Where Has the Fighting Spirit Gone?

Ma Hongjun picked a room for himself. Once Shen Ranxi had settled him in, she headed off to class.

Seeing the two of them leave, Ma Hongjun hurried after them. "Hey, wait for me!"

By the time they approached, the senior students had already begun their daily beating. When Li Yusong saw Little Xi arrive, the chill in his eyes eased. "Today, go to Zhao Wuji first and run a couple of laps."

"Okay, I'll head over first." The tiny girl walked away steadily with a staff strapped to her back. Then Li Yusong turned and saw that bunch of idiots who only grew taller, not smarter. "What are you looking at? You slack off whenever you get the chance. You're not even as disciplined as a seven-year-old. Aren't you ashamed?" he snapped, clearly frustrated by their lack of progress.

"Teacher Li, what are you talking about? Little Ranxi is the famous Desperate Little Tyrannosaurus. Our little bit of effort is nothing compared to hers."

"Yeah, Little Ranxi is a monster among Little Monsters. How could we compare? Hahaha." No one present disagreed.

The main thing was that they had been shocked by how she never once slacked off. She was incredibly ruthless toward herself.

Back when they were in the Primary Academy, they would start playing as soon as classes ended. They barely spent any time cultivating.

Besides, at that age, they had mainly been studying cultural subjects.

Shen Ranxi was the most hardworking child they had ever seen.

Li Yusong was pleased, but the force of his blows grew even heavier.

Wails immediately filled the area. "Pathetic! It's one thing to lose to a child, but now you're acting like it's only natural. How can you have no fighting spirit at all?"

Beside them, Ma Hongjun swallowed and nudged Oscar with his elbow. "Is Shen Ranxi really that amazing?"

Oscar shot him a sidelong glance. Remembering the hooligan whose tools of the trade had been confiscated by Little Xi, he shuddered. "You'll find out soon enough..."

Shen Ranxi asked, "Teacher Zhao, what are we doing in class today?"

Zhao Wuji, sitting broadly in his chair, unconsciously softened his gaze when he saw her. "You've already adapted to the previous intensity, so it won't help you much anymore. Starting today, I'll increase the Sense of Oppression in the Gravity Field by fifty percent. Run ten thousand meters with your staff on your back to warm up, then swing it ten thousand times. That'll be it."

The corner of Shen Ranxi's mouth twitched. Listen to that. Is that even something a human would say? Why don't you take a look at my tiny body? I can endure hardship, but that doesn't mean I should train myself to death!

Facing Teacher Zhao's expression of Do you have any other questions?, Shen Ranxi forced an ugly smile and slowly walked to the center.

Ma Hongjun clung to Oscar's arm with a terrified look. "Are these really teachers? They're demons!"

What kind of person was Zhao Wuji? Their seemingly quiet voices were no different from speaking directly into his ear. Those two little brats actually dared call him a demon. Fine. Very fine.

Zhao Wuji barked, "What are you standing around for? Get over here!"

Oscar's expression tightened as he jogged over in small steps. He knew that Teacher Zhao never held back when dealing with boys, and he was even less lenient toward children he liked, such as Shen Ranxi.

Ma Hongjun hesitated over whether to go over. His chubby face scrunched up in conflict.

"You, Little Fatty. Do I need to invite you personally? Hmm?" Zhao Wuji's face darkened.

"You two are much simpler. Run in this Gravity Field. Start with five thousand meters. Since you just arrived, I won't raise the intensity for now. Adapt to it first." After speaking, he used his Soul Skill and lay down.

Ma Hongjun was still muttering, "Isn't this looking down on me? I'm not even as good as a girl... urgh—" Suddenly, a crushing pressure like a thousand catties bore down on his body, leaving him unable to utter another word.

His face turned bright red as he fought against the pressure. By his nature, he should have immediately collapsed onto the ground and given up completely. But the moment his knees bent, he saw that girl begin running as though nothing was wrong. His knees instantly straightened again.

If he still couldn't beat a little girl, he would lose all face. Ma Hongjun clenched his back teeth and shakily forced himself upright, then began moving.

Shen Ranxi looked calm and composed, but in truth, she was about to grind her teeth to pieces. There were outsiders watching. She could not lose face!

She used every ounce of her strength to maintain her composure. She could not lose her momentum.

She lifted her feet and ran forward with difficulty.

The sun hung high in the sky, its scorching rays beating down on their skin as if they were about to melt.

Ma Hongjun lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, panting like a broken bellows.

He laboriously turned his head. Reflected in his eyes was the figure standing perfectly straight and swinging her staff. Between breaths, he said, "O-Oscar, I-I'm really convinced now. Shen Ranxi isn't human. She's a monster. She still... still has strength left..."

The last trace of doubt in his heart vanished. Female Soul Masters were rare in this world. Forget Soul Masters—even among Ordinary People, women were usually the ones who cared for the family, while men shouldered most households.

Sweat soaked her entire body. It flowed into her eyes and stung them painfully, but she had no time to wipe it away. She could only blink her lashes, trying to force the sweat out.

Both hands raised the Golden Cudgel, swinging it mechanically.

Huff—Shen Ranxi felt as if she could hear the blood gurgling through her veins and the pounding of her heart beside her ears. It was as though every other sound had left her, leaving only herself in the entire world. The staff in her hands grew lighter and lighter, then suddenly as heavy as Mount Tai, then as light as a feather.

She had completely entered a selfless state.

Zhao Wuji was the first to notice that Something was Wrong with Little Xi. Her eyes were closed, yet her hands never stopped moving.

A peculiar ripple spread across her body as golden light radiated from her.

"Teacher Zhao, what's happening to Little Stream?" Oscar dragged his exhausted body toward her.

Ma Hongjun also got up and followed. It wasn't like he was worried about her or anything. It was just that someone a tiny bit stronger than him had run into trouble, so he was a little concerned.

"Don't disturb her!" Zhao Wuji stared intently at Shen Ranxi. This was...

"She seems to have entered a state of enlightenment. This is a good thing. Such an opportunity is rare and can't be sought after. It is extremely beneficial to a Soul Master's cultivation. Don't go near her. I'll guard her here."

"I'm not leaving either!"

Oscar did not leave. His companion's condition was still unknown. He had to stay here and watch over her!

"O—" Ma Hongjun had barely spoken a single syllable when Oscar glared at him so fiercely that he could only shut his mouth and make a zipping motion across his lips.

Oscar turned away in satisfaction.

Shen Ranxi had indeed entered a state of enlightenment. Great Sage had given her a Heart Method called the Formless Heart Sutra. She had looked through it before, but it had been far too obscure for her to understand. She could only memorize the chant for its first level.

While swinging the staff earlier, she had begun reciting the first-level chant of the Formless Heart Sutra to divert her attention from her sore, aching body.

As she recited it, her Soul Power began flowing Inside the Body along an unfamiliar route. She became increasingly absorbed, and her soul seemed to enter another space. Before her stood an enormous Dharma Aspect in a strange pose, chanting an incantation.

She calmed herself and began copying the Dharma Aspect's posture while reciting the chant.

When she finally understood the meaning of the chant and opened her eyes, the Dharma Aspect had already vanished.

In reality, she opened her eyes as well. Zhao Wuji and Oscar's worried faces appeared before her, while Ma Hongjun watched her anxiously from the corner.

She smiled faintly. "Teacher Zhao, I scared you all."

"It's a trivial matter. How are you feeling?"

"Very good. All my exhaustion has vanished, and my Soul Power has risen another two levels. I'm level seventeen now."

"Good, good! As expected of our Academy's Little Monster." Zhao Wuji's face was full of excitement. Reaching this level at the age of seven was truly extraordinary.