Chapter 116: Ancient Airship! Departure!

"Detox Pills, Healing Pills, Ability Recovery Pills, and Mind-Clarifying Pills—all are second-grade, twenty pills per vial."

Jiang Chuxuan listed off the eight small porcelain vials as if recounting family treasures, then shoved them all into Xu Jingming's hands:

"These should last you over a month."

"Did you brew all of these yourself?"

Only then did Xu Jingming notice the faint dark circles beneath Jiang Chuxuan's delicate face, and the weariness radiating from her entire being.

"My classes haven't been heavy lately, so I had free time and brewed up a batch."

Jiang Chuxuan lowered her head slightly, idly twisting her hair with fingers as pale as spring onions.

"You've worked hard."

Xu Jingming nodded slightly and stowed all the small vials into his space ring.

"Don't stay up late brewing pills—continuously expending your ability energy, even as a second-rank ability user, won't be sustainable."

"Besides, I can buy these pills outside too."

Hearing the concern in Xu Jingming's voice, Jiang Chuxuan smiled faintly, then added:

"The pills you buy outside can't compare to those I brew myself. Every single pill I make is guaranteed to be fully potent!"

"Also, I prepared two sets of each pill—one set you take; the other, you'll deliver to Qiu Yun tomorrow."

"Qiu Yun? When did you two become so close?" Xu Jingming asked suspiciously.

He knew that during the last gathering, Jiang Chuxuan and Song Qiuyun had exchanged contact information.

He just hadn't expected their relationship to progress so quickly—on track to become bosom friends.

"I won't tell you."

Jiang Chuxuan tilted her chin up triumphantly, then said:

"Also, I didn't brew these pills for free—once the study trip ends, you must hand over all the rare flowers and herbs you collect to me."

"What about Song Qiuyun?"

"She doesn't need to give me anything."

"You're playing favorites?"

"What? You're jealous?"

"......"

After chatting with Jiang Chuxuan a while longer, Xu Jingming walked her back to her dorm.

"When you enter the Demon Cave, safety must come first."

"Got it, I know."

At the entrance to Jiang Chuxuan's villa, Xu Jingming waved goodbye.

After watching her slender figure vanish into the villa, he unconsciously pulled the batch of pills out of his space ring again.

"Eight vials total, twenty pills each—that's 160 pills, all second-grade."

"To brew them all within a week, you'd have to pull three or four all-nighters straight..."

The streetlamp light before the villa cast Xu Jingming's tall figure into a long shadow on the ground.

In value, second-grade pills, at an average of sixty thousand per pill, amount to 9.6 million.

This sum meant nothing to either him or Jiang Chuxuan.

So why did Jiang Chuxuan insist on brewing them herself?

Just to save a bit on processing fees?

Even a fool knew that wasn't the reason.

Having lived two lives, Xu Jingming understood clearly: these pills embodied Jiang Chuxuan's feelings for him.

In truth, not just Jiang Chuxuan—Song Qiuyun, who always found excuses to be near him—carried the same sentiment.

As an eighteen-year-old youth, in the prime of his vigor, with blood and youth surging through him,

To claim he felt nothing toward these two beautiful girls was impossible.

But right now, he was too busy.

Every day was either training, classes, or heading into the Wild Zones—no time for romance.

Ultimately, Xu Jingming felt he was still too weak.

"It's not the right time yet. I'll consider these things once I grow stronger."

He took a deep breath, his gaze hardening once more.

He returned the pills to his space ring, then turned and walked away with steady steps.

Tomorrow he would enter the No. 7 Demon Cave—tonight, he must make final preparations...

At Demon Capital Ability University, this year's freshman class totaled 1,024 students; 856 signed up for the study trip.

On the morning of November 10, all 856 gathered on Field No. 3.

Since the study trip would last about one and a half months,

The freshmen, besides wearing combat suits and carrying gear, mostly dragged behind them suitcases packed with clothing.

Those like Xu Jingming and Song Qiuyun, who possessed space rings, traveled light.

"By the way, Qiu Yun, here are the pills Senior Jiang brewed for you."

In a corner of the field, Xu Jingming, Song Qiuyun, Liu Wentao, and Qi Dongxia gathered together.

Xu Jingming suddenly remembered the pills in his space ring, pulled out four vials, and handed them to Song Qiuyun.

"Chuxuan sister already told me last night—you didn't give them to me on the way, I thought you were going to hoard them all."

Song Qiuyun winked playfully, her slender fingers reaching out to store the pills in her space ring.

"Looks like you two really are close," Xu Jingming murmured in amazement.

"Of course."

Song Qiuyun proudly puffed out her chest, then swept her gaze around the surroundings and asked, puzzled:

"But why did the school notify us to gather at the sports field instead of going to the high-speed rail station?"

"Sister Yun, you don't know this, but for our study trips, we always use airplanes."

Liu Wentao beside her chuckled.

"Airplanes? There isn't even a runway laid out on the sports field."

Xu Jingming, who hadn't paid much attention to the transportation methods of study trips, was also somewhat surprised.

Besides, there are over eight hundred people here—how could an airplane carry them all?

Would it have to make several trips? Or are there several airplanes going together?

Just as he was puzzling over it, Liu Wentao suddenly looked up at the sky and said excitedly:

"It's here!"

Xu Jingming instinctively looked up, and immediately saw an extremely shocking sight.

In the distant sky, an incomparably enormous aircraft, shaped like a rugby ball, broke through layer upon layer of clouds and emerged from the sea of clouds!

The exterior of this aircraft was black-gold, gleaming with a cold sheen under the morning sunlight.

There were no wings on either side—rather than calling it an airplane, it was more like an airship!

"Holy crap! What a huge aircraft!"

"Is this the airplane we're going to ride? So cool!"

The appearance of the black airship also drew exclamations of astonishment from the crowd on the sports field.

On the surrounding spectator stands, senior students who had already seen it once also wore looks of shock.

"Is this the technology we can master at our current stage?"

Xu Jingming felt he had already held Blue Star's technological development in high regard.

But faced with this enormous airship, he still couldn't help being slightly awed.

"This airship was excavated from the ruins of an ancient civilization. I heard the anti-gravity device on it—our scientists still haven't been able to crack it to this day!"

Liu Wentao said excitedly.

Being able to pilot such a cool airship is absolutely every boy's greatest dream!

However, unfortunately, due to the airship's complex operating system, only Level Two or above artificial intelligence can pilot and control it nowadays.

Rumble rumble—

The massive black airship landed on the sports field, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Then, eight hatch doors opened on the airship's midsection, and long vertical staircases automatically extended from within, reaching all the way to the ground.

Space flickered, and the figure of Vice Principal Hearing Ling Shuang appeared out of thin air before the airship:

"All new students, board the ship!!"

The crisp voice echoed across the sports field, and the new students immediately began boarding.

Xu Jingming and his group also mingled into the stream of people, walking forward.

In just over ten minutes, all the mentors and new students had entered the interior of the airship.

"Space Two Forms Realm!!"

Hearing Ling Shuang in mid-air gave a sharp cry, and the aura belonging to an Eighth-Stage Grandmaster erupted fully.

Her long hair flew behind her, and strange spatial fluctuations enveloped the entire airship.

After a moment, the entire massive airship actually became as illusory as a mirage!

"Huff—"

Hearing Ling Shuang gently exhaled a breath of stale air, then her figure vanished into thin air and reappeared inside the airship.

"Eva, let's depart." Her voice was slightly weary.

"Captain Eva received! Soldier-class airship! Ignition!!"

Rumble rumble—

The roar of the anti-gravity engine sounded, and the black airship, carrying all the new students and mentors, slowly rose into the air.

However, unlike when it had broken through the sea of clouds during landing, this time as it ascended, the airship seemed to be in a different space from the clouds.

It didn't affect the clouds in the slightest, and just like that, it soared off into the distance.