"Who else could it be? I'll do it for him!" Angie Chen burst out laughing, then quickly added, "But even if I throw myself at him, he won’t take advantage! You gotta admit, he’s a real stand-up guy. If I became his female disciple, he’d never try anything shady!"
Lily Yan cracked up when she heard that, laughing out loud and teasing, "Angie, you never change! I totally respect you!"
Then Lily Yan ordered three bowls of spicy hotpot skewers. For all her Jinling elite background, she was totally down-to-earth—no airs at all, just like a regular college girl.
"Angie, let’s get serious. You know I’ve checked out a bunch of masters and none of them clicked. Don’t let me down this time." As Lily Yan spoke, she let out a faint Purple-Realm aura. Ryan Ling couldn’t help but take her more seriously—Jinling girls really were on another level.
"Ryan Ling, this girl’s legit! You better lock this down!" The System suddenly piped up in his head.
"Bro, you sound just like Angie Chen—every girl you meet, you wanna make your girlfriend! What are you, some kind of breeding machine?" Ryan Ling shot back, totally speechless.
"Oops, my bad! I meant her dad is the real catch—you better not miss this chance!" the System added.
"You damn pervert, you old creep! I’m done talking to you!" Ryan Ling groaned, feeling totally defeated.
"Wow, you really have a dirty mind. Let’s get serious for a sec. That girl’s dad is Victor Yan, but everyone calls him ‘Underground Yama.’ Know why?" The System suddenly switched topics.
"Underground Yama?" Ryan Ling froze, then snapped, "Quit stalling—spill it already!"
"Victor Yan’s just like you—a Spirit Officer. But he’s a Fifth Rank, one grade higher!" As the System finished, Ryan Ling couldn’t help but stop and stare.
"Victor Yan’s a Spirit Officer too? And higher ranked than me? No way, seriously?"
"You think you’re the only Spirit Officer out here? Tons of folks work for the Netherworld. Victor Yan used to be killing it, but ever since he hit Fifth Rank, he’s been stuck for years. Must’ve hit some kind of wall!" The System paused, then went on, "So here’s my hot take: get close to the Yan Family, especially Victor Yan. It’ll set you up for Jinling and help you go big in the Netherworld!"
"So that’s how it is… Looks like I’m definitely taking this girl as my disciple!" Ryan Ling hadn’t really cared about Lily Yan before, but after hearing the System out, he realized the Yan Family was seriously valuable.
"Go for it, man! Grab her while you can! What, you want Warren Yuan to warm your bed instead? Everybody knows a female disciple is way more fun!" The System giggled, egging Ryan Ling on.
"You old creep, just shut up!" Ryan Ling rolled his eyes. With Angie Chen bugging him in real life and the System trolling him in his head, he was doomed to die of exhaustion one day!
Outside, Angie Chen quickly lowered her voice and said, "Ryan Ling’s crazy strong—you’re making the right call. Ever heard of Mitsui Group? He wiped them out!"
"People say Mitsuo Mitsui got killed—was it really him?" Lily Yan perked up, but she didn’t look super impressed.
"Yep, that was him! Mitsuo Mitsui was a Void-Realm master, you know. Now do you get how badass Ryan Ling is? Hurry up and be his disciple already!" Angie Chen seemed more eager than Ryan Ling himself.
"Nah, Void-Realm masters aren’t that rare. My family’s got ‘em, my dad’s one too. Not a big deal. I just want to learn something different. If it’s just martial arts, why bother hunting for a master?" Lily Yan shot Ryan Ling a proud look—his achievements didn’t really impress her.
"Man, this girl is seriously full of herself!" Ryan Ling had been listening to their whole conversation, and now he couldn't hold back anymore. He shot Lily Yan a cold look and said, "So, Miss Yan, what exactly counts as 'different' skills in your book?"
"Hmm, let's see... Honestly, anything I haven't seen before. If it's just regular martial arts, I'm not interested!" Lily Yan turned her head toward Angie Chen as she spoke, totally unfazed.
"Lily Yan, come on! You're making me look bad here!" Angie Chen got anxious, worried Ryan Ling would actually get mad.
But Ryan Ling was already ticked off!
"Man, it's already September and the sun's still brutal. If only I had a big tree out front shading my stall!" The hotpot vendor next to them shook his head and sighed.
Hearing that, Ryan Ling suddenly stood up, eyes flashing.
"Ryan, wait, you're not actually mad, are you?" Angie Chen jumped up too, trying to calm him down.
"Nah, I just wanna show Miss Yan what 'different' really means!" Ryan Ling called out, a cocky grin on his face.
"Pfft, you gonna plant a tree for the boss right here? You think you can pull that off? If you don't have some real special skills, forget about being my master!" Lily Yan's spoiled heiress attitude was showing—seriously, compared to girls from East River, Jinling's rich kids were on another level. To her, only Angie Chen was worth calling a friend. Everyone else—even Void-Realm masters—barely registered.
Ryan Ling was getting more and more annoyed. He just snorted, walked outside, and didn't even bother listening as Angie Chen tried to smooth things over with Lily Yan. Ryan turned to the vendor and asked, "Boss, you really want a tree that bad?"
"Of course I want one! But even if I planted a sapling now, it'd take ten years to grow. By then, my hotpot stall would be long gone. Guess I'm just stuck roasting under this killer sun!" The vendor shook his head, forcing a bitter smile.
But before he could finish, Ryan Ling stomped the ground—hard. Instantly, a massive tree shot up from the earth, branches spreading wide. In just seconds, it was over thirty feet tall, totally shading the hotpot stall.
(skip meta line)
"Holy crap—he's a freakin' god!" The vendor was so stunned he hit his knees and started bowing like crazy.
Angie Chen was frozen in shock. Inside, Lily Yan dropped her chopsticks on the floor.
Ryan Ling just flashed a faint smile and strolled off like it was nothing.
"Angie, I have to be his disciple! No matter what, I'm not giving up!" In a flash, Lily Yan bolted after him, totally frantic.
"Ryan!" Angie Chen hurried after him, worried she'd lose her chance to help.
"Sorry, but as of right now, I'm done taking female disciples!" Ryan Ling turned away, didn't even glance at Lily Yan.
"Master, please, I'm begging you! I was just talking nonsense before!" Lily Yan started shamelessly begging, pulling out all the stops.
"Forget it. I said no, and I mean it!" Ryan Ling still wouldn't pay her any attention. This little brat needed a lesson, and he was gonna let her sweat.
"Angie, help me out here! I'll do anything if he'll forgive me—just let me be his disciple!" Lily Yan was practically in tears.
"Anything?" Angie Chen's eyes lit up, instantly scheming.
"Of course! I've been searching for a master for a year, and finally found one I actually like. No way I'm letting this go!" Lily Yan declared, totally determined.
"Okay, then you gotta warm your master's bed first. I guarantee he'll say yes! Deal or no deal?" Angie Chen snickered.
"Warm his bed? You want me to be his little girlfriend?" Lily Yan blushed bright red.
"That's right! Just once is enough. Look, Ryan Ling's got skills, he's good-looking, and you won't get shortchanged. Plus, his... stamina is off the charts. Don't you wanna give it a shot?" Angie Chen couldn't help getting excited.
"Really? Then... I guess I'll try!" Lily Yan bit her lip, clearly having a major internal struggle before she finally agreed. But when she looked up, Ryan Ling was already long gone!
"Master, you can't run away! I, Lily Yan, am definitely gonna be your girlfriend—uh, disciple! Ugh, this is so frustrating!"
(skip ellipsis)
Ryan Ling shook his head. By now, he was miles away. Sure, he wanted Lily Yan as his disciple—to get closer to the Yan Family—but with her attitude, she needed to sweat a little. This Jinling princess was gonna have to beg him a few more times.
But just as he smugly walked back to his place, a shadow darted out, crying as she dove straight into his arms.
"Xiao Feng, I'm scared, so scared... Hold me tight!"
Ryan Ling was stunned—it was Liu Sitian, her face streaked with tears, body trembling in terror...