"Why are you here?"
A clear and melodious voice came from the staircase. Zhou Haoyu looked up and saw Mu Ningxue standing by the railing, gazing down at him.
"I came to see how your cultivation is going. Judging by your aura, it seems you've successfully broken through," Zhou Haoyu said after looking her over.
"Mm, thanks to the spiritual fruit you gave me."
Mu Ningxue was fully aware of her own cultivation state. Without the aid of that spiritual fruit, there was no way she could have reached the Intermediate level this soon.
"No need to say such things between us. It was just a spiritual fruit."
As he spoke, Zhou Haoyu patted the seat beside him.
Seeing this, Mu Ningxue naturally sat down next to him.
After a month of spending time together, she felt that Zhou Haoyu was actually not bad. Although he tended to be a little handsy at times, he knew the boundaries and was just as serious about cultivation as she was.
Moreover, Mu Ningxue faintly felt that Zhou Haoyu was far from what he appeared on the surface his talent might even exceed everyone's expectations!
"Dear nephew, sorry for the delay I got held up making tea. I hope you don't mind."
At that moment, Mu Zhuoyun walked out of another room carrying a teapot.
When he saw Zhou Haoyu with his arm around Mu Ningxue, the smile on his face instantly froze.
There was an awkwardness in the air, like catching an intimate moment between a young couple.
"Uh~" Zhou Haoyu hadn't expected Mu Zhuoyun to appear at such perfect timing he had just been about to make his next move.
"Ahem, it just occurred to me that this tea should cool a bit before drinking. You two go ahead and chat."
With that, Mu Zhuoyun shut the door again.
The previously compliant Mu Ningxue immediately scooted a few steps away, putting distance between her and Zhou Haoyu.
Looking at the closed door, Zhou Haoyu suddenly felt a sense of guilt, as if he had wronged an elderly man.
"Uncle, actually I am a bit thirsty. Let's have that tea first," Zhou Haoyu said.
Mu Zhuoyun awkwardly opened the door again, quickly brewed a cup of tea, and placed it on the tea table in front of Zhou Haoyu.
"Ningxue, you broke through to the Intermediate level?"
Only after doing all this did Mu Zhuoyun notice the change in Mu Ningxue's aura it was clear she had stepped into the Intermediate stage.
Reaching Intermediate at the age of seventeen there was no doubt she was among the most elite of talents, even surpassing the heirs of noble families.
Except for Zhou Haoyu.
"Mm."
After being caught by her father, Mu Ningxue noticeably became more reserved.
Afterward, Zhou Haoyu drank a few cups of tea and chatted with Mu Zhuoyun about some trivial matters.
"Uncle, Ningxue, I haven't completed today's cultivation tasks yet, so I'll take my leave."
By the time the tea was getting cold, Zhou Haoyu stood up and excused himself.
To Zhou Haoyu, the most important matter right now was becoming Pang Lai's disciple.
"Yes yes, cultivation is the priority. I won't keep you, dear nephew."
"Ningxue, go see him off."
"No need. Ningxue just broke through stabilizing her realm is more important."
After leaving the Mu residence, Zhou Haoyu hailed a taxi back to the Zhou household.
Once back in his room, Zhou Haoyu resumed exploring the Summoning Plane. This was the advantage of having strong spiritual energy he could enter the Summoning Plane repeatedly.
He had to find a suitable Summoned Beast as soon as possible, so that Pang Lai might see value in nurturing him.
Only then would he have a chance at becoming his disciple.
Three nights later, Zhou Haoyu arrived at the gate of the Magic Court at exactly seven o'clock. Two guards stood at the entrance, both with cultivation levels higher than his.
Earlier that morning, Zhou Haoyu had received a message from Jiang Yu. The message said that Pang Lai was willing to meet him, with the time set for seven in the evening.
"This Jiang Yu better not have stood me up..."
After waiting for twenty-five minutes, Zhou Haoyu finally said with a bit of impatience.
Five more minutes passed, and Jiang Yu finally walked out from inside the gate.
As soon as he stepped out, Jiang Yu saw Zhou Haoyu staring at him with clear displeasure. "Sorry, sorry, my teacher's meeting dragged on for another half hour."
"And you couldn't message me to let me know? I've been standing here waiting for half an hour!" Zhou Haoyu said full of resentment.
"Uh…"
Jiang Yu really didn't know how to explain. He couldn't exactly say that his teacher had forbidden him from sending a message.
The teacher's reasoning was that if one wasn't even willing to wait for thirty minutes, it meant this matter wasn't truly important to him.
Jiang Yu didn't plan to tell Zhou Haoyu that he was afraid Zhou Haoyu might get angry.
"My teacher is waiting for you in the conference room right now. I should remind you: the old man is quite strict. If you accidentally offend him, then there'll be nothing more to talk about."
Jiang Yu shifted the topic. He was actually quite curious whether Zhou Haoyu could convince his teacher.
There was no doubt about Zhou Haoyu's talent—he was the most outstanding genius Jiang Yu had ever met, and his main elemental systems were the extremely rare Space Element and Lightning Element.
But even if Space was amazing, it was still the Space Element unrelated to the Summoning Element. Therefore, he still felt the chances of success were quite slim.
"Let's go." Zhou Haoyu appeared calm and composed, even urging him forward.
Led by Jiang Yu, Zhou Haoyu experienced the magnificence of the Magic Court for the first time. Gold and jade in glorious splendor was just the surface.
Looking around, magical murals and statues were everywhere, and many ancient magical artifacts were on display along the first-floor corridor.
Soon, the two entered a conference room.
The lighting in the room came entirely from a spherical magical device, which could emit a radiance similar to Holy Light, though the glow wasn't too strong—just enough to resemble daylight.
The conference room was empty except for a single, extremely long conference table.
At the end of the table sat an old man with white hair and a white beard. Though his face was aged, his body looked remarkably strong.
Most notably, above his head hovered a shiny treasure chest.
[Unlock Condition: Become His Disciple!]
"Greetings, Chief," Zhou Haoyu said respectfully with a bow.
"To possess such terrifying spiritual strength at such a young age truly worthy of being a genius who awakened both the Space Element and Lightning Element at the Basic level."
The moment Pang Lai saw Zhou Haoyu, his pupils visibly trembled, though he quickly regained his composure.
With the Zhou family's influence, acquiring a small piece of Mind Stone was not difficult.
"Chief flatters me. I merely had a few more resources than others," Zhou Haoyu replied calmly.
"Speak. What do you want from me?"
Pang Lai didn't want to waste too much time on Zhou Haoyu. He had seen many geniuses, most of whom either died young or became mediocre later on.
Talent was only useful if it could grow.
"I wish to become your disciple and learn from you the knowledge of the Summoning Element," Zhou Haoyu said solemnly with a cupped-fist salute.
Pang Lai paused for a moment, then glanced at Jiang Yu before replying flatly, "I'm an old man. Having one disciple is enough I don't have the energy or time for two."
"Chief, it wouldn't hurt to consider after you've seen my summoned beast."