114: End of semester

Seeing the message Mo Yi sent back, Xu Yan temporarily put aside his plan to seek out other channels to find useless or low-value secret realms and spatial fragments to feed the Miniature Secret Realm in his shadow.

Although Mo Yi never mentioned the specific details of the suitable target, only using “that thing” as a substitute, based on the content of his message, Xu Yan easily guessed its identity. It was very likely the Eerie Secret Realm that had previously been so dishonorable as to target him.

As the former main secret realm to which the Shadowlight Realm (the name of the secret realm in Xu Yan's shadow, which will be used from now on) belonged, even though the dominant attribute in the newborn Shadowlight Realm has changed, with Dark Attribute replacing the original Ghost Spirit element.

However, the two ultimately originated from the same source, and there is still a certain connection between the replacement Dark Element and the Ghost Spirit element. For the Shadowlight Realm, which has just finished gestation and is still a Miniature Secret Realm, the Eerie Secret Realm—which is in a state of self-destruction and has a past “grudge” with Xu Yan—is indeed one of the current optimal choices.

Thinking of this, Xu Yan sent another message to Mo Yi, thanking him while also stating that he was not in a hurry.

In the following days, apart from his daily classes, Xu Yan focused on helping his three Spirit Beasts, who had broken through to the Commander Rank, master their own strength.

After a week, except for Zhu Yan, who still needed time to consolidate, Wuxiang and Xiong Nian had both regained mastery over their strength after breaking through to the Commander Rank.

At the same time, the first semester courses at the Third Academy came to an end, and the school began its winter break.

After bidding farewell to Mo Yi, Lin Heng, and the other two, Xu Yan scanned a code to reserve a Flowing Cloud Falcon, which took him away from the Third Academy and to Yuling City, where he boarded a flight bound for Ning City.

Returning to the Xu Family Farm, where his elderly father, whom he hadn't seen in over half a year, was waiting early at the farm gate for him to come home, Xu Yan immediately rushed into a hug.

After the embrace, the father and son, neither of whom were sentimental, genuinely expressed how much they had missed each other.

He let out his three Spirit Beasts for Xu Du to see, then took out his Marshal Rank Breeder badge from his Storage Device, flashed it in front of Xu Du, and spoke with a hint of pride:

“Dad, how about that? I'm already a Marshal Rank Breeder now, and I have my own stable clientele. I no longer need your support to provide for myself and my Spirit Beasts. I completed our agreement ahead of schedule.”

Watching Xu Yan show off like a proud peacock, Xu Du's smile grew softer, and he replied gently, “Good, good, good. My Little Yan has grown up and can stand on his own now.”

Of course, Xu Du couldn't be unaware of the achievements Xu Yan had made at the Third Academy.

Or rather, even if he hadn't known originally, the congratulations and visits from relatives, friends, and various forces in Ning City after Xu Yan's thesis was published would have made him passively aware of the matter.

Especially after Xu Yan's thesis gained traction, those who couldn't find Xu Yan because he was holed up in the Third Academy resorted to finding Xu Du, causing Xu Du to deal not only with local forces in Ning City and nearby cities but also with numerous visitors from all over the country.

This quickly turned Xu Du's initial excitement over Xu Yan's achievements into a feeling of impatience and exhaustion. However, this feeling was directed at the uninvited visitors, especially those who wanted to arrange marriages between their juniors and Xu Yan.

Xu Du naturally refused outright, stating that Xu Yan's romantic choices were his own business, and he, as a father, would not arbitrarily interfere. Yet, despite this, people and organizations wanting to market their juniors to Xu Yan continued to visit incessantly.

However, any displeasure was reserved for outsiders; Xu Du remained extremely proud and honored by the achievements Xu Yan had made.

And the phrase “stand on his own” spoken by Xu Du was not just a platitude to Xu Yan; whether a Commander Rank Beast Tamer or a Marshal Rank Breeder, they were already considered pillars of strength in a city.

Especially the latter: a Marshal Rank Breeder holds a significant status in any city. In smaller cities, they could even directly serve as the local Breeder Association President.

Watching Xu Du's gratified expression, the look of “my child has grown up,” Xu Yan chuckled, then summoned the two Wind Flame Lion Kings and introduced them to Xu Du:

“Dad, look, these are the Wind Flame Lion Kings in their Monarch Form from my thesis. They are also the very first pair to achieve this form. After completing their transformation, they signed a Dominion Contract with me and actively chose to follow me. I now possess Monarch Rank fighting strength.”

Looking at the two Wind Flame Lion Kings, who were emitting the aura of the Low-Grade Monarch Rank, Xu Du was genuinely astonished this time.

The news about the Wind Flame Lion King's Monarch Form thesis and Xu Yan becoming a Marshal Rank Breeder were not intentionally hidden by Xu Yan and Mo Yi—they could be seen in the Breeder Association's announcements. However, the fact that the Wind Flame Lion Kings chose to follow Xu Yan had not been spread, so Xu Du was naturally unaware.

Looking at the two Wind Flame Lion Kings before him, Xu Du once again marveled at Xu Yan's powerful Innate Talent and charisma, and his heart, which had become somewhat quiet after Xu Yan's mother passed away, stirred once more.

Two years ago, when Xu Yan successfully passed the Soldier Rank Cultivator assessment, Xu Du knew that his son could not simply live a peaceful life as a farm owner under his protection, as he had initially hoped.

However, at that time, Xu Du was still confident that with his current strength—Monarch Rank Limit, capable of desperately fighting for Overlord Rank strength—he could protect Xu Yan for a few years and allow him to grow steadily.

However, it now seemed that mere Monarch Rank strength was too weak and insufficient to protect Xu Yan.

Not to mention anything else, among the people and forces who visited the farm after Xu Yan's thesis was published, there were several that he himself found difficult to handle.

If they weren't concerned about his own elders, the Third Academy backing Xu Yan, and Mo Yi, those people might not have spoken to him so politely.

Yes, the Xu Family Farm didn't just house Xu Du and his son. Xu Yan's paternal and maternal grandfathers, as well as even older elders, were still alive and well. However, these individuals had their own duties and careers and rarely appeared on the farm during the week.

If Xu Du couldn't handle it himself, then naturally, the elders would step in to help.

However, Xu Du was unwilling to simply hand over the responsibility of protecting his son.

If Monarch Rank isn't enough, then Overlord Rank. If Overlord Rank isn't enough, then Saint Spirit Rank. Who wasn't a genius in their youth? Forty-something is the age to strive.

Thinking this, and looking at the two Wind Flame Lion Kings before him, Xu Du, who had been quiet for sixteen years, once again felt a powerful desire to become stronger.