Zhou Yi: Lexuan, help out this old bag of bones (please follow)

Zhou Yi looked at the group not far away with a puzzled expression.

She could only vaguely hear something about taking a master.

This made her heart tighten fiercely; surely she wasn't going to fail another mission, right?

The last time she failed a mission, she at least got to see the person; if she failed this time without even seeing anyone, she might as well ask the system to just turn her into a pig.

Zhou Yi thought viciously.

She was already bracing herself for the worst-case scenario.

Her gaze remained fixed on Xuanyuan Sheng's side, not daring to relax her attention for even a second, and then she saw a scene familiar from the memories of the Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.

It was a different method of apprenticeship than kowtowing: offering tea.

Possessing the experience of the Grandmaster, Zhou Yi was extremely familiar with these things, as if she had experienced them herself.

Don't take her as a master... don't take her as a master!

Fortunately, the person holding the teacup in the end was Ma Xiaotao.

Zhou Yi felt that she could no longer sit idly by; the situation just now had been too terrifying.

It just so happened that she had met Zhang Lexuan once before; perhaps if she were thick-skinned enough, she could join them and see if she could find an opportunity to build some rapport.

Walking this path really felt like treading on thin ice.

After a sigh, Zhou Yi decided to keep observing the situation and look for a chance to join them.

Killing Intent Perception!!

"Hiss... I keep feeling like someone is watching us."

Xuanyuan Sheng looked around, intending to spot the gaze that made him feel uncomfortable, but after scanning the area, he didn't find anyone peeking at all.

Ma Xiaotao, standing to the side, nudged Xuanyuan Sheng's shoulder with her elbow: "You're standing in front of a group of beauties; it would be strange if no one were watching, wouldn't it?"

"This is a campus; how could there not be gazes? If you had this feeling in the wilderness, that would be the true arrival of danger."

Xuanyuan Sheng found that somewhat reasonable.

That was true; being in the middle of the academy in public, wasn't it normal to be watched?

"Since that's the case, Xiao Xiao, you should also become Zhang Lexuan's student," he said to Xiao Xiao, who was standing nearby.

Judging by Zhang Lexuan's intentions, it seemed she had the idea of taking Xiao Xiao along as well.

"Me? No, I can't, I really can't."

At this moment, hearing that she was to take Zhang Lexuan as her teacher, Xiao Xiao actually became a bit timid.

If it were anyone else, she might have agreed immediately, but this was Zhang Lexuan, Xuanyuan Sheng's older sister.

The pressure it brought her was a bit too much.

Looking at the flustered little girl.

Xuanyuan Sheng stretched his limbs, wrapped an arm around Xiao Xiao's neck as if she were a little pet, and went off with Ma Xiaotao to give the little thing some "ideological education."

Zhang Lexuan smiled amusedly.

Her younger brother had never had many friends, which was why she had always wanted him to make some.

She hadn't expected that before the group assignments for the freshman assessment even began, he would have already found friends he could confide in and joke around with.

As an older sister, she was very happy to see this heartwarming scene around Xuanyuan Sheng.

Her gaze shifted to the mission from a few days ago.

[Advanced Mission: The Strongest Sister.]
[Surrounded by wolves and tigers, the gap to becoming the strongest sister is too vast; you are nowhere near this ranking. Only true strength can possess the power to protect.]
[Advanced Mission Reward: As this is the first time an advanced mission has been enabled for an existing task, your Luck is now directly doubled. Afterward, for every level gained, your personal Luck will increase by 30% based on the original value.]

She was still quite far from this goal, but it wasn't something she couldn't accomplish; whether it was as a Soul Engineer or her own strength as a Soul Master, she still needed to put in a long period of effort.

"Sister Lexuan!"

Zhang Lexuan felt someone wrap their arms around her waist.

But when she tilted her head to look, she discovered it was that little one, Xiao Xiao.

Gently smoothing out her disheveled hair, she smiled tenderly: "How about it? Do you still not want to be my student?"

Xiao Xiao guiltily burrowed into Zhang Lexuan's embrace, a muffled voice coming from her chest: "That's not it, I was just thinking about what kind of apprenticeship gift I should give my teacher."

Hearing her embarrassment, Zhang Lexuan didn't tease her any further.

Instead, she went straight to the real topic of the day.

Although her clothes hadn't changed, the temperament she radiated shifted directly into the seriousness of a teacher.

She had seen Xiao Xiao a few days ago, and out of a teacher's diligence, she had specifically used the system to investigate Xiao Xiao's information clearly.

To Zhang Lexuan's surprise, this girl Xiao Xiao was a possessor of the Three-Life Martial Soul, something she had never heard of before.

One cauldron, one flute, one pair of gauntlets.

Her Soul Power Level had already reached level 30, meaning she needed to hunt a soul beast to obtain her third soul ring.

After recording Xiao Xiao's information in her mind, she left.

Now that Xiao Xiao had successfully accepted her as a master, she needed to take responsibility for Xiao Xiao and take her to obtain a soul ring from a suitable soul beast.

"Since Xiao Xiao is already at level 30, let's head to the Star Dou Great Forest for the next leg of our journey."

Naturally, Xiao Xiao and Xuanyuan Sheng had no objections to this.

However, Ma Xiaotao felt a bit awkward.

She didn't know whether to go along or stay behind, and she felt quite conflicted.

If she went, she was merely a lowly Soul Emperor.

Small soul beasts didn't require her to intervene, and she wouldn't get a turn to deal with the large ones, so there was absolutely no reason for her to tag along.

"What's wrong, Xiaotao?"

Seeing Zhang Lexuan look at her, Ma Xiaotao hurriedly shook her head: "Nothing."

She would just have to be thick-skinned; this trip was a chance to build their relationship, so how could she not go?

Moreover, she discovered that standing beside Xuanyuan Sheng had a calming effect, and her Evil Fire couldn't affect her at all.

What's more, her mission still had a half-day countdown; if she left, the system would surely force her to follow them and suffer a penalty.

It was better to just stay by his side.

"Are we leaving now?"

Zhang Lexuan pondered for a moment and nodded in confirmation: "Let's go now. We can spend the night on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, which will be a good experience for the two little ones."

And just like that, the plan was set in stone.

The group headed toward the Shrek school gate.

"Wait a moment."

While they were still some distance from the entrance, a hoarse, unpleasant voice stopped them.

Looking back, they saw an old woman moving with brisk, flying steps.

"Teacher Zhou Yi, is there something you need?"

Zhang Lexuan's attitude toward this teacher, whose conduct was questionable, remained unchanged.

After all, she cared more about Xuanyuan Sheng; as long as he wasn't under this woman's tutelage or in any danger, the protective instinct within her wouldn't flare up.

Zhou Yi knew that the person leading them was Zhang Lexuan, which was why she had the audacity to come out.

Judging by Xiao Xiao's appearance, it seemed she had already taken Zhang Lexuan as her master.

Fortunately, she hadn't seen Xuanyuan Sheng make a similar move just now; otherwise, the independent Teacher Selection Meeting she was planning to launch with Fan Yu would have been a wasted effort.

At this moment, she didn't care about hiding the discrepancy between her hunched appearance and her agile movements. She grabbed Zhang Lexuan's hands and said earnestly with a thick skin:

"Lexuan, I need to go to the Star Dou Great Forest to gather an herb to have the Xuanming Sect refine a pill, so I wanted to ask if you could take this old bag of bones along with you."