Chapter 129: Effort, Effort!

Xiong Er felt the pressure in her heart release, and her mood improved greatly. Leaning back, she even had the leisure to open the Magic Mirror and check the Group Chat. Seeing everyone saying she had won, Xiong Er naturally had to deny it. She no longer cared about such small gains and losses; someone like Yang Jingting, who harbored great ambitions, was the true victor.

The Giant Dragon beneath her, however, was not in such a mood. Having just abducted Xiong Er right in front of the Spirit King Tree and now knowing her mother’s identity, he thought it better not to act so impulsively. He decided to return her first and slowly nurture their feelings later—there was no need to rush things.

Yang Jingting, preoccupied with his thoughts, felt it was about time. If Xiong Batian came looking for him, he might end up getting a beating. So, he began flying toward the Spirit King Tree.

Carefully, he placed Xiong Er on the ground behind him. Seeing Xiong Er’s utterly relaxed smile, Yang Jingting felt that coming to the Spirit King Tree today was truly worth it—far more important than proving his strength to Chen Dabai. This was a chance to find True Love.

Xiong Er’s smile not only brought Heal to Yang Jingting’s heart but also filled him with motivation for the Otherworld. Before, he thought there was nothing to do in the Otherworld besides fighting, but now it was different. Yang Jingting felt he had a goal to strive for and someone he wanted to protect. Rather than bickering with a useless person like Chen Dabai in the Group Chat, it was better to enhance his strength, surpass Xiong Batian, gain the recognition of his future mother-in-law, and give Xiong Er a happy family.

Thinking of this, Yang Jingting’s heart blossomed with joy. Although they couldn’t be together all the time now, for the sake of the future, he decided to stop looking at the Magic Mirror starting today, diligently study the Dragonkin’s Secret Techniques, surpass Xiong Batian, become a strong person capable of protecting Xiong Er, gain the recognition of both Xiong Batian and the Spirit King Tree, and rightfully marry Xiong Er.

After bidding farewell to Yang Jingting, Xiong Er decided to seriously pursue education. She would thoroughly study the textbook knowledge generated by her Special Skill and then pass it on to all the Divine Tree’s Followers in this area, promoting the development of science and knowledge here, letting them know that knowledge could change destiny. As for those little yellow books, she would seal them all away and never look at them again.

The two made grand vows in their hearts with remarkable tacit understanding, then reluctantly went their separate ways.

Qiao Zhirou did not wait for Li Wenjun to come out; instead, Yang Jingting emerged first.

“Don’t be unhappy. If you work hard, you’ll surely surpass them soon,” Qiao Zhirou instinctively tried to comfort Yang Jingting.

“I’m not unhappy; I’m extremely happy right now. Let me tell you, I’ve found True Love, though I can’t tell you who it is yet. Oh, and please keep the Magic Mirror safe for me. I don’t want these distractions affecting my studies. Once I return, I’ll directly ask the Dragon God Honored One for permission to enter the Secret Realm and study the Secret Techniques. I won’t come out until I’ve mastered them, so don’t look for me unless it’s something major.”

Yang Jingting now desperately wanted to grow stronger and surpass Xiong Batian. He wished to become powerful as soon as possible and marry Xiong Er early. In this World where strength is everything, as long as he was strong enough, no one could hinder his love.

Xiong Er was still young, so he still had time. “Wait for me,” he thought. “When your hair grows long enough to reach your waist, I will definitely return to marry you.”

As soon as Yang Jingting finished speaking, he was moved to tears by his own words. Without even wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, he resolutely headed toward the center of the forest, determined to return immediately.

“Hey! Wait! There’s something important—the Hero is about to attack.”

Qiao Zhirou hadn’t expected a single loss to affect Yang Jingting so deeply that he would now enter seclusion. When they first arrived in this World, the Dragonkin Elders had urged them to enter the Secret Realm as soon as possible, but none of them were willing to go. After all, a space without any entertainment would be utterly suffocating. Yang Jingting was now set to become the first among them to take that step.

Still immersed in the sorrow of parting, Yang Jingting didn’t hear Qiao Zhirou’s call at all. He simply soared into the air and vanished from sight in an instant, disappearing beyond the horizon.

Qiao Zhirou was speechless. Was a single duel really worth such a dramatic reaction? Still, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing. At least he wouldn’t be coming here to play around every day now. Having a competitor might even be good for him. But what did he mean by finding True Love? Had he fallen for that Forest Elf? Some of the Forest Elves here were particularly adorable, like the one beside her.

Qiao Zhirou happily pinched the little Elf’s soft cheeks while waiting for Li Wenjun to finish listening to the Church’s teachings. This place was much livelier than the Dragonkin territory. Over there, most of the residents were stern-faced uncles, with very few children around. Every day felt cold and quiet. Although she herself appeared aloof, she genuinely preferred gentle, soft-hearted little girls.

She was starting to feel reluctant to return. Besides, the food here was exceptional. It seemed they had adopted many aspects of Human culture, with numerous vendors calling out their wares nearby and an abundance of delicious treats available.

Compared to heading to the northern mountains with Yang Jingtian and the others to eat Magical Beasts, this place felt like the real Otherworld. The Dragonkin territory was practically a desolate wasteland.

Meanwhile, in the Demon King City, Zhai Guangyi, who was preparing to enroll in school, received a message from Lilith. It seemed she was indeed in the Group Chat, undoubtedly as a Classmate. After all, joining the Group Chat required entering one’s former Class and name; otherwise, it was impossible to join or see the group messages. Still, Zhai Guangyi had no idea which person in the chat she was, as many classmates chose to remain silent and lurk.

“Zhai Guangyi, I plan to send Lvqi and Hong Ren to accompany you back. Of course, I’ll also be going with you. After all, you are an important figure under Honored Father’s close watch, and even two Demigods don’t feel entirely sufficient to me.”

Lilith’s voice came through the Magic Mirror, carrying an inexplicable allure. Zhai Guangyi felt as though his heart was being tugged along by her voice—likely a characteristic of Succubi. He steadied his mind, reminding himself that Lilith was a Classmate, and her race wasn’t something she could choose. Respect your classmates, respect every single one of them.

Hearing that three Demigods would be accompanying him back, Zhai Guangyi instantly felt much more secure. With the four Demigods on his side—Feicui could barely be counted among them—plus the three Demigods and one Transcendent Demigod from Lilith’s group, their strength was more than sufficient.

However, the human army still has forty thousand troops, and he wasn’t sure whether his two thousand-plus Followers could withstand them, nor did he know how many forces Banwang City had. After all, that area was entirely under Xiong Da’s responsibility—he himself was just a hands-off manager. Still, Xiong Da possessed the overpowered Skill “Submission,” which should give him some advantage against a large army. The only question was the limit of his Skill’s effectiveness.

If the battle on their side was going favorably, Zhai Guangyi wouldn’t mind if the enemy came to attack—in fact, the more, the better. It might be somewhat inhumane, but to be honest, those were just big experience packs. Since they were all hostile toward him, he couldn’t afford to hold back.

If they were willing to submit, becoming Followers would actually bring him greater benefits. Banwang City was a perfect example. After today’s Blessing, he had earned more System Currency than the Blessing had cost, and his Skill Points had reached thirty-nine thousand. With a bit more effort, he could almost Level Up “World” to level 9—maybe even level 10 wasn’t so far off.