novelReunion of Friends
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Chapter 467: Reunion of Friends
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
An Lin returned to the familiar university and his familiar loft.
He hadn't expected for so many things to happen during his trip to the Vermilion Bird Sect with Xu Xiaolan.
He had been away for more than one whole month, but Vice-Principal Yu Hua had let him off the hook after hearing his recount of what had happened during that period of time.
Many classmates and friends had been extremely concerned about him. There were reports that he was dead, then there were suddenly reports that he had resurrected... Everyone thought their hearts would give out upon hearing these startling reports. Prior to returning to the Heavenly Court from the Vermilion Bird Sect, An Lin had spent an entire morning making voice transmissions to his friends.
After hearing about An Lin and Xu Xiaolan's safe return, Xuanyuan Cheng, Su Qianyun, and the others all gathered at An Lin's loft to witness the living proof of the miracle of resurrection.
Xu Xiaolan poured tea for everyone in a graceful and elegant manner.
After staring at Xu Xiaolan for a while, Liu Qianhuan's dainty mouth gradually gaped open in shock."Xiaolan, I'm not sure if I'm sensing this right... but why do I feel like your cultivation base has already surpassed mine? Have you already broken through to the Soul Formation Stage?"
"Stop fooling around, Liu Qianhuan. She was only at the Spirit Nurturing Final Stage during the free-for-all battle... How could she skip the Half-Step Soul Formation Stage and progress straight to the Soul Formation Initial Stage in such a short amount of time?" Tang Ximen immediately shook his head with a dismissive smile before Xu Xiaolan even had a chance to reply.
"Yeah, not everyone is as freakish as Student An Lin. You're probably just sensing things incorrectly, " Su Qianyun said in her mellow voice.
Xu Xiaolan nodded."Yes, I'm already at the Soul Formation Stage now."
"Pfff..." Tang Ximen spat out a mouthful of tea.
Liu Qianhuan nodded in vindication."I knew it, there's no mistaking that aura..."
Tang Ximen, Su Qianyun, and Xuanyuan Cheng all stared at Xu Xiaolan intently, as if they were trying to see through her and decipher some sort of mystery.
In a further blow to everyone's confidence, An Lin also nodded in confirmation."That's right, Xiaolan is already at the Soul Formation Initial Stage now."
"I thought... An Lin was the only freak. Now, even Xu Xiaolan has become a freak. I'm a senior, yet I've fallen so far behind. Hehe..." Tang Ximen wiped the tea from the corners of his mouth as he stared out the window at the moon and pondered about his life.
Xuanyuan Cheng also looked as if he had received a heavy blow."I could've accepted it if you had progressed to the Half-Step Soul Formation Stage... but how did you progress straight to the Soul Formation Initial Stage? That... that's way too fast!"
"Yeah, I only just reached the Half-Step Soul Formation Stage recently. However, Xiaolan is already at the Soul Formation Initial Stage. Did you skip the Half-Step Soul Formation Stage like An Lin and progress straight to the Soul Formation Initial Stage?" Su Qianyun's eyes glowed with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge as she gazed at Xu Xiaolan.
Xuanyuan Cheng received another heavy blow upon hearing this.
Su Qianyun is also at the Half-Step Soul Formation Stage? Am I the only person still at the Spirit Nurturing Final Stage?
No... Tang Ximen is also at the Spirit Nurturing Final Stage...
Xuanyuan Cheng turned his eyes toward Tang Ximen. He found that Tang Ximen was staring blankly at the moon outside.
Xuanyuan Cheng: "..."
No!
Xuanyuan Cheng's breathing accelerated.
How can I, the Young Sect Leader of the Ten-Thousand Spirits Immortal Sect, be comparing myself to a bludger like Tang Ximen?!
Xuanyuan Cheng felt a deep sense of despair...
An Lin smiled and explained, "Xu Xiaolan rose through all the ranks, but she moved through them quite quickly. This is a long story, and it all started from when Xiaolan and I returned to the Vermilion Bird Sect together..."
He started to recount their experiences at the Vermilion Bird Sect, as well as the invasion of the snow maidens.
The battle between the snow maidens and the Vermilion Bird Sect had not only shaken the Kingdom of the Nine States, but it had also created a stir throughout the entire Tai Chu Continent.
Xuanyuan Cheng and the others knew about the battle, but they didn't know any specific details, so they all listened to An Lin's story with relish.
An Lin recounted their experiences in detail, but he glossed over the part where Xu Xiaolan had sacrificed her cultivation path to save him. For some reason, he didn't really want others to know too much about that event.
Xu Xiaolan wore a faint smile on her beautiful face as she sat beside him quietly.
Although An Lin intentionally glossed over that part of the story, they could still tell from what little he did reveal of it that it would've been an extremely painful and terrifying process to go through.
Xuanyuan Cheng remained silent for a long while. Then, he opened his mouth and said, "As the old saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes, you can only reinvent and resurrect yourself when you hit rock bottom... Student Xu Xiaolan, I offer my sincerest congratulations to you!"
The others also chimed in with congratulatory words.
Xu Xiaolan smiled faintly as she accepted everyone's kind words. Meanwhile, her gaze became even gentler as she gazed at An Lin.
To her, that was truly an experience that had been etched into her very being.
Her transformation wasn't just a transformation in her cultivation base, but also a transformation in her frame of mind and her Dao Heart.
She knew that it wasn't her determination that had given her a second chance at life. Rather, it was An Lin's persistence that had allowed her to be reborn...
As Su Qianyun looked at Xu Xiaolan, she made a silent vow to herself that she would definitely catch up to her footsteps.
Xuanyuan Cheng was obviously also thinking of the exact same thing. He was the one who had been struck the heaviest by this situation.
The dual blow from Xu Xiaolan and Su Qianyun, combined with the negative example set by Tang Ximen, told him one thing—if he didn't start working his a*s off, he would eventually become someone like Tang Ximen!
After a brief period of pain and despair, a powerful will to fight erupted in his heart.
He was going to go into seclusion! And he wasn't going to come out until he reached the Half-Step Soul Formation Stage! And he had to do it within a month!
...
Tonight was a commemorative reunion among friends, and An Lin personally cooked some beef fried rice for everyone.
This dish was very ordinary, but it became extremely extraordinary due to the frying pan...
He gave a small portion to the beast pets, while the majority was enjoyed by their circle of friends.
Little Lang wept tears of joy after he took his first bite, and even Tang Ximen felt as if a whole new world had been opened up before his eyes. He even inquired if An Lin was taking in culinary students, an inquiry which An Lin obviously turned down.
Everyone enjoyed a serene and joyous night together.
...
The next day, An Lin resumed his mundane life as a student.
He would only be at The United University of Cultivation for a few short years, so he cherished every single moment.
He gifted one hundred steamers of stuffed buns as well as a bunch of special local products from the Holy Glacial Lands to Yi Xi as a gesture of gratitude.
Yi Xi accepted the stuffed buns, but he sternly refused the more valuable gifts. He told An Lin that he would require his help in the future, and that would be sufficient repayment.
This made An Lin value him even more as a friend, and he committed Yi Xi's kindness to heart. He vowed internally to repay him in whatever way possible in the future.
Afterward, An Lin's days consisted of selling stuffed buns, going to classes... and hanging out with Celestial Maiden Xiaolan at every free moment.
An Lin and Xu Xiaolan maintained their relationship, which was something above the level of friends but not quite at the level of Dao partners.
There were still ninety-nine years left of An Lin's probationary period.
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