Chapter 621: Ling Shuang! Attire in Full Regalia!

After finalizing the cultivation plan for the Thorn Sword Grass, Xu Jingming sent a message to Aileen.

Upon receiving an instant reply, he transferred 23 billion Blue Star Credits from his bank account, converting 23 billion Daxia Credits.

He kept only 400 million Daxia Credits for emergencies.

Fortunately, Daxia was one of the Six Great Powers of Blue Star, making currency exchange between Daxia Credits and Blue Star Credits extremely convenient—just a few taps on the phone.

It was already past nine at night; the resources listed in the cultivation plan wouldn't arrive until the next day.

Xu Jingming was about to shut off his phone and put on the virtual helmet to test his A-rank eighth-tier Grand Master strength in the virtual world.

A text message arrived on his phone:

"Dear Student Xu Jingming, the 'Thunderfire' combat technique you repaired at the Blue Star Oceanic Branch of Lei Ting Martial Arts has sold 11 copies.

You have earned 66,000 division points, all now credited to your account. Your current balance is 613,000 points."

The message came from the Daxia headquarters of Lei Ting Martial Arts, which still regarded Xu Jingming as a member of the Talent Training Camp.

As for his account balance, he had received a 500,000-point reward from the martial arts school for winning both titles in the Genius Competition—equivalent to ten billion Daxia Credits.

Combined with his previous balance, it had accumulated to this amount.

"Sold 11 copies already? Not bad." Xu Jingming smiled.

Only Lei Ting Martial Arts had so many Thunder-affinity energy users; elsewhere,

the 'Thunderfire' technique would likely gather no interest at all—or sell only a handful of copies.

"Come to think of it, the martial arts school still has many un-repaired combat techniques. Should I repair them all and list them to earn points?"

Xu Jingming pondered silently.

For him, repairing combat techniques was ridiculously easy—just needed energy points.

But after thinking it over, he decided against it.

His current point balance was sufficient; he could wait until he truly needed a large sum of money before doing this again.

"Eva, set up a combat arena and assign an eighth-tier lower-grade Grand Master with a reinforcement-type A-rank energy as my opponent."

Putting on the virtual helmet, Xu Jingming's consciousness blurred, and he appeared in the villa within the virtual world.

"Understood."

The tiny fairy-shaped Eva replied cutely on his shoulder.

Half an hour later, Xu Jingming took off the virtual helmet with a wry smile.

Ling Shuang's warning had prepared him somewhat for the strength of an eighth-tier Grand Master.

Yet he hadn't expected to be utterly crushed in actual combat.

He fought five rounds—all ended within four minutes.

His SS-rank energy, "Doushen Divine Thunder," couldn't even pierce the defense of an eighth-tier Grand Master.

Remote techniques like Thunder Art or Thunder God Finger

could barely inflict damage, even with the boosts from Thunder Storm Form and Thunder God Descending—hardly even a scratch.

Close-combat techniques like Lei Guan Demon-Slaying Spear or Azure Thunder Overlord Spear might deal more damage.

But he couldn't even unleash them!

Every time he closed in, as soon as he raised his weapon, the opponent shattered his attack with a strike and killed him cleanly.

"His reflexes and attack speed are far beyond mine—there's no comparison."

Only after several fights did Xu Jingming realize the true gap between himself and an eighth-tier Grand Master.

"Of course—eighth-tier energy users on Blue Star are rare. It'd be absurd if crossing ranks were this easy."

He shook his head, undiscouraged.

He couldn't beat an eighth-tier Grand Master, but he could still fight a seventh-tier peak Master.

His current strength was roughly equal to Yang Zhentian's back then—just slightly weaker.

In less than two years, he'd risen from an awakened individual to a seventh-tier peak Master's combat power—he was already satisfied.

"Cultivate the body, cultivate the mind. Stay humble, stay calm. With the Deep Blue System, reaching Blue Star's peak is merely a matter of time."

Xu Jingming rose calmly from the sofa, gripping the Molten Ash Obsidian Spear as he entered the training room.

Tomorrow night, he'd accompany Teacher Ling Shuang to the Mimetic Sect gathering, and the combat intensity in the Qingfeng Secret Realm over the past month had been extreme.

He needed a few days of rest to restore his condition to peak before entering the Oceanic Wilderness.

Of course,

his daily training would never be neglected...

The next day,

Xu Jingming welcomed his first relaxed day in a long while.

In the morning, he spent time in the virtual world bonding with Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chu.

Today was January 14th; Muda University was about to enter winter break, and classes were light—both girls had ample time to stay in the virtual world.

Of course, it wasn't just idle chatting—they were in the arena.

Xu Jingming suppressed his own strength to match Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chu's level.

He crushed them purely with combat awareness and experience.

At noon, he cooked lunch with Xia Lan.

During the meal, he called Catherine to postpone their dinner to the next noon.

In the afternoon, he trained and cultivated alone.

Since the Mimetic Sect gathering began at nine p. m., Xu Jingming arrived at Teacher Ling Shuang's villa at eight-thirty after dinner.

"Wait a moment—I'm still changing clothes." Ling Shuang's voice came from the bedroom.

As an eighth-tier mid-grade energy user, her spiritual sense had already detected Xu Jingming's arrival.

Hearing this, Xu Jingming sat down on the living room sofa to wait.

After five or six minutes, a clear, melodious voice rang out:

"How do I look? Is this outfit normal enough?"

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

Ling Shuang stepped out of the bedroom, clad in a black evening gown, like a goddess of night descending to earth.

The fitted design perfectly accentuated her slender waist, further highlighting the fullness of her chest.

Her movements made her curves sway gently, drawing the eye.

The gown's hem cascaded like a waterfall.

Her long, fair legs shimmered faintly beneath the fabric, deeply alluring.

Her usual loose black hair was now swept up into an elegant coiffure, revealing her fair neck and delicate collarbones.

Only a single ancient phoenix hairpin—pale purple with black accents—adorned her hair, simple yet dignified.

Classical and modern beauty merged perfectly on Ling Shuang, exuding elegance and allure.

Even Xu Jingming, who had endured the trials of Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chu, was momentarily stunned.

After all, those two were still just nineteen- and twenty-year-old girls.

But Ling Shuang—every gesture radiated mature, captivating charm.

"What? Is something wrong?" Seeing Xu Jingming silent, Ling Shuang instinctively looked down at herself.

"No, no—it's beautiful."

Xu Jingming hurried to say, "But teacher, why did your tear mole disappear?"

Ling Shuang had applied light makeup—her face was moonlit, her eyes clear as spring water.

Her red lips were slightly pursed, serene yet faintly tense.

Her beauty was stunning—but the tear mole beneath her eye was gone.

"I covered it up, afraid someone might recognize me," Ling Shuang replied.

"Teacher Ling, don't worry—you look stunning.

Even I, who've known you so long, didn't recognize you at first glance—let alone anyone else."

Xu Jingming smiled.

The tear mole was her soul—how could it be erased?

"I've realized—you're really good at flattering women. No wonder so many girls are drawn to you."

Though she spoke that way, Ling Shuang rubbed her eye.

Smearing away the thickened makeup, she revealed the faint tear mole once more.

"That's better—Teacher Ling, you're even more beautiful now," Xu Jingming's eyes lit up.

Like the finishing touch on a painted dragon, the tear mole elevated Ling Shuang's beauty to another level.

"Stop flattery—let's go."

Ling Shuang scolded playfully, yet a faint blush colored her cheeks.

A spatial gate opened beside them; Xu Jingming adjusted his facial muscles to appear more mature,

then teleported with her to a secluded spot, walking toward the hotel where the Mimetic Sect gathering was held.