Xie Xie Peeks at the Flame Lion King (Seeking Recommendation Tickets, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"No way, Xie Xie, did you steal someone's cub? Why have they been chasing us this whole time?" Tang Wulin panted as he ran.

The wind whistled harshly through the forest as a massive, thousand-year Flame Lion King, its mane surging with raging flames, led its concubines in a frantic pursuit. Tang Wulin and his three companions sprinted with everything they had, not daring to slow down for even a second.

High up in a thick, ancient tree, Lin Chen and Gu Yuena crouched comfortably, watching the four fleeing figures below at a leisurely pace.

Lin Chen turned his head toward Gu Yuena and asked in a low voice, "Na'er, should we go down and lend a hand?"

Gu Yuena's eyes swept over the bedraggled team below. "We can't be there to bail them out of everything. Their strength isn't bad; this is a good chance for them to gain some experience."

Lin Chen nodded, agreeing that Na'er made sense.

Outside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Wu Changkong was watching the entire situation unfold through the soul guidance screen.

The screen clearly displayed the two figures watching the show from the tree and the four people scrambling in panic below. His mouth twitched violently, and faint black lines appeared on his forehead.

Below, Tang Wulin ran for his life while screaming back at the top of his lungs, "Xie Xie! What kind of monster did you provoke? This thousand-year Flame Lion King and its entire pride are stuck to us like glue!"

Xie Xie ran until he was gasping for air, his face pale. He shouted back, full of grievance, "I was just curious and got close, and I saw the Lion King mounting a lioness! Who could have guessed the Lion King would fly into a rage!"

Hearing that outrageous statement from the tree, the others might not have understood, but Lin Chen, who had lived two lives, understood in a heartbeat. His mouth twitched as he thought, You peeked at them doing the deed—who else would they chase if not you?

Lin Chen stood up, wisps of azure lightning swirling around his body. Like a king descending from the heavens, he landed amidst the pride, and immediately, a massive web of azure lightning struck the lion pack.

The dense pride of lionesses had no time to dodge; in an instant, they were swallowed by the lightning, collapsing one after another onto the scorched earth, their life force completely extinguished.

The thousand-year Flame Lion King, which had been focused solely on the chase, suddenly froze. It looked down at its fallen concubines, and its flaming mane suddenly flared up. Its beastly eyes turned a terrifying crimson, and a heaven-shaking roar echoed through the entire forest.

Its rage completely shattered its restraint. Raging flames erupted from its body, and with its eyes locked onto Lin Chen, it kicked off the ground and lunged at him without a second thought.

Tang Wulin and the others seized the chance to stop and catch their breath.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Your harem is all washed up. Come on, Flame Hagi-Lion."

Lin Chen didn't hesitate, instantly releasing his martial soul. An Azure Dragon phantom slowly emerged behind him, and his azure-glass eyes shifted into vertical dragon pupils. Majestic soul power, wrapped in azure lightning, surged outward.

After a bit of "loving petting," the once-frenzied, crimson-eyed Flame Lion King drooped its massive head. It obediently stuck out its tongue and began rubbing its furry head against Lin Chen's palm—it had truly become a "Hagi-Lion."

Below the tree, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi, who had just recovered, stood with their mouths wide open, faces full of disbelief. Seriously? You can play like that?

Up in the tree, Gu Yuena tapped her toes, light wind elements swirling around her. She drifted down like a goddess descending to the mortal realm.

The Flame Lion King was quite perceptive; seeing Gu Yuena descend, it turned to stick its tongue out at her, knowing that as long as it buttered her up, Lin Chen wouldn't beat it.

Outside, Wu Changkong watched this dramatic scene on the screen, his usually indifferent expression faltering for a moment.

Xie Xie regained his senses and stammered, "No way, the captain just beat it into submission? We ran for nothing just now."

Hearing Xie Xie's voice, the Flame Lion King, which had just been fawning over Gu Yuena, instantly bared its teeth and glared at Xie Xie with fierce intent.

Lin Chen rubbed his forehead, looking at the aggrieved Xie Xie with a mix of amusement and frustration. "Who told you to be bored and disturb them? You deserve to be chased."

Xie Xie scratched the back of his head, drooping his shoulders. He couldn't find a single word to argue back, as the whole incident was indeed a disaster caused by his own recklessness.

Lin Chen patted the Flame Lion King's head. "Still baring your teeth? Looking for a beating?"

The Flame Hagi-Lion, patted by Lin Chen, immediately retracted its fierce expression. It obediently drooped its ears and lay down to the side, not daring to act up again.

Lin Chen signaled for the Flame Hagi-Lion to return on its own. Once he confirmed it had gone far enough, he clapped his hands and looked at the others. "It's about over. Let's exit the Spirit Ascension Platform."

The group nodded. Gu Yuena stood quietly by Lin Chen's side with a calm expression. They exited the Spirit Ascension Platform together, and a soft white light enveloped the six of them, returning them to reality.

Lin Chen and Gu Yuena were the first to push open the cabin doors and step out. They immediately spotted Wu Changkong not far ahead, though they didn't seem to notice that his expression was a bit off.

The two exchanged a glance, blinked, and asked with concern, "Teacher Wu, you don't look so good. Did something happen?"

Wu Changkong swept a faint gaze over the two innocent-looking students, suppressing his helplessness, though his voice remained cold. "Nothing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Wulin and the others stepped out of the cabin. When Xie Xie saw Wu Changkong's tense expression and recalled what had happened inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, he shrank his neck and moved half a step behind Tang Wulin.

Seeing that everyone was out, Wu Changkong didn't dwell on the small incident inside the platform, but said in a deep voice, "Based on your performance in the Spirit Ascension Platform..."

"Lin Chen and Gu Yuena, full marks."

"Tang Wulin, ninety-nine. Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi, you three get ninety-eight."

Xie Xie, who had been shrinking back in anxiety, poked his head out from behind Tang Wulin upon hearing he got a ninety-eight. He looked pleasantly surprised. "Ninety-eight? I thought I'd get a lot of points deducted for peeking at the Lion King and causing trouble!"

Wu Changkong shot Xie Xie a cold glance and said sharply, "Return to the academy."

As the group walked back to the academy, Tang Wulin commented seriously, "Xie Xie, your stamina is really poor. From now on, you'll join me for morning runs every day."

Xie Xie raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. He joked, "That sounds great. Running every morning means I can tag along and hit on upperclassmen with you. How relaxing."

Tang Wulin's ears turned bright red, and he hurriedly defended himself. "What are you talking about! We're still so young; how can you say things like 'hitting on upperclassmen'?"

Despite saying that, the image of Ouyang Zixin involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Xie Xie ignored Tang Wulin's embarrassment and kept going, subconsciously glancing at Lin Chen and Gu Yuena walking side-by-side. "What's wrong with that? Look at the Captain and Gu Yuena..."

Before he could finish his teasing, Xie Xie felt a chill run down his spine. The surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.

He stiffened and turned his head back. Gu Yuena's purple eyes were fixed quietly on him, and a voice echoed in his mind: If you run your mouth about me and Lin Chen again, be careful—I'll twist your head off and use it as a ball!

Xie Xie swallowed the rest of his words and gave a dry laugh. "I didn't say anything. I'll definitely be there for the morning run, I won't slack off."