Chapter 95: The Ten-Hour Monster (4100)

“Tang, get up!”
“Tang, get up!”
“Tang…”

Amid the familiar calls, Xiu Nan slowly regained consciousness, his mind still lingering in the memories of his previous life.

The white ceiling came into view as he suddenly sat up. Near the window, a black-brown feathered owl was calling out like an alarm clock.

“Tang, get up!”
“Tang… caw!”

The call abruptly ceased as Xiu Nan stuffed his breakfast into the owl’s beak. The creature finally stopped its annoying cries and began eating on its own.

He walked over to the window and looked outside. The scene was exactly the same as before—the little river flowing gently.

The green grass swayed left and right with the breeze.

Xiu Nan ran his hand through his hair and took off the apprentice ring from his right hand, pinching it between two fingers.

A familiar prompt appeared once more before his eyes.

“Local map: ‘Miloradlen School’”
“Current era: ‘Era of the Twin Saints’”
“Miloradlen School will yield the following rewards:”
①②③④⑤⑥
……
“Next, please choose your mentor”

A: Professor ‘Blazing’ (Master of Precision Anatomy)
B: Professor ‘Sea of Flowers’ (Master of Instrument Usage)
C: Professor ‘Nebula’ (Master of Model Construction)
D: Professor ‘Blue Water’ (Master of Rune Optimization)
E, F…
G: The Tenth Saint Omega (Head of Miloradlen School, the tenth follower under the White Saint)

Nothing had changed; all seven mentors remained. Last time, after choosing a mentor and restarting the disciplined life, that mentor vanished because they died in the storyline.

Lei Ya, Fanxing, and Jun Dao were all like that.

But this time, there was no mentor death in the disciplined life storyline, so Xiu Nan could still choose the same mentor as before.

Without hesitation, he would choose Omega.

As the head of the Miloradlen School, Omega possessed an abundance of valuable resources. He displayed the auxiliary thorn flower rune, initial badge, inheritance crystal, and more—each one essential to Xiu Nan.

Through the storyline, it was clear that Omega cared deeply for his disciples and was willing to invest resources generously. In contrast, the other six professors were not necessarily so considerate.

Moreover, even if he didn’t choose the other six professors, he could still benefit from their services. As the sect leader, Omega could easily allow someone to audit lessons.

Having made his choice, Xiu Nan strode toward the washbasin.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting grid-like stripes of light on the gray-white floor.

The air indoors carried a comforting scent.

With experience from the last time, Xiu Nan handled the routine smoothly, no longer as clumsy as before.

He slipped the apprentice ring in, and clear water filled the stone basin. After washing up, he checked his reflection in the mirror. Confirming his youthful and radiant appearance, he moved to the right-side wall and pressed gently; a cloak materialized.

“The Sword’s Arrival.”

He donned the cloak and returned to his seat.

As he slowly enjoyed the rest of his breakfast, the owl—perhaps tasting something sweet—fluttered over.

“I want some too, I want some too. Tang, I want some…” it sounded like a child coaxing.

Xiu Nan sighed and gave it a piece.

Twenty minutes later, outside the door, dirt flew as a brown sandworm burst forth.

“Ding! Ding! Ding!”

An elderly man leaned on a cane, slowly ascending in a crimson-tongue elevator. He suddenly sensed a shadow above him. Looking up, he saw someone squatting at the edge of the sandworm’s fearsome mouth, head bowed, peering down!

“Kid, you’re bold. Aren’t you afraid of falling in and being swallowed? What if it’s a wild, ferocious Ring Beast?”

The old man stepped onto the flesh mat and walked out, carrying a book, watching Xiu Nan with interest.

Xiu Nan gave a dry laugh but said nothing.

“Apprentice Charlie Tang, number 1008, ninth insect compartment, destination Blue Crystal Lake, travel time five minutes.”

The thick leather-bound book at the old man’s waist reported the information. He glanced at Xiu Nan’s cloak and chest badge, then waved his hand while turning around.

“Let’s go…”

The two stepped briskly onto the pulsating crimson tongue.

“Don’t be afraid, this is—”

Before the elder could finish, Xiu Nan stood on the tongue, crouching to examine the elevator closely.

Sure enough, he discovered numerous identical patterns on the tongue and the oral cavity walls.

These were life runes—used in subterranean insect vehicles—an intriguing point for further study.

The old man watched Xiu Nan’s intense focus and shook his head smilingly, “Finally met someone brave…”

Five minutes later, Xiu Nan stood in a breathtaking basin terrain. The fragrant grass was lush, and the lake rippled gently under the sunlight.

He stepped onto a stone path.

Under a pavilion, a slender figure in a black cloak stood, seemingly admiring the view.

“Hello…” Xiu Nan spoke again.

“Hello, my name is… Floating Ice.”

A face bloomed with a radiant smile, glowing warmly in the sunlight.

What followed was surprisingly smooth. Knowing Floating Ice’s personality, Xiu Nan chose his words carefully. Along the way, he made his senior brother laugh twice, instantly sparking intense interest from Floating Ice.

“Tang, after we meet the teacher, I’ll take you to soak in the bath. Then we can talk properly…”

Floating Ice smiled gently, extending the invitation.

Xiu Nan nodded, though he didn’t understand why his senior brother always liked to discuss matters while bathing.

Was it due to some bodily mutation, making his skin cold?

Ten minutes later, inside a brightly lit study.

“You are still an apprentice secret ring master. To officially become my disciple, you must master the unique auxiliary runes of our lineage. Watch my hands.”

A tall man with tea-brown hair raised his arm, fingers swiftly sketching in the air. A metallic-textured thorn flower rapidly spread in midair.

Omega pointed with his right hand, and the thorn flower model dropped, caught steadily by Xiu Nan’s outstretched hand.

“How about this… if you can preliminarily condense this rune within thirty-five days, you’ll qualify as my disciple…”

“Take it and study carefully. Come see me every five days so I can check your progress…”

Before Omega, Xiu Nan bowed his head slightly, seemingly observing the metallic model in his palm.

Floating Ice stood to the side. From his angle, Xiu Nan appeared to be smiling modestly, a mix of one-third mockery, two-fifths coldness, and nearly half indifference.

In a blink, the smile vanished.

Xiu Nan maintained a solemn expression, slowly raising his head. He and Floating Ice respectfully left the study.

Time passed.

Ten hours later, a figure moved through a gray-white corridor. The corridor was spacious, with glowing white stone spheres spaced along the ceiling, illuminating the floor brightly.

It was unclear why the stone spheres disappeared later…

“Tap, tap, tap, tap…”

Footsteps echoed in the corridor. The cloaked figure stood before a door, silently waiting. The white door was engraved with various black carvings, centered by a chain-like circular ring radiating outward.

“Knock, knock, knock…” The figure extended a hand to knock.

“Who is it?” came a deep male voice from inside.

“It’s me, teacher.” came the reply from beneath the cloak.

“Come in.”

Creak. Xiu Nan pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The study’s light was much brighter than the corridor, akin to midday sunlight. Such natural-like light was easy on the eyes.

Not far away, near the bookshelf and desk, Omega, dressed in linen clothes, was writing a manuscript. On the desk lay a square metal block—an enigmatic and unknown audio rune.

Xiu Nan stopped about five or six meters from Omega and waited silently.

After about two minutes, Omega, his expression grave, finally solved the problem at hand and relaxed his brow.

“Tang, what brings you here? If you’re confused about grasping the thorn flower rune, you can ask your senior brother Floating Ice. I’m a bit busy…”

“!!!” Omega suddenly widened his eyes.

What did he see?!

An entry-level thorn flower rune!!!

What the hell? This is already entry-level?!

In front of him, Xiu Nan was expressionless, raising his hand to draw. A faint airflow stirred as a translucent thorn flower rune silently hovered in the air.

His pupils had turned bronze, faintly revealing the thorn flower slowly blooming within.

“Monster, monster, monster, a monster…”

Omega stood frozen, muttering to himself.

He was deeply shocked, especially since he had been immersed in deciphering the audio rune, making time seem to pass quickly.

Just a moment ago, he was advising Xiu Nan to strive hard and master the rune within thirty-five days. Now, his new disciple eagerly came running over, claiming he had already mastered it—proof in hand!

Such quick succession made him suspect he had been too engrossed to notice that over thirty days had already passed. Omega pulled out a silver watch chain from his chest and checked the time carefully.

20:58, roughly ten hours since he first met Xiu Nan. Wait, check the date…

“That’s right, today!” Omega confirmed he hadn’t mistaken the time, and the rune watch was functioning correctly.

He looked up at Xiu Nan, who returned a clueless glance, appearing dazed and vacant.

This kid probably had no idea what mastering the thorn flower rune in ten hours meant, or how terrifying his talent was! Even if he was a saint, he wouldn’t dare reveal such monstrous talent openly.

Omega liked to boast about his disciples to other saints, but this time he would keep silent. Not a single outsider could know.

Not even insiders!

“Tang! Does anyone else know you’ve mastered the thorn flower rune?!” Omega stepped forward several strides, placing a hand on Xiu Nan’s shoulder, his gaze urgent and words rapid.

“No, I just mastered it and came here. I haven’t told anyone else.” Xiu Nan shook his head.

He was excellent at playing dumb, keeping a poker face throughout.

“That’s good! Don’t tell anyone about this, including your fellow disciples. Understand?”

Omega’s expression was both joyful and uneasy.

“I understand.” Xiu Nan nodded solemnly. Omega truly cared about his disciples, wanting them to succeed rather than fall victim to jealousy or misfortune.

“Wait here, I’ll get something.”

Omega turned, walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a large black tome, and slowly opened it.

The rustling pages prompted Xiu Nan to roll his eyes inwardly, guessing Omega was about to compare him to the family’s prodigy again—what a comparison! He was basically cheating!

“Dean Omega, entry time ten days. At twenty-six, he reached the third ring ascendant, then after fourteen years of study, broke through to the fourth ring at forty!曾在……”

“He took ten days, but you only took ten hours! You’re undoubtedly a genius among geniuses…” Omega proudly patted Xiu Nan’s shoulder.

Xiu Nan played along, feigning surprise.

“But…” Omega shifted tone, and Xiu Nan knew what was coming, tuning it out.

“You must be humble and patient! There are always… You need to leverage your advantage… I might be too busy to teach this month… Floating Ice will teach you… Here, I’ll compensate you with something good.”

Xiu Nan ignored all but the last sentence.

Exposing his mastery of the thorn flower rune so early was precisely for this moment. Even if Omega suspected and watched him, it didn’t matter. Once he obtained the benefit and digested it, Xiu Nan planned to commit suicide in a few days.

Next, Omega, like last time, mischievously presented a choice: an inheritance crystal in one hand, an initial badge in the other, forcing Xiu Nan to pick one.

As soon as Omega showed the initial badge, Xiu Nan reached out and took it without hesitation.

“Are you sure about the initial badge? The inheritance crystal also greatly benefits you. As a rune apprentice, you most need to form a systematic knowledge framework… The inheritance crystal can help with that…”

Omega rambled on, but Xiu Nan paid no attention. Last time, Omega praised the initial badge, and now he praised the inheritance crystal—always the opposite.

“No, teacher. Compared to the broader knowledge gained from the inheritance crystal, I think progressing in the thorn flower rune is more crucial. Once my learning ability improves, everything else will come faster. The Miloradlen School’s knowledge can be learned later…”

Xiu Nan said the exact opposite of last time.

From their conversations, the master and disciple were quite alike—one spoke with pragmatism, the other with whimsy.

“Alright, you can borrow the initial badge for half an hour.”

Omega tossed it to Xiu Nan.

He opened his hand and looked—the ancient, exquisite bronze badge gleamed with a strange light under the illumination.

“Let me try the initial badge’s effect…”