The next day.
Feng Zhichen boarded the plane heading for Qingzhou City.
Old age made him tremble even as he walked.
A flight attendant helped him along the way, then seated him.
When Feng Zhichen finally lay down to rest, he couldn't help but sigh. Young people these days are truly polite; I look like a decrepit old man with no strength at all, yet no one took advantage of this old fellow. Everywhere I went, people treated me with respect, and wherever I stood, they'd quickly offer me a seat.
Cars would keep their distance, afraid of accidentally brushing against me… How considerate.
Lying down, he sighed and gently pointed backward.
Although the fingertip was far from reaching, a wisp of True Qi came through…
Poking the head of the passenger behind, who was wearing sunglasses and reading a math book intently.
A sharp cry of pain.
A moment later, a sycophantic smile came over.
"Master."
Sun Lingli behind him shook the book in her hands and said, "I brought the textbook. I'll diligently review it along the way, alright? Besides, Master has such profound cultivation; you must also be proficient in academic subjects. I can seek your guidance along the way."
"Well… that's something you have to comprehend on your own. Others' guidance is merely empty talk; without personal insight, it's useless."
Feng Zhichen said helplessly, "Since we're already on the plane, there's no avoiding it. Remember to study; if you don't get into the West Origin Martial Mansion, Master will break your legs."
"Yes, Master!"
Meanwhile.
In the Imperial Capital.
The courtyard that Feng Zhichen left, a piece of land worth its weight in gold, still seemed peaceful and natural, but in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, there were significantly fewer watchful and protective gazes.
Have all the secretly dispatched guards dispersed?
The previously locked door was quietly opened.
Several figures entered the premises.
They were very careful not to damage a single blade of grass or tree, just inspecting around.
A moment later, they returned to report to their leader.
"Is that so? All his personal clothes were taken, and the money is considerably less, the amount matches… It seems he really left."
At this point.
Upon hearing that Feng Zhichen had left, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
The leader smirked coldly, "Heh heh heh heh, we couldn't find him even if we wore out our iron shoes, yet it was effortless. We were worried we couldn't amass troops within the Imperial Capital, and killing a Guiyuan Realm martial artist would be virtually impossible. But he himself departed on his own. Investigate where he went. He alone has caused the deaths of so many of our innocent soldiers… It's time to settle this score with him."
"Yes!"
The subordinates swiftly dispersed.
The leader remained, staring fixedly at the garden. Thinking about that old man sitting here, focused on these plants, creating countless powerful martial skills, and donating them freely to the Polar Star Battlefield, turning those martial skills into weapons that slaughtered their people!
He couldn't bear not to burn the place down to ashes.
But he couldn't, he couldn't reveal their goals so easily.
No one should know they came to kill him.
"Let's go!"
He turned and left, carefully locking the door as he departed.
In Qingzhou City.
Every morning Xu Lingjun got up, he developed a new habit.
He would meticulously touch each of his figurines on the bedside… Though so far, due to continuously taking capsules for cultivating the "Infinite Divine Demon Body Refining Technique", the Source Value only increased by about a hundred each day, and he was still quite financially tight.
But without dreams, what difference is there between a person and a salted fish?
Especially since Wang Tiancheng promised to continue promoting and publicizing it, giving these things broader recognition.
He couldn't help but anticipate that perhaps one day when touching these items, he might hear a prompt sound.
After washing up, he went out to buy breakfast.
Having lived in Xu Lingjun's house for over a month, some of Wang Qingya's small habits had become apparent.
For example… low blood pressure.
She couldn't get up in the morning.
When she first arrived, to maintain a perfect image in front of Xu Lingjun, she forced herself to get up… But in reality, she set an alarm an hour early to get up at six and had to toss and turn in bed until she could fully wake up.
That was until they went through a life-and-death crisis together.
For the first time, they opened their hearts completely and fell asleep in each other's arms.
Though nothing happened, they undoubtedly grew closer in spirit… When facing Xu Lingjun, Wang Qingya finally gave up her perfect big sister persona.
Some small faults began to reveal themselves.
Knowing she had difficulty waking up.
Xu Lingjun made it clear he'd be responsible for breakfast from now on.
After all, Wang Qingya still helped him catch up on school work every night. If she also had to get up early… with her non-martial artist physique, she would be worn out within a month.
After breakfast.
They went to school.
With the passage of ten-plus days, the initial screams of death had already dissipated without a trace, and the crowd's fear gradually subsided.
Except for Wei Hua and Wang Jian's families, who remained trapped in grief… everyone else was pretty much back to normal.
They attended classes, studied diligently.
All the students began working hard for the Dragon Gate Examination.
The school atmosphere was one of intense learning.
In this fervent environment…
Xu Lingjun's academic scores catapulted from the twenties straight to the top ten, then third, second… and in this simulation exam, he secured first place in the whole school!
"How is this possible?!"
"Han Meimei was actually surpassed. She aimed for Xingkong College, being a super top student, yet she ended up in second place?"
"Xu Lingjun is truly impressive; not only has he become a Qi Gathering martial artist, but his academic performance has also skyrocketed. Having a good teacher to tutor you every day is such an advantage."
Wang Qingya banged on the table.
The boisterous atmosphere quieted down quickly.
"Do you think that because I tutor Xu Lingjun at home, it's unfair to you all?!"
Wang Qingya looked around and asked.
A girl timidly raised her hand, asking, "Teacher, we also want to improve our academic scores. Could we come to Xu Lingjun's house for tutoring with you?"
Saying this, she glanced at Xu Lingjun, seemingly imagining some tutoring scenes, her cheeks flushing.
"If you're willing, of course, you can. But more importantly, it depends on individual effort, not just the teacher's guidance."
Wang Qingya said earnestly, "You might not believe it, although I did tutor Xu Lingjun separately, his current achievements are mainly due to his efforts. Do you know? During this period, Xu Lingjun has been reviewing until two or three in the morning every day, sometimes too busy to even eat, needing someone to feed him, even staying focused on revising while in bed, sometimes so absorbed he'd forget to do important things and just fall asleep, requiring me to help him."
She said seriously, "I can help you review, but that's just deepening what you've learned in class. More importantly, you need to remember, understand, and associate. You need to learn more from Xu Lingjun, okay?"
"Oh~~!!"
The class collectively exclaimed.
Their gazes at Xu Lingjun were already reverent, as if looking at celestial people.
After class…
Guo Zheng couldn't wait to grab Xu Lingjun, sighing, "Old Xu, old Xu, I didn't think you'd secretly grown up. It's too despicable of you. Fess up, is your transformation due to drinking sister's nectar? You lazy bum, not even making a move, making the teacher take the initiative? Teacher Wang isn't a martial artist; she's quite frail. Aren't you afraid of wearing her out, so she can't teach the next day?"
Xu Lingjun said, speechless, "You can never wake someone who's pretending to sleep, especially when that person is lying next to a beautiful teacher like a big sister. Sigh… If I had such a teacher who would supervise and reward me day and night, even feeding me. Isn't it reasonable that I'd study diligently until two or three in the morning, and the teacher would bring me breakfast to reward me because I can't get up or feed myself?"
Guo Zheng sighed, "You'll tell a grouse to a sleeper beside a beautiful teacher like a sister. Sigh… If only I had a teacher like that to watch over and reward me day and night…"
In response to his old friend's musings, Xu Lingjun could only retort with exasperation.