Xue Xi reached out and curiously touched Babata's little demon horns. They felt cool to the touch, and she asked, "Babata, can Intelligent Life be touched?"
Babata was busy trying to persuade Luo Feng to join the Falling Ink Star, and to keep this woman from interrupting him again, he smacked away her mischievous hand. "You weird human, don't touch me! Intelligent Life can simulate physical sensations, okay? Go play somewhere else!"
Xue Xi's face darkened. She grabbed Babata's springy cheeks and gave them a good rub. "Is that any way to talk to a clever, adorable girl? I'll give you one more chance to choose your words!"
Babata's little wings beat as he took flight, escaping Xue Xi's clutches. Pointing at Luo Feng, who sat ramrod straight and watched the show, he said, "In the past fifty thousand years, only you and Luo Feng have had the talent to become Psychics. But who knows what's in your weird brain? Your Brain Domain Width just won't register, and you wasted so much of my time with all those repeated tests. What else would you call that but weird?"
Xue Xi gave him a look that said this was a problem with his abilities. Babata was so enraged that he stomped his feet in midair. "So you threw around all those Wood Bud Crystals like some nouveau riche, creating a King Rank Monster tide to lure us here?"
Babata stared at Xue Xi with a deeply aggrieved look. "Wasn't it because you made humanity stronger? The King Rank Monsters I raised with the dozen or so Wood Bud Crystals I'd scattered before were dealt with as easily as if they'd come to nothing. You think I'd have wanted to do that?"
Xue Xi understood. So that was why. She'd been wondering how someone as miserly as Babata could suddenly be so generous.
Babata stopped paying attention to Xue Xi and turned to the well-behaved Luo Feng. "Give me a straight answer. Are you going to become my disciple or not?"
Luo Feng glanced at Xue Xi. When he saw her nod slightly, he stopped hesitating. "I will, of course. But if we're talking about who has the greatest talent on Earth, I think Xue Xi is better than me. Are you sure you won't take her?"
Babata hesitated, then steeled his resolve and shook his head like a rattle. "No, no! She may cultivate quickly, but I can't test her Brain Domain Width. I've waited a full fifty thousand years. I can't risk it!"
Then he left Xue Xi to one side and took Luo Feng to perform the apprenticeship ceremony for his former master.
Xue Xi didn't mind. She had no interest in the inheritance of a Marquis Immortal, much less in taking an opportunity meant for her third brother. It wasn't as if she didn't have something better. She'd come here so Babata could take care of the Intelligent Life inside Ruins No. 15 later, allowing her to make contact with the universe sooner and avoid missing the Genius Tournament.
Then she could get into a secret region and open a shop in the Virtual Universe. It would be safe and lucrative. With the universe's enormous population, completing her mission would only be a matter of time and patience.
While Xue Xi was imagining her future, Babata and Luo Feng finished the inheritance ceremony and came over to her. Babata said awkwardly, "Um, Xue Xi, I was wrong earlier. Now that Luo Feng has become my disciple, and you're his sworn fourth sister, why don't you join the Falling Ink Star too? You can use all kinds of manuals except for the Core Inheritance. How about it?"
Xue Xi waved her hand. "No need. I don't need any manuals. Just do one thing for me and I won't hold this against you."
Babata asked in confusion, "If you don't want to become my disciple, then forget it. But what do you need? Now that I've left this ship, what can I do for you?"
She projected the information about Ruins No. 12 from her smart wristband. "There's a fairly intact spaceship inside these Ancient Civilization Ruins. But its onboard Intelligent Life is still running. We need you to take control of it, then help repair the ship."
Babata grew excited as soon as he heard about the spaceship. "What? Are you sure?!" The Falling Ink Star had been badly damaged, and he'd spent fifty thousand years cooped up underground without seeing daylight. How could he not be excited to hear there was an intact spaceship?
Xue Xi nodded with a smile. Babata could hardly contain himself. He tossed the ring in his hand to Luo Feng. "Luo Feng, quickly use this World Ring to store the Falling Ink Star Ship. Let's go have a look!"
Luo Feng, the reluctant errand boy, shrugged and left the ship with Xue Xi. Under Babata's control, the ship emerged from stealth mode. Luo Feng tossed the ring into the air, and a tremendous pull surged from it as his Spiritual Force enveloped the enormous ship, which stretched for several kilometers.
The next moment, the blood-red Falling Ink Star Ship vanished. The cramped underground space suddenly opened up. Fortunately, the pressure of the surrounding strata over countless years had made the structure incredibly stable. Otherwise, the whole place would have collapsed!
A few minutes later, the two burst through the water's surface. Hong and Thor had also finished dealing with the surrounding Monsters, and hurried over to meet them after receiving Xue Xi's message.
Thor spoke first. "Fourth sister, I heard you have a way to deal with that spaceship in the ruins?"
Xue Xi smiled and nodded, then snapped her fingers. "You're the one! Come on out, Babata!"
Babata, looking like a little demon, darted out of the ring hanging around Luo Feng's neck and folded his little arms. "Hmph, Xue Xi, don't think I don't know the internet memes you Earthlings use. I'm an expert at surfing the web too, okay!"
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