Volume One: Entering the Path Chapter Seventy-Four: What Is Borrowed Must Be Returned

As the five students left the classroom one after another, Sun Yu withdrew his gaze. There were still others undergoing their assessments, and he needed to supervise them. With this thought, he shook his head, turned back to the patterned light array, and continued to check on the other students.

Once the five had exited the classroom, Li Ling seemed to recall something and called for everyone to stop. The group complied, turning to look at him with questioning eyes, as if asking what he had in mind.

Seeing their attention, Li Ling didn’t bother with pretense and said directly, “Since we seem to get along so well, why don’t we exchange contact information? It’ll make it easier to keep in touch in the future. What do you all think?”

The other four had no objections and nodded in agreement. “Great idea.” “I think it’s a good plan.”

Li Ling, seeing their approval, took the lead. “I’ll start. Let me add you all.”

He proceeded to add everyone, and soon after, the others exchanged contacts as well.

With that done, Li Ling shook his phone and smiled, “Alright, that’s settled. I’ll head off now. See you all tomorrow.”

The group nodded in response, “Goodbye.” “See you tomorrow.”

Ye Junze, seeing the atmosphere, followed suit, “I’ll head back as well. Goodbye, everyone.”

And so, more farewells followed.

After Li Ling and Ye Junze departed, the remaining three glanced at each other, each seemingly intending to leave.

Fan Yan spoke up, “Let’s call it a day. I’ll head back too. Goodbye, everyone.”

“Yeah, I’m getting hungry. Time to fill my stomach,” Lu Renjia nodded, picking up the thread.

Yun Tianhan, hearing this, unconsciously touched his stomach, “Now that you mention it, I’m hungry too.”

“Then you two should hurry back for dinner. I’m off—goodbye,” Fan Yan smiled and waved.

“Goodbye.” “Goodbye.” Lu Renjia and Yun Tianhan waved back in unison.

With that, the three departed separately, leaving the corridor empty.

…

Meanwhile, after bidding farewell to the others, Ye Junze left alone, not in a hurry to return to his dorm. He stood outside, lost in thought.

“With all these spirit stones, I can finally repay senior Lin Xin what I borrowed. I was worried I might not have enough,” Ye Junze murmured to himself.

He continued, “I wonder what senior is doing now, and if she’s free. Maybe I should ask first?”

Resolving to do so, Ye Junze took out his phone and sent Lin Xin a message: “Senior, where are you now? Do you have time?”

Lin Xin didn’t reply immediately. Ye Junze checked the time and saw it was still early, so he wandered about, exploring the surroundings.

The Dao Techniques Department was vast, and he had only glanced around briefly before. There were many details he hadn’t noticed.

After a leisurely stroll, his phone chimed. Hearing the sound, he wondered if it was Lin Xin’s reply. He checked—indeed, it was from Lin Xin.

She replied, “What’s up, junior? Is something the matter? I just finished class.”

Ye Junze smiled at the message and replied, “It’s nothing urgent. I just wanted to return the spirit stones I borrowed from you last time.”

This time, Lin Xin replied much faster, likely because she was free now. Soon, Ye Junze saw her response: “Oh? What did you do, junior? You already have spirit stones to return to me? If it’s not much, you can keep it for yourself. I’m not in a hurry.”

“It’s alright; I have plenty of spirit stones this time. After returning yours, I’ll still have enough for myself. As for how I got them, let me keep it a secret for now. I want to surprise you,” Ye Junze replied.

On the other end, Lin Xin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. She thought for a moment and replied, “Now you’re keeping secrets from your senior? Fine, let’s talk when we meet. Where are you now? I’ll come find you.”

“I’m not far from the teaching building. You should be able to spot me when you arrive,” Ye Junze replied, and, worried she might not find him, he sent his location.

Seeing his thoughtful gesture, Lin Xin smiled and replied, “Oh, you’re there? Wait for me a bit, I’ll be right over.”

“Okay.” Ye Junze waited patiently, standing at the spot.

After reading Ye Junze’s reply, Lin Xin turned to her companions and said, “I have something to do, so I’ll leave first. You guys go ahead.”

Her friends grinned mischievously, “Oh, what’s up with you these days, Xin? You never leave with us after class. Did you really get a boyfriend?”

Others chimed in, “Yeah, what’s going on?”

Lin Xin laughed, “You’re all imagining things. I told you, nothing like that. Anyway, I’m off.”

With that, she turned and jogged away.

Watching Lin Xin leave, one of the girls remarked, “She’s definitely hiding something from us. Forget it, let’s not bother her. So, girls, any plans for today?”

“One store has new cosmetics, want to check them out?” suggested another.

“And someone else’s place has new dishes—I want to eat,” said a slightly plump girl with anticipation.

A friend teased, “You’ve gotten chubbier lately, and you still want to eat.”

“I’m not fat! It’s just water retention from bad sleep!” she protested.

“Yeah, right—who’d believe that?”

The first girl waved her hand, “Alright, no fighting. Let’s go check out everything, one by one.”

…

While Ye Junze paced, glancing at the time and wondering why Lin Xin hadn’t arrived, a familiar voice called out.

“Junior!”

He turned quickly.

When he saw her, Ye Junze smiled and waved, “Senior.”

“Sorry for keeping you waiting. I spent a bit of time on the road,” Lin Xin apologized.

“Not at all, it wasn’t long. No worries,” Ye Junze replied quickly.

Seeing he didn’t mind, Lin Xin asked, “Good, so tell me—what’s going on?”

Just as Ye Junze was about to answer, a rumbling sound interrupted them.

Instantly, Ye Junze’s face flushed red in embarrassment. After a morning of cultivation, he hadn’t realized he was hungry. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Lin Xin, of course, heard the stomach growl. Seeing Ye Junze’s red face, she immediately understood.

With empathy, Lin Xin said, “After a morning of classes, we’re both hungry. Why don’t we get something to eat first? You can explain on the way.”

Ye Junze, grateful for her consideration, replied, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”

“You haven’t been to our school’s dining hall yet, have you?” Lin Xin asked.

Ye Junze thought back; he’d always eaten in the dorm since arriving. He hadn’t visited the dining hall. Curious, he asked, “We have a dining hall?”

“Of course! It’s a school, after all. Most students eat in their dorms because of the teleport array, but we still have a dining hall. It seems you didn’t know. Let me take you there today,” Lin Xin offered.

Ye Junze had no objection and agreed, “No problem, senior. It’s up to you.”

“Great, let’s go.” Lin Xin, knowing Ye Junze didn’t know the way, took the lead.

Ye Junze followed.

On the way, Lin Xin asked, “If I remember right, you had Forge Techniques class today?”

Ye Junze nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”

“Then I think I can guess—you must have done well in the assessment, right?” Lin Xin continued.

Ye Junze smacked his forehead, “Look at me—I forgot to return your spirit stones as I promised.”

He took out the spirit stones he’d prepared and handed them to her, “Eleven in total, senior. Please count.”

Lin Xin didn’t take them right away and waved her hand, “I told you, I’m not in a hurry. You’ve just started cultivating, and you’ll need spirit stones for many things. Keep them for yourself.”

“It’s alright, senior. Please accept them, and I’ll explain everything in detail afterward,” Ye Junze insisted, his gaze resolute.

Lin Xin, seeing his determined expression, thought it might be a matter of pride. She said no more and took the spirit stones, thinking, “I’ll hear him out first. If necessary, I can always return them.”

Once Lin Xin had safely pocketed the stones, Ye Junze withdrew his hand and said, “I forgot to mention it earlier—it’s just as you guessed. In the Forge Techniques assessment this morning, I achieved a good result.”

“Oh? How good?” Lin Xin asked.

Ye Junze scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, unsure how to say he’d come in first.

Lin Xin prompted, “What is it? Is there something you can’t say?”

Ye Junze shook his head, thought a moment, and decided to be direct, “I came in first in the assessment. The teacher said the reward was twenty-five spirit stones, and because my performance was exceptional, I got an extra twenty. That’s why I was able to return yours, and you don’t need to worry—I have plenty now.”

Lin Xin was silent for a long time before finally speaking, “An extra reward? What did you do during the assessment, junior…”

“It wasn’t much,” Ye Junze began, then proceeded to recount everything that had happened during the class.