Chapter 159: Magnanimity and Lack of Politeness

After Li Xi left, the students inside the classroom also dispersed in groups of threes and fours.

Li Ling looked at Ye Junze and the others, asking, "Shall we head back too?"

The few of them nodded and replied in unison, "Okay."

Then, the five of them set off together towards the outside of the classroom just like usual.

After leaving the teaching building, they walked towards the exterior of the Taoist Dharma Department.

As they walked along, Yun Tianhan suddenly spoke up, "Speaking of which, we had that class meeting for so long and I never checked the time. What time is it now?"

Hearing this, Lu Renjia beside him glanced at his watch and replied, "A little past three, almost four o'clock. Why do you ask?"

Yun Tianhan nodded to acknowledge he heard, and muttered to himself, "Only this late, huh."

Lu Renjia said, "Yeah, do you have something to take care of?"

Seeing Yun Tianhan acting like this, Ye Junze could easily guess what was on his mind.

Ye Junze said with a smile, "I bet he's thinking about that treat Li Ling promised us."

Hearing this, Yun Tianhan scratched his head with some embarrassment and said, "How did you figure that out? Are you a roundworm in my stomach, Ye Junze?"

Ye Junze raised his middle finger and scolded with a smile, "Go on with you."

Seeing this, Li Ling and the other two burst out laughing. This truly was typical Yun Tianhan style.

Li Ling said understandingly, "But since it's still early, I suppose everyone isn't hungry yet. Would it be too early to go for the treat now?"

His words showed no sign of annoyance that Yun Tianhan kept dwelling on the promised treat.

The others all nodded in agreement.

Yun Tianhan said with a deep sense of resonance, "Yeah, yeah. We sat in the classroom right after lunch and haven't digested much. My stomach really isn't hungry at all."

Fan Yan covered her mouth and teased, "Well then, why don't you go back and do some exercise to digest what's in your stomach first?"

Hearing this, Yun Tianhan lowered his head as if pondering something. Finally, he nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Alright, if we can do that, it's naturally for the best. I have no objections."

Hearing Yun Tianhan ponder for so long only to reach such a conclusion, Ye Junze and the others burst into laughter, though they didn't blame him.

Li Ling smiled and said, "What you say makes sense. It is indeed still early, and if we go eat right now, nobody probably has much appetite. How about we head back first, and when the time is right, I'll invite everyone out for dinner?"

Ye Junze nodded, "That works too."

Fan Yan wore an indifferent expression and smiled, "Fine by me. Since someone else is treating, I certainly have no objections."

Lu Renjia also smiled and said, "Same here. I've never objected to a free meal."

Hearing this, Li Ling said, "Alright then, since none of you object, let's meet up at eight o'clock. I'll send everyone a message to notify you then."

Ye Junze nodded in response, "Okay, sorry to trouble you."

"What's there to be polite about? I already promised to treat you all, no need to stand on ceremony with me," Li Ling waved his hand dismissively and said, "Besides, I mentioned before that I'm quite wealthy, so you don't need to save money for my sake."

Yun Tianhan didn't treat himself as an outsider at all and said quite ungratefully, "Great, then I'll be shamelessly taking advantage again tonight. Time to fleece the wealthy landlord once more."

With a smile on her face, Fan Yan looked at Yun Tianhan and said, "That word 'again' carries profound meaning. You certainly didn't hold back last time Li Ling treated either, you guy."

Yun Tianhan was not annoyed at all upon hearing this, and simply retorted, "Big Sis Fan, some things are better kept to themselves. Why did you have to say it out loud? Keep this up and we won't even be able to remain friends."

Fan Yan curled her lips upon hearing this, but said nothing more.

Looking at the group, Li Ling said, "Alright, let's all head back for now and gather again tonight."

Hearing this, Ye Junze and the others answered in unison, "Okay."

After saying that, the group separated once again, each walking towards their respective dormitory buildings.

As for Ye Junze, he naturally walked towards the Qian Character Building together with Yun Tianhan.

......

The two chatted casually along the way, but their conversation naturally focused more on Li Ling being elected as their class monitor today.

With a hint of emotion in his tone, Yun Tianhan said, "I really didn't expect this. Setting aside the fact that we already knew Li Ling, I never imagined so many other people would be willing to cast their votes for him. Were they really moved by Li Ling's speech?"

Ye Junze never dwelled too much on such matters. Now that Li Ling was already the class monitor and everything was settled, he was even less inclined to overthink it.

Hearing what Yun Tianhan said, Ye Junze merely replied, "Who knows? Maybe so."

Yun Tianhan nodded and said, "True, whatever. At least having him elected is good; it means we have another chance to fleece a wealthy patron."

After pondering for a moment, Yun Tianhan continued, "That thing the teacher mentioned at the end today about the academy grand tournament is quite similar to what Li Ling told us a few days ago, but we still don't know the specific rules."

Hearing this, Ye Junze thought for a moment and said, "The teacher probably did it for our own good. After all, knowing too much right now is useless to us. He probably hopes we can put more of our energy into cultivation."

"That makes sense too." Yun Tianhan nodded without denying it, but then changed the subject, "Still, is there a possibility that the specific rules for this year's academy grand tournament haven't been finalized yet, which is why the teacher was reluctant to tell us too much?"

Hearing Yun Tianhan's conjecture, Ye Junze nodded in response, "That possibility can't be ruled out either."

With that, chatting as they walked, the two finally returned to the foot of the Qian Character Building.

Upon reaching their destination, the two bid each other farewell and walked toward their respective dormitories.

Back in his dorm, Ye Junze checked the time; it had just turned four o'clock.

Recalling what Li Ling had said about gathering for the treat at eight o'clock, Ye Junze muttered to himself, "It's still early. I might as well cultivate for a bit since I'm not tired."

After all, Li Xi had practically made her intentions clear today—she wanted them to focus on cultivation and possess sufficient strength to face the academy grand tournament.

Yet, even if Li Xi hadn't said anything, Ye Junze would have cultivated diligently on his own. After all, his goal extended far beyond a mere academy grand tournament; there were deeper truths that he needed to explore and understand for himself.

Naturally, the prerequisite for all of that was for Ye Junze to possess enough strength to remain safe and sound after uncovering those truths.

Having made up his mind, Ye Junze quickly tidied up, crossed his legs on the bed, and once again entered the Taixu Illusion Realm.

Seeing Ye Junze enter, Ling Ling instantly lit up with joy, greeting him with a radiant face full of happiness, "Master, you're here!"

Hearing this, Ye Junze nodded and let out a soft acknowledgment.

Catching Ling Ling, Ye Junze smiled and said, "There's nothing much going on today, so I'm here to cultivate."

Ling Ling nodded obediently to show she understood.

Ye Junze rubbed Ling Ling's little head and said with a smile, "I'll start cultivating now then. We can talk about other things later."

With that, as if remembering something else, Ye Junze called out into the empty air, "Meng Yuan!"

Just as Ye Junze's voice trailed off, Meng Yuan's voice sounded, "I'm here. What are your instructions?"

Hearing Meng Yuan's voice, Ye Junze waved his hand and said, "Nothing much. There's just a gathering tonight, make sure to call me at eight o'clock."

When Ye Junze finished speaking, Meng Yuan replied, "Understood. I've noted it down and will remind you when the time comes."

Receiving Meng Yuan's reply, Ye Junze nodded in reassurance. After all, Meng Yuan was always very reliable when handling tasks.

Afterward, Ye Junze set Ling Ling down and said, "I'm going to cultivate now."

"Go ahead, Master, you can do it!" As she spoke, Ling Ling vigorously waved her tiny fist in the air, as if cheering Ye Junze on.

Ye Junze smiled without saying anything further.

Then, he walked over to his usual spot, sat down, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

Soon enough, the Taixu Illusion Realm returned to its customary peaceful state.

However, with Ling Ling occasionally fluttering around freely and making the odd sound here and there, it didn't feel overly desolate.

And when Ling Ling grew tired from playing, she would occasionally sit down to rest, especially fond of settling right beside Ye Junze just like before.

It was as if she immensely enjoyed the warmth radiating from Ye Junze, or perhaps because Ling Ling was gradually growing to depend on him, making anywhere Ye Junze was feel warm to her.

Naturally, Ye Junze, who was deeply immersed in cultivation, remained entirely unaware of these details.

And so time continued to slip away amid Ling Ling's occasional playful antics and Ye Junze's steady cultivation.

......

When the time reached precisely eight o'clock—the hour Ye Junze had entrusted to Meng Yuan—Meng Yuan's voice rang out, "It is now eight o'clock."

Of course, the sound produced by Meng Yuan in this manner would not disrupt Ye Junze while he was deeply immersed in cultivation, nor would it cause any deviation or cultivation backlash.

Hearing Meng Yuan's voice, Ye Junze opened his eyes shortly after.

Ye Junze spoke up, "Is it eight already?"

Hearing this, Meng Yuan replied, "Yes."

Receiving the confirmation, Ye Junze stood up and said, "Alright, I know. Thank you."

"You are welcome."

With that, Meng Yuan fell silent once more.

Sensing that Ye Junze had woken up, Ling Ling skipped over to his side.

Ling Ling said in pleasant surprise, "Master, you're awake!"

Ye Junze smiled and nodded, "Mhm, but there are still some things outside that I need to take care of, so I have to leave now."

Hearing this, a fleeting trace of disappointment crossed Ling Ling's face, though it vanished almost instantly.

Ling Ling obediently replied, "I know. Then you should go ahead, Master."

Noticing the shift in Ling Ling's emotions, Ye Junze picked her up and rubbed her little head.

Instantly, Ling Ling looked thoroughly pleased, her face beaming with a somewhat blissful expression.

Ye Junze smiled, set Ling Ling down, and said, "Alright, see you tomorrow."

Ling Ling responded, "Goodbye, Master."

With a wave of his hand, Ye Junze exited the Taixu Illusion Realm.

As soon as Ye Junze opened his eyes, he noticed a new message notification on his phone.

Opening it, he saw it was indeed from Li Ling: "Ye Junze, I've already arrived at the school cafeteria. You guys can come straight over, I'm waiting for you here."

After reading the message, Ye Junze replied, "Got it, be there soon."

Then, he put away his phone, freshened up briefly, and headed out once again.