At that, Xiao Feng gave Jiang Lan a look filled with mixed emotions.
"All right, that's everything. You can head back."
Only after saying that did he seem to remember something. He raised a hand and added, "Oh, right. The Vice Dean specifically instructed that, from now on, you'll be allowed into the Spiritual Energy Chamber once a month. Whenever you want to go in, just let me know."
A look of delight crossed Jiang Lan's face.
Straight from once a year to once a month? How great was that?
That meant he could reap a huge haul from the Spiritual Energy Chamber every month.
Awesome!
"Thank you, sir!"
"What are you thanking me for? Thank yourself for doing so well."
If Jiang Lan hadn't shown such absurd talent, the Academy would never have devoted so many resources to him.
So Jiang Lan had earned all of this himself.
"Still, I should thank you anyway," Jiang Lan said with a smile.
Xiao Feng waved a hand. "No need to be so polite. That's everything. Head back."
"Will do!"
Jiang Lan answered and headed off campus.
Xiao Feng glanced at Jiang Lan's retreating figure, then turned and headed toward the Vice Dean's office.
Meanwhile, once Jiang Lan was outside the school, he hailed a taxi home.
Sitting in the back seat, Jiang Lan leaned against the window and casually gazed outside.
The streets outside sped past.
Yet every detail stood out to Jiang Lan with perfect clarity.
His sight and hearing had both improved dramatically.
If he had to describe it, the entire world had gone from 720p to crystal-clear 4K.
Even the sound had gone from ordinary audio to Dolby Audio.
Half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the entrance to his residential complex.
Jiang Lan paid the fare, went upstairs, and entered the apartment.
The moment he opened the door, the aroma of cooking reached him.
In the kitchen, Shen Qingqiu heard the noise and glanced back.
"You're back. Wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready."
Jiang Lan changed his shoes, walked over to the kitchen doorway, and poked his head inside.
Shen Qingqiu stood at the stove, his spatula flying as he worked with crisp, deft movements.
A real beauty was a real beauty-even cooking, he looked far better than most people.
But after just one glance, Jiang Lan frowned slightly.
A faint red mark lay across the web of Shen Qingqiu's thumb, looking like a recently healed wound.
Had Auntie gotten hurt earlier?
Suppressing his questions, Jiang Lan went to the bathroom to wash his hands, then came back out.
Shen Qingqiu glanced sideways at him.
"Why are you so late today?"
"The Academy arranged a visit to the Spiritual Energy Chamber. It held me up a bit."
Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "The Spiritual Energy Chamber? How was it?"
"Pretty comfortable. Like a sauna, the plus version."
"..."
Somewhat speechless, Shen Qingqiu said, "Are you sure you went to the Spiritual Energy Chamber?"
"Hehe."
Jiang Lan chuckled without explaining further, then pointed at his left hand.
"Auntie, what happened to your hand?"
Shen Qingqiu looked down at the web of his thumb and said casually:
"Nothing. The knife handle slipped earlier and scraped it. Just a little cut."
Jiang Lan nodded and said nothing more.
But he made a mental note of it.
Next time I go out, I'll buy Auntie a better pair of combat gloves.
He seemed to remember seeing some before.
"Don't just stand there. Go wait outside. It'll be ready soon."
"Okay."
Jiang Lan left the kitchen and sat down at the dining table.
Before long, Shen Qingqiu brought the dishes out.
Three dishes and a soup, all his favorites.
The two sat facing each other and began eating.
Shen Qingqiu had always been a good cook.
But today, Jiang Lan found the food unexpectedly delicious.
Maybe improving my mental strength made my sense of taste sharper too?
"Eat up."
Watching Jiang Lan wolf down his food, Shen Qingqiu wore a fond, aunt-like smile.
"Mm-hmm..." Jiang Lan answered indistinctly.
A short while later, the two had polished off the meal. Shen Qingqiu stood up to clear the dishes.
Jiang Lan hurriedly stood and said:
"I'll wash up."
Shen Qingqiu paused and glanced at him.
"Why are you so helpful today?"
"My auntie's hurt. As your nephew, of course I have to take good care of you."
"Such a sweet talker."
Though Shen Qingqiu sounded dismissive, he still went over to the sofa.
Jiang Lan carried the dishes into the kitchen and washed everything in no time.
Once he finished cleaning up, Jiang Lan glanced at Shen Qingqiu on the sofa and sidled up beside him with a grin.
Leaning against the armrest, Shen Qingqiu gave him a sidelong glance.
"What is it?"
Jiang Lan asked directly:
"Auntie, if I remember right, isn't the Salvage Team heading out of the city again tomorrow?"
"Yes. Why, do you want to come along again?"
"Nothing gets past you, Auntie!"
"Enough of your cheek," Shen Qingqiu said. "Didn't the Academy give your benefits a huge boost? Why bother going to the Wilderness Zone?"
"Hehe, mostly because I want to get some second-tier essence blood."
At that, Shen Qingqiu lifted his head and looked at Jiang Lan.
"Second-tier? Haven't you been using first-tier all this time?"
"First-tier essence blood is getting less and less effective. I want to try second-tier."
That explanation made sense.
Once a special talent developed to a certain point, lower-quality essence blood became less effective, and higher-quality blood was needed to sustain its improvement. That was nothing unusual.
After considering it for a moment, Shen Qingqiu nodded. "All right. Come with me tomorrow."
After a pause, he added, "But once we're in the Wilderness Zone, don't stray too far from the main group. Stay safe."
"Don't worry, Auntie. Forget second-tier ferocious beasts-even a Third-Tier Ferocious Beast couldn't cause me any trouble."
Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes and said irritably:
"Oh, aren't you impressive."
Still, he wasn't particularly worried.
After all, Jiang Lan really had killed a Third-Tier Ferocious Beast single-handedly.
At the thought, Shen Qingqiu's feelings grew complicated again.
Without his noticing, Jiang Lan was becoming more and more of an adult.
And his strength was growing at an astonishing pace.
If Qin Lan were still alive and knew how accomplished her son had become, she would probably wake up laughing from her dreams...
At that thought, Shen Qingqiu silently sighed and gathered himself.
There's no point thinking about that now. I just need to take good care of Jiang Lan.
But... Jiang Lan doesn't seem to need much looking after anymore.
Things were different now. Even if Jiang Lan weren't at the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy, his current strength would let him find a well-paying job anywhere.
Maybe I'll even have to rely on Jiang Lan in the future.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Shen Qingqiu stole a glance at Jiang Lan, a faint rosy blush rising to his cheeks.
How did I never notice before? This kid is getting better-looking as he grows.
And that physique...
Tsk...
Who knows which lucky girl will end up with him.
"Auntie, what are you thinking about?" Jiang Lan asked, watching Shen Qingqiu's expression keep changing.
"Ah..." Shen Qingqiu startled and hurriedly said, "Nothing. Go back to your room. I just remembered I've got something to do."
With that, he hastily got up, leaving Jiang Lan utterly baffled.
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