Chapter 148 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

When they woke up the next morning, Zhang Ye and Nan opened their eyes at the same time.

As usual, Nan was drenched in sweat. Fortunately, the magic circle he had set up worked, preventing the sweat from soaking the bedding.

Nan then used his mana to evaporate all the sweat on his body.

At first, he had felt a bit embarrassed, but after a few days, he had grown accustomed to it.

“Tier Eight early stage?” Sensing the mana fluctuations from Zhang Ye, Nan was slightly startled.

It had only been a few days—this guy had advanced again?!

One had to keep in mind that he had only broken through to Tier Eight Newly Advanced not long ago.

Zhang Ye gave a cheeky grin. The efficiency of this dual cultivation was even higher than he had imagined; he had advanced in less than ten days.

As for Nan, he would likely advance in another ten days or so.

After having breakfast with everyone, they went to class together.

Once the morning combat test was over, Zhang Ye paid a visit to the research institute. He helped Ke Ling solve a magic device problem and earned another 300,000 points.

This made Zhang Ye sigh with emotion; Ke Lan and her daughter were simply too wealthy.

Afterward, Zhang Ye prepared to visit the Rock Guild.

He had already found out that the Rock Guild’s territory was in the academy’s North District, so he walked directly toward that area.

He didn’t stay idle while walking, instead contemplating how to make dual cultivation even more efficient.

Over the past few days, he had already figured out some tricks. By changing the way mana flowed, he could speed up the cultivation rate. He wanted to see if he could use this method to find a way to lighten Nan’s burden.

Thus, as he walked, he circulated mana through his body to cultivate.

Most people wouldn’t dare do this, as cultivation required a calm and tranquil mind. However, with the system’s help, Zhang Ye could enter a cultivation state anytime and anywhere.

“I can try to open up multiple mana circulation routes to make the mana source’s absorption more efficient...” Zhang Ye mused.

He felt like he was onto something. By opening up more mana circulation routes, he could greatly reduce the pressure on a single route. Since mana circulation was handled by the meridians, the meridians determined the upper limit of a person’s cultivation speed.

The higher the limit, the faster the cultivation speed.

By the same logic, if he could open up a new circulation route, he could reduce the pressure on the meridians. Theoretically, this could also reduce Nan’s burden and speed up cultivation!

Perfect!

But how could he open up a new route?

A person only had so many meridians. If he wanted to reduce the pressure on them, he needed to start from another angle.

For example... blood vessels?

Could blood vessels serve as mana circulation routes?

Platelets could transport oxygen, so could they transport mana?

At this thought, Zhang Ye’s eyes lit up. He felt like a little genius!

He immediately tried it, filling his blood vessels with mana while simultaneously accelerating his blood flow.

Zhang Ye instantly felt the mana circulation within his body speed up!

It really worked!

He continued to experiment.

Blood vessels spanned the entire body and naturally passed through the area where the mana source was located.

The mana source was located at the bladder... no, the dantian. So, Zhang Ye controlled the mana to flow through the blood vessels to the dantian area, then used the capillaries to change the mana’s direction, leading it toward the mana source.

The moment the mana followed the blood vessels into the mana source, Zhang Ye felt a wave of relief spread through him. His mana absorption speed had doubled!

A new mana circulation route had been opened!

By using blood vessels as channels to transport mana, this cultivation method allowed Zhang Ye to double his already impressive cultivation speed once again!

Wow, what a discovery!

He wondered how many points he could get if he provided this idea to the research institute...

However, this method had its limitations. The mana had to be extremely pure, and the control over it had to be meticulous. After all, blood vessels were very thin and fragile.

Only pure mana wouldn’t cause a rejection reaction, and only powerful mana control could ensure that opening a new circulation route wouldn’t lead to accidents.

Beyond that, one needed a deep understanding of their own body and a certain level of theoretical knowledge. In short, every element was essential.

It was safe to say that this method was not suitable for the masses.

Even so, Zhang Ye was still very excited and focused even more intently on refining the mana circulation route.

Fearing he might accidentally bump into someone while walking, he stopped where he was, intending to first solidify this method before heading to the Rock Guild.

However, just as he was lost in cultivation, a spatial gate suddenly opened in front of him. A petite figure rushed out in a hurry, clutching a pile of books in her arms.

The thick books were piled higher than she was, so she didn't see Zhang Ye in front of her and ran straight into him.

Zhang Ye didn't budge, but the petite figure sat down hard on the ground, books scattering everywhere.

This brought Zhang Ye back to his senses, and he looked on in surprise.

No way. I was just standing here, and someone still managed to run into me?

Is this a scam?

He looked closer.

Eh? Isn't this the little loli who went on stage to act cute during the auditions?

The little loli before him had a book resting on her head. Her small face was full of misery, and her eyes were brimming with tears.

Seeing that she had run into someone, the little loli’s delicate frame trembled, and she quickly apologized, “I... I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

As she apologized, tears began to fall, making Zhang Ye’s heart soften.

Wait, why is she crying?

Is she that upset?

Zhang Ye quickly crouched down and comforted her, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Are you okay?”

Only then did the little loli dare to look up at Zhang Ye.

To her surprise, when she saw Zhang Ye’s face, she froze in place, her small mouth murmuring, “God... God of Song?”

Zhang Ye was stunned.

What did she call me?

God of Song?

Me?

Oh my, this is quite embarrassing...

Zhang Ye grinned. With a wave of his hand, the books scattered on the ground were gathered up.

Zhang Ye took a look at them.

“Efficient Circle Inscription for Spatial Gates”

“Application of Space Magic”

“Understanding Space Magic”

They were all books about space magic. Was this girl a space-attribute mage?

Zhang Ye ran an analysis.

【Xi Ya Moyani: Tier Five early stage, possesses space-attribute mana fluctuations in her body, 149cm tall, 71 jin, 20 years old, legal.】

Zhang Ye: “...”

Although the system’s analysis would change based on Zhang Ye’s thoughts, still...

I didn’t freaking want to know her height, age, and weight, okay?!

System, what are you implying?!

Am I that kind of person?

Ignoring the somewhat improper system, Zhang Ye pondered.

Moyani?

Come to think of it, the surnames of Qiya and Costovar from Class Two were also Moyani.

Are they from the same family?

But those two from Class Two were both Tier Nine early stage, while this Xi Ya was only Tier Five early stage?

That’s a difference of four major ranks.

Can the talent of people from the same family differ that much?

Furthermore, looking at the badge on her collar, it was red, indicating she was a student of the Red Class.

The Red Class was the worst class.

However, Zhang Ye didn’t think too much about it. After helping little Xi Ya pack her books, he asked, “You’re not hurt, are you?”

This girl was a pure mage with a low rank. Given her fragile appearance, Zhang Ye was afraid she might have broken something from the fall.

Xi Ya stared at him blankly before reacting. Her small face flushed bright red instantly, and her large blue-pink eyes seemed to swirl as she looked completely flustered.

“I... I...”

She was in a frantic state. Then, she lowered her head and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, “Th... thank you...”

Zhang Ye smiled and helped her up.

Holding her arm, Zhang Ye found that this child was truly thin and weak. Combined with that frail appearance, she gave off a feeling that made one want to protect her.

This is just too cute...

No, no, I, Zhang, am a man of integrity!

After being helped up by Zhang Ye, little Xi Ya’s face was as red as an apple, and her heart was in a state of panic.

She was returning from the library after borrowing books. However, because her mana reserves were very low, the spatial gate she could open was only for short distances; she couldn't open one directly into her dorm.

Who would have thought that after stepping out of the spatial gate, she would run straight into Zhang Ye?

How embarrassing. The God of Song must hate me now...

Looking at the flustered little Xi Ya, Zhang Ye smiled and said, “Am I really that scary?”

“N... No...” Little Xi Ya waved her small hands, looking like she was about to cry.

Zhang Ye handed her the books and gave her a warm smile. “My name is Zhang Ye. What’s yours?”

Upon hearing that, Xi Ya stammered, “Xi... Xi Ya...”

“Nice to meet you,” Zhang Ye said with a smile. “Be careful when you walk in the future. Don’t fall again.”

“Mm... mm...” Xi Ya nodded. She didn't dare look up at Zhang Ye and could only stare at the tips of his shoes.

Zhang Ye felt that this girl seemed very introverted. He figured he shouldn't be too enthusiastic to avoid causing her any distress.

“I have things to do, so I’ll be going now,” Zhang Ye said softly.

“Mm...”

“Goodbye.”

“Good... goodbye...”

Hearing the footsteps gradually fade into the distance, Xi Ya finally dared to look up at Zhang Ye’s retreating back.

But after just one glance, she quickly lowered her head, her pretty face becoming even more flushed.

Up close, the God of Song is really handsome... and so gentle...

After standing there dazed for a while, Xi Ya finally remembered she had things to do. She quickly clutched her books and used her short legs to step into a spatial gate.

Even a short-distance miniature spatial gate consumed nearly all of her mana.

However, it took less than five seconds for her mana to go from being completely exhausted to being fully restored. If Zhang Ye were here, he would surely be incredibly surprised.

Although this girl had low mana reserves, her mana recovery speed was actually faster than his!

Upon returning to the dorm, little Xi Ya didn't enter the room immediately. Instead, she attached mana to the soles of her shoes to avoid getting the floor dirty before cautiously walking toward the living room.

“Qi... Qiya Sister, I’ve borrowed the books...” Xi Ya carefully placed the books on the table. She kept her head down, not daring to look at the girl with the same blue-pink hair sitting on the sofa.

Qiya looked arrogant, staring down at Xi Ya with eyes full of disdain.

She waved her hand, her voice filled with impatience. “Got it.”

“Then... I’ll go back to cultivate now...” Xi Ya said softly before walking toward her room.

Looking at her back, Qiya gave a cold laugh. “Heh, you still need to cultivate? Why don’t you just honestly wait to be expelled? It’ll save you from accidentally dying in the Colosseum and dragging others down with you.”