Sixteen of the top students entered the Outer Realm assessment this morning.
But this had nothing to do with Xu Lingjun.
His grades weren't bad, but as Wang Qingya said, with just such grades, getting into the Four Great Martial Mansions was nothing short of a fool's dream.
And he also knew that his foundation wasn't very strong. Now that he had an opportunity, he certainly wouldn't slack off in the slightest.
Every day, he continued to refine himself to the highest standard. Without affecting his younger brother's situation, he crazily consumed pills. Although not much source value remained, Xu Lingjun now had several steady sources.
The situations of saving people from life-and-death perils naturally don't happen all the time. Xu Lingjun's last name was Xu, not Edogawa, he didn't have the kind of aura that wherever he went, people died.
But every day he merely helped little girls with their homework, then rejected their requests to marry him when they grew up... What a joke, I'm just after your gratitude, and you're after me? That's too much.
In his spare time, he would help classmates buy things and do miscellaneous chores.
Basically, income and expenses could just about balance out!
And under such full force support... he had just broken through the Body Refining Eighth Stage not long ago.
With a large influx of blood qi, plus the help of three Body Tempering Pills directly restored to their original state.
Three days.
In the bathroom.
Along with a series of crackling bone sounds, the collisions between bones sounded like the friction of weapons, making a piercing noise.
At this moment, Xu Lingjun felt that his bones were probably as tough as weapons now.
Body Tempering Ninth Rank.
He rose another level, and there were no impurities flowing out of his body. Or rather, the Divine Demon Level Body Refining Technique was so overbearing that even those impurities had been absorbed into his bones and meridians by the technique.
His skin appeared softer, but also more elastic.
"Xiaojun, it's time to eat."
Wang Qingya called out from outside the bathroom.
Xu Lingjun responded and came out... meeting Wang Qingya's doubtful gaze.
He curiously asked, "What's wrong, Sister Yaya?"
"Nothing."
Wang Qingya said, "Wash your hands, it's time to eat."
And even up until they ate, while Xu Lingjun was devouring the plentiful dishes on the table, Wang Qingya's expression remained odd.
Xu Lingjun sighed helplessly and explained seriously, "Sister Yaya, I really haven't been secretly using any facial cleansers behind your back. It's just that my strength has improved, plus your cooking skills have been too good lately, providing balanced nutrition, so my skin naturally improved."
Wang Qingya asked in surprise, "Can cultivating Martial Tao have such benefits?"
She had quite a few close friends who were martial arts experts, but she hadn't seen their skin become like Xu Lingjun's.
Wang Qingya actually witnessed Xu Lingjun's transformation up close.
She knew that when she first arrived, Xu Lingjun's looks were undoubtedly excellent, but due to his long-term part-time jobs, his skin wasn't very delicate. But he was so handsome that it overshadowed these minor imperfections.
But now...
No imperfections were left.
Wang Qingya didn't feel like she liked Xu Lingjun; she had always treated him like her younger brother. Plus, because her parents' accident was related to her and her father, she felt a sense of responsibility towards Xu Lingjun.
She wanted to marry him, take good care of him, and make it up to him.
But even with sibling affection, the thought of having extremely intimate interactions with this younger brother in front of her in the future didn't cause her any rejection at all... Hmm...
Who doesn't love a good-looking man?
He was fair but not feminine, handsome but not demonic. Who said women can't be a little lustful?
"Had I known, I wouldn't have joined some War Studies Academy but aimed for a Martial Mansion like you."
Wang Qingya bit her chopsticks lightly with her warm red lips, staring somewhat resentfully at Xu Lingjun's fair and delicate face. Then she paused and exclaimed in surprise, "Wait, did you just say... you broke through again?"
"Yeah, Body Tempering Ninth Rank. Once Teacher Zhou returns, I can apply for a solo test!"
Xu Lingjun smiled and said, "There are two months left until the Dragon Gate Examination. I'll try harder during this time, I feel that entering Bei Xuanwu Martial Mansion shouldn't be a problem."
Wang Qingya wasn't very happy, just gazed at Xu Lingjun with a strange look and said, "Before I came, I had been following your progress. I always knew about your progress... shouldn't be this fast, why does it seem like you rocketed as soon as I arrived."
"Maybe it's because someone is at home now, so there's motivation in the heart?"
Xu Lingjun casually made an excuse.
Wang Qingya regretted saying, "What a pity... If you had broken through a few days earlier, you might have had a part in this Sect trial."
"The Sect isn't my desire; joining would mean no freedom. Although the Sect wouldn't overly restrict my actions, I have no interest in having ancestors above my head my whole life."
Xu Lingjun took a bite of the rich but not greasy braised pork and said, "But, calculating the time, the sect assessment is probably almost over, right?"
"Instructor Zhou took a five-day leave, so it probably still has two days to go."
Wang Qingya picked up a chicken leg for Xu Lingjun and said, "Eat more."
"Aren't you eating, Sister Yaya?"
"No, I'm on a diet."
"But Sister Yaya, you're not fat."
"Don't worry, even if I diet, I'll only slim down my waist and legs. You said you like this size, so I definitely won't slim down my chest. Otherwise, in the future, what if you dislike the feel of it?"
Wang Qingya smiled mischievously at Xu Lingjun.
Xu Lingjun: "............"
He sighed helplessly, Sister Yaya, don't you know it's already hard enough for me to replenish my blood and yang every day, and you're still teasing me like this... aren't you really afraid of me going beast mode?
But just looking at Wang Qingya's bright and gentle smile, a hint of warmth appeared in his eyes.
She doesn't love him, and he doesn't love her.
But undoubtedly, being with Wang Qingya... really feels the most comfortable and relaxed, as if skipping the passionate love stage directly to the stage of being an old married couple, holding each other's hands.
Living two lives, he no longer yearned for earth-shattering romance; this kind of simple happiness was what he actually preferred.
And just as Xu Lingjun was enjoying this peaceful time.
Outside Qingzhou City.
The Outer Realm is a place where demon beasts gather.
Though the night was deep.
More than ten people had not rested, hastily filling their stomachs with some wild vegetables and the like...
Within the Outer Realm, there are many demon beasts, and they had not yet gathered qi; they were merely reserve martial artists, and usually, they wouldn't dare come to such a place.
But now, for the assessment, they had no choice but to take this risk.
Sixteen people had been searching outside for a full three days.
But they still hadn't found the whereabouts of the man-eating demon beast; thankfully, they hadn't encountered any powerful demon beasts, or there would likely have been casualties.
"Don't go any further."
Li Lei suddenly whispered, "If you go any further, you'll enter the territory of the Jade-eyed Snow Tiger. The Jade-eyed Snow Tiger is extremely powerful and is a Level 5 demon beast. If we're not careful and trespass, we might be in mortal danger..."
"How do you know?"
Another student, Wei Hua, defiant, asked.
He knew that although there were no protectors at their side, it was said that each person had a listening device on them, and the so-called comprehensive performance had actually started the moment they entered the Outer Realm.
Ever since entering this Outer Realm, Li Lei seemed to have divine assistance, always able to easily detect hidden crises.
Not facing any crisis these past few days, he was indispensable.
Unknowingly, he had already become the invisible leader among them.
Whenever a decision needed making, everyone instinctively looked at him...
This was not a good sign; at this rate, it's likely that one slot will inevitably go to him.
"Didn't you notice the dung on the way here? The Jade-eyed Snow Tiger has a lot of hair around its anus, so its dung carries some white hair. This is their unique feature, and they have the habit of using dung to mark their territory."
Li Lei looked around for a moment, pointed to the distant dung, and said, "If you don't believe me, go take a look."
Wei Hua, unconvinced, said, "What if the man-eating demon beast sneaked into this territory unnoticed?"
Li Lei said, "Are you stupid? The Jade-eyed Snow Tiger is extremely territorial. If that demon beast really sneaked in here, either they are fighting right now or the demon beast has already been killed by the Jade-eyed Snow Tiger. In either case, why should we go in?"
Wei Hua: "............"
Li Lei sighed, "Wei Hua, I know you're not convinced of me, afraid I'll snatch the slot you want, but I have something to say. We are indeed competitors, but before we compete, we are teammates. The Outer Realm is full of enemies; this isn't a drill, I repeat, this isn't a drill!
If we are not careful, we could actually die, so we should compete within the rules. If what I say isn't right, feel free to challenge it, but if what I say is right, I hope everyone stops nitpicking..."
He said sincerely, "Everyone can share any suggestions. We were once classmates, we are teammates now, and in the future, we'll be brothers in the sect; we are a family."
Upon hearing this, Wei Hua's face turned green and red in turns.
Another female classmate, Sun Jing, praised, "Li Lei, you know so much. Now we only have two days left. Do you have any way to find that demon beast?"
"Of course I do. In fact, during this time, I've been silently observing the surrounding terrain. Based on those clues, I can tell the distribution positions of these demon beasts. That man-eating Ghost Wolf certainly wouldn't dare approach the territory of those strong demon beasts, so I suggest splitting up to search on routes away from those powerful demon beasts, narrowing down its range of activity, then encircle and kill it!"
With earnestness in his voice, Li Lei was already cheering joyfully in his heart.
Thank you, Daddy Lingjun, with the map you left behind, I know the distribution of all the demon beasts here. The feeling of showing off in front of classmates and sect seniors is simply fantastic.
This time, among the five disciples' slots, I will certainly be the top name.