"Xiao Xun, it's dangerous, get down!"
Just as Gu Xiao and her classmates were laughing and chatting on their way back to the classroom, they suddenly heard a cry of alarm.
Everyone present instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a three or four-year-old boy climbing on the railing of the corridor between two teaching buildings.
Gu Xiao's school had three teaching buildings, with freshmen, sophomores, and seniors each occupying a different building.
The teaching buildings were connected by corridors, but these corridors weren't enclosed; they had railings about a meter high.
No one knew how this little boy, who wasn't even a meter tall, managed to climb onto such a high railing.
On the corridor, a woman was quickly running towards the little boy; she was likely his mother.
"Isn't that Teacher Xiaoxia from Class Two?"
Not far from Gu Xiao, a student recognized the woman on the corridor.
Behind their school was a set of school district apartments, and there was a small gate between the apartments and the school, allowing direct access.
Many families who lived there occasionally brought their children to play at the school, and Teacher Xiaoxia was one of them.
"Xiao Xun!"
A sharp scream rang out as the little boy lost his footing and fell from the railing.
"Swish!"
The moment she saw the child fall, Gu Xiao transformed into a gust of wind and rushed over.
She reached the base of the teaching building, pushed off the ground with a powerful leap, and ran up the vertical wall as if it were flat ground.
A faint green spiritual light flowed over her long, fair legs, an outward manifestation of her leg meridians being opened and spiritual energy surging into them.
"Holy smokes! Spiritual light."
The awakened students nearby, seeing the spiritual light flickering on Gu Xiao's legs, cried out in surprise.
Gu Xiao moved quickly, reaching Xiao Xun's side in the blink of an eye.
She scooped up the falling Xiao Xun, bent her knees slightly, pushed off with a powerful kick, performed a backflip in mid-air, and began to descend towards the ground.
Wind elements surged around Gu Xiao, and a faint green airflow appeared around her, lifting her and slowing her descent.
At the same time, several other figures rushed over from a distance; these were other awakened teachers who had noticed the situation, but Gu Xiao was the closest, so she got there first.
A few seconds later, Gu Xiao landed on the ground with Xiao Xun in her arms, and an awakened teacher also arrived beside Gu Xiao.
"What excellent footwork."
One awakened teacher praised her. To move on a vertical wall as easily as Gu Xiao did required concentrating spiritual power in one's feet and adhering to the wall.
It sounded easy, but it was far from simple to do.
This involved the precise application of spiritual power, knowledge that would only be learned after entering a professional academy.
"It's alright."
Gu Xiao wasn't very good at handling compliments; her replies were almost always the same in such situations.
"Haha, fun! I want to do it again!"
Xiao Xun, held in Gu Xiao's arms, suddenly shouted, his eyes sparkling.
He was completely unaware that he had just had a close call with death, and showed no fear whatsoever.
Just then, Teacher Xiaoxia also rushed out of the teaching building, running frantically to Gu Xiao and snatching Xiao Xun from her arms.
Teacher Xiaoxia pulled down Xiao Xun's pants, revealing his tender little bottom, and began to slap it hard, one slap after another.
As she hit him, she cried out, her voice choked with tears, "Fun! Fun! I'll show you fun!"
A child's skin is naturally delicate, and in no time, Xiao Xun's bottom was red and swollen, accompanied by his heartbreaking cries.
"Teacher Xiaoxia, stop, stop! He's just a child, a little mischievous. Look at how you've beaten him."
The surrounding teachers, seeing Teacher Xiaoxia hitting the child, quickly stepped forward to intervene.
Under the persuasion of several teachers, Xiao Xun's bottom finally escaped its ordeal.
"Student Gu Xiao, thank you so much, really."
Teacher Xiaoxia turned around and thanked Gu Xiao solemnly. The moment Xiao Xun fell, her heart had truly felt like it was leaping into her throat.
"It's nothing, nothing, it's what I should do."
Seeing the teacher thank her so earnestly, Gu Xiao waved her hands repeatedly.
After seeing off Teacher Xiaoxia, who was holding her child, Gu Xiao returned to her class's main group.
As soon as she came back, she saw Jiang Hui and a few others looking at her with sparkling eyes, filled with disbelief.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing their unusual expressions, Gu Xiao turned to Lu Li and asked, puzzled.
"Xiao Xiao, you've already opened your first meridian?"
At this moment, Lu Li's delicate little face also showed unconcealed surprise.
She knew Gu Xiao had broken through to the Captain rank, but she hadn't expected Gu Xiao to open her first meridian in such a short time.
This meant that Gu Xiao had officially entered the third realm of cultivation, the Meridian Opening Realm.
Actually, the cultivation standards in the interstellar realm were a bit lower than on Azure Star. In the interstellar realm's hierarchy, as long as one reached the peak of the Soldier rank and began to nourish all meridians, preparing for meridian opening, they could be classified as Captain rank.
However, according to Azure Star's realm division, one only officially entered the third realm after opening the first meridian.
"Yes, just a few days ago."
Gu Xiao nodded, and as spiritual energy circulated within her, a faint green spiritual light once again appeared on her legs.
"No way, Gu Xiao, you're already Captain rank? It's only been three months? One rank a month? Isn't that too exaggerated?!"
Jiang Hui and the other awakened students in the class were so shocked they didn't know what to say. We haven't even reached Soldier rank yet, and you've already surpassed it?
"Compared to you, I feel like a good-for-nothing."
Jiang Hui sighed and said. The few awakened students next to him also nodded in strong agreement.
"If you guys are good-for-nothings, then what are we who couldn't awaken a profession? Incompletely evolved monkeys?"
A classmate standing nearby, who hadn't awakened a profession, rolled their eyes and said.
"That's true, now that you mention it, I suddenly feel much more balanced."
"Get lost."
...8 PM.
Gu Xiao's class's dining tables had already been set up on the sports field, with barbecue, hot pot, and a table full of stir-fried dishes.
"What is this?"
Gu Xiao asked, looking at a virtual bonfire projected by a projection device in their midst.
"A bonfire, of course. We discussed it and decided to have a bonfire party tonight."
Feng Kai said matter-of-factly, glancing at the projected bonfire.