Chapter 256: Back in the Yuan Shui Wilderness Zone! Already Upper-Tier Third Rank?

Song Qiuyun's fluid combo left Xu Jingming stunned.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already surrounded on both sides.

To any other guy, this scene would have been utterly enviable.

For Xu Jingming himself, though... it wasn't entirely unwelcome.

Thinking this, he instinctively pulled the two girls closer.

And in that moment, he confirmed one thing.

Jiang Chuxuan's curves were slightly less ample than Song Qiuyun's—just enough to fit snugly in one hand.

Of course,

given Xu Jingming's 1. 9-meter sturdy frame, even one hand's grasp counted as substantial...

Throughout this, Jiang Chuxuan's reaction was even more subdued than Song Qiuyun's.

She merely cast him a sultry side-eye and made no move to stop him.

"Jingming-gege, I'm a bit hungry—want to grab some late-night snacks?"

After a long while, when Xu Jingming finally released his arms, Song Qiuyun spoke, cheeks flushed.

In fact,

to prepare for tonight's sparring, she'd skipped dinner entirely, too nervous to eat.

And after that intense battle, she urgently needed to replenish her energy.

"Sure."

Xu Jingming glanced at the time and nodded with a smile.

It was only just past nine at night—still early; calling it a snack was really just dinner.

"Wait a moment—I'm going to shower."

Song Qiuyun instinctively closed her legs, her face slightly warm, her beautiful eyes turning to Jiang Chuxuan:

"Chuxuan-jie, are you coming with me?"

"Mm, I seem to have broken a sweat too."

The white-haired girl Jiang Chuxuan's cheeks were also flushed.

That brief exploration had been far too stimulating for a girl who'd never dated before.

"Jingming-gege, do you want to wait here for us, or... want to shower too?"

Song Qiuyun placed her right hand on her full chest and looked at him with unmistakable allure.

"He's so strong—he definitely didn't sweat. We'll go alone."

Before Xu Jingming could respond, Jiang Chuxuan grinned mischievously and pulled Song Qiuyun away.

"Those two girls..."

Xu Jingming couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

After officially becoming a couple, the two seemed bolder than ever.

"But why did Jiang Chuxuan come along too?"

Song Qiuyun had just fought a battle—she needed to wash up; Xu Jingming understood that.

But Jiang Chuxuan had just taken a shower, hadn't she? Why shower again?

"Girls just like doing everything together."

Shaking his head, Xu Jingming let it go and went to wait in the living room.

"Jingming-gege, let's go."

Half an hour later,

Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chuxuan reappeared before Xu Jingming, dressed in casual wear.

Though neither had applied makeup, their slender figures and exquisite faces radiated feminine charm to its fullest.

They stepped forward, one on each side, wrapping their arms around his and heading downstairs.

At the first floor, Qi Dongxia, seated on the sofa, spotted them and teased:

"Looks like your plan went well."

"So you were the mastermind behind all this," Xu Jingming realized.

No wonder Song Qiuyun had worn that battle outfit tonight—it had all been planned.

"What? You're not satisfied?"

Qi Dongxia glanced between Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chuxuan.

One with jet-black hair, seductive; the other with white hair, cold and aloof—both top-tier beauties even in Shanghai's sea of stunning women.

And now they'd both chosen the same boyfriend...

Even as a woman herself, she couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

"Satisfied, satisfied—General Qi, we're heading out to eat. Want to join?" Xu Jingming replied with a smile.

"Nah, I don't want to be your third wheel—especially not a three-phase one."

Qi Dongxia muttered under her breath and waved them off:

"Have fun, but remember to come back tonight—don't let him get too many advantages."

As she spoke, her gaze flickered toward Xu Jingming.

That made him raise an eyebrow.

Seriously? Am I that eager?

"Got it."

Song Qiuyun didn't mind, giggling playfully.

Even after officially becoming a couple, Xu Jingming's life hadn't changed much.

Every day still meant team training sessions and solo practice.

The only difference? Before, he trained alone.

Now, either Song Qiuyun, or Jiang Chuxuan, or both, accompanied him.

So in between training,

Xu Jingming would set aside half an hour each day to bond with the two girls, doing all the usual couple-like affectionate things.

Each day felt full and satisfying.

Days passed like this, and soon the team's coordination had matured enough.

On March 4th, Xu Jingming requested three days off from Yang Zhentian to head to the Yuan Shui Wilderness Zone and harvest some ability points.

If a regular team member had asked for leave, Yang Zhentian might have hesitated.

But as captain, Xu Jingming was the exception—Yang Zhentian approved without a moment's doubt.

Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chuxuan had wanted to come along, but Xu Jingming refused.

This wasn't a sightseeing trip.

He needed to kill as many beasts as possible in the shortest time—bringing them along would only slow him down.

March 4th, 1: 0 PM.

In the square before the Yuan Shui Supply Base.

"Chìyán Team needs a brute DPS—enhancement or elemental type, rank one upper-tier required."

"Freshly harvested Class-C rare herbs and flowers—come take a look!"

"Upper-tier rank-two beast assault team—minimum three squads needed. Interested? Join now."

"..."

More than six months had passed since the rat swarm outbreak.

With the beasts' rapid reproduction, the Yuan Shui Wilderness Zone's ecosystem had fully recovered.

The square outside the supply base was now crowded with adepts.

Some recruiting members, others selling resources, others forming assault teams—the whole square buzzed with activity.

Of course,

these were all unofficial channels; most adepts were genuinely seeking teammates or selling goods.

But some ill-intentioned individuals lurked among them—adepts had to judge for themselves.

BOOM~~~

At that moment, a low rumble echoed as

a sleek, ice-blue sports car with a streamlined body drove up from afar.

"Holy shit! That's the latest Mercedes S-80?"

"Tsk tsk—who's this big shot showing up here?"

"Wait, this color scheme and license plate... why do they feel familiar?"

"..."

The Mercedes S-80 had an official price of 12 million.

Its powerful engine, stunning exterior, and global limited release

made the price entirely justified.

But for adepts, it was a terrible value.

That money could buy a military-grade off-road vehicle, rugged enough to handle the wilderness, for under six million.

Of course,

Although the cost-performance ratio is low, it doesn't stop them from admiring this rare sports car.

However, some psychics noticed that the car seemed familiar.

"Holy shit! Isn't this Jiang's car? Has she finally come back to the Wild Zone?"

Finally, a voice from somewhere made everyone snap out of their daze.

Immediately followed by a burst of heated discussion.

"I remember now! This is definitely her car! Jiang the Goddess has returned to our Yuan Shui Wild Zone!"

"Wasn't the last time Jiang the Goddess came here half a year ago?"

"Yes! It's been so hard to see her."

"Is Jiang the Goddess planning to film a nostalgic video? I'm fully behind it!"

"......"

Since Jiang Chu was rescued by Xu Jingming half a year ago,

her online videos shifted from slaying ferocious beasts to pill refining.

After that, although she lost some fans, her following rebounded—and even surged significantly!

Many found this unbelievable; others considered it perfectly natural.

After all, they didn't watch Jiang Chu just for her beast-slaying—what mattered most was the person herself!

As long as she remained unchanged, her longtime fans wouldn't easily leave.

Besides, many preferred the quiet serenity of pill refining over bloody battles.

That's why the outcome turned out this way.

As Jiang Chu's usual hunting ground, the Yuan Shui Supply Base had many psychics who were her fans.

They had long given up hope of seeing another video of her slaying ferocious beasts.

But this sudden appearance of the ice-blue sports car stirred them all to excitement, their gazes fixed eagerly upon it.

"What are they looking at? Why so excited?"

In the square,

four fully armed young women who had just arrived glanced over curiously.

These four women were all in their early twenties—the same group that had kindly warned Xu Jingming at the supply base before: Wang Qian and her team.

As senior students at Linjiang Psychic University, their classes weren't heavy.

So they occasionally came to the Yuan Shui Wild Zone to hunt ferocious beasts, gaining combat experience while earning extra money.

"That sports car seems to belong to the million-follower blogger from Metropolis Psychic University."

One of the women listened for a while before understanding the full story.

They knew a bit about that blogger.

After all, her signature silver-white long hair and near-perfect, breathtaking beauty

left an unforgettable impression with just one glance...

"Metropolis Psychic University?"

Hearing the school's name, Wang Qian couldn't help recalling the tall, upright figure from half a year ago—someone whose progress was as swift as lightning.

"What? Thinking of that guy from Metropolis again?"

Their tall team leader, Yao Muxi, instantly read what was on Wang Qian's mind.

"I can't help it—if you hadn't stopped me, I would've gone up to him back then.

Even if I couldn't recruit him, at least getting his name would've been worth it.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be stuck not even knowing his name."

Wang Qian shrugged helplessly.

"Oh? Now you're blaming me?"

Yao Muxi raised her delicate eyebrows and leaned in, tickling Wang Qian's waist and abdomen.

"L-L-Leader, mercy! I—I was just joking!"

Under Yao Muxi's tickling assault, Wang Qian quickly surrendered.

"Hmph. That's more like it."

Yao Muxi finally withdrew her wicked hands.

But thinking of the brilliant young man she'd met half a year ago, she couldn't help murmuring:

"He really was a prodigy. When we first met, we were both just Rank One Upper.

Then, a month later, when we met again, he was already Rank Two Upper—his advancement speed was anything but ordinary.

Now another half year has passed; he's probably already entered Rank Three."

After the rat swarm ended, her team had returned to the Yuan Shui Wild Zone many times.

Yet they never once encountered that unforgettable young man again.

"Rank Three? Really? That fast?"

Wang Qian blinked, hesitating slightly.

Their team's leader, Yao Muxi, had the highest talent.

Yet even she had been stuck at Rank Two Upper for over a year.

Even now, she hadn't broken through—she'd likely need at least another half year to reach Rank Three.

Though that guy from Metropolis advanced quickly, he couldn't possibly be this extreme.

"Who knows? After all, he's a prodigy." Yao Muxi shook her head.

At that moment, the square erupted again.

Unlike the earlier excited chatter, this time it was a chorus of shocked, stunned exclamations.

"What the hell! The guy getting out of the car isn't Jiang the Goddess!"

"Jiang the Goddess! Where's my Jiang the Goddess?"

"Big news! Is this guy Jiang the Goddess's boyfriend?"

"......"

The topic still revolved around the online blogger, but the tone had completely changed.

This made Wang Qian and the others instinctively turn toward the sports car.

They didn't realize—until they looked.

Standing beside the ice-blue sports car was a tall, stern-faced, unmistakably familiar young man.

It was Xu Jingming—the very man they'd just been discussing!

"Him?!!"

All four gasped in shock—how could it be such a coincidence?

"We were just talking about him, and now here he is."

Yao Muxi shook her head, her spiritual energy surging to sense Xu Jingming's aura.

She was curious—how much had he advanced in half a year?

What she sensed radiating from him was dozens of times stronger than her own!

"Such a powerful aura! He must be at least Rank Three Upper!"

Yao Muxi's pupils contracted in shock.

"Rank Three Upper? That fast?"

Wang Qian covered her mouth with her hand and carefully sensed his aura too.

After confirming her leader hadn't misread it, she spoke with a complex expression:

"He really is Rank Three Upper! In just half a year, he's advanced this much—what kind of prodigy is this?"

"So? Still not interested in asking for his name or contact info now?"

Yao Muxi took a deep breath, calming herself, then teased.

"Nope. I'm heartbroken."

Wang Qian waved her hand weakly.

Such a prodigy was beyond her reach.

All she could do now was stand far away, gazing at his dazzling light...