Ye Lingling

"Oh, really?"

Teacher Wang smiled. "Her name is Ye Lingling. She's a third-year student in the Support System."

"So it was her."

Yu Chen nodded.

Over the past six months, he had spent most of his free time in the library.

The Heaven Dou Royal Intermediate Academy's collection far surpassed anything in a small place like Nuoding City. Its library had five floors, each packed with densely arranged bookshelves.

To him, this knowledge was the most precious thing in the entire academy.

Not long ago, he had found this book, "Record of Exotic Flowers and Plants—Volume One," which recorded all sorts of unusual plants, flowers, and herbs.

Several of the plants had greatly interested him.

Sky chrysanthemum, an herb of neutral medicinal nature.

Golden all over, with layer upon layer of petals.

It had remarkable effects on male virility.

Among hundreds of thousands of sky chrysanthemums, a single mutated specimen might appear:

Singular velvet sky chrysanthemum.

Consuming it could grant a body as indestructible as diamond.

Abundant blood and vitality, boundless energy. Tough sinews and bones that blades could scarcely harm!

The book also recorded an anecdote:

Once, a Soul Master from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had happened to consume a singular velvet sky chrysanthemum.

His body had become as strong as an ox. He had married seventeen wives and reveled every night without showing any sign of fatigue.

Unfortunately, that had been so long ago that this extraordinary flower had long since gone extinct, leaving no trace in the world.

Having read the original story, Yu Chen naturally knew that singular velvet sky chrysanthemums were not extinct. There was one in the Sunset Forest, hidden in Dugu Bo's medicinal garden.

This immortal herb's true effect had nothing to do with enhancing virility, either.

Rather, it circulated energy through the limbs and blood through the eight meridians. Calling the resulting body as indestructible as diamond was no exaggeration.

Several other medicinal herbs recorded in the book had also appeared in the original story.

The Lovesick Heartbreak Red, for instance.

But to most people, the tale associated with it was nothing more than a myth.

Yu Chen suspected that Volume Two also contained records of immortal herbs.

"Teacher Wang, is there another copy of the second volume?" Yu Chen asked.

"No. The only copy is with Ye Lingling."

"Really?"

Three days later.

The teaching building.

"Healing Soul Masters must constantly observe their teammates' condition and changes in their opponents' Soul Skills. Act too early, and you waste Soul Power. Act too late, and your teammates may already be injured."

"The best opportunity often lasts only an instant..."

There were few people in the classroom, scattered sparsely behind a dozen or so desks.

This was an elective for the Support System. Most of those attending were Support System students; students from other systems rarely came to sit in.

A male teacher over fifty stood at the lectern, somewhat portly and dressed in a dark gray robe.

Creak.

The door hinge made a faint sound.

The teacher paused and glanced at the figure slipping through the back door, then continued his lecture as though he had seen nothing.

The students seated toward the front, however, were not so composed.

Quite a few quietly turned around. When they saw that the newcomer was Yu Chen, curiosity appeared in their eyes.

"Why's Yu Chen in our support class? Isn't he in the Power Attack System?"

A tall, thin boy in the front row spoke in a low voice.

"No idea."

His deskmate rubbed his chin and said uncertainly, "Maybe he's taken a liking to one of the Support System girls? I don't think Yu Chen has a girlfriend yet."

"No way."

Beside them, a girl wearing glasses leaned over. "Aren't Yu Chen and the Fall Guy a couple? They're inseparable all day, eating together and training together."

"Get lost, you BL fangirl!"

The deskmate pushed her away with a look of disgust.

Knock, knock.

The teacher tapped the desk twice. "Quiet."

The murmuring in the classroom immediately stopped.

"Boss, what brings you here?"

Oscar leaned over and spoke in a low voice.

Yu Chen said nothing. His gaze settled on a corner of the front row.

A girl sat there.

She wore a silver-white academy uniform, her long hair falling over her shoulders and her profile softly defined. She sat quietly beside the window, listening to the lecture.

Sunlight streamed through the window, gilding her with a faint golden halo.

She was none other than Ye Lingling.

Most students gathered in twos and threes, but the seats all around her were empty, as though everyone was deliberately avoiding her.

Before long, the teacher dismissed the class.

Yu Chen immediately stood up, walked over to Ye Lingling, and sat in the seat beside her.

Every student who saw this froze.

Ye Lingling was a renowned campus beauty at the Royal Intermediate Academy. She was lovely, had a cool elegance, and possessed outstanding Soul Power, but her icy personality was equally famous.

Many felt that her name should not have been Ye Lingling, but Ye Coldcold.

Ye Lingling spent most of her time cultivating alone, reading in a corner of the classroom, or sitting by the window lost in thought. She never initiated a conversation with anyone.

Even when someone spoke to her, she usually replied with only a few brief words.

Gradually, everyone stopped trying to talk to her.

And now...

Yu Chen had actually gone straight over and sat beside her?

Noticing someone sit down next to her, Ye Lingling merely glanced up without speaking, then rose to leave.

"Senior Ye, there's something I wanted to ask you."

Yu Chen spoke hurriedly.

Ye Lingling stopped and turned her head to look at him.

Her gaze was calm, like a pool of stagnant water, betraying no emotion. "What is it?"

"Have you finished the second volume of the 'Record of Exotic Flowers and Plants'?"

Yu Chen smiled. "The teacher at the library said there's only one copy of the set. I've finished the first volume, and apparently you borrowed the second."

"You're interested in medicinal herbs too?"

A trace of warmth entered Ye Lingling's voice.

"A little."

Yu Chen nodded. "I read about a remarkable plant in the first volume called the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum. A Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall has that plant as his Martial Soul."

"There's also the Lovesick Heartbreak Red..."

Yu Chen listed several medicinal herbs in succession.

Ye Lingling fell silent for two seconds, then took a book from her Soul Tool. It was "Record of Exotic Flowers and Plants—Volume Two."

"I'm almost finished with it. You can have it. Remember to return it to the library for me."

Ye Lingling held the book out to Yu Chen.

With that, she turned to leave again.

"Senior."

Yu Chen took the book and asked, "Do you know of any other similar books about exotic flowers and herbs? I've spent ages searching the library these past few days, but I haven't had much luck."

The Intermediate Academy simply had too many books.

Yu Chen had asked several teachers, but they knew little about such obscure books either.

Ye Lingling paused with her back to him, as though considering the question.

After two or three seconds, she turned around. "I do have a few at home."

"Really?"

Yu Chen's eyes lit up. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior, but could you bring them next time you go home? Thank you."

"I don't have time lately."

Ye Lingling's tone was flat. Then she left the classroom without looking back.

"Hahaha, Boss, got a taste of the iceberg beauty's chill, did you?"

Oscar came over and draped an arm around Yu Chen's shoulders, his eyes narrowing into two slits.

Yu Chen rolled his eyes at him and knocked his hand off his shoulder.

"I was only borrowing a book. Don't talk nonsense."

As he spoke, he waved the book in his hand.

Yu Chen lowered his head and flipped through the pages, asking casually, "By the way, when does Senior Ye usually come to class? I'll see whether I can catch her next time."

"She might not come again."

Oscar scratched his head. "I heard Senior Ye's Soul Power has already reached level twenty-nine, and she's preparing for the Imperial Fighting Team's reserve selection."