Volume Two: Anbei Corporation Chapter Twenty-Two: The Quarrel

The car was bought, and Li Yu found traveling much more convenient, but a new problem soon arose—he had no use for it. When staying on Blue Star, he rarely needed to go out, so the newly acquired car ended up gathering dust in the garage.

Taking advantage of the difference in time flow between the two worlds, he often lingered in the other realm, immersing himself in the rich spiritual energy and focusing on his cultivation. His progress soared; the amount of liquefied spiritual power in his dantian increased rapidly, almost filling most of it.

“No doubt, having a cheat like this makes leveling up in any game a breeze!” Li Yu muttered to himself, setting aside the piece of thunderstruck wood in his hands. He took the longsword from its place on the wall and began to perform the Lady’s Sword Technique.

Now, this sword technique in his hands had grown lighter and more graceful, each move imbued with an elegant beauty. Compared to before, the technique’s tempering effect on spiritual power and meridians had become less significant to Li Yu. After all, with his perfected Thunderblood, everything came ready-made; he no longer needed to put in effort on that front.

Li Yu persisted in his practice mainly so the Qing clan could see and understand, so they would believe his talent had roots—that his current achievements were the result of cultivating their own techniques.

“At most, the effect is a little exaggerated, but how else can I make the Qing clan value me so highly?” Li Yu whispered as he finished his final move, deftly returning the sword to the rack on the wall.

Just then, Little Cui knocked at the door.

“Let’s go,” Li Yu said.

The timing was perfect; after a session of practice, he could transition seamlessly to a meal.

Little Cui responded and led Li Yu along the corridor over the lake.

“How is Qing Anqi’s task coming along?” Li Yu asked. Without the little girl around, even the food seemed less appetizing.

It seems the young master truly misses the young lady, Little Cui thought to herself. This was part of her job: assessing Li Yu’s attitude toward the Qing clan, including his opinions of its members.

“Young master, I hear it’s nearly done. They say it will be about a month more,” Little Cui replied, then remarked, “They say the young lady’s cultivation will soar when she returns.”

Li Yu nodded thoughtfully, murmuring, “Will she really surpass me so soon?”

Given Qing Anqi’s temperament, if her cultivation did improve, she would surely come to show off. If she discovered then that his cultivation had already reached the sixth rank, allowing him to project spiritual power externally, wouldn’t she be utterly astounded?

A wicked grin crept onto Li Yu’s face as he imagined Qing Anqi’s reaction—it was bound to be entertaining.

Little Cui reminded him, “Young master, the young lady might reach the peak of the seventh rank.”

In other words, Li Yu, you’re getting ahead of yourself. You’re likely to be outshone.

She knew he was still at the seventh rank. In her opinion, it was unlikely he could break through to the sixth rank within a month, so by then, he would definitely be no match for Qing Anqi at her seventh-rank peak.

“I know. It makes little difference,” Li Yu replied confidently.

With enough progress in his cultivation methods, he was certain that, at worst, he’d reach the sixth rank within a month. The gap between the peak of the seventh rank and the sixth was a narrow one.

Moreover, from Little Cui’s words, Li Yu felt reassured about Qing Anqi’s wellbeing. Since Little Cui was so certain that she would be safe and stronger upon her return, this must be a trial arranged by the Qing clan for her.

After all, she bore a third-grade bloodline. Li Yu had noticed early on that even among the Qing clan’s open ranks, few had achieved third grade.

Qing Anqi would undoubtedly be groomed as one of the clan’s pillars.

Little Cui pressed her lips together; the young master’s confidence was truly unmatched.

Most frustrating of all was the comparison. She considered herself talented, and if not for her background, she would surely be a team leader by now. Yet, how old was she? She’d begun cultivating at twelve, was now twenty-five, and after more than a decade of hard work had only reached the sixth rank. In her age group within the Qing clan, she was already above average.

But Li Yu, in just a few months, had already reached the seventh rank and might reach the sixth in a few more days. His cultivation speed was leagues beyond hers—it was no wonder the Qing clan’s elders valued him so highly.

Though an outsider, he still received the highest-level treatment as a seedling of promise.

...

Life in the other world was as peaceful as on Blue Star. Li Yu dawdled his way back to Blue Star.

The main reason was that, upon returning, he discovered several messages he’d rather not have seen. But what could he do? Some things are inevitable.

When the doorbell finally rang, he drew a deep breath and opened the door.

Standing outside were a man and a woman. The man wore a suit, his gaze keen and sharp. Upon seeing Li Yu in his casual pajamas, he frowned and said, “Clothes make the man. What on earth are you wearing?”

The woman spoke gently, “Now, now, it’s been so long since you’ve seen your child—must you scold him the moment you meet?”

Li Yu said nothing more, simply stepping aside. “Come in, Mom.”

These two were his parents.

Li Chengye’s brow furrowed, and he seemed about to say more, but Qiao Lanyue tugged at his sleeve. “What are you waiting for? Our son’s inviting us in.”

They changed into the slippers prepared for them and walked to the living room.

“I’ll pour you some water,” Li Yu said.

“Go on, son,” Qiao Lanyue nodded.

The living room was tidy—Huang Xiu would clean during her free time, and Li Yu occasionally swept and mopped as well. With little clutter, the space appeared neat and orderly.

His parents glanced around before sitting down on the sofa, making no further comment.

Huang Xiu’s parents seldom visited; her father was busy with business and often abroad. Huang Xiu took her mother’s surname, and Huang Xiu’s mother, Huang Xiuzheng, would often provide their meals, usually sending them with Huang Xiu after school.

As for Li Yu’s parents—well, they also had their reasons for not visiting.

Soon, Li Yu returned with two cups. “There’s no tea left, so you’ll have to make do with this.”

He handed his mother the cup with tea leaves, while the one before Li Chengye was plain water.

Seeing this, Qiao Lanyue immediately realized her son was still holding a grudge. Before her husband could speak, she quickly took the cup meant for her, saying softly, “I’ll have water; just what I wanted.”

Li Chengye snorted coldly. “What about the school? Are you going back or not?”

“Why should I bother?” Li Yu arched his brow, indifferent. “Isn’t it funny? Who was the one who forced me to take a leave of absence?”

“Insolence!” Li Chengye slammed the coffee table, his voice rising in anger. “Why must you get involved in this? Is it really necessary? What’s she to you? Do you even know what you’re doing?”

A barrage of questions left Li Yu silent.

For some reason, a girl’s face flashed through his mind, only for the vision to quickly turn blood red.

Li Yu’s face paled, and when he came back to himself, he couldn’t suppress his outburst. “What do you think? She was standing right before me, alive. How could someone as cold-blooded as you possibly understand?”

“You—” Li Chengye shook his head in disappointment.