Returning to his room, Zhang Yang quickly settled down to meditate and cultivate. Having sparred with Lightning and Long Feng today, fighting two at once, was not only satisfying but also served as a release.

The essence blood pill he had taken earlier hadn't been fully absorbed, and this opportunity was perfect for him to continue the absorption process. On the other side, after closing the door, Long Feng took out a small jade vial from his person.

He possessed two such vials, both currently filled with spiritual herbs; he had used other containers for his remaining medicinal ingredients. The vial he took out now contained the Essence Blood Pills.

Essence Blood Pills could enhance the abilities of spiritual beasts when consumed by them, and when taken by humans, they could greatly boost their internal energy. Zhang Yang had provided complete proof of this.

He was somewhat inferior to Zhang Yang previously, but he was confident that with this Essence Blood Pill, he could break through to the mid-stage of the second layer; he was already at the critical threshold of the early stage. Glancing up, he hesitated no longer and swallowed the Essence Blood Pill immediately.

He couldn't compete with Zhang Yang, but he aimed to surpass his peers within the family. With these spiritual medicines, he was certain he would soon become the true foremost talent of his generation.

The night passed without incident, and Zhang Yang woke up early the next morning. School started tomorrow; today was their last day of leisure.

Zhang Yang didn't give much thought to the start of school. The life of a senior year student wasn't stressful, and for those like them who didn't need to worry about employment, this period of university life was pure enjoyment.

When his calls to Long Feng went unanswered, Zhang Yang went directly to his place, only to find Long Feng was still absorbing the medicinal effects of the Essence Blood Pill. Spiritual medicine like the Essence Blood Pill, which purely increases internal energy, was harder to absorb than other types, requiring significantly more time.

Zhang Yang himself had spent a full day and night absorbing his, eventually achieving a breakthrough. Zhang Yang did not disturb Long Feng's cultivation.

He left Lightning behind to look after him. Long Feng could not be interrupted at this stage; Zhang Yang had matters to attend to outside and could only rely on Lightning to stand guard.

Lightning was initially displeased with this request. However, it eventually complied.

After the battle with the Golden Crown Python and the shared fight yesterday, Lightning had finally acknowledged this person who had previously caused them trouble. Taking advantage of the day, Zhang Yang visited Old Man Liu and purchased the house they were currently renting at a high price.

Zhang Yang was confident Old Man Liu would continue to rent it to him, but owning it felt more comfortable, and the house held significant meaning for him. Zhang Yang offered Old Man Liu a price thirty percent higher than the market rate, which was more than enough for him to buy a more suitable three-bedroom apartment.

This house represented the lifetime savings Old Man Liu had painstakingly accumulated; Zhang Yang would not treat him unfairly. Buying just this one house wasn't enough.

Zhang Yang drove Mi Xue out to the suburbs to look at some villas. Eventually, he spent 600,000 yuan to acquire a small villa, comparable in size to the one Long Cheng had previously owned.

Though the villa was modest, it was sufficient for the few of them currently living there. Long Feng could move in without issue, and even if Hu Xin and Xiao Dai came to visit, there would be room.

Zhang Yang genuinely couldn't find a suitable, better property, so he settled for this one for now, planning to buy a better, larger villa later. Zhang Yang felt the house was merely adequate, but Mi Xue was extremely pleased.

This house was far superior to her own family home. Moreover, whenever Zhang Yang bought property, she felt a certain way—in China, only people about to marry typically arranged for housing.

Zhang Yang was in his fifth year of medical school, and she would graduate from the Foreign Languages College after her fourth year, meaning she had only one year left. Marriage wouldn't be an issue after graduation.

Girls tend to overthink things. At this moment, Mi Xue had already thought far ahead, completely unaware that Zhang Yang viewed this house as merely a temporary residence.

For Zhang Yang, buying property anywhere at this juncture was unlikely to result in a loss. The house was already furnished, requiring only some furniture before they could move in.

After purchasing the house, Mi Xue excitedly dragged Zhang Yang to the furniture market. They browsed for an entire afternoon.

Mi Xue bought a significant number of items that afternoon, arranging for everything to be delivered to the new house first. They would deal with the setup after they returned.

However, that would certainly be after the school semester began. Throughout that day, Zhang Yang called Long Feng several times, but he never answered.

Zhang Yang assumed Long Feng was still unconscious until he returned to find only Lightning at Long Feng’s place. "Chirp chirp chirp!" Upon seeing Zhang Yang, Lightning immediately leaped onto him, gesturing with its claws and expressing its grievances.

Zhang Yang couldn't understand what it was saying or how it was gesturing, but he could sense it. Lightning was complaining about Long Feng.

It had guarded him for a long time; after Long Feng woke up, he left, abandoning it there alone. Lightning had desperately wanted to go find Zhang Yang but didn't know where he was, so it could only wait idly.

It wasn't entirely boring, though. It had ventured out a few times, and every hidden snake in the community had suffered.

Lightning didn't eat non-venomous snakes, but it tormented them, leaving every snake half-dead, barely clinging to life. This was considered an act of great mercy; otherwise, today would have been the doomsday for the snakes in that neighborhood.

"He's out of line. I'll speak to him when he returns.

Here, for you!" Zhang Yang smiled, gently holding Lightning, whose aggrieved look was rather endearing. Zhang Yang gave it an ordinary pill.

Wuying also poked its head out, and Zhang Yang gave it one as well. These were just regular snacks, not spiritual medicine, so the two little ones wouldn't fall asleep after eating them.

That evening, undisturbed, Zhang Yang prepared a lavish candlelight dinner. The two little ones played in their room, allowing Zhang Yang and Mi Xue to enjoy a rare world for two.

As soon as dinner concluded, Long Feng returned. He was slightly late, which was fortunate, as he certainly would have interrupted Zhang Yang and Mi Xue’s tender moment.

"Zhang Yang, can you step out for a moment? I need to speak with you alone!" In the living room, Long Feng said to Zhang Yang, his expression slightly serious.

Zhang Yang rarely saw Long Feng look this way. After observing him for a moment, he followed him outside.

The two didn't go far, staying in the community courtyard. Mi Xue, slightly worried, went back to her room, picked up Lightning, and watched them silently from the balcony.

"Not bad, congratulations!" Zhang Yang carefully examined Long Feng a few times before grasping his arm and pressing his fingers against his pulse points. After checking, Zhang Yang smiled and spoke.

After taking the Essence Blood Pill last night, Long Feng had successfully broken through and was now in the mid-stage of the second layer. Moreover, his internal energy was exceptionally robust, completely unlike someone who had just entered the mid-stage.

Normally, this suggested he had been at the mid-stage for some time. The medicinal effects of the Essence Blood Pill would persist, and if fully absorbed, reaching the peak of the mid-stage of the second layer wasn't out of the question.

This essentially meant he had advanced an entire step instantly. After all, it was the essence blood of a third-layer spiritual beast; while it couldn't directly promote him across layers, a small step forward was certainly possible.

"Thank you!" A rare smile touched Long Feng’s face. His current strength was comparable to Zhang Yang's when they first met—that time when Long Feng first encountered Zhang Yang.

And even then, Zhang Yang was already stronger than the most talented expert among the younger generation of their family. This meant he had effectively advanced to become the foremost talent, fulfilling his ambition.

"Zhang Yang, I told the Clan Leader about my advancement!" After a moment of hesitation, Long Feng slowly disclosed the information. Long Feng was young and this was his first time venturing out; in his excitement over the promotion, he had reported it to the family.

"What did your Clan Leader say?" Zhang Yang asked with a slight smile, sensing the underlying reason for Long Feng calling him out. Long Feng whispered, "The Clan Leader asked me to return in the near future!" "Returning is fine; it's a good thing.

You've improved, and your family should be happy!" Zhang Yang chuckled. If he were the Clan Leader, upon learning his disciple had advanced outside, he would also want them to return to ascertain the disciple's current situation.

For any family, every member must be treated with the utmost importance. "I told him it was with your help that I advanced!" Long Feng lowered his head and murmured again.

Zhang Yang’s eyebrow twitched suddenly, and he turned his head to look at Long Feng. Zhang Yang truly did not desire any particular entanglements with the Long Family.

If the Zhang Family of Huatuo Residence hadn't targeted him, he wouldn't have had any interaction with the Long Family at all. Keeping Long Feng was merely a buffer, a three-year cushion.

Based on his current development, in three years, he wouldn't worry about any future envoys from the Long Family. Three years would allow him to stabilize in the third layer, if not reach the peak tier of the fourth layer.

He possessed quite a few spiritual medicines. "The Clan Leader wishes to invite you to return with me!" Long Feng said slowly.

As he spoke, he looked up again, observing Zhang Yang's calm expression. He quickly added an explanation, "The Clan Leader wishes to thank you personally, which is why he specifically invited you.

There are absolutely no other intentions. I can guarantee your safety there; I stake my life on it!" After speaking, Long Feng looked at Zhang Yang with a trace of worry.

His excited report today had led to an unexpected outcome; the Clan Leader's invitation surprised him. In truth, he had his reasons for reporting.

The current Clan Leader was his biological father. The Long Family succession wasn't hereditary; the most intelligent and capable disciples of each generation assumed the role of Clan Leader.

Although Long Feng was the son of the Clan Leader, he held no inherent claim to succession. However, as a son, when achieving success, one naturally wants to inform their father and share the joy.

His father was understandably happy to learn of his son's progress, and knowing his son advanced with outside assistance, feelings of gratitude naturally arose. Of course, Long Feng's father was also curious about Zhang Yang, which prompted the specific invitation.

"When?" (Nuo Qiu) After a moment, Zhang Yang finally spoke calmly. Seeing that Zhang Yang did not refuse, Long Feng visibly relaxed and immediately nodded.

"Anytime before the end of the year works. We will return whenever you are free!" Returning before the end of the year was indeed the Clan Leader's requirement.

In fact, even without Zhang Yang, Long Feng needed to return before the end of the year for a critical event he had to attend within the family.