A similar presence

"Hey, Xiao Yu, you really are here!" The white-clad figure spoke in a clear, childlike voice, which immediately startled Xiao Yu, who had just stepped out the door.

Xiao Yu chuckled, "So it's you, Little Zi Yan!"

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's form of address, Zi Yan frowned sharply and said angrily, "Just call me Zi Yan, why add 'little'!"

Xiao Yu patted Zi Yan's little head and said, "You're already so small, but you're so clever for your age, it's really cute!"

Zi Yan shook her head to dislodge Xiao Yu's hand, then produced a golden fruit from somewhere and handed it to Xiao Yu, saying, "Hey, hurry up and refine this into a pill for me, this thing tastes awful straight away!"

Xiao Yu looked at the golden fruit in Zi Yan's small hand and immediately recognized it as the Golden Brilliance Sacred Fruit Golden Brilliance Sacred Fruit.

"You seem quite enthusiastic about this, but I have to go out for a bit now. I'll refine it for you when I get back!" Xiao Yu explained to Zi Yan instead of accepting the fruit.

Zi Yan blinked her big, dark, bright eyes and asked, "Where are you going? Take me with you, I'm bored staying in the academy anyway!"

Seeing Zi Yan's very interested gaze, Xiao Yu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I'm going to the Outer Academy to see my eldest and second brothers. What are you going with me for?"

Zi Yan had just put away the Golden Brilliance Sacred Fruit when she heard Xiao Yu's words, and the expectation in her eyes turned somewhat disappointed. Seeing Zi Yan's appearance, Xiao Yu recalled Zi Yan's experiences before she took human form.

"Alright, then I'll take you with me!" Xiao Yu chuckled, gently rubbing her head.

Zi Yan looked up at Xiao Yu, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy, and asked, "Really?"

Xiao Yu nodded and said, "Of course it's true, but I'm going to the back mountain to find my third brother now. Do you want to come with me?"

Zi Yan muttered, "Third brother? You really have a lot of brothers!"

Xiao Yu didn't hear Zi Yan's words clearly at first, so he asked, "What?"

Zi Yan quickly shook her head and said, "It's nothing, let's go!"

Xiao Yu didn't care about anything else and led Zi Yan towards the back mountain. The two moved very quickly, circling around the back mountain for most of the hour, and finally sensed the fluctuations of Dou Qi in a very remote forest in the back mountain.

When Xiao Yu and Zi Yan arrived, they saw a young man in black robes wielding a Black Giant Ruler in the mountains. Sharp sword energy echoed through the forest, creating waves of trees. The violent sword energy caused the surrounding soil to fly. It was Xiao Yan, who had been cultivating his Dou Technique in the back mountains.

Xiao Yan seemed oblivious to Xiao Yu and Zi Yan's arrival, continuing to wield his Black Giant Ruler below. Simple chopping, slashing, swinging, and cutting movements, each one exuded a casual yet sharp aura, as if he were completely immersed in each move.

Zi Yan looked down at the black-robed youth and softly asked Xiao Yu, "Is that your third brother? How come he doesn't seem as strong as you?"

Xiao Yu rolled his eyes at Zi Yan and said, "What? Does strength and status have anything to do with it? Is it wrong for me to have good talent?"

Zi Yan nodded her little head in agreement and said, "That's true. You're the first student in the Inner Academy I've known for so long who's been on par with me in terms of strength."

"Is this a compliment to me or to you?" Xiao Yu asked, looking at Zi Yan.

Zi Yan chuckled and said, "Praise me, praise me." Then Zi Yan frowned and said, "It's so good to see you all grow up. Unlike me, after all these years, I'm still the same. It's so annoying!"

"I don't even know your background yet, aren't you going to tell me?" Xiao Yu said with a faint smile.

Zi Yan pursed her lips and said, "What kind of background could I possibly have? I just happened to eat a rare Shapeshifting Grass in the back mountain, and that's how I ended up looking like this."

Xiao Yu wasn't surprised, and simply smiled, "That's simple. The Shapeshifting Grass is one of the most important ingredients in the Shapeshifting Pill. If Dou Emperor- level magical beast eats the Shapeshifting Grass, it can freely transform between its original form and human form. However, your cultivation level hasn't reached Dou Emperor yet. Perhaps it will be possible once you reach Dou Emperor!"

Zi Yan nodded and said, "That's why I need to eat more medicinal herbs to grow up faster, so that I can change my form at will."

As the two talked, Xiao Yan below gradually stopped cultivating, looked up at Xiao Yu and Zi Yan in the tree, and said, "Still watching from up there? Come down quickly!"

Actually, when Xiao Yu and Zi Yan approached, Yao Lao had already reminded Xiao Yan, which is why Xiao Yan did not stop practicing the Ruler Technique. Now that they had finished practicing, it was natural for him to let Xiao Yu down.

Xiao Yu and Zi Yan jumped down from the tree. Xiao Yan looked at Zi Yan's adorable appearance and asked in surprise, "How long have I been gone? Little Xiao Nian has grown so much?"

"Go away, she's not Little Xiao Nian, you're just talking nonsense!" Xiao Yu said irritably.

"Oh, and who is this?" Xiao Yan finally realized and asked, looking at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu pointed at Zi Yan and laughed, "Her name is Zi Yan, she's number one on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking. With her protecting us, no one in the Inner Academy will dare to mess with us!"

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, Zi Yan put her hands on her hips and said rather smugly, "If you need anything in the Inner Academy in the future, just come find me!"

Xiao Yan stared in shock at the little girl in white before him, unable to believe that she was the mysterious number one on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking. If Xiao Yu hadn't said it himself, he wouldn't have believed it at all!

Xiao Yu didn't say much more here, but instead said to Xiao Yan, "Our eldest and second brothers have arrived in Peace Town, let's go see them together!"

"What? Big Brother and the others have arrived?" Xiao Yan asked Xiao Yu in surprise.

Xiao Yu nodded, Xiao Yan said excitedly, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Now we're finally all together!"

Without delay, the three of them rushed towards the Inner Academy. In the living room, Xun'er and the others were somewhat surprised to see Zi Yan following behind Xiao Yu. Why did they bring someone back with them after going out?

Xiao Yu had no choice but to explain to everyone again. They looked at Zi Yan with astonishment, but Zi Yan didn't seem to care much. Instead, her gaze fell on Cai Die, who was standing to the side.

The face that had been rather indifferent to others softened when it looked at Cai Die, replaced by a hint of joy. "You, are you also a magical beast?" Zi Yan asked Cai Die nervously, her large, dark, and bright eyes now filled with a questioning look.

Zi Yan could sense that the aura emanating from Cai Die was somewhat similar to her own, but the aura was very faint, so she couldn't be sure if it was her.

All eyes immediately turned to Zi Yan and Cai Die. In the living room, apart from Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan, and Xun'er, Hu Jia and Wu Hao did not know Cai Die's true identity, and as for Zi Yan, they knew even less.