by Dragon King
“Someone like him wishes to break into Qian-level?” she thought.
She had to admit that he advanced to the third level of the Spirit Concentration Scroll at an impressive speed. However, that was under the patient guidance and great help of many masters.
“Does he think that all the levels after this are going to be as easy?” Su Han thought.
It would be a miracle for Hao Ren’s human body to reach Gen-level, and the expectation for him from East Ocean was Zhen-level. It would be a happy ending if he could share half of the Dragon Core with Zi to save her life.
Hao Ren suddenly turned over on the chair when Su Han was thinking to herself. Hao Ren’s entire body straightened up, and huge drops of sweat kept coming out of his forehead.
“Don’t play tough anymore and take the pill,” Su Han persuaded him after seeing how hard it was for him to fight the pain. She didn’t know if he was stubborn or stupid.
Hao Ren shook his head and kept gritting his teeth. The blue veins popped up on his arms, and the chair trembled under his grip.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” Su Han closed her eyes to disregard Hao Ren’s suffering.
Half an hour later, Hao Ren let out a long exhale; sweat covered his entire head. He said to Su Han across the table, “It is done, Su Han.”
She opened up her beautiful eyes and opened her palm. The bottle of pills flew back into her hands, and she put it back in her drawer without a word.
“The levels to follow are going to be more and more difficult. Right now, it’s just painful. But in the future… Never mind, I believe Zhao Guang won’t let you suffer,” Su Han pushed the hair that was beside her face behind her ear and said, “I was cultivating a technique and blocked my six senses when you came in. I wasn’t able to speak after you interrupted me; it was not that I didn’t want to talk to you.”
Hao Ren nodded; he knew her personality, and it was already difficult for Su Han to explain herself to anyone.
He felt guilty for rushing into her office all of a sudden, that could have caused her trouble during her cultivation.
“There are invisible barriers around my office, but you can easily get past them since you have that necklace. I’ll let it go this time… Unless there is an emergency, please don’t come into my office outside of our scheduled time,” Su Han continued.
“Um,” Hao Ren nodded. Su Han didn’t seem kind, but she was pretty nice to him; Hao Ren was clear about that.
“One more thing. Since you are now on the third level of the Spirit Concentration Scroll, there is something I need to remind you of,” Su Han said to him, “Zhao Guang will probably take you to the Dragon Palace to pick a technique. If you really wish to cultivate in the long run, you should look for those that are good at foundation-building and leveling-up. It wouldn’t be the best idea to pick the ones that are powerful early on and meant for fighting. After all, fighting and battling earlier on won’t be beneficial in the long run.”
110 Charging at Qian-level
“Thanks for the reminder.” Hao Ren nodded before standing up.
Su Han looked cold and aloof, but she was caring in terms of cultivation. She was a selfless teacher and a good friend.
Hao Ren now felt like he was back in the first level of the Spirit Concentration Scroll with the boundless Nature Essence running through his body. The difference was that the Nature Essence now was controlled by his thoughts, and he could store it in his body or push it out.
Seeing Hao Ren getting ready to leave, Su Han said suddenly after half a second of thought, “There is something else.”
Hao Ren stopped and wondered why Su Han was so talkative today.
“There is one important thing,” Su Han stared at Hao Ren and said, “The Spirit Concentration Scroll can only toughen your body. Only after you enter Kan-level can you be called a real cultivator. You swallowed Zi’s Dragon Core, which is a natural Dharma treasure, that could assist with your cultivation, but you need to find a Mystic Crystal to match your Dragon Core to keep your Nature Essence together; the grade of the Mystic Crystal will determine the potential of your future cultivations.”
“Mystic Crystals?” Hao Ren was baffled since he had never heard of this before.
Su Han said earnestly, “If Gen-level is the highest you want to achieve, the Mystic Crystal doesn’t mean anything to you. They didn’t inject a Mystic Crystal in Zi, and she didn’t work hard. Thus, her cultivation realm is not solid. All her achievement in cultivation was the result of the elixirs that East Ocean had. If you had swallowed a mature Dragon Core, you, a mortal being, would have been dead long ago. The elders were afraid to speak the truth to Zhao Guang; they simply attributed the weakness of Zi’s Dragon Core to her young age. The real reason Zi’s Dragon Core was weak was that her cultivation is bad.”
Hao Ren nodded and waited for her to continue. Su Han wasn’t a big talker, but whatever she said was valuable.
From Premier Xia, he knew that Su Han had been an awe-inspiring master of Kun-level at 15; it proved her words that age had nothing to do with the matureness of the Dragon Core. Those elders were afraid to point out the fact that Zi was a lazy cultivator and concealed the truth with vague references to her age.
“Besides, I appreciate your fast cultivation progress and your ability to suppress the aggressiveness of the Dragon Core. However, your current speed may not be sustainable. Each level in the future would be extremely difficult to break through. The good news is that Zi’s immature Dragon Core matches your progress from zero.”
Hao Ren listened to her attentively. As an Inspector of the Dragon Tribe, Su Han was fair and honest.
“Let’s return to the Mystic Crystal. East Ocean’s expectation for you is Zhen-level, and that’s why I think Zhao Guang won’t approve injecting a Mystic Crystal into you. Apart from the danger, the acquisition of the Mystic Crystal would be difficult. Even in East Ocean Dragon Clan where countless treasures are collected, it is hard to find natural treasures that can be made into a Mystic Crystal.”
“How come Mystic Crystals are so rare that even the rich East Ocean Dragon Clan might not have it?” Hao Ren thought.
A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he asked, “Su Han, what does your Mystic Crystal look like?”
“Humph!” Su Han rolled her eyes at him and snorted, “The Mystic Crystal is a personal secret, and I will never reveal it to you! But I can tell you that I got it after risking my life.”
Hao Ren looked at Su Han in admiration as he believed that Su Han was the kind of person who would do anything to elevate her cultivation realm.
“What does a Mystic Crystal look like?” Hao Ren asked.
At Hao Ren’s insistence, Su Han hesitated and answered after a moment of consideration, “The Mystic Crystals don’t have a fixed shape. In your case, you will have a pure Water Body Type, so you need to find objects of pure water elements. For example, the Purple Crystal Gel, Seven-Heart Coral, and Kiren Scale, etc. If you can’t get them, at least you must find a West Ocean Mystic Ice.”
Hao Ren had never heard of the items Su Han just mentioned, but he forced himself to memorize them.
He knew he would need a water elemental Mystic Crystal since he would develop in the direction of a pure Water Body Type. Su Han, according to Premier Xia, had the Metal Water Body Type, and that was why she could cultivate at an unusually fast speed. However, it also brought the difficult problem of finding a Mystic Crystal that could fit her. No wonder she only got the satisfactory Mystic Crystal at the risk of her life.
After seeing Hao Ren’s expectant expression, Su Han froze for a moment before saying, “That’s all.”
“Oh…” Hao Ren relaxed and silently reviewed what Su Han had told him. He said, “Su Han, thank you for teaching me this. Now, I have to go since I have class soon.”
“Ok.” Su Han nodded and picked up a textbook and some notes from her desk. At this moment, Hao Ren suddenly remembered that the upcoming class was actually Su Han’s class.
Not wanting to go to the classroom together with her, Hao Ren left Su Han’s office first. Gathering his thoughts, he went out to find Zhao Jiayi and his other two buddies.
Standing at the door, Su Han watched Hao Ren leaving and thought, “What’s wrong with me today? Why did I tell him those things? Do I really expect him to reach Qian-level with his shabby chaotic five elemental mortal body type?”
“But the kid has grit. He could bear the excruciating pain and even refused to take the pill to relieve the pain. It’s more painful for his chaotic five elemental mortal body type to transform into a better body type. It will be a feat to bear such pains. Maybe he will reach a higher realm than expectation…”
Smoothing the hair on her forehead, Su Han shut the office door behind her and walked toward the stairs.
Outside the building, Hao Ren called Zhou Liren and asked, “Where are you?”
“In the classroom! Damn, where have you been? Do you really want to miss Su Han’s class?! We’ve saved a seat for you in the sixth row! They are the best we’ve ever got. Hurry!” Zhou Liren yelled into the phone.
“Coming! Coming!” he replied.
“Well, the best seats ever! I can look at Su Han across the table every day and don’t need to stare at the great beauty in class!” he thought.
Despite his silent complaint, Hao Ren didn’t dare to miss her class. Su Han was called the Icy Beauty not only because she never smiled, but also because she was extremely strict with her class of Weak Optical Signal Processing; it had the largest number of failed students each term.
Although Hao Ren was friends with her in private, he didn’t think Su Han would be lenient towards him in examinations.
When he rushed into the classroom, Zhou Liren stood up and beckoned at him. “Here! Here!”
Hao Ren glanced at him, and sure enough, they were in the best seats in the sixth row. No wonder Zhou Liren was so excited on the phone.
“We came here one hour earlier. We don’t have Advanced Mathematics this week, so we came directly from the stadium to occupy the seats. Even when we did that, we only got the sixth row when we came in,” Zhou Liren praised himself.
“Ok! Ok! Look at your ugly face!” Hao Ren pointed a finger and poked Zhou Liren’s face, directing it away from him.
“No way! I’m more handsome than you!” Zhou Liren, a passable handsome guy, retorted immediately.
As soon as he said that, he found something not right. He leaned to one side and looked at Hao Ren up and down. He thought in puzzlement, “How come Ren looks more handsome than before all of a sudden? Is it possible that this guy has gotten plastic surgery? Why is he getting more and more dashing these days?”
Hao Ren ignored him and turned back to look at the girls who had to sit in the back row; Xie Yujia was one of them.
The moment Hao Ren looked back, Xie Yujia also looked at him. She shivered a little in confusion. “Is he really Hao Ren? How come his temperament is better again?” she thought.
111 Two Unexpected Guests
As the bell rang, Su Han, who was dressed in a shirt and a short skirt, walked into the classroom. The highlight of her appearance today was her wedge sandals which were decorated with colorful flowers. They accentuated her tall and willowy figure casually and won the admirations of both girls and guys.
Although Su Han rarely showed her face on campus, Hao Ren knew some girls in the school were studying Su Han’s style and had copied some of the elements. Among them, the most popular girl in the school, Lin Li, was the most successful copycat.
In the eyes of the guys, Su Han herself was even more beautiful than her clothes. They liked to savor each of her glances and steps.
The two-hour class seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Before they knew it, she was out of the classroom.
Zhou Liren rubbed his hands together and leaned his face toward Hao Ren. “Dear Ren! Since you are close with Su Han, why not ask her out for dinner? I can’t bear it anymore. She was so beautiful today when I watched her at such a close range!”
“Dinner…” Zhou Liren reminded Hao Ren.
“Do you know any good restaurants around here?” Hao Ren asked him.
“Of course! Aroma Pavilion is a new restaurant on the second floor of the Hongji Square. It features spicy dishes, and the environment is great. Though it only has VIP compartments and is a bit pricey.”
“Got it.” Hao Ren nodded, wondering if he should invite Su Han to dinner sometime. After all, she did him many favors, and he hasn’t had a chance to show his gratitude.
“Are you going to invite Su Han to dinner?” Zhao Jiayi joined the conversation.
Hao Ren waved his hand and said, “Don’t listen to Zhou Liren. I’m just curious.”
Su Han was immortal, and treating her to a mortal meal would be beneath her. However, if he gave her a Dharma treasure as a gift, it would look like bribery. Hao Ren weighed his options while walking out of the classroom.
“We have no class this afternoon. I’m heading to the stadium to practice!” Zhao Jiayi said as he tossed his books to Zhou Liren,
“Damn! You are crazy about basketball!” Zhou Liren yelled after Zhao Jiayi who had already dashed away.
Hao Ren felt resigned, too. He had not expected Zhao Jiayi to work so hard after entering the Basketball Team.
After returning to the dorm, some students took a nap while others began to play cards. Hao Ren took out his cell phone and sent a text message to Su Han after a moment of consideration.
“I’d like to invite you to dinner tonight to celebrate my breakthrough to the third level of the Spirit Concentration Scroll and to show my gratitude for your tutoring. What do you think of Aroma Pavilion at the Hongji Square? It features spicy dishes. I wonder if they are to your taste.”
With a palpitating heart, Hao Ren sent the message but didn’t expect Su Han to reply; at least he showed his gratitude with this message.
Beep! To his surprise, Su Hun answered the message a couple of minutes later.
His heart beat faster when he saw Su Han’s name on his screen. He opened the message and looked at her reply.
“Ok. When?”
Boom! Hao Ren felt as if a lightning bolt struck his brain.
He scrambled to send a reply, “How about six o’clock tonight? We can meet at Aroma Pavilion.”
“Ok,” Su Han replied in her message.
Hao Ren heaved a sigh of relief. Tossing the phone aside, he collapsed in his bed.
A thought occurred to him, and he picked up his cell phone and sent a message to Zhao Yanzi.
“I’ll have dinner with Su Han tonight. Will you join us?”
“No! I have loads of homework today!” Zhao Yanzi replied immediately, though not too politely.
“She replied so soon. She must be playing with her cell phone in class…” Hao Ren thought after tossing his phone aside.
Sending Zhao Yanzi a message to tell her about his dinner with a female; it felt like he was really in a relationship. Hao Ren smiled self-mockingly, wondering when he had become such a ‘family man’.
Soon, his thoughts turned to the moment when his gaze met Xie Yujia’s; she had looked at him quite weird. He touched his face and wondered if he had indeed changed a lot after the breakthrough of the Spirit Concentration Scroll.
“To think of it… It felt so good after breaking through the third level of the Spirit Concentration Scroll!”
He tried to circulate the Nature Essence in his body and released it at the curtain on the sliding door to the balcony.
Swoosh! The curtain swayed as if someone was pulling at it.
Hao Ren was exhilarated, but he knew it was a crude way to use the Nature Essence, and it contained little force. Only after cultivating a more advanced technique would he truly master the use of Nature Essence.
Red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue and purple. Hao Ren remembered the dizzy feeling he got when he first visited the Profound Cultivation Palace. Now, he wondered what
grade of techniques he was fit to cultivate.
He would be thrilled if he could get the Green-Grade techniques…
“Ren! What are you chuckling about? Get down and play cards!” Zhou Liren stood at the door of the dorm and asked Hao Ren.
“Can’t join you. I need some sleep!” Hao Ren turned to the wall. Now that all his acupoints were unblocked, he felt extremely good as if he was an ancient martial arts master who had just reached the Connate Realm.
“Ren, are you really going out with Xie Yujia? I found the glances between you two quite suspicious,” Zhou Liren asked again.
Upon hearing the question, Cao Ronghua’s interest was piqued, and he also waited for the answer.
“No. You’re imagining things. She is just my basketball coach,” Hao Ren answered lazily.
Hao Ren had been feeling uncertain, but he was now quite sure about his relationship with Xie Yujia.
The more time you spend with someone, the more you would know about his or her thoughts. Xie Yujia was good to everyone in the class, but she had never been intimate with any of the guys. After spending some time with her, Hao Ren found her to be a sincere and straightforward girl. When she wiped his mouth this morning, she was just doing a favor for a good friend. There was nothing else in that gesture.
“A girl who loves sports and has a simple mind. Maybe I have become one of her good friends without knowing it. She is an innocent and kind girl. A worthy friend.”
But it would be difficult to push the boundary of good friends; Hao Ren had a feeling that Xie Yujia had someone in her heart. He was on good terms with her, but he was not the one in her heart.
“That someone is certainly not Huang Xujie. Who is he? Some dashing guy she met in high school?”
Hao Ren stopped these meaningless speculations. He picked up his cell phone and thought of texting Zhao Yanzi. However, he decided against it for the fear of distracting her from her class.
Bored, Hao Ren went to sleep and didn’t wake up until the evening.
