Outside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, people came and went.
Among the crowd, stood a graceful figure, dressed in silver robes, with dazzling silver hair, drawing extra attention.
With a beautiful face, she smiled lightly, causing many to pause.
"Senior Sister, sorry to keep you waiting. It took some time coming from the eighth floor," Lin Xiu said, with a somewhat apologetic smile as he approached.
"It's fine, I just arrived too," replied Han Yue, her beautiful eyes scrutinizing Lin Xiu, "Junior Brother has only been in the inner courtyard for a little over a year, yet he's already reached the eighth floor. His strength must have improved significantly."
"Fair enough, being able to reach the eighth floor is mostly related to the Dou Technique I practice," Lin Xiu chuckled.
"I've heard about it. Junior Brother, on his first entry into the Qi Refining Tower, managed to withstand the scorching Heartfire solely by his own ability. Elder Liu, who was present at the time, was amazed," Han Yue nodded slightly as she walked alongside Lin Xiu.
"By the way, there's a junior named Xiao Yan in this batch who's similar to you. He also managed to withstand the Heartfire solely by himself," she continued.
"I've sparred with him before. He possesses a Heavenly Flame," Lin Xiu replied, unsurprised.
Han Yue tilted her head, looking at Lin Xiu. "Many say Xiao Yan endured for eighteen minutes, which is impressive. But in my opinion, Junior Brother only took a few minutes to deal with the Heartfire, which is even more remarkable."
"Oh... really? Haha, thank you for the acknowledgment, Senior Sister," Lin Xiu's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
In this case, it was obviously Han Yue's first time saying so. Seeing Lin Xiu's reaction, she immediately turned her head away, her pretty face flushing slightly.
Did she sound too deliberate?
The two walked through the campus in silence and arrived at the gate.
There were five figures standing by the gate.
Among them, two figures stood out, making them easily recognizable.
On the far side was a burly man with a slightly stubbled face named Yan Hao.
Beside him stood a handsome young man dressed in a green robe, named Lin Xiu Ya.
"Brother Hao, Brother Lin," Lin Xiu greeted them with a smile.
Because they often frequented the Arena, they were very familiar with each other.
"Why haven't we seen you at the Arena recently?" Yan Hao asked, putting his arm around Lin Xiu's shoulder with a hearty voice.
"There haven't been any matches, so I couldn't earn much Fire Energy. I might as well cultivate in the tower," Lin Xiu replied.
Lin Xiu looked somewhat distressed.
"Who told you to perform so fiercely in the Fire Energy Hunting Competition? Now, except for the top twenty on the leaderboard, no one wants to spar with you," Yan Hao said with some exasperation.
And even among the top twenty, no one dared to spar with Lin Xiu.
Because when this kid fought, he really went all out, preferring to end up with mutual injuries rather than admit defeat.
But Lin Xiu always recovered quickly after each injury, and in the long run, they didn't want to face him.
It was precisely because of Lin Xiu's fighting style that Yan Hao, Lin Xiu Ya, and others took the initiative to befriend him.
After all, everyone liked to be friends with talented and hardworking individuals.
"Actually, I have a way to get you more matches again. It depends on whether you're willing or not," Yan Hao suddenly lowered his voice.
Whenever this big guy spoke softly, it meant something unreliable.
"I'm not interested," Lin Xiu decisively shook his head.
"You don't even have to intervene. Just let Lin Xiu Ya arrange for Wolf Fang to deal with that Pan's Gate faction. Those who stick together will surely cause chaos again, and then you'll have the opportunity to mediate, won't you?" Yan Hao nudged Lin Xiu with his elbow, prompting Lin Xiu to directly move his hand away and break free.
"Yan Hao, stop instigating here. My Wolf Fang is not like the White Gang. We won't stoop to such a level," Lin Xiu Ya pointed at him.
Because Lin Xiu and Lin Xiu Ya's names only differed by one character, Yan Hao often teased them.
He would say that Lin Xiu Ya was Lin Xiu's older brother and needed to take care of his younger brother.
There were quite a few seniors in the inner courtyard who were clueless about the news, and they specifically asked Lin Xiu Ya about it, prompting him to explain several times. In the end, he just stopped explaining altogether.
"Senior Brother Lin Xiu Ya, Senior Brother Yan Hao, it's time to set off. It's better to get our things early for a more secure journey," Han Yue couldn't help but remind them.
"Oh, Han Yue Junior Sister, I almost forgot to ask, do you have a crush on Junior Brother Lin Xiu? Why would you specially invite him for such a good opportunity?" Yan Hao suddenly asked, looking at Han Yue.
This time, they were going to search for the Core Quenching Body Milk. According to Han Yue, there was a Snow Demon Sky Ape nearby.
These Magic Beasts generally reach the Dou King level upon reaching adulthood, and their strength should not be underestimated.
In theory, Han Yue should seek out someone with stronger abilities, rather than inviting Lin Xiu.
After all, Lin Xiu had only been in the inner courtyard for a little over a year, with limited cultivation time and strength.
Despite Lin Xiu's ability to hold his own in the Arena against them.
But this is completely different from battling Magic Beasts. Even the Academy's Dou King-level elders sometimes find themselves in a tight spot when facing a Snow Demon Sky Ape.
In a confrontation with it, even a slight mistake could result in life-threatening danger.
If they were to encounter a Snow Demon Sky Ape later, they would certainly not allow Lin Xiu and Han Yue to get involved.
"Brother Hao, I think you might need to warm up with me in the Arena first!" Lin Xiu clenched his fist.
"Look, Junior Brother is getting anxious," Yan Hao's massive figure couldn't hide behind Lin Xiu Ya.
"Don't talk nonsense, Brother Yan Hao. I invited Junior Brother because he saved me before," Han Yue's face tensed, her tone becoming somewhat cold.
After speaking, she walked ahead.
"Is that so?" Yan Hao was taken aback.
After receiving confirmation from Lin Xiu with a nod, he hurried to catch up and apologized to Han Yue.
Afterward, the group followed behind Han Yue, heading towards the forest.
Along the way, Yan Hao sidled up to Lin Xiu.
"Junior Brother, do you know about Core Quenching Body Milk? It's incredible stuff, with the miraculous effect of washing marrow and refining bones. Just a small amount can greatly increase the probability of breaking through to Dou King," he patted Lin Xiu's chest. "You've truly stumbled upon a good opportunity."
"Brother Hao, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't even begun yet, and the Snow Demon Sky Ape isn't easy to deal with," Lin Xiu remained calm.
Someone who wasn't excited about breaking through to Dou King? Yan Hao was somewhat surprised.
After all, when he first heard this news, he couldn't sleep all night.
Just now, seeing Lin Xiu's calm expression all the way, he thought Lin Xiu might not understand the effect of Core Quenching Body Milk, so he took the initiative to explain it to him.
"Junior Brother, when you say the Snow Demon Sky Ape isn't easy to deal with, are you looking down on your Brother Hao, or are you looking down on Lin Xiu Ya?" Yan Hao's face suddenly stiffened, his voice raising a few notches.
Ahead, Lin Xiu Ya heard the commotion and turned to glance back.
Faced with his questioning gaze, Lin Xiu shrugged helplessly and then glanced sideways at Yan Hao.
"Lin Xiu Ya, I didn't say anything, he did," Yan Hao quickly distanced himself from Lin Xiu, pointing at him with both hands.
"You come over here quickly and don't mess up Lin Xiu," Lin Xiu Ya gestured with his hand.
"Junior Brother, it's just a Magic Beast. With so many of us together, there's no problem," Yan Hao reassured.
"That's right, you can rest assured and wait to collect the Core Quenching Body Milk," two nearby inner courtyard students chimed in, smiling.
Seeing this, Lin Xiu just nodded slightly. They wouldn't believe it anyway. He couldn't just tell them that he had seen this scene before, could he? That would be even less believable.
"This opportunity was originally going to be seized by Xiao Yan, but with me here, he won't get a chance," Lin Xiu thought to himself.
And Han Yue didn't know that she was just repaying Lin Xiu's kindness, unaware that she had inadvertently helped herself obtain the Core Quenching Body Milk that she should have lost.
---
Check out my Patreon for up to 50 Advanced Chapters.
Link : patreon.com/AlbertTL