Chapter 944

Underground space.

Watching Su Qingli, arms crossed, deliberately avoiding looking at him.

Xu Jingming couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Su Qingli, this Ninth-Stage Law Saint, now carried herself no differently from some little girl.

‘Of course—losing her most vital power, Teacher probably feels unsafe.’

Shaking his head, Xu Jingming didn’t dwell on it, glanced at the time, and said:

‘Since Teacher said you’ll listen to me, let’s set off now. We should head back and regroup with those Golden Guard units.’

Seventeen hours had passed since they entered the seventh layer of the Breakthrough Tower, and they had already traveled over four thousand kilometers.

They still needed to return to the starting point to merge their mapped data and reconfirm their direction.

‘Alright.’

Su Qingli, pretending to be angry, didn’t turn around, still gazing to the side, and let out a soft huff.

Grrrrl~~

Suddenly, a sound arose from her body.

Though faint, Xu Jingming’s hearing easily caught it.

It was the sound of an empty stomach.

Su Qingli’s fair, delicate face flushed crimson to her ears—adorably so.

Seeing this, Xu Jingming nearly broke his composure, cleared his throat, and said:

‘Let’s rest a bit longer. We’ll set off after eating.’

High-stage adepts could go ten days or even half a month without food without effect.

At the level of Eighth-Stage Grand Master or Ninth-Stage Law Saint,

they could directly absorb primal energy from the air, never needing to eat at all.

Like her and Su Qingli—they hadn’t consumed any food since entering the Breakthrough Tower.

Now that Su Qingli’s power had dropped to Second Stage, her stomach was empty, so hunger naturally arose.

‘Mmm...’

Su Qingli bit her red lips lightly, her voice barely a whisper.

Internally, she felt ashamed and annoyed.

Why did this stomach have to rumble now? Of all times?

It destroyed all her teacherly dignity!

But upon closer thought, her dignity had already vanished long ago...

Crackling, crackling...

A small bonfire burned, with six branches skewered above it.

Each branch was threaded with generous chunks of meat.

The meat was slightly charred, golden fat dripping down the branches into the flames, emitting constant sizzles.

‘Grilled meat? Don’t we have simpler energy bars?’

Beside the fire, Su Qingli crouched, curious.

Her legs were long and slender; now crouched, her knees pressed against her chest.

Immediately, the tight combat suit squeezed her curves into an alluring shape.

‘I’m tired of energy bars. I still prefer the natural kind,’ Xu Jingming said, turning the branches to ensure even roasting.

Come to think of it, since he broke through to Seventh Stage and no longer needed to eat, this was his first time grilling meat.

‘Aren’t energy bars available in many flavors? How could you get tired of them?’

Su Qingli asked, puzzled.

When she trained in the Wild Zone, she’d loved eating energy bars most.

Grape, banana, apple...

Different flavors always felt novel to her.

Later, as her rank rose, she’d grown to prefer flavorless ones instead.

‘S-Class adepts spend too long in the Wild Zone. Energy bars only come in so many flavors—eat them daily, anyone would get sick of them,’ said the holographic green-haired twin-tailed girl, Eva, shaking her head.

S-class operatives have stayed too long in the wilderness; there are only so many flavors of energy bars, and eating them daily will make anyone sick of them.

Su Qingli froze, recalling the moment she first saw Xu Jingming’s file.

After enrolling in the Metropolis Psychic University, he’d spent 80% of his time training in the Wild Zone.

That level of combat intensity far surpassed ordinary adepts.

Even after joining Thunder Martial Hall, it remained the same.

‘No wonder.’

Su Qingli nodded in realization, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xu Jingming, faint curiosity glimmering within:

‘Jingming, could you tell me about your experiences training in the Wild Zone?’

‘Not much to tell—just killing monsters, killing monsters. But sometimes it was thrilling...’

Xu Jingming didn’t know why Su Qingli suddenly cared about these experiences, but he began recounting them.

Since arriving on Blue Star over two years ago, he’d spent most of his time in the Wild Zone hunting monsters to earn Psychic Points.

Though most of the time was safe, danger still came.

Su Qingli knew roughly where he’d been, but had never studied the details.

Now, hearing of some of those perilous episodes, she couldn’t help feeling tense.

‘Alright, that’s about all my experiences.’

Half an hour later, Xu Jingming finished recounting his past.

Beside him, Su Qingli still seemed reluctant to let go.

Hunting monsters in the Wild Zone, facing Sakura Nation’s hostility in the Secret Realms, escaping death multiple times—this wasn’t just exciting; it was extraordinary.

‘With experiences like these, no wonder your power advanced so fast,’ Su Qingli sighed.

Crisis between life and death was the best catalyst for a cultivator.

Hearing this, Xu Jingming only smiled, saying nothing.

Experiences were just surface; the real key was the System and Psychic Points.

Otherwise, why would only he reach Eighth-Stage Mid-Level before turning twenty-one?

‘The meat’s ready, Teacher. Eat.’

Xu Jingming smiled, plucked a skewer from the fire, and handed it to Su Qingli.

The meat came from a Sixth-Stage beast.

Seventy percent was lean, the rest fat.

After half an hour of roasting, it was golden brown.

Added to that, the spices Xu Jingming had sprinkled on at the end released a mouthwatering aroma, making one’s appetite surge.

Even Su Qingli couldn’t help focusing on it, surprised:

Added to this was the seasoning Xu Jingming sprinkled on top, releasing a mouthwatering aroma of meat that made one’s appetite surge.

‘Tasting it will be better,’ Xu Jingming smiled.

After so many years training in the Wild Zone,

if grilling meat had a proficiency system, he’d surely have reached Perfect Level.

‘Really?’ Su Qingli took the skewer skeptically.

She took a small bite—and instantly, rich meat flavor flooded her mouth, complex and satisfying.

‘Mmm, delicious!’ Su Qingli’s eyes lit up, unconsciously praising.

‘If it’s good, eat more.’

Xu Jingming smiled, took another skewer, and bit into it.

The taste was as good as ever.

But this time, his main goal was to fill Su Qingli’s stomach, so he ate only one.

The remaining five went entirely to her.

Su Qingli had started out reserved, but later abandoned all restraint, devouring greedily.

Half an hour later, having finished every skewer, Su Qingli finally came back to herself, slightly embarrassed:

‘Sorry—I ate it all.’

‘It’s fine. These were meant for you, Teacher.’

Xu Jingming smiled, stood up, and said: ‘Let’s go. Time to regroup.’

‘Alright.’ Su Qingli nodded.

But as she rose, she suddenly realized a fatal problem.

Her power had dropped to Second Stage—she couldn’t fly anymore. How would she walk from here?

But as he rose to his feet, a deadly question suddenly occurred to him.

Her strength had plummeted to the Second Stage; she could no longer fly. How was she supposed to proceed?