Belief Needs No Reason

"A gift? What is it? What is it? I knew Teacher treated me the best!"

The moment she heard the word "gift," Xiao Wu's eyes instantly lit up.

Seeing Xiao Wu's expectant expression, Fang Yuan smiled slightly. "I only finished making this gift last night. I refined it specially for you."

With that, he flipped his palm, and an object appeared in it.

It was perfectly round, resembling a smooth pearl or pill. Yet a thin chain ran through the middle of the little sphere.

Confusion filled Xiao Wu's eyes as she looked at Fang Yuan. "Teacher, what is this?"

Fang Yuan gestured for Xiao Wu to come closer, then reached both hands around the back of her neck.

A moment later, the little sphere threaded onto the chain had become a necklace hanging around Xiao Wu's neck.

A necklace? Why was he giving me a necklace?

Xiao Wu could not help but look puzzled.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Fang Yuan explained:

"It would not be wrong to call it a necklace. It is a pill I refined last night using some rather rare herbs. However, this pill is not for you to eat. You must keep it around your neck from now on.

"As for its effects, they are simple. As long as you wear it, it can conceal the aura of your life essence. So long as you do not deliberately release your original aura, even a Title Douluo would find it difficult to see through you."

Fang Yuan spoke calmly, as though he were merely talking about something insignificant.

Yet his words were like a bolt from the blue. The instant Xiao Wu heard them, her pupils dilated sharply.

Like a rabbit suddenly startled, she froze on the spot, as if even her breathing had stopped from fright.

After a long while, an odd smile finally appeared on Xiao Wu's pretty little face.

"Teacher, what are you talking about? Why can't I understand any of it?"

Though she said that, a storm had already risen in her heart.

Xiao Wu had already learned of Fang Yuan's cultivation from Tang San.

Before going to the Sunset Forest, Fang Yuan had only been a Soul Emperor. He had obtained his seventh spirit ring in the Sunset Forest.

A newly advanced Soul Saint had always seemed safe to Xiao Wu.

After all, only someone at the Soul Douluo level had a chance of seeing through her.

And for a Soul Saint to cultivate to the Soul Douluo level would take at least ten or even several decades of painstaking effort.

Before Fang Yuan reached rank eighty and obtained his eighth spirit ring, Xiao Wu would have plenty of time to run away.

That was why Xiao Wu had felt fairly at ease about becoming Fang Yuan's disciple.

But just now, what her Soul Saint-level teacher had said was undoubtedly like stripping away her last covering, making it abundantly clear that he had seen through her secret.

Xiao Wu's breathing became hurried. She struggled to maintain the calm expression on her face, her eyes fixed tightly on Fang Yuan.

He had seen through the fact that she was actually a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had taken human form? How was that possible?

But this was no longer the time to ask how it was possible. What was she supposed to do now?

Although a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast possessed combat strength comparable to a Title Douluo, after taking human form, it could no longer wield its former strength.

Fang Yuan was a Soul Saint-level powerhouse. Subduing the current Xiao Wu would be as easy as eating or drinking.

For a moment, Xiao Wu's thoughts were a chaotic mess, with no clue where to begin.

Seeing Xiao Wu's stiff expression, clearly the result of her rabbit brain overloading, Fang Yuan could not help but smile.

He slowly said, "Xiao Wu, do you know that while we were in the Sunset Forest, it was not only Little San who consumed an Immortal Herb? I also used Immortal Herbs to refine pills and took them, greatly strengthening my body.

"With my current condition, I will not need to wait until rank ninety. My eighth spirit ring can already be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring."

At the mention of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, cold sweat broke out on Xiao Wu's forehead, and despair instantly filled her heart.

If I had known this would happen, I would not have chosen Fang Yuan as a shield.

No, he had probably noticed me long ago. No matter what I did, the outcome was likely already decided.

Daming, Erming...

Mom...

Ignoring the lifeless look that had appeared in Xiao Wu's eyes in an instant, Fang Yuan continued:

"What you do not know is that, with my cultivation speed, I have a strong chance of reaching rank eighty before you graduate from Notting Academy. I could have pretended not to know about this and hidden my true rank from you.

"The moment I reached rank eighty, you could have mysteriously vanished from the face of the earth, and no one would suspect your good teacher.

"But I did not do that. Instead, I gave you this necklace. Do you know why?"

Xiao Wu's voice was somewhat hoarse. She knew that pretending to be stupid was useless now.

"You want to conceal my aura while also telling me that running away is useless."

Fang Yuan shook his head. "If I told you this necklace was merely an ornament, you would still wear it. Why would I need to make this clear to you? Was I not afraid that you would run away beforehand?"

Fang Yuan's words restored a little light to Xiao Wu's eyes. She stared into the dark, profound eyes of the young man before her. "Then what exactly do you mean?"

"You rebellious rabbit, you will not even call me Teacher anymore," Fang Yuan said with a smile. "Since I explained this to you, it naturally means I have never coveted your spirit ring or spirit bone, so I am not afraid of you running away. You can leave with the necklace I gave you and go wherever you wish.

"There is no tracking method on this necklace, but its ability to conceal your aura is real. As long as you are careful, you can perfectly integrate into human society with this necklace."

Xiao Wu said nothing, but her large eyes remained fixed on Fang Yuan's face.

She did not believe anyone could truly resist the temptation of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring and spirit bone, yet what Fang Yuan had said earlier did make sense.

He only needed to keep her in the dark, and Fang Yuan could accomplish everything with almost no risk or effort, all without her noticing.

Seeing Xiao Wu's conflicted expression and the fierce struggle raging in her mind, Fang Yuan could not help but feel a little worried.

Xiao Wu was not very smart to begin with. Hopefully she would not burn out that already tiny rabbit brain.

Fang Yuan raised his hand. Despite Xiao Wu shrinking back slightly, he gently placed it atop her head.

"Belief needs no reason. So why not try believing?" Fang Yuan's voice softened.

For some reason, Fang Yuan, who was vigorously rubbing her rabbit head, gave Xiao Wu a faint sense of reassurance.

Feeling the young man's kind attitude, Xiao Wu's thoughts drifted. The warm hand atop her head seemed to blur her vision, giving her the illusion that she had returned to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Her gaze became hazy, and her expression gradually relaxed.

She could feel the goodwill in Fang Yuan's heart.

Though she would not completely lower her guard because of Fang Yuan's words alone, the pounding of her heart slowly began to ease.

At Fang Yuan's feet, his second spirit ring slowly revolved.

Attitude was the mask of the heart.