Chapter 812: Arrival in Maple Nation! Wang Linyang!

The Blood Sword, though cold and stern, always carried an aura as if forged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Yet with Xu Jingming, he was unusually gentle, repeatedly asking about Xu Jingming's experiences during their conversation.

When he learned Xu Jingming had encountered Ninth-Stage Beast Emperors in the Oceanic Wilderness more than once, his eyes showed even clearer admiration.

It seemed Xu Jingming greatly suited his taste; he pulled him aside and chatted for a long while before finally letting him go.

"What did Lord Blood Sword want to talk to you about? It took over half an hour."

As soon as Ling Shuang removed her neural helmet and returned to the real world, she curiously asked, standing nearby.

"He said he'd give me something to save my life," Xu Jingming replied with a smile.

"Something to save your life? A protective talisman? But aren't protective talismans from the Ye'er Realm unusable?"

Ling Shuang looked puzzled.

"Not a talisman—a SSR-grade battle suit called 'Yuanjia.' Have you ever heard of it, Teacher Ling?"

Xu Jingming rose from the sofa.

Brilliant golden lightning surged forth, coalescing roughly into the shape of Yuanjia.

"I've heard of it—Yuanjia has incredible defensive power; even Teacher Su Qingli doesn't have one."

I never expected Lord Blood Sword would lend it to you directly."

Ling Shuang whispered in astonishment.

SSR-grade battle suits still vary in quality.

Yuanjia is among the higher-quality variants within SSR-grade battle suits.

If Su Qingli's father were still alive, he could surely have obtained one for her.

But Su Qingli's father remains missing; she only possesses an ordinary SSR-grade battle suit.

"So it's just a loan? I thought he was giving it to me outright."

Xu Jingming sounded slightly disappointed.

"You're dreaming. Lord Blood Sword has already broken through to Upper Ninth Stage."

But Yuanjia is still extremely valuable to him—he wouldn't just give it to you."

Ling Shuang shook her head.

"True."

Xu Jingming nodded, then paused thoughtfully: "Teacher Ling, we've been away from the martial arts academy for over a month—is that alright?"

"No problem. Vice Director Zhao Ying is highly capable; leave all affairs to him."

Ling Shuang smiled.

Zhao Ying is also a staunch supporter of Su Qingli; otherwise, Su Qingli wouldn't have sent him to Mocheng to assist.

"Good. Then let's pack up and depart—Mocheng is still quite far from Maple Nation."

Xu Jingming nodded.

Maple Nation is a neighbor to the United States, over ten thousand kilometers straight-line distance from Mocheng in Oceanic Continent!

Even a Chixiao-class fighter, flying at double the speed of sound, would require twelve hours to reach it.

After preparing the necessary pills and supplies, Xu Jingming and Ling Shuang didn't leave until past 10 p. .

When they arrived in Maple Nation aboard the Chixiao-class fighter, it was precisely noon.

Because the fighter had to cross the dangerous Pacific Ocean, the actual travel time was two hours longer than expected—fourteen hours total.

"Lord Blood Sword has already booked us a hotel—we can head there directly."

After entering the hotel's address into Eva, the entire fighter swiftly turned toward the hotel's location.

This Chixiao-class fighter had already been registered with Maple Nation before departure.

Otherwise, it would have triggered alarms upon entering Maple Nation's border and could never have flown in.

Though called a hotel, the place Lord Blood Sword reserved was actually a luxury villa complex.

The villa where Xu Jingming and Ling Shuang stayed was Number Five in the complex.

Compared to Xu Jingming's villas in Mocheng and Great Xia, this one was slightly smaller.

But its interior was exquisitely decorated, in Western architectural style.

The villa came with its own backyard garden and helipad; the Chixiao-class fighter landed swiftly on the helipad.

"We're only staying a day or two, yet Lord Blood Sword booked us a luxury villa?"

Xu Jingming leapt from the Chixiao-class fighter and glanced around, surprised.

The Ye'er Realm is about to open; they won't stay long here—this is merely a temporary base.

"We from Great Xia are all Eighth-Stage Grand Masters. Lord Blood Sword wouldn't let us stay in an ordinary hotel."

As they entered the villa, Ling Shuang looked around curiously:

"Actually, this is my first time in Maple Nation. After the Ye'er Realm ends, we could stay here a few extra days."

Due to the presence of ferocious beasts, ordinary citizens never fly to other countries.

One reason is the exorbitant ticket prices—starting at tens of thousands of Blue Star Credits.

The other is the danger: if they encounter terrifying flying beasts, the plane and everyone aboard are doomed.

Though Ling Shuang had both wealth and strength to travel abroad, her daily cultivation left no time for tourism.

This was her first visit to Maple Nation.

"Sounds good," Xu Jingming smiled and nodded.

He'd spent the past period constantly battling beasts in the wilderness, with little rest.

It's foreseeable that this journey through the Ye'er Realm won't be easy either.

Afterward, a little relaxation would be welcome.

The Ye'er Realm opens within Toronto, Maple Nation.

The villa where Xu Jingming and the others stayed, as well as Lord Blood Sword's banquet at Wilson Hotel at nine p. ., are both in Toronto.

With just over ten minutes left before nine p. ., Xu Jingming and Ling Shuang finally departed from the villa.

After meeting the remaining four members of Thunder Martial Arts Academy at Wilson Hotel's entrance, the six of them entered the hotel.

Unlike banquets in Great Xia, the banquet at Wilson Hotel followed a Western style.

In the hall, long tables lined the space, laden with exquisite dishes and desserts, freely available for taking.

Staff in uniforms moved through the crowd, smiling as they carried drinks.

The hall, nearly four hundred square meters, was already filled with people.

When Xu Jingming's group entered, the previously noisy hall fell noticeably quieter.

Their group of six inevitably drew the gaze of most present.

First was Ling Shuang, the team leader of Thunder Martial Arts Academy, nominally the captain.

Today, she hadn't dressed up specially—only a black evening gown.

The gown clung to her lush figure, revealing her graceful, alluring form.

Already stunning, the tear-shaped mole beneath her eye added a touch of icy elegance.

Even the Eighth-Stage Grand Masters here, who had seen countless beauties, couldn't help but be struck by her beauty.

After Ling Shuang came Xu Jingming, beside her.

This young man, possessing an SS-rank Lightning ability and now the top prodigy of Blue Star, they'd seen many times in the virtual world.

But when meeting him in the real world, they were astonished to find:

Xu Jingming's faint aura made even them feel a sense of danger!

This tall, upright youth resembled a peerless spear, freely radiating his own sharpness.

Is he really just a Seventh-Stage Grand Master? Why does his aura feel stronger than ours, the Eighth-Stage Grand Masters?

Does an SS-rank ability truly bring such a dramatic change?

Their surprise flashed through their minds and quickly turned into warm greetings:

"Director Ling has arrived!"

"Director Ling, Director Xu, come, come—we've been waiting for you!"

"..."

The thirty Eighth-Stage Grand Masters entering the Ye'er Realm were unquestionably among the upper-middle tier of Great Xia's Eighth-Stage Grand Masters.

Anyone who had broken through to Eighth Stage was no fool—they naturally wouldn't miss such a prime networking opportunity.

One by one, they raised their glasses and came forward to make connections.

Even the rival Bearstorm Martial Arts Academy members approached with smiles.

Before, Xu Jingming might have struggled to handle such situations.

But after his experiences at the Song family and the Thunder Martial Arts Academy council meetings, he was now fully at ease.

Facing any Eighth-Stage Grand Master who approached, whether known or not, he simply said, "It's an honor to meet you."

Ling Shuang, meanwhile, handled it effortlessly.

While mingling with these Eighth-Stage Grand Masters, Xu Jingming noticed:

Aside from Ling Shuang and Bearstorm Martial Arts Academy's Chen Yang, there was another S-rank ability awakener.

His name was Roland, possessing an S-rank Elemental Earth ability, at Upper Eighth Stage.

He was muscular, handsome, and seemed cheerful.

Had Xu Jingming not known his true age, he might have mistaken Roland for a man in his early twenties.

"Roland—he must be the strongest among us entering the Ye'er Realm."

Watching Roland raise his cup and walk away gracefully toward the next person, Xu Jingming silently thought to himself.

An S-rank at the upper eighth rank—he still couldn't defeat him now.

But that's only for now; once he enters the Ye Er Secret Realm.

After hunting another wave of ferocious beasts and accumulating enough ability points to break through to the eighth rank, things will be different.

He hadn't expected that Great Xia had so many S-rank ability awakeners.

He'd never heard the name Roland before.

"Great Xia's depth is stronger than I imagined," Xu Jingming thought in awe.

Not all prodigies go to the three top-tier universities.

Some S-rank prodigies from ninth-rank ability clans have a host of eighth-rank ability users within their families to guide their cultivation.

They can freely use their family's resources, so there's no need to attend an Ability University.

Ability University is, after all, merely a promotion path for those with mediocre family backgrounds.

"Mediocre family background" here means no seventh-rank Master exists within the family.

"Director Xu, I've long heard of your name—today meeting you in person, you truly live up to your reputation!"

As Xu Jingming was lost in thought, a middle-aged man in a long robe appeared before him, cup in hand, smiling:

"I'm Wang Linyang, commander of the Jinghai Legion."

"Wang Linyang?"

Xu Jingming was about to exchange pleasantries, but upon hearing the name, his brow furrowed.

That name… he'd heard it somewhere before.

As a seventh-rank upper-level Master, Xu Jingming's memory was exceptional.

A single thought turned, and he immediately recalled where he'd heard it.

The guild his senior Liu Ming belonged to was destroyed because Wang Linyang had assigned them as bait.

Because of this, Teacher Yang Zhentian had flown into a rage and fought him.

Mo University had taken him to the military court, but in the end, they only received compensation and the revocation of his original command position.

Judging by his current appearance, he must have been reinstated.

Thinking of this, Xu Jingming's eyes narrowed. "Wang Linyang? Was it you who commanded the Black Crow Campaign two years ago?"

Though the name matched, he still needed to confirm.

The Black Crow Campaign was the battle where his senior Liu Ming was gravely wounded and lost all four limbs.

"Black Crow Campaign?"

Wang Linyang paused.

As an eighth-rank middle-level Grand Master, he had commanded many battles.

He had indeed commanded the Black Crow Campaign, but he hadn't expected Xu Jingming to know about it.

That meant Xu Jingming had researched him beforehand—likely a fan!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up right away.

Thinking this, Wang Linyang smiled, a hint of pride and triumph in his voice:

"That's right—it was me. I didn't expect Director Xu to know about that battle.

During that campaign, an eighth-rank ferocious beast was extremely cunning, hiding deep within the wilderness.

If we hadn't dealt with it promptly, it could have caused massive casualties.

Fortunately, I eventually used a stratagem to lure it out and killed it at minimal cost."

The Black Crow Campaign was indeed one of his most proud command achievements.

"So it was you."

Xu Jingming's gaze turned icy. He suddenly asked: "Do you know Liu Ming?"

"Liu Ming? I don't know him. Which eighth-rank Grand Master is he?" Wang Linyang shook his head, puzzled.

"No—he was just one of the many Mo University students you used as bait during the Black Crow Campaign. He's also my senior."

Xu Jingming stared at him, his voice now freezing cold, a faint but terrifying aura of killing intent radiating from him.

Every time he returned to Mo City, he'd spend some time at Teacher Yang Zhentian's place.

Besides seeking advice on cultivation, he'd occasionally mention his senior Liu Ming.

Liu Ming joined Great Xia's official legion after graduation and has since broken through to upper fourth rank.

His new limbs have fully regrown—and are even stronger than before.

But Liu Ming has never escaped the nightmare of that day.

According to Teacher Yang Zhentian, Liu Ming fights with reckless intensity in the legion, always charging into battle against ferocious beasts first.

Even on nights with no combat, he'd break down emotionally and call Teacher Yang Zhentian, saying he saw the old battle again.

Liu Ming has never forgotten the losses from that day; his rage burns endlessly, sworn to revenge against Wang Linyang.

Yet the man himself, Wang Linyang, doesn't even know Liu Ming exists…

"Your senior?"

Wang Linyang frowned.

He now remembered: besides Su Qingli, Xu Jingming had another teacher at Mo University.

What stunned him more was that Xu Jingming's senior was one of the very students he'd assigned as bait to lure out the eighth-rank beast.

Damn it!

He should never have approached him.

Wang Linyang's heart sank, but now he couldn't just turn and walk away.

The commotion had already drawn the attention of several eighth-rank Grand Masters nearby.

"Director Xu, back then, I had no choice.

If I hadn't sent out bait, that eighth-rank beast might have hidden indefinitely.

As for your senior's fate, I deeply regret it.

I did provide compensation afterward—I hope you can forgive me."

Wang Linyang first apologized sincerely, then raised his cup, as if to drink away past grievances.