With Mu Lei's help, Song Jie quickly added Mu Nujiao on his chat app.
She accepted the request almost instantly.
Song Jie stared at the empty chat box, hesitating on how to start.
But before he could type anything, a new message popped up.
Mu Nujiao: Thank you for saving me again. I'll treat you to a meal when I have time.
Mu Nujiao was genuinely grateful.
She had nearly lost her life during that mission—if not for Song Jie's timely intervention, the outcome could have been tragic.
Song Jie: If a beautiful woman invites me to dinner, of course I'll go.
Mu Nujiao smiled softly at his reply. Who didn't like to be complimented?
Mu Nujiao: Oh right, because of the changes in Xiaokunshan, the price of Plant Stamens has gone up to one hundred thousand per stalk.
Song Jie's eyes widened slightly.
That meant the stash he'd collected—over twenty stalks—had more than doubled in value, from around one million to over two million yuan.
A small fortune for most people.
Still, he didn't plan to sell them. Those stamens were Little Green's snacks.
Mu Nujiao: I actually tried to find some Plant Stamens for you, but I couldn't locate any.
Song Jie wasn't surprised.
The stamens were rare, and he'd only gotten his hands on so many because he'd fought for them directly.
But he hadn't expected Mu Nujiao to go looking for them herself.
He could easily guess her intention—she simply wanted to repay him for saving her life.
After chatting for a bit longer, they both went back to their own routines.
Not long after, another message came in—this time from Mu Lei.
Mu Lei: How's it going? How's it going?
Song Jie: What's going on? 🤨
Mu Lei: Song Jie, you're too sneaky. I already handed Jiaojiao over to you, and you didn't even tell me anything!
Song Jie: 🙄
Mu Lei chuckled at his screen.
In truth, he hoped his cousin could find someone she liked, instead of being tied down by a family-arranged marriage.
Whether things would work out between Song Jie and Mu Nujiao, however, depended on the two of them.
Mu Lei: Anyway, there's something I should warn you about. You might be in trouble when school starts.
Song Jie: Trouble? What do you mean?
Mu Lei: Every year, Pearl Institute holds a Beast Fighting Competition during the opening ceremony. Everyone from the Qing Campus attends—teachers, students, the works.
Mu Lei: And every year, the Summoning Department summons beasts to fight the students.
Song Jie instantly remembered.
That was the same event where Mo Fan had crushed over two hundred opponents and earned the nickname The Demon King of Pearl Institute.
Mu Lei: But… it seems you're the only new student in the Summoning Department this year. So, yeah—you're in big trouble.
Song Jie smiled faintly. With his current strength, defeating two hundred people didn't seem impossible.
Besides, with the help of Plant Stamens, Little Green had a good chance of evolving before the competition.
Even if it couldn't reach the Commander level, advancing to the High-tier Servant level would already make a huge difference.
That stage was the transition to the Commander rank—half a step away from greatness.
Mu Lei: Still, the school might take care of you. It'd be too unfair to pit you against that many students alone.
Mu Lei: Oh, and have you completed your Dimensional Summon yet? If not, I can help.
Song Jie: Done.
Mu Lei: If you ever need anything, just ask me.
Mu Lei felt deeply indebted to Song Jie for saving Mu Nujiao twice. Offering help was the least he could do.
Song Jie: Not right now.
Mu Lei: Alright. But don't hesitate if something comes up.
After chatting for a while longer, the conversation ended.
Later, Song Jie went out for dinner. When he returned, he sat on the sofa and began practicing his Light Element.
His days passed simply—between his rental house and the nearby restaurants.
Time flew by.
Summer vacation was almost over, but the heat outside hadn't faded in the slightest.
Song Jie sat on the sofa, eyes closed in concentration.
Suddenly, he opened them, a smile spreading across his face.
"It's done!"
After weeks of practice, he finally succeeded in controlling all forty-nine stars of the intermediate Light Nebula.
That meant he could now release Intermediate Light Magic!
He stood up eagerly and began to form the Star Pattern.
In his spiritual world, forty-nine stars shimmered like tiny suns across the nebula.
"Start."
The stars connected one by one into seven brilliant Star Tracks, and soon the entire Star Map was complete.
A golden magic array bloomed under his feet, its light filling the room.
"Glorious Light — Holy Shield!"
A radiant, golden barrier formed around Song Jie, enveloping him in a soft divine glow.
He'd used the spell before with the Star Chart Book, but this time was different—this was his own power.
The holy light soon faded, leaving him exhilarated.
He then summoned Little Green to see how it was doing.
"Ring, ring, ring!"
Xiaolu fluttered out of the dimensional space, flying happily around the room.
"Come here, buddy," Song Jie said with a smile.
Xiaolu chirped joyfully and landed in his arms.
"Have you gotten stronger?" he asked, stroking the leafy growth on its head.
"Ring, ring, ring!"
"Almost there, huh?"
"Ring, ring, ring!"
Song Jie chuckled. "I still have a few Plant Stamens left. If that's not enough, I'll buy more later."
He'd also been completing bounty missions recently, earning decent rewards.
With Xiaolu's ability to locate Plant Stamens in forests, it was a profitable investment—small cost, big returns.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message.
He glanced down—it was from Mu Nujiao.
Mu Nujiao: I'm so sorry. After that incident, I went into seclusion for training and didn't have time to tell you.
After the Xiaokunshan experience, Mu Nujiao had gained many new insights.
She'd gone straight into closed-door cultivation after being discharged from the hospital.
Song Jie already knew, thanks to Mu Lei—but he couldn't resist teasing her a little.
Song Jie: You promised to treat me to dinner, remember? I've been waiting a month, and now I'm starving. You have to take responsibility! 😭
On the other end, Mu Nujiao froze, her face heating up. She didn't know how to reply to that message at all.