The Jadeite Azurebird That Can Revert to Ancestry

The next day, early morning.

The sun rose from the horizon outside the Star Dou Great Forest.

Morning light spilled over the trunk of the Golden Ancient Tree.

It shimmered with brilliance.

Summer was nearly upon them.

Yet, the morning still held a hint of chill.

Lu Ran breathed in the fresh, moist air as he walked from the Sea God Pavilion to the gathering point at the Outer Court.

More than a dozen young figures had already gathered at the assembly point, all dressed in uniform attire.

Excitement was etched upon their faces.

They were about to obtain their Soul Rings.

Yan Shaozhe, dressed in a white robe, stood at the front of the crowd.

He was extremely conspicuous.

Lu Ran walked over.

"Dean Yan."

Yan Shaozhe smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

Deep down, however, he was troubled, calculating how to broach the subject and persuade Lu Ran.

Lu Ran stood beside Yan Shaozhe and turned to look at the group; their faces were all very young, barely over ten years old, and they were excitedly discussing among themselves.

Suddenly, a familiar figure entered his line of sight.

Her golden hair shimmered with a soft luster in the morning light, and even in the standard uniform, her well-proportioned figure could not be concealed.

She was so eye-catching.

Jiang Nannan.

Jiang Nannan, who was in the crowd, happened to turn around at that exact moment.

Their gazes met.

In an instant, everything went quiet.

It was as if time had frozen.

A thin mist of tears welled up in those gentle eyes as scenes from the past flooded her mind—the despair and the heart-fluttering moments of that time, along with her mother's tears... all of it converged into longing. Unable to suppress the agitation in her heart any longer, she stood on her tiptoes and rushed toward Lu Ran.

Seeing her approach, Lu Ran waved his hand, a gentle smile appearing on his face as he prepared to walk toward her.

However, he did not expect that.

Jiang Nannan pushed through the crowd, opened her arms, and, carrying a faint fragrance, threw herself directly into his embrace.

"..."

"..."

"..."

In a split second.

The previously noisy gathering point fell into a deathly silence.

The gazes of all the students snapped toward them. The actions of the two were quiet, yet in the minds of many, a silent roar erupted.

It was as if a flash of white light had crossed their vision.

Their consciousnesses felt dazed.

The expressions of every student were filled with disbelief.

Some male students even heard a cracking sound.

It was the sound of hearts breaking.

Although Jiang Nannan had not yet advanced to the higher grades, she was already the recognized goddess of the Outer Court—her features were exquisite, her talent was immense, and she was incredibly hardworking and resilient.

In particular, she had always maintained a proper distance from the opposite sex...

All these factors.

Made her an existence that countless male students in the Outer Court could only look up to from afar...

Some had hoped that by traveling to the Star Dou Great Forest together, they might leave a good impression on Jiang Nannan.

But...

But...

Why...

Why did she suddenly have someone?!

What was going on?!

Since when?!

Lu Ran was only dazed for a fleeting moment before a warm, fragrant scent drifted into his nostrils, and a soft, delicate body threw itself into his arms.

He froze instantly, his hands suspended in mid-air, not knowing what to do for a moment.

The soft, delicate body pressed tightly against his chest.

Feeling the warmth of the young girl in his arms, after a few seconds, He lowered his head slightly and whispered, "So many people are watching."

But the surroundings were deathly silent, and since they were all soul masters, what use was a low voice?

Everyone could hear clearly.

Lu Ran subconsciously glanced at the students.

Their reactions varied:

Envy, jealousy, and confusion...

Among them, there were even a few female students who were jealous, Clearly jealous of Jiang Nannan.

Lu Ran was still young and knew Yan Shaozhe, and in the eyes of these students, the Shrek Academy Dean was the most noble and mysterious figure under heaven, more important even than an emperor.

It was only because they were students that they could see such a person;

In the outside world, it would be impossible to meet him.

As such, Lu Ran's status must be extraordinary.

The female students had wanted to take this opportunity to get to know Lu Ran, thinking that if they could develop some feelings, their fates might change.

Even within Shrek Academy, they could feel the gap between themselves and the noble students, A gap as deep as a chasm.

Yet, they hadn't expected Jiang Nannan to cut in and steal the spotlight.

They were already dissatisfied with Jiang Nannan on a daily basis but had to endure it. Now that they had just set their sights on Lu Ran, Jiang Nannan actually hugged him in public?!

They were filled with indignation, as if all the benefits in the world were being snatched away by Jiang Nannan.

Since that was the case, The female students could only... continue to endure it.

What else could they do?

What could they possibly do?

In what way could they compare to Jiang Nannan?

Talent?

Appearance?

Or strength?

Lu Ran's gaze swept past the crowd and continued to shift to the left, where he saw Yan Shaozhe's half-smiling expression, wondering what he was thinking.

He sent a look of distress for help, But he didn't expect Yan Shaozhe to pretend not to see it and turn his head away, Hmm... the weather is truly nice.

The soft body of Jiang Nannan in his arms slowly stiffened, and a crimson flush climbed from her snow-white neck to the tips of her ears, Burning hot to the touch.

Lu Ran felt her heart pounding.

Jiang Nannan slowly loosened her arms, not daring to look up, Her long eyelashes veiled her flustered, beautiful eyes, and her pretty face was completely ripe, almost as if it were dripping blood, She slowly took a few steps back.

She didn't know what had come over her either; the moment she saw Lu Ran, her mind had gone blank, By the time she realized what was happening, the two of them were already embracing, Now, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Yan Shaozhe acted as if he hadn't seen anything, finished counting the heads, "Let's move out."

The students had no choice but to line up and set off, Jiang Nannan and Lu Ran followed at the very back.

Shrek City was located right on the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, so it didn't take long for the team to arrive at the forest's outer perimeter.

The students' attention became scattered, lessening the focus on Lu Ran and Jiang Nannan, and the atmosphere within the group returned to something more normal.

Lu Ran observed from the very back; there were about twelve students in the entire group, and judging by their ages, more than half were Outer Court students who appeared to be commoners.

Although they all wore the same uniform, some of the students were clearly different, bearing the marks left behind by arduous cultivation.

Of course, all Shrek students cultivated diligently, but students with resources could afford medicinal baths or elixirs after training, leaving almost no trace on their bodies.

Commoner students could not afford such things, which led to a situation where Soul Masters of the same age looked vastly different—some had dark, rough skin, while others looked so frail they seemed to have never seen the sun or felt the wind.

Yet, when a real fight broke out, those pampered students could easily beat the dark-skinned ones into submission.

The gap in resources was simply too vast; even with identical talent, a difference of two or three rings between the two sides was not an exaggeration.

However, that was a bit of an overstatement, as factors beyond the environment, such as one's Martial Soul, also affected the body; for instance, if one's Martial Soul was a Black Bear Spirit, the Soul Master themselves would likely be rougher regardless of how much they tried to maintain their appearance.

It was not absolute, and some of the students in the team were exactly like that, with relatively duller skin.

Thinking of Jiang Nannan beside him, Lu Ran understood:

Shrek had always placed great importance on commoner students, and with a talent freak like Jiang Nannan in the mix, it made sense for Yan Shaozhe to lead the team personally; otherwise, he could have easily left it to a regular instructor.

Lu Ran turned his head to look at Jiang Nannan.

Jiang Nannan had been staying by his side, though she maintained a respectful distance.

Noticing Lu Ran looking at her, she turned her head stiffly, and a crimson flush spread once again across the cheek partially hidden by her golden hair.