285: Chapter 285 Rules

Only then did everyone notice the exquisitely beautiful girl standing beside Shen Xingchen.

"Who is that?"

"Is she from our school? How come I've never seen her before?"

Jiang Qingyao, who had only just escaped the staring crowd, became the topic of discussion once again.

Someone boldly speculated, "Look at how close they are. Could that girl be Shen Xingchen's girlfriend?"

Typically, members of the opposite sex maintain a certain social distance, which narrows as intimacy grows.

Right now, their shoulders were almost touching, clearly surpassing the boundary of mere friends—a sign typical of a couple.

"It really looks like it!"

"So Shen Xingchen and Senior Sister Bai aren't a couple after all! To think I shipped them so hard before..."

"This girl is not inferior to Senior Sister Bai at all, okay?"

"This guy named Shen gets all the good stuff! What am I even living for? I'm jumping!"

"Fine, fine, fine! Playing like this, huh? Just kill me to add to the young couple's excitement!"

"..."

The students of Shangjing University were quite lively and dramatic, their words filled with envy and admiration.

Du Xiaoyue rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Sister Jiang, aren't you a student of Shanghai Shenwu? How did you end up here?"

Jiang Qingyao explained the exchange student program.

Only then did Du Xiaoyue look at Shen Xingchen with a touch of jealousy. "Little Junior Brother, I suspect you held something back in 'Eighteen Techniques of Flirting.' Otherwise, why can't Second Senior Brother and I get a girlfriend even after reading it through?"

Shen Xingchen rolled his eyes at him. "Did you manage to get Senior Sister Song yet? Still looking to chase girls—aren't you afraid Senior Sister Song will beat you into a pulp?"

Senior Brother Xiaopang couldn't even handle a childhood friend who was practically handing herself to him on a silver platter. What right did he have to say there was something wrong with his book?

Du Xiaoyue sighed. "Don't bring it up. I feel like I might spend my whole life submitting to Song Yuemei's tyrannical power."

Shen Xingchen put an arm around Senior Brother Xiaoyue's shoulders. "Next time Senior Sister Song comes looking for you, don't overthink it—just go right in for a kiss. I guarantee she'll behave instantly."

Du Xiaoyue asked dubiously, "Does that actually work?"

Shen Xingchen gave a reassuring gesture. "Guaranteed!"

The three walked and chatted, though it was mostly Shen Xingchen and Du Xiaoyue talking. Before long, they arrived at the peak of Jingwu Mountain.

Because of its proximity to Mirror Lake, this mountain possessed the richest spiritual energy in Shangjing University. Even the air occasionally glinted with colorful specks of spiritual light.

Reflecting the picturesque scenery in her eyes, Jiang Qingyao exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "So beautiful!"

Having gotten used to the desolation of the Northern Frontier recently, Shen Xingchen realized how precious all of this was upon returning to Jingwu Mountain.

They stepped into the small courtyard of the mountain villa.

Bai Wanqing was sitting at the central table flipping through a scroll. Upon seeing them walk over, she said with joy, "Yaoyao, you're here!"

Shen Xingchen asked in surprise, "Senior Sister, did you already know Qingyao was coming?"

Bai Wanqing smiled softly. "Of course. Yaoyao and I chat on our phones all the time. I've known since she first started preparing her transfer application."

Shen Xingchen was quite surprised. "Alright then."

Bai Wanqing asked, "Yaoyao, as an exchange student at Shangjing University, your dormitory should be one of those ordinary double rooms, right?"

Jiang Qingyao nodded.

Bai Wanqing said, "That works out perfectly. There are spare rooms at my place. Do you want to move in and stay with me?"

Her residence was located halfway up Jingwu Mountain—a villa of the same specification as Shen Xingchen's, and she lived there all by herself.

Living alone for so long, even someone like Bai Wanqing who preferred quiet found it a bit dull, which was why she invited Jiang Qingyao right away.

Jiang Qingyao smiled delightedly. "Sure, that sounds great!"

Seeing the two women reach an agreement so quickly, Shen Xingchen shook his head with a bitter smile in his heart. He had originally planned to bribe Li Jinhao to move out for a while.

That way, he and Little Miss Jiang could start living together.

But before this plan could even get off the ground, it was crushed...

Just then.

An aged male voice came from upstairs: "Brat Shen, come in for a moment."

Shen Xingchen was somewhat surprised that Old Man Xue was actually here too.

He walked up the stairs to the second floor and soon saw the old man wearing black training clothes.

Shen Xingchen greeted him, "Teacher."

Xue Hezai glanced at him. "You didn't get injured going to Snowfield Dragon City this time, did you? That Kid Yu really is something—he's not young anymore, yet he insists on placing such a heavy burden on a kid like you. What nonsense!"

These days, only this old man could refer to Yu Juezhi as "Kid Yu."

Shen Xingchen shook his head. "Although Snowfield Dragon City was dangerous, I was able to handle it."

Xue Hezai nodded with gratification. "Not bad!"

He could sense that Shen Xingchen's aura was very stable, with no hidden injuries, and his aura... Huh?

Xue Hezai asked in surprise, "How are you still at Rank 5 Level 5? I remember you were already at this realm when you left the school."

This was somewhat unreasonable to say. In fact, even among the prodigies at Shangjing University, not everyone could break through during winter break.

But Shen Xingchen was different. His advancement speed was already beyond normal comprehension, so there was no reason for him to be stuck at Rank 5 Level 5 for over a month.

Shen Xingchen smiled. "Teacher, can you really not tell?"

Xue Hezai uttered a surprised "Huh?", looking closely at Shen Xingchen once more.

He was, after all, once a pinnacle figure of the Xiang Realm.

This time, Xue Hezai felt the stern, killing aura of a soldier on Shen Xingchen, as well as... the extremely magnificent spiritual energy fluctuations hidden deep within.

"Holy crap!"

Xue Hezai abruptly stood up from his chair.

Shen Xingchen showed a triumphant expression. "It seems my Breath-Concealing Technique really is well cultivated; I almost fooled you, Teacher."

Xue Hezai froze for a few seconds before saying, "It seems before long, you'll surpass these old bones of mine."

Who would have thought that his youngest disciple had already reached the level of Rank 7? Not only had he left his senior brothers and sisters far behind, but even he himself, a Rank 9, almost wasn't enough to evaluate him anymore.

Shen Xingchen asked, "Teacher, I've been trying to break through to Rank 8 recently, but no matter what I do, I can't advance. Why is that?"

"Your cultivation speed really is... forget it, forget it." Xue Hezai dazed off briefly before speaking, "Stepping into Rank 7 only means your realm has advanced a step further, but stepping into Rank 8 represents becoming a truly powerful cultivator. No matter where you are, the number of Rank 8 cultivators drops drastically. Why do you think that is?"

"I do not know, Teacher," Shen Xingchen answered honestly.

Xue Hezai didn't keep him in suspense. "Although one must reach the Xiang Realm to initially harness the power of heaven and earth to rely on in combat, Rank 8 and Rank 9 martial artists have already begun shifting in this direction. The embodiment of this shift is 'Laws.' If you wish to step into Rank 8, you need to master at least one type of 'Law.'"

Shen Xingchen listened attentively.

Xue Hezai continued, "When a Rank 8 martial artist breaks through, it is often accompanied by resonance between heaven and earth. This is the manifestation of a martial artist communicating with the power of heaven and earth for the first time."