Chapter 194 - 165: Staff Technique Mastered, Two Innate Abilities Fused

Chapter 194: Chapter 165: Staff Technique Mastered, Two Innate Abilities Fused

The next morning.

Ji Zhixing woke up early. After washing up, he headed to the cafeteria alone for breakfast.

He grabbed a meal and found a seat by the window. He had only taken a few bites when three people walked over.

"Zhixing!"

Ji Zhixing looked up to see Zhou Han, Tie Shan, and Su Qing. Carrying their trays, the trio sat across from him, looking somewhat surprised.

"Why are you alone today? Where’s Ming Yue?" Su Qing asked. She glanced around but didn’t see Xiao Mingyue anywhere.

"Ming Yue went home. She probably won’t be back for a while," Ji Zhixing explained.

Hearing this, the three of them froze. They exchanged glances and tactfully dropped the subject.

They secretly worried that Xiao Mingyue’s family had found out about her relationship with Ji Zhixing and called her back. In this world, the concept of being well-matched in social status was still deeply ingrained.

Unbothered by their assumptions, Ji Zhixing continued eating while casually chatting with them.

Zhou Han mentioned that they spent most of their days teaming up to hunt gene beasts in the secret realms controlled by the university. It was a way to train their gene abilities while earning money to buy Origin Force gene potions to improve their cultivation. Of course, they weren’t the only ones doing this; most students at Yu City University lived the same way.

"One of the secret realms we frequent now is the Luoyun Secret Realm. It’s teeming with all sorts of gene beasts," Su Qing said. "However, it only opens for three months every year before closing.

"It won’t be long until the Luoyun Secret Realm closes again. When that happens, we’ll have to find another one."

Ji Zhixing nodded slightly. Up until now, he hadn’t visited many secret realms.

The Blood Beast Secret Realm was one, the Spirit Ruins Treasure Land was another, and then there was the Otherworldly Secret Realm he had encountered back in Shihu Town. He hadn’t been anywhere else. Therefore, hearing others talk about different secret realms was quite interesting to him.

"I’m heading out. I have things to do, so I won’t wait for you guys." After chatting for a bit, Ji Zhixing finished his meal early, checked the time, bid them farewell, and walked out of the cafeteria.

"The gap between us just keeps growing," Zhou Han sighed as he watched Ji Zhixing leave.

When they first entered the Blood Beast Secret Realm together, Ji Zhixing’s strength had been about the same as his, perhaps even a bit weaker. But in such a short time, it was as if Ji Zhixing had ascended to an entirely different level.

"Don’t dwell on it," Su Qing shook her head. "You envy his strength, but he’s probably still wondering why he isn’t even stronger.

"I heard that when Ming Yue first came to the university, she was personally escorted by Xiao Yuan, the Guardian Envoy of our base city. If the Xiao family finds out about their relationship and disapproves, the blow to him will likely be devastating."

Zhou Han and Tie Shan shook their heads upon hearing this. Currently, Ji Zhixing was indeed a prominent figure at Yu City University. But compared to a behemoth like the Xiao family, he was still vastly lacking.

"Ji Zhixing..."

Outside, Ji Zhixing had just walked out of the cafeteria when he bumped into someone. It was Ren Pingzhi, his former dormmate from when he first arrived at Yu City University.

Seeing Ji Zhixing, Ren Pingzhi’s expression stiffened slightly. He looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

Ji Zhixing acknowledged Ren Pingzhi with a slight nod, offered a brief "Morning," and walked past him.

There was no bad blood between them. It was just that when Gu Zheng had threatened Ren Pingzhi and the others, they had backed down and moved out of the dorm. It was human nature, and Ji Zhixing had never taken it to heart. However, after such an incident, it was impossible for them to ever be friends.

Ren Pingzhi’s expression shifted unpredictably as he watched Ji Zhixing walk away. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth, pulled out his phone, and sent a message to someone: "I agree to what you proposed."

After sending the text, Ren Pingzhi glanced back in the direction Ji Zhixing had gone, a complex look flashing through his eyes.

"Time to head to the Cultivation Hall."

Ji Zhixing hadn’t noticed Ren Pingzhi’s strange behavior. After leaving the cafeteria, he took a short stroll around the campus before heading straight to the university’s Cultivation Hall, locating the training area he had agreed upon with the instructor yesterday.

It was an indoor Cultivation Chamber located on the first floor of the Cultivation Hall. The chamber was spacious, covering two to three hundred square meters, with floors paved in a specialized alloy.

When he arrived, seven or eight people were already inside, training. Ji Zhixing took a quick glance and noticed that they were all practicing staff techniques as well.

"Ji Zhixing?"

Seeing him enter, the group paused in surprise. Most of them were sophomores and juniors, but Ji Zhixing’s reputation at Yu City University had grown so massive recently that they recognized him instantly.

Seeing them looking his way, Ji Zhixing gave a slight nod in greeting.

Noticing that Mr. Pang Kai hadn’t arrived yet, he didn’t idle around. He drew out his Thunderous Rod, walked over to a corner of the Cultivation Chamber, and began to train by himself.

The purple-gold rod danced in his hands as lightning flashed and the endless rumble of thunder filled the air. He executed every move of the Thunderous Rod Technique with absolute mastery.

"Is that the Thunderous Rod Technique?" someone murmured, recognizing the style Ji Zhixing was practicing. They were mildly surprised he had chosen this particular technique.

A student wondered, "Could he be here to ask Mr. Pang Kai for guidance on this technique?"

"Then we’re in for a good show later."