A Mind Full of Schemes Like a Honeycomb Briquette

A red glow flared around her body. The sudden burst of pressure made Li Yusong want to intervene, but the next moment, her aura stabilized.

He withdrew his outstretched hand behind his back and focused, staring intently at Shen Ranxi.

When they saw that she had successfully obtained her Soul Ring, both of them let out long breaths, their hearts finally settling.

Shen Ranxi seemed to hear a crisp crack. Then, the scorching agony of that torrent of heat vanished, leaving behind only a warm, soothing comfort.

It worked!

The two teachers clapped in delight. It worked!

Once Shen Ranxi opened her eyes, the two teachers immediately resumed their solemn expressions.

Zhao Wuji asked, "How is it? What's your First Soul Skill?"

Shen Ranxi pushed herself up and stood properly. "Thank you, Teachers. My First Soul Skill is called Myriad Shadows, Thousand Layers. It causes enemies to feel intimidated and freeze for five seconds, while reducing their attributes by fifty percent. When I strike, multiple Staff Shadows follow the blow. As my level rises, the immobilization time will increase."

"Haha, not bad! Looks like taking that risk was well worth it." Satisfaction shone in Zhao Wuji's eyes.

Li Yusong elbowed him hard. He had to put some force into it—otherwise, this Bear would think he was just scratching an itch.

Ignoring Zhao Wuji's loud yelps, Li Yusong frowned. "Don't listen to Zhao Wuji. This time was luck, but you can't rely on luck every time. No matter what you do, your life is the most important thing! Do you understand?"

He held the young girl by the shoulders and gave them a slight squeeze, afraid she would not take his words to heart.

Shen Ranxi knew Teacher Li cared about her, so she earnestly promised, "Teacher Li, I'll never do anything I'm not sure about again."

As long as I won't die, that means I'm sure about it, she silently added.

Zhao Wuji looked at the sky. "It's getting late. Let's rest for the night before heading back."

Everyone agreed.

Zhao Wuji began setting up the tent, while Li Yusong started a fire.

Shen Ranxi looked around and found nothing she could help with. Then she spotted a little stream not far away.

After informing the two teachers, she headed to the riverbank and saw fish swimming leisurely in the water.

She suddenly felt annoyed. Why did they get to enjoy such a nice life?

You there, the one swimming the happiest! Get into my stomach already!

She quickly made a fish spear from a branch. With a flick of her wrist, she achieved the feat of gutting a fish clean through.

Having Soul Power really was convenient. Before long, she had caught more than a dozen fish. With Teacher Zhao's build, his appetite had to be pretty big.

Back at the fire, she skewered the cleaned fish one by one and sprinkled them with her secret seasoning powder. Before long, a rich fragrance filled the air.

Drawn over by the scent, Zhao Wuji and Li Yusong approached. Seeing how skillfully the young girl handled the fish, Zhao Wuji said approvingly, "You can grill fish too?"

The unfamiliarity between them had nearly vanished during the journey, and Shen Ranxi loosened up somewhat. Keeping a straight face, she tossed Teacher Zhao a faintly annoyed look. "Teacher Zhao doesn't believe me?"

"Your Teacher Zhao is picky. If he won't eat them, I'll eat them all. Haha." Li Yusong inhaled the aroma deeply. He already knew these fish would be delicious.

"Ahem, Old Zhao just doesn't know how to talk. They smell amazing. I'm having several." Zhao Wuji sat down with a bold, imposing air.

"Teacher Zhao, I'm an orphan. It's perfectly normal for me to know how to do these things."

Zhao Wuji immediately looked as though he had poked at a sore spot, at a complete loss. Such a big Brute, yet he did not know where to put his limbs.

"Pfft." Shen Ranxi unexpectedly found Teacher Zhao rather amusing. "It's fine. Everyone in the Village took very good care of me and gave me lots of love. I don't feel sad or resentful at all."

Only then did Zhao Wuji secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Yusong watched them talk with a smile in his eyes.

It was hard to dislike this young girl and easy to grow fond of her. It was not because of her tragic past, but because of her open-mindedness. She felt sorrow but did not drown in it; she was weak, yet her goals were clear; she was talented, yet never arrogant.

Firelight illuminated Shen Ranxi's delicate features. The burning branches occasionally crackled, and the scent of grilled fish in the air grew ever stronger.

Shen Ranxi handed two grilled fish to the teachers.

"You eat first. What kind of teacher lets a child go hungry?" Zhao Wuji frowned and said gruffly.

"Teacher carried me while we traveled today, and you spent half the day searching for a Soul Beast. It's only right that I show respect to my teachers. Or do you dislike my cooking?" Her voice fell at the last sentence.

"No... Ah, forget it." Zhao Wuji snatched the fish and stuffed it into his mouth. His eyes lit up. "Delicious!"

Shen Ranxi beamed and turned to look at Li Yusong.

He was also holding a fish. Compared to Zhao Wuji's rugged and hearty manner of eating, he was much more refined and slow.

He gave Shen Ranxi a thumbs-up.

The three of them wiped out more than a dozen fish. Satiated, they patted their bellies and happily went to sleep.

The two teachers were right outside the tent. Shen Ranxi hugged the Golden Cudgel in her arms and fell asleep peacefully.

They set off back early the next morning. This time, Shen Ranxi did not let the teachers carry her. With the Golden Cudgel on her back, she trailed behind them like a Little Beast.

Since their mission was complete, it was good for her to train a little. Zhao Wuji and the others deliberately slowed their pace as well.

By the time they returned to the academy, Shen Ranxi was soaked through and exhausted like a drenched puppy. Li Yusong had carried her for the final stretch.

When Shao Xin saw the young girl's unfocused eyes, he quickly stuffed a Sugar Bean into her mouth to help her recover.

After recovering quickly, Shen Ranxi could not help but sigh. Teacher Shao really was a wonderful Healer.

Over there, Shao Xin was still scolding Zhao Wuji and Li Yusong. "What happened? You took Little Xi out and brought her back in such a miserable state..." The two of them guiltily looked everywhere but at him.

Shen Ranxi hurriedly said, "Teacher Shao, I asked to train myself. The two teachers did tell me to rest along the way. I was just too stubborn."

Flender and the others also arrived. Shen Ranxi demonstrated her First Soul Skill for everyone.

Flender nodded in satisfaction. "Classes begin this afternoon."

Shen Ranxi happily ate a meal prepared by Teacher Shao. Zhao Wuji was still telling Flender that he had contributed greatly this time and absolutely had to be paid. The moment the Dean heard the word money, he brushed him off with a few vague words and promptly slipped away.

A smile quietly curled at the corner of her mouth. As Shen Ranxi walked along, she caught Little Bell, who came charging toward her like a little cannonball, easily lifting her into her arms. She felt two chubby little arms tightly wrap around her. "Did Little Bell miss me? I missed Little Bell so much. This time, Teacher and I went into the forest and saw..."

"I missed you super, super much! I missed you so much I couldn't eat! I can usually eat three bowls, but Little Bell told Teacher Shao to only give me two." Her little mouth pouted toward the sky in grievance.

Shen Ranxi did not know whether to laugh or cry. She gave Little Bell the gift she had brought. "Will this comfort Little Bell's hungry tummy?"

It was a beautiful stone.

Their conversation was carried by the breeze, drifting farther and farther away...

After that, Shen Ranxi studied under the various teachers. Before dawn every morning, she would get up and warm up by running around the Village with the Golden Cudgel on her back. Then she would run within Teacher Zhao's Soul Skill gravity range. At first, she did not need to carry the Golden Cudgel, but once she had fully adapted, she was required to run with it on her back. Ten thousand meters every day—she had to finish even if she had to crawl. Teacher Zhao always pushed her right to her limit.

At noon, she studied Soul Master knowledge with Teacher Lu Qibin. Shen Ranxi felt that Teacher Lu was truly like one of those ancient strategists who planned far ahead, with a Mind's Eye full of tricks like a honeycomb briquette.

Of course, she did not dare say such slander out loud.

And the surprise she had been preparing for the teachers in her spare time was still underway.