Evening fell, and the Heaven-class Courtyard was ablaze with candlelight.
Ji Shiyu had spent the last of her private stash of money, excitedly buying a pile of snacks and presenting them to Xiao Xinran, hoping to properly apologize.
Xiao Xinran was practicing swordplay in the courtyard, completely focused; every falling leaf in the air was sliced cleanly in two by her swift blade, showing not the slightest interest.
Huangmao was left out on the side, squatting on the threshold, completely unaware that a sneaky figure had been tailing her all the way from Shenhua Pavilion.
At bedtime, the Ponytail Girl wore pink pajamas, her bed covered with ancient tomes borrowed from the Illusion Pavilion. Spiritual liquid shimmered around her, gathering spiritual energy, as she concentrated on cultivation.
Seeing Xiao Xinran working so diligently, Ji Shiyu was affected too, feeling a bit pressured.
Then she climbed up and flipped through the Cloud Mansion Nurturing Spirit Chapter for a while, but soon succumbed to the pressure and fell asleep…
“Hu… hu…”
In no time, Huangmao was sprawled out, fast asleep.
The plump little yellow chick could be seen shaking its head while dragging the blanket over to cover its owner.
Xiao Xinran curled her lip. That green tea fox is sly as ever—can’t let her influence me.
Does she really think victory is in the bag, being this lazy? Looks down on me?
Three years from now, if I don’t beat the crap out of you, I’ll count it as my loss!
Even with Huangmao asleep, the heroine didn’t drop her guard. She strung a Shadow Bell across the middle of the side room—if anyone tried to sneak across in the dark, it would trigger.
Tonight, Xiao Xinran was on full alert, setting up several lines of defense before hugging her sword and turning out the light.
If Ji Shiyu dared to climb into her bed again, she’d best be prepared for the consequences!
At midnight, Xiao Xinran’s stomach rumbled with hunger—she hadn’t cultivated to the point of fasting yet.
At that moment, a rustling sound suddenly reached her ears. After yesterday’s nightmare, the girl was extra alert.
Coming again, are they!
Xiao Xinran sprang up, hand gripping her sword hilt.
She turned her head, and in the moonlight, Ji Shiyu was clearly still lying in bed, her head dangling upside down over the side, sleeping in a rather spectacular pose.
Then who was it?
Xiao Xinran froze—the strange sound was coming from the courtyard.
In the dead of night, someone actually dared sneak into the Heaven-class Courtyard’s girls’ dorm?
Creak!
Someone tiptoed in, pushing the door open, and triggered the tripwire.
The silver bells jingled, startling the sneaky figure, who turned to run, but it was too late.
In the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes blazed with aggression.
A fierce wind howled as Fire Spiritual Energy surged forward.
Bang!
With a single punch, the intruder let out a miserable scream, flew through the door, and crashed into a stone bench in the courtyard.
For lecherous intruders who dared trespass into the boudoir, the heroine’s iron fist of justice showed no mercy.
Even Ji Shiyu wouldn’t be able to block it, let alone anyone else.
The thief lay on the ground, vomiting blood, chest caved in—just a single encounter and he was grievously injured, on the verge of death.
The aura of the Extremity Maiden was terrifying.
“Courting death.”
Xiao Xinran frowned and stepped outside. In the moonlight, she saw the unfamiliar figure in a grey robe—she vaguely recognized him as one of this year’s new students.
“Get up, something’s happening!”
Inside the room, the startled Ao Tian cursed her own carelessness and pecked wildly at Huangmao’s eyelids.
“Uwah, what are you—doing! I almost bit into the meat bun!”
Ji Shiyu was still dreaming sweetly, but woke with a start from the pain.
In her daze, she saw the door to her home had been blown off, cold wind whistling in.
Someone was lying in the courtyard, while Xiao Xinran was tensely watching the darkness, where several black shadows were approaching fast.
Ji Shiyu’s heart skipped a beat. She grabbed her Cloud Robe, slipped on her shoes, and went out, raising the Seven Stars Sword to stand shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Xinran.
“What’s going on?”
Xiao Xinran squinted and said, “Someone already made it into the room—what do you think?”
The next second, eight men in black instantly surrounded the Heaven-class Courtyard, each with a powerful Qi Sea fluctuation and an eerie Spirit Breath.
“Demonic Cult Disciples?”
Ji Shiyu’s face turned pale, shocked that such Demon Sect fiends could appear at the Shenhua Sect.
But Xiao Xinran had seen them before, her teeth clenched in anger.
With the enemy at hand, Ao Tian’s mind raced: “Careful! It must be that the Mountain-Guarding Array was opened, letting them sneak in with the other visiting disciples on the Cloud Sea Boardwalk. Inside and outside working together, they’ve been lying in wait until now to strike!”
The attackers came straight for the Heaven-class Courtyard—their target was clearly the two new students.
“Fine, it’s you lot again. Just as well, old and new grudges can be settled together!”
Xiao Xinran’s teeth ground audibly as she and Ji Shiyu stood back to back.
With such a crisis, nothing else mattered.
Aside from the unlucky spy who’d scouted ahead, the eight Demon Sect members all had powerful Qi Sea fluctuations, most at the peak of Qi Refinement, and two whose strength couldn’t be discerned at all.
“There are two Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators!”
Ji Shiyu repeated Ao Tian’s warning, now fully awake.
Sweat beaded in her palm—facing two Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators, even her confidence wavered.
They had to hold out until a Shenhua Elder noticed something was wrong!
“Attack!”
The Demonic Cult Disciples were ruthless and said little.
Without further ado, they launched their assault. Gusts of sinister wind howled as all sorts of shadowy artifacts flew at the two girls’ faces, smashing the courtyard walls full of holes.
Ji Shiyu rolled and tumbled to dodge the slicing black energy.
This was no school spar—there was no need to use the clumsy swordsmanship she’d just learned.
The golden-haired girl exploded with speed, activating Jiutian Xuanbian.
Her tall figure was clad in silver, tiny motes of Star Dust absorbing demonic energy as she clashed head-on with the scythe-wielding Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator.
The other Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator was burly, leading three subordinates to target the girl with weaker Spirit Breath.
Xiao Xinran gripped her sword, retreating to the wall and fending off attacks in a sorry state—she was completely outmatched.
She recalled the last time she’d faced the enemy—she’d been toyed with, dragging Yun Liu into danger multiple times, nearly costing him his life, unable to help at all.
Little Yun had already been hurt so badly by her.
And now?
Was she just going to wait for someone else to save her again?
Fear flooded her heart. The once-reliable figure was gradually receding, her fiancée utterly disappointed in her.
No. Absolutely not!
Xiao Xinran gently exhaled a breath of scorching air. Struggling, her gaze grew clear, her eyes changed again.
The girl’s Qi Sea was like a sea of fire, burning more and more fiercely, rising with her anger, as if pushing open a long-sealed door.
“If not for you, Little Yun wouldn’t have been hurt.”
The Demonic Cult Disciples couldn’t understand what the girl was saying—only that the plan had changed and time was short.
“Make it quick—don’t kill them, just capture. We still need to find out where the traitor is hiding.”
The four pressed in together, releasing several chains of black energy, splitting the battlefield and trying to bind the little Qi Refining girl, so they could go help deal with that troublesome True Yellow-Haired Girl.
“If not for you, why would Little Yun have left me!?”
With a sharp cry, the air temperature suddenly rose. Several Demonic Cultivators felt their mouths go dry.
Xiao Xinran trembled slightly, muttering to herself, as an unprecedented surge of power filled her body.
“There’s… nothing left to be afraid of.”
Boom!
The trembling girl suddenly erupted with a brilliant light, flames blooming like a wreath.
Fire Spiritual Energy instantly melted the chains, the heatwave blasting the four far away.
Xiao Xinran now stood barefoot, her black hair burning scarlet, dragging her sword as she advanced, every step leaving scorched, burning ground in her wake—like a Fiery Domain.
“What kind of technique is this!?”
The burly Demonic Cultivator recoiled in shock. The little girl’s Qi Sea still hovered at the Qi Gathering Fourth Level, yet the raging Spiritual Pressure she released was no less than that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.