Wang Qi sat cross-legged on the ground outside the Immortal Academy's storeroom, his hands resting on his thighs as he held a piece of mixed red copper. His eyes were tightly shut, as though he were sensing something.
Not far away, Mao Zimiao bit the end of her pen, secretly peeking at Wang Qi from the corner of her eye.
Su Junyu, seated beside them, did not look away from the tale in his hands. Yet he raised a hand and flicked a finger. With a snap, a red mark appeared on Mao Zimiao's forehead.
"Focus on your problems. Stop looking at that brat."
Mao Zimiao's face reddened as she protested, "I wasn't sneaking looks at Little Qi, meow!"
Su Junyu raised an eyebrow. "How many problems have you solved?"
Mao Zimiao's momentum immediately wilted. She stammered, "Not... not even one."
Su Junyu shook his head helplessly. "Mathematics is the foundation of all laws, yes. None of Modern Dharma's methods can do without mathematics, also yes. But girl, you're taking the examination for Spirit Beast Mountain! At a time like this, you should be finding a teaching assistant from Sky Spirit Ridge and cramming the Path of Living Beings!"
Mao Zimiao looked somewhat dejected. "I just wanted to..."
"Spring has long since passed, all right..." Su Junyu muttered, then continued reading his tale.
Night had already fallen, and the Immortal Academy's classes for the day had all ended. Beneath a glazed lamp floating in the air, Wang Qi and Mao Zimiao were practicing the tasks Su Junyu had assigned them.
A month had passed since the Xinyue Mountain earthquake. Because Wang Qi had performed well in his battles against the Thunderclap Giant Horned Deer's Deer King and the Qi Accumulation Ghost-faced Ape, he had been awarded fifty-six merit points. Apart