Chaling City.
Wang Dongliu, who had already changed into men's clothes, lifted his head and looked at the majestic city walls. She couldn't help letting out a heavy sigh.
According to the original story Xiao Ge had told her, he had already set out through the Star Dou Forest for Chaling City's Spirit Academy. Before long, she would be able to see the person who might have a chance to change her tragic fate.
With that thought, Wang Dongliu didn't hurry straight to Chaling City's Spirit Academy. Instead, she found a restaurant near the city gate and sat down, then took the Jade Stone from her pocket and studied it.
Ever since the day she became the target of the Ghost King's curse, and Wang Dong had declared that he would make Xiao Ge pay, Wang Dongliu had stopped chatting in the group. The people in the group had little to talk about with her, and each day there were only two or three messages that were neither painful nor important.
But today, Wang Dongliu had decided to try again.
Of course, it wasn't because she was worried about the Ghost King's curse. What she cared about most was using this opportunity to find out how many people at Chaling City's Spirit Academy possessed the talent to awaken a martial soul in the future.
She needed to know exactly how many future Spirit Adepts she had on her side.
After all, in Wang Dongliu's eyes, everyone else in the chat group was one of her future Spirit Adepts.
Last time, she'd been lucky enough to get Xiao Ge's original story. That had let her learn about Tang San's remarkable talent, but it only came with a six-month time limit. She had to do everything she could to appear more often in the story and earn a longer period of access—perhaps even the ability to change her own fate.
When that happened, everyone who appeared in the original story would become one of her future Spirit Adepts.
But the more often those people appeared in the original story, the less often she would appear in it herself.
So she had to make sure everyone in the group belonged to her.
[Unknown: Thinking back on it, Tang San actually has a dark-blue silver grass martial soul, and he'll even become a Spirit Adept in the future. That's pretty freaky.]
[Unknown: And I think before this, Xiao Ge mentioned that someone called Xiao Tao at Chaling City's Spirit Academy might become a Spirit Adept in the future, too.]
[Unknown: Tsk... Chaling City's Spirit Academy is incredible. It actually nurtured two future Spirit Adepts. If word got out, wouldn't it become famous across the continent?]
[Whistleblower: Tsk, tsk, tsk! Exactly! Even I wouldn't dare go to Chaling City's Spirit Academy to stir up trouble!]
Stir up trouble?
So...the person Wang Dongliu had named Whistleblower was a student at Chaling City's Spirit Academy, just like her, and had enrolled around the same time as she had.
Wang Dongliu's face showed that she was thinking about something. As for what people in the group said, she didn't believe a word of it.
She had a feeling that... Chaling City's Spirit Academy really did have a lot of people with the talent to awaken a martial soul.
[Arrogant Fire Phoenix: He's talking nonsense!]
[Arrogant Fire Phoenix: Chaling City's Spirit Academy—it's not as if it can produce Spirit Adepts whenever it wants!]
[Moon: What Xiao Ge said was only that it was possible for those people to awaken their martial souls in the future. That doesn't mean they definitely will. Since we know in advance, Chaling City's Spirit Academy will take precautions. Nothing like that should happen again.]
[Moon: @Whistleblower, Chaling City's Spirit Academy welcomes you.]
Wang Dongliu's pretty eyes narrowed slightly, and a sudden thought crossed her mind.
Arrogant Fire Phoenix and Moon were both members of Chaling City's Spirit Academy. From the two of them reacting to each other, it seemed Arrogant Fire Phoenix was quite hostile toward Moon. It was very possible that one of them was Xiao Tao or Ying Bei. But the original story said Tang San had a dark-blue silver grass martial soul, and the group's names seemed a little off.
In that case, Arrogant Fire Phoenix was probably more likely to be Xiao Tao.
As for Moon...
The way that person spoke didn't sound like something a student would say. The attitude was more like that of a teacher at Chaling City's Spirit Academy, or perhaps someone in the academy's upper ranks.
She couldn't be sure who Moon was, so she'd leave it at that for now.
[Unknown: Taking precautions? Could they be keeping Tang San and Xiao Tao's identities secret? To prevent the future calamity from happening and stop them from suffering a terrible fate? I have to say, that's really thoughtful.]
[Whistleblower: @Moon, thanks for the warning~]
[Whistleblower: I think @Unknown's suggestion makes sense. If they're going to become Spirit Adepts in the future, why not take them out before they become a major threat? Wouldn't that be better?]
The academy, in one of its secret rooms.
Looking at the contents on the Jade Stone, Xiao Tao's lips twitched a few times, and her expression turned rather peculiar.
Take me out first?
What a joke!
I'm Xiao Tao, a member of the previous generation's Seven Shrek Devils. I'm the current generation's Shrek Seven.
My father is Xiao Zhe, the dean of the Spirit Academy's Spirit Hall division. You actually want to take me out in advance?
How dare you talk like that!
Xiao Tao's ample chest heaved up and down. She was clearly infuriated.
Of course, the person who'd infuriated her was still the old man who'd talked nonsense in the story.
If I kill Xiao Tao, she can't become a Spirit Adept!
But soon, Xiao Tao seemed to realize something, and her whole mood immediately settled down.
Although she usually seemed extremely hot-tempered and ready to explode at the drop of a hat, that didn't mean she had no brains. Sometimes, she simply couldn't be bothered to use them.
No matter how she thought about it, she would never become a Spirit Adept in the future.
At least, that was absolutely impossible in the original story.
Under the influence of the new dean and the Spirit Hall, she had a haughty, unruly personality. She was also extremely observant, and was nearly certain to become a ruthless, vicious Spirit Adept.
Before that change, there was only a slim chance she would become a Spirit Adept.
That chance was that, one day, she would be unable to control her violent, predatory Spirit Fire, and under its influence she would kill many, many innocent people.
That was the only explanation.
Thinking of that, Xiao Tao's face turned rather pale, and her eyes took on a deeply doubtful expression.
Could the future version of her really have no way to control that Spirit Fire, and really kill the innocent people it possessed one last time?
Xiao Tao's eyes grew clouded with confusion.
If that really was her future, what was the point of all the effort she'd put in over the years?
Xiao Tao couldn't help clenching her fists. Her emotions were in turmoil, and her chest heaved up and down. Her fiery figure seemed to blaze like a bonfire.
After sitting quietly for a long time, Xiao Tao let out a long sigh.
Even if she didn't want to admit it, the original story...was very mysterious.
Or perhaps she could rely on the original story, find a way to control—or even completely eliminate—that Spirit Fire.
She only had to appear in the original story more often, right?
But the original story...would it really give her a chance like that?
Before you continue