71: Chapter 71 Returning to Magic University!

"Mm, I've already bought the pills and am preparing to head back."

Qin Yan replied.

"That's great, we just finished up here as well."

A perfectly timed look of joy appeared on Wen Ning's face.

"Why don't we head back together? We're all going back towards the University Town anyway."

Qin Yan looked at her, then at Mi Duoduo, who was standing nearby with a gossiping expression, her eyes darting between the two of them.

He nodded. "Alright."

Thus, the three of them left Hundred Herbs Hall together and hailed a taxi on the roadside to return.

However, after getting into the car, Wen Ning became uncharacteristically quiet.

She only occasionally used the corner of her eye to steal glances at Qin Yan beside her.

She didn't take the initiative to find any more topics for conversation.

She had keenly sensed that her previous performance seemed a bit too eager.

This was somewhat inconsistent with the gentle but slightly aloof persona she usually maintained.

She didn't want him to think she was a loose girl or one with ulterior motives; that would be counterproductive.

Some things needed to be done step by step and couldn't be rushed.

Her persona absolutely could not crumble!

Soon, the taxi arrived at a nearby subway station.

After getting out, Qin Yan naturally walked toward the subway entrance marked "Modu University of Martial Arts Exclusive Passage."

"Eh? Qin Yan, what are you going over there for?"

Seeing this, Wen Ning spoke up to stop him, feigning confusion.

She pointed toward the other entrance that led to the general University Town loop line.

"The subway entrance for the various schools in the University Town is over here."

Qin Yan stopped and turned back to explain, "No need, I'm going back to Modu University of Martial Arts.

There's a dedicated line here that goes directly inside our school; it's more convenient."

Hearing this, a flash of realization crossed Wen Ning's eyes.

The last bit of her suspicion was confirmed.

"As expected, he is a student of Modu University of Martial Arts..."

In fact, she had already guessed as much when she learned that Qin Yan was Xiao Huo's student.

She had asked that question just now on purpose, simply to further test and confirm Qin Yan's identity.

The result was exactly as she had predicted.

She watched as Qin Yan turned and walked into the heavily guarded Modu University of Martial Arts exclusive passage, which required special authorization to enter.

His back gradually disappeared into the crowd.

Wen Ning stood where she was, her eyes flickering slightly and her mind racing, but she didn't say anything more.

Modu University of Martial Arts, the top martial arts academy in Great Xia.

With her original College Entrance Examination scores, she actually would have been fully capable of getting in!

And she was confident that even if she entered Modu University of Martial Arts where geniuses gathered, her ranking would never be low.

However, she had ultimately chosen to decline Modu University of Martial Arts and applied to Modu Jiaotong University instead.

The reason was simple: she knew clearly that those gathered at Modu University of Martial Arts weren't just the country's top geniuses.

More importantly, the vast majority of those geniuses had extremely powerful family financial backing behind them!

And what about her, Wen Ning?

Her parents were just ordinary Second-Rank Martial Artists, working diligently in the small city of Nanjiang.

Exhausting everything they had was barely enough to support her through her early martial arts foundation and send her through the doors of a powerful academy.

That was already the limit of their ability.

In an environment like Modu University of Martial Arts, where resource competition was white-hot and almost cruel...

Facing those favored children of heaven and scions of noble houses who could easily pour millions, tens of millions, or even more resources into their cultivation...

Her small family fortune wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

In the face of such a massive resource gap, no matter how high her talent was...

She was destined to be left far behind, making it very difficult to join the ranks of the very top.

Since that was the case, it was better to settle for the next best thing and choose Modu Jiaotong University.

Here, by relying on her own extraordinary talent and hard work, she could still hold a position in the top three of her year.

She could enjoy the high-quality resources the school tilted toward her—far more than she would receive as an ordinary genius at Modu University of Martial Arts.

But even so, at Modu Jiaotong University...

As the number of her Skin Tempering sessions increased, the resources in her hands were almost exhausted.

By now, she already felt somewhat powerless, as if she were about to be unable to sustain herself.

This was the fundamental reason why she was so desperate to establish a connection with this potential "network" that was Qin Yan.

"It seems that after I go back, I'll have to do a good job of looking up the detailed information on this Qin Yan."

Wen Ning thought to herself.

A trace of hard-to-detect shrewdness flashed through those clear eyes.

To her, effectively utilizing all available resources around her...

Was a necessary skill for survival in this fiercely competitive martial arts world.

This suddenly appearing youth with a deep background...

Was undoubtedly worth investing some energy into to understand more deeply.

...

On the other side, Qin Yan smoothly boarded the exclusive subway back to Modu University of Martial Arts.

The environment inside the carriage was comfortable; the passengers were mostly students and teachers from Modu University of Martial Arts, and the atmosphere was quiet and orderly.

He found a window seat and sat down, his mind still replaying his experience at Hundred Herbs Hall today.

Half an hour later, the train arrived smoothly at the Modu University of Martial Arts station.

Qin Yan followed the crowd out of the station, and the familiar campus atmosphere rushed toward him.

He didn't delay and walked straight toward the cafeteria.

In the first-floor hall, he ordered several dishes and began to feast like a whirlwind sweeping through clouds.

As the abundant food entered his stomach, it turned into streams of heat that nourished his body and dispelled his fatigue.

After eating and drinking his fill, Qin Yan felt his condition had recovered significantly.

Only then did he return to his manor at a leisurely pace.

He went directly to the cultivation room on the third floor.

Qin Yan adjusted his breathing, letting his mind calm down completely.

Then, he took out the bottle of high-grade spirit nurturing pills gifted by his Fifth Senior Brother, Fang Da.

Opening the jade bottle, a rich, cool medicinal fragrance instantly filled the air, making one's spirit feel refreshed.

Without any hesitation, he took out a nourishing spirit pill and put it in his mouth.

The pill melted upon entering his mouth, and a cool aura began to be released continuously, slowly and steadily.

This aura traveled straight upward, merging into the depths of his mind strand by strand.

It gently soaked and nourished his spiritual origin.

Feeling the clear and continuous cooling sensation coming from his mind, Qin Yan knew the medicinal effect had begun to take hold steadily.

He didn't waste this precious time and immediately stood up.

He walked to the open area on one side of the cultivation room and began his daily, unwavering Spear Technique training.

"Hoo— Chii—"

The long spear turned into sharp afterimages in his hands, and the sound of breaking air was constant.

He immersed his entire mind in the practice of the Spear Technique, and his blood and qi surged accordingly.

In this state of high-focus cultivation, he vaguely felt...

That the cool medicinal power in his mind seemed to produce a subtle resonance with his own blood and qi.

The absorption efficiency also seemed to have increased slightly.

He sweated profusely, untiring.

Until the curtain of night completely shrouded the earth and the stars outside the window were scattered like dots.

Only then did Qin Yan end his high-intensity training for the day.

He let out a long breath of turbid air carrying a scorching heat and slowly stood with his spear retracted.