Chapter 642: Lord Jiang's Old Face Turns Red

The thick trunk of the Divine Tree Futian Rong opened, then slowly closed again.

Jiang Ding examined it carefully, checking bit by bit, confirming there was no problem; the last two relatives in the world slumbered here, their lifespans slipping away at an extremely rapid pace.

Cultivators below Jin Dan were far weaker, and in the Chen Mian Mi Jing, their lifespan drained slower than that of Nascent Soul cultivators and the like.

"Mother, little sister, may we still meet again in nine thousand years…"

Jiang Ding Zi murmured.

Suddenly, a sense of loneliness he had never felt before wrapped around him.

From now on, between heaven and earth, there were no kin left to speak to—utterly alone.

Many high-level cultivators' perversions began from exactly such a moment.

"But I still have fellow Daoists, still have many classmates and teachers from the immortal sect… Compared to the many high-level cultivators of Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong who stand in the dark forest with their nerves constantly on edge, I am fortunate—I don't have to face such loneliness, and gradually grow cold and twisted in my Dao heart, turning into all sorts of strange and bizarre Tiangui Tiangui Laoguai."

"I am forever sixteen, a shy young man."

"Now, I'm going to school."

Jiang Ding murmured to himself; for the first time, he looked forward to going to school so much, and without waiting any longer, he flew straight up into the sky, covering a great distance, touring the campus of Qingfeng University.

Another year's college entrance examination had ended.

The students coming and going were full of vigor; the freshmen and their parents walked into the academy of their dreams in high spirits.

A sixteen-year-old boy in blue, standing among them, could not have been more fitting—naturally carrying an extraordinary concealment about him.

Of course, he was completely different from the freshmen, without that air of innocent curiosity.

He looked every bit the seasoned veteran.

From time to time, freshmen and parents came over to ask for directions; Jiang Ding greeted them warmly, and when he couldn't explain clearly, he would even escort them to the freshman registration point.

"Junior, this way please…"

Seizing the chance, under the dangerous gaze of a parent, Jiang Ding proactively helped the cute junior carry her luggage, chatting and laughing, coaxing her into a shy smile behind pursed lips.

The mother assessed the boy standing beside her daughter with a kindly gaze, constantly evaluating something, a faint smile surfacing.

"Junior, I'm a second-year student, just a little older than you. At the start, freshmen need to pick up all kinds of textbooks…"

Jiang Ding, hauling an overweight suitcase, gave the junior an introduction to Qingfeng University.

"In the first semester, freshmen aren't divided into classes; Aerial Combat courses are required for every major, and everyone has combat duties…"

"Senior!"

"Senior! Long time no see!"

At that moment, shouts came from afar.

Everyone looked in that direction and saw a panda over a meter tall, brimming with excitement, bouncing and hopping as it ran over.

Senior?

There was no senior here.

Jiang Ding's face darkened; he pretended not to see, not to hear the other party, and even cast a concealment spell, trying to shield himself.

"Senior, where are you?"

Helplessly, this panda was the single-minded type—the person right before its eyes vanished, and it didn't find anything wrong at all, still wandering around in circles, until it finally broke through the non-aggressive spell barrier and arrived before Jiang Ding.

"Senior, long time no see!"

The panda Hua Hua Xiaohua looked at Jiang Ding excitedly and bowed deeply: "It's been thirty years since we last met, and you haven't changed a bit. I have to thank you for your teachings thirty years ago—I'm now a Foundation Establishment panda now, you know.

My teacher says my Lava Thorn Sword is about to give birth to sword intent; maybe I'll be the second professional swordsman in the immortal sect…"

Thirty years, no change?

Out of nowhere,

it was as if a bolt from the blue had struck, freezing the cute junior and her parents in place.

Slowly, the mother parent's kindly gaze shifted; looking at the blue-clad boy before her, her eyes were as if she were looking at a dangerous pervert.

The junior's expression also went blank.

Thirty years—

That was about the same age as her parents, and judging from this panda's tone, it seemed to be merely a brief episode in the boy's life.

"Mm,"

"Panda Hua Hua Xiaohua, you've done very well—keep up the good work."

Jiang Ding took a deep breath, forced a stiff smile, and patted the panda on the head.

"Mm, the junior here has lost her way. Can you take her and these two Daoist friends to the freshman dormitory area?"

"Mm!"

"Senior, I will definitely deliver the junior and these two people safely."

Hua Hua Xiaohua nodded vigorously.

Jiang Ding, somewhat disheveled, fled swiftly, soaring into the sky and vanishing in a flash.

If it were old seniors like Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun, that would be one thing.

But the dangerous gazes of two thirty-something youngsters were truly a bit hard to bear.

It felt like bullying children—guilt overflowing.

Boom—!

At that moment, a sudden thunderous roar split the sky.

Rolling dark clouds appeared, spreading outward into the distance, into far-off lands, covering tens of thousands of kilometers.

Gradually, Lei Chong Guang gathered, the dark clouds converged, and a terrifying, destructive pressure appeared between heaven and earth, making Jin Dan cultivators tremble with fear and Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun's hearts pound.

"A heavenly tribulation…"

Jiang Ding stopped his hasty retreat, startled.

The Taiqing Flying Sword trembled and buzzed at his brow, sending wave after wave of warning, as if facing a heavenly tribulation — urging him to get far away at once, back to safety.

The others around them fared even worse; every mortal and Foundation Establishment, Qi Refining cultivator stood rigid, their minds blank, and the whole campus fell from laughter into dead silence.

Hum!

Hum, hum!

Without any delay, the arrays of Qingfeng University began to operate, shielding that terrifying pressure; the campus returned to normal, and the immortal sect's super grand array also began to operate.

People across the entire capital region began to recover, and many chaotic traffic situations were being dealt with.

"This is a heavenly tribulation!"

"Whose heavenly tribulation?"

"Hahaha…"

At that moment, Jiang Ding suddenly burst into laughter, wild with joy. A flash of azure escape-light tore through space as he flew out beyond Qingfeng University's array, vanishing in an instant.

Tearing through space!

Below, the junior sister's parents stared in stunned silence; although they were only Qi Refining cultivators, they still had some discernment.

"A Nascent Soul ancestor…"

The junior sister's father murmured, full of regret in his heart.

This was a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun!

If he could become the father-in-law of a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun, how glorious that would be — his daughter's Dao path might well soar straight to the heavens.

Moreover, this Master Dinghai Zhenjun was also handsome and young; matching him with their daughter would be no slight at all.

As for being old—

That didn't exist.

A Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun's lifespan was twelve hundred years, enough for a mortal to reincarnate ten times; you could call anyone old before you could call a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun old.

You laugh at others for being old, and after they go into closed-door cultivation a few times, you'll be the old codger about to crawl into a grave.

Speaking of it properly, who is really the old one?

"Don't go thinking wild."

The junior sister's mother now came back to herself, her kindly gaze returning, and sent a regretful transmission: "This Master Dinghai Zhenjun is merely wandering the mortal world; he has nothing to do with us."

"Speaking of which—"

"Qingfeng University truly lives up to its name as a top immortal-sect academy; you can even casually run into a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun."

She was excited like a little girl: "This is the first time in my life I've seen a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun in person — what a shame I didn't get a photo just now, or just imagine how jealous Old Zhou and the others would be!"

"It's all your fault for not reminding me just now."

She blamed her husband without end.

"How would I have known that!"

The junior sister's father showed a regretful expression, hesitated for a moment, then said: "Uh, how about we photoshop it? Not for commercial use, just to post on our Moments — this Master Dinghai Zhenjun probably wouldn't mind, right?"

"Seems like it could work…"

(End of chapter)