Su Wenjing caught the irritation in Li Yunxian’s tone and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“You owed me once before. This time, we’re even.”
Li Yunxian: ……
Oh, that time during the meeting when she gave Su Wenjing a hard time and had him back her up.
Li Yunxian raised an eyebrow and withdrew her somewhat confrontational posture.
“Alright.” She accepted the even score.
Li Yunxian waved her hand at Su Wenjing in a farewell gesture and was about to walk away.
Before she could move, Su Wenjing’s calm voice reached her ear with a reminder: “Don’t use your soul fragments as your trump card.”
Li Yunxian raised her hand and casually flicked twice, feigning indifference as if she hadn’t taken his words to heart.
“Whatever. A lot of debts don’t weigh me down.”
“Since my soul is already shattered to this extent, if there’s anything that can repair it, it wouldn’t hurt to patch up one or two more pieces of damage.”
Li Yunxian answered with great nonchalance.
Su Wenjing twitched at the corner of his mouth.
But Li Yunxian’s words weren’t entirely wrong.
“Your soul is broken into so many pieces, and it doesn’t affect you at all?” Su Wenjing couldn’t help but ask.
Li Yunxian stopped in her tracks.
She had pondered this question herself.
The soul-splitting pain during the sacrificial ritual was seared into her memory, yet after she transmigrated back… she felt nothing.
However, during the Ask the Heart Test back in Jincheng, she formed a rough guess.
“It might be the Merit Golden Light.”
This thing, in the understanding of Li Yunxian’s nearly ten-thousand-year-old ancestor, was only a legend.
Rumor had it that the Merit Golden Light could dispel evil spirits and assist ascension.
But judging by the stark difference between these two functions, that rumor was utter nonsense.
Li Yunxian had never really believed it.
Now that she possessed it herself, and since it seemed bound to her soul, it was very likely to nurture the soul.
No matter the world, soul-nourishing things were rare.
***
In the Cultivation World, Li Yunxian had seen only a handful of such treasures by the end—and none were effective on souls of her level.
“So… if there’s ever anything that requires saving the world, remember to call me.” Li Yunxian said to Su Wenjing.
One Savior Merit had brought peace to her soul; another might just be the Great Soul Healing Art.
Su Wenjing: “………..”
How could this person talk about saving the world so casually?
“Shenzhou is very safe, thank you.” Su Wenjing said with great exasperation.
The last great upheaval wiped out the Other Race’s top fighters. After he wrecked Shenzhou’s spiritual energy resources, the new generation of Other Race warriors couldn’t cultivate to high levels.
Essentially, the Shenzhou security problem was solved once and for all.
Looking at Su Wenjing’s expression, Li Yunxian regretfully realized he was probably telling the truth.
“Fine.” Li Yunxian accepted the situation with deep regret.
Then only one last thing remained.
“Since I kindly answered one of your questions just now, you owe me a favor now.”
Li Yunxian grinned mischievously.
Su Wenjing looked at her expression warily.
He twitched his mouth: “What are you planning to do?”
He wanted to hear Li Yunxian’s request before deciding whether to owe her this favor.
Clearing her throat and straightening her voice, Li Yunxian said seriously, “You know, five days from now I’ll enter the Xuanwen Secret Realm.”
“The Secret Realm lasts seven days.”
“I took on a substitute teaching task before, and someone needs to cover the class for me.”
When Li Yunxian accepted this task, she never expected anything urgent would come up.
She had initially wanted to ask Professor Chen Bujian.
Professor Chen also wielded a sword.
But Chen Bujian was just too kind, and since Li Yunxian had already taken a lot from her—referring to the Xiayun Sword—she felt a little embarrassed to ask her to teach a bunch of dumb students.
But with Su Wenjing, Li Yunxian had no such burden.
Not because they were particularly close.
But Su Wenjing was not a ‘good’ fox in her eyes.
They’d met only a few times, and he had once wrongly accused her and once saved her enemy.
She never felt bad about bullying a ‘bad guy.’
After finishing, Li Yunxian suddenly remembered something and urgently asked Su Wenjing, “You can use a sword, right?”
Su Wenjing:
He was a bit reluctant to admit it.
But… he wouldn’t lie.
“I can.” Su Wenjing closed his eyes and said.
While Li Yunxian was finalizing the substitute teaching arrangement during the Secret Realm, Du Sen was having an argument.
Du Sen slammed the table in anger at Yu Juanshu. “What are you fighting for in the arena every day? Do you just like humiliating yourself?!”
“Is one day of humiliation not enough? You plan to go every day and get carried off every day?!”
“When I step outside, ‘kind-hearted’ people come to warn me, ‘Professor Du, your student is in the medical area. Aren’t you going to check on him?’”
“Are you happy?!”
Hearing Du Sen’s furious scolding, Du Rong upstairs opened his door, sneered, and quietly watched Yu Juanshu’s misfortune downstairs.
He was somewhat disappointed that Yu Juanshu was so fragile, but Yu Juanshu’s pitiful state made up for it.
Kneeling on the ground, Yu Juanshu pursed his lips and defended himself, “I think I can win.”
“I will definitely win once!”
Yu Juanshu could feel he had improved over the past few days.
Listening to others point out his openings, flaws, and weaknesses was a good way to progress—if he was willing.
At first, Yu Juanshu could only last seven rounds.
The next day, he could hold on for ten.
If he could finish the fight today, he believed he could last more than ten rounds!
Seven days was a long time, and by the end, he was sure he could defeat those Li Yunxian’s disciples.
Du Sen looked at his stubborn student without words.
He didn’t want to say more and took out a wooden plaque, tossing it in front of Yu Juanshu.
“Take it.”
Du Sen said coldly.
Yu Juanshu was stunned, picked up the plaque, and saw the characters “Xuanwen” engraved on it.
“Xuanwen Token?” Yu Juanshu looked up in shock at his teacher.
This was a resource Du Sen exchanged for within the academy.
One professor could only get one.
“I originally planned to give it to Rong.”
Du Sen said, “The idea was that you get one token from the arena, and Rong uses this one.”
Du Sen saw Yu Juanshu’s shocked face and heard Du Rong’s angry roar from upstairs as he stormed downstairs.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Du Sen continued, “Since you didn’t manage to get one, and you’re at Qi Refining Grand Completion, this one’s yours.”
Finishing, Du Sen turned to his son.
“I told you before, the Xuanwen Secret Realm is about to open, and Juanshu needs to stabilize his ranking to enter. Don’t disturb him.”
“Now, can you listen to me?”
Du Rong’s face twisted with resentment. “Juanshu, Juanshu, Juanshu! You only ever care about Yu Juanshu! Du Sen! I’m your real son!”
Du Sen looked at Du Rong’s contorted face and couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
He made Yu Juanshu fight, compete, and win the Xuanwen Token, while Du Rong just enjoyed the benefits.
It was obvious who he truly favored.
But Du Sen had never intended to spoil Du Rong into this state.
“This year’s supplies, which were meant for you, I gave all to Li Yunxian.” Du Sen stood up.
“I’ve given everything I could. From now on, any resources you need, work for them like the other academy students.”
Du Rong only heard the first half of that sentence.
@Infinite Good Stories, all at Jincheng Literature City
He couldn’t believe it.
“How dare you?” Du Rong stared at Du Sen in disbelief.
Yu Juanshu looked up in shock, keenly sensing something, and stared at Du Sen in astonishment.
“Teacher, where are you going?”
Du Sen looked at their completely different reactions with complicated feelings.
He glanced at Du Rong with disappointment, then gave a wry smile and answered Yu Juanshu, “If a teacher harms a student, the rule is to hunt in the Heavenly Rift Ice Valley for a year.”
Du Sen knew these regulations well, but seeing the news of Yu Juanshu’s increasingly embarrassing fights and Li Yunxian’s cold ‘Keep Challenging?’ made him lose control.
Things had come to this…
“Next…”
“You brothers must support each other during this time…”
Du Sen reminded them a few things, but couldn’t help showing care for his son and added to Yu Juanshu, “Juanshu, you need to discipline Du Rong more.”
Yu Juanshu looked at his teacher, revealing a rare helplessness for his age, and nodded with effort.
“Teacher, I will.”
Meanwhile, Du Rong’s face contorted in fury as he watched this “filial and devoted” scene before him.