Chapter 699: Consuming an SSS-Rank Resource! Feng Kuan's Arrival!

"After all the positions I taught you, you still won't even call me 'Teacher' a few more times."

Xu Jingming muttered to himself as he left the villa.

But he didn't mind too much.

The days ahead were long; he had already called her Teacher Ling for nearly two years.

Waiting a little longer was no big deal—one day, sooner or later, he would get Ling Shuang used to it.

Xu Jingming was exactly that kind of serious and hardworking person.

Since "the disciple who lusts after his master" had already become an established fact, he would see it through to the end.

Returning to his own villa and not seeing Xia Lan in the first-floor living room, Xu Jingming headed straight for the first-floor training room.

Swish, swish, swish—

In the training room, Xia Lan's graceful figure flickered through the hundred-plus square meter space like a phantom.

In just three or four seconds, she flickered more than ten times!

"Worthy of a spatial-type ability—truly powerful," Xu Jingming marveled inwardly.

Among the many types of abilities, spatial-type was absolutely like a cheat code.

For offense, there was spatial severing.

For defense, there was creating one's own pocket of space, making it impossible to target.

Its escape capability was even more broken—a single teleport was far more effective than any protective talisman.

This time, the Tianming Sect had even brought out a ninth-rank Beast Sovereign of the spatial type and a ninth-rank Martial Saint, yet still failed to keep Ling Shuang.

That alone proved how terrifying spatial-type abilities were.

Although Xia Lan's spatial-type ability was only A-rank and couldn't reach Ling Shuang's level of intensity,

once it grew, she would absolutely be an extremely fearsome existence among ability users of the same rank.

"Jingming, you're back?"

Spotting Xu Jingming standing at the doorway, Xia Lan's face lit up with joy, and she arrived before him with a spatial flicker.

Perhaps because she had been training too long, Xia Lan looked as if she had just been pulled out of water.

Her forehead was covered in sweat, stray strands of hair plastered messily against it.

Her already tight combat suit clung to her body, revealing her curvaceous, graceful figure.

"Mm, just got back."

Xu Jingming nodded and said with a smile, "I'll be practicing a combat technique in a bit, and my aura might radiate through the entire villa.

You'd better go train at the martial hall building instead, or you might not even be able to move normally."

Recalling how she had been overwhelmed by Xu Jingming's aura last time, her body going so weak she couldn't even stand properly,

Xia Lan's pretty face couldn't help flushing slightly, and she gave a small nod:

"Understood. I'll head over then and come back once you finish your training."

After a pause, she asked curiously, "By the way, Jingming, did you get stronger again?"

Xu Jingming in the past had always given her a faint sense of pressure.

And now, that pressure was noticeably stronger.

"Mm, my strength has indeed improved somewhat."

Xu Jingming didn't explain too much, to prevent Xia Lan from leaking the news over at the martial hall building and alerting the spy.

"As expected—every time you come back from the wilderness, your strength has improved."

Xia Lan marveled softly, saying half-jokingly, "I feel like you're playing an online game, and the wilderness is your grinding spot.

Kill fierce beasts, gain experience, keep getting stronger."

Hearing this, Xu Jingming couldn't help raising his sword-like brows.

Good lord, a prophet, are you? That's an accurate guess!

After Xia Lan left, Xu Jingming went back to Ling Shuang's villa.

He had originally planned to sort through the spoils from the three spatial rings obtained after killing those three Tianming Sect members.

But the moment his spiritual sense swept over them, he remembered there was still an unused heavenly treasure in one of the rings.

Swish—

The spatial ring flashed, and a wooden box appeared in his hand.

Opening the wooden box, a fruit resembling a dragon fruit but pitch-black all over immediately came into view.

The fruit gave off a faint, elegant fragrance, as if tempting one to swallow it whole.

"An SSS-rank heavenly treasure, the Black Phoenix Fruit?"

Ling Shuang was briefly stunned, then quickly caught on: "You got it as a reward from the Qingfeng Secret Realm?"

"That's right."

Xu Jingming nodded with a smile. "This Black Phoenix Fruit can only be consumed after reaching seventh rank at the earliest.

It's been sitting in the spatial ring all this time. If I hadn't glanced at it just now, I would have almost forgotten."

"Forgetting even an SSS-rank heavenly treasure—you really are filthy rich."

Ling Shuang couldn't help but quip.

Even for her, SSS-rank cultivation resources were extremely hard to come by.

"Filthy rich—the last two words, I agree with.

But the first two words, I don't quite agree with. After all, I'm still pretty short on money right now."

Xu Jingming said jokingly without thinking.

"The last two words?"

Clever as she was, Ling Shuang only hesitated for a moment before immediately understanding what Xu Jingming meant.

Her beautiful face flushed a deep crimson in an instant, the blush spreading to her fair, crystal-clear earlobes.

Because the facts were indeed just as Xu Jingming had said, and she had suffered quite a bit because of it......

"Alright, no more joking. The Black Phoenix Fruit — one half each for the two of us."

Xu Jingming stopped teasing Ling Shuang, took out a dagger from his spatial ring, split the fruit in two, and handed half over.

"You're in the golden period of your strength rising. Just eat it yourself, don't worry about me."

Ling Shuang shook her head and said softly, "Besides, it's not like I can't get my hands on SSS-grade cultivation resources."

"Alright, then I'll eat this Black Phoenix Fruit first, and when I get other SSS-grade resources later, I'll share them with you, Sister Shuang."

Xu Jingming heard this and, without false politeness, said directly.

Ling Shuang's help to him could absolutely be called wholehearted and exhaustive, far more than what a single SSS-grade cultivation resource could repay.

But just as Ling Shuang had said, he really did still need to raise his strength right now.

"Gulp~~"

Xu Jingming opened his mouth and swallowed the Black Phoenix Fruit whole in one bite!

In an instant, a surge of heat first swept down his esophagus, followed immediately by an explosion of boundless power within his body!

Hiss—

Xu Jingming's skin instantly turned an extreme shade of red, steam rising from his entire body.

His muscles, bones, and even his spiritual force were all abruptly growing stronger.

Unlike during advancement, the source of this strengthening did not come from origin energy, but from the energy carried within the Black Phoenix Fruit itself.

The enhancement lasted a full ten-plus minutes before slowly coming to a halt.

And Xu Jingming's basic attributes had once again received a boost.

【Physique】: Qi and Blood (+)

【Spirit】: He (+)

"Both Physique and Spiritual Force rose by over three thousand points! Physique and Spiritual Force have broken through the 50,000 and 40,000 thresholds respectively!"

Xu Jingming's face lit up with joy, feeling boundless power flowing within his body.

One could only say it lived up to being a fresh SSS-grade treasure of heaven and earth.

The SSS-grade Sacred Essence Fruit obtained back then from the Lei Shen inheritance within the relic space.

Having been stored for over a thousand years, a great deal of its essence had been lost.

After consuming it, his Spiritual Force only rose by 1,200 points.

Compared with this Black Phoenix Fruit now, the effect could be said to be an overwhelming existence.

"Of course, it can't compare with the boost brought by a breakthrough."

Xu Jingming could not help but shake his head.

The higher the rank, the more limited the boost brought by external pills and treasures of heaven and earth.

Of course, being unable to advance and break through, gaining 3,000 basic attributes was already quite a sweet deal.

"Ding-dong~~~"

Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.

A holographic projection appeared in the training room, displaying the image in front of the villa's door.

A tall, thin figure with the appearance of a good-natured person appeared at the door.

"Feng Kuan? It's actually him? What is he coming here for now?"

Seeing this person, Ling Shuang could not help but slightly furrow her delicate brows.