Besides everything else, Li Chang'an also spotted two familiar faces—one was his classmate, Song Rentou, and the other was the shy girl, Mu Xi.
He was a little surprised to see Song Rentou among the group. That meant he was already close to advancing to rank 50 and becoming a Spirit King!
He remembered Xie Yue mentioning before that Song Rentou wasn't just the leader of the elite class—he was also the top student of the entire Spirit Hall Academy. And from the looks of it now, that reputation seemed well deserved.
A Spirit King under the age of twenty was quite impressive by normal standards.
But Li Chang'an didn't pay Song Rentou much attention. After greeting the leading instructor and Duolong, he went straight over to Mu Xi.
"You've reached level ten?"
Mu Xi wasn't born with innate full spirit power, so breaking through to level ten in the past couple of months was within the realm of normal. Li Chang'an wasn't surprised to see her in the group—just a little concerned.
After all, this mission was heading to the Star Dou Forest. If he hadn't joined, with Mu Xi's timid personality, she'd probably be an easy target for bullies. He couldn't help but sigh—looks like he was once again playing the role of a protector.
Mu Xi kept her head lowered, staring at her toes. She was wearing a simple pale-pink outfit, and her long hair fell over half her face, exuding a soft, delicate aura as always.
"Y-yes," she stammered, "w-what about you?"
It never even crossed her mind that Li Chang'an had already broken through to level twenty and was here to obtain his second spirit ring.
Naturally, Li Chang'an wasn't going to say that outright. Instead, he casually placed a hand on her frail-looking shoulder and said, "Well, I heard you were going to hunt for your first spirit ring, so I came along just to protect you."
Mu Xi's body tensed slightly at his words. She looked up at him with those shy, alluring peach blossom eyes.
"A-actually, you don't have to. I—I can manage…"
Li Chang'an gave a playful sigh. "Nope, not happening. I must protect you. Just follow big brother and don't worry about anything."
Lying to such a pure girl made him feel a little guilty inside.
Mu Xi could only nod in response.
"T-thank you."
But as soon as she said that, Li Chang'an leaned down and whispered beside her ear, his breath warm, "If you really want to thank me… then be my girlfriend when you grow up."
Startled like a frightened bunny, Mu Xi instantly jumped away from him, head down, face flushed red, not daring to say a word.
Li Chang'an didn't push it further. Just then, the instructor had finished checking the headcount and started giving a short speech.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Director Song from the academy. I'm a Spirit Sage, and I'll be assisting you in obtaining your spirit rings. If you run into any problems, feel free to come to me."
"Most importantly—follow all instructions. Anyone who acts on their own and causes trouble, the academy will not be held responsible!"
Director Song's instructions were direct and efficient. After going over the safety rules, he waved everyone onto the carriages, and the group set off for the Star Dou Forest.
---
The Star Dou Forest lay due south of the Heaven Dou Empire, stretching across both great empires of the continent. Because of the sheer number of spirit beasts here, the borders in this region were notoriously vague. On maps, most of the forest was shown within the Star Luo Empire's territory.
Of course, the Heaven Dou Empire had never officially acknowledged that.
As one of the three great habitats for wild spirit beasts, the Star Dou Forest was a place every spirit master longed to visit. Each visit often marked a breakthrough in one's cultivation journey.
No one could say exactly how long the Star Dou Forest had existed, but the towering trees and dense canopy that blocked out the sun said enough—it was ancient.
Li Chang'an and his group arrived in the afternoon. The carriages stopped just outside the forest's perimeter; they wouldn't be entering just yet.
When it was time to get off, Li Chang'an didn't bother asking for Mu Xi's opinion. He just reached out and grabbed her soft hand, pulling her down along with him.
"C-could you let go now? We're already down…" Mu Xi's soft, almost whispery voice floated over, making Li Chang'an feel oddly relaxed.
"I'm not letting go. You stay close to me so I can protect you," he said matter-of-factly, holding her hand without any shame.
Mu Xi struggled a few times, but seeing she couldn't shake him off, she gave up.
"We'll rest here for a bit before entering. Take this time to adjust your condition and have something to eat," Director Song said from the front.
After all, not everyone could properly rest, cultivate, or eat during the long carriage ride. Charging into the forest in that state wouldn't be wise.
As his words fell, some students sat down to meditate, while others started pulling food out of their soul tool storage devices.
Naturally, cultivation wasn't on Li Chang'an's to-do list—he was way too lazy for that. Instead, he dragged Mu Xi over to a patch of grass and sat down with her, then began rummaging through his own soul tool for supplies.
Mu Xi also opened the little backpack she carried and took out a flatbread. After a moment of hesitation, she broke it in half and offered one piece to Li Chang'an.
"D-do you want to try some? I—I made it myself…"
Li Chang'an looked at the neatly made flatbread in surprise and glanced at her. He hadn't expected someone her age to know how to make something like this. But remembering that Mu Xi was an orphan, he quickly understood why.
"Sure! You try some of mine too." Without waiting for her response, Li Chang'an shoved a cup of juice and a packet of biscuits into her hands. Then, after thinking for a moment, he pulled out a small jar.
"Give me another piece of your flatbread," he said, opening the jar.
Mu Xi obediently handed him another one.
Li Chang'an tore open the flatbread, scooped a generous amount of braised meat from the jar with a spoon, and stuffed it in. "This is called Roujiamo—it's meat stuffed in flatbread. The braised pork's a secret recipe from my family's chef."
Mu Xi looked at him with a warm gaze in her peach blossom eyes. She gave a soft "thank you," then took a tiny bite from the filled bread—and immediately broke into a satisfied smile.
"D-do you want some?" she asked shyly, noticing that Li Chang'an was still watching her.
Li Chang'an shook his head. "No need. I didn't bring much of the braised meat. As long as you're full, that's enough."
He honestly wouldn't have even remembered he brought it if Mu Xi hadn't taken out her own flatbread first.
But Mu Xi shook her head firmly. She pulled out the remaining half of her earlier bread, split it open, and started scooping nearly all the meat from her own Roujiamo into it. She didn't stop until the bread was practically overflowing.
"Y-you eat this half. Don't go hungry."
She held the packed flatbread out to him with her small hands, head lowered, still too shy to meet his gaze.
_____
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