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Lin Zhaoqin: "Okay, I'll come find you to 'play' then."

Zhong Kun: "Hehe, I'll give you a surprise later."

Li Yang replied with a smile, "Okay." She hadn't expected these two to be the first to have feelings for each other; she had thought it was Ying Qi.

Ying Qi...

She hadn't even realized she could change her major.

Unless someone tells her directly, she estimates she won't realize it until Lin Zhaoqin and Zhong Kun successfully change their majors.

This week, Li Yang had a peaceful day, but at night... he tossed and turned.

Her playful and nonsensical words actually came true!

When the teacher's willpower is not in place, she really can't sleep well.

Li Yang dreams whenever she falls asleep, and every night she dreams the same thing.

A misty white vapor, a lotus flower so white it's almost multicolored.

The lotus flower did not bloom, but remained in bud form, seemingly trembling violently, with faint sounds emanating from it, Li Yang could not hear clearly.

Li Yang was always startled awake by the system.

[Lifespan +1 year.]

Li Yang: "Why!"

The system remained silent, only adding another year to its lifespan the following evening.

For seven consecutive nights, Li Yang inexplicably gained a year of life each night. If it weren't for those strange dreams every time, he would have suspected that the system had been upgraded and was automatically gaining a year of life every day!

It's been ten days, and the teacher still shows no sign of leaving the seclusion area.

Li Yang sighed, "Five more days, five days at most."

"Shi Bao Nu" is like this.

My longing for my teacher is like a surging river; I hope my teacher will soon emerge from seclusion.

By the twelfth day, Li Yang had grown accustomed to this lotus dream.

She knew she was dreaming, and wasn't in a hurry to wake up. Instead, she leaned closer to examine the lotus flower closely.

The lotus flower is very large; it feels like someone could sit inside it.

Hmm...

Li Yang pondered that if he cut it down and used it as a lotus platform, it wouldn't be bad.

Just as she was thinking this, the dream that had lasted for twelve days suddenly took a turn for the worse.

A dazzling golden light shot into the sky. Li Yang felt a sense of familiarity, but her heart inexplicably tightened.

This gold... it feels like the teacher's aura...

The next instant, Si Kui's face suddenly appeared on the white Huahua, which was covered in iridescent colors.

Li Yang: "!"

Li Yang woke up with a start, her whole body drenched in sweat.

The last scene terrified her, making her chest heave violently and her heart pound Central Capital reality. "It's a dream... things in dreams are always the opposite... the teacher will be alright..."

The system remained silent this time.

Li Yang did not receive any lifespan credits.

An unpleasant feeling continued to spread. Li Yang walked out of the house and looked up at the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.

At two in the morning, the Department of the Agronomy Department, built against the mountain, was very quiet.

A cool breeze blew across the empty wheat field, sending a chill down Li Yang's spine.

Something's not right!

Li Yang mobilized all her Spirit Points and squinted at the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.

Golden light emanated from there, and white light emanated from there. Li Yang could clearly feel that the golden light was the teacher's aura, while the white light... was like a snow-white lotus in a dream.

Li Yang was well aware of his abilities at the Second Grade Realm; compared to those at the higher-grade level, he was like an ant.

Even if Si Kui were truly in danger, her going would be pointless.

But...

No matter how clear-headed Li Yang was, she couldn't control her legs.

In both her lives, Si Kui was her only "parent," and she couldn't bear to see her get into trouble.

Even if it means risking her life, she is determined to go.

Li Yang rushed towards the mountainside, and as he approached the familiar courtyard, the system issued a warning. "High-risk Star Plant detected, far exceeding the host's cultivation level. It is advised not to risk harvesting it."

High-risk Star Plant!

Is it that lotus flower?

The teacher is indeed in danger!

Li Yang tried pushing the courtyard door. The restriction the teacher had placed on it disappeared, and she easily pushed the wooden door open.

What came into view was a vast, empty space.

The tranquil courtyard has vanished, replaced by a vast, empty plain.

There aren't even any ruins!

Not even a crumb was left!

If Li Yang weren't so familiar with this courtyard, she would have assumed it was always this "clean."

The courtyard was gone, and the cave behind it was exposed to Li Yang.

Si Kui sat on a golden futon, her body shimmering with alternating golden and white light, the two lights seemingly vying for control of her body...

Li Yang dared not act rashly. She asked the system, "Tell me, how can I help her?"

The system remains silent.

Li Yang: "Help me first! I'll give you tons of lifespan in the future, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions, whatever you need!"

She had always been wary of this Longevity System, but now she was willing to sign a contract of servitude to it for Si Kui's sake.

The system actually provided a prompt: [Consume lifespan to conduct a search query.]

Li Yang: "..." Okay, something is better than nothing.

However, before Li Yang could ask, Si Kui suddenly opened her eyes. A bright white light shone around her, completely overshadowing the faint golden light.

Li Yang's heart sank as she looked at the teacher who was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

"Who are you?" Li Yang asked in a trembling voice, certain that this was not her teacher.

Si Kui looked at Li Yang, a hint of grievance appearing on her usually cold face. Her voice was low as she said with difficulty, "I... don't want... to eat people."

Li Yang: "?"

The initially terrifying atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

What exactly is this thing that possessed the teacher?

And what is it saying!

Li Yang has always been good at seizing opportunities. She knew that now was the crucial moment to save her teacher. As long as this "thing" could communicate, she was confident that she could save her teacher.

"You..." Li Yang swallowed nervously, and tentatively said, "If you don't want to, then don't do it."

Si Kui said with difficulty, "I... don't want... to be eaten either."

Li Yang: "???"

Her mind raced, quickly gleaning key information and roughly understanding the whole story.

Is the teacher really being promoted to the Ninth Grade?!

Is the condition for promotion to consume a high-grade Star Plant?

Was it the lotus flower from her dream?

As Si Kui gradually adapted to this body, she spoke more easily, "Fellow Daoist, it was your kinsman who insisted on eating me, but I am not an inanimate object, and I will certainly resist and fight to survive."

Li Yang asked a crucial question, "Is she still there?"

"Si Kui" replied, "Yes, I'm here."

"Then can you leave her body?"

"If I relax, she'll eat me up."

A thought struck Li Yang: this lotus seemed easy to fool; could she help her teacher advance smoothly to the Ninth Grade?

Si Kui sighed softly and said, "Why did she have to do that? Even if she forcibly devoured me, the best outcome would only be that she would be forever stuck at the Early Ninth Grade."

Li Yang's heart sank upon hearing this, but she would not easily trust a lotus spirit who was an enemy rather than a friend.

"Tongzi! I need to use up my lifespan to ask a question!" Li Yang shouted in his mind.

[Please ask a question first; the specific lifespan consumption depends on the difficulty of the question.]

Is it authentic?

"..."

Alright, we can only trust Tongzi now, after all, the two have a "lifespan" deal.

Li Yang asked, "Is what the lotus spirit said true? If Teacher uses it to advance to the Ninth Grade, will he be forever stuck at the Early Ninth Grade?"

[Requires a lifespan of 100 years.]

Li Yang gritted her teeth and said, "Okay!"

The system was fairly fair, providing a detailed answer: [Breaking through from the Peak Eighth Grade to the Ninth Grade requires a 'natural divine object.' This object must not possess sentience. Forcibly fusing with a natural divine object that possesses sentience will result in divine punishment, at best freezing one's cultivation level, and at worst causing the body to explode and death.]

Li Yang: "!"

She looked up at the lotus spirit, her expression softening considerably. "Fellow Daoist, there might be some misunderstanding. She probably thinks you lack spiritual consciousness, which is why she wants to use you to advance her cultivation. How about this, you leave her body first, and I guarantee I can persuade her not to eat you."

Honestly, this is such a low-level scam; even a three-year-old wouldn't believe it.

Li Yang was at her wit's end and could only try anything as a last resort.

To everyone's surprise, the lotus spirit paused only for a moment before saying, "Alright."

Li Yang: "???"

Si Kui said, "Fellow Daoist, you must persuade her to stop."

This stumped Li Yang, who stammered, "I... I know."

As soon as Li Yang finished speaking, the white light around Si Kui diminished sharply, while the golden light intensified. A weak voice softly called out, "Fellow Daoist..."

Li Yang had already spent two hundred years getting the answer from the system.

At such a crucial moment, any interruption will cause the event to stop.

The only risk is that Si Kui might eliminate obstacles directly in order to get promoted.

The teacher won't kill her.

She has that confidence.

Li Yang hugged her teacher tightly, pleading pitifully, "Teacher, teacher! This lotus is alive, we won't eat it!"

Even if she hadn't shouted, Si Kui would have had to stop eating because of her hug.

Now that things have come to this, how could Si Kui not know that the Lianxin possesses sentience?

But once it has begun to swallow, it must be eaten!

Otherwise, if this Lianxin were to possess her body, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Unexpectedly, Li Yang rushed into the cave, turning this life-or-death situation around.

Li Yang hugged her tightly, gazing at her expectantly.

Si Kui softened, and also came to her senses.

This Lianxin possesses a high level of spiritual awareness; even if she were to forcibly devour it, the divine punishment that would follow would be severe.

Being stuck in a certain state of mind is a small matter; self-destruction is a big deal.