Su Ming assessed his consumption of natural energy. Based on the strength of the basic Wood Dragon he had just summoned, maintaining Sage Mode for five minutes should be no problem.
The basic Wood Dragon had the strength of a Soul Elder (Spirit Ancestor). With the amplification from Sage Mode, its power was roughly at the level of a Soul King (Spirit King), which was pretty decent.
However, if Su Ming summoned a Wood Dragon that consumed a lot of soul power and had additional soul skill enhancements, he estimated that he wouldn't be able to maintain Sage Mode for five minutes—he'd probably only manage to use about two soul skills.
The good news was that the Wood Dragons summoned with Sage Mode wouldn't disappear when Sage Mode ended.
With a wave of his hand, the two Wood Dragons disappeared, and Xiao Wu hopped over with excitement. "Brother, your Sage Mode is really powerful! It increased your strength by five times!"
Su Ming nodded slightly. At present, the boost from Sage Mode was more than enough. However, without a Sage Body, he couldn't use large-scale techniques like the Great Buddha—such abilities consumed far too much energy.
Now that his training was essentially complete, Su Ming just needed to wait for Ning Rongrong to return with an answer from Ning Fengzhi. With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Distraction Control technique, his Sage Mode's duration would no longer be a problem!
"Brother, what should we do now? It's our break after all—we shouldn't be training all day. We need to relax!" Xiao Wu suggested.
Su Ming thought about it and agreed. After all, there was no rush to continue training at the moment, so some relaxation would be fine. He then looked at Xiao Wu with a playful grin.
Xiao Wu, seeing his expression, felt her heart skip a beat. "Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"
Su Ming, wearing a mischievous smile, replied, "Xiao Wu, look. I've set up a sensory barrier around us—no one outside can see or hear what's happening in here. This is a rare opportunity, and we should do something meaningful with our time. Otherwise, we'll just end up back in our dorms by tonight..."
Before Xiao Wu could react, Su Ming waved his hand, and a small wooden house appeared, enclosing them inside.
"See? Now it's nighttime already."
Xiao Wu pouted and said, "You cheat! That doesn't count!"
Su Ming leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Xiao Wu, don't you think this is a bit more exciting? After all, we're inside a house now, and there's no one around..."
Ah Yin: "I'm sorry, maybe I'm not a person, but you're truly heartless!"
Every time Su Ming and Xiao Wu got intimate, Ah Yin could sense it. Su Ming had never bothered to block her perception. Despite her reluctance to eavesdrop, she couldn't help overhearing every time, blushing furiously.
This time, Su Ming even planned to get intimate with Xiao Wu outdoors. How daring!
Without waiting for Xiao Wu to react, Su Ming made his move, and the two began their "training" together!
(Omitted 10,000 words)
Meanwhile, after teaching Oscar for a few days, Tang San finally had to admit that Oscar couldn't master the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Thus, Oscar gave up.
That morning, Tang San also had time to go into the city. He needed to find a blacksmith shop that he could collaborate with to craft some mid-level hidden weapons. Other than the Dragonbeard Needle, most of his current hidden weapons were falling behind his needs.
If the blacksmith shop had some high-quality materials, he could purchase some to prepare for creating more advanced hidden weapons.
What Tang San didn't know was that while he was busy at the blacksmith shop, the Xiao Wu he liked was happily living her "dream life" with Su Ming!
Tang San's plan was to create a set of hidden weapons, including the Zhuge Crossbow, and present one set to Xiao Wu and another to Ning Rongrong. The others would receive theirs as a courtesy since they were his classmates.
By giving Xiao Wu the hidden weapons, he hoped she'd appreciate their effectiveness and power, which would help increase her affection for him.
As for Ning Rongrong, though she might learn Su Ming's Lingbo Weibu, she would still lack offensive techniques. The hidden weapons could serve as a bridge to foster their connection, and through Ning Rongrong, he aimed to establish ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was known as the wealthiest sect on the continent. If Tang San could secure a partnership with them, he could significantly bolster his personal wealth. That wealth would allow him to collect rare materials for crafting hidden weapons and serve as a foundation for his future plans to establish the Tang Sect.
Around noon, back at the small wooden house, Su Ming and Xiao Wu's "training" had already lasted for two hours.
If it weren't for the fact that it was time for lunch, Su Ming would have wanted to continue. After all, no matter how busy one is, it's important not to neglect meals.
However, Xiao Wu's face was flushed, and Su Ming had to use his fourth spirit skill to help her recover her energy.
Xiao Wu took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and then glared at Su Ming. What had just happened was a bit too much for her. Thankfully, due to Ning Rongrong's departure, Yu Xiaogang and the others didn't come snooping around.
In fact, Xiao Wu found the "outdoor training" rather thrilling.
When they arrived at the dining hall, Su Ming noticed Tang San wasn't there. After asking around, he learned that Tang San had gone into the city early in the morning.
Su Ming quickly deduced that Tang San was likely seeking a blacksmith to collaborate with. Soon, Tang San would probably try to work with Ning Fengzhi through Ning Rongrong.
Oh right, Ning Rongrong still had that sleeve arrow Tang San had given her when they first joined the academy. He wondered if she would show it to Ning Fengzhi when she got home.
Even if she did, it would only raise a bit of curiosity. After all, Ning Rongrong only had a single sleeve arrow, not a full set of hidden weapons like the original story, where the Zhuge Crossbow played a pivotal role. Just a sleeve arrow wasn't enough to attract significant attention.
With this in mind, Su Ming decided he should also start preparing. After lunch, he whispered to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, I need to go into seclusion for a few days."
Xiao Wu, startled, asked, "Brother, why do you suddenly need to go into seclusion? Your strength is already quite high, and you just mastered Sage Mode…"
Su Ming thought for a moment before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "True, but Xiao Wu, have you forgotten? I still have my trump card: talismans. I need to seclude myself and improve them."
Ahem, when Su Ming said he was going into seclusion to "improve," it was actually just to learn something new. Saying "improve" sounded better, but in truth, he was just learning how to make more advanced talismans. Currently, in the training space, he could already create level-three talismans, and he planned to spend a few days in seclusion to see if he could break through to level four.
Soon, the day passed, and Su Ming didn't write in his diary—a rare occurrence. For him, focusing on learning how to make talismans was more important right now. The rewards from the diary weren't as appealing anymore since he didn't feel like he was lacking anything significant at the moment.
System: ... The female leads: Oh, so you're above it all now, huh? You think you're so special?
All the female leads had waited for a long time, but Su Ming never wrote his diary! Without him writing, they couldn't receive any rewards, not even the minimum soul power they would normally get.
Now, they were all frustrated, thinking that Su Ming was probably spending more time with Xiao Wu again, leaving them without their rewards!
Being bound by the system, the female leads couldn't actively seek out Su Ming and had to wait for him to appear. Now, they couldn't even count on their basic rewards, and it made them even more upset.
Xiao Wu: "This is unfair! This time it really wasn't me! I'm being wrongly accused!"
Even Zhu Zhuqing gave Xiao Wu a confused look. Xiao Wu had been with them the entire time, so why hadn't Su Ming written anything?
Xiao Wu explained, "Maybe it's because Su Ming is in seclusion. He told me after lunch that he was going into seclusion for a while."
"I think he'll be in seclusion until the end of the break. And as for food and clothing, Su Ming has plenty of resources stored up…"
Zhu Zhuqing thought for a moment and agreed that this made sense. But still, why did Su Ming suddenly decide to go into seclusion? His current strength...
Zhu Zhuqing asked, "Xiao Wu, did Su Ming tell you why he's going into seclusion?"
"Yes. Zhuqing, do you remember talismans? Su Ming plans to use his seclusion to improve his talisman-making skills. I'm not sure what level of talismans he can make now, though."
Xiao Wu's curiosity was piqued as well. After all, talismans were incredibly versatile, and if Su Ming could mass-produce them, it would be incredibly convenient!
Zhu Zhuqing nodded thoughtfully. "Since Su Ming is working so hard, we shouldn't slack off either. Let's use these next few days to train as well."
Xiao Wu nodded firmly. If Su Ming, even with the system, was working so hard, then they couldn't afford to be lazy either! After all, their fates had already changed for the better, thanks to Su Ming.
Later that afternoon, Ning Rongrong finally returned to her sect. She had rushed back as quickly as possible, having relied on flying spirit masters to carry her while she used her martial spirit to assist them, which allowed her to return so quickly.
She had only stopped to rest in towns during the night, eating dry food on the go, afraid that she wouldn't make it in time. Even so, it had taken her almost a day and a half to return, and she was exhausted.
Calculating the time, this was the third day of the holiday, leaving her four more days. For her return trip, she could ask Grandpa Sword or Grandpa Bone to escort her. If they hurried, the journey wouldn't take too long.
In the grand hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect:
"Father, Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, I'm back! Did you miss me?" Ning Rongrong's cheerful voice rang out from afar.
Even though she was exhausted, she was overjoyed to see her family again after being away for so long.
The three men in the hall exchanged surprised glances. Why had Rongrong suddenly returned? And why hadn't the guards they sent to protect her reported anything in advance?
What they didn't know was that it wasn't that the guards didn't want to report—Rongrong had just traveled so fast that they couldn't keep up!
Ning Rongrong would activate her martial spirit to speed up the flying spirit masters as soon as she had spirit power, leaving them trailing behind her.
Flying Spirit Masters: "We're going to die! This is too much!"
Had Ning Rongrong not been the heir of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they might have complained. After all, they weren't part of the sect's main family. However, this was also a great opportunity—if they performed well, they might earn a promotion.
They were also very curious about why the young lady was in such a rush to return.
When they finally reached the sect, Ning Rongrong promised to reward them generously for their efforts. After all, they had worked hard over the past day and a half, and she knew they deserved some recognition.
In the grand hall:
Bone Douluo, surprised, looked at Sword Douluo and said, "Sword Man, am I hearing things? Did I just hear Rongrong's voice? I must be missing her too much since she's been away for so long."
Sword Douluo rolled his eyes at Bone Douluo but didn't argue because he had heard the voice too!
Ning Fengzhi added, "Alright, Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, you didn't mishear it. I heard her too. It seems Rongrong has returned."
"But it's strange—I haven't received any notification."
Gu Rong cheerfully responded, "Who cares? It's great that Rongrong is back! You don't know how much I've missed her while she's been away. This is the first time she's been gone for so long!"
Before Ning Fengzhi or Sword Douluo could respond, Gu Rong used his spatial abilities to teleport away.
Sword Douluo, irritated, exclaimed, "That old geezer! How dare he run off ahead of me when I want to see Rongrong too!"
With that, Sword Douluo summoned his Seven Killing Sword and swiftly flew after Gu Rong.
Ning Fengzhi, shaking his head with a smile, noted that the two elders still doted on Rongrong just as much as ever. Since they could hear her voice, it was clear she was already outside the hall.
Still, Ning Fengzhi found it strange that the guards hadn't reported anything. Could it be that Rongrong had returned so quickly that she outran them?
If so, it meant that her reason for returning wasn't just to visit. Ning Fengzhi had a feeling this might have something to do with Su Ming.
After all, the last time Rongrong had spoken about going to Shrek Academy, it had been related to Su Ming. Though she accidentally let it slip, she refused to reveal any details afterward. This piqued Ning Fengzhi's curiosity even more.
Moreover, Bone Douluo had met Su Ming during a visit to Shrek and mentioned that Su Ming's talent, strength, and appearance were exceptional. If Rongrong was interested in him, Ning Fengzhi considered Su Ming a perfect candidate for her future husband.
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