"Haha, compared to you, my realm is far behind," Zhou Hong chuckled self-deprecatingly. Indeed, Zhou Hong was quite fond of beautiful women; what was the point of cultivation without them?
In Zhou Hong's opinion, what was the meaning of becoming powerful if not to enjoy women?
"Zhou Hong, it's best if you don't look for me so easily in the future. That Hu Lu Rong, if he sees you coming to me, he'll surely be displeased."
Zhou Hong snorted, "I'm already very displeased with him."
"Yesterday, I shouldn't have gone to find you. Your talent is so great, what if something happened to you...!" Long Xuan also knew that there had been many cultivation prodigies throughout history, but few managed to reach their full potential. Long Xuan had always stayed close to Tai Gu Academy to minimize the risk of falling. Those who roamed around carelessly were undoubtedly at greater risk.
"By the way, Senior Long Xuan, how many people are in your Supreme Protector Circle? From your tone, it sounds like there are quite a few of you."
"Mm-hmm, the Supreme Protector Circle has several hundred people. Everyone's strength is between the early to late Integration stage. Of course, there are some Tribulation Crossing cultivators as well. I'm not entirely sure how many powerful individuals are there. Normally, our Supreme Protector circle also gets together to chat and share experiences. Yesterday, hundreds of Supreme Protectors came out to chat, and they all talked about you, extremely shocked. With time, you'll definitely be able to join this circle and become one of us."
"I didn't expect there to be so many Supreme Protectors. So, that means there are even more at the Protector level."
"Of course. Tai Gu Academy has at least three thousand Protectors."
"Ah, how can there be so many?" Zhou Hong was a bit surprised.
"What's so strange about that? Tai Gu Academy is a place conducive to cultivation. Many cultivators at this level are willing to join here to cultivate collectively, exchange knowledge, and rely on each other."
"That makes sense. Finding a cave on your own is not as good as cultivating together here."
"Yes, and occasionally we can form groups to venture out for trials, seek cultivation opportunities, or even confront other cultivation alliances."
Zhou Hong nodded, no longer asking. They were nearing his dormitory. He and Long Xuan had chatted quite a bit along the way. Fortunately, not many people in Tai Gu Academy knew Long Xuan, and those who did only knew her name, few having actually seen her.
"Senior Long Xuan, one last personal question."
"Go ahead."
"How old are you, really?"
"Why do you ask about my age again?" Long Xuan seemed a bit exasperated. She herself didn't quite remember her age. As long as cultivation could continue, age held no meaning. The higher the realm, the longer the lifespan; what relevance did age have?
"Don't misunderstand. I just want to know how many years it took you to cultivate to this point."
"I'm not sure. But I should still be quite young, at most two to three hundred years old."
"Oh, oh, that Hu Lu Rong, he doesn't look too old either, middle-aged. How old is he?"
"Not sure, perhaps around 1,000 years old."
"Then, it seems your cultivation talent is stronger than his."
"You can't say that. He's currently in the mid-Integration stage, while I'm only in the early stage. I have no opportunity to cultivate to the mid-stage right now. Perhaps I'll still be in the early stage even when I'm 1,000 years old. No one can say for sure."
Zhou Hong nodded. It was like his current situation: mid-Nascent Soul, not yet thirty years old, but there was no guarantee he would reach the Integration stage by three hundred. The further one progressed, the more uncertain it became.
"My dormitory is just ahead." Zhou Hong arrived in front of a dormitory building.
"Mm, I should be heading back too. It's been a while since I walked and chatted with someone. Thank you, Zhou Hong."
"You're welcome. I should thank you too."
"Then I'll be going now." Long Xuan nodded shyly, then instantly flew into the air and disappeared.
Zhou Hong gazed at the sky, lost in thought for a good while.
"Zhou Hong!" Just as Zhou Hong was deep in thought, a shout came from behind him. Turning around, he saw Lu Qian Qian.
"Instructor Lu, are you looking for me?" Zhou Hong snapped back to attention and smiled faintly.
"Zhou Hong, what did Senior Long Xuan go out with you for last night? I heard you didn't come back all night." Lu Qian Qian asked with a hint of jealousy in her heart, especially after seeing Zhou Hong and Long Xuan walking side-by-side.
"Heh heh, Instructor Lu, aren't you meddling a bit too much?" Zhou Hong was speechless.
"I'm just asking. You didn't... do anything with Senior Long Xuan last night, did you?" Lu Qian Qian pouted.
"What the heck, Instructor Lu! Don't spout such nonsense. Senior Long Xuan isn't that kind of woman," Zhou Hong couldn't help but roll his eyes. This Instructor Lu had such a rich imagination. Zhou Hong wished it were true, but Long Xuan wasn't the type to be so casual. She had no interest in such matters between men and women; Zhou Hong had even been lectured by her.
"Oh, oh!" Seeing the protectiveness in Zhou Hong's tone towards Long Xuan, Lu Qian Qian felt incredibly disappointed. In fact, she had come to find Zhou Hong today to confess her feelings. She regretted not confessing publicly yesterday during their drinks, so she wanted to come first thing this morning. However, she learned from Zhou Hong's roommates that he hadn't returned all night. Moreover, she happened to see Zhou Hong walking back with Long Xuan, which had stirred up her jealousy. What made her feel even worse was Zhou Hong's words of defense for Long Xuan.
"Instructor Lu, is there something you need? Are you here to take me to class?" Zhou Hong quickly asked.
"It's nothing. I was just passing by." Lu Qian Qian turned and left, acting rather inexplicably.
"Speechless." Zhou Hong watched Lu Qian Qian's retreating figure, feeling a bit bewildered. However, Zhou Hong wasn't entirely clueless. After all, having experienced many women, he could somewhat tell. Lu Qian Qian most likely had feelings for Zhou Hong. Seeing Zhou Hong and Long Xuan so close just now must have made her jealous.
It was a pity, though, that Zhou Hong had no interest in Lu Qian Qian at the moment. His mind was filled with the image of Long Xuan, especially the impression she made last night, descending from the heavens like an ethereal fairy.
Compared to Long Xuan, Lu Qian Qian naturally fell far short. It wasn't that Lu Qian Qian wasn't beautiful enough, but she lacked Long Xuan's otherworldly aura.
"Damn Zhou Hong, lousy Zhou Hong...!" After leaving, Lu Qian Qian walked along, muttering curses, her eyes welling up with tears of grievance. She didn't know what was happening to her. As his instructor, she should be focused on teaching him properly, yet she was infatuated with his body, completely mesmerized by Zhou Hong. Especially last night, she had stayed awake all night.