Chapter 421 - 266: Things You’ll Regret Not Doing in College (2)

Chapter 421: Chapter 266: Things You’ll Regret Not Doing in College (2)

The old man had an imposing air, carrying himself like a lofty master.

Yu Fei scanned his surroundings, activating his Pupil Skill. He discovered that while the Profound Bright Palace was vast, there weren’t many people on the island.

The primordial qi here was incredibly rich, far denser than any place Yu Fei had ever visited. Following a simple, traditional method for measuring primordial qi, he easily determined it to be at level 22.

This was exceptionally rare. Logically, an environment with such dense primordial qi should have produced numerous exotic treasures of exquisite grade and quality.

On the way here, he’d seen several thousand floating islands, if not ten thousand. If every island possessed such a rich concentration of primordial qi...

Then...

The value of the Primordial Sea and Sky Realm would far exceed that of the Golden Jade Gang Realm.

The Bright Jade Alliance was famous for controlling the Golden Jade Gang Realm and its abundant resource reserves, which generated a massive amount of merit points. For Martial Artists, however, the applications for transcendent jade were rather niche. Outside of special Cultivation Techniques, architecture, experiments, and some medicinal uses, market demand was small.

Transcendent metals were versatile, but they did little to enhance a Martial Artist’s core strength and often had to be traded for other resources.

The Primordial Sea and Sky Realm, on the other hand, produced all sorts of priceless natural treasures. Its rich primordial qi was perfect for a Martial Artist’s cultivation, and the higher one’s realm, the more demanding the environmental requirements for training became.

Take Yu Fei, for example. If he were in present-day Tianning County, he wouldn’t even be able to perform his daily cultivation. The primordial qi in the environment was far too thin; training there would yield less than a quarter of the results for twice the effort.

From this perspective, the Primordial Sea and Sky Realm was the true foundation for a faction’s heritage.

Tang Lihui and Yu Fei had just entered the main hall when Ye Shuping gestured for them to follow. He led them through it and into an inner chamber.

He then gestured for Tang Lihui to sit and have some tea before leading Yu Fei into his private cultivation chamber.

Tang Lihui didn’t ask any questions. He had always been respectful of his master and their traditions. It was obvious his junior brother and their teacher shared secrets he wasn’t privy to, and that he was just here as a cover.

Though curious, Tang Lihui knew better than to pry.

About half an hour later, Yu Fei emerged, looking quite drained. Tang Lihui had no idea what had transpired, but after Yu Fei said his goodbyes to their teacher, he planned to carry him back by grabbing him.

"Wait!"

Yu Fei quickly protested, "Can you not grab me by my waistband? It’s really tight!"

Tang Lihui gave an embarrassed laugh. "My bad, I wasn’t thinking. How about this, then!"

With that, he stepped forward, grabbed Yu Fei by the scruff of his neck, and shot into the sky.

"Heh heh..."

High in the sky, Yu Fei was left to his thoughts. ’Even though I haven’t been practicing martial arts for long, I can think of a dozen better ways to do this. A Grandmaster can fly, their power is their own... and this goes double for a powerful Grandmaster like Tang Lihui. Why is carrying someone so awkward for him?’

He remembered when Zhuo Feiming had escorted him off a plane. The Grandmaster had created something like a platform of solid air beneath his feet, letting him stand as if on a magic carpet.

’Oh well, maybe Mr. Tang just doesn’t know how,’ he mused.

Then his eyes fell on the silvery glint of his senior brother’s scalp, and he suddenly thought it had a certain... collectible quality.

Upon returning to the Geometric Pyramid Realm, Yu Fei began to map out his next steps.

His cultivation through the five realms would now require him to move between three different worlds.

He had followed Mr. Tang to the Profound Bright Palace and left a world anchor in Ye Shuping’s private cultivation chamber, a location known to no one else.

From now on, he would need to gather sufficient resources in the Golden Stone Gang Realm, use Ye Shuping as an intermediary to exchange them for common cultivation supplies, and then undergo special training with Ye Shuping in the Primordial Sea and Sky Realm.

According to the old man, this was the only way to ensure no one would connect Yu Fei to him as he grew stronger.

Furthermore, the old man planned to reside long-term in the Primordial Sea and Sky Realm, giving the appearance of being semi-retired.

With his plans settled, Yu Fei decided it was time to do something he had been wanting to do for a long time.

Since enrolling at Shenhan, his cultivation had kept him so busy over the past year that he had cleared his mind of all distractions and cut off nearly all contact with the outside world. He only occasionally exchanged a few words with Li Mengyao.

The Shenhan University campus was beautiful, but he had always been too preoccupied with his training to ever appreciate it. To that end, he’d asked Xiaoke to put together a guide for him.

As a top military-focused martial university, it never forbade students from dating; in fact, it was rather encouraged.

The students of the Celestial Pride Class enjoyed a great deal of freedom. This was a privilege afforded to them due to their outstanding aptitude and astonishing comprehension. However, for students in the regular martial arts department—especially those admitted through the general entrance exam without a specific aptitude placement—the rules were much stricter.

Management was comparatively lax for students in auxiliary majors like pharmacology or materials science.

Early the next morning, Yu Fei made his way to Maple Leaf Lake, the spot where he and Li Mengyao had agreed to meet.

He recalled their date in high school when she had arrived early, so he made a point of getting there ahead of time to show his sincerity.

He had special-ordered a set of casual clothes for the occasion. The materials were all of transcendent quality, tailored to accentuate his particular air.

He didn’t have to wait long. He saw Li Mengyao step out of a Flying Device and look around. As soon as she spotted their meeting place, she hurried over.

The young woman before him looked different now. He could tell she was wearing makeup. Since starting university, Li Mengyao had let her hair grow long, and the advancement in her martial realm had lent her an even more refined and graceful air.

She had even put on lip gloss, which gave her a unique sort of beauty.

"Yu Fei! You got here early."

Her voice was filled with pleasant surprise as she closed the distance in a few short steps. She stopped less than a foot away from him—an intimate distance.

"I just got here myself!"

Yu Fei replied with a smile, his gaze fixed on Li Mengyao. His deskmate from high school. The deskmate whose yogurt he’d "borrowed" for three years.

"You..."

"You..."

Perhaps it was the particular way Yu Fei was looking at her, but Li Mengyao shyly lowered her head. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, only for them both to start at the exact same time.

"Haha..."

"You go first!"

The brief exchange was all it took to feel like they were back in high school again, the awkwardness between them melting away with their laughter.

"I was starting to think you were ignoring me!"

Li Mengyao smiled and looked down, her tone light and teasing. But when she suddenly looked up again, her eyes met Yu Fei’s, filled with genuine joy and relief. Then, as she lowered her head once more, a flicker of sadness passed over her features.

Yu Fei’s heart felt a pang of turmoil. He didn’t know what to say. ’Even with all the memories from my past life, I’m still so dense when it comes to relationships.’

’The only rhythm I was familiar with back then was either paying before dropping my pants, dropping my pants before paying, or not paying at all.’

’Back then, amidst all the hedonistic indulgence, emotions were a luxury I couldn’t afford.’

"I..."

Yu Fei’s throat bobbed, but no words came out.

Li Mengyao suddenly looked up, her gaze intense, yet tinged with a hint of hurt.

’What kind of fleeting pleasure could ever compare to a young woman’s devotion?’

Yu Fei hesitated no longer. He produced an exquisitely crafted gift box and opened it for Li Mengyao to see. Inside lay a delicate and beautiful jade necklace.

A sea-blue gemstone hung from a translucent, snow-white jade loop. He had personally sought out the materials for the necklace, carved it himself using his Sword Intent, and then asked Ye Shuping to empower it.

The jade loop was a high-grade artifact that could help focus the mind, calm one’s qi, and nourish the spirit. The sea-blue gem was a masterpiece among high-grade jewels, which he had carved into the shape of a small whale. It could greatly accelerate the wearer’s cultivation speed.

He still remembered the look of disdain on Ye Shuping’s face and the words that came with it.

"Technically, the necklace is decent quality, and the materials are fine. But for you, aren’t these just rocks you could pick up off the ground? You’re going to use this to woo some young lady?"

Yu Fei had tried to defend himself at the time. "But I made it myself! Doesn’t that show sincerity?"

Ye Shuping had grown even more contemptuous. "You polished it yourself? Tell me, how long could it possibly take you to carve this thing with your Sword Qi? Sincerity? The most sincere thing about this necklace is that you got your Martial Saint master to personally empower it!"

Ye Shuping’s reminder had made him realize he couldn’t just give away items he’d polished with his Sword Qi. The residual Sword Intent could harm the recipient.

Inside the sapphire, Yu Fei had also carved his own spatial marker, allowing him to teleport to its location at any time.

’Putting all that aside... I’ll just use this as an apology gift for now,’ Yu Fei had thought.

"Mengyao, be my girlfriend!"