Chapter 115: Let Your Brother Take You to the Heavens!

The once-crowded entrance platform soon thinned out, leaving only a few dozen students still hesitating. Yuan Ao and his Longyuan Army had long since departed. After watching Xiang Nan and his team enter, the members of the Eagle Alliance also formed up and left.

Sun Liren and Yan Kaiji stood side by side, watching the retreating backs of the students.

"Old Madman, you're getting on in years. Why are you still bickering like a child?" Sun Liren started the conversation.

Yan Kaiji turned his head, his sharp eyes fixed on Sun Liren. "You clearly don't have faith in him. You aren't as confident in your own student as you pretend to be."

To his surprise, Sun Liren let out a soft snort, casting a glance of utter pity at him that carried a sting of insult. "I'm just looking out for you because you're old; I didn't want you to humiliate yourself!"

With that, Sun Liren turned and walked away without looking back, boarding the Lincoln that his assistant had brought around and driving off in a cloud of dust.

...

The Lingxu, located on the outskirts of Kyoto, consisted of seven islands. These were not islands in the sea; they were connected by vast lakes. Passing through the forest at the entrance of the Lingxu marked the true arrival into the domain.

Xiang Nan’s team entered the Lingxu from the left, arriving first at Twin Moon Island. By now, many had already struck while the iron was hot, leaving the main path to enter the forest and start hunting monsters.

It was no exaggeration to say that Twin Moon Island was a quintessential "newbie village." It was said that the demonic beasts here were mostly first and second-tier, with third-tier beasts being a rarity. Aside from Xu Jiya, who was feeling a bit nervous, the others didn't take the island seriously at all.

However, since they had entered the Lingxu, everyone wanted to hunt more beasts to earn spirit pearls and increase their cultivation. This was especially true for Li Xiang; in previous expeditions, most of the spirit pearls obtained had to be surrendered to the school, which then passed a portion to the Lingwu Association, leaving the students with very little. Now that the rules had changed, their motivation was at an all-time high.

"Brother Nan, everyone else has started hunting. Should we get going too?" Li Xiang couldn't help but suggest.

"Great! I can't wait to test out my new ability," Su Yao said, the first to raise all four limbs in agreement.

"The beasts on Twin Moon Island are low-tier. Don't fight me for them later; let me warm up first," Xu Jiya added, already rubbing her palms in anticipation.

Meng Qingwan was not as excitable, her watery eyes drifting towards Xiang Nan from time to time.

"No rush. Let's have some fun first and get the lay of the land before we start grinding," Xiang Nan said with confidence.

"Fun? There are monsters everywhere here. How are we supposed to have fun?" Xu Jiya asked, puzzled. The others looked at Xiang Nan with blank expressions, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

Just then, a "rustling" sound echoed from the nearby woods. The sound approached rapidly, arriving in an instant.

"Damn! They're here already!" Li Xiang shouted, golden light already beginning to condense in his hands.

Xiang Nan grabbed him by the arm. "They're low-tier. Don't crowd them; let the girls have some fun first."

As he spoke, a large swarm of black bats, each the size of a hawk, burst out from the forest. Their bodies were pitch black, save for their glowing orange-yellow eyes. Their leathery wings spanned over half a meter, and their torsos were covered in scales that reflected a dark, obsidian-like sheen, their forms strangely and eerily resembling skulls.

"These are Obsidian Bat Beasts, second-tier monsters!" Xu Jiya said, launching her hidden weapons.

*Clang, clang, clang...* A series of metallic clashing sounds followed. The golden needles from Xu Jiya’s sleeves were all deflected and fell to the ground.

"Wow, the books said these bat beasts had tough scales, but I didn't think they were this hard. I'll help you!"

Su Yao leaped into the air with cat-like agility, backhanding a blast of thunder beads.

"My needles couldn't pierce them; you think your thunder beads can?" Xu Jiya flipped her palm, readying a second set of hidden weapons, determined to slay these obsidian bats.

But before she could fire, a series of "Boom, boom, boom!" explosions echoed. The swarm of bats attacking from mid-air were blown into scraps.

"No way? Yao, your thunder beads can actually pierce their hard scales?" Xu Jiya asked, full of disbelief.

The scene before her left her no choice but to believe it.

"Not exactly," Su Yao said, scratching the back of her head. "I added something to these thunder beads. They’re tiny suction cups. As soon as they hit a solid object, they latch on firmly and won't come off."

"I can't believe you thought of that, but it’s actually quite effective." Xu Jiya pouted. "Such a good opportunity to practice, and you just stole it! You owe me!"

Meng Qingwan, who had been watching from the sidelines, walked over. "Jiya, we’ve only just arrived. There will be plenty of opportunities to practice."

Su Yao laughed. "I promise, next time I'll keep my hands to myself and won't cut in. Is that fair?"

Xu Jiya finally beamed. "Let's head into the woods then. I’m really looking forward to my first kill."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't be so anxious," Xiang Nan said, strolling over slowly. "Can we have a bit of a big-picture perspective? Don't you know that sharpening your axe doesn't delay your wood-cutting?"

"Brother Nan, stop keeping us in suspense. Just tell us, what exactly are you planning?" Li Xiang, whose curiosity was peaking, couldn't hold back any longer.

Xiang Nan smirked. "Look at how impatient you all are. I'll show you something good."

With a wave of his hand, he reached into his spatial storage. Suddenly, a helicopter appeared on the flat ground before them.

"How about that? Surprised? Shocked?" Xiang Nan said, looking proud.

No one was looking at him anymore; everyone's eyes were fixed on the transport helicopter.

"Whoa! Isn't this the Eagle Alliance's cargo helicopter, the Black Hawk? You actually brought this along? Little Nan, I love you!" Su Yao rushed over and gave Xiang Nan a bear hug. It felt great—soft and very comfortable.

"Brother Nan, you're a genius! A man with spatial storage is just on a different level! I’ll keep working hard, and I’ll definitely be able to do this too!" Li Xiang looked on with envy and newfound confidence, though his expression was rather comical.

"When it comes to planning ahead, Brother Xiang Nan is the best!" Xu Jiya danced with joy.

Even the usually composed Meng Qingwan sighed, "Little Nan, are you sure you aren't here for a vacation?"

"Say no more. Suddenly, I'm really looking forward to this Lingxu trip," Su Yao said, walking toward the helicopter.

"Come on, friends, let big brother take you to the skies!" Xiang Nan waved his hand, and the others excitedly headed for the cabin door.

Su Yao took the pilot's seat without hesitation. "It's been so long since I flew a helicopter; I'm a little excited."

But Xiang Nan pulled her out. "Jiya, you take the helm."

Of the five, only Xu Jiya and Su Yao knew how to fly a helicopter. Having been long exposed to the Eagle Alliance, they were both proficient with weapons and various machines.

"Hey, hey, hey, Little Nan, what's the meaning of this? Why can't I fly it?" Su Yao glared, clearly dissatisfied.

"You're too reckless; I'm afraid you'll fly us right into a ditch. Be good, let Jiya fly—it’s safer."

Su Yao made a face and finally relented.