! Where did you get that bracelet""I bought it from a street vendor; I’m just wearing it for fun," Hao Ren replied tiredly."A guy wearing bracelets, how effeminate," Zhou Liren immediately said.Hao Re...Chapter 333: Exclusion

"What What is it" Zhen Cunming immediately became wary.

This brat was generous when he wanted to be, but when he didn’t want to, he really was stingy.

“Lend me a set of magical equipment for setting up defensive arrays,” Hao Ren didn't beat around the bush and said directly.

"How big" Zhen Cunming asked immediately.

"It’s fine if it can protect a cave abode, or cover an entire valley," Hao Ren replied.

Zhen Cunming thought for a moment. He took off the backpack on his shoulder and fished out a dark-colored box from inside it. Their elementary school uniforms were in the style of black little suits, looking very dashing.

Since Zhen Cunming couldn’t pull things out of his sleeves, he just kept his芥子空間in his backpack.

"There are 72 golden essence refined magic flags inside. Additionally, there is a magic disc refined with deep-sea mysterious crystals. Defending against ordinary Earth Rank cultivators should be no problem," Zhen Cunming put the box in Hao Ren’s hand and said confidently.

Hao Ren mentally calculated: Dragon tribe Earth Rank cultivators were equivalent to late-stage Core Formation Realm cultivators of human tribes. Such a defensive array would suffice for the Fifth Layer Heaven as well.

"Then thank you," Hao Ren didn’t bother with politeness and directly put the box in his clothing pocket.

Zhen Cunming snorted. If he hadn't been living at Hao Ren’s place, or if Hao Ren wasn’t his nominal big brother, he wouldn’t have given anything to Hao Ren.

Speaking of which, these few days, because of two servings of warm tangyuan (glutinous rice balls), he had become Grandmother Hao's adopted grandson in a hazy manner. This “big brother” Hao Ren, whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to acknowledge.

"Smart Brother… give us your little dog for a few days to play with!" The girls patted Little White and cooed at Zhen Cunming.

"I can lend it to you for a few days. Huixian, bring two boxes of the tender cookies that you brought yesterday tomorrow. Xinran, lend me your PSP (PlayStation Portable) for three more days. Lingxue, buy me fragrant crispy chicken every day at noon…"

Zhen Cunming took full advantage of Little White and negotiated with them.

"Sure sure sure… " The girls surrounded Zhen Cunming in the middle like he was a star.

Sweat broke out on Hao Ren's forehead, this... this... Zhen Cunming was truly a big winner of life!

It could be imagined that if any male student looked at Zhen Cunming with dislike, without the need for Zhen Cunming to personally take action, these little girls would unite in hatred and kill off that guy with their gazes.

"I can’t lend it out for a few days!" Seeing Zhen Cunming about to betray Little White, Hao Ren rushed over and rescued Little White from the girls' hands.

"Uncle! Quickly give us back Little White!" These little loli girls lifted their heads and shouted at Hao Ren.

"Sort it out yourself!" Hao Ren threw a sentence at Zhen Cunming, then hugged Little White and hurriedly left.

In the anxious gazes of those girls, Hao Ren walked around the corner with Little White in his arms, then put Little White back into his necklace.

It seemed that Zhen Cunming was doing pretty well at the elementary school; no wonder he wasn’t thinking about returning to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace. Having beautiful girls surrounding him every day made Hao Ren want to enjoy such a carefree life as well.

Returning to Donghai University, morning classes had just started. Hao Ren, who was late by a few minutes, hurried into the classroom.

"Didn’t come back last night again Did you go out on a date with Xie Yujia" Zhou Liren in the back row raised his eyebrows at Hao Ren, "Men in love really look great. Last night… did you…"

"Get lost!" Hao Ren knocked him aside and squeezed into an empty seat.

He had opened two acupoints in one night, so it was natural for his qi and blood to be flourishing, making his complexion rosy. However, this vibrant appearance looked different in Zhou Liren's eyes—especially since Xie Yujia’s complexion had also been very rosy recently.

If Hao Ren continued practicing on the Fifth Heaven level for five consecutive days, it would certainly have better results, but if he didn't show up at school for a long time, people might report him missing.

"Hey, hey," Zhou Liren nudged Hao Ren with his elbow. "Aren’t you close to Su Han When is she coming back to teach"

The question Zhou Liren was asking was actually something all the school's male students were concerned about. Since Su Han fell ill last time, no one had seen her again, and they began missing this super-cold yet beautiful teacher.

"How would I know We haven’t met recently!" Hao Ren could only lie.

Zhou Liren showed a disappointed expression, clearly not believing that Hao Ren knew anything about Su Han.

Hao Ren sat up straight and looked at the front row; he saw Xie Yujia bent over diligently taking notes, with her pale neck exposed from under her black hair.

If only I could take Xie Yujia to the Fifth Heaven, her cultivation progress would definitely accelerate… Hao Ren thought silently to himself.

"Hey, hey," restless Zhou Liren nudged Hao Ren again. "Let's go take a bath tonight; Zhao Jiayin is back."

“How’s his competition going” Hao Ren casually asked him.

“He made it to the top sixteen and will start the quarter-finals next week.”

"Oh... That's pretty smooth." Hao Ren said.

“Damn! National Top Eight, you shouldn’t be so calm about this!” Zhou Liren almost shouted out loud but quickly retracted his words when he noticed the teacher’s gaze on him from the podium and ducked his head.

"Yeah, it's quite impressive," Hao Ren nodded in agreement.

Zhou Liren leaned against the table with a near-collapse expression. Zhao Jiayin leading his basketball team to the national top eight was such an exciting piece of news, yet Hao Ren’s reaction was so lackluster.

How could Zhou Liren know that Hao Ren's perspective had long since transcended school affairs He was thinking about the Imperial Dragon Temple Examination in a month and the crisis facing the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace.

The broader one’s heart, the wider their horizon.

A cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage could almost be compared to an army of thirty or fifty thousand. How could the outcome on such a small basketball court possibly capture Hao Ren's attention He was just keeping up with his friend’s progress and feeling happy for him.

After morning classes ended, Hao Ren went to eat with Zhou Liren at the cafeteria and then alone to the library area where he let out Xiaobai for a walk. Meanwhile, he tricked some of Xiaobai's female fans into visiting so that Xiaobai could feast on them.

The dozen hours or more of practice in the Fifth Heaven level yesterday had brought Hao Ren’s spiritual energy to its fullest state and also brought Xiaobai to his peak condition.

Holding Xiaobai's hand, Hao Ren left the grass behind the library. No one noticed that over just a day's time, the Nine-mile Fragrance plants in the bush were almost half a meter taller than they had been yesterday and now almost obscured the windows on the back of the library.

Under such perfect circumstances, there would be no additional spiritual energy to absorb from going to Fifth Heaven. Hao Ren decided to calmly attend his classes while stabilizing the dragon丹 he had opened, also spending time with his roommates.

The time flew by and it was evening before long; Zhao Jiayin’s basketball team wouldn’t return until six o’clock. Taking advantage of this gap, Hao Ren went to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace to visit Zhao Yanzi.

He had been concerned about Zhao Yanzi being placed under house arrest in the palace for a day now.

"Your humble subject greets Lord Fuxi!" As soon as Hao Ren entered the main gate of the dragon palace, Chancellor Xia rushed forward with a bowed back and head.

“Where’s A Zi” Hao Ren asked him.

"She is in one of the small palaces at the back," Chancellor Xia replied humbly.

"Could Chancellor Xia be kind enough to show me the way I'd like to pay her a visit," said Hao Ren politely.

"Of course, of course..." Chancellor Xia bowed and led the way.

According to palace rules, when Princess Zhao Yanzi was put under house arrest, no one was allowed to see her. The purpose was for Zhao Yanzi to reflect on her mistakes alone in the small room.

However, Chancellor Xia also received a private instruction from Lady Zhao Hongyu: if the son-in-law came to visit Zhao Yanzi, they could be allowed to meet under special circumstances.

In Zhao Hongyu's view, wasn't this an opportunity for them to build their relationship While she had to consider the situation, she still appreciated Hao Ren personally and did not want everything to be cold and distant.

The small palace where Zhao Yanzi was imprisoned was located at the very back of the palace, far from the main hall. Flying freely within the dragon palace was forbidden, so Hao Ren followed Chancellor Xia on foot for almost half an hour before finally reaching Zhao Yanzi's "small room."

Hidden in a corner of the dragon palace, this small palace indeed had limited space but at least came with a small garden.

Outside the room was a wooden box containing meals, but inside, Zhao Yanzi clearly was sulking and didn't want to eat.

"My lord son-in-law, I can only lead you here. Entering any further would be against regulations," Chancellor Xia said as he stopped outside the small palace's door.

During Zhao Yanzi's period of isolation, no one was allowed near her; even meals were left outside for her to take if she wanted them or have them taken away if not.

Hao Ren being able to visit already constituted a special dispensation.

"It’s fine. Chancellor Xia, you go ahead and do your duties," Hao Ren smiled at the chancellor.

"I will wait for you outside," Chancellor Xia clasped his hands together respectfully, standing by the door.

This clearly meant that Hao Ren could not linger long inside Zhao Yanzi’s room.

Stepping over the meal box at the doorway, Hao Ren pushed open the red wooden door and entered the chamber.

The room was smaller than where Zhao Yanzi had stayed temporarily in the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace last time. It contained only a bed, a chair, a small table, and a side door leading to the garden.

The entire palace was surrounded by walls with soldiers guarding it; Zhao Yanzi could not escape even if she wanted to.

Seeing Hao Ren enter, Zhao Yanzi, who had been sulking on her bed, huffed.

"That… I saw you didn't bring much when you came yesterday. Today, I've brought some tutoring materials for you," Hao Ren said as he walked to Zhao Yanzi’s side and opened his backpack, taking out pens, paper, and tutorial books.

Zhao Yanzi looked at Hao Ren with gritted teeth and a crooked nose from anger.

"What's wrong Clenching your fists like that. If you’re going to be under house arrest anyway, might as well study," Hao Ren moved the table between the chair and bed, spreading out the tutorial books before him.

When he was young, he had been mischievous enough times to have experienced solitary confinement multiple times, but never for ten days like Zhao Yanzi. Thinking of it now, his own father, Hao Zhonghua, was not as strict as Zhao Guang.

"You can spend time with Xiao Yujia while I’m here," Zhao Yanzi pouted and said sourly.

Sitting opposite her, Hao Ren felt wronged. Heaven knows he hadn’t really interacted with Xie Yujia today; he just thought that since Zhao Yanzi was in the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, and he would be engrossed in training recently, there was no point talking.

Though thinking this, Hao Ren didn't want to concede verbally. Seeing her pouting mouth, he deliberately said, "Yes, yes, can’t see you anyway, might as well go out with her."

"You!" Zhao Yanzi suddenly raised her eyebrows and reached across the table to grab a book, ready to throw it at Hao Ren.

Hao Ren was faster; he immediately pressed down on her hand.

Zhao Yanzi put in her best effort to pull free, but failed. In frustration, she cursed out loud, "Idiot! Scoundrel!"

Hao Ren pressed his hand against hers gently and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her flustered face. "Alright, I'll come over as soon as class ends. Is that still not good enough for you"

Zhao Yanzi glared at Hao Ren, pulled back her slightly red palm, and raised her head fiercely. "As soon as I get out, I'm going to teach Xie Yujia a lesson!"

"I was just joking with you. Me and her…" Hao Ren hurriedly explained. Zhao Yanzi was almost at the Foundation Establishment stage; if it came down to a fight, Xie Yujia wouldn't be a match for her.

Hmph! Hmph!

Her anger on the surface belied her real feelings inside. Since she had been locked up last night until now, a whole day and night, Hao Ren was the only one who came to see her, even her parents were heartless enough not to.

Unfortunately, Hao Ren didn't understand how girls thought and had no idea if she was really angry or happy.

"Time's limited. Let me help you catch up on your lessons." Seeing Zhao Yanzi looking stiff-faced, Hao Ren flipped open his tutoring book again. "Yesterday we talked about the real roots of a quadratic equation in one variable. Today I've found another problem for us to tackle: (k-1)x^2 2x 1 = 0 has real roots; what condition must k satisfy…"

Zhao Yanzi rolled her eyes and glanced at Hao Ren, muttering in her heart: This wooden-headed person. She was cooped up inside all day, and he didn't even bother to chat with me about something else; just kept on tutoring…

But seeing how earnestly and thoroughly Hao Ren explained things, Zhao Yanzi didn't want to waste his good intentions either and had to focus and listen seriously.

Xia Chancellor stood outside the palace, ears pricked up. All he heard was stuff like "x^2 2x 1" as codes; he couldn't make heads or tails of them but knew that the princess was safe and sound, which made him feel relieved.

Hao Marquis is kind to people and has a very solid character. Xia Chancellor smiled slightly, standing at the door with his eyes closed in meditation.

One hour later, Hao Ren walked out of the room looking tired.

Xia Chancellor hurried over to meet him and checked his pulse.

"Princess Afzi's hungry. Send a late-night snack for her a little while later," Hao Ren said as he stepped outside the palace.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Xia Chancellor answered promptly.

Hao Marquis is indeed a marquis. I spent an entire day trying to persuade Her Highness and she didn't even take a sip of water. But this marquis just went in for a short while, and Princess Afzi says she's hungry… Haha…

Xia Chancellor chuckled as he escorted Hao Ren towards the main gate.

"Speaking of which, is there anything big happening at the Dragon Palace lately" As they walked toward the main gate, Hao Ren casually brought up a question.

"Ah, recently…," Xia Chancellor had been serving as the chief steward in the palace for hundreds of years and was naturally astute. He immediately understood what Hao Ren meant and quickly calculated before saying, "There are indeed some unsettling things."

He knew exactly which matters to talk about and which not to. But since Hao Ren sincerely asked him, Xia Chancellor felt a sense of gratitude in his heart and thus was willing to let out a little information.

"The matter of you destroying half the West Sea Dragon Palace is being spread around the entire palace. There are those who loudly praise your actions and others who criticize your lack of discretion. Many people say that this fire has now spread to the East Sea Dragon Palace as well. Haha, my eyesight isn't what it used to be; I seem to have heard… That there are a few Purple Robed Elders who want to strip you of your title and end things here."

Xia Chancellor bowed slightly, looking old and feeble, his words seemingly disjointed but actually revealing the most important information to Hao Ren.

Seeing that Hao Ren's expression seemed like he was about to ask for more details, Xia Chancellor yawned and patted his mouth. "Am I still talking in my sleep"

"Your Excellency, you didn't say anything," Hao Ren replied accordingly.

However, Hao Ren had a pretty good idea that the Purple Robed Elders referred to were some of the most powerful and highest-ranked elders in the palace.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- than sleep.The father and son descended together. Hao Zhonghua personally prepared some simple food for them."Dad, could you take me into town while driving" asked Hao Ren as he ate."Today is Sunday;...