Chapter 116: Ancient Airship! Departure!

"Detox Pills, Healing Pills, Energy Restoration Pills, and Mind-Clarifying Pills—all are second-rank, twenty pills per vial."

Jiang Chu listed all eight small porcelain vials as if reciting family treasures, then shoved them 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 under Jiang Chu’s delicate face, and the weariness radiating from her.

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

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

"You’ve worked hard."

Xu Jingming nodded slightly and tucked all the small vials into his space ring:

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

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

Hearing the concern in Xu Jingming’s voice, Jiang Chu smiled faintly, then added:

"The pills you buy outside can’t compare to those I brew myself. Every single pill I make is packed with full potency!"

"Also, I prepared two sets of each pill—take the other set tomorrow and give it to Qiuyun."

"Qiuyun? When did you two become so close?" Xu Jingming asked skeptically.

He knew Jiang Chu and Song Qiuyun had exchanged contact information during the last gathering.

He hadn’t expected their relationship to progress so quickly—almost like they were becoming best friends.

"I won’t tell you."

Jiang Chu lifted her chin proudly, then said:

"Also, I didn’t brew these pills for free—when 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 anything."

"You’re playing favorites?"

"What? You’re jealous?"

"......"

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

"When you enter the Demon Cavern, safety comes first."

"Got it, I know."

At the entrance to Jiang Chu’s villa, Xu Jingming waved goodbye.

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

"Eight vials, twenty pills each—160 pills total, all second-rank."

"To brew this entire batch within a week, you’d have to pull three or four all-nighters straight..."

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

In value, second-rank pills averaged sixty thousand per pill—so 9.6 million total.

To him, or to Jiang Chu, that sum meant nothing.

So why did Jiang Chu insist on brewing them herself?

Just to save on processing fees?

Even a fool knew that wasn’t the reason.

Having lived two lives, Xu Jingming understood clearly: these pills carried Jiang Chu’s feelings for him.

In truth, not just Jiang Chu—Song Qiuyun, who always found excuses to be near him, felt the same way.

As an eighteen-year-old youth, full of vigor and youthful blood, it was impossible not to feel something for two such beautiful girls.

But right now, he was too busy.

Every day was spent training, attending classes, or heading into the wilderness—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 they’d enter the No. 7 Demon Cavern—he needed to finish his final preparations tonight...

At Demon City Energy University, this year’s freshman class totaled 1,024 students; 856 signed up for the study trip.

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

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

most freshmen wore combat suits, carried gear, and dragged behind them suitcases packed with clothing.

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

"By the way, Qiuyun, these are the pills Senior Sister 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 and pulled out four vials, handing them to Song Qiuyun.

"Senior Sister 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 tuck the pills into her space ring.

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

"Of course we are."

Song Qiuyun proudly puffed out her chest, then glanced around, puzzled:

"But why did the school tell us to gather here on the field instead of the high-speed rail station?"

"You don’t know, Qiuyun? Our study trip uses aircraft."

Liu Wentao chuckled beside them.

"Aircraft? But there’s no runway here."

Xu Jingming, who hadn’t paid much attention to the trip’s transport, was also surprised.

And with over eight hundred people—how could they possibly fit on aircraft?

Would they make multiple trips? Or use several planes at once?

As he wondered, Liu Wentao suddenly looked up, excited:

Just as he was puzzled, Liu Wentao suddenly looked up at the sky and exclaimed excitedly:

Xu Jingming instinctively looked up—and saw a breathtaking sight.

Far in the sky, a colossal, oval-shaped vessel pierced through layers of clouds, emerging from the sea of mist!

Its surface was black-gold, glinting with cold light under the morning sun.

No wings—more like an airship than an airplane.

"Holy shit! What a huge flying vessel!"

"Is this our ride? So cool!"

The appearance of the black airship triggered shouts of amazement from the crowd on the field.

Even senior students on the bleachers, who had seen it before, wore expressions of awe.

"Is this technology we’ve even mastered?"

Xu Jingming had thought he already overestimated Blue Star’s technological advancement.

Yet facing this colossal airship, he couldn’t help being stunned.

"This airship was excavated from an ancient civilization ruin! Our scientists still haven’t cracked its anti-gravity system!"

“This airship was excavated from an ancient civilization’s ruins; our scientists still haven’t cracked its anti-gravity device to this day!”

Piloting such a cool airship was every boy’s ultimate dream!

But sadly, due to its complex control system, only AI of second-rank or higher could operate it.

Unfortunately, due to the airship’s complex operating system, only Level Two or higher artificial intelligences can pilot and control it.

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

Then, eight cargo doors opened along its belly, and long, vertical staircases extended automatically to the ground.

A flash of space—Deputy Principal Ling Shuang appeared out of thin air before the airship:

"All freshmen, board now!!"

Her clear voice echoed across the field; the freshmen immediately began boarding.

Xu Jingming and the others joined the flow, moving forward.

Within just over ten minutes, all instructors and freshmen had entered the airship.

"Space Yin-Yang Realm!!"

In midair, Ling Shuang cried out, unleashing the full aura of an eighth-rank Grand Master.

Her long hair streamed behind her as strange spatial ripples enveloped the entire airship.

Moments later, the massive airship became as illusory as a mirage!

Moments later, the entire massive airship became as illusory as a mirage!

Ling Shuang exhaled a slow breath, then vanished from sight, reappearing inside the airship.

Ling Shuang exhaled a wisp of turbid Qi, then her figure vanished into thin air, reappearing inside the airship.

“Eva, let’s go.” Her voice was slightly weary.

“Captain Eva received! Class-B airship! Engage!!”

Boom—

The roar of the anti-gravity engines rose as the black airship, loaded with all the new recruits and their instructors, slowly ascended.

Yet unlike when it had descended and split through the sea of clouds, this ascent made the airship seem as if it existed in a different space from the clouds.

It lifted away without disturbing the clouds in the slightest.