After more than a month, they returned to Nuoding City.
Life in this small city moved at a leisurely pace, and there were no particularly powerful Soul Masters.
For Xiao Wu, a place like this was the safest.
She did not dare guarantee that everyone would be like the people of Heavenly Sword Village.
If other Soul Masters discovered her identity,
she would likely face endless pursuit.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone were priceless treasures to any Soul Master.
Even Titled Douluo could not ignore such treasures.
Titled Douluo had already obtained their ninth Soul Ring, but a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was just as perfect.
And what about the other Soul Douluo?
If they had just advanced to Rank 90 and could obtain a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, it would greatly improve their overall strength.
The difference in Soul Ring age was not merely reflected in gaining one extra Soul Skill.
It also affected power, Soul Power consumption, and more.
"The village was still more comfortable. This place was too rigid."
Upon returning to the academy, Xiao Wu could not help complaining.
Life in the village had been carefree. When there was nothing to do, they gathered wild fruit, picked wild vegetables, or went into the lake to catch fish.
At night, they watched the moon and counted the stars. Their little days had been simply wonderful.
Returning to the academy meant that the dull life of cultivation was about to begin again.
"The village is very suitable for living!"
Lin Ye spoke solemnly, clearly approving of the village.
[The village is nice, but it's suitable for retirement.]
[Could someone so young have a little ambition? Spending every day like an old granny.]
Xiao Wu: "..."
Would this guy die if he went a day without mocking someone?
For the past half year, she had constantly heard Lin Ye's inner thoughts. Listening to his snide remarks every day, her ears were practically growing calluses.
And yet, whenever he mocked someone, he wore a blank expression.
If she could not hear his thoughts, she might really have been fooled by him. She certainly would not have known his thoughts were so erratic.
When they returned to Dorm Seven, it was unchanged from when they had left.
Only Tang San's bed in the corner seemed to have grown a little moldy.
[Good heavens, this bed has grown mold!]
[It's probably just like its owner—far too gloomy!]
Xiao Wu was very curious about what unforgivable thing Tang San had done to make Lin Ye so hostile toward him.
"Lin Ye, what rank are you now?"
She remembered that she seemed never to have asked what his actual cultivation rank was.
His inner thoughts had not revealed it either.
She only knew that Lin Ye had Innate Soul Power of Rank 20. Someone like that should cultivate very quickly.
Lin Ye suddenly sighed and said gloomily, "Cultivation is too difficult. I'm only Rank 8 so far. I can't even claim the Spirit Hall subsidy."
Xiao Wu: "..."
Could they still play happily together?
Was there any point in hiding it so carefully?
Someone with Innate Soul Power of Rank 20 was telling her that he only had Rank 8 Soul Power now?
He could not fool people like that!
"What's wrong?"
After speaking, Lin Ye noticed that Xiao Wu was looking at him strangely.
There seemed to be anger and disappointment in her eyes.
Could it be...
Right, Xiao Wu also had Innate Full Soul Power and was already Rank 12.
It was normal for her to be disappointed upon hearing that he was only Rank 8.
"Sorry, my rank is too low, but cultivation is really difficult."
Lin Ye shook his head and sighed. His appearance was so pitiful that anyone who saw it would feel sorry for him.
Xiao Wu nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
This guy was addicted to acting, wasn't he?
Just wait until she exposed him someday!
She truly wanted to know what expression he would wear after she exposed him.
[She believed it, she believed it!]
[With acting skills like mine, it would be a shame not to win an award!]
[I'm not exactly fooling her. Cultivation really is hard. Rank 28 is so painful.]
Hearing this, Xiao Wu's heart jolted.
Rank 28?
Had she heard that right?
This guy was already Rank 28!
How long had it been since his martial soul awakened? Yet he was already Rank 28.
And he was only seven years old!
Most outrageous of all, he had hidden twenty ranks of cultivation.
Who exactly was he guarding against?
"Forget it. Let's go eat first."
Xiao Wu sighed, completely unable to understand why Lin Ye did this.
He already had such a powerful backer, so why hide his cultivation?
Even if people learned that his talent was terrifying, he would not need to worry about being targeted, would he?
No, he was also a Transformed Soul Beast!
Hmm, perhaps that was what concerned him.
In Xiao Wu's heart, Lin Ye's true identity was still that of a Transformed Soul Beast.
Otherwise, there was simply no explanation for how he could condense Soul Rings by himself.
Condensing Soul Rings was unique to Transformed Soul Beasts.
"Alright, let's eat."
Lin Ye nodded and headed toward the cafeteria with light steps.
In the cafeteria, Xiao Wu showed no restraint at all and ordered five or six dishes.
Watching her eat, it felt as if the food had a grudge against her.
Girls were truly hard to understand. He had no idea what was wrong with her.
After they returned from eating, they needed to attend class that afternoon.
Everyone from Dorm Seven had already returned to the dormitory.
"Sister Xiao Wu!"
"Sister Xiao Wu!"
The people of Dorm Seven cried out one after another. They had not seen her in over a month and were somewhat excited.
These were the emotions normal children should have.
But one person was rather special.
That was Tang San, who was huddled in a dark corner.
When he saw Xiao Wu and Lin Ye enter, he could not help frowning.
The two were still inseparable, making him feel very uncomfortable.
It felt as though green light was always appearing around him.
Though he had not figured out why he felt this way, he followed his heart.
A voice in his heart told him that he could not let Lin Ye get too close to Xiao Wu.
He had to separate them!
But how could he separate them?
He had no reason to make a move.
If he did, he would likely be accused of bullying classmates and inevitably receive a punishment.
During the break, when he returned to Holy Soul Village, he had wanted to visit the neighboring Heavenly Sword Village to investigate what was going on.
At the same time, he wanted to observe Lin Ye and Xiao Wu to see whether they lived together and whether they were overly intimate.
But strangely, when he was around three kilometers from Heavenly Sword Village, he could not enter no matter what he did.
He had even used the Purple Demon Eye, yet he still could not enter Heavenly Sword Village.
One day, he happened to meet someone from Heavenly Sword Village.
He stopped the person and wanted them to take him to Heavenly Sword Village.
But he was refused.
After being refused, he secretly followed them, hoping to enter the village.
The result...
A Big Slap came without warning.
He was knocked unconscious on the spot. When he woke up, he was already near Holy Soul Village.
Half his face remained swollen for seven or eight days before gradually going down.
When he later tried to investigate Heavenly Sword Village again, he found that he could not get within five kilometers of it.
The place was like a maze.
He went around and around but could never find the right road.
This made him even more curious about Heavenly Sword Village.
What secrets did that village hold?
Why was it so cautious?
His intuition told him that the more mysterious a place was, the more likely it was to contain treasures.
Perhaps Heavenly Sword Village possessed some priceless treasure, which was why the situation was so complicated.
Seeing Xiao Wu chatting happily with the people of Dorm Seven, he thought for a moment.
Perhaps he could choose to join them and first try to get closer to Xiao Wu.
He believed in his own abilities and was confident that he could snatch Xiao Wu away from Lin Ye.
Having thought it through, he walked toward Xiao Wu, attempting to blend into the group.
"Xiao Wu, I..."
"Get lost!"
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