Chapter 116: The Exchange Student

Ling'er spoke with a serious expression, leaving Jiang Xiaotian quite astonished.

"Wait, do you dragons celebrate the New Year too?"

Ling'er nodded. "Of course. If I don't go back for the New Year, my father will definitely be furious. If he finds out I've been staying with you, you'll be as good as dead."

Jiang Xiaotian felt a chill run down his spine. She was a dragon princess, and he was just an ordinary civilian; if the dragon leader wanted him dead, it would be just a matter of a single word. Yet, his time in Dragon City had made him realize just how lonely he felt without Ling'er by his side. He seemed to have grown accustomed to having this princess, who was so unlike a princess, constantly near him. But now that she had to return home for the holidays, there was nothing he could do.

Jiang Xiaotian sighed and nodded. "I see. When will you be back?"

Ling'er paused, her expression turning somewhat melancholic. "I only came to say goodbye. Perhaps this parting..."

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaotian’s heart sank.

"I probably won't be able to see you for a week, hahahaha!" Ling'er couldn't help but laugh at his tense reaction.

Jiang Xiaotian let out a long breath. "You scared me to death!" He was furious that she had dared to trick him, but he didn't dare show it—how detestable!

In truth, Ling'er could have returned home long ago. Since Xuan'er had secretly eliminated many of those who posed a threat to her, even if she showed herself, no one would dare act rashly. She had simply become attached to life here; it was far more interesting than staying at home practicing zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But with the New Year approaching, she certainly had to return.

"What about you? Are you going back to your uncle's place for the New Year?" Ling'er asked.

Jiang Xiaotian hesitated for a moment. "Yes, it's New Year's, after all. I have to go back." In reality, he never went to his uncle's house for the holidays, otherwise, his aunt and cousin would surely turn the place upside down.

"That's good. I'll head back before the New Year, and once it's over, I'll come out to find you. Staying at home is so boring, anyway," Ling'er muttered. It was no wonder her father said the secular world would affect their cultivation—there was no time to cultivate here, only time to play!

As matters in Dragon City concluded, everything was settled. All members of the Zhao family involved in the murder case were arrested and thrown into prison; they were wiped out without the Ouyang family even needing to lift a finger. While the Ouyang family had lost many skilled fighters and the training sanctuary in the city park, they had still risen to become the premier clan in Dragon City. The Li family followed closely behind. From now on, there would be no more "tripartite balance of power"; it was the Ouyang family’s dominance. The only ones capable of holding their own against them were the Li family, but they had no interest in conflict and planned to live in seclusion. Everyone understood why: the Li family was no match for the Ouyang family, and their heir didn't have the heart to fight, so they simply gave up. Of course, since Li Qing had once saved Ouyang Zijin's life, they were not heartless, and they took good care of the Li family in various ways, ensuring the situation in Dragon City remained relatively stable.

Jiang Xiaotian had returned to his small home in North Sea, spending his days eating, sleeping, and occasionally driving his little sports car out for a spin. It was a leisurely life. Before long, the money arrived—three million. To him, this was an astronomical sum! He had originally thought about quitting the Falcon organization after this, but seeing how good the benefits were, he would be a fool to leave. The other members were also on vacation, all recovering from various degrees of injury.

Ling'er had thoroughly examined the ancient sword. She noted that it was a weapon meant for a woman and could only be wielded by the dragon race. It absorbed spiritual energy when not in use, and when a battle broke out, it could release it in an instant—which was how Jiang Xiaotian had managed to kill a Divine-level expert with a single strike. Because of this, he spent his free time pouring a bit of spiritual energy into the blade, just in case. Of course, replicating that strike from the city park was unrealistic; the spiritual energy there had been condensed to the point where it was difficult to breathe, not to mention the entire park's energy had been absorbed. As for the dragon soul, Ling'er didn't know whose it was, only saying that as long as the dragon soul remained, the dragon wasn't truly dead; in a sense, dragons had two lives. Of course, if the soul were destroyed, not even the gods could save them. Since this had nothing to do with him, Jiang Xiaotian put the matter aside.

He was someone who couldn't sit still. After a week at home, he felt restless. Thinking of his academic credits, he rushed back to university for classes. There were still a few weeks left, and getting some credits was always a good idea. He was completely different now—his temperament, his taste in clothing, and even his appearance had changed. His old classmates didn't even recognize him, assuming he was a new student.

Zhang Wei was especially thrilled to see him. "Holy crap, did you strike it rich?"

Jiang Xiaotian chuckled. "I can't deny it, I did."

Zhang Wei grabbed his shoulders. "You're treating! No way out of it. I want steak, I want a feast, you're paying!" His goofy demeanor left Jiang Xiaotian laughing and crying at the same time, but he agreed; he had intended to treat his friends anyway. Now that he was so wealthy, why would he care about the cost?

There were many unfamiliar faces in the classroom, both men and women, so Jiang Xiaotian asked Zhang Wei what was going on.

"The new semester is almost here, so some students admitted through recommendation are here for a trial run. Speaking of which, you wouldn't believe the major events that happened while you were gone! I heard some exchange students from the East arrived, and there's a super beauty among them!" Zhang Wei said with a whistle of admiration.

"Have you seen her?"

"No, I saw photos. There are several guys too, also exchange students, and they're supposedly very strong—all karate masters!"

Jiang Xiaotian wasn't interested and tried to change the subject, but Zhang Wei leaned in mysteriously. "Don't you want to go check it out? I remember you seem pretty good at fighting now."

"Why would I go join the crowd? I'm not that good. If they're professional karate practitioners, they must be tough. If you want to learn, just ask to be their apprentice, right? Exchange students should be polite enough," Jiang Xiaotian said with a smile, finding the whole thing meaningless.

But Zhang Wei shook his head vigorously. "I told you, you've been gone too long! Our school's karate club got completely crushed by them. Every traditional martial arts club in the school has been defeated by them too!"

Jiang Xiaotian was surprised to hear this; it sounded like they were here to challenge the school's reputation. "Still, it has nothing to do with me."

"Only the Tai Chi club is left. I heard they're going to have a match this week. Let's go see it together," Zhang Wei said, clearly excited.

"Alright, let's take a look." Jiang Xiaotian was curious to see if karate really was that formidable.