A few days later…
After a month's absence, Qi Lin finally returned to Heaven Dou Academy!
"Brother Lin, you're back!"
Just as he stepped into his dormitory, a figure threw herself at him—it was Xiao Wu. Along with her were Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
Seeing Qi Lin's familiar silhouette, both girls were visibly excited. Ning Rongrong's joy was written all over her face, while Zhu Zhuqing was more reserved, though no less pleased.
Once the three girls had calmed down, they crowded around Qi Lin, chattering as they asked about his experiences in the Extreme North.
Qi Lin didn't hide anything. He briefly summarized how the Ice Empress had sacrificed her origin to become his second martial soul, and how he absorbed the ninety-thousand-year-old Snow Lotus to obtain his sixth spirit ring.
To him, none of this was a big deal. Even if word got out, it didn't matter.
If anyone was foolish enough to cause him trouble over it, he wouldn't mind. In fact, he even hoped someone would try. Otherwise, all his martial prowess would go to waste!
Ever since mastering the Qilin Wrath Technique, Qi Lin had come to enjoy the feeling of delivering critical strikes with every move.
The girls listened with rapt attention, especially when he mentioned rescuing Shui Bing'er on his way back and then spending a week as a guest at Skywater Academy.
"Brother Qi Lin, the girls at Skywater Academy… their dancing must've been really impressive, huh?"
"Why else would you stay there for so long?" Xiao Wu puffed up her cheeks like a little hamster, her tone tinged with jealousy.
Qi Lin chuckled. "What, are you saying if I admit their dancing was good, you'll go learn it too?"
"Hmph!" Xiao Wu huffed.
"What's wrong with that? If I do learn it, I'll definitely be better than them. Then I'll dance just for you, Brother Qi Lin."
"Haha, the way you are…" Qi Lin laughed. "I don't think dancing is really your thing."
"Besides, there are seven of them—they've got the whole idol-group synergy going on. What do you have?"
He gave Xiao Wu a once-over. When it came to causing trouble or fighting, Xiao Wu never held back. She was also pretty good at cooking. But dancing? That might really be a stretch.
"You're underestimating me…" she muttered.
Qi Lin flicked her smooth forehead with a finger. "So what if you can't dance? You're my personal little chef, aren't you?"
At that, Xiao Wu's expression brightened immediately.
"If Xiao Wu is your little chef, then what about me? What about me?" Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Qi Lin paused thoughtfully, then smiled. "How about… you be my housekeeper? Take care of all the household affairs?"
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. "Really? That's perfect!"
Seeing her take it seriously, Qi Lin added playfully, "Well then, Madam Housekeeper, should I hand over all my money to you for safekeeping?"
With a graceful wave of her hand, Ning Rongrong patted her chest confidently. "No need! A man should have his own private savings. I'll just have Daddy send over a few million gold spirit coins tomorrow. It's not like our family is short on money!"
Zhu Zhuqing, who had remained silent all this time, also cast her gaze toward Qi Lin, as if asking what role she could play in his life.
Qi Lin smiled gently. "Zhuqing, you're obedient and thoughtful. You can do anything you want as long as you're by my side."
That made all three girls visibly delighted.
After chatting a while, Qi Lin asked what had happened at the academy while he was away.
The girls recounted everything honestly.
Though nothing major had happened in the past month, right after Qi Lin left, something noteworthy occurred—Blue Tyrant Academy, a well-known school in Heaven Dou City, had officially changed its name to Shrek Academy.
In addition, another incident took place during those same days.
Xiao Wu, the others, and members of the Royal Battle Team had visited Ye Lingling's family.
Unexpectedly, they ran into the Shrek party again at the Nine-Hearted Begonia Clan.
It turned out that through Liu Erlong's connections, Shrek's group had sought out the Nine-Hearted Begonia Clan, hoping that Ye Lingling's mother—the current clan leader—could heal Dai Mubai's crippled arm meridians.
However, upon learning from Xiao Wu and the others that Shrek's group had past conflicts with Qi Lin, Ye Lingling's mother firmly refused to treat Dai Mubai.
The reason was simple—she knew all too well the inestimable value of the soul power training method Qi Lin had passed on to her daughter.
Owing him such a great favor, how could she possibly help those who were at odds with him?
After turning down the Shrek party, Ye Lingling's mother also explained the situation to Xiao Wu and the others:
Dai Mubai had already missed the best window for treatment. Even if his arm meridians could somehow be repaired, his future strength would be no more than half of what it was. For a gifted spirit master, that was an unbearable blow.
The longer the delay, the worse the outcome.
Xiao Wu added dramatically, "Brother Qi Lin, you should've seen Dai Mubai's face."
"When he saw Zhuqing, he actually dropped to his knees and begged her to help persuade Aunt Ye to treat him—no dignity whatsoever."
"He even said stuff like, 'If not for me, Zhuqing would never have escaped her fate,' and all that nonsense."
"But the worst part? After Zhuqing refused to plead for him, he started cursing her—really awful things!"
Xiao Wu's expression held a touch of shared pain. She was clearly furious just remembering it.
Qi Lin's face turned cold. "Dai Mubai? That bootlicking clown…"
"If we meet again in the future, whether he dies or becomes crippled will be entirely up to Zhuqing."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded solemnly, a trace of icy resolve flashing in her eyes.
After that, Qi Lin checked in on the training results of the three girls, as he had promised before leaving.
The trio had clearly taken his instructions to heart. Although their soul power levels hadn't increased, their control over soul power had become significantly more refined.
Qi Lin also inquired about the progress of the Royal Battle Team.
Even with his help accelerating their development, none of them except Dugu Yan had fully mastered the tree-climbing technique.
Of the rest, Ye Lingling showed the fastest improvement.
Though she and the others were learning simplified versions of the soul power training method, Qi Lin had given her special tutoring.
Even early mastery of soul power control had proven to be a big help for everyone.
The clans and factions backing these students, upon learning that Qi Lin had passed on such a technique, immediately sent high-ranking members with generous gifts to thank him.
Unfortunately, Qi Lin had already gone to the Extreme North, so they could only leave their gifts behind and depart in disappointment.
This show of goodwill quickly caught the attention of other factions.
After thorough investigation, they finally learned about the miraculous effects of Qi Lin's soul power training method.
Some have already begun making moves in the shadows…