15: Sorry, I don't eat beef!

Jiangcheng, Yun Family.

Yun Qingyue walked out of the dungeon with an excited look on her face.

After a day of fighting, she had just reached Level Six, which was definitely a record-breaking existence at school.

"I wonder what level Xia Qi is now. He should be Level Five, right?"

"Hehe, if he knew I was already Level Six, he would definitely invite me to team up."

"Even if he's too shy to invite me, if I invite him, he definitely won't refuse."

Yun Qingyue's beautiful eyes were full of confidence and longing. Besides her Yun Family, no other Family in Jiangcheng could set up an upgrade dungeon at home.

"Yue'er!"

Yun Yanghai's voice sounded behind Yun Qingyue.

"Dad, look, I'm already Level Six, isn't that great!"

Yun Qingyue walked up to her father and said excitedly.

At this moment, Yun Qingyue was innocent and natural, without any of the airs of a school beauty.

Yun Yanghai also put away the dignity of a Archmage and lovingly stroked his daughter's head.

"Indeed, my Yun Yanghai's daughter is the best!"

"I knew it."

Yun Qingyue clenched her small fist, looking triumphant and overjoyed.

The butler came up, "Master, Young Miss, please move to the living room to rest. The madam has already prepared refreshments and is waiting for you and the Young Miss."

Yun Yanghai nodded and followed the butler with Yun Qingyue.

Seated in the hall, eating her favorite cake, Yun Qingyue seemed to remember something, "Butler Uncle, the school's upgrade ranking should be out now, right? Quickly tell me who is first and what level they are."

Yun Yanghai, who was drinking tea, suddenly coughed and glared at the butler.

"This... uh... Young Miss, I forgot to ask."

"Then what are you waiting for? Ask quickly! Never mind, I'll just ask my classmates directly."

"Oh, Young Miss, wait a moment...."

The butler covered his face, wanting to stop her, but it was already too late.

A minute later, Yun Qingyue, holding her phone in a daze, put it down. Like a deflated ball, she said, "Xia Qi actually reached Level Seven in the beginner dungeon. I should be happy, but no, this way I won't have an excuse to invite him to team up."

"It's all my fault, I'm too useless, I even upgrade slower than Xia Qi."

Seeing his daughter fall into self-reproach, Yun Yanghai put down his teacup and comforted her, "Daughter, I've heard about Xia Qi. He's an S-Rank Talent Awakener from the same high school as you, but you don't need to care too much. You are my Yun Yanghai's daughter, a mere S-Rank is definitely not your end point."

"Every profession has its own characteristics. Talents like his Thunder Control do upgrade quickly at low levels, but some talents only show their power in the Late Stage. A temporary win or loss really doesn't mean anything."

In short, his words implied that Xia Qi would definitely not be as powerful as Yun Qingyue in the future.

Yun Yanghai had the confidence to say such things.

How could Yun Qingyue not understand such words?

She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her Family background and resources were top-tier in Jiangcheng.

Even if she went to the capital, she would still be outstanding.

Unlike Xia Qi, who had no money or power. Having only a Talent was far from enough.

But how could Yun Yanghai know that his daughter was not blaming herself for being surpassed, but for not finding an excuse to team up with him?

"I know, Dad, I will definitely surpass Xia Qi and make him look at me with new eyes."

Yun Qingyue clenched her small fist, her gaze becoming firm.

"Hmm... Hmm?"

Yun Yanghai felt something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was for a moment.

However, seeing his daughter reignite her fighting spirit, he was still satisfied. This was how his daughter should be.

The next day.

Yun Qingyue arrived at school early in the morning, thinking that since Xia Qi had just become a school celebrity yesterday, he should come to school today.

But she searched all over Class Four and couldn't find any trace of Xia Qi.

"Classmate, did Xia Qi not come today?"

"Xia Qi? I haven't seen him!"

A boy with a face full of acne was very excited to have the school beauty talk to him, but when he heard it was about Xia Qi, he immediately deflated.

After Yun Qingyue left, he looked at his acne-covered face in the tile reflection. With a face comparable to Yan Zu, why didn't the school beauty know how to appreciate it?

After Yun Qingyue left, she waited for a long time at the school gate, but Xia Qi never showed up.

"Hey, Yun Qingyue, why are you standing at the school gate?"

President Wang Changyuan asked with a smile.

"President Wang, did Xia Qi not come today?"

"Him? He went to the East District wilderness to clear a dungeon."

Ah?

Only then did Yun Qingyue realize that Xia Qi, for the sake of a bet, risked going to the wilderness alone to upgrade, and it was all for her.

"So Xia Qi really didn't lie to me. He must be trying so hard to level up to get closer to me. Then I can't fall behind. We'll have sweet duo queues together then!"

Yun Qingyue clenched her small fist and left contentedly.

Looking at Yun Qingyue's departing back, Wang Changyuan rubbed his head, somewhat bewildered, "Is it popular for women to pursue men now? It seems society is changing too fast."

At this moment, Xia Qi, with dark circles under his eyes, arrived in the East District of Jiangcheng by car.

A tall city wall stood there, separating the Human Race's living area from the monster area.

Looking at the giant wall, dozens of meters high, this scene was somewhat like a manga he had seen in his previous life, called 'Wings of Freedom'.

Beyond the city wall was the so-called wild monster area. Here, non-Awakeners were not allowed to enter.

Compared to the school's beginner dungeon, the monsters here had normal strength.

Similarly, here, monsters in dungeons and the wild would give more experience points, and various Materials could also be obtained.

With a bit of luck, some monsters could even drop equipment and special items.

All items had a certain value. If one couldn't use them, they could be placed on the trading market or sold for money on an APP.

Many shops were open on the streets on both sides of the city gate.

Weapon shops, item shops, armor shops, potion shops, etc., had everything.

These were opened by Awakeners or forces with Awakener backgrounds. Under official control, transactions were still very safe.

Of course, besides these, there was also a black market here.

As the name suggests, it specialized in selling illicit goods, and transactions were illegal and not protected by official forces.

Xia Qi's trip, besides going to the dungeon outside the city for upgrades, had another goal: the black market exchange in the East City.

"Here, perhaps there are Talent Awakening potions for sale."

As the bus slowly stopped, Xia Qi followed the crowd off the bus.

He had been awake all night yesterday. Besides thinking about the mysterious bloody words on the ceiling, the remaining time was spent searching for the black market exchange.

After looking around the regular trading market, not long after, Xia Qi, wearing a mask, walked into an empty alley. There was only a dilapidated tavern in front of him.

This was the entrance to the black market.

"What would the guest like to drink?"

Seeing that the newcomer was a young boy, the boss squinted and asked.

Xia Qi showed a slight smile, "Sorry, I don't eat beef."