, Lin Yan simply took out the Dragon Talisman the system had rewarded him with after Ning Rongrong's affection for him reached 100.
"This is the Dragon Talisman!"
"Hold it in your palm and pour Soul Power into it to activate its ability."
"But don't try it now. I'm not sure how powerful this thing is. Wait until we're on the way back to the academy and there's no one around."
Lin Yan handed the talisman to Ning Rongrong, specifically warning her not to test it carelessly.
After all, even he had no idea how powerful the Dragon Talisman would be on Douluo Continent.
"The Dragon Talisman?"
Ning Rongrong held it up to the streetlights and began carefully examining the markings on the gray stone.
Just then, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly asked, "Where did you get all these things?"
Lin Yan naturally couldn't tell them the secret of the system. He gave her a wicked smile. "It's a secret!"
At this, Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes prettily, then turned her wrist and brought out her own Tiger Talisman.
"Can Rongrong use the one I have, too?"
"You have one, too?"
Ning Rongrong looked at the small stone in Zhu Zhuqing's hand. It was almost identical to her own, and she gave a startled little look.
Lin Yan merely smiled.
"Of course not! The talismans you have are exclusive to you. No one else can use them—not even me."
As soon as the words left his mouth, something unexpected happened.
Ning Rongrong had the talisman in her left hand. Suddenly, a wildly violent orange flame gathered in the palm of her right hand.
Lin Yan was especially sensitive to fire and noticed something was wrong with Ning Rongrong at once.
"This is bad! We're right in the middle of the street!"
Realizing the danger, Lin Yan suddenly grabbed Ning Rongrong's right hand as the flames gathered and raised it high, pointing her palm toward the sky.
The next second, the flame shot out like a cannonball, streaking straight into the heavens.
The orange streak, trailing a fiery tail like a meteor, flew for what must have been nearly a hundred meters before suddenly exploding in midair.
Boom~
The enormous explosion unleashed a shockwave that swept all the way down to the ground, knocking over countless ordinary people before finally dissipating. That alone showed just how terrifying the force at the center of the explosion must have been.
The crowd erupted into chaos, thinking some high-ranking Soul Master was about to begin a duel.
Lin Yan frowned and looked at Ning Rongrong, who was already stunned. His voice took on a note of sternness.
"What are you doing? Didn't I tell you to wait until we were somewhere with no one around?"
"I... I didn't know!" Ning Rongrong stammered. "I only tried putting in the tiniest bit of Soul Power. I didn't expect this to happen."
The girl's voice trembled, her mind filled with the image of the fireball exploding.
Thank goodness Lin Yan had reacted quickly and aimed her palm at the sky. If that fireball had exploded in the middle of the crowd, it would certainly have caused widespread casualties.
Ning Rongrong was truly frightened now. She had almost killed everyone on the street.
Lin Yan snatched the Dragon Talisman from Ning Rongrong, then grabbed the two girls by the wrists and quickly disappeared into the panicked crowd.
Before long, they were in an open area outside Suotuo City.
Lin Yan looked at Ning Rongrong, who still seemed shaken, and the sternness in his eyes softened a little.
"How are you? Are you all right?"
"Does the Dragon Talisman's power also affect your own body?"
Lin Yan had seen the explosion for himself. It was no exaggeration to say that the fireball's power could rival the full-force strike of a Soul Elder.
The blast had been terrifying. He was worried Ning Rongrong might have been affected by it.
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