Faced with Xiao Yan's nearly hysterical demands, Xiao Yi remained unusually calm. He gently raised a hand and removed the claws Xiao Yan had clamped onto his shoulders.
"What are you howling for? Has the sky fallen? Is third-stage dou qi such a big deal? Is it worth wailing to heaven and beating the earth over? You sound like the college entrance exams are tomorrow and you haven't studied."
Xiao Yan nearly choked on those words. Looking at Xiao Yi's shameless expression-that of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water-he felt fury surge through his chest, yet there was nothing he could do. He let his hands fall limply, slid down the wall to sit on the ground, and buried his face in his knees. His muffled voice drifted out. "You've only got second-stage dou qi... and you still have the nerve to talk..."
Just as Xiao Yan sank into despair, an aged, steady voice abruptly rang out in both their minds, carrying a dismissive chuckle. "Enough, enough. It's hardly a catastrophe. Look how worked up you've gotten. I'm not dead yet, so what are you panicking for?"
Yao Lao's illusory figure slowly emerged from the ring. He glanced at Xiao Yan on the ground, then at Xiao Yi standing beside him, and said irritably, "Little Yanzi, what do you take that testing crystal for? It's just an inanimate object. During tomorrow's test, place the hand wearing my ring on it. Leave the rest to me."
Those words were like a shaft of divine light, instantly illuminating Xiao Yan's dark inner world. He jerked his head up, and in his mud-smeared face, the flames of hope rekindled in his eyes. "Teacher? You mean..."
Yao Lao stroked his illusory beard, wearing an inscrutable expression. "Hmph. Back when I roamed unchallenged across