Encirclement (1)

"Wanyu, bring your Jade Token over. I'll share the Spirit Stones we just got with you." They had robbed the Blazing Flame Team earlier. Though the haul was smaller than what they had taken from Bloodthirst, it was still substantial.

Dongfang Wanyu did not refuse. With a ding, the number on her Jade Token jumped to five hundred.

Seeing her accept, Mu Sheng felt much more at ease.

The two headed south, passing many dejected newcomers whose Spirit Stones had been taken by the senior students.

"How can they act like bandits? They just come up, beat us, and take all our Spirit Stones!" One boy was so furious that he plopped down on the ground and stubbornly refused to move.

"They're our seniors. They've been at the academy for over a year. There are only a few of us. How are we supposed to beat them?" Another boy had also been injured, but he crouched down to comfort his friend.

The others sighed, their faces miserable.

Everyone seethed with resentment, but they could do nothing about the seniors. After being bullied, all they could do was resign themselves to their bad luck.

"Wanyu, what are you looking at?"

Mu Sheng noticed that Dongfang Wanyu had stopped and leaned over to look. Three or four boys sat on the ground. Judging by their dejected expressions, they had probably just been robbed.

"They must've been robbed," Mu Sheng murmured. "Oh, Wanyu, I think fifteen groups of newcomers have already been eliminated."

After counting carefully, Mu Sheng realized how pitifully few people remained. Two hundred had dwindled to barely over a hundred in no time. He slapped his forehead and cried, "Wanyu, I think I've spotted a problem!"

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at him. He had only just noticed, but at least his mind worked reasonably fast.

The seniors robbed the newcomers at an alarming rate. Once robbed, any students who wanted to avoid elimination had no choice but to rob other newcomers. That one-hour deadline forced them to turn on one another. Those with stronger fists or better luck would get to stay for a little longer.

But once they encountered seniors, they were helpless.

This was probably the trap the examiner had set for them.

Dongfang Wanyu had stopped because she had spotted this flaw in their approach—a mistake that could get every newcomer eliminated. If all the others were gone, how would she and Mu Sheng handle so many seniors?

"We need to change our strategy."

Mu Sheng blinked. "Wanyu, you noticed too, right?"

Dongfang Wanyu nodded. "This isn't an individual battle. It's a team battle."

Newcomers against seniors.

The four boys were still debating whether to rob other newcomers when Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng suddenly appeared before them.

"Do you want to get back the Spirit Stones the seniors took from you?"

Dongfang Wanyu watched them calmly.

The four exchanged glances at her words. One stood up and asked, "Who are you?"

Mu Sheng rolled his eyes at him. "Wanyu means she can help you get your Spirit Stones back from the seniors. Do you want them or not?"

"Of course we do."

The boys got to their feet one after another. "But we can't beat those seniors."

"Even with you two, the six of us wouldn't be a match for them."

Bah! Giving the enemy credit and selling yourselves short.

Mu Sheng could not help saying, "Haven't you heard about newcomers defeating seniors? That was us! We've already robbed two teams of seniors."

The four stared in shock. They had thought the rumors were false.

"What? You don't believe us?"

The four looked at one another, astonished. One said, "The seniors who robbed us mentioned two people like that, but I never thought it was you. How did you do it?"

Seeing that they were still doubtful, Dongfang Wanyu asked, "Do you want your Spirit Stones back?"

All four nodded hastily. Forget it. Whether the rumors were true or not, these two had said they could help recover their Spirit Stones, so they would trust them for now. They only had an hour anyway.

Having reached an agreement, the six set off together.

"Look, everyone! Seniors!" With six pairs of eyes and ears on the lookout, they soon spotted a team of newcomers being robbed by seniors.

"Third, hurry up! Why waste words on them?" Thunderclap's leader shouted.

One of the boys said, "These aren't the seniors who robbed us."

Dongfang Wanyu told them to stay calm. "We can't rob our own people anymore. We have to unite against the seniors, or we'll all end up eliminated."

The six bowed their heads and listened to her instructions. Dongfang Wanyu and the four boys would step out first to attract attention and stall, giving Little White time to release the mist.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Dongfang Wanyu appeared with the others, looking like an ordinary five-person team.

The Thunderclap team had already heard that two unusual newcomers had appeared this year. Working as a pair, they had robbed two senior teams and stripped them of every Spirit Stone.

When Bloodthirst had been robbed, they had mocked them for quite a while. They had never expected the Blazing Flame Team to suffer the same fate right afterward, eliminating two teams in quick succession.

With this happening repeatedly, it clearly was no coincidence.

"Run! They're stealing Spirit Stones!" The newcomers being robbed saw them and immediately shouted a warning.

The man Thunderclap's leader had called Third snickered. "How loyal of you. But have they asked our permission to leave?"

Dongfang Wanyu gave a mocking laugh and advanced with the four boys. "Which team are you? Give me your name."

She knew that all ten teams had names.

For the first time, Thunderclap's leader had encountered a newcomer who was not afraid of them. His interest in Dongfang Wanyu was instantly piqued. He smiled. "Thunderclap."

Dongfang Wanyu drew a sword from her storage space and challenged him. "I challenge you."

The other four followed her lead. Swallowing nervously, they puffed out their chests. "We challenge you!"

Five against five.

A perfectly fair showdown.

The five surrounded newcomers stared, dumbfounded. They had never expected these people to go this far. In truth, they had no idea that this was all part of Dongfang Wanyu's plan.

The Thunderclap members sneered. They clearly had not expected such hotheaded newcomers and all summoned their weapons.

"Come on!"

We'll beat you until you're thoroughly convinced.

Elsewhere, Ye Feng and Ji Ye had also realized the examiner's sinister intentions. Each leading a team of five, they sought each other out.

"I heard one team has already robbed two senior teams. Why don't we set aside our grudges for now and cooperate? What do you think?" Ye Feng suggested with a smile.

Ji Ye snorted. "Since when are you so kind?"

Ye Feng nodded. "Let's eliminate those seniors first, then settle things between us."

Ji Ye considered it and agreed. They could not let the seniors reap the benefits. "Deal."

The two teams recruited others along the way, gathering five or six scattered teams. Altogether, they amassed fifty or sixty people and robbed two senior teams along the way.

Newcomers robbing seniors was no longer news. Five of the ten teams had already been eliminated, and the remaining teams had all gone into hiding.

"Boss, we can't let newcomers walk all over us. According to Mad Saber, the people who robbed them had gathered most of the newcomers. Their leaders are Ye Feng and Ji Ye. Both are strong fighters, evenly matched with them. But the enemy had numbers on their side, so they..."

"Bloodthirst and Thunderclap said a young girl robbed them. They don't know her name, but she's gathered over a dozen people too."

Clearly, the newcomers had already grasped the true purpose of this contest.

Under those three leaders, the newcomers scattered throughout the area were gathering together.

"Boss, we need to think of something. Once those three join forces, we'll be facing a hundred people coming to encircle us."

Sky Pillar tapped a finger lightly. "Encirclement. Yes, encirclement indeed. Go bring Storm, Blood Blade, Frost, and Shadow here."

Soon, the five teams assembled.

"Jing Qingtian, why did you call us here?" Frost's leader spoke first, her tone mocking. "Don't tell me those newcomers scared you out of your wits."

"I called everyone here to combine our five teams' strength and encircle one team."

Sky Pillar signaled a subordinate to explain the situation. "Three people have emerged among the newcomers: Ji Ye, Ye Feng, and a young girl. They've gathered the newcomers' forces under their command. The boss wants us to destroy the girl's team before she joins Ye Feng and the others."

The Frost team was the only all-female team among the ten.

Its leader sneered. "One young girl, and you want all five teams to encircle her? Sky Pillar, you're getting more pathetic by the day. If you're that scared, I'll take my team and face her myself."

Storm's leader disagreed. "Bloodthirst ranked third among our teams in overall strength. Frost, why do you think they were the first eliminated? Because they met this girl while robbing newcomers. She only had one person with her then. With just the two of them, she eliminated Bloodthirst, Thunderclap, and the Blazing Flame Team. I think Sky Pillar has good reason to be cautious."

Shadow's leader nodded. "When Thunderclap was eliminated, they said this girl was extremely calculating. She knew how to exploit people's minds and make good use of her people. All I saw around her was a rabble, but look how well she used them."

Blood Blade's leader glanced at them. "If she's so dangerous, let's go meet her and see just what makes her so extraordinary."

The five teams set out and soon picked up Dongfang Wanyu's trail.

Everyone was sitting on the ground resting. Dongfang Wanyu already knew that Ye Feng and Ji Ye were cooperating. A large group of newcomers sat around her, chattering over one another, looking exceptionally happy.

Seeing how troubled she looked, Mu Sheng moved closer. "Wanyu, ever since you said you'd help the newcomers recover their Spirit Stones, nobody on our side has been eliminated. But it looks like five senior teams have been knocked out."

Mu Sheng was delighted too. For as long as he could remember, he had never imagined doing anything so spectacular. If not for Wanyu, he probably would not have lasted two hours in this round, let alone trampled those arrogant seniors underfoot.

Dongfang Wanyu was not as optimistic. With all the commotion they had caused, the seniors should have made their move by now. She simply did not know whether they would target Ye Feng and Ji Ye or her.

"Get everyone up. We're leaving immediately." Dongfang Wanyu intended to join Ye Feng and Ji Ye as quickly as possible and unite all the newcomers.

Mu Sheng looked surprised. "Wanyu, they've only just started resting."

"The sooner we find Ye Feng and Ji Ye, the less likely they are to be eliminated." Dongfang Wanyu could not put her unease into words.

Everyone rustled to their feet. They had come to trust Dongfang Wanyu to some extent.

"None of you are leaving." Frost's leader suddenly descended from above. She swept a cool glance over the newcomers before resting her gaze on Dongfang Wanyu's icy face. "You're the girl who eliminated Bloodthirst, Thunderclap, and the Blazing Flame Team?"

Dongfang Wanyu rose and stepped in front of everyone. "Yes."

"I'm Frost. I lead the Frost team. What's your name?"

As soon as she finished, the other four members of Frost descended as well, followed by Sky Pillar, Storm, Blood Blade, and Shadow. Twenty-five seniors landed before them in unison.

The sight exerted tremendous pressure on the newcomers and left them badly shaken. Some even despaired. Against one senior team, they could at least put up a fight.

But five full senior teams had gathered, clearly preparing to encircle them.

Dongfang Wanyu lifted her eyelids and sneered. The seniors had certainly spared no effort to deal with her. "I'm Qian Wanyu."

The newcomers swallowed. "These people seem to be on the Wind and Cloud Rankings. What do we do?"

Mu Sheng's heart pounded too. He knew Wanyu could fight and had plenty of lifesaving treasures, but against five great spirit masters alone, they would probably lose terribly. Still, he summoned his courage, puffed out his small chest, and moved beside Dongfang Wanyu. "Wanyu, what do we do now?"

Dongfang Wanyu took her sword from her storage space. "Do what I taught you. Keep everyone calm and buy time until Ye Feng and Ji Ye join us."

Mu Sheng was bewildered. "But how will they know we're here?"

"Go. I'll let them know where we are."

"Are you coming one at a time, or all together?"

Dongfang Wanyu took a large step forward, fighting spirit blazing as spiritual energy surged wildly around her.

What arrogance.

"I'll do it." Leng Bingshuang stepped forward as well. She had long wanted to challenge the girl they had made out to be so astonishing.

"She's a level-three great spirit master with both water and ice attributes. Be careful," Qing Mo warned in her mind.

The other four stood aside to watch, in no hurry to deal with the newcomers. They probably considered everyone in this team beneath their notice except Qian Wanyu.

While their attention was entirely on Wanyu and Leng Bingshuang's battle, Mu Sheng whispered to the newcomers for quite some time.

The newcomers' hesitant expressions gradually hardened into resolve, and their formation shifted almost imperceptibly.

"You're a spirit master. My level is higher than yours, so I'll give you ten moves," Frost's leader said.

Dongfang Wanyu gave an uncanny smile. "Thank you for going easy on me, senior sister."

"Heavenly Thunder Seal!"

She tossed her sword into the air. Leng Bingshuang's gaze followed it, baffled as to why her opponent had thrown away her weapon.

"Watch out!" Sky Pillar shouted, but he was too late. Dongfang Wanyu's whip flew out as well, its far end winding around Leng Bingshuang's wrist and locking tightly in place.

"First Heavenly Thunder Seal—Rolling Heavenly Thunder!"

Dongfang Wanyu flew into the air. Five palm seals lit up half the sky like heavenly thunder. Rolling lightning struck the Water-Thunder Whip and traveled straight along it to Frost's leader's hand.

"Ice Crystal Snowflakes!" Sensing danger, Frost instinctively released her ice Spiritual Power. The wrist bound by the Water-Thunder Whip froze solid in an instant.

But she was still a step too late. Lightning blasted the frozen ice into fragments, while rolling thunder circled through the sky and bombarded the area around her.

Frost's leader's scalp prickled. She had underestimated her.

"Captain!"

"What vicious methods!"

"Wind God’s Command, heed my summons!"

A fierce gale erupted, and a storm sprang up at once, colliding head-on with Dongfang Wanyu's heavenly thunder. One raging whirlwind and one rolling thunderbolt slammed together, the clash of Spiritual Power lighting half the sky as brightly as day.

"Second Heavenly Thunder Seal—Heaven-Cracking Earth-Splitting!"

Dongfang Wanyu sneered.

The wind raged and lightning flashed, shrouding the entire world in darkness, as though the black clouds and thunder would swallow heaven and earth in the next instant.

"Ah! The sky—the ground's shaking!" The newcomers were terrified. They had never witnessed anything on this scale.

Heaven cracked and earth split; the ground shook and the mountains trembled.

Blood Blade sent a Blood Blade Sword flying straight toward Dongfang Wanyu, trying to stop her from forming more hand seals. She dodged, but the Spirit Sword doubled back and grazed her arm. Blood ran down from her wrist. Ignoring the pain, Dongfang Wanyu looked at them with contempt and laughed wildly. "Come on! All of you at once!"

A hundred li away, Ye Feng suddenly frowned. He watched the sky change abruptly as a heavenly thunderbolt rolled down, followed by the earth shaking beneath him.

"Someone's fighting."

Only one newcomer seemed capable of causing such a commotion.

Ji Ye and Ye Feng exchanged a glance, both guessing what had happened. "Quick! Everyone, hurry and join Qian Wanyu!"

The seniors must have intended to divide their forces first. Once Qian Wanyu was dealt with, they would be next. They absolutely could not let the seniors succeed.

When they arrived, the brutal scene exceeded anything they had imagined. A large group of newcomers lay beaten on the ground, unable to rise, their cries echoing everywhere. They sat back-to-back, and the sight of the reinforcements filled them with astonished joy. Hope sprang from despair.

"Whirlwind Slash!"

The wind rose, and an enormous illusory blade slashed viciously toward Dongfang Wanyu.

Ye Feng and Ji Ye watched as Dongfang Wanyu endured the attack head-on for the newcomers' sake, pinned motionless beneath the massive blade.

"Blood Blade Sword!"

A blood-red sword flew toward Dongfang Wanyu. She sneered. They thought this would make her submit? Dream on.

"Third Heavenly Thunder Seal!"

"Wanyu, don't be rash. Your Spiritual Power isn't enough to control the third seal properly yet. Using it will most likely cause a backlash and damage your foundation." Qing Mo suddenly appeared to stop her.

"Four men bullying one woman. I'm ashamed for you."

Without another word, Ye Feng summoned his Spiral Blade and blocked the Blood Blade Sword's attack for Dongfang Wanyu. "Go!"

"Sky Pillar, I'll fight you." Ji Ye flew into the air and knocked Sky Pillar's weapon back. He sneered. "Is this how a renowned figure on the Wind and Cloud Rankings behaves, ganging up on a junior sister? If not for this contest, I really wouldn't want to challenge an opponent like you."

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Sky Pillar knew their stalling plan had succeeded. "Then fight! Today's battle will decide the winner!"

Ye Feng could not resist a taunt either. "Blood Blade, let's see whether your Blood Blade Sword is faster than my Spiral Blade."

Leng Bingshuang had already been beaten to the ground by Dongfang Wanyu, covered in injuries. Residual lightning still lingered inside her body. Whenever she used Spiritual Power, it triggered the hidden lightning and shocked her instantly. That excruciating sensation was more than enough.

"Qian Wanyu."

Covered in wounds, Dongfang Wanyu climbed to her feet again.

"Storm, again."

Seeing how desperately she fought, Storm shook his head. "No need to fight anymore. I lost."

Shadow immediately appeared before her as well and asked curiously, "Why could you dodge my sneak attacks every time?"

Expressionless, Dongfang Wanyu held up the Jade Token in her hand. "Since you've both admitted defeat, hand over all your Spirit Stones."

The two of them: "..."

From then on, besides being known as a reckless daredevil, Dongfang Wanyu also earned a reputation as a money grubber.

Ye Feng and Ji Ye fought from dawn until dark, battling for an entire day and night before finally reaching a draw. However, Dongfang Wanyu had subdued all the companions under his command.

Leng Bingshuang glared furiously. "Qian Wanyu, once my injuries heal, we'll fight again. I won't go easy on you this time."

"Suit yourself."

Underestimating an opponent was one of the greatest taboos in battle.

After three days, the battle between the new students and the senior students finally ended.

The examiner suddenly appeared and used a teleportation array to bring them all out of the secret realm. "First, congratulations on passing the second assessment."

The new students' eyes shone. They could hardly believe they had passed.

Watching them leap about in delight, Instructor Ouyang could not help smiling. "I forgot to tell you earlier: the top three in this assessment may each choose a skill from the Library Pavilion. First place may choose two. Now, I'll announce the results. First place goes to Qian Wanyu of the Thunder Hall. Tied for second and third are Ye Feng of the Wind Hall and Ji Ye of the Ice Hall. Congratulations."

Instructor Ouyang had the three of them stay behind. "Go back and rest properly for three days. After that, someone will take you to the Library Pavilion to make your selections."

The three had fought a fierce, earth-shaking battle and naturally gained many insights from it. Each returned to their quarters to begin another round of secluded meditation.

Dongfang Wanyu had gained the most. When she returned to the courtyard, Dongfang Minghui did not seem to be back yet. She wrote a note and stuck it directly outside her door, then shut herself inside and sank into deep meditation.

Her battle, shown through the Mystic Light Mirror, had made her famous overnight. She became a model for all the new students, who began asking around about her.

Dongfang Wanyu mingled with the crowd, listening to them heap praise on Seventh Sister. Her little face bloomed with smiles, and she seemed even happier than if they had been praising her. Some even said they wanted to visit The Female Lead's residence and ask her to take them under her wing.

She thought smugly, See? I was smart to coax The Female Lead into my courtyard first. Otherwise, Seventh Sister would definitely be pestered.

Figuring Seventh Sister must have returned to the courtyard, Dongfang Minghui hurried back.

Instead, she found a note outside the door saying that Seventh Sister had entered secluded meditation and should not be disturbed. Dongfang Minghui immediately felt disappointed. Seventh Sister really was a cultivation fanatic. Still, that was good too. The stronger The Female Lead became, the safer she would be.

And so Dongfang Minghui continued her routine between three places: the dean's office, the medicinal plants on the Back Mountain, and her courtyard.

"Blue Star Dream, your master doesn't want you anymore." Dongfang Minghui pouted unhappily. She had no idea what Situ Hao had been up to lately. He used to visit Blue Star Dream every few days, but now she had not seen him for nearly half a month.

Blue Star Dream flicked its tender branches, then let its foliage droop to show that it was unhappy too.

Dongfang Minghui sighed. Ever since Little Color had absorbed the spiritual energy from Blue Star Dream, Little Color had been cultivating in seclusion for half a month. Suddenly, she felt as though she was the only one with nothing to do.

"Little Color said I have to find a suitable skill before I can advance again. Blue Star Dream, look, I can barely suppress the restless spiritual energy in my body anymore." Dongfang Minghui felt miserable. Other people wanted to advance but could not, while she was doing the exact opposite, desperately suppressing her advancement.

Blue Star Dream curled a tender branch around her finger and rubbed against it, offering comfort.

Dongfang Minghui immediately felt the bumps on its tender branch. She remembered that they should eventually grow into sharp thorns. After examining them, she could not help smiling. "Wow, Blue Star Dream, you seem to have grown a little."

Blue Star Dream swayed happily.

Dongfang Minghui decided to ask Little Color, once she woke up, whether there was any way to restore Blue Star Dream enough for it to speak to her.

"Ninth Sister."

She turned and saw Dongfang Wanyu leaning against the doorway, arms folded as she watched her. Clearly, she had emerged from seclusion.

"Seventh Sister, you're out? How are your injuries?" She still remembered how The Female Lead had been surrounded, fighting four people alone and stubbornly enduring every attack.

Dongfang Wanyu waved dismissively. "Nothing serious. I'm going out in a little while."

"Seventh Sister, sit down." Dongfang Minghui pressed her onto a stone stool, then hurried into her room and brought out a large pile of bottles and jars.

Dongfang Minghui rolled up her sleeves. Looking at the shocking wounds, she could not help complaining. "Honestly, that Jing Qingtian doesn't know how to treat a lady gently at all. How could he hurt you so badly? I curse him to never find anyone he likes."

Dongfang Wanyu did not know whether to laugh or cry at her words, but she was also surprised. "Ninth Sister, how did you know Jing Qingtian gave me these injuries?"

Her face broke into a smile. "Seventh Sister, all the senior and junior students in the academy know how impressive you were! During your match, the Mystic Light Mirror showed the important scenes. You have no idea how cool you looked fighting four people at once that day. I'm telling you, all the new students see you as their goddess now. They absolutely worship you."

Watching her animatedly describe the new students in the square who were utterly infatuated with her, Dongfang Wanyu chuckled. "Ninth Sister, you're exaggerating."

"No, I'm not." Dongfang Minghui applied medicine to the wounds on both her arms, then pulled her into the room and started taking her clothes off.

"Ninth Sister, what are you doing?"

Dongfang Minghui looked puzzled. "Taking your clothes off. You must have lots of wounds on your body."

Dongfang Wanyu was not quite used to her closeness, and she had never undressed in front of anyone before. The sudden intimacy made her uncomfortable, so she immediately stopped her. "Turn around. I'll undress myself."

"All right. So you get embarrassed too, Seventh Sister." Dongfang Minghui secretly delighted in the discovery. Even The Female Lead gets shy sometimes. Hehe.

A little embarrassed, Dongfang Wanyu wrapped a blanket around her chest and turned her bare back toward Dongfang Minghui. "Ready."

Her back was covered in horrifying wounds: sword wounds, wounds from hidden weapons, and cuts from wind blades. Seeing them, Dongfang Minghui could hardly bear to apply the medicine.

"Seventh Sister, this medicine might hurt a little. Please bear with it." Dongfang Minghui moved closer and lowered her head, carefully cleaning the wounds with alcohol before slowly applying the medicinal liquid.

Unable to see, Dongfang Wanyu found her other senses growing more sensitive. She could feel the warm breath of the person behind her falling over her wounds, making them itch.

"Ninth Sister, are you finished?"

Dongfang Minghui's fingers brushed lightly against the wounds.

She could distinctly feel the warmth of those fingertips.

Dongfang Wanyu turned around and caught her hand. "I'll take care of the remaining wounds. Let me borrow your room for a moment."

Knowing that she was embarrassed, Dongfang Minghui nodded. "Seventh Sister, make sure you apply it properly."

Dongfang Wanyu was nearly at her wits' end with her. Ever since Ninth Sister had become a pharmacist, she had grown so fussy. Still, being cared for and worried over did not feel bad.

Dongfang Wanyu quickly applied the medicine, changed her clothes, and walked out.

"Seventh Sister, you're going to the Library Pavilion, right? You'll need another application when you get back," Dongfang Minghui reminded her.

"All right."

As soon as Dongfang Wanyu stepped out of the Medicine Department's gates, she found someone already waiting nearby.

"Are you Miss Qian Wanyu?"

"Yes."

"Please follow me."

When she reached the Library Pavilion, Ye Feng and Ji Ye were already waiting outside, having clearly arrived before her. Both smiled and greeted her.

"Before you three enter the Library Pavilion, listen carefully to the rules. You will be sent to different floors depending on your respective levels. Also, take my advice: don't lose something valuable chasing something trivial. You have only two hours. If you haven't found a skill scroll you're satisfied with by then, you'll still be sent out. In other words, what you make of this opportunity is up to you."

Dongfang Wanyu nodded, and all three said in unison, "Thank you."

A white light flashed before her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself in a dreamlike chamber filled with scrolls.

"Wanyu, what that person meant was to follow your heart. Once you've chosen something, don't give it up. You only have two hours. Hurry."

Dongfang Wanyu immediately went to the shelves to search. Ignoring the scrolls on the shelves before her, she followed her instincts all the way to a secluded corner. The scrolls there were tucked away in an obscure spot and covered in dust.

Curious about what could have drawn her attention here, she searched up and down until she discovered a dark scroll: the Reincarnation Art, an Earth Tier skill.

She had a feeling this was the one.

Dongfang Wanyu was just about to touch it when the scroll unexpectedly flew up on its own, dodged her hand, and darted away.

"Don't let it get away."

Since Qing Mo had said that, the Reincarnation Art had to be extraordinary. Without hesitation, Dongfang Wanyu lashed out with her Water-Thunder Whip. As slippery and quick as lightning, the scroll darted through a gap in the Long Whip and escaped.

She tried several times, but it slipped away each time. Dongfang Wanyu grew determined. The more it resisted her, the more she wanted it.

"The Nine-Turn Heaven-and-Earth Bag!"

Dongfang Wanyu immediately tossed a bag into the air. It split into nine openings, each swooping toward the scroll.

This time, it had nowhere to run and was tightly bound by the Heaven-and-Earth Bag.

"Behave yourself."

Dongfang Wanyu gripped the scroll tightly, then returned to look through the shelves. Suddenly, she recalled what Dongfang Minghui had been murmuring to Blue Star Dream earlier.

Without a skill, she could not advance. No wonder her last Advancement had only taken her a small step forward. So there were this many obstacles along the way.

"Qing Mo, what sort of skill would be best for Ninth Sister?"

Qing Mo remained silent. From what Dongfang Wanyu said, he could guess what she intended to do next. She had earned this opportunity with great difficulty, only to let Dongfang Minghui benefit from it for nothing. He really could not understand what Wanyu was thinking.

Dongfang Wanyu was not annoyed by his silence. She simply browsed the shelves until she spotted a skill with a rather lovely name—Goddess Scatters Flowers.

On closer inspection, she found it was a Profound Tier scroll. Considering this would be Dongfang Minghui's first skill scroll, Profound Tier was not too low.

"This one, then." Dongfang Wanyu picked it up without hesitation.

This scroll was very obedient, lying quietly in her hand.

Having chosen both scrolls, Dongfang Wanyu elected to leave immediately, without sparing anything else another glance.

An old man sat at the entrance to the Library Pavilion. He looked rather surprised to see her emerge. "Young lady, that was quick. You're the first one out. Have you made your choices? If so, register them here."

"Thank you, sir."

Dongfang Wanyu filled out the registration and left.

The old man smiled as he watched her retreating figure, then closed his eyes again and continued rocking back and forth.

Dongfang Minghui had not gone out. She had been skipping work lately and received a scolding from the Dean. He had tossed her a prescription for Marrow-Cleansing Pills and ordered her to produce them within ten days.

At first, she had been rather pleased with herself, thinking the Dean had gone easy on her. Only when she began preparing the medicinal plants according to the prescription did she realize how wrong she was.

More than twenty kinds of medicinal plants.

And that did not even account for failed attempts. She had repeated the experiments so many times that she was close to going mad.

When Dongfang Wanyu entered, she found her scratching her head in frustration, brows tightly furrowed. Medicinal liquid smeared her face in patches of green and purple, making her look like a little calico kitten.

"Take your time. Rushing will only make things worse." Dongfang Wanyu sat down nearby and placed the scroll on the table.

"You're right, Seventh Sister."

Dongfang Minghui washed her hands, then handed her a porcelain bottle she had prepared earlier. "This is what I applied to you today. Apply it again after your bath."

"All right. I have something for you too."

"Hmph." Qing Mo snorted in her Soul Sea, expressing his deep displeasure at her unilateral decision.

Somewhat helpless, Dongfang Wanyu smiled at Dongfang Minghui. "You don't seem to have found a suitable skill yet. I happened to see this at the Library Pavilion today and thought it would suit you very well."

Dongfang Minghui nervously rubbed her fingers together. Oh, The Female Lead is so good to me. This almost feels unreal. To check, she deliberately pinched her cheek. "Ow, ow."

It was real after all.

Dongfang Wanyu smiled with her lips pressed together. How could her Ninth Sister be so silly?

"All right, take a look at this skill first. If you have any questions, come find me next door." Dongfang Wanyu took the medicine and left.

"Open it, then use your soul power to read it." Little Color suddenly woke up and instructed Dongfang Minghui.

Goddess Scatters Flowers was a Profound Tier skill. As Dongfang Wanyu's first skill for establishing a solid foundation, it was already more than good enough. Little Color suddenly felt that this Seventh Sister treated her a little too well. Of course, there was no time to dwell on that, because she had already opened the scroll.

When Dongfang Minghui opened it, all the writing describing the skill streamed into her mind. She sat cross-legged and read through the First Essential Formula of Goddess Scatters Flowers.

"The skill your Seventh Sister found for you is quite good," Little Color praised with a click of her tongue. "You mustn't advance until you've mastered the First Essential Formula."

Dongfang Minghui could not help protesting, "If I keep suppressing it, my body's going to explode."

"Then let it explode. With me here, you won't die."

Just listen to that. Is that something a companion should say? Dongfang Minghui wanted to argue with Little Color further, but she received no response, as though Little Color had gone back to cultivating.

Everyone was cultivating, so Dongfang Minghui felt too embarrassed to keep dragging them down, especially now that she had a Profound Tier skill from The Female Lead. This skill seemed quite good and had three key principles in all. If she mastered the First Essential Formula properly, she would be able to make flower petals gather like a goddess scattering flowers—