Little Sprout Dominates the Weak! (Seeking Follow-ups, Chasing Updates, and Comments!)

Lin Ze'an watched the direction in which Yue Guan had departed and whispered, "Master, thank you."

With those words, he turned and pushed open the courtyard gate.

"Huh?"

The sleepiness that had clouded Lin Ze'an's brain vanished the instant he saw the scene in the courtyard.

"Ah...?"

In the center of the yard, a familiar figure was hanging upside down in mid-air, bound by several thick, thorny vines.

And that figure... was none other than Yan.

His hands were tied behind his back by the vines, and his feet were firmly shackled.

Even his mouth was stuffed with leaves, leaving him able to emit only muffled grunts.

"Senior?" Lin Ze'an widened his eyes, staring at the suspended Yan.

What was going on? Why was Yan here? And why was he hanging from the ceiling?

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!" Seeing Lin Ze'an return, Yan looked as if he had found a savior and began to struggle desperately.

Before Lin Ze'an could even react, a small figure darted out from the side.

Little Sprout hopped over to his feet, tilted its tiny head up, pointed at the dangling Yan, and patted its own small chest.

Lin Ze'an: "..."

He looked down at the smug Little Sprout, then back up at the humiliated Yan, and suddenly understood what had happened.

If he wasn't mistaken, Yan had come looking for him, and Little Sprout had mistaken him for an intruder...

But how did it manage to hang Yan, who had at least thirty levels of soul power and a fire-attribute martial soul?

Lin Ze'an sighed softly. He raised his small hand, and soul power flowed from his palm, quickly spreading to the vines binding Yan.

The vines, which had been tightly coiled around Yan, obeyed Lin Ze'an's command and slowly loosened their grip.

They unwound ring by ring, moving with such gentleness and care as if they were afraid of hurting him.

As the vines retreated, Yan's body slowly descended to the ground.

"Senior, are you alright?" Lin Ze'an hurried forward, asking with concern.

Yan scrambled up from the ground, his face flushed red.

He opened his mouth to speak, only to remember the handful of leaves still stuffed inside.

"Mmph..." Yan made an incoherent sound and quickly reached up to pull the leaves out.

He took a deep breath, pointed at Little Sprout by Lin Ze'an's feet, and asked with a hint of grievance, "Is this thing yours???"

"Senior, this... what happened?" Lin Ze'an scratched his head and whispered, "Its name is Little Sprout, and yes, it is mine."

Yan sighed, saying helplessly, "I came to find you last night. I thought you didn't hear me, so when I saw the gate wasn't locked, I just pushed it open."

"I was ambushed by this little guy the moment I stepped inside. Those vines even suppressed my soul power; I couldn't fight back at all."

Seeing Yan in such a disheveled state, Lin Ze'an quickly reached out to brush the dust and leaves off him.

"I'm sorry, Senior." Lin Ze'an scratched his head in embarrassment. "This is a new spirit pet I'm raising; it didn't recognize you."

"It's a plant-type like me. It must have used the plants I left in the courtyard to restrain you."

Yan waved his hand, rubbing his wrists, which had been chafed red by the vines. "Forget it, forget it."

If he hadn't been caught off guard by an ambush, there was no way this little soul beast could have bested him.

"Nana asked me to come and ask if you want to join us for dinner tonight. We're celebrating Nana breaking through to level 40."

"After the meal, we're leaving Spirit City for some field training. Nana is leading the team, and Xie Yue and I are going too."

"His Holiness the Pope said that since you already have two soul rings, you can just provide support this time. The three of us will protect you."

Lin Ze'an was stunned. Hu Liena had reached level 40 so quickly? But then, his eyes lit up.

Leaving Spirit Hall for training—if it was on the way, he could stop by home to see his father.

"Really?" Lin Ze'an asked excitedly. "Where are we going for training?"

Yan nodded. "Probably the Sunset Forest area. With our current strength, it's not safe to go anywhere else."

"His Holiness specifically mentioned that although you're young, your talent is high, and you need to join us. This training will be a good chance to hone your skills."

"But your main role will be support. Leave the dangerous stuff to us."

Lin Ze'an rubbed his small hands together with a grin, his eyes sparkling with anticipation for the training in the Sunset Forest.

He looked up at Yan and said cheerfully, "Alright, just knock on my door before you leave. I'll be ready."

Seeing Lin Ze'an's enthusiastic expression, Yan smiled and nodded. "Sure, we'll come find you before we head out."

With that, Yan flexed his wrists; the red marks left by the vines were already fading.

"I'm off."

After the others left, Lin Ze'an shut the courtyard gate, the smile on his face vanishing in an instant.

He looked at Little Sprout, picking it up to examine it closely.

What was going on with this little guy?

Even if it could mobilize the residual soul power he had left in the courtyard, it had to have at least level twenty soul power of its own; otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible for it to suppress Yan.

But where did it get that soul power? Surely the bit it drained from him wasn't enough?

As if sensing his confusion, Little Sprout suddenly jumped out of his arms, tugged at the hem of Lin Ze'an's robe, and gestured for him to follow.

He froze for a moment, then followed out of curiosity.

Little Sprout hopped and skipped across the courtyard, heading straight for Lin Ze'an's room.

However, the moment he stepped inside, Lin Ze'an was dumbfounded.

The large chest that had been placed in the corner of the room, filled with cultivation resources his master had prepared for him, was now completely empty.

All sorts of rare cultivation resources had vanished without a trace, leaving only the hollow chest standing quietly in its place.

"This..." Lin Ze'an's eyes widened as he looked at Little Sprout in disbelief.

Did this guy have such a massive appetite? It hadn't been full after eating what Bibi Dong gave it, so it went ahead and devoured everything else too?

He rushed to the chest, crouched down, and reached inside to rummage around.

But aside from some fine dust and debris at the bottom, there was truly nothing left!

Lin Ze'an slumped onto the floor in defeat, staring up at the empty chest as his mouth twitched.

"Hey, you could have at least left me some..."

How was he supposed to tell his master that he had eaten an entire chest of medicinal herbs in one night?

Little Sprout, which had been hopping around the chest, suddenly stopped in its tracks upon hearing Lin Ze'an's words.

It tilted its head, a flicker of panic flashing in its eyes, before slowly shuffling to Lin Ze'an's feet and cautiously rubbing against his calf.

"Dou..." Little Sprout let out a pitiful cry, the little flower bud atop its head drooping down.

Lin Ze'an's face, which had been filled with a hint of resentment, instantly softened at the sight of Little Sprout's pathetic appearance.

"Sigh..." He let out a long breath and reached out to gently stroke Little Sprout's head.

"Alright, alright, I don't blame you. Since I'm raising you, I have to make sure you're fed."

It was just a bit of cultivation resources, anyway; what was eaten was eaten.

He was going out for training soon regardless, so he could just find some more rations for Little Sprout then.