Lin Yuan leaned against the headboard and gently rolled his stiff neck.
Sunlight from outside filtered through the gaps in the blinds, spilling onto the white sheets.
The air smelled faintly of disinfectant, mixed with a trace of milk tea aroma.
He turned his head toward the door.
Shen Man was leaning against the doorframe, the cup of milk tea she never seemed to let go of in her hand, biting the straw with the corner of her mouth.
The look she gave Lin Yuan was full of approval, with a hint of playfulness.
Lin Yuan slowly sat up and asked, “Teacher Shen, what time is it?”
Shen Man took a sip of milk tea before answering him.
“Nine-thirty-two in the morning. You entered a meditative state in the Hexagon Building last night. It’s been exactly six hours.”
Lin Yuan looked down at his hands.
The pale golden bone patterns from his Ten Rounds as One bone tempering slowly faded, receding beneath his skin.
Deep within his chest, the dark red light core hung quietly between his heart and breastbone, docile and peaceful, no longer showing any signs of agitation.
It pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, brightening and dimming, emitting a gentle energy.
Six hours.
The red phantom in his consciousness, the silver-white space-time phantom, the refined violent energy...
Everything felt incredibly real. It hadn't been a dream at all.
The Space-Time Covenant on his left index finger rested quietly against his skin. A faint red mark had appeared on the ring's surface, clear as day.
Shen Man walked to the bedside and slapped Lin Yuan on the back.
The force wasn't light. Even with Lin Yuan's powerful Ten Rounds as One physique, he jolted slightly.
“Kid, you’re really something! A Tier 2, Level 6 Shadow Abyss Imperial Prince with supreme imperial bloodline, and you just killed him without hesitation!”
The corners of Shen Man’s mouth curled up. There wasn't a hint of reproach in her voice, only pride and satisfaction she couldn't hide.
“When the news reached Magic City Academy, those old department directors were in the middle of their morning meeting. The place went into an absolute uproar. They bombarded me with over a dozen messages, demanding I recount every single detail of your battle.”
“Easy, easy.” Lin Yuan leaned forward from the slap, feigning pain with a grimace while rubbing his back.
Then, Lin Yuan gave a light laugh and spoke bluntly. “So, besides verbal praise, does the academy have any practical rewards?”
Just as he finished speaking, the door to the hospital room was pushed open.
A figure in deep green stood at the door, the white crane emblem of Kyoto Academy visible on his robes.
It was Fang Qing.
He stepped into the room holding two cans of coffee from a vending machine, handing one to Shen Man.
Shen Man glanced down at the can with a look of utter disdain, clearly unimpressed by such a beverage.
“Whatever benefits Magic City Academy refuses to give you, come to Kyoto Academy and I’ll give you all of it.”
As he spoke, Fang Qing sat on the chair opposite the bed, casually crossing his legs and speaking in a flat tone.
“Kyoto Academy will give you the top-tier resources for an S-rank freshman. Whatever you want, I’ll approve it.”
Hearing this, Shen Man crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.
She didn't say a word, but the look on her face was a clear warning to Fang Qing that poaching her student right in front of her was impossible.
“Teacher Fang,” Lin Yuan said, offering a polite greeting.
Shen Man merely gave a casual nod, her attitude utterly dismissive.
Fang Qing waved his hand, his gaze landing on Shen Man with a smile in his eyes.
“It’s been several years, and you’ve actually become sensible. Back at the Kyoto training camp, you blew up the training grounds. When I ordered you to write a self-reflection, you only submitted four words: ‘Lightning element specialty.’ Now that you’re a teacher, you’ve finally learned some manners.”
Hearing Fang Qing bring up her past, Shen Man couldn't help but roll her eyes, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.
“Teacher Fang, that’s all ancient history. Don’t bring it up in front of my student. Leave me some dignity.”
No one would have expected that the lazy and casual Shen Man of today had once been such an unruly demoness.
Fang Qing laughed heartily, then turned to Lin Yuan, sizing up his complexion. His gaze paused briefly on Lin Yuan's chest.
He noticed the faint dark red shimmer beneath the chest, but he didn't ask. He simply nodded slowly.
Fang Qing could sense that the residual aura in Lin Yuan’s body was very clean, clearly having been refined.
As for what had happened in between, everyone had their secrets. A Tier 7 instructor wouldn't pry into a young man’s fortuitous encounter.
“I’m here today for two things. First, to check on your condition. Your internal energy fluctuated abnormally last night, but you seem perfectly fine now.”
Then, he leaned forward slightly, his expression becoming more serious.
“Second, Kyoto Academy would like to purchase a portion of the Shadow Abyss Imperial Prince’s corpse.”
Lin Yuan was almost stunned.
He thought Fang Qing would offer polite pleasantries or try to win him over, but the man had jumped straight into business.
A dignified Tier 7 S-rank wind system powerhouse and the chief instructor of Kyoto Academy was actually negotiating a deal with him so bluntly.
“This is the first time in five hundred years that an intact body of the Shadow Abyss Imperial Clan has been preserved within human territory. Your spear strike precisely pierced the heart, perfectly preserving the imperial bloodline, bones, and source energy core. The quality is practically flawless.”
Fang Qing’s tone was filled with urgency, making no effort to hide his desire.
“The Kyoto Academy Research Institute is willing to exchange top-tier cultivation resources for a portion of the corpse. You can name your conditions.”
Lin Yuan leaned back against the headboard, resting his hands behind his head in a relaxed posture.
To him, the Imperial Prince’s corpse was useless.
He wasn't going to research alien bloodlines, nor did he care for keeping a corpse as a trophy.
“Teacher Fang, this corpse is useless to me. I was planning to hand it over anyway.”
The corners of Lin Yuan’s mouth turned up as he spoke calmly. “As long as I get the corresponding cultivation rewards, that’s fine.”
Fang Qing was taken aback for a moment, then burst into a booming laugh that caused a passing nurse to poke her head in to check on them.
He nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of approval.
“Good! Good! Good!”
Fang Qing said 'good' three times. He immediately took a lustrous spirit fruit from his space ring and held it out to Lin Yuan.
“I knew I wasn't wrong about you. You have a grand vision and aren't someone selfish or greedy. Kyoto Academy won't take your things for nothing. This spirit fruit is for you, to help advance your cultivation!”
A fruit about the size of a fist appeared in Lin Yuan's sight, resting quietly in Fang Qing’s palm.
The fruit was deep purple, its skin covered in intricate silver patterns that slowly flowed like liquid.
The moment the fruit appeared, the air in the entire hospital room was instantly ionized by lightning energy!
Even the water in the cup on Lin Yuan’s bedside table began to crackle with tiny arcs of electricity.
“This is a Purple Thunder Profound Pulp Fruit, a top-tier S-rank spirit fruit.”
Fang Qing raised his palm slightly, letting the fruit hover and rotate slowly as he spoke in a deep voice.
“I found this by chance in the Southern Borders many years ago. It is incredibly rare in this world.”
“For a lightning ability user, it has two miraculous effects...”
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