After training was dismissed, Na'er spotted Gu Yue standing at the edge of the field. Displeasure immediately crossed her face, and she instinctively hid behind Xiao Mu.
Xiao Mu looked up at the black-haired girl walking toward them and asked, "You're from Class Five. What are you doing here? You're only at the second ring, yet you're confident enough to think you can challenge our Class One?"
Gu Yue stopped, her gaze passing over Na'er, who was shrinking behind him. "No. I just came to take a look."
The evening breeze swept dust left over from training past their feet. The area gradually emptied, leaving only a few students lingering in the distance.
As the Silver Dragon King's other half, Gu Yue couldn't help focusing on the timid Na'er. Finding out more about Xiao Mu and Na'er was the real reason she had come.
As for everyone else, they didn't matter at all.
Most importantly, according to the information Di Tian had brought back, Xiao Mu seemed to be no ordinary person.
Even the Federation's communications technology had been upgraded by Xiao Mu.
Xiao Mu, for his part, regretted that he still couldn't watch videos or even shop online.
Laziness was the driving force behind his hard work.
"You're still here to gather information?" Xiao Mu asked mildly. He could tell at a glance that she had something on her mind.
She had to be here because Na'er was such a high-level fusion material.
It couldn't be that she had taken a fancy to me, a little boy, could it?
"Not entirely." Gu Yue's tone was steady, and not a trace of her hidden plans showed.
But that was only because Xiao Mu didn't know her true identity.
Hiding behind him, Na'er clutched the hem of his clothes and peered out with half her head, eyes full of wariness.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Of course I'm here to become the Silver Dragon King again. Have you already forgotten who you are?" Gu Yue said.
"Of course I remember. But I don't want to disappear."
"We were one to begin with."
Xiao Mu shifted to shield the girl behind him, interrupting their conversation. "If there's nothing else, we'll be going."
"Goodbye." Gu Yue said nothing more. As the Silver Dragon King's other half, she was certain that Na'er was destined to merge with her.
They parted ways. Following behind Xiao Mu, Na'er asked softly, "Brother, if someone forcibly tried to take me away someday, what would you do?"
Xiao Mu smiled calmly, his tone firm. "As long as I'm here, no one can take you away by force."
Na'er was overjoyed to hear that.
Gu Yue watched them leave in silence for a moment, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. In particular, she could faintly see purple qi swirling around Xiao Mu, as though he were blessed with great fortune.
But before long, she would understand that there were no gods in this world, only people who were a little stronger than others.
"We'll meet again at the Class Promotion Tournament." Gu Yue finally left them with those words, then turned and walked away.
Her first goal now was to obtain the Golden Dragon King Bloodline. With the Golden Dragon King's power, perhaps she could bring back the Dragon God's might.
Xiao Mu abruptly glanced over his shoulder, wondering what Gu Yue was planning to do next.
After thinking it over, he decided he still didn't have enough weapons. In an instant, his sense of security vanished.
His enemies were too powerful.
He'd better study the Heavenly Book first, so that in the future he could at least manage to take someone down with him.
He absolutely had to figure out how to make one of those two ultimate weapons.
As for combining intelligence with strength in the future, he could take his time. After all, strength depended quite a bit on intelligence.
Over the following days, classes and daily training kept the five of them busy from morning to night.
Xiao Mu's cultivation steadily advanced, reaching level twenty-nine.
After class one day, Ye Yingluo took the five students from Class One to a special testing room deep inside the academy.
There were no desks like in an ordinary classroom. Soul-guidance instruments of intricate design filled the room. Their metal casings gleamed coldly, and all kinds of cables ran along the walls, giving the place an unmistakably futuristic feel.
Xiao Mu took a look. Weren't these spiritual power testing devices? Had Eastsea Academy still not upgraded them?
"I brought you here today for one reason: all of you are going to have your spiritual power tested." Ye Yingluo gestured toward the testing device beside her. "The Class Promotion Tournament is coming up, so we'll check your spiritual power."
Wei Xiaofeng leaned closer to examine the device, curiosity in his voice. "Teacher, is this like the one at the Spirit Pagoda?"
"This one belongs to the academy. The Spirit Pagoda's should be more advanced." Ye Yingluo opened the register in her hand. "Step forward and take the test in order."
Wang Jinxi went first. The helmet slowly lowered over his head. His spiritual power was a pitiful eighteen points.
Zhang Yangzi and Wei Xiaofeng had similar scores. For their age, they were barely respectable.
Na'er sat down next. The device immediately flashed yellow, and her score shot past one hundred, entering the Spirit Connection Realm.
It kept climbing until it reached three hundred and forty.
Ye Yingluo's pen paused, and surprise showed in her eyes.
Of course, compared with Xiao Mu, that score was nothing but a small hill beside a towering mountain.
After all, Xiao Mu's development was focused on the microscopic and the precise.
Finally, it was Xiao Mu's turn. He sat down calmly. The moment the testing helmet closed, the screen's yellow light flared. His score soared past five hundred, and only began to slow after breaking into the Spirit Sea Realm. At last, it stopped at an unbelievable number.
Spiritual Power: 749
Ye Yingluo looked up. "Are you sure this is the spiritual power of a nine-year-old? Is your Body Martial Soul really not your brain?"
Xiao Mu answered mildly, "Sleeping wastes too much of my life. As long as I don't sleep, I get eight more hours in a day than other people."
At that, the other three felt as if they'd lived a lot less than other nine-year-olds.
When they slept, this guy meditated. When they meditated, this guy was still meditating.
What a grind.
Never in history had anyone worked this hard.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Xiao Mu asked, noticing the strange looks from the other three. "At your age, you should be working hard. How can you sleep so soundly?"
"Other people became Titled Douluo at nineteen, and we're already nine but only at the second ring. We're way behind."
At that, the three of them fell silent. If they remembered correctly, that record had been set by an Evil Soul Master.
You were comparing your cultivation speed with an Evil Soul Master?
Did you have a cheat?
"You can keep pushing yourself on your own," Zhang Yangzi said. He felt he couldn't keep up with that level of intensity.
Their idle chatter over, the five walked together toward the dormitory.
Dusk spread over the buildings. They were still some distance from the dormitory entrance when a group of upperclassmen blocked their way. They stood scattered in twos and threes, looking around and scanning passersby. They were clearly searching for someone.
Wei Xiaofeng stopped and lowered his voice. "Why are these seniors blocking the way? Who are they after?"
Zhang Yangzi followed their gazes and looked around. "Who are they looking to hassle?"
Na'er instinctively edged closer to Xiao Mu, wariness in her eyes.
"Stop guessing. They've already stopped someone." A faint smile touched Xiao Mu's lips as he pointed ahead. He'd spotted him too—a familiar face.
Unfortunately, they weren't friends. They had a grudge.
An old enemy.
Through a gap in the crowd, a golden-haired girl stood in the way of a black-haired boy. Her warm golden hair was decorated with an orange-red bow, and flecks of golden light swirled around her. Her uniform did nothing to soften her commanding presence.
The boy she had stopped looked helpless. "Senior, why are you stopping me?"
The girl raised her chin, her tone a little overbearing. "I'm here to spar with you in blacksmithing."
Wei Xiaofeng leaned toward Xiao Mu. "Boss, looks like these people were after that unlucky kid from Class Five all along."
"They're blocking the way, Ah Wei. Want to clear a path?" Xiao Mu asked.
"Huh? Me? Fight the upperclassmen?"