Inside the room, Xun'er's bright eyes sparkled as she smiled at the two people before her.
Xiao Yi Xian looked at her in shock, scrutinizing her repeatedly. After a while, a trace of resignation appeared on her delicate face as she sighed and said, "Xun'er, did you… unlock it?"
She had thought her own cultivation speed was already quite fast. Yet, in less than two months of seclusion, Xun'er had seemingly pulled off something straight out of those "cheat-like" stories Xiao Bai had once told them—advancing directly from an Eight-Star Dou Zhe to a Da Dou Shi. Xiao Yi Xian found this hard to accept!
"Nope! I just cultivated seriously for a little while, and I naturally broke through. What can I do? I'm helpless too!" Xun'er put on a troubled expression, but a mischievous glint flashed through her eyes.
Sitting to the side, calmly sipping his tea, Xiao Bai secretly rolled his eyes. Was this even something a normal person would say? A bloodline of Dou Di divine grade, and she claimed she hadn't "unlocked" anything? If that wasn't "cheating," then there was no such thing on this continent!
"Xiao Bai, did you lie to me? You said the Calamity Poison Body is the fastest-growing physique, but Xun'er was clearly a small realm below me, and now she's surpassed me!" Xiao Yi Xian looked at Xiao Bai with a hint of grievance—not that she was jealous of Xun'er. If anything, she was happy for her breakthrough.
It was just that she had endured so much pain, swallowing poisonous substances to grow stronger, while Xun'er had simply entered seclusion and effortlessly surpassed her. She found it a little hard to accept.
"Xian'er, let's not compare ourselves to such a monster. That's just asking for trouble!" Xiao Bai reached out and hugged her delicate shoulders, gently comforting her. "Even I can't compare to her. We need to accept the fact that we are mere mortals, understand? My dear."
"Mm-hmm, we won't play with her. It's too demoralizing!" Xiao Yi Xian obediently nodded and leaned softly against his shoulder, her eyes closing as if in exhaustion.
A strange look appeared on Xiao Bai's face. With his sharp senses, how could he not notice the slight upward curl of Xiao Yi Xian's lips or the subtle trembling of her shoulders, as if she were holding back laughter? Unable to resist, he looked toward Xun'er.
Sure enough, the smugness from earlier had completely vanished. The girl was now glaring at the two of them, her expression dark. That gritted-teeth look made it seem like she wanted to burn this shameless couple to ashes.
"Enough!" Xun'er bit her silver teeth and said coldly, "Do you two need me to clear out a space for you?"
"Haha, well, that's what you get for being so smug earlier!" Xiao Yi Xian finally dropped the act, pulling away from Xiao Bai and walking over to grab Xun'er's hand with a laugh.
"Hmph! I was just proud for a little bit, and you two gang up on me like this?!" Xun'er huffed, clearly annoyed.
Xiao Yi Xian found her reaction amusing. Her eyes twinkled as she tilted her head, pursed her lips, and then pointed at Xiao Bai. "It's all Xiao Bai's fault! He started it, and I just went along with what he said!"
Hearing this, Xun'er lifted her head and shot Xiao Bai a fierce glare. "Stupid Xiao Bai-gege!"
"Hehe… Xun'er, congratulations on reaching Da Dou Shi!" Xiao Yi Xian, having successfully shifted the blame, grinned and offered her congratulations.
"Thanks! You should be close too, right?" Xun'er examined Xiao Yi Xian, her golden eyes flashing as she smiled knowingly. The two then began whispering to each other in a friendly manner.
Xiao Bai was speechless. At this moment, he felt utterly wronged—like snow in June!
What did these two mean? So he was just a prop for their little performance? A mere tool to be used and discarded?
And Xiao Yi Xian—wasn't he just comforting her a moment ago? Yet, the moment she needed to escape Xun'er's blame, she threw him under the bus without hesitation. What a heartless little wife!
Knock, knock, knock!
The people in the room turned toward the sound. At the door stood Instructor Ruo Lin, her smile as radiant as a flower. She spoke gently, "Oh, you're all here."
"Instructor Ruo Lin! Please, come in! What an honored guest!" Xiao Bai stood up with an enthusiastic smile.
Ruo Lin shot him a glare. This is my house. Who's the guest here? Why does he act like he owns the place?
"In two days, the Inner Academy selection will begin. Registration starts today, so I came to check on these two. If their strength isn't up to par, I won't be letting them go," she said playfully, a teasing smile on her beautiful face.
She wasn't joking. The selection competition had two rounds. The first round determined the top fifty participants, while the second round ranked the top five among them. The second round was relatively easier since it was a team-based competition, where cooperation between students was allowed. As long as one could carry their teammates, they had a chance to secure a spot in the top five. With Xiao Bai's strength, this wouldn't be a problem.
However, the first round was a strict one-on-one competition. No outside assistance was permitted—it all came down to individual ability. To make it into the top fifty, one had to rely on their own strength. Without a high-level Dou Shi cultivation, no one could guarantee a spot in the Inner Academy. If the two girls' cultivation levels weren't high enough, Ruolin wouldn't register them.
"Don't worry! When I handle things, it's always foolproof. Just sign us all up!" Xiao Bai poured her a cup of tea, brimming with confidence.
"Oh?" Instructor Ruo Lin's gaze flickered as she turned toward Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian. Xiao Bai's confident expression surprised her. Had these two girls really advanced from Dou Zhe to Dou Shi in such a short time? And not just Dou Shi, but high-level Dou Shi?
"Instructor Ruolin!" The two girls stood up and greeted her.
"Xun'er, Xian'er, come on! Tell your instructor your current cultivation level, and no lying to me, okay?" Ruo Lin's eyes softened as she looked at them, her voice gentle.
She felt speechless—no wonder this group had all ended up together. Every single one of them was hiding their true strength. She couldn't even see through the girls' cultivation levels.
The two exchanged glances, then turned to Xiao Bai. Seeing him give a slight nod, Xiao Yi Xian was the first to speak. "Instructor Ruo Lin, I am currently a Nine-Star Dou Shi."
"Instructor Ruo Lin, I just broke through to Da Dou Shi," Xun'er followed up.
"What?!"
Ruo Lin's voice, laced with shock, came out sharper than intended. For a moment, the smile on her face froze as she stared at them in utter disbelief. Did she hear them correctly?
If she remembered correctly, when they first enrolled, both of them had only been Dou Zhe. High-tier Dou Zhe, yes, but still Dou Zhe. Even with Xiao Bai's miraculous abilities, she had only expected them to barely break into the Dou Shi realm within two months.
But what did she just hear? One was a Nine-Star Dou Shi, and the other had already reached Da Dou Shi? Since when had breakthroughs become so easy? Did that mean her two decades of cultivation had all been for nothing?
With that thought, she abruptly turned to Xiao Bai, her bright eyes shimmering as if she were staring at a legendary Ginseng Fruit. Her face filled with anticipation as she asked, "Young Master Xiao, what exactly did you feed them? Can you share some with your dear instructor?"
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