'Incredible! As its strength increases, the octopus clone's body is growing too!'
Li Yang sensed his octopus clone in the ocean and marveled. The Cultivation Technique didn't have much of an effect on his own body.
Of course, it was better that way. If Li Yang's body grew along with his cultivation like the octopus clone's did, it would be impossible to hide. He would become a giant monster in everyone's eyes.
WHOOSH!
Its transformation complete, the octopus clone contracted its body and then shot forward with a sudden burst of power. It covered over a hundred meters in less than a second.
'So fast!'
As he tested its new speed, Li Yang's eyes lit up with joy.
With the second stage of refinement complete, his octopus clone's strength had clearly taken a massive leap!
Of course, this was a good thing.
Down on the seabed, the octopus clone wasn't necessarily invincible. If it encountered some powerful creature and died, even if he created another one, it would probably have to start growing from scratch.
So, the stronger the octopus clone, the faster he could explore the ocean!
'Time to keep exploring!'
Deep beneath the sea, the enormous octopus clone continued its search for valuable fish.
However, while the ocean was teeming with fish, valuable species like the large yellow croakers were rare, let alone in large schools.
Some fish were expensive but few in number, which wasn't what Li Yang was looking for.
He wanted something both valuable and abundant—that was his goal! Just like that school of large yellow croakers from before.
He had time, anyway, so he wasn't in a rush.
...
「Time flew by, and soon it was the next day.」
'Still haven't found anything.'
Li Yang checked in on his octopus clone and shook his head. After a full night of searching at its incredible speed, it had explored a vast area but still hadn't found anything.
DING!
Just then, he suddenly received a WeChat message from his class monitor, Zhou Yao.
[Zhou Yao: Li Yang, I got into Hai University! (Happy)]
Seeing her message, Li Yang thought for a moment before replying.
[Li Yang: Congrats.]
Hai University was one of the top ten universities in the country, so getting accepted was a testament to Zhou Yao's abilities.
He'd had a secret crush on this girl for three years. After a moment, he replied with a joke, "Now that you're in Hai University, shouldn't the class monitor treat me to a meal?"
A few seconds later, Zhou Yao replied.
[Zhou Yao: Sure, Li Yang. I'm over at Celestial Intent Restaurant.]
Li Yang hadn't expected her to agree so readily. He certainly wasn't going to refuse, and immediately replied, "I'll be right there."
...
In front of the Celestial Intent Restaurant, two young women were just arriving.
One of them was very beautiful, while the other was petite and cute.
"Wow, Yueyue, Coastal City is so much fun! It's even better than Xuan City. Let's go to the beach after we eat! There's no ocean in Xuan City, and one of my biggest dreams is to camp on the beach, have a barbecue, and collect seashells," the petite and cute girl said excitedly.
Their faces were familiar. The beautiful one was none other than Qin Yue. It was with the help of her father, Qin Shanchuan, that the Dragon Palace Slit Shell Li Yang had found was auctioned off so quickly, saving him a lot of trouble.
Qin Yue looked at her best friend and said with a helpless sigh, "That's just because it's your first time in Coastal City. Xuan City is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country; it's much better than here. You're just bored of it because you've been there so many times."
The best friend beside her was, of course, Chu Tingting.
After saying that, however, Qin Yue added with a smile, "But I'd like to go to the beach too."
They had both finished their college entrance exams. After finding out online that they'd been accepted to their chosen universities, they had come out to celebrate.
And Coastal City, being by the ocean, was their first choice.
As they were talking, Chu Tingting suddenly looked to the side, a surprised expression on her face. "Yueyue, look," she said. "Isn't that Li Yang, your blind date?"
She pointed.
Following her friend's finger, Qin Yue immediately saw Li Yang and froze for a moment.
'What's Li Yang doing here?'
The young man walking nearby was none other than Li Yang.
'Did Mom and Dad tell him?' Having just arrived at the restaurant and seeing Li Yang, Qin Yue instinctively assumed he was there to see her.
The thing was, before she came to Coastal City, her parents, Qin Shanchuan included, had suggested that Li Yang should host her and show her around, since his family lived in Coastal City.
She, however, had rejected her parents' suggestion.
Two girls on their own could do as they pleased. If they had a boy tagging along, they probably wouldn't have as much fun.
Despite her refusal, her mother kept calling, worried that it wasn't safe for two young women to be on their own.
She had mentioned to her mother that she and Chu Tingting were going to eat at Celestial Intent Restaurant, which had the best reputation in Coastal City.
'Did my mom call Li Yang? Did she tell him Tingting and I were at the Celestial Intent Restaurant? Is that why he rushed over?'
As Qin Yue speculated, she couldn't help but feel a sense of displeasure.
She hated it when her parents meddled, interfering with her life and trying to play matchmaker.
'Sigh, I'll have to find an excuse to get rid of him in a bit,' Qin Yue thought to herself.
She definitely didn't want Li Yang tagging along on this trip.
In just a few short moments, a flurry of thoughts ran through Qin Yue's mind.
She lightly smacked Chu Tingting and said irritably, "What blind date? Say that again and see what happens."
Chu Tingting giggled. "I wasn't wrong, was I? See, Li Yang came all this way just for you. Our Yueyue is just that charming."
She was just teasing, but Qin Yue fell silent, because Li Yang was now just a short distance away from them.
'Mom and Dad are so annoying, telling him everything and treating me like a child.' Qin Yue fretted over how to get rid of Li Yang.
Just then, Li Yang spotted them as well. "Qin Yue?" he said, slightly surprised.
Li Yang was genuinely surprised. 'Doesn't Qin Yue's family live in Xuan City? How did I run into her here in Coastal City?'
Xuan City was several hours away from Coastal City.
Seeing Li Yang's surprised expression, Qin Yue's opinion of him soured a little.
'Her parents must have told him to come here. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? She refused to believe it, anyway.'
Although she was annoyed, Qin Yue still greeted him with a smile. "Li Yang."
She introduced the girl beside her. "This is Chu Tingting."
"Hello," Li Yang said, nodding to Chu Tingting.
He then turned back to Qin Yue. "Are you visiting Coastal City?"
Seeing Li Yang feigning ignorance, Qin Yue grew even more irritated. Still, she smiled and said, "Mhm, we're planning to stay for a couple of days."
She added with a smile, "It's such a coincidence running into you here."
Li Yang nodded. "It is a coincidence."
After all, Coastal City was a big place with a population in the millions. The chances of running into someone you knew were very slim.
'He's still pretending.'
Hearing Li Yang's words made Qin Yue even more flustered. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Li Yang, are you here to... eat?"
Li Yang nodded. "Yeah, I'm meeting a classmate here."