Zhao Yiyi sat cross-legged on the lawn.
The red-haired gorilla Durian also sat cross-legged across from her.
The human and the gorilla both looked solemn, as if they were performing a grand ceremony.
"Durian, you've learned dozens of words in sign language by now. You can actually communicate with humans at a basic level."
"But if you want to continue cultivating into a human, you have to learn human language and writing!"
"The ultimate goal is the Three Abilities! Speaking, reading, and writing!"
"Once you master these three abilities, you'll definitely go down in history and become the first animal ever to cultivate into a spirit. You'll become incredibly sought-after and famous throughout the world!" Zhao Yiyi excitedly spread her arms toward the sky.
Durian hesitated, then also spread his arms toward the sky. But he quickly lowered them again, apparently feeling that the gesture was rather silly.
"Let's learn our first word."
Zhao Yiyi pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. The two huge characters for "hello" were printed on it.
"This word is 'hello.' Repeat after me: hello!" Zhao Yiyi sounded like a kindergarten teacher.
Durian stared blankly at her, at a loss.
"Hello."
"Come on, give it a try. Hello! Hello, hello, hello, hello!"
"Repeat after me. Watch how my mouth moves. Hello!"
Zhao Yiyi waved her arms and shouted for a long while. Durian vaguely understood that she was teaching him how to pronounce the word, and finally tried to make a strange roar.
"Don't shout so loudly. A soft voice is fine. Watch my mouth!" Zhao Yiyi pointed at her own mouth. "Hello! Hel-lo!"
Durian continued making strange noises, still using a beastly voice.
Zhao Yiyi tirelessly repeated "hello" over and over. After more than two hours of saying it, her