132: Chapter 132 Talking about money hurts feelings, talking about feelings hurts money.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Fan had entered his third year of high school.

The matter of the Xutai Society had gradually faded, at least on the surface.

Dongyun City had returned to its former tranquility; people came and went on the streets, and explorers at the Secret Realm arrived in an endless stream, as if nothing had ever happened.

Lin Fan stood behind the counter of his shop, holding a bottle of Intermediate Meditation Liquid in his hand.

Xiao Zhuang had shrunk into its mimetic form, coiled around his wrist. Its silver-black scales gleamed coldly under the lights, and the dragon horns on its head had grown quite a bit longer.

Tongtong landed on his shoulder, wings folded. The colorful specks of light it scattered fell onto the counter like shattered starlight.

Little Rabbit squatted on the counter, its large eyes fixed on the entrance, ears standing straight. Its pale golden fur glowed with a warm halo in the sunlight.

"Level 43."

Lin Fan put down the bottle, feeling the surging spiritual power within him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

The Armor King realm—he was already far ahead of his peers.

Xiao Zhuang and Tongtong had also reached Level 42, while Little Rabbit was slightly behind, though it was already at Level 37.

The three Armor Spirits each had their own strengths, and their coordination was becoming increasingly seamless.

He had also been looking for a fourth Armor Spirit, but clearly, an Armor Spirit with God-Rank Aptitude was truly one in ten thousand.

Even with his Heaven-Defying Golden Finger that allowed him to see through an Armor Spirit's Aptitude, he hadn't found a suitable one.

Besides that, there was another problem that had been holding him back.

Xiao Zhuang and Tongtong had long met the level requirements for evolution, but their evolutionary paths were extraordinary, and the Materials required were extremely difficult to collect.

Especially the "Pseudo-Moon Meteor" Materials needed for Xiao Zhuang to evolve into a Taiyin Flood Dragon—the Eclipse Moon Stone, Star Meteor Sand, and Tide Heart; he hadn't found a single one.

He had asked President Ye Wenyuan to keep an eye out for them, but half a year had passed, and there was still no news.

As for Tongtong's Dream-Weaving Butterfly Emperor path, he had managed to collect the Phantom Divine Stone and Dream Essence, but he hadn't even seen a shadow of the Dream-Weaver's Silk.

"There's no rushing this."

Lin Fan shook his head and threw the empty bottle into the trash can.

Business at the shop was getting better and better.

This "Mo Fan Pavilion" that he and Xu Ziyan had opened together was now quite famous in Dongyun City.

Xu Ziyan was responsible for reception and daily operations, while Lin Fan was responsible for the cultivation and evolution of difficult cases.

The two had a clear division of labor, and their monthly turnover was stably over seven figures.

Xu Ziyan had changed from a boisterous young lad into a steady and reliable store manager, but occasionally he would still fly into a rage because of something Lin Fan said.

"Lin Fan! You used the client's Materials to feed Little Rabbit again!"

Xu Ziyan's voice came from the back kitchen.

Lin Fan didn't even turn his head.

"It was just one Spirit Leaf, Little Rabbit was hungry."

"That was the Frost Lingzhi ordered by a client! One leaf is worth three thousand!"

Lin Fan grabbed a Spirit Leaf from the counter and tossed it to Little Rabbit. The little thing grabbed the leaf in its mouth and hopped into the corner, munching on it with a crunching sound.

"It's fine, I'll pay for it later."

Xu Ziyan rushed out of the back kitchen, holding an empty box, his face turning green.

"You'll pay? You still haven't paid back the Materials you said you would last month!"

Lin Fan patted his shoulder. "Put it on the tab, we'll settle it at the end of the year."

Xu Ziyan took a deep breath and turned away.

Lin Fan smiled and looked down at the source energy count on the back of his hand—exactly 140,000 points.

The conditions for opening the sixth armor aperture had long been met, but he hadn't been in a rush to open it, wanting to wait for the right moment.

Today was just right. After the shop closed, he returned home, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into his body.

Inside his body, the positions of the five armor apertures were clearly visible—left hand, left eye, right arm, right leg, and back.

To his surprise, the position of his sixth armor aperture was actually on his spine.

The spine was an extremely rare site for Armorization; most people's armor apertures were distributed across their limbs and torso, and those who could open an armor aperture on their spine could be counted on one hand.

"Open the sixth armor aperture."

With a thought, a warm power surged from deep within his body, gathering towards his spine.

That acupoint began to heat up and swell; an invisible force condensed, rotated, and expanded, tearing through that invisible barrier.

The pain was more intense than any time before, as if something was growing out from within his spine.

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat dripping down his cheeks.

Little Rabbit lifted its head from beside the pillow, its hexagram-shaped eyes staring at him, letting out a thin cry.

Xiao Zhuang was coiled around his wrist, its silver-black scales glowing slightly, spiritual power flowing through his arm into his body, sharing a portion of the pressure.

Tongtong landed on his forehead, wings spread, the colorful specks of light it scattered falling onto his face, feeling cool—it was its way of helping Lin Fan alleviate the pain.

Time passed second by second.

Finally, that acupoint suddenly loosened, and a brand-new power surged from his spine, flowing throughout his entire body.

Lin Fan opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

[Sixth armor aperture opened successfully!]

[Armorization site: Spine]

[Current armor apertures: 6]

[source energy required to open the next armor aperture: 1,000,000 points]

Lin Fan stared at that line of "1,000,000 points." Although he had expected it, he still couldn't help but gasp.

He glanced at the source energy count on the back of his hand; opening it just now had used one hundred thousand, and now only forty thousand remained.

One million... how long would it take to save that up?

"Damn it, maybe I should just resort to killing!" Lin Fan gritted his teeth and thought to himself.

Fortunately, his own Aptitude had now reached the Upper-Rank, which finally gave him some comfort.

...

The next day, Lin Fan received a message at the shop.

It was from Ye Qing: "I got into Dongchen University."

Lin Fan stared at the screen for several seconds, then smiled. He replied:

"Congratulations. Treat me."

Ye Qing replied instantly: "Weekend. The usual spot."

Lin Fan put down his phone and leaned back against the chair.

Ye Qing was one year older than him and had taken the college entrance examination this year. Given her talent and strength, getting into one of the Four Great Academies was expected.

But now that she had actually gotten in, he was still happy for her.

The Four Great Academies—Dongchen, Nanshu, Xiyao, and Beique—were the halls that all Beast Armor Masters dreamed of.

Only Beast Armor Masters with six or more armor apertures were eligible to apply, but even with the Aptitude of six armor apertures, it was difficult to get admitted without outstanding achievements in other areas.

Ye Qing had seven armor apertures and was also an Elementary Breeder with rich combat experience; her admission to Dongchen University was well-deserved.

Lin Fan thought about his own future.

He still had one year until the college entrance examination. Given his current strength and number of armor apertures, getting into the Four Great Academies shouldn't be a problem.

He should really think about which institution to choose.

Afterwards, he picked up his phone and called President Ye Wenyuan.

"Master, is there any news on the Eclipse Moon Stone?"

President Ye Wenyuan replied: "Not yet, but I have managed to find the Dream-Weaver's Silk for you."

Lin Fan's hand tightened around the phone, and his voice rose a few notches.

"The Dream-Weaver's Silk? Where is it?"

President Ye Wenyuan's voice was unhurried.

"In my office. You want it? Payment upon delivery."

Lin Fan froze, then said aggrievedly, "Master, talking about money hurts relationships."

Then he heard a very resolute voice from the other end of the phone.

"Talking about relationships hurts money. Take it or leave it, decide for yourself!"

"Hey... hey, Master..."

Before Lin Fan could finish speaking, the other end had already hung up.

Lin Fan stared at the phone screen, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Stingy old man."