Chapter 92: Lin Fang and Li Liu’s secret meet (Part-2)
Zhi Yan’s footsteps echoed faintly as she climbed up to the seventh floor with her mind still weighed down with the unease she couldn’t shake off.
When she reached the familiar corridor, her steps faltered. Standing like a sentinel outside Lin Fang’s door was Nebula—the tall, broad-shouldered cow demon with her arms crossed and gaze steady, just like a hired guard.
Zhi Yan blinked in surprise. "Why are you here?"
Nebula shifted ever so slightly, caught off guard by the sudden question. "I was ordered," she answered in her calm, deep voice.
"Ordered? By who?" Zhi Yan pressed, suspicion flashing in her eyes.
"Master."
Her brows knit together, and she tilted her head. "So... are you saying Lin Fang is inside?"
Nebula’s gaze darted left and right like she was trying to avoid the question. "No."
Zhi Yan narrowed her eyes, not convinced one bit. At the same time, a sudden thought emerged in her head, raising her heartbeat considerably. "It’s not Lin Fang she hooked up with, right?"
Clutching her chest in nervousness, she stepped forward, her hand shooting toward the door handle. But just as she was about to push it, a firm grip clamped over the handle from the other side. Nebula’s fingers dwarfed hers, locking it in place.
"No," Nebula said evenly, her tone leaving no room for debate. "You cannot enter without permission."
Zhi Yan’s jaw tightened at that. Her mana stirred instinctively, and faint streams of energy rippled off her skin as she tried to force the door open. The handle groaned under the tension, yet the door didn’t move an inch. Nebula’s strength, steady and unyielding, held it shut with great difficulty. One could clearly see her veins popping around her neck, and she was trying her best to match Zhi Yan’s strength.
Zhi Yan stared at her in disbelief for a moment, seeing that her strength didn’t work. "Tch..." She exhaled sharply and withdrew her hand instead of pushing it even more as she felt it wasn’t worth starting a battle over mere speculation. After a pause, she straightened her shoulders and spoke in a calmer tone. "Fine. Then ask for permission. Tell your master I’m here. Let him decide."
Nebula studied her for a moment before nodding. She closed her eyes, her presence going still as a quiet telepathic thread reached out to Lin Fang inside.
Meanwhile, inside the living room, the atmosphere was nothing like the tense standoff outside. Lin Fang sat comfortably with Li Liu perched close beside him, her tablet resting on her knees as the two leaned over it together.
On the screen was a page from the Hunter Association’s website, neatly listing rules, requirements, and structures of the upcoming exam. Lin Fang’s brows furrowed slightly as he read, his arm loosely draped around Li Liu’s shoulders.
"So it’s not just about getting a license after all, as I expected," Li Liu said softly, her fingertip sliding over the tablet to scroll. "This is the Class Evaluation."
"Mm," Lin Fang hummed, eyes narrowing with focus. "And not just for us. Hunters from across Zhonggou will be in it."
The explanation laid it out clearly: while ordinary hunters were ranked from D to SS by strength—a ranking that could rise or fall with improvement—the Class Evaluation worked differently. It wasn’t just strength. It is tied directly to the Association itself, measuring a hunter’s contribution to the system.
"Seven classes," Lin Fang murmured, reading aloud. "Untitled, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mythril, Adamantine."
Li Liu glanced at him with a small smile. "The higher your class, the better the benefits. Recognition, resources, and access across the world. That’s why everyone takes this so seriously."
Lin Fang leaned back, his mind already spinning with possibilities. "This Feng Xiu guy, I never expected him to pull off something like this. I mean, we aren’t even licensed, and he put our final trial in such an examination?"
Li Liu nodded, tilting her head against his shoulder. "I know this place better than most," she said, swiping across the map until the screen zoomed into a jagged mountain range. The digital render showed peaks that stretched into the clouds, their names written in bold characters: Yanhuo Range.
"I explored it once, a couple of years ago, you know, for gathering some rare ingredients," she continued. Her stylus traced across the map, circling rough red zones. "It is public knowledge that this isn’t an open dungeon, but the most important is its boss...," she tapped, her tone dropping, "this entire region is ruled by an Emperor-Tier beast, the Ember Dragon. A Fire Dragon of high-purity bloodline, notorious for its temper."
Her hand moved quickly, marking paths and valleys. "Here, here, and here... don’t step into these regions, no matter what. The Ember controls them directly. Even if you don’t cross paths with it, its spawns will pose significant trouble. They will be atleast in Lord Tier."
Lin Fang nodded, his brows furrowed, eyes narrowing at the glowing red circles. "Got it. Avoid the core, move around the outer territories."
"And this is where..." Li Liu was about to continue, stylus poised above another slope on the map, when his body stiffened abruptly.
Her words caught in her throat. "Gege...?"
Lin Fang’s expression shifted, his gaze unfocusing slightly as though his thoughts had been pulled elsewhere. A faint pulse of energy flickered around him, then his jaw tightened.
"It’s Nebula," he muttered, interrupting her. "She says Zhi Yan is outside the door."
Li Liu froze, color draining from her face. "What?" Her voice slipped into a sharp whisper. "I thought I was confident she wouldn’t barge in like this!"
"She must have gotten suspicious," Lin Fang said, his tone grim but calm. "Probably because of Nebula guarding the entrance."
Li Liu’s grip on the tablet tightened, her voice trembling. "What do we do? Should I... should I go out and stop her? Do you think she suspects us?"
Before she could move, Lin Fang reached out and gently caught her face in his hand. His touch was firm yet reassuring, tilting her chin so her wide, panicked eyes met his steady ones.
"Don’t worry," he said quietly, his voice laced with certainty. "We have only been dating for a couple of days. I won’t let her catch us red-handed, atleast not like this... I already have a plan for a case like this. Just stay here."
For a heartbeat, all she could do was stare at him, the warmth of his hand grounding her against the rush of nerves. She gave a small, hesitant nod, biting her lip, while outside the door the quiet tension continued to build.
Lin Fang didn’t waste another second. He stood up, walked swiftly into the bedroom, and shut the door behind him with a soft click. His expression hardened before his hand moved through the system interface that only he could see.
"Combat Merge," he whispered.
The system’s faint chime rang in his head.
*Ding!
[Combat Merge is Activated. Please select the Monster Companion.]
As the Pet inventory opened with monster images in the slots, he clicked on Nemewolf.
[Xuan Hei has been selected. It goes into hibernation.]
As its image turned gray, a surge of dark energy coursed through his veins, his body stiffening under the sudden strength as Xuan Hei’s essence fused with his own. The air around him vibrated faintly.
Now, with mana flowing through his body, he didn’t hesitate to use its skill.
"Phase drift."