Chapter 867: Su Qingli

"Not bad—I didn't expect you to handle both regional chairmen so effortlessly, Jingming."

After Pang Tian and Ma Shan left, Ling Shuang kicked off her shoes, revealing a pair of glistening, jade-like feet that swayed gently in the air.

Her voice, melodious and sweet, was filled with praise.

She had originally worried that Xu Jingming might be deceived by these two old foxes, which was why she followed along.

But now it was clear her concerns were entirely unnecessary.

Xu Jingming handled them exceptionally well, even exerting immense pressure on both men.

Causing both eighth-rank Grand Masters to break into cold sweats.

"Not bad—just said what I wanted to say," Xu Jingming smiled.

His strength was his greatest confidence; the stronger he was, the less he feared them.

"By the way, didn't Professor Su say she'd come today? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

Xu Jingming asked, slightly puzzled.

Su Qingli also possessed a Black Obsidian-class fighter; from Guizhou Province, it would take less than twenty minutes to arrive.

As they spoke, Xu Jingming suddenly felt something stir in his heart, rose from the sofa, and smiled: "Speak of the devil and he shall appear—Professor Su is here."

Ling Shuang, who also sensed Su Qingli's arrival through spiritual force, rose from the sofa and walked out of the villa with Xu Jingming.

A deep, rumbling engine roar echoed as a sci-fi-style fighter, over twenty meters long, flew in from afar and hovered above the villa.

Hss—

The fighter's hatch opened, and Su Qingli stepped out, her long legs graceful.

After stowing the fighter in her space ring, she walked through the air to the villa's entrance.

"Professor Su."

"Qingli, you're here."

Xu Jingming and Ling Shuang greeted Su Qingli warmly and led her into the living room.

"Had guests just left?" Su Qingli immediately noticed the two untouched teacups on the coffee table.

"Yes, the regional chairmen from Shanghai and Jiangsu Province," Xu Jingming smiled.

"So it was them."

A faint smile appeared on Su Qingli's fair, delicate face. "Let me guess—they came early to flatter you."

"You're truly Professor Su—one guess and you're right."

Xu Jingming grinned, slipping in a compliment.

Though Su Qingli could no longer teach him anything, he still owed her proper respect.

"Anyone could guess that. I'm not that stupid."

Su Qingli gave him a half-irritated glance.

For some reason, she felt more relaxed around Xu Jingming than anyone else.

She didn't have to maintain the rigid posture of the Lei Ting Martial Arts Hall's director.

"By the way, those two are seasoned veterans—did they manage to fool you?"

Su Qingli asked immediately after.

Before Xu Jingming could answer, Ling Shuang spoke first: "No—on the contrary, they were the ones thoroughly interrogated."

"Oh?" Su Qingli's interest sparked instantly. "Tell me everything."

"Jingming already explained to them..."

Ling Shuang recounted the entire sequence of events, her tone brimming with pride.

"Hmm—I didn't expect you to be so skilled at handling these kinds of people, Jingming."

After hearing the account, Su Qingli couldn't help but murmur in amazement.

She had assumed this would be Xu Jingming's weakness—but clearly, it wasn't.

"That means Pang Tian and Ma Shan are essentially under your control now."

Su Qingli nodded slightly, then asked curiously:

"What about Suzhou Province? Their regional chairman is Li Gang of the Li family—how do you plan to deal with him?"

The Li family was deeply tied to Hu Jinyu; Li Gang certainly wouldn't submit as easily as Pang Tian and Ma Shan.

"Simple—find any excuse to remove him and replace him with someone obedient," Xu Jingming said calmly.

"Oh? What if you can't find any excuse? He's controlled Suzhou Province for over five years—it's a solid iron block."

Su Qingli's eyes gleamed as she pressed further.

"Suzhou Province is huge—I refuse to believe Li Gang can oversee everything perfectly."

Xu Jingming had already devised his solution: "If there truly are no problems, then we'll create them."

As soon as he spoke, Su Qingli understood his intent.

He had no intention of following the normal path at all!

After a long pause, Su Qingli shook her head and sighed: "Given your nature, you might be better suited to be the Hall's director than I am."

If not for fearing her father's Lei Ting Martial Arts Hall falling into Li family hands,

she would never have chosen to use the SSR-grade heavenly treasure with such severe side effects, nor taken on the role of Lei Ting Martial Arts Hall director.

Suddenly—

A powerful energy surge, as if about to break through a boundary, erupted from the second floor of the villa.

"Sister Shuang, send it to the Wild Zone immediately—the Thorned Sword Grass is about to break through!"

Xu Jingming's face lit up with joy as he hurriedly said.

"Got it."

Ling Shuang waved her jade hand, and the S-class spatial ability erupted violently.

After breaking through to the upper eighth rank, her teleportation no longer required contact—she could activate it merely by locking her mental energy onto a target.

At this moment, her mental energy locked onto Su Qingli, Xu Jingming, and the Thorn Sword Grass rooted on the second floor.

Swish—

The space rippled violently, and the three people and the grass vanished instantly from the villa.

In the core zone of the Yuan Shui Wasteland, next to the Magic City.

Here, ferocious beasts ran rampant—numerous fourth-rank beasts prowled, and even rarer fifth-rank beasts lurked!

Swish—

Above the forest, space rippled violently, and then Xu Jingming, Su Qingli, Ling Shuang, and the Thorn Sword Grass were all teleported in.

The three landed safely, while the Thorn Sword Grass, now as tall as a small building, suddenly began to grow!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...

Branches lashed wildly, emerald vines spreading like pythons for over ten kilometers.

If one looked down from the sky,

one would see what appeared to be a vine, ten kilometers in diameter, blooming in the forest!

"Is this… a plant life?"

Su Qingli, well-traveled and knowledgeable, recognized the Thorn Sword Grass at once, then opened her lips slightly in disbelief:

"This aura has reached the peak of the eighth rank? No, no—it's still surging! Is it about to break into the ninth rank?"

Su Qingli knew Xu Jingming possessed a plant life.

But before entering the Yer Secret Realm, it had been only seventh rank—how could it now be on the verge of breaking into the ninth rank?

"I gained some opportunities in the Secret Realm that accelerated the Thorn Sword Grass's growth. I'll explain it all to you after we return."

Xu Jingming gave a brief explanation, his eyes fixed intently on the Thorn Sword Grass before him.

The SS-class technique "Heart Net" had already been activated; his surging mental energy poured out as he carefully sensed.

A lifeform breaking from the eighth to the ninth rank was not something easily witnessed.

He wanted to see how the indestructible substance—so crucial to ninth-rank beings—was born.

PS: I got home at 11 p. m. yesterday and really didn't feel like writing. I got up at 7 a. m. today and wrote, plus some on the subway—only now am I posting this.