Tang Wulin carried the three of them back to their respective rooms and laid them on their beds. Jiang Mingyuan took the opportunity to wash himself, change into a clean undershirt and underpants, and curl up beneath the covers.
After that ordeal, the grogginess lingering in his head since waking that morning had completely cleared. Once he calmed down, Jiang Mingyuan finally noticed that something felt faintly wrong with his body.
Jiang Mingyuan instinctively reached down, resting his palm gently on his lower abdomen and rubbing it slowly. Even through the fabric, he could feel a warm, foreign presence inside.
"Wh-what's going on?"
Jiang Mingyuan sucked in a breath of cold air, and an absurd thought flashed through his mind.
Some birds laid unfertilized eggs at regular intervals. In some of the anime he had watched in his previous life, demi-humans had similar physiological traits, depending on the setting.
But this was the Douluo World! I'm human. Could this happen just because my Martial Soul is the Phoenix?
As Jiang Mingyuan breathed, that foreign presence seemed to respond.
Jiang Mingyuan could distinctly feel something deep within his lower abdomen expanding little by little, growing larger.
After taking care of the three of them, Tang Wulin returned to Jiang Mingyuan's room. Looking at the haggard figure curled up on the bed, he fell into a momentary daze.
Tang Wulin licked his slightly dry lips. Standing before the bed, he crouched down until his eyes were level with Jiang Mingyuan's.
"Brother Mingyuan, is there anything you need me to do?"
Jiang Mingyuan came back to his senses. The strange sensation in his abdomen did not actually hinder his movements. As long as he paid it no attention, he could ignore it entirely. The problem was how he looked now.
Although Jiang Mingyuan had long considered that his female form would sooner or later be exposed to others, he was not mentally prepared for it yet.
Jiang Mingyuan reached out and pointed at his desk.
"Wulin, there's a pair of scissors in the desk drawer. Bring them over for me."
Tang Wulin rose, walked over to the desk, and pulled open the drawer. There was not much inside: a roll of tape, a ruler, a pair of scissors, and a few odds and ends.
When he picked up the scissors and turned around, he found that Jiang Mingyuan had already sat up on the bed with his back to him.
"Wulin, could you help me cut my hair a little shorter? Just to here." Jiang Mingyuan gathered his hair with one hand and held it just above his shoulders.
Tang Wulin was clearly no professional hairdresser. Cutting it too short would definitely spoil his appearance. Better to cut it to shoulder length, tie up what remained with a cord, and wear it in a little ponytail. That would look acceptable enough.
Tang Wulin silently walked behind Jiang Mingyuan, his hand trembling slightly around the scissors.
"Brother Mingyuan, I'm going to start cutting. Don't move." Tang Wulin took over gathering Jiang Mingyuan's hair, recalling how the hairdresser worked when he visited the salon and trying to cut it as evenly as possible.
It should have taken only one snip, but Tang Wulin worked with painstaking care for five whole minutes. Still, the result was quite pleasing. It had not ended up looking as though a dog had chewed it, long on one side and short on the other.
Jiang Mingyuan rummaged through the drawer and found a short length of cord. Fortunately, he had helped do Na'er's hair when she was little, so he knew how to tie it properly.
Jiang Mingyuan pushed Tang Wulin out of the room, shut the door, and changed into his usual clothes. Fortunately, his clothes had always been designed to fit somewhat loosely, and his figure had become a little smaller as well. Unless someone looked closely, his chest was barely noticeable.
As for his face, Jiang Mingyuan could do nothing about it. He did not know the Clear Sky Sect's secret disguise technique. Standing before the mirror, he tidied his appearance a little. At least to Jiang Mingyuan himself, he looked extremely similar to before. Unless someone knew him particularly well, they probably would not notice anything wrong.
He rubbed his abdomen again, unable to keep himself from thinking, How long is this state going to last? Can I still change back?
Today was their weekly visit to the Spirit Ascension Platform. After they returned to the academy yesterday, Wu Changkong had instructed them to rest well. This visit to the Spirit Ascension Platform would serve as their final assessment.
Xie Xie woke up in his bed, clutching his aching forehead.
"Why does my forehead hurt? I remember going for a run just now, then coming back to the dorm. Maybe I was just too tired."
Xie Xie left his room and looked at Jiang Mingyuan and Tang Wulin standing in the corridor. For some reason, he felt as though Jiang Mingyuan was avoiding him, constantly hiding behind Tang Wulin.
The doors to the other two rooms opened as well. Zhang Yangzi clutched the back of his head, while Wang Jinxi rubbed his neck.
"Ow. I don't know why, but my neck keeps hurting." Wang Jinxi twisted his neck from side to side, producing a sharp crack.
"Haha, maybe you slept with your neck in a bad position." Jiang Mingyuan gave an awkward laugh, trying to brush the matter aside. "Let's hurry. Today's our assessment. We shouldn't keep Teacher Wu waiting."
Well, although the three of them felt it was still a little early, it was an assessment, after all. Setting out sooner was only reasonable.
Along the way, Xie Xie and the other two kept feeling that something was strange. They seemed to be missing some memories. In particular, there were faint red marks on Wang Jinxi's neck that looked rather like handprints on closer inspection. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin kept blocking their view and preventing them from approaching Jiang Mingyuan.
At the school gates, Wu Changkong leaned against the door of the Soul Guidance vehicle. When he saw his students arrive, he swept his gaze over them, lingering on Jiang Mingyuan for an extra moment.
Fortunately, the changes in Jiang Mingyuan were not very obvious yet. In a few years, he would no longer be able to conceal them. Wu Changkong merely wondered how Jiang Mingyuan's hair had grown so much overnight.
Inside the Soul Guidance vehicle, Wu Changkong explained today's assessment as he drove.
"The Spirit Ascension Platform has two rampage periods each year. Originally, they were caused by unstable energy within the platform. During these periods, the Soul Beasts inside become exceptionally frenzied and aggressive, and their populations increase significantly. Accordingly, the amount of energy you can obtain in a short time rises greatly as well, making this both a danger and an opportunity. Thanks to technological advances, the Spirit Pagoda can now reliably keep both rampage periods at fixed times."
"The Spirit Ascension Platform is extremely dangerous during a rampage period, so the Spirit Pagoda allows teams of up to seven people and transports all members of a team to the same location. You may also encounter other Soul Masters inside. Anyone can absorb the energy released by slain Soul Beasts. Therefore, you must be wary of those Soul Masters. They may attack you for that energy."
Jiang Mingyuan and Tang Wulin sat in the back row. Seeing that none of the others had any suspicions about his appearance, Jiang Mingyuan finally, finally relaxed. He gently patted his chest and let out a long breath.
Tang Wulin glanced slightly down and to his left. Looking at Jiang Mingyuan's current appearance, he felt a surge of happiness for some inexplicable reason.
He really wished Brother Mingyuan could always stay like this. Of course, only he could be allowed to see it.
The vehicle slowly came to a stop, and they walked up to the Spirit Pagoda's entrance. Wu Changkong turned back and addressed them solemnly. "I have two requirements for you. First, survive in the Spirit Ascension Platform for at least one hour during the rampage period. Second, kill as many Soul Beasts as possible to increase the age of your Soul Rings."
Half-hidden behind Tang Wulin, Jiang Mingyuan tilted his head and raised a hand.
"Teacher Wu, I plan to absorb my second Soul Spirit at rank thirty, so I won't be increasing my first Soul Spirit's age for now."
Wu Changkong nodded.
"As you wish, as long as you kill enough Soul Beasts."