The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 165 Admiration
As a rising star in the inner courtyard, Xuanxi shouldn't be sitting here, but he always appears with Song Liu and Su Ninglong, and with his impeccable cold face, he seems even more unapproachable.

Within Su Ninglong's inner circle, everyone knows that he is not cold-hearted.

He simply detests hypocrisy and stupidity, and his words are often incisive and merciless, which is why Song Liu jokingly calls him "Brother Widow".

Hyun Hee is very handsome, a classic handsome man, with a pair of captivating deep eyes. Whoever looks at him with his blue eyes will feel that he is looking at them with deep affection.

Moreover, he comes from an impressive family, and the number of girls who confessed their feelings to him was more than three times that of the girls who liked Charlie.

Even so, Hyun Hee remains single to this day and has never fallen in love, which is the origin of the "widow" in his nickname "Widow Brother".

Song Liu has had two relationships.

Unfortunately, neither of these two girlfriends lasted long.

The reason is simple: they all don't want Song Liu and Su Ninglong to get too close.

While there was some jealousy involved, the more crucial factor was that Su Ninglong herself and her inner circle had no intention of accepting them as members.

Song Liu's choice to reject Su Ninglong's existence has always been decisive and swift: kick her aside.

After all, they haven't reached the point of discussing marriage yet, and their feelings for each other aren't particularly profound. If this is the reason for him to sacrifice his close ties with the inner circle and suffer potential "interest" losses, then it's not appropriate.

The answer is self-evident: given the choice between love and the bear's paw (referring to the interests and camaraderie within the inner circle), he would naturally choose the latter.

In fact, Su Ninglong has never cared about who others associate with, nor has she ever expressed any disapproval.

It was obvious that the other person couldn't connect with her when she was talking about contaminated areas and sacred objects.

Their conversations revolved around topics such as the newly built amusement park and video editing plans.

Su Ninglong and her friends discussed the development direction of biological AI and interstellar politics.

They discussed the people at the trade summit and banquet.

The two have very different strengths, so mutual respect is enough.

However, they thought she was unwilling to communicate and demanded that Song Liu leave, which crossed Song Liu's bottom line.
As Song Liu rambled on about Zhou Yu's problems, Su Ninglong said, "He's not important."

Zhou Yu caused her a lot of trouble.

Six years ago, he attempted to use a limited-edition mechanical mount to set a trap, intending to make Wei Yuan hate Su Ninglong.

He hoped she would show off proudly, thereby provoking Wei Yuan, who cherished this mount.

However, Su Ninglong has always disliked secondhand goods. Instead of showing them off as Zhou Yu wished, she immediately resold them.

This completely shattered Zhou Yu's scheme and made Wei Yuan see through Zhou Yu's intentions.

Since that incident, Wei Yuan was no longer Zhou Yu's loyal follower, at most obeying his father's orders to remain friendly.

In his third year with the Star Alliance, Wei Yuan's pent-up frustration finally erupted.

He couldn't bear to see his juniors, who were once inferior to him, improve their skills while he remained stagnant. Coupled with Zhou Yu's occasional mockery, the sense of disparity was unbearable for him, and he ultimately chose to leave.

With Wei Yuan's departure, Zhou Yu completely lost all his capable henchmen.

He could only find like-minded followers from the lower grades who were clearly not strong enough.

These lackeys, far inferior to Wei Yuan in both ability and deterrent power, naturally could no longer pose a substantial threat to Su Ninglong.
The audience was drowsy when the ceremony finally ended.

Principal Yan waved his hand, signaling that the students could leave, and no one stood up first.

Only after Su Ninglong calmly stood up and walked out did the others follow suit, leaving one after another, as if receiving a silent command.

This orderly scene clearly demonstrates that the students regard Su Ninglong as their leader and role model.

Watching the students file out, Yun Fei couldn't help but find it amusing. He whispered to Principal Yan, "This little guy clearly hates all that empty fame and fortune, and never claims to be a leader. But why do all these students seem 'afraid' of her, acting as if they're beholden to her?"

Principal Yan appeared quite magnanimous about this. He watched Su Ninglong's departing figure with gentle eyes and calmly replied, "Her authority is never superficial. The students follow her not out of fear, but out of deep admiration and respect." The source of this respect was clearly visible: just a year ago, Su Ninglong successfully obtained the White Hunter license, a symbol of strength and potential, and in just one year, she remarkably rose to the rank of two-star hunter.

Faced with such dazzling talent and achievements, who could not feel admiration?
With such a role model, at least the younger students won't develop bad ideas.

Just a few steps out of the auditorium, several toddlers, around four years old with innocent faces, came running up to us, holding up a photo high in their little hands and calling out in their clear voices, "Sister Su, can you sign our autographs?"

Su Ninglong stopped and took the photo the children handed her; it was a group photo from the freshmen welcome party.

She skillfully signed her name on the back of the photo, asking with a hint of curiosity as she did so, "Weren't you just starting school? How do you know me?"

"Our guide told us that," one of the children eagerly answered, his eyes sparkling. "He said, 'Senior Su, you have magic powers. Anyone who gets close to you will eventually become an incredibly amazing hunter!'"

Su Ninglong's hand holding the pen trembled slightly: "..."

Who, who spread this rumor?
She looked at the few innocent, adoring faces in front of her and gently shook her head. "That's not true. Don't idolize anyone. The reality is that the people who can truly get close to me are all people I have personally selected."

"Really?" The children seemed to have caught a glimmer of hope. "Then...then can we be the friends you choose?"

Su Ninglong returned the pen and photos to them: "You need to work harder. My teammates are all good students who can stand on their own."

Although a hint of disappointment flashed across the children's faces, the flame of hope in their bright eyes did not go out; instead, it burned even brighter.

"Yes!" they nodded vigorously. "We will definitely work hard to become stronger, hard enough to be chosen by our senior."

Su Ninglong: "..." That's not what she meant at all.

Song Liu and Xuan Xi, who were standing a little behind, exchanged a helpless look.

Song Liu nudged Xuan Xi with her elbow and whispered, "See? The more Sister Su tells the truth, the more the little ones believe her."

Xuanxi watched the group of energetic little figures run off, a knowing glint in her blue eyes: "In their eyes, this became proof of her accurate 'people recognition'."

It seemed that anyone chosen by her was destined to become a powerful figure. This ability to 'predict' was, in their eyes, extraordinary.

Su Ninglong subconsciously covered up her embarrassment with a faint smile.

Just then, a group of girls walked past them, chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, two clear, disdainful whispers drifted from the crowd: "Scumbag!"
Song Liu turned around at the sound and his gaze accurately pinpointed the source of the voice—his two ex-girlfriends.

They were holding hands, looking at him with disdain, their gazes like tangible "eye knives," piercing him precisely.

Song Liu was bewildered by the glare and turned to Su Ninglong with a confused look. "Sister Su, look at this mess. I broke up with them decisively to be with you. Logically, they should hate you, right? Why are they all attacking me? This doesn't make sense!"

Su Ninglong rolled her eyes. Asking her about relationship issues was like talking to a brick wall.

Xuanxi, standing to the side, spoke up for her, hitting the nail on the head: "Perhaps they are more clear-headed than you. They know that you are not good enough for Ninglong at all. Instead of wasting your emotions hating someone you can't reach and who is completely innocent, you should direct your anger at you for being so frivolous with relationships and abandoning them after starting them."

He added, "When you were dating them, you said plenty of sweet words like 'forever' and 'I can't live without you.'"

After all, Song Liu had said a lot of sweet words when he was dating the two girls.

Song Liu exaggeratedly clutched his chest: "Brother Gua, we're brothers who grew up wearing the same pair of pants, can't you go easy on me? I admit I kissed their little mouths, that's all, how does that make me 'scum'?"

He tried to defend himself, appearing both aggrieved and self-righteous.

"After such an intimate act as kissing, if there's no intention to seriously develop the relationship or take responsibility, isn't that 'scummy' enough in their eyes?"

"You're such an old-fashioned person, that's absolutely outdated thinking."

Xuanxi said solemnly, "This is not an old-fashioned thing. This is the tradition and principle of the Xuan family. We have always advocated that before getting to know someone deeply or even considering marriage, we must first confirm whether the other person's family background is compatible and whether their temperament is compatible. This is the responsible attitude towards each other."

Song Liu's gaze was deep and unfathomable. "You're hopeless. This is called being stubborn and inflexible! In the future, if you ever fall for a girl who doesn't conform to your family's 'principles' at all, you can expect to be known as 'Wild Boy' for the rest of your life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Liu noticed out of the corner of his eye that a few students were making a move not far away, seemingly wanting to imitate the children from before and surround him.

His lips moved silently, and he clearly uttered a single word: "Imprisoned".

Not only did it quiet down, but it also garnered many indignant glances.

A cat the size of a calf suddenly appeared at the corner of the road, and the students who hadn't been frozen in place all retreated.

Qirui was not yet an adult, but through the techniques taught by Aoli, it inflated like a balloon, its body resembling a dangerous big cat. Its indifferent pupils swept over the crowd, eliciting a gasp.

Su Ninglong remained calm, walked straight forward, affectionately hugged Qi Rui's thick neck, and simply instructed, "Take me to the workshop."

Qi Rui's originally cold vertical pupils softened the moment they touched Su Ninglong, and he rubbed against her affectionately, making a low gurgling sound in his throat.

Then, he disappeared along with Su Ninglong's figure.

The students' eyes were filled with amazement and envy:
"It's one thing for Senior Su to be amazing herself, but even her pet is so imposing."

"Yeah, a two-star hunter. With such strength, how come senior hasn't graduated and left yet?"

“Is it possible,” a student whispered, analyzing with a hint of shrewdness, “that she herself doesn’t want to graduate so soon? You know, she’s only eleven years old, and according to regulations, there’s a limit to the number of off-campus assignments she can take on each year.”

“That’s right! It’s never a bad thing to stay in the academy and learn more; building a solid foundation is even more important!” someone immediately chimed in.

In fact, their guess was only half right.

Su Ninglong's decision to stay at the university was certainly driven by her own desire for knowledge, but the deeper reason was Principal Yan's earnest expectations.

Based on certain unclear omens, this wise elder judged that a far-reaching major change was likely to occur within the next two years.

He hopes that a promising talent like Su Ninglong can spend another two years honing her skills and accumulating strength in the relatively safe and resource-rich academy environment to prepare for future challenges.

Su Ninglong accepted Principal Yan's suggestion.

At the same time, she was also keenly aware that once she left the Star Alliance, this temple of knowledge, it would be extremely difficult to devote herself to the profound subjects of mathematics, astronomy, and history with the same single-minded focus as she was now.

The college's library, faculty, and research atmosphere are all invaluable resources.

Su Ninglong stepped into the somewhat messy workshop.

This place had recently experienced an attempted invasion. Two exceptionally powerful superhumans broke in with unclear intentions. Although they were eventually repelled and failed, the intricate array protecting the core area of ​​the workshop was severely damaged by the violent energy shockwaves during the fierce battle.

Su Ninglong looked around and began to repair the intricate array patterns.

As the light from his fingertips moved, broken runes were redrawn, connected, and illuminated.

During this process that highly depletes her mental and spiritual energy, her originally calm aura began to fluctuate like a turbulent pool.

As the last array pattern was repaired and the radiance stabilized once more, Su Ninglong almost immediately felt a violent surge of energy within her body.

She clenched her teeth and forcibly mobilized her will to suppress the power that was about to burst out of her body and stabilize her body.

After six years of relentless hard work and accumulation, the barriers to her spiritual attainment have begun to loosen.

He is only one step away from breaking through to the Alchemy stage.

The problem is that, through long-term tempering and fortuitous encounters, the strength of her soul power has long surpassed her current cultivation level.

Like an over-compressed spring, under the natural pull of the boundless soul power, its cultivation level instinctively and continuously wants to surge upwards.

The vast amount of spiritual energy required to break through to the alchemy stage was far too much for the spiritual energy stored in the body to support this crucial advancement.

Su Ninglong had no choice but to suppress her burgeoning desire to break through time and time again.

Every suppression will be followed by an even fiercer pull.

She pondered to herself that in the days to come, she must carefully select a mission in a polluted area that could provide sufficient spiritual energy resources, but it seemed that she could not take on missions alone in such a place.