Chapter 293 - New Semester, New Me
After bidding Xuanyuan Cheng farewell, An Lin walked rather dejectedly toward his living quarters.
He was the most popular celebrity in the university, so there were many students who came up to greet him. It wasn’t a bad feeling to be acknowledged like this, especially when he waved back to all the students while riding on Da Bai. He felt like he was an important official surveying the school.
As An Lin rode along slowly on his dog’s back, he encountered Su Qianyun, who was also walking along at a casual stroll.
“Hey there, Classmate Su Qianyun, how were your holidays?”
“Same old same old. I stayed with Sister Chang’e, then went back to the imperial palace for a while and the holidays were over just like that.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound too bad. By the way, I’m Spirit Nurturing Final Stage now.”
“Oh my God! You’re awesome, Classmate An Lin!!”
“Heheh, I’m not all that great, you’re making me blush…”
…
After bragging about his feats to Su Qianyun, his mood recovered significantly, and he continued on forward until he saw a woman with short pink hair seated on a jade bench, staring off into space.
“Hey there, Liu Qianhuan, how were your holidays?”
“I almost died from boredom, there was no one to play games with me, arrrrrrgh!”
“You should’ve taken a holiday to Earth.”
“Don’t even talk about that, there was no spot for me! I’ve been blacklisted by the university just because I went to play games with my team and delayed the completion of our mission. Some accursed department in the mortal world reported me to the Heavenly Court, and I’ve lost my chance to go to Earth.”
“… well, you reap what you sow. By the way, you’ve been Half-Step Soul Formation Stage for a long time, have you broken through to Soul Formation Stage yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“So slow! I’m already Spirit Nurturing Final Stage!”
“Uh-huh and what about it?”
“Holy f*ck, aren’t you shocked?!”
“Should I be shocked? You can’t beat me in League of Valor anyway.”
“…”
…
An Lin patted Da Bai’s back and they continued onward until they saw a figure in a green dress.
“Hey, Xiaolan, how were your holidays?”
“Little An, I was just looking for you! You’re an absolute failure of an owner, what’s your deal leaving Xiao Hong with me? Do you know how shocked I was when I was woken up by the sound of a song about a large pinwheel after getting back to the Vermilion Bird Sect?!”
“Oh crap, sorry, I forgot. Where is Xiao Hong by the way?”
“Hmph, she’s sitting in a flower pot in my room. I don’t even have to set an alarm in the morning now; her pinwheel song is more than enough to wake me up!”
“Ahem… I did say I’m sorry. What’ve you been doing with Shen Yin’s inheritance?”
“I’ve basically consolidated everything. After absorbing the Black Lightning Dragon Ball, my dragon and phoenix bloodlines have merged as one instead of combating against one another as they did in the past. I’m slowly incorporating the other parts of the inheritance now and am almost at a stage where I’ve made it my own.”
“Wow! That’s some progress!”
“It’s all thanks to you, make sure to take me with you when you go treasure-hunting next time as well.”
“We’ll see about that… Xiaolan, I actually have some news to share. I’m Spirit Nurturing Final Stage now!”
“Oh… what weird thing did you eat this time? Or what weird method did you use to make the breakthrough?”
“… Xiaolan, is this how you see me now?”
“Yep.”
“…”
…
An Lin suddenly felt very dejected. Why was it so hard to flex?
Wasn’t she supposed to gasp at his statement before commending him for his extraordinary aptitude for cultivation and pledge her eternal admiration?
Among everyone he had broken the news to, he could only recall Su Qianyun giving him the desired reaction. Why was this the case?
An Lin pondered the issue in deep thought, trying to pinpoint the exact problem.
After all, what was life without flexing?
At this moment, a well-built man walked toward him from the opposite direction.
“Yo, Luo Ziping, how was your holiday?”
“Haha, Big Brother An, I was just going to tell you some good news, I’ve broken through to Spirit Nurturing Stage!”
“Congratulations! This is indeed something to be happy about. I think you’re the sixth student to have reached Spirit Nurturing Stage from our class.”
“It’s not just me, I heard both Sun Shenglian and Miao Tian have also broken through. It’s all thanks to the bloodline inheritance we received from the Purple Star research institute, otherwise, there’s no way we’d progress so quickly.”
“That’s fantastic news, our former team is probably invincible now! Mind you, your team leader has been trying his best as well, I’m already Spirit Nurturing Final Stage now!”
“Haha, as expected of Big Brother An, I wouldn’t even be surprised if you told me you were Soul Formation Stage now!”
“Can’t you be just a little shocked…”
“Huh? Why would I be shocked?”
…
After bidding Luo Ziping farewell, An Lin became even more depressed. He had just broken through from Spirit Nurturing Initial Stage to Spirit Nurturing Final Stage within a month, couldn’t they react more vigorously?!
“Da Bai, why is it so hard for me to flex now?”
“Hehe, Big Brother An, you’ve already flexed too much so everyone’s accustomed to your feats now, woof!”
An Lin slapped his forehead and sighed in resignation. Da Bai’s analysis was probably spot on.
So be it… It was the start of a new year, he shouldn’t bog himself down with these negative emotions.
Cultivate hard and improve every day!
An Lin shrugged off his depression and formally invited Xiao Hong back to their group alongside a heartfelt apology.
Xiao Hong herself wasn’t even mad that she had been forgotten. After all, the effect was the same no matter where she photosynthesized.
She would photosynthesize all day if she stayed by Xu Xiaolan’s side, and she would do the exact same thing if she stayed by An Lin’s side.
Was there a difference?
None whatsoever!
“Xiao Hong, did you know I’m Spirit Nurturing Final Stage now?”
“Wow master is so awesome, do you know how to sing twinkle twinkle little star?”
“Ha?”
“You don’t? Let me teach you.”
Xiao Hong began to sing in a sweet voice, “Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are…”
Tears streaked down An Lin’s face? Were there no longer any normal people around him? Why was it so damn hard to flex?
A new cohort of cute young underclassmen and women arrived at the university.
They also quickly learned of the legendary senior student An Lin!
This was a peerless mighty figure who could rip a Monarch in half with his bare hands and stab a hole into the sky with a single finger. He was the legend and pride of the school, so any extraordinary feats you heard about him were to be expected!
All the new students were in shock after hearing of his legendary exploits.
“Wow, Senior An Lin is so strong, I’d love to meet him!”
“I heard he broke through to Spirit Nurturing Final Stage from Spirit Nurturing Initial Stage during the span of one holiday period.”
“That’s nothing, he could already abuse a Monarch at the pinnacle of Return to Void Stage as a Dao Body Stage cultivator, breaking through two ranks during one holiday period isn’t even a feat worthy of note.”
“Hmm, you’re right, I was making a fuss over nothing.”
…
Thus, all the new students were immediately bombarded by tales of An Lin’s legendary exploits, granting them complete immunity to An Lin’s flexing.
Thus, An Lin’s path to flexing seemed to have been completely cut off.
His life as a third-year university student also commenced under this peaceful atmosphere.