Xu Xin

Cao Bing and Feng Yuzi left and officially moved into the Zhendong Royal Mansion.

On the day Cao Bing began studying under Feng Yuzi, he dispelled the effects of the Bone-Shifting Skill and returned to his original appearance.

Although Cao Bing had moved into the Zhendong Royal Mansion with Feng Yuzi, and everyone treated him amicably, even as an honored guest, Qin De and the others had not let down their guard against him.

Based on Cao Bing's instincts, at least three experts were keeping watch near his residence. Except when he went to Feng Yuzi's courtyard, they were always there.

Cao Bing did not mind. After all, he was a man of unknown origins. If Qin De, a formidable figure like that, could be put at ease with just a few small favors, then Cao Bing would truly be underestimating him. Still, he had gotten along quite well with Qin Yu during this time.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

Cao Bing had gained tremendously during this period.

Although he had not learned any methods from Feng Yuzi's sect, he had read many books on cultivation through him and learned quite a bit from Feng Yuzi about cultivation.

Whether it was the basics of alchemy, fundamental pharmacology, the foundations of formations, or the basics of artifact refinement, as long as Cao Bing asked, Feng Yuzi answered without holding anything back.

Of course, what made Cao Bing happiest was that, under Feng Yuzi's guidance, his internal energy cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. Moreover, Qin De had kept his word and generously gifted him three advanced martial arts manuals.

They included an internal energy manual, the Pure Yang Canon, an advanced saber technique, and a decent movement technique, successfully upgrading Cao Bing's collection of manuals.

Over the past ten days, Cao Bing had not yet reached the Houtian Peak, but he estimated it would not take much longer.

What surprised Cao Bing most, however, was Zhao Yunxing, that middle-aged man in his forties.

Logically speaking, at Zhao Yunxing's age, his physical functions and cellular vitality should no longer have been at their peak, leaving him with limited cultivation potential.

Yet once he truly began cultivating, he gave Cao Bing a huge shock. In just two days, Zhao Yunxing successfully cultivated the Gene Primal Energy Cultivation Method. During his very first session, his strength increased by a full 1,800 jin.

His strength had directly surged to the Intermediate Warrior stage.

Cao Bing had nearly dropped his jaw.

And his subsequent cultivation was not slow either. By Cao Bing's estimate, Zhao Yunxing would likely reach the Warrior General level within two years.

When Qin De undergoes his tribulation, those Wu Family brothers will probably be in for quite a shock. I really want to see their expressions then. Cao Bing chuckled maliciously to himself.

It was time to return to Devouring Starry Sky. The internal energy cultivation over there needed an upgrade too!

Night fell outside. As usual, Cao Bing lay down on his bed.

Yet his consciousness passed through the point of light and left this body.

XXXXX

Devouring Starry Sky World

Today, Cao Bing was not sweating away in the training room as usual.

Today was the day he had agreed to enter the wilderness with the Divine Arrow Squad. Early in the morning, Cao Bing took the train to the HR Alliance Mall in the main city district.

"Cao Bing?" The moment he stepped into the skyscraper, a crisp female voice called out to him in apparent surprise.

Cao Bing turned around in confusion and saw a beautiful young woman in professional attire standing behind him.

"Xu Xin?" Cao Bing stared blankly at the woman, then immediately recalled that, as the eldest daughter of the Xu family within the HR Alliance, Xu Xin should be interning here to gain experience in managing the family business. It was not strange for her to be here.

Besides, Xu Xin seemed to be that kid Luo Feng's secret crush.

"It really is you. I never expected to see you here." Xu Xin smiled. However, judging by the exhaustion on her face, she had likely been working for quite some time.

"As a Martial Artist, isn't it normal for me to come here?" Cao Bing said with a smile.

Xu Xin paused, but quickly thought of how to respond. "Then congratulations! But you became a Martial Artist without telling us. None of us even knew."

"Haha, I've just been busy!" Cao Bing smiled awkwardly. Aside from Luo Feng, Wei Wen, and a few others, no one knew that he had become a Martial Artist. He had not informed any of his high school classmates either. His relationship with them had actually been rather distant, so he simply never mentioned it.

"That makes sense. You're a busy man. Even back in school, you often skipped class to go to the martial arts hall." Xu Xin smiled.

"Could you not expose me like that?" Cao Bing rubbed his nose, feeling embarrassed again. Why had he never noticed that Xu Xin was such a good talker before? It seemed workplace experience really did make a person different.

"By the way, Xu Xin, did you know Luo Feng became a Martial Artist too?" Cao Bing suddenly asked.

"Luo Feng?" Xu Xin hesitated briefly before saying, "I know."

"Want to hear a secret?" Cao Bing suddenly lowered his voice and spoke to Xu Xin with a mysterious air.

"What?" Xu Xin frowned slightly, not understanding.

"Luo Feng has a crush on you!" Cao Bing leaned close to Xu Xin's ear and suddenly dropped that line before turning to leave. He had already spotted his Divine Arrow Squad teammates.

"We can talk later. My teammates are here."

But Xu Xin did not hear a word of what he said afterward. The moment she heard Cao Bing say that Luo Feng had a crush on her, she was completely stunned. Her face turned bright red with shyness, and there was even a hint of anticipation.

Who knew what she was thinking about.

It was only after a long while that Xu Xin finally came back to her senses, but Cao Bing had already disappeared. She could only stomp her feet twice in annoyance before hurrying away.

"Little Cao, over here!" Song Shengnan stood up and waved both hands at Cao Bing.

"Sister Song, Uncle Yan, Uncle Xie, hello, everyone!" Cao Bing jogged over to the squad and greeted them one by one.

"Little Cao is here. Everyone has been waiting for you!" Guan Yong said cheerfully as well.

"By the way, Little Cao, I just saw you chatting with a beautiful woman. Are you interested in her?" Even Song Shengnan, a Warrior General level Martial Artist, could not escape a woman's natural love of gossip. She leaned toward Cao Bing and asked curiously.

"Sister Song, don't say that." Cao Bing hurriedly gave a bitter smile. "She's my friend's girlfriend, and also my high school classmate. We just happened to run into each other and chatted for a bit." Cao Bing smiled bitterly, speaking half-truths and half-lies. In reality, nothing had even happened between Luo Feng and Xu Xin yet.

"Then when are you going to find yourself a girlfriend, Little Cao? If you don't have one, Sister Song can introduce you to someone. I know quite a few great girls." Song Shengnan began teasing Cao Bing, sounding as though she were seriously about to introduce him to a girlfriend.

Cao Bing's expression immediately turned awkward. He hurriedly explained that he was only focused on cultivation right now and had no interest in dating.

Instead, that only drew wave after wave of laughter from the squad members, leaving Cao Bing feeling extremely embarrassed and helpless.

Fortunately, they did not chat for long. After casually eating something, they prepared to set off for the wilderness. They still needed to gather supplies later, so they did not have much time to rest.