Chapter 104: The Little Princess’s Midnight Tutoring Session

Le Kai never expected that Li Yan’s so-called tutoring was not just casual talk but involved a vast amount of prepared material.

“Le Kai, since you have no foundation, the only way to get a good score is through rote memorization. These are exam papers from previous years; if you can remember them all, even if you don’t get first place, you should at least pass,” Li Yan said, looking at the towering piles of documents before her. She felt she might have gone overboard—there was so much material that not only mastering it but even just reading through everything would take several days.

It was already midnight; was there still time?

To prevent cheating, the exam would be conducted using traditional paper test papers instead of electronic versions.

Le Kai felt the genuine care in Li Yan’s actions, and warmth blossomed in his heart. Having grown up deprived of maternal love and constantly teetering on the edge of life and death, Li Yan was his only female friend, making her importance in his life immeasurable. This feeling was something he had never experienced before—warm, peaceful, free of scheming or harm. Even sitting there silently with her for eternity would be a source of joy.

Le Kai’s thoughts were simple; unlike Li Xiuxiang and Lan Bo, he wasn’t scheming or deceitful. He was just a poor child who had gotten a piece of candy for the first time, and now someone wanted to take it away—how could he not be nervous?

Li Yan had changed a great deal over the past half year. She had blossomed into a young maiden, her appearance more refined and charming. Her innate noble aura combined with a hint of playful innocence gave her a softness reminiscent of cotton candy. Her eyes remained clear and bright, free of any impurities, pure as if purified by divine grace.

Originally a deity-like figure, holy and lofty, she carried herself with a humble, approachable demeanor—as if a celestial fairy descended to the mortal world to redeem suffering. This unique charm made it easy for others to feel close to her, yet that closeness was tempered with reverence, a reluctance to desecrate.

Le Kai was the only one without these reservations. Lacking experience with the opposite sex and no fear of gods or spirits, he naturally felt no barrier between them. This harmonious interaction was unprecedented for Li Yan; from childhood to now, no one had made her feel as at ease as Le Kai did.

Not even Li Xiuxiang, who had grown up alongside her, could be so uninhibited.

Le Kai didn’t want to disappoint her goodwill and said, “Actually, I’ve studied all these subjects before; I just never went to school. You only need to tell me generally what the exams cover.”

Li Yan smiled, “Cousin Lan Bo already said you’ve never been to school; stop pretending. I know you just want to prove yourself in front of Uncle Lanscar, but there’s really no need.”

“Prove myself in front of Uncle Lanscar? Why would I do that?” Le Kai laughed bitterly. It seemed Li Yan, like others, thought he was a carefully cultivated prodigy of Lanscar. But Le Kai decided not to explain the real reasons—because the professor’s case was too sensitive. That old man had dared to use members of the imperial family for extreme human experiments, offending a very powerful figure in the capital. It was rumored that this figure was so influential even the Li family had to bow to him.

If it became known that Le Kai was connected to him, it wouldn’t affect Le Kai much, but Lanscar would be in serious trouble.

Lanscar had treated Le Kai so well; how could he bear to harm him? Besides, to create the current situation, Lanscar had already silenced many who knew the truth, acting against his conscience.

Li Yan clearly didn’t believe Le Kai’s words, but after Le Kai solved all the problems she gave him, she was astonished. She thought this must be the result of Uncle Lanscar hiring a private tutor for him. Although he hadn’t attended formal school or taken exams, he had still acquired knowledge.

This made things easier. Li Yan selected past exam questions for Le Kai to complete.

To Le Kai now, these questions were like a university student facing elementary school problems—he could score full marks without much thought. Yet, to spend more time with Li Yan and to make it harder for someone outside the door monitoring the room with spiritual energy, he purposely made a few mistakes and humbly asked for help, letting Li Yan indulge in the joy of being a teacher.

Time flew by in this back-and-forth.

In the end, Le Kai couldn’t bear to see Li Yan staying up so late. She had already stifled yawns several times, even turning her back to hide them, but Le Kai noticed anyway. Feeling guilty for being selfish while she sincerely helped him, he swiftly completed all the test papers she had brought, not even bothering to check.

Li Yan was shocked when she checked the answers—there wasn’t a single mistake. Some of the problems were absolute tough nuts that even she had pondered over for a long time before Li Xiuxiang helped her solve them.

Could it be that he was truly telling the truth? These questions were really that easy for him?

For some reason, knowing Le Kai hadn’t deceived her filled Li Yan’s heart with a touch of sweetness. She hated being lied to, and at first, she thought Le Kai was lying out of spite. Though it made her uncomfortable, she had still helped him wholeheartedly. Now that he had proven his ability, she was even happier.

She even completely ignored one fact: if Le Kai won, then Li Xiuxiang would have to lose.

Li Xiuxiang was frustrated beyond words. He had been using spiritual energy to monitor the room, fearing Le Kai might do something outrageous. Though manageable for now, the prolonged use of spiritual energy was extremely exhausting. Even with his formidable one-star warrior strength, he felt fatigued and had scolded Le Kai countless times in his mind.

Fortunately, it seemed the two were genuinely just reviewing and discussing exam questions—nothing unusual.

By dawn, Le Kai finally left Li Yan’s room.

After bidding each other farewell, Le Kai headed back to his own room, a smile playing on his lips, clearly happy. Though he usually lived optimistically, seeking joy in every day, tonight’s feeling was different—a joy free from pressure or defenses, purely spontaneous and warm.

Is this the power of friendship?

Le Kai murmured to himself, feeling grateful to have such a true friend.

Watching Le Kai return to his room, Li Xiuxiang observed for a while longer. Once he was sure Li Yan had fallen asleep, he returned to his own room with a dark expression, activating his wristwatch to contact his father but ultimately giving up. A cold smile spread across his face as he muttered, “Le Kai, let’s see how you manage to scrape by today.”

Le Kai didn’t sleep either. Instead, he chose to meditate and practice cultivation. Just two hours of deep meditation could substitute for ten hours of sleep. So when he rose that morning, he was radiant and energetic, showing no signs of fatigue.

Today was a big day to make money—he couldn’t miss it. In high spirits, humming a tune learned from some obscure third-rate novel, he strode to Lan Bo’s door and kicked it open, grabbing him right from under the covers.

“Lazybones, time to get up.”

“Don’t... don’t, boss! You’re such a rogue—so rough! You broke my door! How am I supposed to keep my... dignity now?” Lan Bo blushed furiously, shouting, his hands tightly covering a certain place.

Le Kai laughed heartily. “I didn’t realize you had some talent! In just two months, you’ve already entered the initial stage of this cultivation technique. The first phase is refining essence into qi, sinking the energy in the chest and abdomen into the perineum, stimulating yang energy and refining it into true qi. During this process, it’s normal for that area to become engorged. What’s there to be shy about?”

“Normal?” Lan Bo asked quickly, “But it’s so hard and uncomfortable! Is there any way to fix it?”

Le Kai looked at his eager face, suddenly serious. “You must not have any impure thoughts. Since it won’t soften, just apply the second step of the technique—extract the essence and blend it into the dantian. This step is crucial. Essence, qi, and spirit synchronize. If you succeed, it’s the true ‘unity of mind and spirit’ realm.”

Lan Bo’s face flushed red. “This has been going on for a month already! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’ve been... I was too afraid to go out!”

Le Kai was surprised. “You reached the refining essence into qi stage in just one month? Impossible! I estimated it would take you two months to succeed, so I didn’t tell you the second step to avoid distractions. Looks like your aptitude isn’t low after all!”

Le Kai was genuinely astonished. He hadn’t expected Lan Bo to be so dedicated that he advanced so quickly. Le Kai himself estimated it would take him at least a month and a half. Could Lan Bo’s talent be greater than his?

But what was that thing he said about every day...?

Le Kai couldn’t help but laugh bitterly and warned, “Solving it yourself might harm your cultivation but isn’t hopeless. However, if you lose control and break your body, this technique will be completely ruined. Don’t do anything reckless before reaching the realm!”

Lan Bo felt ashamed but gritted his teeth. “Don’t worry, I’m not that weak-willed. I’ll kick this bad habit immediately.”

Le Kai didn’t mock him. Instead, he carefully taught him the second step and stayed by his side until Lan Bo fully grasped the method, refined the essence, and returned to normal. Only then did he leave the room to have breakfast.

Behind him, Lan Bo scrambled to wash and dress, his face glowing with joy, a complete transformation from yesterday. He had never been so confident about the future because he had managed to align his internal qi and successfully entered the ‘unity of mind and spirit’ realm.

This was true unity—perfectly matching his inherent strength. One more step would bring him to perfection, triggering true qi breakthrough. And when that time came... ha ha ha!

Lan Bo laughed happily!