Daily Life!

After returning from Spirit Hall, life suddenly settled into a dull routine.

Tang San's daily life was as regular as clockwork—he got up before dawn to meditate and cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill, practiced Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon on the training ground after sunrise, went to the library in the morning, occasionally sparred with Xiao Wu in the afternoon, and meditated again in the evening.

After obtaining his First Soul Ring, he was even more enthusiastic about cultivation than before, as if he wanted to make up for all those months he'd been stuck at level ten.

Huang Fei's life was as regular as a different kind of clockwork—when Tang San got up, he was sleeping; when Tang San practiced, he was sleeping; when Tang San read, he was sleeping; when Tang San sparred, he moved somewhere else and kept sleeping.

Every so often, he'd wake up to eat, then go right back to sleep.

The work-study students went from disbelief at first, to taking it in stride, and finally to, "If Brother Fei ever stops sleeping, we must all be dreaming." Even they were surprised by how smoothly their attitudes had changed.

Wang Sheng once asked Tang San in private, "Brother Fei... is he really okay? If he sleeps all day like that, won't his Soul Power drop?"

Tang San thought for a moment, then replied seriously, "He's been like this since he was little, but whenever it really matters, he's never let us down."

Wang Sheng nodded doubtfully and didn't press the matter.

Xiao Wu watched Huang Fei for a few days, then came to a conclusion that left everyone speechless: "Did he die of sleepiness in his last life or something?"

Huang Fei heard this while he was eating.

He looked up at Xiao Wu and said seriously, "Maybe. That's why I have to make up for all the sleep I missed in my last life."

Xiao Wu was so taken aback by his shamelessly earnest reply that her rabbit ears almost sprang out of her ponytail.

And so the days passed, one by one.

Autumn at Notting Academy was short. The ginkgo leaves had barely carpeted the training grounds before the north wind swept in from outside the city, carrying a chill.

The work-study students went from one blanket to two, and the difficulty of getting up in the morning went from "a little difficult" to "almost impossible." For Huang Fei, that was good news—he had an even better excuse to stay in bed.

Tang San's Soul Power grew steadily.

After he absorbed his First Soul Ring, the Mysterious Heaven Skill seemed to have had some bottleneck broken. It circulated considerably faster than before.

He hadn't deliberately tested his level, but judging from how full his Soul Power felt, he should have been close to level fourteen.

He credited it to his daily practice and didn't think much more about it.

Huang Fei hadn't deliberately tested his own Soul Power either, but whenever Tang San leveled up, the system chimed right on time.

"Ding—Target Tang San's Soul Power has increased to level 14. Host's Soul Power has synchronously increased to level 24."

"Ding—Target Tang San's Soul Power has increased to level 15. Host's Soul Power has synchronously increased to level 25."

The notification sounded once every day or every few days. It wasn't frequent, but it was steady.

Whenever Huang Fei heard it while lying in bed, he'd roll over, let the corner of his mouth curl up, then go back to sleep.

Life was comfortable as soaking in warm water.

The only thing that struck Huang Fei as a little odd was Yu Xiaogang.

Since they'd returned from Soul Hunting Forest, Yu Xiaogang hadn't spoken to Tang San alone again.

He hadn't come to Dorm Seven, hadn't intercepted him on the way, and even when Tang San went to see him of his own accord, he was polite and businesslike, showing none of his previous eagerness to take Tang San on as a disciple.

Huang Fei found it rather unusual.

By his reckoning, someone like Yu Xiaogang wouldn't give up easily.

He'd even given away Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, which showed he was determined to win Tang San over.

So why had he gone quiet instead?

Huang Fei thought about it for two days and arrived at something that wasn't quite a conclusion: Gangzi was probably holding back a big move.

Or maybe he'd changed tactics, shifting from "taking the initiative" to "casting a long line to catch a big fish."

Whatever the reason, Huang Fei had no intention of getting involved for now.

Tang San was already on his guard, his First Soul Ring had been obtained the right way, and he'd gotten Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges. All their short-term goals had been met.

As for whatever Yu Xiaogang wanted to get up to, Huang Fei would let him, as long as he didn't cross the line.

After all, Huang Fei had only ever lived by one principle: lie down and take it easy.

In the blink of an eye, Tang San and Huang Fei had been at Notting Academy for over a month.

The weather had turned thoroughly cold. A thin layer of frost formed over the training grounds in the morning, and their breath turned to white mist.

That day, Tang San returned from his usual morning practice and pushed open the door to Dorm Seven.

It was much warmer inside than out. More than ten work-study students crowded together, their body heat and breathing keeping the cold at bay.

Wang Sheng was lying on his bed, reading a book about Soul Beasts. When he saw Tang San come in, he asked casually, "Boss, break's coming up. Are you going home?"

Tang San paused.

Break?

He looked at the calendar hanging behind the door and only then noticed that the date was indeed approaching.

He wasn't very familiar with Notting Academy's terms, but from Wang Sheng's tone, the year-end holiday must be near.

"I might go back for a while."

Tang San thought it over and said.

"My father's still in Holy Soul Village. I'll go see him."

After saying that, he turned to look at Huang Fei's bed.

Huang Fei was curled up under his blanket, with only the top of his head showing.

"Huang Fei, what about you? Are you going back?"

There was silence under the blanket for three seconds. Then a muffled voice came from inside. "Going."

Tang San was a little surprised.

Given Huang Fei's personality, he'd expected him to say, "The trip there and back is too much trouble. I'm not going."

"What are you going back for?" Tang San asked.

"To see Grandpa Jack."

Huang Fei poked half his face out from under the blanket.

"And to eat all the sweet potatoes at your house."

Tang San: "..."

Wang Sheng couldn't help snorting with laughter beside them.

Xiao Wu came out of the inner room, holding an apple she'd bitten halfway through. Her ponytail swayed behind her.

"You're going back? To Holy Soul Village? Where's that? Is it far?"

"It's not far. It takes one day by carriage," Tang San said.

Xiao Wu thought it over as she chewed her apple. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Then I'm going too!"

Tang San was stunned. "What are you going for?"

"To have fun!"

Xiao Wu said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I've never been to a village before. I've heard you talk about it so many times. I want to see what it's like."

Tang San instinctively glanced at Huang Fei.

Huang Fei had already pulled his face back under the blanket. The only thing that emerged was a muffled, "Don't look at me. It's not my village."

Tang San hesitated for a moment.

There was no harm in Xiao Wu coming along. There wasn't anything in the village that needed to be kept from her.

He nodded. "All right. Go ask the teacher first and see if the academy will let you."

"Don't worry, they definitely will!"

Xiao Wu finished off the apple in two or three bites, tossed the core out the window, then bounced out.

Dorm Seven fell quiet for a while.