Chapter 190 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

Upon returning to the dormitory, he saw flashes of blade light and bursts of thunder in the backyard. Naturally, Nan was practicing his blade again.

Aside from combat classes, Nan squeezed out every spare moment to practice his blade technique and temper his physique. In a twenty-four-hour day, Nan seemed determined to train for twenty-five. He was a certified cultivation maniac.

“A-Nan, A-Nan! Stop practicing and come over here!” Zhang Ye called out.

Nan sheathed his blade and stood tall and erect, an incisive aura emanating from within him. Fine beads of sweat glinted on his face, and his ear-length purple hair clung softly to his delicate profile, making him look strikingly handsome.

“What is it?” Nan asked, walking over to Zhang Ye with a puzzled expression.

Judging by Zhang Ye’s demeanor, it had to be good news. After all, whenever Zhang Ye had something good, he always thought of him... err, them.

Thus, Nan couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

Zhang Ye turned and waved. “Come on, hurry up! The bone mana circulation route was a complete success. Let me open it up for you right now—who knows, you might even break through to Tier Ten tomorrow!”

Nan froze for a moment before a warm current surged through his heart.

“Alright.”

They returned to the room, and after a short while, Nan's bone mana circulation route was successfully opened. Instantly, Nan’s cultivation speed reached a whole new level, and his mana capacity even nudged upward, putting him just one step away from becoming a Tier Ten Newly Advanced.

Feeling the surging power inside his body, Nan’s gaze softened as he looked at Zhang Ye. “Thank you...”

Zhang Ye smiled. “Compared to all those magic cores you gave me, this is nothing...”

“No,” Nan interrupted suddenly.

“An increase in cultivation speed isn't something a mere thousand magic cores can compare to.” Nan extended his hand, arcs of electricity crackling across his palm.

His voice dropped slightly lower. “Why are you doing all this for us? What are you after?”

“I'm after your body (=￣ω￣=),” Zhang Ye said.

Nan gasped, his fair face turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Did he find out?!

When did he find out?!

What do I do? Should I kill him?!

No, I can't beat him...

Gritting his teeth, Nan glared at Zhang Ye. “W-What did you say?”

Zhang Ye waved his hand with a nonchalant expression. “Just kidding, don't get so worked up~”

Hearing this, Nan finally breathed a sigh of relief inside.

I thought he actually found out...

However, embarrassment and annoyance quickly washed over him as if he had been played for a fool. He couldn't resist reaching out and giving Zhang Ye a flick on the head.

“Ouch!”

Zhang Ye clutched his head and looked at Nan with a deadpan face. “Did you learn that move from Big Nana?”

Whenever Zhang Ye acted goofy or improper, Leona loved to give him a head flick.

Nan’s face flushed slightly at the remark, and he huffed, “Cultivate!”

The next day, the rankings were officially released. Unsurprisingly, Zhang Ye took first place, Nan came in second, Lina was third, Gajeel fourth...

With the rankings locked in, the Freshman Ten Kings were confirmed. They were granted the privilege of choosing their own titles, which they could retain as long as they stayed in the top ten during the Monthly Tests.

These titles would be displayed on their badges, which synchronized with all the academy’s leaderboards. Thus, a title was a major factor in raising one's popularity and visibility.

Securing an officially recognized title was a point of immense pride.

Before long, staff arrived to record the titles chosen by the top ten students of the Monthly Test.

And then... everyone was struck dumb.

The first few were perfectly normal.

Nan was 【Heavy Thunder】.

Lina was 【Flash】.

Renomon was 【Crimson Flame Lion】.

Samanra was 【Spirit of the Wind】.

Everything seemed so harmonious and cool, filling the surrounding students with envy and admiration—until it came to Zhang Ye...

Leona: “What do you want your title to be?”

Zhang Ye: “I'll keep it simple. Let's go with...”

“【Dashing, Suave, Handsome, Beloved-by-All, Bloom-Inducing, All-Attribute, All-Around, Zero-Blind-Spot, Humanoid Self-Propelled Magic Cannon】 works fine.”

Leona: “...”

Everyone: “...”

Leona couldn't help palm her forehead, looking amused. “Are you sure?”

“Positive!” Zhang Ye nodded, grinning foolishly. “Sounds awesome, right?”

“Alright then. Hope you don't regret it,” Leona replied with a mysterious smile.

Zhang Ye suddenly felt a pang of cold feet and timidly asked, “Is... Is there a problem?”

“Nope.” Leona smiled and submitted it.

Shortly after, a giant magic projection appeared over the All Souls Magic Academy grounds, displaying the freshman rankings along with their top-ten titles.

The crowd of students watched expectantly, breaking into admiring chatter.

“【Flash — Lina】! What a cool title!”

“【Spirit of the Wind — Samanra】! She's my favorite goddess!”

“【Heavy Thunder — Nan】! The one most likely to become the first freshman to break through to Tier Ten!”

“So amazing!”

“Let's check first place... Huh?”

“Ooh?”

“What?”

Everyone stared at the top spot in sheer bewilderment, where the displayed text was cut off...

【Dashing... Cannon — Zhang Ye】!

Zhang Ye stared at the display, his jaw dropping wide open.

What... What the hell is a 'Dashing... Cannon'?!

Is it really okay to cut out the most important middle part with three damn dots?!

I'm gonna puke!

“I... I protest!” Zhang Ye shouted in outrage. “Was my title not awesome?! Why did you abbreviate it?!”

“Even if you abbreviated it, why cut it off at 'Dashing... Cannon'?!”

“How am I suave and smooth-talking like a playboy?! I'm super devoted, okay?!”

“Now look what happened! Anyone who doesn't know better is gonna think I'm some playboy!”

“This is slander! The academy is slandering me! They're slandering me!”

“No way, I can't take this lying down! I'm going to see the Dean! I'm protesting!”

Seeing Zhang Ye so furious, the group rushed to hold him back, though their faces turned red from trying to suppress their laughter. Lina even burst out laughing.

“Brother Ye, forget it, forget it...” Lina urged, wrapping her arms around his waist with a flushed face as she suppressed her giggles.

“Yeah, Boss, let it go. It's not like just anyone can see the Dean anyway...” Copico said, hugging Zhang Ye’s leg while straining to hold back a laugh.

“Forget it, Brother Ye... Pfft, HAHAHA!” Renomon held Zhang Ye’s arm, but finally lost the struggle and erupted into roaring laughter.

At that point, nobody could hold it in anymore. Everyone broke into fits of laughter, laughing until tears practically streamed down their faces.

Zhang Ye watched them with an aggrieved look, pouting unhappily. He then squatted to the side and started poking circles in the dirt, looking immensely wronged.