Several days later, Dai Youheng finished his classes for the day and returned to his dormitory, where he immersed himself in cultivation.
The threshold between rank thirty-eight and rank forty was not so easy to cross. Even with his cultivation speed and the efficiency of that extraordinary cultivation method, he was still far short of having enough time. Through normal cultivation, he would need at least several more months of accumulation.
With outside assistance, however, it would naturally be a different story.
Just as he focused on circulating his soul power, two clear, melodious female voices sounded outside the dormitory door, almost in unison.
"Brother Youheng..."
"Are you there?"
It was the sisters, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo.
Shrek Academy's boys' and girls' dormitories were in the same building. The girls occupied the upper floors, while the boys occupied the lower ones.
Normally, boys were forbidden from entering the girls' floors without permission. Violating this school rule would result in expulsion.
The girls, however, faced no such restriction and could visit whenever they liked.
Dai Youheng reined in his aura, rose, and opened the door.
The Lan sisters' faces immediately blossomed into delighted smiles when they saw him. The elder sister, Lan Susu, held an exquisitely crafted invitation edged in gold foil. She presented it to him as though seeking praise. "Brother Youheng, look! We got what you asked us to find!"
It was an invitation to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's treasure appraisal fair. Such a thing was not difficult for well-connected noble children to obtain. Dai Youheng simply could not be bothered to go to the trouble himself, so he had casually entrusted the task to these sisters, who seemed quite happy to do things for him.
"Thank you." Dai Youheng accepted the invitation and offered a brief word of thanks.
"You're welcome!" the younger sister, Lan Luoluo, said with a lively smile. In perfect coordination with her elder sister, she naturally linked arms with Dai Youheng, one sister on either side. "Brother Youheng, let's hurry! The treasure appraisal fair is about to begin. If we get there late, someone else might snatch up all the good stuff!"
As they spoke, the two pulled Dai Youheng out the door without giving him a chance to object, before he had quite processed what was happening.
Inside the dormitory, Zhou Sichen watched the scene with a strange look in his eyes. Why did it feel as though the Lan sisters had become much warmer and closer to Dai Youheng than they had been before the holiday?
In truth, although the Lan sisters had gotten along well with Dai Youheng before, their relationship had mostly been founded on camaraderie as teammates and a touch of gratitude. They had liked him, but they had certainly not been intimate, much less inclined to take the initiative to link arms with him.
After all, the old Dai Youheng had always carried an inescapable air of a "bootlicking lapdog," which unconsciously made people keep their distance.
Since returning to school, however, Dai Youheng's demeanor had undergone an earth-shattering change. Although he still seemed to treat Huo Yuhao well on the surface, he barely bothered with Wang Dong. As for Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and the others he had once tried to please, he had never once sought them out.
He had become a man of few words, always surrounded by an air of cold solitude and detachment. Apart from his roommate Zhou Sichen, he rarely spoke to anyone.
To certain girls, this mysterious, powerfully confident "lone wolf" demeanor was far more attractive than his former "sweet, bootlicking lapdog" persona.
Moreover, the greatest beneficiary of his recent efforts to help Huo Yuhao had always been himself. He had reaped profits until his pots and bowls overflowed.
Instead, he had turned Huo Yuhao into his own tool. In the Lan sisters' eyes, that composure and calculation were signs of maturity.
With the negative filter of "bootlicker" removed, the two sisters, who had already been fond of Dai Youheng, naturally became more forward and enthusiastic.
Following the map, the three walked to the central district of Shrek City. As one of the city's famous establishments, the Treasure Gathering Pavilion was not difficult to find. Before long, a magnificent, brilliantly illuminated building appeared before them.
Before they even reached the entrance, a young hostess in formal attire approached with a smile and said respectfully, "Welcome to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, honored Lord Soul Masters."
Their Shrek uniforms were the best proof of their identities.
Dai Youheng produced the gold-embossed invitation. After inspecting it, the girl became even more respectful and led them inside.
Today was the treasure appraisal fair, and guests crowded the pavilion. The staff were exceptionally busy, so no one was assigned to attend to individual guests. Visitors could only browse on their own, then go to the counter to complete a transaction if they found a treasure they liked and could afford.
The pavilion dazzled the eye with its wares. Every resource a soul master might need was available: rare metals, prepared medicinal pills, medicinal herbs of great age, all manner of soul tools, and even several soul bones that radiated an alluring glow! Many students and soul masters stopped to marvel at them.
Such a grand event naturally attracted the academy's prominent figures. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were both there.
"Hey, Bei Bei, what do you think I should buy to make Nannan happy?" Xu Sanshi fanned himself with a woeful expression. He had come here purely for Jiang Nannan. He knew that she attended every treasure appraisal fair, but she only ever "appraised"-she could not afford to buy anything.
Xu Sanshi wished he could buy the entire Treasure Gathering Pavilion and give it to her. Unfortunately, Jiang Nannan never accepted any of his gifts.
Bei Bei replied helplessly, "How would I know what Jiang Nannan likes? All I know is that my Xiaoya likes studying all kinds of hidden weapons. If you really want to know... why not ask him?"
As he spoke, he directed his gaze toward the three who had just entered.
Xu Sanshi looked in the direction Bei Bei indicated, and his eyes landed on Dai Youheng's group.
Naturally, Jiang Nannan had been among the people the former Dai Youheng had fawned over. If someone belonged to the main cast, he would fawn over them without exception.
And although Jiang Nannan never accepted gifts from anyone, she had once accepted a gift from Dai Youheng alone.
That was because Dai Youheng had given Jiang Nannan restorative medicine that could help improve her mother's health.
Even when trying to please someone, one had to prescribe the right medicine for the ailment. Jiang Nannan cared little about her own affairs, so she had little interest in those who tried to win her favor. But in her heart, the most important person was her mother. Nothing mattered more than her mother.
This had made Xu Sanshi intensely jealous of Dai Youheng. Even though Dai Youheng had also fawned over him, he still loathed him.
"It's that damned bootlicker!" Xu Sanshi snapped his fan shut with a crack, strode over, and blocked Dai Youheng's path. His questioning tone was condescending. "Dai Youheng, long time no see, huh? School has been back in session all this time, so why haven't you come to pay your respects to this young master?"
Dai Youheng looked up at him and knew this was yet another problem left behind by his predecessor.
He could not be bothered to waste words and gave a one-word answer. "Busy."
Dismissed so curtly, Xu Sanshi felt his pride take a hit. He snorted coldly. "Hmph. Good thing you're busy. Saves you from hanging around me and Nannan all day, making a nuisance of yourself! Still, since we've run into each other today, this young master has a question for you. Just what did you give Nannan back then that made her accept it?"
Dai Youheng glanced at him, inwardly speechless
-how would he know what that bootlicker had given her? Deliberately adopting an amused expression, he said, "Want to know? Simple. One hundred Mystic Water Pills and one hundred Black Tortoise Pills, and I'll tell you."
The Mystic Water Pill and the Black Tortoise Pill were both secret medicines passed down through the direct lineage of Xu Sanshi's Netherworld Sect. Both were extremely precious.
"What?" Sure enough, Xu Sanshi's face instantly turned livid. "Do you think Mystic Water Pills and Black Tortoise Pills are cabbages?"
Mystic Water Pills could cleanse impurities and improve innate soul power, making them extraordinarily valuable. Last year, Bei Bei had gone to great lengths just to get two from him.
The Black Tortoise Pill was an even more potent secret medicine reserved for the Netherworld Sect's direct lineage. Back then, Jiang Nannan had also... Just thinking about that incident made Xu Sanshi's heart bleed.
"If you can't pay, move aside. Don't block the way." Dai Youheng could not be bothered to tangle with him any further. He simply reached out and gave what appeared to be a casual push, yet it sent the Soul Ancestor-level Xu Sanshi stumbling out of his path. Then he walked straight into the pavilion.
Xu Sanshi froze, utterly unable to believe it!
This fellow, who had always been meek and submissive in front of him, who had done everything he could to curry his favor, had actually dared to push him aside today? And humiliate him like this?
Fierce anger instantly overwhelmed his reason, and his soul power instinctively began to surge!
Just then, two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
"Xu Sanshi! Don't bully your fellow students!" A cool female voice tinged with urgency called out. It was Jiang Nannan, who had just happened to arrive. Seeing Xu Sanshi blocking Dai Youheng, she instinctively assumed he was causing trouble again.
"Sanshi, calm down! This is the Treasure Gathering Pavilion!" Bei Bei also stepped forward in time, pressed a hand onto Xu Sanshi's shoulder, and reminded him in a low voice.
Jiang Nannan's defense of Dai Youheng had only poured oil onto the flames. Her speaking up for him infuriated Xu Sanshi even more.
Bei Bei's reminder, however, instantly restored some of Xu Sanshi's senses. The Treasure Gathering Pavilion's backing was unfathomable, and it was said to have close ties to the Sea God Pavilion. The consequences of causing trouble here would be unimaginable.
Still, the core disciple selections should be coming up soon. There, he would show Dai Youheng what was what.
Before you continue