Zhi Yan returned to the living room a few minutes later, her hair still slightly damp, now dressed in a loose T-shirt and casual shorts. The sharp edge she usually carried was softened by the relaxed clothes.

Lin Fang was sitting on the couch, head slightly lowered, scrolling through his phone with quiet focus. Xuan Hei lay curled beside him, half-asleep, her tail flicking now and then. When Zhi Yan sat down across from him, he seemed to sense it and put the phone away without being prompted.

She tilted her head at him. “Are you going somewhere?”

Lin Fang blinked. “Huh?”

“You look ready to head out,” she continued, eyeing his neat clothes. “All dressed up this early.”

He frowned slightly, confusion flashing across his face. “What? I thought we had a train at eight-thirty.”

Zhi Yan stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Eight-thirty in the evening.”

Lin Fang froze. “Evening?”

“Of course,” she said, still amused. “It’s a train journey after all.”

He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then leaned back against the couch with a long sigh. “So when you said eight-thirty yesterday…”

“I meant PM,” she nodded. “Who even takes morning trains for long-distance travel anymore? And it takes 13 hours to travel. Isn’t an overnight journey the most logical?”

Lin Fang rubbed his forehead. “I didn’t even think about that.”

Xuan Hei lifted her head and glanced between them, as if enjoying the exchange.

After a moment, Lin Fang straightened. “So… what do we do today then?”

Zhi Yan leaned back, folding her arms, a mischievous smile slowly creeping onto her face. “So now you’re brave enough to go out again?”

Lin Fang snorted softly. “I wasn’t being a coward. I was thinking about Xuan Hei.”

He reached over and gently tapped the small werewolf’s head. “And besides, we did end up stuck in an instant dungeon because of it. That wasn’t exactly unnecessary worry.”

The smile on Zhi Yan’s face faded slightly. She lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I should have listened.”

Lin Fang waved it off immediately. “It’s fine. Nothing bad happened in the end.”

He paused, then added, “Since we didn’t finish shopping yesterday, we could continue that. Or maybe just walk around, see a few tourist spots.”

Zhi Yan hummed thoughtfully. “Hmm… actually, I had another idea.”

He glanced at her. “What is it?”

“We can go to the Hunter Academy,” she said.

Lin Fang frowned. “Why there?”

“I heard Master Xyl is giving a lecture this afternoon,” Zhi Yan explained. “We can’t attend the class itself, but outsiders are allowed to watch from the observation gallery. It’s rare. A lot of people come just for that.”

Lin Fang’s expression stiffened, almost imperceptibly.

Master Xyl.

Jin Di.

Just the name made him feel a faint headache forming.

He let out a quiet breath and shook his head. “I think I’ll pass.”

Zhi Yan looked surprised. “Really?”

“I’ve had enough fighting and ranking nonsense for now,” Lin Fang said calmly. “I just want a day where I don’t think about hunters and dungeons for a while.”

He smiled faintly. “I want to feel like a normal person for once.”

Zhi Yan listened quietly as Lin Fang spoke, her arms loosely folded as she leaned against the doorframe. When he finished, she let out a slow breath, the tension in her shoulders easing.

“So… what’s the plan?” she asked, looking at him sideways.

Lin Fang nodded, his tone relaxed but firm. “Let’s split up and do whatever you want. I want to walk around, shop a bit, maybe watch a movie, and eat street food. Normal stuff.” He paused, then added lightly, “Nebula and Xuan Hei will be with me. I’ll be fine.”

Zhi Yan’s eyes drifted toward the small wolf pup dozing near the bed. Xuan Hei opened one eye, met her gaze, then shut it again without concern. Nebula, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, gave a faint nod as if the matter was already settled.

Zhi Yan exhaled through her nose and nodded. “Alright. I guess that makes sense.”

They parted ways not long after. Lin Fang returned to his room, changed into simple casual clothes, and shut the door behind him. The room grew quiet, broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioner. Xuan Hei jumped onto the bed, curled into a tight ball, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Unlike what he claimed to be a normal life, he actually sat down cross-legged on the floor again, his expression sharpening as he opened the Training Grounds once more.

White space unfolded around him.

The familiar yellow crystal loomed ahead, and moments later he was back inside Cragstone Expanse.

He didn’t waste time. The mana pickaxe formed in his hands, and he descended into the mines with practiced movements. Stone shattered. Crystals rang out as they fell free. Sweat dampened his collar as hours slipped by unnoticed.

Three hours later, he stopped, his breathing steady but heavy. This time, he didn’t summon the Sword of Goujian.

Instead, the twin daggers appeared in his hands.

Lin Fang sat down, placing one dagger across his knees, the other beside it. One by one, he fed elemental crystals into their blades. Each contact sent a faint tremor through his arms. Ninety minutes passed in focused silence, broken only by the soft hum of energy being absorbed.

Then the daggers began to vibrate.

They lifted from his hands, hovering midair as a sharp resonance filled the space. Lin Fang narrowed his eyes, watching closely. After a few seconds, they dropped back down, embedding themselves lightly into the stone.

A notification shimmered into view.

*Ding!

[Dagger of Xuanwu has been upgraded.]

[Skill: Twin Fang Slash — Each dagger deals 150% bonus damage per strike.

Cooldown: 300 seconds.]

Lin Fang picked them up slowly, testing the weight, the balance. He nodded to himself.

“Good,” he murmured. “That’s enough for today.”

The Training Grounds dissolved.

***

Meanwhile, elsewhere in a residential neighborhood;

“Ha” “Ha” “Eiiya”

In the front yard of a mansion, an adolescent beauty darted forward with her fists flying at her father, who effortlessly evaded each strike.

Her kicks sliced through the air, but he sidestepped with ease, with a smirk constantly on his lips as if he wanted to agitate her.

And the tactic was quite successful too.

“Argh… c’mon, Uncle. Let me hit you once.” Vera huffed, throwing another jab at Tianzhu’s face.

Tianzhu leaned back just enough to let her punch slip past his chin. The bionic eye under his left contact lens zoomed a bit as Tianzhu processed Vera’s movements with sharp precision.

Letting out a smirk, he provoked her. “Sorry, munchkin. True victory cannot be handed on a platter. You have to snatch it with your own hands.”

Birthname: Veronika Sokjinovna Qin

Nickname: Vera

Age: 18

Ethnicity: Han/Siberian

Arcane Path: Shapeshifter

Ability: Lightning Wolf Transformation

Ability Rank: S

Mana reserve particles: 21,667,408 (Tier-3)

Hunter Rank: Unlicensed

*

Birthname: Qin Tianzhu

Age: 39

Ethnicity: Han

Arcane Path: Mage

Ability: Forest Creation

Ability Rank: SS

Mana Reserves: 766,912,671 (Tier-2)

“Stop calling me that,” Vera snapped at her uncle as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “I’m not a kid anymore, Uncle.” She stepped in fast with her fist charged with mana as she swung, trying to take him by surprise.

But Tianzhu had already shifted, gliding past her strike like he had seen it coming a mile away.

He couldn’t help but chuckle, teasing her as he dodged the attack. “But you are a kid.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep