Confession and Graduation

Xiao Wu no longer pressed him, merely shyly tossing her head and swinging her long Scorpion Tail Braid in front of her.

Looking at Xiao Wu's delicate, bashful appearance and her little face flushed red by the setting sun,

Yun Qi could not help smiling. Having someone constantly by his side was ultimately a wonderful thing.

Xiao Wu suddenly raised her head and said seriously to Yun Qi:

"Brother, if one day everyone wanted to kill me, but you couldn't beat them, what would you do?"

Yun Qi was stunned as well. After thinking seriously for a moment, he decided to confess and slowly said:

"Actually, Xiao Wu, I know your true identity. I have a special ability. But don't worry, I never had any other intentions from the beginning. As for the aura around you, I used that special ability to conceal it too, so you don't have to worry about being exposed in the future. If you accidentally reveal it one day, I'll still stand firmly in front of you. I won't let anyone hurt you!"

Xiao Wu fell silent, deeply shocked inside. She did not know how Yun Qi had discovered her identity, but she still cautiously asked:

"You really know my identity?"

Yun Qi gave a helpless laugh.

"Xiao Wu, you should be a soul beast that transformed into human form, right? I've seen this described in an Ancient Book. But I only learned about it through that innate special ability of mine, so don't worry."

Xiao Wu could not help shedding tears. After coming to the human world, she had always lived in fear, terrified that she might one day be discovered by a passing Spirit Douluo or Titled Douluo. Now that she knew Yun Qi had already concealed her aura properly, the heavy stone in her heart finally fell away.

"Brother!"

That simple form of address seemed to completely shatter the final barrier between them.

"Will you despise me?"

Yun Qi did not answer. He directly embraced Xiao Wu's head and continuously stroked her hair, gently comforting her. He listened to Xiao Wu sob in his arms and listened as she recounted her life, revealing all her secrets before him.

Seeing Xiao Wu gradually calm down, Yun Qi made an ill-timed joke.

"Xiao Wu, your true form is a rabbit. Do rabbits have lots of offspring?"

Xiao Wu instantly became furious and amused at once. She grabbed Yun Qi's hand and gave it a fierce bite.

"What are you talking about? You're saying that about a soul beast with a cultivation of a hundred thousand years like us? The stronger a soul beast is, the harder it is to bear offspring. Besides, I've always lived in the Core Area. There weren't any rabbits there that I could take a liking to!"

Yun Qi hurriedly surrendered, admitting that he was wrong. He had not deliberately courted death or distrusted Xiao Wu; he had merely wanted to resolve a question that had troubled him for a long time in his previous life.

At Old Jack's calls, they finally ended their horseplay and settled down to eat.

Time flew by, and five years passed in the blink of an eye.

In a forest in the south of the Balak Kingdom, near the Star Luo Empire, a young man and woman were carefully walking through the grass.

The Boy had a handsome face and long black hair, simply secured with a hairpin. He looked twelve or thirteen years old and wore a black outfit suited for movement. He was already over a meter and eighty centimeters tall, and his entire body exuded an approachable feeling. His First Impression was excellent!

As for the girl, her silky brown hair had been combed into a Scorpion Tail Braid that hung straight to her calves. She was also around a meter and seventy-something tall, only a tiny bit shorter than the Boy. She wore a pink camisole that tightly wrapped her well-developed chest, revealing a slender waist. With her large eyes, willow-leaf brows, and chubby little face, there was a phrase called a loli face with a mature woman's figure, and it described her perfectly. Although she was only twelve, she had already developed far more maturely than her peers. Her future was promising!

Six years had long since made Yun Qi and Xiao Wu inseparable. Before leaving the academy, they had also heard Master say that they could go to Shrek Academy. Yes, Master had taken the initiative to speak with Yun Qi. This powerful Affinity Halo had eliminated the hostility Tang San and Yu Xiaogang felt toward him over the past six years. However, Yun Qi was no Good Person. It was impossible that he would stop scheming against them simply because they were not hostile toward him. Still, this Affinity Halo was truly ridiculous! If only he could get another halo of a different type sometime. As a modern person, Yun Qi's favorite thing was playing the sixth man—there was nothing more satisfying than secretly plotting against others!

Yun Qi had lived an extremely fulfilling life over the past six years: attending classes, cultivating, shopping, eating, and scheming against people. He had obtained most of Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's sources of income. Tang San, meanwhile, often wore an undernourished expression and had become especially thin.

Xiao Wu raised her hand and looked at the muddy grass beneath her feet, complaining slightly.

"Did your Martial Soul make a mistake? Why did it guide you to such a remote place? It's so gloomy."

Yun Qi was helpless as well. Some time ago, when his Soul Power broke through Rank 40, he had shocked all the teachers and Su Ye into numbness. Everyone who had known Yun Qi over the past six years had worn the same expression. After graduation, amid the reluctant gazes of Su Ye and the other teachers, he had bid farewell to the strongest student in the history of the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. Yun Qi also remembered Su Ye and the many teachers' kindness and would have a chance to repay them in the future.

This Spirit Hunting trip had also been guided by the Moon Shadow Sword. Yun Qi had obtained the most suitable soul beasts for his second and Third Spirit Rings under the Moon Shadow Sword's guidance. He did not want to give up directly this time, so he had come to this remote forest bordering the Star Luo Empire and the Balak Kingdom. Because of its location, mercenaries of all sizes often lingered here.

"Hang in there a little longer. I'll treat you to a feast once we get out!"

Only then did Xiao Wu's mood improve.

"That's more like it~"

Ever since the heart-to-heart talk they had shared five years ago, Yun Qi had always taken care of her like an Older Brother, and Xiao Wu thoroughly enjoyed being cared for!

The forest constantly exuded an eerie aura. Yun Qi held the Moon Shadow Sword in his hand the entire time, ready to fight at any moment!

After chopping through the Thorns blocking the road, Yun Qi and Xiao Wu entered the depths of the forest. Lush trees blocked most of the sunlight. There was also a small river in the center of the forest, and beside it was a massive creature Seven to Eight Meters long!

The Moon Shadow Sword in Yun Qi's hand seemed to emit a murderous, sinister aura as it faced the soul beast before them. Yun Qi understood at once—this was the Quest Target for this time! The reward was an increase to the Year Limit of his First Spirit Skill's Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Speaking of Quest Targets, Yun Qi had assigned himself a huge number of quests: snatching the Cat-eared Girl, snatching Ning Rongrong, tricking Dai Mubai, and so on. He had no idea how many there were. In any case, there was no time limit, and he would receive a reward as long as he completed them! The rewards ranged from Gold Soul Coins to soul bones, as well as sinister things like Subconscious Modification!

Yun Qi looked at the massive creature before him, his expression unusually solemn. The Ironclad Sword Dragon was a soul beast that liked to hide in the mountains and eat all kinds of ore. It was not highly aggressive by nature, but if one enraged it, it would teach them exactly what Ten Thousand Swords Piercing Heart meant.

At the same time, the Ironclad Sword Dragon's defensive power ranked among the very best of all soul beasts. Because it had eaten ore year-round, its body had fused with the properties of various minerals. It was also often called the Ore Sword Dragon, because every part of this soul beast was a treasure. One could find all kinds of rare ores inside its body, and they did not even need to be refined—the creature itself was a forge for mineral ores!