Solo Leveling

"Monster!"

"How could House Jiang have produced such a stupid descendant like you?!"

Inside the Jiang residence in Chuanbei, House Jiang's head, Jiang Wen, slammed the table with loud bangs, so furious he nearly lost his breath.

Pointing at Jiang Li, who was kneeling below him, he snarled,

"That was an SSR! You just let it go? And even let House Mo pick up the prize!"

Jiang Li's face was covered in tears and snot as she said miserably,

"Dad, how was I supposed to know an R Card could become an SSR after forming a contract?!"

She crawled forward, grabbed Jiang Wen's pant leg, and pleaded, "Dad, I can't accept this! You have to help me! I pulled that SSR! Let's go to House Mo and demand him back!"

Jiang Wen's face turned livid as he gritted his teeth.

"You still have the nerve to say that!"

"No matter what rank of Contract Spirit you draw, you cannot casually abandon it and let it dissipate. That is the most basic virtue of a Spiritmaster!"

"But you? You immediately severed your first Soul Contract and even wanted to watch him vanish into ashes!"

He crouched down and gripped Jiang Li's shoulders hard. "Do you know that a main-damage SSR Contract Spirit could elevate all of House Jiang into the top-tier families of Great Xia? Why would House Mo ever give him back?!"

Looking at his daughter, Jiang Wen truly wanted to slap her to death.

An SSR!

The dream existence pursued by countless Spiritmasters.

If he had formed a contract with one, he could have led House Jiang to soar to greatness!

Yet that opportunity had been ruined by this brainless daughter of his.

Jiang Li sobbed uncontrollably.

"Dad, I lost my guaranteed pull at the time. I was just too angry! You have to help me get that SSR back!"

Jiang Wen clenched his teeth. "We can only go and try. Even if we can't get him back, we have to make House Mo pay some price!"

Night fell.

Inside the villa.

Xia Yuan and Mo Shiyu talked until evening before he finally gained a general understanding of this world.

After all that fuss, Mo Shiyu's stomach growled with hunger, and she prepared to order a lavish takeout meal.

Xia Yuan lounged lazily on the sofa, his head resting against its back as he waved at her.

"Hey, rich lady. I want to eat this world's Manchu-Han Banquet."

Mo Shiyu's mouth twitched. "What the hell is a Manchu-Han Banquet? Also, Contract Spirits don't need to eat. Your life is sustained by spiritual power."

Xia Yuan raised his head leisurely. "I'm different from other Contract Spirits. I like eating."

What a joke.

Though he had become a Contract Spirit, he had always loved food in the past. Naturally, he would not give up the joy of enjoying delicious meals.

Left with no choice, Mo Shiyu ordered Xia Yuan quite a bit of food.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two prepared to sleep.

Xia Yuan yawned. "So where do I sleep?"

Mo Shiyu blinked. "Sleep? Contract Spirits don't need to sleep, do they? Besides, you can return to the Contract Spirit Space."

Contract Spirits could enter the Contract Spirit Space to rest. Like Pokémon, they took up no space at all.

Xia Yuan waved a hand. "Alright, alright. What are you thinking, Chubby Yu? I'm not going to be a Pokémon. Prepare a room for me. Oh, right, I also need a top-of-the-line computer."

The more Mo Shiyu listened, the more absurd it sounded. "What do you need a computer for?"

Xia Yuan answered solemnly, "To play games."

Mo Shiyu: "??!"

What kind of Contract Spirit played games?!

For the first time, she firmly refused.

"No. We're usually very busy. The National College Spiritmaster Championship will begin soon, and I need to raise your level as quickly as possible!"

Xia Yuan became even more shameless, flopping onto the sofa. "If you don't buy it for me, I won't fight monsters. I'll lie flat every day."

Mo Shiyu stared at him with her beautiful eyes wide in disbelief.

What kind of Contract Spirit was this willful?

Was he a child?

Did she need to coax him like some hostess?

And weren't Spiritmasters supposed to be the ones ordering their Contract Spirits around?

But when she saw his handsome face and the dazzling SSR floating above his head, she simply could not get angry at him.

Unable to do anything else, she agreed.

"Then wait here. I'll go tidy up a room for you."

"Alright. I'll go take a shower."

After spending the day together, Mo Shiyu's way of addressing Xia Yuan had already fallen from the respectful "Senior Xia Yuan" to something far more casual...

Who could blame her? His cheap, irritating attitude made it impossible to respect him at all!

The two had become somewhat closer, no longer as awkward and restrained as before.

By the time Mo Shiyu had exhausted herself cleaning the room, Xia Yuan had finished bathing and emerged. His eight-pack abs were fully exposed, and he had replaced his blindfold with sunglasses. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he was heading to the beach for a vacation.

For a young woman like Mo Shiyu, the sight was still far too shocking.

After one glance, her pretty face turned crimson. She hurriedly looked away, not daring to stare any longer as she said nervously,

"Y-you... you have to wear clothes at home!"

She suddenly remembered those ridiculous stories about Spiritmasters and Contract Spirits...

Quite a few Spiritmasters had gotten involved with their Contract Spirits.

Their relationship was simply too complicated. They were both partners and a community bound by shared interests.

If they were a man and a woman living together day after day, it was easy for that sort of thing to happen...

Thinking of that, Mo Shiyu's brain started overheating.

If her SSR really made a request, would she agree or refuse?

Drying his hair with a towel, Xia Yuan passed by Mo Shiyu with a grin.

"Thanks for the hard work, Chubby Yu master. See you tomorrow."

Watching his carefree departing figure, Mo Shiyu hurriedly shook her head, trying to shake away her unhealthy thoughts.

She slapped her cheeks hard. "Pull yourself together! I can't keep thinking about abs. We're entering a dungeon tomorrow!"

The next day.

At the Monster Dungeon zone of Chuanda Spirit Master Academy.

Though it was only six in the morning, this prime leveling area was already packed with people and bustling with activity!

Spiritmasters brought all kinds of Contract Spirits as they continuously shouted in the party hall.

"C Rank Level 50 Contract Spirit leading a leveling run! Any support-type Contract Spirits can join for free experience! Female Spiritmasters and pretty female Contract Spirits get priority!"

"Forming a team to clear a Two-Star Dungeon! Contract Spirits below E Rank Level 30, don't bother!"

"B Rank Level 60 Contract Spirit boss leading a team! Ten Spirit Stones! Taking a few passengers!"

"New Spiritmasters forming a team for a beginner dungeon! No requirements at all! We leave once we have five people!"

"..."

To ensure their safety, most Spiritmasters in the academy chose to form teams when clearing Monster Dungeons, just in case.

Teaming up could also raise their combat-power ceiling, allowing them to challenge higher-level dungeons and earn generous rewards.

Of course, there were also Spiritmasters who cleared dungeons solo.

But they were extremely rare. They were generally the academy's geniuses, with powerful high-rank, high-level Contract Spirits under their command!

The arrival of Mo Shiyu and Xia Yuan immediately became the center of everyone's attention.

"Sure enough, even if I hide your rank, there's no way people won't notice you..."

Mo Shiyu sighed helplessly and glanced at the black-clad, silver-haired man beside her, who stood over six feet tall.

Xia Yuan still grinned carelessly as he casually looked around.

The dungeon zone of Sichuan University Academy covered a vast area, occupying who knew how many mountains!

Looking into the distance, the mountains were covered in swirling vortexes glowing in different colors. Those were probably the dungeon entrances.

With both hands behind his head, Xia Yuan asked with a smile,

"So, Chubby Yu, which dungeon are we entering first?"

Mo Shiyu studied a dungeon map in her hands. "Of course, the safest beginner dungeon. I still don't understand your combat power or skills very well..."

Xia Yuan did not want to waste time in a beginner dungeon. He knew exactly how powerful his Satoru Gojo template was. "So, dungeons should be divided into different danger levels, right...?"

Mo Shiyu gave him a surprised glance, nodded slightly, and continued explaining,

"You know quite a lot for a Contract Spirit. In order of difficulty, Monster Dungeons are beginner dungeons, One-Star Dungeons, Two-Star Dungeons, Three-Star Dungeons, Four-Star Dungeons, Five-Star Dungeons, and finally, the most terrifying Abyss Dungeons!"

Xia Yuan nodded slightly. "Alright, then we'll start with at least a Three-Star Dungeon."

Mo Shiyu's rosy little mouth fell open in shock. "Huh? What are you thinking? Absolutely not. This is our first time entering a dungeon."

Xia Yuan glanced at her and considered it.

"True. I almost forgot. You're still a novice Spiritmaster. You'll hold me back."

Mo Shiyu's pretty face visibly puffed up as she growled quietly, "Let's be careful! If we die in a dungeon, everything will be over!"

Xia Yuan spread his hands shamelessly. "Fine. A Two-Star Dungeon, then. I won't do anything lower than that..."

Mo Shiyu was so angry that her fists clenched tightly, but she could do absolutely nothing about him.

Who told him to be an SSR...

Mo Shiyu asked helplessly, "Should we form a team?"

Xia Yuan shook his head. "Wouldn't forming a team mean splitting the experience with others? That won't do. I want to... level up alone!"