After getting everything in order, Yu Fei went to Principal Cao Le’an and requested a long leave of absence. For him now, staying in school was no different from wasting time.

No. 2 High School had suffered heavy losses in the previous battle. While it was relatively easy to find replacements for the academic teachers, there was a huge shortage of martial arts instructors. After Yan Hai’s departure, the school couldn’t even find a single third-realm teacher to serve as the chief martial arts instructor.

Yu Fei cultivated a second-realm, ultimate-grade Cultivation Technique, and there wasn’t a single teacher in the entire county qualified to instruct him.

Before he left, Zhang Qingyu sent him an invitation. The gist of it was that the students were grateful to Yu Fei for saving them all and were having a get-together on the weekend. He smiled and agreed to go, seeing it as a chance to say an early farewell to his classmates.

"Yu Fei, you’re just leaving like that?"

Li Mengyao twirled a strand of hair around her finger, a reluctant look on her face. She had, without realizing it, let her hair grow long. The dark strands wrapped around her finger, an unspoken affection made plain.

Yu Fei, who was packing his things, turned to look at her. He remembered her scraped wrists and worried eyes from that day. His gaze drifted unconsciously to the twin peaks on her chest, and the thought that had crossed his mind when Di Yunliang’s attack had left him on the verge of death surfaced once again.

’Truly... exceptionally gifted.’

Noticing his gaze, she couldn’t help but blush. She turned and pulled a bottle of yogurt drink from her desk.

"Want some? It’s peach flavor."

Yu Fei took it. "What? Gonna miss me?"

Li Mengyao huffed. "Just get lost already. You’re always acting like such a show-off. It’s so annoying."

"Hahaha..."

He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her.

"What’s this? A super VIP card for the Aurora Martial Arts Hall?"

Li Mengyao asked, confused. She remembered that Du Mingxuan and Yu Fei used to train at this hall in the evenings. It was just that the prices were so high that ordinary people couldn’t afford it.

Yu Fei smiled. "For certain reasons, the Aurora Martial Arts Hall belongs to me now. So, I’m giving you some special treatment. You can train here at night. Try to break through the three gates of the first realm as soon as possible."

Li Mengyao was astonished. "What’s going on with you? How did you suddenly become the boss?"

As she spoke, she looked Yu Fei up and down suspiciously.

"You didn’t get yourself a sugar mommy, did you?"

Hearing this, Yu Fei almost spat out his yogurt drink. He reached out and flicked her on the forehead.

"Can’t you think of something normal for once? That martial arts hall is Mr. Yan’s fiancée’s property. I’m now his only personal disciple. They had to leave for some business, so they left the hall to me."

Yu Fei explained.

Li Mengyao’s expression turned to one of envy. "Fine, you win. Another chance for you to show off."

After packing up his things, Yu Fei leaned in and whispered to Li Mengyao, "Remember to come to the hall after school. There’s a surprise!"

She watched quietly as Yu Fei left. When his figure disappeared from sight, she felt an inexplicable sense of panic. ’With a guy this amazing, do I still have a chance?’

The image of Yu Fei in the school auditorium that day, slaying a group of cultists, had left a deep impression on everyone. Powerful, sharp, and handsome—he was like a protagonist who had stepped right out of an anime.

The seat beside her was empty, and so was her heart.

"My looove... ah~ Do you know my heart’s desire~ This little heart of mine..."

From the desk behind her, Xiaoqiang squinted his eyes, clutching a pen like a microphone. He was belting out a popular song in an old-fashioned opera style, and it was both bizarre and utterly ear-splitting.

Li Mengyao was immediately snapped out of her melancholy. Flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, she rolled up her textbook and started whacking him on his chubby head.

"You’re so loud! What are you caterwauling about?"

"Ow! What’s my singing got to do with you?"

"I’m telling you to stop!"

"Tch, such a violent girl..."

"WHACK! ...WHACK WHACK WHACK."

That evening, Du Mingxuan and Li Mengyao arrived at the martial arts hall together. The place hadn’t changed much, but Jia Yun was now Yu Fei’s personal assistant, and she had gotten another raise.

Yu Fei and Gao Yunxiang greeted them and led them to a training room. It was clear that Li Mengyao was a little reserved, and Du Mingxuan’s words were no longer as casual as before, now tinged with a certain respect.

Changes in strength and status always subtly influence social relationships. Few in this world are truly unswayed by fame and fortune.

This was the training room where Su Yue had originally trained Yu Fei. The entire eastern wall was gone, replaced by a huge, retractable glass panel. Cultivating here in the morning, one could watch the great sun rise in the east.

"From now on, you two can come here to cultivate in the evenings. I’ll teach you!"

Yu Fei began introducing the various pieces of equipment, speaking mainly to Li Mengyao, as Mr. Du was already familiar with the facilities.

Listening to Yu Fei’s voice, Li Mengyao’s heart leaped with excitement. ’If only it were just the two of us here,’ she thought.

"Alright, what level are you two at now?"

Du Mingxuan eagerly replied, "Sixty percent of the way through Flesh Tempering. As for fist techniques, I’ve only reached minor mastery in the Single-Line Pierce Style. The others are just at the initiation level."

Li Mengyao said in a low voice, "Twenty percent through Flesh Tempering. For fist techniques... there are two I haven’t even begun, and I haven’t reached minor mastery in a single one."

Before Yu Fei could speak, Gao Yunxiang added, "Forty percent through Blood Tempering. For fist techniques, I’m only at the initiation level with Dragon and Snake Double Stack, but I’ve reached major mastery in the Single-Line Pierce Style and minor mastery in the others."

Yu Fei was exasperated. "Mr. Gao, what are you getting involved for?"

Gao Yunxiang waved his hand. "You can’t say that. Since I’m the chief instructor of the martial arts hall, my strength can’t be too weak, right? With a genius like you teaching, I’m hoping some of it will rub off on your old Mr. Gao. I want to improve, too."

"Alright, then let’s all improve together! First, some good news: we have more than enough Vitality Elixirs here, so everyone can just focus on cultivating. I’ll set aside two hours every evening to teach you Cultivation Techniques and fist techniques. Our goal is to reach the Bone Gate level before graduation next year. That way, getting into a good university will be a sure thing!"

"Alright! Thank you, thank you, Mr. Yu."

Du Mingxuan said cheekily.