Time seemed to slow down at that moment.
Ye Xinglan could hear her own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, each beat as clear as a drumbeat in her ear. She could feel the temperature on her face rising, spreading from her cheeks to her ears, and from her ears to her neck.
At the Shrek Academy, she was the imposing Ye Xinglan, an arrogant and self-assured sword genius, someone countless peers looked up to. She never showed weakness in front of anyone, never let anyone see her soft side.
But at this moment, in front of this boy she didn't know, she showed a rare shyness that a young girl should have.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a thin layer of mist welled up in her azure eyes. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Zhong Shenxiu frowned slightly as he observed her change.
He didn't understand.
He didn't understand why the girl's face suddenly turned red, why her breathing became rapid, or why her eyes looked different than before.
He simply felt that this girl was strange.
She had been stubbornly staring at him like a puffed-up kitten, but now she suddenly became shy and timid.
Zhong Shenxiu frowned even more. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after uttering only one syllable, he saw Ye Xinglan suddenly turn her head away.
Ye Xinglan's movements were so abrupt, as if she had been burned. She turned her face to the other side, revealing Zhong Shenxiu's golden back of the head and two bright red ears.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly, and her hands gripped the scabbard of the Stargod Sword tightly, her knuckles as white as paper.
"You... you shouldn't look anymore."
Ye Xinglan's voice was muffled, carrying a hint of panic that she herself didn't even realize.
Zhong Shenxiu remained silent.
He didn't understand why he couldn't look, but he didn't ask. He looked away, leaned back against the tree trunk, and closed his eyes again.
The fatigue was still there, but it had improved considerably under the nourishment of the Spirit Power Halo. His Divine Power was slowly recovering, and the Dragon Power within his body was also reaccumulating.
The forest was quiet.
The wind rustled softly through the gaps in the tree canopy. Sunlight danced on the leaves, casting dappled shadows.
Ye Xinglan sat next to Zhong Shenxiu, her back to him, her arms wrapped around her knees, her chin resting on them. Her face was still red, but it was a little better than before.
Her mind was a jumbled mess, a jumble of thoughts churning like muddy water. She tried to sort out her ideas, but every time she thought of those pale gold vertical pupils, her mind went blank.
Ye Xinglan took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
She turned her head and glanced at Zhong Shenxiu out of the corner of her eye. Seeing him leaning against the tree trunk with his eyes closed, breathing steadily as if he were resting, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned back, looking ahead at the trees destroyed by the battle, at the craters of all sizes on the ground, and at the boundary barrier of the Spirit Ascension Platform in the distance.
Then she spoke, her voice very soft, so soft it was as if she were talking to herself.
"My name is Ye Xinglan."
silence.
Zhong Shenxiu did not respond.
Ye Xinglan waited a few seconds but received no reply, but she didn't mind. She continued speaking, her voice still very soft.
"A student of the Shrek Academy. His Martial Soul is the Stargod Sword, and he is a three-ring Soul Master."
Another silence fell.
Then Zhong Shenxiu's voice rang out.
" Zhong Shenxiu."
Only three words. The voice was soft, the tone flat, exactly the same as before.
But Ye Xinglan's lips still curled up slightly.
She didn't say anything more, just hugged her knees, looked ahead, and had a faint smile on her lips.
Sunlight fell on her golden hair, on her slightly flushed cheeks, and on the barely perceptible smile at the corner of her mouth.
She sat there, with the boy beside her who was resting with his eyes closed, in the quiet forest, waiting for the next battle to begin.
Time continued to pass, and the sunlight slowly moved through the gaps in the tree canopy, shifting from east to west.
The light in the forest shifted from bright to soft, and then from soft to dim. The trees, ravaged by battle, cast long shadows on the ground, like the scars of the earth stretched out in the setting sun.
Zhong Shenxiu and Ye Xinglan walked in the forest for a long time.
Although they said they were walking, in reality, Zhong Shenxiu was walking in front and Ye Xinglan was following behind.
Zhong Shenxiu's steps were slow because his spirit had not fully recovered, but every step was steady, as if he could draw strength from the earth as he stepped on it.
Ye Xinglan followed behind him, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far. She didn't speak, and Zhong Shenxiu didn't say a word either. The two of them walked through the Spirit Ascension Platform one after the other.
But the silence did not make Ye Xinglan feel uncomfortable.
On the contrary, she quite liked the quiet.
At the Shrek Academy, she was never short of people talking to her or surrounding her, but the noise and bustle never made her feel at ease. But now, walking behind this silent boy, listening to his footsteps and watching his back, she felt a peace she had never felt before.
Zhong Shenxiu did not deliberately seek out Soul Beast, but he also did not avoid them.
When he encounters Soul Beast blocking his path, he takes action to eliminate it, swiftly and decisively, without any hesitation or fuss.
Ye Xinglan followed behind him, watching him fight, watching him draw his sword, and watching him sheathe his gun.
Each battle was short because Zhong Shenxiu was too decisive. He could always find the weakness of the Soul Beast in the shortest amount of time and then end the battle in the most effective way.
Even so, Ye Xinglan still gained quite a few benefits.
The Spirit Power Halo of the Soul Beast killed by Zhong Shenxiu would always have some residual waves after he absorbed it.
Although the amount of dissipated spiritual energy was small, it was still a considerable gain for Soul Master of Ye Xinglan's level.
Nourished by spiritual energy, her Soul Spirit slowly improved, climbing from its initial level upon entering the Spirit Ascension Platform to nearly five thousand years of cultivation. This rate of improvement would have taken her at least half a month to achieve alone in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, and would have involved enormous risks.
But now, she doesn't have to do anything; she can enjoy these benefits simply by following Zhong Shenxiu.
Ye Xinglan understood this, so she didn't refuse out of politeness. She simply followed silently, absorbing the dissipated spiritual energy and watching Zhong Shenxiu fight.
She noticed that Zhong Shenxiu's fighting style was different from anyone she had ever seen.
Shrek Academy's combat courses emphasize skill and strategy, teaching how to achieve maximum results with minimal cost. But Zhong Shenxiu's fighting style is completely different. His fighting style is more primitive, more direct, and more ferocious.
He didn't dodge attacks, but instead took them head-on. He didn't look for openings, but instead created them with continuous attacks. He didn't conserve his energy, but instead used all his strength in every strike.
That fighting style was like a wild beast hunting.
No, it's not a wild animal.
It's a dragon.