"No, don't, Third Brother, don't!"
At Peach Garden Academy, in the middle of the night, on her bed, Xiao Wu woke up from a nightmare.
In her dream, she was running frantically on a small village path, burning her essence, with Tang Hao and Tang San chasing her from behind.
Several Godly Zhuge Crossbow bolts blocked her path, and Tang San shot her leg with a Hidden Weapon… For Xiao Wu, nothing was more terrifying than this scene…
Third Brother was the only person she could rely on after entering the Human World. The rabbit didn't know if it was love or kinship, but she felt a sense of security when she was with him.
However, that sense of security was shattered this time.
She couldn't even dream that Third Brother, because of a single word from his father, would aim his Hidden Weapons at her…
"Su… Su Ran Teacher…"
"Su Ran Teacher, I… I have nothing left…"
"Third Brother's father saw through my identity and wanted to imprison me, not letting me come to you. He… he wanted me to become Third Brother's spirit ring."
The moment Xiao Wu woke up, she looked at Su Ran with tear-filled eyes:
"Su Ran Teacher, I… I am a 100,000-year Spirit Beast who has taken human form… You must want to kill me too, right?"
"I'd rather die by your hand and become your spirit ring, that way I can be with you forever."
"Before you make your move, can you… let me… look at you one more time?"
"Sigh."
Su Ran sighed. Although he had long anticipated that Tang Hao might have known the little rabbit's identity, he didn't expect things to escalate to this point.
Tang Hao had personally experienced the pain of life and death separation with a 100,000-year Spirit Beast, yet he was still so cruel to Xiao Wu, who was also a 100,000-year Spirit Beast.
Did he want to pass on the 'umbrella' that shielded him from the rain to his son?
Perhaps. Maybe it was precisely because he gained a 100,000-year spirit ring from his beloved wife's sacrifice that he understood the power a 100,000-year spirit ring could bring—a qualitative transformation.
"Rest and recover. No one here will take you as a spirit ring, and I won't kill you either."
"These ointments can stop bleeding and heal scars. I can't help you with some private areas, so you'll have to apply them yourself."
"This cup of warm water has Clear Heart Ganoderma powder in it, which can calm the agitated qi in your body to some extent. However, you've expended too much of your cultivation, exceeding your body's current limit. There's a risk of tearing or sudden death at any moment. For the time being, it's best not to use any spirit power and focus on recuperation."
"There's also a bucket of warm water and a towel here. This set of clothes I borrowed from Rongrong. You can change into them after wiping yourself down; it's more comfortable to sleep clean."
"Once you've recovered, whether to stay or leave, you can make your own choice."
Su Ran glanced at Xiao Wu, finished speaking, and then directly left the room.
Leaving Xiao Wu alone, staring blankly inside the room.
...
The next day, the sky was clear and bright, with a faint morning glow spilling onto the windowsill, and wisps of peach blossom fragrance wafting in through the window cracks.
Xiao Wu woke up groggily, enchanted by the faint scent of peach blossoms.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she found that overnight, her wounds had healed, and she felt much more comfortable all over.
However, when she got out of bed, she noticed sticky liquid on the bed.
Last night, she tossed and turned, having several nightmares.
In her dreams, there were scenes of her mother being hunted by Spirit Masters, and she met the same fate as her mother.
All her former teammates abandoned her, viewing her as prey, eyeing her covetously.
She lost everything, unable to revert to her pre-human form, nor could she fully transform into a human. She could only exist in this half-beast, half-human state.
Everyone looked at her strangely until she died and became someone else's spirit ring and Spirit Bone, causing her to break out in cold sweats.
But, at the end of her dream, a handsome, gentle, elegant, and peerless peach blossom Immortal descended from the heavens, stood by her side, and told her:
"It's alright, no one here will take you as a spirit ring."
This sense of security was just like how she felt when she was with her mother—warm, and her heart fluttered.
Because her leg was injured by Tang San's Hidden Weapons, although the wound had healed today, Xiao Wu still limped a bit when she walked. She pursed her lips and opened the door slightly, and a ray of golden sunlight shone on her face.
She saw the vibrant life within Peach Garden Academy.
Two graceful figures danced among the silver threads, easily leaping dozens of meters into the air by stepping on flying peach blossoms, extremely light and agile—that was true Lightness Skill.
And there was another figure, seemingly a delicate little princess, who was actually radiating golden light all over. With her small hands, she formed a wondrous palm technique and fist technique, continuously striking incredibly hard iron stakes!
Buzz—
The iron stake vibrated with a ringing sound.
Boom—
From the school gate further away, a booming sound echoed. No one knew who was firing a cannon.
Xiao Wu had only seen Tang San use a small fraction of such training methods and techniques. Before, their training was basically physical—weighted running, close-quarters combat, etc., completely unlike the exquisite methods here.
"They were all taught by Immortal Brother…"
"No wonder they could improve so much in just a few months, because Immortal Brother taught them."
"Immortal Brother…"
At this moment, Su Ran sat under the peach blossom tree in front of the academy, reviewing homework and grading the periodic assessments for Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Meng Yiran, and Wang Sheng.
On the desk were their recent Spirit knowledge assessments, but more importantly, their progress in their unique skills.
[Ning Rongrong: Spirit Transformation - Nine Treasures Golden Bell Cover, spirit power Level 38, periodic Spirit Master individual strength rating - 59 points, periodic team contribution rating - 88 points, advanced to Fourth Layer Golden Bell, periodic stress resistance rating - 78 points, Yongchun Inch Punch second stage rating - 60 points.]
[Zhu Zhuqing: Spirit Transformation - Nine Nether Spirit Cat, spirit power Level 38, advanced to Second Palace Yama, periodic Spirit Master individual strength rating - 83 points, periodic team contribution rating - 74 points. Second stage movement technique, agility rating - 79 points, Earth Nether Hand negative pressure strength rating - 81 points, Hell Hidden Weapons learning periodic comprehensive test - 72 points.]
[Meng Yiran: Spirit Transformation - Necro Snake Staff, spirit power Level 37, periodic Spirit Master individual strength rating - 74 points, periodic team contribution rating - 79 points, opened the First Gate of Undead Grand Summon, Necro communication rating - 67, Earth Nether Hand negative pressure strength rating - 73 points, Hell Hidden Weapons learning periodic comprehensive test - 78 points.]
[Wang Sheng: Spirit Transformation - Storm Tiger King, spirit power Level 37, periodic Spirit Master individual strength rating - 78 points, periodic team contribution rating - 78 points. Subduing Tiger Fist technique assessment rating - 75 points, Tiger Form Fist assessment rating - 92 points…]
Xiao Wu was drawn to Su Ran. In her eyes, Su Ran was looking at the assessment papers with great seriousness, with peach blossoms falling around him.
This masked young man perfectly overlapped with the Immortal Brother she met in the Star Dou Great Forest, captivating Xiao Wu for a moment:
"Su Ran Teacher, if you don't mind that I'm a Spirit Beast, can I become your Disciple?"
"I really want to be your student."
"If you don't let me study here, Xiao Wu… has nowhere else to go."
"As long as Su Ran Teacher is willing to take me as a student, even as a maid, I'll listen to everything Teacher says. I'll do whatever you ask. I can pour tea and water, warm the bed, I can—"
At this moment, Xiao Wu mustered her courage and once again proposed the idea of becoming his Disciple.
She had come here desperately, intending to die in Peach Garden Academy, to die by Su Ran's side, even if it meant death.