Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
Returning to the palace, Zhao Kuo needed to rest and recover his strength.
After helping Zhao Kuo stabilize his mystic crystal, Hao Ren took an amount of nature essence from the mystic crystal and needed some time to settle it down.
“Brother, congratulations!”
Standing at the gate of the palace, Zhao Guang greeted Zhao Kuo in happiness.
With the mystic crystal in his body, Zhao Kuo emitted an extraordinary presence with nature essence all over his body.
Usually, the simpler the cultivator’s elemental attribute was, the easier the process of planting mystic crystal.
For Su Han who had both metal and water attributes, it was difficult for her to find a proper mystic crystal and complicated for her to use it.
If not for his previous experience of planting the mystic crystal, Zhao Kuo probably couldn’t have succeeded in using the Seven-Core Five-Color Lotus which had five-elemental nature essences.
In fact, during the entire day when he used the mystic crystal, Zhao Kuo was in danger multiple times! Each time, Elder Xingyue helped him and solved the problems for him.
However, no one knew if the mystic crystals with more elemental attributes were more powerful than those with only one element.
The great increase in Zhao Kuo’s strength that came after he used the mystic crystal was because the Seven-Core Five-Color Lotus was one of the best mystic crystals instead of the fact that it contained five elements.
“Third Uncle, I told you that you would be OK!” Zhao Yanzi rushed into the palace and said happily.
“Hehe, your third uncle is a lucky man. How could anything happen to me?” Zhao Kuo said heartily.
He glanced at Hao Ren who came in with Zhao Yanzi and said, “Seven-Core Five-Color Lotus is indeed a grand mystic crystal. If I can find another one, I’ll bring it to you!”
He didn’t expect Hao Ren to reach Dui-level and didn’t think he needed a mystic crystal. However, Hao Ren’s performance had astonished him, giving him a vague hope that this young man would one day become a master.
Especially when Hao Ren practiced the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll with him a moment ago. He was afraid that Hao Ren, a Gen-level cultivator, wouldn’t be able to withstand the suppression of his nature essence. However, Hao Ren absorbed all the extra nature essence to his surprise.
Zhao Kuo didn’t know that the old Grandma who was a Soul Formation Realm cultivator had injected a trace of vital energy of nature into Hao Ren’s body, and it even stored Zhao Haoran’s 1,000 years of cultivation strength, not to mention the small amount of energy from the mystic crystal.
Zhao Kuo felt like he owed Hao Ren a favor for taking the Seven-Core Five-Color Lotus which Hao Ren could also use. However, his usage of the mystic crystal was, in fact, opening a way for Hao Ren in the future, and he wondered if there was another Seven-Core Five-Color Lotus in the world.
“Ok! I’m glad you’d do that for me!” Hao Ren answered brightly.
“Brother, you are tired. Go and rest,” Zhao Guang patted Zhao Kuo on the shoulder and said with concern.
“Ok!” Zhao Kuo turned and entered the palace. In the massive Summer Palace, there was a special cultivation place and bedroom for Zhao Kuo.
Standing by Zhao Hongyu’s side, Elder Xingyue watched Zhao Kuo strode away with a trace of helplessness in her eyes.
“Ren, you should go and rest too. You’ve done a lot,” Zhao Guang looked at Hao Ren and said.
“Ok.” Hao Ren nodded, expecting Premier Xia to show him the way.
However, Zhao Hongyu said, “Why don’t you share a room with Zi?”
“What?!” Zhao Yanzi froze for a moment and yelled in protest, “Mom!”
She had grown more attached to Hao Ren recently and was jealous during the days when Hao Ren kept Xie Yujia company in the U.S.
However, when Zhao Hongyu told them to share a room, she was resistant.
Is there anything wrong with what I said?” Zhao Hongyu glanced at her helplessly before looking at Hao Ren. “The Grade Nine courses are tough. Can you help her out by tutoring her for a bit?”
“I will, Auntie,” Hao Ren agreed with pleasure.
Recently, while Zhao Yanzi lived in the palace and he stayed in the forest, they didn’t spend long periods of time together. The only time they met was when they joined forces to fight Zhao Kuo each day, and they had grown closer to each other while they worked on their sword techniques together.
Zhao Yanzi pouted but didn’t dare to say more.
When they entered Zhao Yanzi’s bedroom, Hao Ren shut the door after him.
“What… are you trying to do?” Zhao Yanzi looked at Hao Ren warily.
“Don’t you shut the door when you enter a room?” Hao Ren asked before opening the windows facing the ocean.
It was a great pleasure in seeing the sceneries outside from inside the palace.
The ocean breeze blew in from the windows, bringing a chill and comfortable feeling. Even though the sky had been filled with gales and dark clouds only a moment ago, it was all calm now.
“Hey.” Zhao Yanzi turned suddenly and bumped Hao Ren’s belly with her elbow. “Elder Lu said the demon beasts all came from the Demon Sea. Why don’t we go there and play for a bit?”
“Demon Sea?” Hao Ren looked at her with a weird expression. “You?”
“Humph! What do you mean?” Zhao Yanzi wrinkled her nose and snorted.
“When you reach the Core Formation Realm, I’ll take you there,” Hao Ren said.
“Oh… You better promise!” Zhao Yanzi grabbed the opportunity to make him promise.
“I promise. I promise…” Exasperated, Hao Ren pulled over an antique armchair and sat down.
On the exquisite wooden desk were Grade Nine textbooks.
“Have you read them all?” Hao Ren turned his head and asked her.
“Mostly. They are not difficult!” Zhao Yanzi said.
Hao Ren nodded and knew she wasn’t boasting. As one of the best middle schools in East Ocean City, LingZhao Middle School had a tight schedule and taught some concepts that belonged to Grade Nine in Grade Eight. For example, Chemistry was a class that only were taught to Grade Nine students everywhere else at East Ocean City, but LingZhao Middle School had it in Grade Eight.
Such a tight schedule was a bit hard for lazy students like Zhao Yanzi.
However, due to this tight schedule, Grade Nine was comparatively easier since they would spend the whole year reviewing and preparing for the high school entrance exam.
Math, Physics, Chemistry, English… While Hao Ren flipped through the textbooks, Zhao Yanzi sat down beside him and waited patiently.
She got ranked no.3 in the class this time, and it was mainly because of Hao Ren. That was why she no longer doubted Hao Ren’s tutoring ability.
Zhao Hongyu brought her Grade Nine textbooks to learn during the summer in the hope that she wouldn’t lag during the new school year. To maintain her academic performance, Zhao Yanzi could only rely on Hao Ren.
Not used to Zhao Yanzi’s good behavior, Hao Ren felt a bit strange.
He had complicated feelings for Zhao Yanzi. Although he liked her a lot, he also felt weird to be with a young girl from middle school.
While Zhao Yanzi sat quietly by his side, a delicate fragrance unique to girls of her age permeated the surroundings.
The palace was built in ancient times. In those times, girls married at Zhao Yanzi’s age.
Zhao Yanzi looked at Hao Ren quietly, thinking that he was a nice guy. However, she couldn’t help messing with him, especially when he was with Xie Yujia…
Now, she thought it felt nice to have Hao Ren sit by her side and read books in all seriousness.
Except for the time when they just met, Zhao Yanzi never regarded Hao Ren as a university student after she got to know him better.
Hao Ren felt like a high school student who was only one or two years older than her to her. His shyness, pure mind, carefulness with feelings, the youthful face which showed every emotion he had…
Subconsciously, Zhao Yanzi leaned into Hao Ren’s arms. Instead of pushing her away, Hao Ren brought his arm around her waist, holding her lightly while he continued to flip through the books.
Zhao Yanzi’s middle school textbooks were a bit different from those of Hao Ren’s, which was why Hao Ren had to study them carefully before he could tutor her.
With a racing heart, Zhao Yanzi lifted her head slightly and looked up at Hao Ren’s face.
She blushed slightly with a sense of happiness.
Young girls her age liked to fantasize. Although Zhao Yanzi called him ‘Uncle’ from time to time, she never regarded him as an Uncle. Instead, Hao Ren was a typical handsome boy in her mind.
While time ticked on, Zhao Yanzi felt cozy leaning lazily in Hao Ren’s arms. Like a kitten lying in her master’s arms, she didn’t want to move.
However, Hao Ren stretched his body and exhaled deeply. “Done.”
“Oh…” Zhao Yanzi looked up at him.
With her back against Hao Ren’s chest, she felt warm and comfortable.
Hao Ren placed his hands on her delicate shoulders and pushed her up while he looked out of the window. “It’s almost time for bed.”
“I need to change into my pajamas. You can bath outside!” Zhao Yanzi’s blush disappeared, and she yelled at Hao Ren.
“Got it… Why are you so mad…?” Baffled, Hao Ren stood up and walked out of the room.
In the yard outside of the palace was an ancient well.
Hao Ren drew up a bucket of water and washed his body. Then, he circulated the fire-elemental nature essence and dried his body and clothes up.
When he returned to Zhao Yanzi’s room, she was already in bed wearing her strawberry pajamas.
“She brought everything here, including her pajamas…” Looking around and finding no place to sleep, he walked to the bed and asked, “Where should I sleep?”
Zhao Yanzi got angry instantly at this question. She just thought he was simple-minded, but now he looked like an idiot.
The Summer Palace was not as big as the East Ocean Dragon Palace, and the room allocated to Zhao Yanzi was far smaller than her bedroom in the East Ocean Dragon Palace.
Likewise, the bed was smaller too.
