Confession and Graduation

Xiao Wu stopped pressing the matter. She merely shyly shook her head, tossing her long scorpion-tail braid in front of herself.

Seeing Xiao Wu's pretty, bashful appearance and her little face reddened by the setting sun,

Yun Qi could not help but smile. Having someone by his side all along was ultimately a wonderful thing.

Xiao Wu suddenly raised her head, looked at Yun Qi, and said seriously:

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

Yun Qi was stunned for a moment as well. After thinking seriously, he decided to come clean 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 for you too. You don't need to worry about being exposed in the future. If you were accidentally exposed someday, I would stand firmly in front of you and never let anyone hurt you!"

Xiao Wu fell silent. She was deeply shocked and had no idea how Yun Qi had discovered her identity, but she still asked tentatively.

"You really know my identity?"

Yun Qi smiled helplessly.

"Xiao Wu, you should be a Spirit Beast that took human form, right? I saw such a description in an ancient book, but I only learned it through my innate special ability. You don't need to worry."

Tears streamed down Xiao Wu's face. Ever since arriving in the human world, she had constantly lived in fear 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, the weight in her heart finally lifted.

"Brother!"

That simple form of address seemed to completely shatter the last trace of distance between them.

"Will you despise me?"

Yun Qi did not answer. He directly pulled Xiao Wu's head into his embrace and continuously stroked her hair, comforting her softly. He listened to her sobbing in his arms and to her recounting her life experiences, revealing all her secrets before him.

Seeing Xiao Wu gradually calm down, Yun Qi made a poorly timed joke.

"Xiao Wu, your original form is a rabbit. Does that mean rabbits have lots of descendants?"

Xiao Wu was so angry that she laughed. She grabbed Yun Qi's hand and gave it a hard bite.

"What are you saying? You're talking about Spirit Beasts like us that have cultivated for a hundred thousand years! The stronger a Spirit Beast is, the harder it is for them to produce offspring. Besides, I've always lived in the Core Area. There weren't any rabbits worthy of catching my eye!"

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

Old Jack's calls brought their horseplay to an end, and they peacefully ate their meal.

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

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

The boy was handsome, with long black hair simply held in place by a hairpin. He looked twelve or thirteen years old and wore a fitted black outfit. He stood over 1.8 meters tall, and his entire body gave off an approachable feeling. His first impression was exceptionally good!

As for the girl, her silky brown hair was arranged into a scorpion-tail braid that hung straight down to her calves. She was over 1.7 meters tall, only slightly shorter than the boy. She wore a small pink vest that tightly wrapped her well-developed chest, exposing her slender waist. With large eyes, willow-leaf brows, and plump pink cheeks, there was a phrase for someone like her: the face of a little girl, the body of a mature beauty. Though she was only twelve, she had matured much earlier than others her age. Her future was promising!

Six years had long made Yun Qi and Xiao Wu inseparable. Before leaving the academy, they had heard Master say that they could go to Shrek Academy. Yes, Master had taken the initiative to speak with Yun Qi. That ridiculously powerful Affinity Halo had made Tang San and Yu Xiaogang let go of their hostility during those six years. However, Yun Qi was no good person. Just because they no longer bore him hostility did not mean he would stop taking advantage of them. Still, this Affinity Halo was seriously overpowered! It would be best if he got another type of halo someday. As a modern man, Yun Qi's favorite thing was playing the sixth man. The feeling of scheming against people behind their backs was simply too satisfying!

Yun Qi's six years had been incredibly fulfilling: attending classes, cultivating, shopping, eating, and taking advantage of others. He had taken most of Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's sources of income. Tang San often wore an undernourished expression, and his body was especially thin and weak.

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

"Did your Martial Soul get it wrong? It guided you to such a remote place! It's so creepy."

Yun Qi was helpless as well. Some time ago, his Soul Power had broken through level forty, leaving all the teachers and Su Ye numb with shock. During those six years, everyone who learned about Yun Qi had basically worn that same expression. After graduation, Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy bid farewell to the strongest student in its history amid Su Ye and the other teachers' reluctant gazes. Yun Qi remembered Su Ye and the teachers' kindness and would have a chance to repay them in the future.

This time, he had come Spirit Hunting under the guidance of his Martial Soul, the Moon Shadow Sword. Both his second and Third Spirit Ring had been obtained from the most suitable Spirit Beasts under the Moon Shadow Sword's guidance. Yun Qi did not want to give up directly this time either, so he came to this remote forest at the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Balak Kingdom. Due to its location, mercenaries of all sizes often roamed this area.

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

Only then did Xiao Wu's mood change.

"Now that's more like it~"

Ever since they had opened their hearts to each other five years ago, Yun Qi had always taken care of her like an Older Brother. Xiao Wu enjoyed the feeling of being cared for too!

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

After cutting through the Thorns along the way, Yun Qi and Xiao Wu entered the depths of the forest. Lush trees blocked most of the sunlight. A small river ran through the center of the forest, and beside it stood a massive creature seven to eight meters long!

The Moon Shadow Sword in Yun Qi's hand emitted a murderous, icy aura as it faced the Spirit Beast before them. Yun Qi understood that this was the Quest Target! The reward was an increase to the year limit of his Thousand-Year Soul Ring for his First Spirit Skill.

Speaking of Quest Targets, Yun Qi had assigned himself a whole pile of quests: stealing the cat-eared girl, stealing Ning Rongrong, taking advantage of Dai Mubai, and so on. He did not know how many there were, but they had no time limit, and he would receive rewards as long as he completed them! The quest rewards ranged from Gold Soul Coins to Soul Bones, even including sinister things like Subconscious Modification!

Yun Qi looked at the massive creature before him, his expression unusually grave. It was an Ironclad Sword Dragon, a Spirit Beast that only liked hiding in the mountains and eating all kinds of ore. It was not particularly aggressive by nature, but if you angered it, it would show you what it meant to have ten thousand swords pierce your heart.

At the same time, the Ironclad Sword Dragon's defense ranked among the very best of all Spirit Beasts. Having eaten ore year-round, its body had fused with the properties of various minerals. People often called it an Ore Sword Dragon as well. Every part of this Spirit Beast was valuable, because all kinds of rare ores could be found within its body. They did not even need refining, because it was itself an ore-forging furnace!