Chapter 128: It's Okay, Three Minutes Is Already Impressive…
Evening fell.
The new students' classes had just ended.
At the academy gates, Ye Chen ran into Xiao Xiao.
As usual, Xiao Xiao's appetite had led her to line up early at Huo Yuhao's grilled fish stall.
Ye Chen glanced over at Huo Yuhao and noticed something different—he no longer looked as cheerful as before. His face was clouded with gloom.
"What's wrong with this kid? Could it be that Long San bullied him?" Ye Chen thought curiously.
But then again, Long San didn't seem like that type of person, so that probably wasn't it.
Maybe it was that Wang Dong had advanced to Soul Elder, and that hit Yuhao hard.
Or perhaps, there was friction within the team.
Ye Chen didn't particularly care either way. He hadn't deliberately schemed against Yuhao—whatever happened with Tang Ya and Wang Dong was simply the result of butterfly effects and shifting circumstances.
"Thanks, Yuhao~"
Soon, Xiao Xiao secured two grilled fish and looked completely pleased with herself.
Just as she turned around, she spotted Ye Chen. Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Ye Chen! What are you doing here~? Want some grilled fish?"
She ran to him excitedly, holding one of the fish out to him, her cheeks tinted pink.
Ever since that last incident, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him—Ye Chen's image even appeared in her dreams.
He'd been busy lately, and she hadn't found a chance to approach him again, so running into him today felt like fate.
"Mm, thanks."
Ye Chen accepted the fish, taking a bite as he studied her from head to toe. Satisfied, he nodded. "Not bad, not bad. You've already reached level 28."
Xiao Xiao had clearly finished all the Spirit Augmentation Pills he'd given her. Given that she had twin martial souls, though, it was understandable that she hadn't reached level 30 yet—those pills weren't quite enough for that.
"It's all thanks to your pills, Ye Chen. You saved me nearly a year of hard training~"
Xiao Xiao's smile was bright and sweet, her eyes full of gratitude as she looked up at him.
"Good. The freshman assessment is coming soon. Do you have time tonight? I'll give you a special training session."
Ye Chen waved his hand casually, asking the question.
"Of course I do! I'm free right now~" Xiao Xiao replied eagerly, her heart leaping with joy.
This was a rare opportunity to be personally trained by Ye Chen—how could she say no?
Besides, she felt his strength was already far above Elder Zhou Yi's. Getting special training from Ye Chen was an incredible blessing.
"Let's go then. The test is coming up fast—I'll get you to level 30 as soon as possible," Ye Chen said with a smile.
He motioned for her to follow him toward the training grounds.
…
Special training, naturally, meant cultivating together—it was also the best way to build a deeper bond.
Everyone in Tang Sect had to be his own people. Only then could Ye Chen share valuable treasures with them—or reveal pieces of his special gifts, such as Resonance.
As for Huo Yuhao… Ye Chen hadn't yet decided what to do about him, so for now, he ignored the boy altogether.
…
At the training grounds, Ye Chen didn't use any soul skills. Instead, he simply coated himself in an icy scale armor for defense.
"I'm ready! I've gotten way stronger than before!"
Xiao Xiao beamed confidently. After all, at level 28, she was stronger than almost everyone in her class except for Wang Dong.
The next second, she summoned her Xiao and Ding martial souls, launching an all-out assault at Ye Chen.
…
A few minutes later, her spirit power was completely drained. She collapsed onto the ground, utterly defeated.
"Ughhh… how can this be? I've gotten so much stronger, and yet it's still the same as last time…" she groaned helplessly, on the verge of tears.
She could easily crush her classmates in a fight… yet she couldn't even crack Ye Chen's defense. Not even a single shard of ice had come loose.
It honestly felt like the gap between her and Ye Chen was bigger than the gap between her and a dog.
Ye Chen walked over and said softly, "It's okay. Lasting three minutes is already impressive."
Xiao Xiao: "…"
"Do you have to comfort people like that?" she pouted angrily, cheeks puffed up. His words stung more than anything.
"Haha, alright, alright. You're a twin martial soul user—your real strength will come when you reach Soul Sage. It's perfectly normal to be a little weaker for now."
"Then… when I become a Soul Sage, will I be able to surpass you?" she asked expectantly, eyes shining.
"By the time you reach Soul Sage," Ye Chen said honestly, "I should already be invincible in the world."
Xiao Xiao: "…"
Seeing her about to cry again, Ye Chen quickly changed the subject. "Enough of that. Based on my observation, you now qualify to learn one of Tang Sect's secret arts."
"Tang Sect's secret art?"
Immediately, Xiao Xiao's curiosity was piqued.
She still remembered how the pills Ye Chen gave her had almost flipped her understanding of cultivation—her growth had skyrocketed overnight.
If this secret art was even stronger than that… just how powerful could it be?
Anticipation filled her heart.
"Yes. It's a special Tang Sect technique that can greatly accelerate your cultivation rate," Ye Chen explained briefly, going over the basic effects of Resonance.
After hearing that, Xiao Xiao reacted just like Wang Dong and the others had—total disbelief at first.
It sounded far too miraculous. Most soul masters spent years trying to slightly increase their training speed, yet Ye Chen claimed his technique could boost it by more than ten times.
How could anyone compete with that?
Though stunned, Xiao Xiao couldn't find any reason to doubt him. Ye Chen had no reason to lie—chances were, what he said was true.
That thought filled her heart with joy and gratitude.
Ye Chen had trusted her with such a massive secret—proof that he genuinely saw her as one of his own.
"Alright. You'll understand more once you try it," Ye Chen said, sitting cross-legged and gesturing for her to come closer.
"Um… could I take a shower first? I'm all sweaty…" she said shyly.
Having exerted herself earlier, she was drenched and worried Ye Chen might be uncomfortable.
"Mm, that's fine~"
Ye Chen didn't object. Though he didn't mind, she might feel uneasy otherwise—and that could interfere with the session.
"Then wait here for me~"
Xiao Xiao smiled and hurried to the nearby rest area to shower.
Soon, the sound of running water echoed through the room.
She had been in such a rush that she hadn't even closed the door, so every sound carried clearly.
Ye Chen nearly lost control of himself, tempted to activate his Heaven and Earth Infinite Eyes to peek inside…
But peeking felt too improper. Ye Chen had always preferred to look openly and confidently—so he suppressed the urge, keeping it as a delicious bit of anticipation instead.
After a short while, the sound of water stopped.
The bathroom door creaked slightly as a wave of steam rolled out—bringing Xiao Xiao gracefully out of the mist.
(END CHAPTER)
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