After dropping those words, Kong Ye Ming resolutely turned and shot into the air, preparing to head straight for the Holy Hall. Mu Chen was taken aback and said, "Hey, I wasn’t finished yet."

Kong Ye Ming paused mid-air and turned his head back. "Is there anything else?" he asked.

Mu Chen thought for a moment, then said sheepishly, "Could you please tell Mu Bingling to meet me by the lake on the north side of the academy tonight? I need to talk to her about something."

Upon hearing this, Kong Ye Ming gave him a knowing look and a lecherous grin. "Heh heh, I’ll be sure to pass the message along."

With that, Kong Ye Ming turned and vanished into the sky in a few flashes, leaving Mu Chen alone, rubbing his nose with a wry smile. He glanced at the sky. It was already approaching noon, the time when classes let out. Mu Chen hadn’t eaten all morning. Since the cafeteria was empty, he decided to get food for Little Tiger, Qing Lei, and the others first to save them from having to queue later.

With that thought, Mu Chen didn’t even bother going back to his dorm and headed straight for the cafeteria. As expected, it was completely empty when he entered. He casually found a table, went to the service window to collect everyone’s meals, and carried them over, one by one. Just as he was setting down the last tray, a sudden cheer erupted from the academy grounds, and countless students began swarming in from outside.

Mu Chen wiped the sweat from his brow. ’Good thing I had the foresight,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I’d have been stuck in a long line again.’

Sitting at the table, Mu Chen kept his eyes on the cafeteria entrance. About three minutes later, a lean, dark-skinned young man came tearing in from outside like a wild beast, his face a ferocious mask as he roared, "LUNCH! I’M HERE!!"

Mu Chen broke into a cold sweat. In a flash, he appeared in front of Little Tiger. With a hook of his arm, Little Tiger felt his entire body lose control, as if he were floating through the air. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself already sitting at a table with his lunch placed right in front of him.

Little Tiger blinked, then looked to his side. "Huh? Brother Mu Chen? How did you get here so fast?"

Mu Chen smiled. "I don’t have classes at the Demon Castle, so I came ahead to get your food and save you from having to wait in line."

"Whoa! That’s awesome! Brother Mu Chen, you have no idea how exhausting classes at the Demon Castle are now. This morning alone, I had to run with weights for hours, and Instructor Lingyun made everyone swing their weapons a thousand times! I’m starving!" Little Tiger cheered, quickly shoveled down two mouthfuls of rice, then grabbed a Firebird leg and started gnawing on it. The way he ate made even the not-so-hungry Mu Chen feel like he hadn’t eaten in ages.

Just then, Ye Shuangshuang, Qing Lei, and Mo Qing walked in. Ye Shuangshuang clutched her stomach. "I wonder if Little Tiger got food yet. I’ve never been this hungry in my life. Instructor Lingyun is something else, being so strict. She made the girls carry the same weight as the boys! Now my waist hurts, and my back hurts! Waaah... I don’t even want to go to class this afternoon."

Qing Lei shot Ye Shuangshuang a contemptuous glance. "Easy for you to say, but you were the one working the hardest during training. Don’t you know you’re not supposed to push yourself that hard when you’re just starting weight training? You’ll be sorry when you pull a muscle."

Ye Shuangshuang put her hands on her hips, looking haughty. "Hmph, well I *am* going to push myself! I refuse to be left in the dust by Brother Mu Chen! I’m going to catch up! And a certain someone shouldn’t be pointing fingers; you train like your life depends on it."

Mo Qing shook her head helplessly. "You two... when will you ever stop?"

"Hmph!" They both snorted coldly and whipped their heads away, refusing to look at each other.

Mu Chen watched this all unfold from his table with a helpless expression, but inwardly, he was pleased. ’This is the kind of atmosphere a close-knit team should have,’ he thought. ’Without it, they’d lose too much of their spirit.’

"Hey, Mo Qing, Shuangshuang, Qing Lei! Over here!"

Mu Chen waved toward the entrance, and the group immediately looked in his direction.

"Mu Chen."

Mo Qing’s face lit up when she saw Mu Chen. Having not seen him all morning, an inexplicable worry had been nagging at her. Now that she saw him, it was as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart.

’She knew such worry was pointless, but every time she glanced at the empty seat beside her, her thoughts would drift to him.’

Ye Shuangshuang and Qing Lei saw Mu Chen too, but their eyes were first drawn to the ravenously eating Little Tiger. Ye Shuangshuang shouted, "AHHH! Little Tiger, how could you start eating before us?! So much for friendship! I’m not hanging out with you anymore!"

Little Tiger mumbled something with his mouth full of greasy food, but no one could understand a word he said. Ye Shuangshuang didn’t care anymore either. Tossing all semblance of ladylike grace to the wind, she grabbed her chopsticks and began to dig in.

Qing Lei and Mo Qing gave the two an odd look before sitting down and starting on their own food. Partway through the meal, Qing Lei asked, "Mu Chen, were you in the library all morning?"

Mu Chen took a bite of rice and shook his head. "No, I left the academy to buy some Healing Herbs at an auction house. I used up the last of my supply in the Tower of Calamity."

"Hmm?" Mo Qing, Ye Shuangshuang, and the others all paused with their chopsticks in hand. "Brother Mu Chen," they asked, bewildered, "you’re a Cauldron Master?"

Although they weren’t Cauldron Masters themselves, they knew that only Cauldron Masters could directly refine Medicinal Herbs into Medicinal Power for Healing. Ordinary martial artists would use pills as a healing aid instead.

Mu Chen blinked. "Did I never tell you guys?"

All four of them shook their heads. Mu Chen rubbed his nose. "Oh. Well, anyway, I went to buy some Medicinal Herbs."

Ye Shuangshuang pouted. "The more I learn, the less I can figure you out. You’re so talented, you have powerful Spiritual Power, and you’re a Cauldron Master... Good heavens..."

Qing Lei was also staring at Mu Chen as if he were some kind of freak. He irritably picked up a piece of meat, stuffed it in his mouth, and after chewing sullenly a few times, said, "It looks like we still have a long road ahead of us. We absolutely can’t let you pull too far ahead. Let’s eat quickly. After this, it’s back to the classroom to train."

Mo Qing was surprised, but also secretly delighted. ’This is the man I like,’ she thought. ’The stronger he becomes, the happier I am.’ But along with her happiness came a sliver of worry. ’He’s so outstanding... am I really good enough for him?’

Lunch passed by quickly, with everyone lost in their own thoughts. But finishing their meal didn’t mean the day’s classes were over. On the contrary, the real training was just beginning that afternoon. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Mo Qing asked, "Mu Chen, are you coming to the classroom this afternoon?"

Mu Chen shook his head. "Not today. I have something else I need to take care of. Once it’s done, I’ll join you all for class."

The matter Mu Chen referred to was, of course, Refining the Gathering Essence Pills. To catch up to the Holy Hall in a short amount of time, the Gathering Essence Pills were essential. With them, the Demon Castle could undoubtedly surpass the entire Holy Hall in less than two years. Mu Chen’s eyes filled with hope at the thought.

Mo Qing was slightly disappointed, but then she had another thought. ’He has things he needs to do, and my role is to support him. Besides, he already said he’ll come back to the Demon Castle to train with us once he’s finished.’

"In that case, we’ll head back to the classroom first," Ye Shuangshuang said, sounding a little dejected. "You should go finish your business too, Brother Mu Chen. Everyone at the Demon Castle really misses you."

For once, Qing Lei nodded in agreement. "Shuangshuang’s right. Everyone at the Demon Castle really does want to train with you."

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "It won’t be long. A week at most, maybe just three days, and I’ll be done. I’ll have a surprise for you all when I get back."

"A surprise? What is it? Can you eat it?" Little Tiger asked.

Dark lines appeared on Mu Chen’s forehead. "It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you what it was. Now, hurry up and get to class. I’ve only been away from the Demon Castle for a few days, why is everyone acting like I’m leaving for good? Don’t worry about rushing back tonight; I’ll still come ahead of time to get your dinners."

Only after hearing this did the four’s expressions turn from worry to joy. After thanking him profusely, they headed happily toward the Demon Castle. Mu Chen watched their retreating figures with a faint smile before turning and walking toward the High-Level Dormitories.

Back at the dorm, Mu Chen didn’t go to his own room but headed straight for the training room. There, he knew he wouldn’t be disturbed.

Upon entering the training room, he saw the light screens were still shimmering as before. The spots he had damaged had already repaired themselves. ’This is a perfect place for Alchemy.’

Having reached this conclusion, Mu Chen sat cross-legged in the center of the room. He waited for his Mental Realm to calm before slowly opening his eyes. The Purple Sky Demon Pupils activated on their own, and black patterns materialized around his eye sockets as a sinister, bewitching aura erupted from his body.

For Alchemy, he needed to maintain an extremely focused Spiritual Power. With a single thought, the White Dragon Cauldron emerged from his chest with a WHOOSH. Nine small white dragons circled endlessly on the ventless body of the cauldron. Wisps of white mist swirled around the White Dragon Cauldron, making it look like an Immortal Cauldron.

His ring flashed, and the ingredients for ten portions of Gathering Essence Pills appeared before him: Vermilion Grass, Star Blue Flower, and Wuling Root. The moment these three different-colored Medicinal Herbs appeared, the White Dragon Cauldron emitted a low hum. The nine white Little Dragons instantly flew from the cauldron’s body and, in a flash, enveloped all ten portions of the herbs.

Mu Chen was stunned. Before he could even figure out what was happening, the nine White Dragons flew back into the cauldron with the Medicinal Herbs. For a moment, red, blue, and black lights flickered on the exterior of the White Dragon Cauldron before merging into a purplish-red radiance. By the time Mu Chen snapped out of his daze, the nine White Dragons had already delivered ten purplish-red pills into his hands.

Mu Chen stared in disbelief at the ten perfectly round, glossy pills in his hand, his mouth agape. "It can do that?!"