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 would 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 tremendous pressure on the two.

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

"Just okay—I merely said what I wanted to say," Xu Jingming smiled.

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

"By the way, wasn't Teacher Su supposed to come today? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

Xu Jingming asked, slightly puzzled.

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

As they spoke, Xu Jingming suddenly felt a stir in his heart, rose from the sofa, and smiled: "Speak of the devil and he shall appear—Teacher Su has come."

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

A deep 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.

"Teacher Su."

"Qingli, you're here."

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

"Were there guests just now?" Su Qingli noticed the two untouched teacups on the coffee table as she entered.

"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 face. "Let me guess—they came early to flatter you."

"You're right, Teacher Su—your guess is always spot-on."

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 need to maintain the rigid posture of the Thunder Martial Arts Academy's director.

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

Su Qingli asked immediately after.

Before Xu Jingming could speak, Ling Shuang answered first: "No—on the contrary, they were the ones interrogated hard."

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

"Jingming already explained to them..."

Ling Shuang recounted the entire incident, her tone brimming with pride.

"Hmph—I didn't expect you to be so skilled at handling these people too, 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.

"So now, Pang Tian and Ma Shan are essentially under your control."

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 don't believe Li Gang can oversee everything."

Xu Jingming had already devised his solution: "If there's no problem, we'll create one."

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 academy's director than I am."

Had she not feared her father's Thunder Martial Arts Academy falling into Li family hands,

she never would have used the SSR-grade heavenly treasure with such severe side effects, nor taken on the role of 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 us to the Wildlands immediately—the Thorned Sword Grass is about to break through!"

Xu Jingming's face lit up with joy.

"Got it."

Ling Shuang waved her hand, unleashing her S-rank Spatial ability in a violent burst.

Since reaching the upper tier of the eighth rank, her teleportation no longer required physical contact—only spiritual focus was needed.

Now, she locked her spiritual force onto Su Qingli, Xu Jingming, and the Thorned Sword Grass rooted on the second floor.

Shhh—

Space rippled violently, and the three of them and the grass vanished from the villa.

In the core zone of the Yuan Shui Wildlands, next to Shanghai.

Here, ferocious beasts roamed freely—many fourth-rank, and even rarer fifth-rank ones!

Shhh—

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

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

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...

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

If viewed from above,

one would see what looked like a vine bloom with a diameter of ten kilometers blooming across the forest.

"Is this... a plant life?"

Su Qingli, well-traveled and knowledgeable, instantly recognized the Thorned Sword Grass's origin, then gasped in disbelief:

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

Su Qingli knew Xu Jingming possessed a plant life.

But before entering the Ye'er Secret Realm, it was only seventh rank—how could it now be on the verge of ninth?

"I gained some opportunities in the secret realm that accelerated the Thorned Sword Grass's growth—I'll explain in detail when we return," Xu Jingming said briefly, his eyes locked on the plant.

The SS-rank technique "Mind Net" was already active; his surging spiritual force surged outward, keenly sensing.

A lifeform breaking from eighth to ninth rank was not something seen often.

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

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

P. .: I got home at 11 last night and really didn't want to write; I got up at seven this morning and wrote, then added more on the subway, and only now am I posting this.