Chapter 31: Tenjo University

"I don't know how impressive your brother really is, but isn't it time for you to do your homework?" Yang Teng shot Xiao Yangchao a glare, his tone gruff.

Xiao Yangchao's eyes widened with indignation. "There's a beast tide coming! School's already closed—why should we still do homework? The teachers didn't assign any!"

"No schoolwork? Then do your family assignments. Right now. Write me an essay titled 'My Father.'"

"Dad!"

"Go! Don't make me use force!"

Tears welled up in Xiao Yangchao's eyes, his body trembling with frustration, but at the sight of Yang Teng raising his hand, he scurried off to his room in terror.

Xiao Yangyan snickered to the side. Yang Teng changed his shoes, settled back onto the sofa, and pulled Xiao Yangyan onto his lap. His gaze drifted to the television, worry clouding his eyes.

The live broadcast showed no sign of the monstrous beasts yet, but the constant flow of trial-takers created a tense atmosphere.

"Xiao Dai..." Yang Teng muttered, his heart troubled by the thought of Yang Dai taking on combat missions at such a young age.

...

When Yang Dai awoke, night had already fallen.

This time, however, he learned that his period of unconsciousness hadn't been long—merely three hours.

They were still by the small lake. As Yang Dai rose and stretched, his eyes swept the area and suddenly landed on two strangers—a man and a woman—sitting before a large boulder, staring at him in terror. The moment his gaze fell on them, they lowered their heads in fright.

"Master, these two were captured by me while you were absorbing souls. They witnessed the process, but they're outsiders, so I didn't kill them. Their fates are yours to decide," Liang Zixiao suddenly appeared at Yang Dai's side and whispered.

Yang Dai had grown used to Liang Zixiao's ghostly comings and goings. His heart still lurched, but he managed a calm expression.

As he loosened his limbs, Yang Dai said, "Bring them over."

Liang Zixiao beckoned, and Liu Junjie went to speak with the two trial-takers.

Yang Dai was amused. Even among his shadow followers, differences in status were emerging—a promising development. He saw no reason to interfere. As the number of shadow followers grew, it would be impossible to maintain equality; determining status by cultivation would only spur them to train harder.

He refrained from summoning the Black-haired Boar Demon for now, given the presence of the two trial-takers.

He bore them no ill will—he didn't believe in wiping out everyone. He would eventually reveal his talents to the real world, but until then, a few questions remained.

Liu Junjie led the two trial-takers over.

Yang Dai saw they were both young, no more than twenty at most.

"Master, they are..." Liu Junjie began, grinning, but was silenced by a glare from Liang Zixiao.

Greedy Ghost sneered, "Boy, can't the master ask for himself, or have they bribed you?"

Liu Junjie panicked, "No, I just..."

Yang Dai waved a hand. "Enough. Except for Liang Zixiao, the rest of you disperse and train."

Liu Junjie had no choice but to leave, vowing to train diligently. With his B-level talent, he would one day surpass Greedy Ghost.

Yang Dai turned to the male trial-taker. "Introduce yourself. Tell me where you come from."

The young man hurriedly replied, "Sir, my name is Xia He, male, twenty-one years old, from Sky City University, Wood Department, third year. This is my sister, Xia Bing, female, nineteen, also from Sky City University, Thunder Department, just started her first year."

He rattled it all off in one breath, leaving Yang Dai both amused and helpless. Was it necessary to specify gender?

Clearly, Liang Zixiao had truly frightened Xia He.

Understandable—Liang Zixiao was a ghost cultivator with many lives on his hands. What young trial-taker could bear such pressure?

Yang Dai said, "What you saw today..."

He deliberately trailed off.

Xia He quickly promised, "Don't worry, sir, I won't tell anyone—neither in the Deep Domain nor in real life. We really didn't mean to intrude. My sister and I finally met up and wanted to seek immortal fate together. Passing through here, we heard the sounds of battle and hid, afraid of being misunderstood, but still got caught up..."

Xia Bing said nothing, but she was clearly frightened, hiding behind her brother.

Looking at their faces, they did seem like siblings.

Yang Dai smiled. "You can go back now."

Xia He was stunned, not expecting Yang Dai to be so easygoing.

Yang Dai continued, "I was unconscious just now, which is why my men didn't let you go. Be careful in the future. If you encounter something beyond your means, stay away. It's only luck that I'm a trial-taker—if you'd run into a true cultivator, you might already be dead."

Xia He nodded gratefully.

Yang Dai waved them off.

Xia He wanted to ask Yang Dai’s name, but one look from Liang Zixiao sent him fleeing with his sister.

Yang Dai quietly asked, "Have you seen them before today?"

Liang Zixiao replied, "No. They're only at the second level of Qi Gathering. If I'd run into them elsewhere, I'd have already made them ghost slaves. Rest assured, master, none of the other shadow followers have revealed my identity."

"Of course, my advice is to kill them."

That set Yang Dai at ease.

There was no way to take photos in the Deep Domain, so Liang Zixiao's face couldn't be found online, not even as a sketch. As long as Xia He and Xia Bing hadn't met Liang Zixiao before, his identity would remain safe.

As for Xia He and Xia Bing, Yang Dai had no intention of senseless slaughter. In the apocalypse, every additional trial-taker was a sliver of hope. Besides, they came from Sky City University—the top university in the country and the first to establish a cultivation academy. Anyone admitted there had to be at least C-level talent.

Cultivation universities in reality were equivalent to sects in the Deep Domain. There, one could learn various spells and gain all sorts of resources; some even possessed secret techniques unavailable on the web.

Yang Dai himself planned to attend that university—on Hu Li’s recommendation. The Intelligence Bureau had deep connections there. Since they were all classmates-to-be, he might as well look out for them.

He wouldn’t be starting university for at least half a year, but by then, his shadow followers would number no less than five hundred—at least a thousand, enough to keep others guessing about his true strength.

Still, Yang Dai remained cautious. He glanced at Bai Wei, who immediately understood and slipped underground to track the siblings.

He wasn't in a hurry to summon the Black-haired Boar Demon—he'd wait until Bai Wei returned.

After absorbing the demon’s soul, his spiritual power had increased slightly, but his physical strength had improved remarkably. He felt his chest—he actually had pectoral muscles now.

Elsewhere—

In the forest, Xia He and Xia Bing fled in haste.

"Why can’t we exit combat mode yet?" Xia He gritted his teeth.

Ever since they'd encountered Liang Zixiao that afternoon, they’d been unable to leave the Deep Domain, trapped in combat mode. The experience made him regret his carelessness—he’d be more cautious from now on.

Xia Bing guessed, "Maybe it just takes time. There’s no solid answer online about combat mode—after all, the Deep Domain is a supernatural world."

Xia He sighed, "Still, we were lucky. The one we met was a kind-hearted trial-taker. I read news online—sometimes a cultivator will kill a trial-taker just for making eye contact."

As they ran, Xia Bing said, "He really is a good man. Brother, we must keep our promise and not speak of this to anyone."

"Of course. I, Xia He, am no traitor! Besides, it’s embarrassing—I wouldn’t want to tell anyone. By the way, how did he have so many followers? And they were all glowing green. Could they be ghosts?"

"Maybe he’s a disciple of Ghost Abyss Sect. More and more trial-takers seem to be joining them lately."

"That must be it. If I ever meet him again, I’ll treat him to a meal and try to befriend him. He seems powerful—probably a big shot. That’s why he didn’t bother with newcomers like us."

"Huh? Brother, he’s so young—how could he be a big shot?"

"Don’t be silly. Cultivators can keep their looks youthful. And if those followers are all ghosts, then anyone who commands so many has to be incredibly strong—at least a city pillar, maybe even a provincial pillar! If we don’t curry favor with such a person when we get the chance, we’d be fools. Meeting him like this is fate."

Xia Bing was a little bewildered, but it sounded reasonable, so she didn’t argue.