Chapter 8

Na'er obediently buried her cheek in his chest, her voice soft and sweet as she gave a quiet hum of agreement.

The two embraced silently for a moment, warmth enveloping them. Then Xiling told Na'er to go take a bath first.

Only after hearing the bathroom door close did he look away and turn his gaze outside, settling on a large tree not far from the street below.

After staring at it for quite some time, he withdrew his gaze and turned toward the kitchen.

Beneath the shade of the tree Xiling had been watching, the surrounding space suddenly twisted. A middle-aged man in a black robe silently emerged from the void.

His brows furrowed slightly, uncertainty stirring in his heart. "Was that an illusion? How could a human child possibly detect me..."

The night grew deeper, and all was quiet.

Xiling slept soundly, his brows relaxed and his face calm and gentle.

Na'er, however, opened her eyes at that moment. She carefully sat up and quietly gazed at the sleeping boy, her eyes brimming with boundless reluctance.

After a long while, she slowly bent down and gently kissed his forehead.

"Brother, Na'er is leaving. Take good care of yourself. We'll definitely meet again."

As her words fell, a spatial rift suddenly tore open behind her.

Na'er then held out her hand, and a pendant set with a silver gemstone appeared in her palm. She placed it beside the pillow.

After taking one last deep look at the sleeping Xiling, she turned away resolutely and stepped into the spatial rift. Her figure vanished in an instant, and the room returned to silence.

A moment later, Xiling, who had appeared to be fast asleep with his eyes shut, had his eyelashes tremble slightly before he slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at the empty space beside his pillow, he ultimately felt a trace of reluctance. He murmured softly, "So you still chose this path. Then what role should I, as your brother, play in all this? Na'er..."

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed since Na'er left.

That day, Xiling's soul power successfully broke through to rank thirty-one.

Three purple-gold soul rings slowly pulsed behind him.

Xiling opened his eyes and let out a breath. "I finally broke through. Tomorrow should be the day little Wulin enrolls at Eastsea Academy, right?"

"Perfect. I can meet the main cast from the original story. Without Na'er, I wonder which direction little Wulin and Gu Yue will develop in."

"I'm really looking forward to it..."

Just then, the soul communicator on his wrist suddenly rang. Seeing the caller, Xiling blinked, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

Sure enough, the moment he accepted the call, Leng Yaozhu's unreadable voice came through. "Xiling, did you have fun these past three years, wandering around outside with your little sister?"

"I heard someone used my name to do quite a few things."

Xiling's fingers tightened around the soul communicator, and he forced an obedient expression onto his face. "Teacher, what are you saying? Wasn't using your name more convenient?"

"Besides, I wasn't just playing around. I went out to broaden my horizons and see the world. And I didn't neglect my cultivation either—I reported my cultivation progress to you as you required."

"Oh?" Leng Yaozhu drew out her voice slightly, carrying a faintly teasing tone. "So you mean that cultivating by my side wouldn't broaden your horizons or let you see the world?"

"Uh... Teacher, you know that's not what I meant." Xiling was starting to sweat. By all rights, Leng Yaozhu should have known about everything he had done these past few years.

Why was she calling now to hold him accountable? He was utterly baffled.

Before he could think further, Leng Yaozhu's voice sounded again through the communicator. Her tone remained cold and proud, yet it carried a hint of grievance.

"Three years. You took the money I gave you and traveled all over, yet you never once thought to come see me."

"So in your heart, am I, your teacher, just an ATM for your expenses?"

Though her words carried reproach, there was no anger in them. Instead, they revealed a faint dissatisfaction.

After thinking it over carefully, Xiling realized that did seem to be the case. He coughed lightly. "How could Teacher be an ATM? You're my most important elder, my benefactor and teacher."

"When the academy goes on break next semester, I'll definitely go to Shrek City to see you. And I'll bring you a big gift."

On the other end of the communicator, Leng Yaozhu heard the deliberately ingratiating tone of her disciple. Her originally cool features unconsciously softened, and the corners of her lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

"At least you have some conscience."

"Since your cultivation hasn't fallen behind, stay put in Eastsea City. I'll come over personally in a while and inspect your cultivation results while I'm at it."

"If I find that you haven't met my standards, just see how I deal with you."

"I understand, Teacher. I definitely won't disappoint you, and I definitely won't go looking for trouble."

"Mm." Leng Yaozhu answered blandly, then ended the call cleanly.

Listening to the busy tone from the communicator, Xiling shook his head helplessly and put it away.

The next day, with a recommendation letter from his primary academy, Xiling smoothly completed his enrollment procedures, received two sets of uniforms, and was assigned to Class One.

Why had he not received a dormitory key? Because he had applied to commute when he enrolled. His home was so close to Eastsea Academy that there was no need to squeeze into a dormitory.

Before that, though, he wanted to visit the dormitory building and take a look at Tang Wulin, the child hailed as the protagonist with the most upright values in the Douluo series.

"Mm... If I remember correctly, his dorm should be Room 205."

"Are you looking to die?!" Xiling had just arrived outside the dormitory when an enraged roar came from within.

Then the dorm door was smashed open, and Tang Wulin flew out.

What a coincidence? Xiling was inwardly surprised and instinctively caught Tang Wulin as he flew backward.

Tang Wulin thanked him, then charged once more at the cold and arrogant youth inside the dormitory—Xie Xie.

The final result was, of course, Zhou Changxi being blasted out the window, Yun Xiao cowering and trembling in the corner, Xie Xie getting punched into the wall and fainting, and the dormitory being left in complete disarray.

Xiling watched the entire affair with great interest, but he soon stopped smiling.

Eastsea Academy's Intermediate Division Academic Affairs Office.

Xiling looked completely bewildered as he stared at the stern-faced Long Hengxu across from him. "No, Director, I was just passing by. It's one thing for them to be punished by being transferred to Class Five, but why am I included too?"

Long Hengxu's expression was grim. His gaze swept over Xiling, and his tone showed no mercy.

"Passing by? On the first day for new students, a fight breaks out in the dormitory, and you just happened to be passing by? You stood there watching the whole time. You neither stopped them nor reported it. You were practically an accomplice."

"Eastsea Academy has strict rules. Causing a disturbance on your first day of enrollment means equal punishment for everyone, regardless of who introduced you."

Xiling's face was full of helplessness. He had truly only been watching the show—who knew he would get dragged into it while doing nothing?

Still, this worked out well. He had been worrying about how to get into Class Five.

Tang Wulin, who had just finished being scolded, was also stunned. Seeing Xiling innocently caught up in the mess, he hurriedly apologized in a low voice, "Sorry, it's all my fault. I got you involved..."

Xie Xie clutched his head as he stood there dizzily, equally embarrassed.

Xiling sighed softly and waved his hand. "It's fine. You could call it fate. Cultivating is the same wherever you are."

After the five left the Academic Affairs Office, Xiling greeted them briefly before departing.

After they left, Long Hengxu had the secretary beside him pull up their files. He focused especially on Tang Wulin's and Xiling's information.

"Nine years old and rank thirty-one. What a monster. I hope Wu Zhangkong can teach this little monster well. After all, he came from that academy."