Chapter 268 – Ying’er
Xiao Yu wasn’t at all concerned with what the students were gossiping about as he continued to lead Nie Li and Lu Piao along the small path to an area that was densely packed with structures. There were many courtyards in this area, and Xiao Yu entered one of the more secluded ones.
“Those who live around here are the geniuses of the West District; therefore, it’s best if you don’t provoke them. Those who’re able to live here all have backgrounds,” Xiao Yu warned as he didn’t feel assured. “You guys should remain here while you cultivate.”
Nie Li raised his head to observe his surroundings and saw that there were two buildings in Xiao Yu’s courtyard. Nie Li and Lu Piao would live in one of them, occupying a room right next to Xiao Yu’s.
Xiao Yu looked at Nie Li and said, “Without my guide, don’t wander unnecessarily. You’re not allowed to enter my room either.”
By comparison, Xiao Yu was far more worried about Nie Li.
“Fine.” Nie Li shrugged but didn’t put much importance in Xiao Yu’s words.
Nie Li and Lu Piao walked around the courtyard. The environment of the courtyard was fairly decent, filled with chirping birds and fragrant flowers. There was also a small artificial mountain with a river flowing down. The two of them were quite satisfied with Xiao Yu’s place. He’d probably spent a lot of money on this.
“I’ll gift you guys this two spiritual stones. You can go ahead and start cultivating,” said Xiao Yu as he passed two stones to Nie Li and Lu Piao. He then continued, “I’ll be making a trip outside to help you guys register.”
After bidding farewell to Nie Li and Lu Piao, Xiao Yu walked out.
Nie Li took a spiritual stone and sat with his legs crossed. Just as he was about to start cultivating with the spiritual stone, Yu Yan flew out of Nie Li’s sleeve with a woosh.
“I nearly died from the stuffiness,” Yu Yan said gloomily. Ever since they came to the Draconic Ruins Realm, she’d been hiding in Nie Li’s sleeve. Although she was aware that she couldn’t keep herself concealed forever, she still didn’t attract too much attention as many students in the Skysoul Institution also brought pets with them. Therefore, the people from the Draconic Ruins Realm also treated her as a pet.
As for Jindan, before coming into the Draconic Ruins Realm, Nie Li had placed him in a pouch. Inside, the little guy seemed to have entered a hibernating state and shrank smaller and smaller until he was only the size of a fist. Therefore, he didn’t attracting any attention when they brought him in.
As for the little guy, Nie Li still hasn’t thought of a better method to deal with him. But since this little guy was sleeping, Nie Li was naturally spared from these worries for the time being.
“There really are a lot of experts in the Draconic Ruins Realm,” Yu Yan sighed. Along the way, she’d sensed several powerful auras that had utterly astonished her. Almost everyone in the Draconic Ruins Realm was an expert of some kind!
“That’s for sure. The Tiny World is only a small realm compared to the Draconic Ruins Realm.” Nie Li smiled. Throughout her entire life, Yu Yan had stayed in the Tiny World; so naturally, she wouldn’t know much about the Draconic Ruins Realm.
Yu Yan felt an intense pressure. Originally, in the Tiny World, even without her strength as a Spiritual God, she was at least still at the pinnacle of Legend rank. Therefore, she had the power to deal with all of the ordinary opponents. But ever since she came to the Draconic Ruins Realm, she realised that she was nothing.
Although Nie Li wished to give Yu Yan a cultivation technique, there was nothing he could do, since she wasn’t an ordinary life form. He could only allow Yu Yan to gain insights on her own. However, Nie Li sensed that her Flames of Life were extremely powerful and that there might be some kind of secret hidden in her body. Therefore, her cultivation would naturally be different.
“Nie Li, I want to use this time to cultivate. The ambient aura of Draconic Ruins Realm is completely different from the Tiny World’s, to the point that I don’t even know how to absorb it.”
Yu Yan floated in the air as she quietly cultivated. She closed her eyes as flames began to revolve around her. It seemed as though she was submerged in some kind of trance-like state.
Nie Li took out his spiritual stone. He had to use his time efficiently and cultivate, as he aimed to break through to the Heavenly Fate Realm as fast as possible.
Nie Li stirred up his soul realm and slowly absorbed the spiritual stone’s energy and began to refine it inside his body. A majestic energy coursed through his body. Previously, he’d been stuck in the Tiny World; but now, he could finally absorb Heavenly Energy.
As Nie Li practised the [Heavenly God] cultivation technique, he sensed traces of Heavenly Energy slowly flowing through his meridians and nurturing his flesh. All the pores in his body screamed in ecstasy.
Just as the powers of the stone started to take effect, Nie Li realised that he’d already drained the stone dry of Heavenly Energy.
Sensing how empty the spiritual stone had become, Nie Li bitterly smiled. Since he’d cultivated the [Heavenly God] cultivation technique, the capacity of his soul realm has become shockingly vast. One spiritual stone was entirely insufficient for him. It felt like he’d been eating a meal, but before he could have his fill, his meal was suddenly cut short.
‘I have to find a way to acquire more spiritual stones,’ Nie Li thought inwardly. As long as he had enough spiritual stones, his talent as an 8-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root, and his comprehension towards cultivating, he could make a rapid breakthrough into the Heavenly Fate Realm if there are sufficient spiritual stones supplied to him.
After coming to the Draconic Ruins Realm, he absolutely has to shake the Demon Lord off his tail in terms of cultivation!
As Nie Li and Lu Piao were cultivating, a knock sounded on the door.
The voice was sweet and clear. “Big brother Xiao Yu, are you around?”
The voice was so soft that it made the bones in his body go weak.
Upon hearing the voice outside, Lu Piao opened his eyes as a trace of an evil smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He turned to Nie Li and said, “Nie Li, could this be Xiao Yu’s little lover?”
“Xiao Yu isn’t here.” Nie Li yelled towards the outside as he bitterly smiled in his heart. Lu Piao was too gossipy.
“Hm?” The voice outside was slightly surprised as the door was pushed open.
A pretty girl was seen at the entrance of the door, roughly sixteen or seventeen years old. She wore a yellow silk dress and had pearly white skin. Her eyes were as clear as springwater as they shifted between the two faces before her. This girl appeared as beautiful as a pearl, emitting a jade-like glow. Her brows gave off a witty impression.
The girl curiously looked at Nie Li and Lu Piao. “Big brother Xiao Yu isn’t around? Who are you?”
Nie Li looked at the girl and said, “We’re friends of Xiao Yu. He stepped out just now. I wonder why you’re looking for him?”
Lu Piao looked dazed as he gazed at the girl. He couldn’t help sighing with sorrow in his heart. This little lover of Xiao Yu was indeed beautiful. Among the girls who he’d seen before, she was only slightly below Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning’er.
“Oh, nothing much. I heard that he’d returned, so I came to greet him. I never imagined I’d meet the two of you. Are you new students for this year?” the girl asked as she blinked.
“Yeah.” Lu Piao immediately nodded his head.
“Oh, my name is Huang Ying, I’m big brother Xiao Yu’s…friend.” A scarlet red trace flashed over Huang Ying’s face.
At the sight of this, Nie Li immediately understood what was going on. This girl was probably fond of Xiao Yu.
“Do you want to wait until he returns, or…” Nie Li enquired.
Huang Ying pondered for a brief moment and said, “I’ll wait here for a while then.”
She only waited for a moment before a youth wearing a long white robe walked in. Upon seeing Huang Ying, his face went solemn as he said, “Ying’er, so you’re here! After hearing of Xiao Yu’s return, I guessed that you’d be here!”
“Yan Hao, why do you care?” Huang Ying pouted her lips in displeasure.
“Huang Ying, what’s so good about Xiao Yu that you’re always thinking about him?” Yan Hao said with indignation. In terms of family endowments, he was several folds better than Xiao Yu. In terms of looks…fine, he admits that his looks were slightly inferior to Xiao Yu’s, but he wasn’t terribly far away either.
“I’m happy. I like to do it. Why do you care?” Huang Ying snorted as she appeared to dislike Yan Hao.
Yan Hao’s gaze swept past Nie Li and Lu Piao as he coldly said, “The two of you must be those geniuses from the Tiny World? An 8-grade Heaven Spiritual Root and a 5-grade Heaven Spiritual Root?”
Nie Li casually glanced at Yan Hao, but he didn’t answer his question. Lu Piao was also too lazy to bother with a reply.
“I’m asking you!” Yan Hao said in a cold tone as he knitted his brows.
Nie Li coldly swept a glance at Yan Hao as he said, “There doesn’t seem to be a need for us to answer you,”
Yan Hao had been overbearing from the moment he entered the room, which made Nie Li rather unhappy.
“Brat, do you know who you’re talking to? Don’t think you can be arrogant in the Skysoul Institute just because you have a Heaven Spiritual Root. You’d better first ask around and find out who the big shots are around here! I’ve seen plenty of Heaven Spiritual Root geniuses before, but before you break through to the Heavenly Fate Realm, you’re nothing!” Yan Hao’s majestic aura surged and used his aura to suppress Nie Li and Lu Piao.
This Yan Hao was already a Heavenly Fate Realm expert and caused Nie Li and Lu Piao to instantly feel a suffocating pressure.
However, Yan Hao had obviously restrained his aura. Even he didn’t dare act too rashly inside Skysoul Institute. If he killed someone inside the Skysoul Institute, even his family wouldn’t be able to protect him.
Nie Li coldly looked at Yan Hao. In his previous life, he’d encountered lots of experts with backgrounds much stronger than Yan Hao’s. However, he’d never backed off before. Even if the opponent was already at the Heavenly Fate Realm, Nie Li’s heart still carried a vague trace of bloodlust and intent. It’d been awhile since he crossed swords with a Heavenly Fate Realm expert!
Huang Ying suddenly stood between Nie Li and Yan Hao as she coldly stared at Yan Hao.
“Yan Hao, what’re you doing? You’re not allowed to treat big brother Xiao Yu’s friends like this!”
Yan Hao’s aura slightly slugged as he retracted it and gave a meaningful glare at Nie Li, who stood behind her. Nie Li was obviously still an Earth Fate Realm, so why did he sense battle intent coming from him? Could it be that even though Nie Li was being suppressed by the aura of a Heavenly Fate Realm, he still felt no fear?
That blazing battle intent had only flashed through Nie Li’s eyes for a brief moment before he reverted to his calm self. If there was a choice, it’d still be better for him not to cause any scenes with Yan Hao.
Yan Hao coldly snorted, “The two of you can hide behind a woman. I’ll let both of you off today, but I advise you to leave Xiao Yu. There’s definitely nothing for you to gain by following a piece trash like him. But if you guys choose follow me instead, I can still consider taking you in.”