Chapter 77 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

In the end, Zhang Ye won the battle.

In terms of magic, Zhang Ye simply copied whatever spell Renomon used. Even without using the Hydrogen-Oxygen Enhancement Formation, his magical power was significantly stronger than Renomon's based solely on his Perfect Mastery.

However, that wasn't the key. The key lay in his physique.

To test Renomon's strength to the fullest, Zhang Ye didn't just spam instant-cast spells to crush him; instead, he engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Renomon's physique was at the Tier Nine early stage, but Zhang Ye's had already reached the Tier Nine mid stage. Furthermore, his improvement was all-encompassing. While possessing immense strength, his agility, reaction time, and defensive capabilities had reached the absolute peak of his tier.

Consequently, with every punch that landed, although Zhang Ye's Tier Seven peak mana flames weren't as fierce as Renomon's, his striking power was far more terrifying. Moreover, Zhang Ye's combat skills were actually a notch above Renomon's!

Renomon was also shocked. Zhang Ye's combat skills were too strong; his combos were fluid, and his power was incredibly fierce, like a torrential storm. At first, Renomon could rely on his higher rank to resist, but as the fight progressed, he found himself increasingly overwhelmed.

Furthermore, the feeling Zhang Ye gave him at this moment… was just like his big sister!

That was it—at this moment, Zhang Ye was just like Leona!

His technique for generating power, his every move and stance, and his overall combat style were exactly the same as Leona's!

His figure seemed to overlap with Leona's, giving Renomon the sensation that he was actually fighting her!

They were truly too similar!

He was definitely his sister's student; otherwise, his fighting style couldn't possibly be so alike!

Zhang Ye had learned nearly ninety percent of Leona's combat style—that exceptionally fierce offensive like a torrential storm, and that indomitable “who else but me” aura of the Red Lotus Lion. It was powerfully peerless!

And all of this had been achieved in just one month.

Climbing out of a crater, Renomon brushed off the blue flames clinging to his shoulder guards.

He had just been kicked over a hundred meters away by Zhang Ye. If Zhang Ye hadn't held back his strength, he likely would have been seriously injured.

“I lost!” Renomon declared.

Although he lost, he wasn't discouraged in the slightest. Instead, his face was filled with excitement. Clearly, winning or losing wasn't important to him; what mattered was that he had just experienced a hearty battle that had taught him a great deal.

At this moment, his recognition of Zhang Ye's strength grew even deeper!

Zhang Ye laughed heartily and cast Phoenix Breath to heal both himself and Renomon, while also helping him “recharge his batteries.”

“I’ve tested your strength. How should I put it…” Zhang Ye rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You’re very strong, but you can be even stronger.”

Renomon was taken aback and hurriedly asked, “How can I get even stronger?”

Zhang Ye smiled. “Come, I’ll teach you a magic circle. Go back and master it; your strength within the same tier will skyrocket at least fivefold!”

Fivefold?!

Renomon’s eyes widened in disbelief.

What kind of magic could make his strength within the same tier explode by five times?!

Zhang Ye then taught him the Hydrogen-Oxygen Enhancement Formation. Renomon was indeed Leona’s younger brother; his learning ability was exceptional. In less than half an hour, he had inscribed a complete Hydrogen-Oxygen Enhancement Formation.

Immediately, he could feel the strengthening effect this magic circle brought to his fire magic!

With just a preliminary mastery, it could triple the power of his flames!

If he were to master it completely and integrate it into various fire-type spells, his overall strength would increase by far more than five times.

He would believe it even if someone said fifteen times!

It was simply ridiculous!

It was hard to imagine that this enhancement circle could bring such a massive boost to the power of flames!

For a moment, the look in Renomon’s eyes toward Zhang Ye was no longer just friendly; it also contained respect.

An enhancement circle with such a boost was something others would keep hidden and secret, yet Zhang Ye had taught it to him without reservation. This was enough to earn his respect and gratitude.

At this moment, Renomon’s favorability toward Zhang Ye skyrocketed, reaching the level of “Good Brother”!

“Brother Ye, thank you!”

“If you ever need me for anything in the future, just say the word!”

Zhang Ye laughed loudly. “Alright!”

He also quite liked Renomon as a friend.

Seeing that the two of them seemed to be finished, Lina hurried over, looking at Zhang Ye with a face full of admiration.

“Brother Ye, you’re really amazing!”

“And your flames are blue; they’re so pretty!”

“What kind of magic is that?”

The little stars in Lina’s eyes began to sparkle again.

Zhang Ye couldn’t help but laugh as he explained the theory behind the Hydrogen-Oxygen Enhancement Formation’s boost to fire-type magic. Renomon also listened intently from the side, as this would help him master it.

At this point, Zhang Ye’s status in the hearts of the two was no longer just that of a friend; he was more like both a teacher and a friend.

“Alright, let’s go find our big customers!” Zhang Ye said after finishing the explanation.

Lina was startled and asked, “Don’t we have enough points already? Are we going to rob people again?”

“Of course not.” Zhang Ye shook his head. “The points we have now, once distributed, are enough for the three of us to take the top three spots. We can’t let the remaining points go to waste, and absorbing them has no effect on me anymore.”

“We robbed people’s lamps before because we didn't have enough points. Now that we have enough, there’s naturally no need to rob anymore. Instead, we’re going to give them back.”

“Give them back?” Renomon was stunned.

It was his first time hearing of a bandit who would actively return things after a robbery.

Zhang Ye nodded, then gave a sheepish smile. “Mainly, I want to return them to Nan.”

“Nan has been robbed by us three times. To be honest, I’m starting to feel a bit bad about it.”

“You can’t keep shearing the same sheep, right?”

“Besides, with Nan’s strength, he should have easily taken a top three spot among the freshmen. Because of me, he might not even make the top ten now. So, I want to return the extra soul essences to him and see if we can clear the air.”

“If we can, won’t we have gained another companion with huge potential? Right?”

Hearing this, Lina and Renomon felt it made sense.

Nan was the young master of the Thunderclap family. Although the talent of the Thunderclap family's new generation had severely declined for some reason and was now far inferior to other great families, Nan was an exception. He was the strongest of the Thunderclap family's new generation, nearly crushing his peers from other great families. If it weren't for Zhang Ye, Nan taking the number one freshman spot would have been a sure thing.

In terms of combat power, even Renomon knew he was far from being Nan’s match. The key issue was that Zhang Ye had “sheared” this guy three times; even heaven would find it pitiful, and Zhang Ye himself couldn't bear it anymore.

Moreover, given Nan’s potential, he would definitely be a powerhouse in the future. Befriending him would certainly bring more benefits than harm.

Returning the extra soul essences this time was the perfect opportunity to see if they could earn some goodwill.

Even if it didn't work, it would minimize the conflict, turning a big problem into a small one and a small one into nothing. Eliminating a potential enemy was always a win.

As for Samanra and the others, it was also necessary to build some goodwill; after all, they were all geniuses from great families.

Previously, Zhang Ye’s soul essences converted to over 130 million points. Then, with the addition of the 58,000 Tier Eight and Tier Nine soul essences, the conversion was over 280 million points, totaling more than 420 million.

He gave his brother-in-law 40 million points; Renomon wouldn't accept any more than that.

Then Zhang Ye wanted to give Lina half, but Lina also firmly refused to take that much. In the end, they decided to give Lina 60 million points—and that was only after Zhang Ye used the “if you don’t take it, I’ll throw it away” trick to get her to accept.

That left 320 million points. Zhang Ye decided to return 50 million to Nan as both principal and interest. With the remaining points, he would see if he could find Samanra and the others and return 20 million to each of them.

The points left after that would still be more than enough to secure the number one freshman spot.

“Alright, let’s move out and find our big customers!” Zhang Ye waved his hand. “It’s time to give them some benefits!”

However, they didn't ride Bolabo this time.

Instead, after taking the Soul Essence Lamps, he put Bolabo and Labella into the contract space. Since they were actively looking for people now, Bolabo and Labella couldn't be seen by others.

Currently, the only ones who had seen Bolabo seemed to be Lina, Renomon, the three including Samanra who had chased Bolabo earlier, plus Nan.

Lina and Renomon had been specifically instructed by Zhang Ye, and both promised not to say a word; Zhang Ye chose to trust them.

Samanra and her group shouldn't know that he had subdued Bolabo.

But Nan… earlier, Bolabo had run over and used him as a ball. He didn't know if Nan had recognized Bolabo or guessed the relationship between him and Bolabo.

So Zhang Ye decided to probe Nan when the time came.

He expanded his Divine Sense. With a perception range of a full fifteen kilometers, Zhang Ye's efficiency in finding people became extremely high. Next, he just needed to find Nan, Samanra, and the others.