"What a piece of trash…"
Xiao Se cursed softly in his heart. With a casual flick of his hand, he tossed away Jin Renfeng's eyeballs and incinerated them into ashes with a wisp of Heavenly Flame.
[Ding. System patch installation complete. Exchange chances can now stack. One additional exchange chance will be granted each month, effective starting next month.]
"They can stack now?" Xiao Se's lips curved into a smile. "That's great. At least I won't have to worry every month about them getting reset."
Over the past year, he hadn't exchanged for anything particularly good. Now that the system had improved, things might finally get more interesting.
As the saying goes—there are no years in the mountains, yet a thousand years pass in the mortal world.
Before he realized it, Xiao Se had already spent over a month deep in the mountains.
"Mirror Flower, Shattered Void."
As Xiao Se swung his sword in a motion that was neither fast nor slow, a vast stretch of space in front of him suddenly twisted, forming something like a mirror—then shattered with a loud bang. The magical beast trapped within that space shattered as well, dissolving into nothingness.
Unlike before, when fragments of corpses were left behind, this time there was no trace at all—not even a drop of blood. Only a fist-sized magic core remained, suspended in midair before falling to the ground.
"Brother, it seems you've completely mastered this Earth-tier high-grade Dou Technique," Longkui said with a bright smile.
"It still feels like something's missing," Xiao Se sighed softly. "If this were anyone else, reaching this level would count as full mastery. But I possess both space and time attributes. Deep down, I can sense a certain flaw. If I could make up for it… this technique might one day rival a Heaven-tier Dou Technique."
"Then let's stay here and continue researching it," Longkui said eagerly.
These past one-plus months had been the happiest days she'd had in nearly two years. It felt like going back to the time three years ago, when Xiao Se had just begun his training journey—no interruptions from anyone else, just the two of them together.
"No need," Xiao Se shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his handsome face. "No matter how much we study right now, we won't gain much more. Besides, this past month of constant combat has fully stabilized the explosive growth in my cultivation from absorbing soul rings. It's time to head out."
He paused briefly.
"The Fallen Heart Flame in the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower… I can't let that slip away."
Because of his Martial Soul awakening and the absorption of six top-tier soul rings, his body had been nourished by soul power. The youthful traces on his face had gradually faded, and his height had grown to a full 1.8 meters. If someone who knew him well were here now, they'd probably be so shocked they wouldn't even be able to speak.
Of course, that excluded the gluttonous little female dragon—her mind was completely occupied with food.
Hearing that Xiao Se was leaving, a faint trace of disappointment flashed through Longkui's beautiful eyes. Without saying anything more, she obediently entered the Demonic Sword's space. Xiao Se also drew the Demonic Sword back into his body. The Evil God Wings burst out from his back, and with a powerful flap, his figure turned into a streak of light and vanished into the sky.
"Brother, are we heading straight back to the Inner Courtyard?"
High in the air, Longkui's gentle voice echoed by Xiao Se's ear.
"To the Outer Courtyard first," Xiao Se replied, looking in that direction. "It's already been more than four months since I entered the Inner Courtyard. The Outer Courtyard is closer from here anyway. I'll go check on Xiao Yu."
With that, he accelerated, flying rapidly toward the Outer Courtyard.
After about ten minutes of flight, Xiao Se arrived at the Outer Courtyard of Jia Nan Academy.
Because the enormous black wings on Xiao Se's back were incredibly eye-catching, quite a few people quickly gathered around the spot where he landed. When they got a clear look at his face, many of them were left staring blankly.
Before entering the Inner Courtyard, Xiao Se had been a star-like figure. It had only been a little over four months—logically speaking, the students should still remember him. However, due to the growth of his body from absorbing soul rings and the change in his attire, no one recognized him immediately.
"Who's that guy in green? He's so handsome… why does he look kind of familiar?"
"He kinda looks like Senior Xiao Se…"
"Bullshit. Senior Xiao Se is way more handsome than that."
"He really is Senior Xiao Se! Didn't you see the treasure pouch at his waist? That's definitely him!"
"That explains it… no wonder he's so good-looking. Turns out it's Senior Xiao Se."
Listening to the whispers around him, Xiao Se ignored them. Following the route in his memory, he headed straight toward the pavilion where Xiao Yu lived.
"Creak—"
Just as Xiao Se reached the door and was about to knock, it opened on its own. A familiar, beautiful face appeared in his line of sight. That tall, graceful figure, those iconic long, shapely legs—
If it wasn't Xiao Yu, who else could it be?
Seeing Xiao Se, Xiao Yu froze for a moment. Then she immediately recognized him. Her beautiful eyes filled with mist as she threw herself into his arms.
"You little pervert! Did you forget about me the moment you found someone new?" she cried angrily. "You haven't come to see me for so long!"
"Hey, hey, don't cry," Xiao Se hurriedly patted her back, comforting her. "I'm here now, aren't I?"
In this lifetime, what Xiao Se feared most was women crying—especially his own women.
"Come with me. I'll deal with you properly once we're inside."
Xiao Yu bit her red lips lightly. Without waiting for his response, she grabbed his hand and dragged him into the room.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Se shrugged helplessly and let himself be pulled along.
Under Xiao Yu's lead, Xiao Se entered a very warm, cozy room. He'd been here once before—this was Xiao Yu's private bedroom.
"I say, Xiao Yu, don't tell me you're planning to sleep with me?"
The moment he entered, Xiao Se shamelessly flopped down onto the bed, mimicking Xiao Yu's past mannerisms.
"I should let you know first—your Brother Xiao sells his body, not his dignity. You'll have to take responsibility afterward. Proper matchmakers, formal betrothal gifts, eight bearers carrying the bridal sedan—none of that can be missing."
"Bah! Shameless!"
Hearing his words, Xiao Yu's face flushed red. She walked over and lay down on the bed as well, turning her head to look at Xiao Se's now fully matured, clean-cut side profile. She spoke softly, "Hey… little pervert."
"What is it?" Xiao Se asked, a bit puzzled.
"You really have grown up," Xiao Yu said gently, smiling.
"Which part are you talking about?"
Xiao Se was momentarily stunned—then broke into a wicked grin.
"You're impossible!"
Xiao Yu's face reddened again. She shot him an annoyed glare, then suddenly grew serious.
"Little pervert… there's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"Go ahead," Xiao Se replied, seeing the seriousness in her expression and dropping his joking tone.
"Do you… resent the Xiao Clan?" Xiao Yu asked softly.
"Why are you suddenly asking that?" Xiao Se raised an eyebrow and sat up.
"My grandpa and the others already know about what you've been doing at Jia Nan Academy," Xiao Yu said with a hint of guilt.
"They know, then they know," Xiao Se said, lying back down again.
In the past, he had worried about the Gu Clan and the Soul Clan. But now that he had the ability to travel between worlds, even if a Dou Sheng came knocking, he could still run.
Afraid of being misunderstood, Xiao Yu hurriedly explained, "I didn't tell them. It was—"
"I believe you."
A smile returned to Xiao Se's face.
(End of Chapter)
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