The first light of dawn was just breaking.
It was
What's more, whenever Shen Xiu's class came around, Nie Li, Du Ze, and Lu Piao had to stand in the back.
Class was about to begin, and the students chatted in small groups.
In two months, there would be an exam. Whether it was him or Ye Ziyun, both would surely be admitted to the beginner Demon Spirit Master class.
Shen Yue glanced toward Nie Li standing in the back, a mocking smile crossing his face. "Reach Bronze One Star within two months? If a useless waste like you could manage that, the sun would truly rise in the west!"
Nie Li was chatting with Du Ze and Lu Piao in the back. Besides them, a few commoner students also got along well with the three of them. Since Nie Li always had plenty of ideas and would occasionally offer pointers on cultivation, he had quietly become the leader of this little group. Even Du Ze, who was the most respected among the commoner students, willingly followed Nie Li's lead.
In just these few short days, Nie Li had already led them in earning over sixteen thousand Demon Spirit Coins — an amount Du Ze could hardly have imagined. Du Ze trusted and admired Nie Li deeply, believing him to be truly capable.
"Nie Li, what should we do next?" Du Ze asked. Since Nie Li had said they wouldn't be hunting Horned Sheep anymore, what was the plan?
"You'll find out after school!" Nie Li said with a mysterious smile. He already had a series of ideas. The first step was to buy some Soul Crystals to test their aptitude attributes so they could begin cultivating as soon as possible.
Nie Li still had his wager with Shen Xiu — he had to reach the Bronze One Star rank within two months!
Beyond his own cultivation, Nie Li's gaze drifted into the distance. Among a group of girls, Ye Ziyun stood out like a crane among chickens. How could he get closer to her — and make her fall for him?
Just as Nie Li was lost in thought,
Xiao Ning'er was the only girl in the class whose beauty and excellence could rival Ye Ziyun's. Every move either of them made drew the attention of the entire class. Ye Ziyun had a gentle and warm temperament, never putting on airs or acting superior, so many commoner and noble girls alike were happy to befriend her. Xiao Ning'er, however, was cold and aloof — an ice-cold beauty who kept everyone at a distance.
Even girls couldn't get close to her, let alone boys.
Could it be that Nie Li had somehow offended Xiao Ning'er?
"Nie Li's done for!" Several noble students watching Xiao Ning'er's back from afar whispered to each other with grins. In their eyes, Xiao Ning'er approaching Nie Li on her own could only mean trouble. Surely she was going to give him a hard time. Otherwise, what business could an ice-cold beauty like Xiao Ning'er possibly have with a loser like Nie Li?
If something like that could happen, the sun would truly rise in the west.
Xiao Ning'er's cultivation was already approaching the Bronze One Star realm. If a conflict broke out, the one who'd get beaten up would certainly be Nie Li!
The noble students were all waiting for the show. Quite a few of them fancied Xiao Ning'er — after all, she was a stunning beauty on par with Ye Ziyun!
Today, Xiao Ning'er had deliberately chosen a plaid lace dress. Her ink-black hair cascaded down her back, and a pair of elegant bracelets adorned her fair wrists, making her look exceptionally beautiful. Xiao Ning'er usually wore fitted jackets for ease of cultivation, yet even those managed to look uniquely charming on her. But today, she seemed to have dressed with particular care, appearing several degrees more beautiful than usual — the kind of beauty that made it impossible to look away after just one glance.
Such careful grooming appeared to be a first for Xiao Ning'er.
Nie Li was still chatting with Du Ze and Lu Piao when Xiao Ning'er arrived at his desk.
Xiao Ning'er seemed to have a unique presence about her. The moment she walked over, Du Ze and Lu Piao had already stood up nervously. Xiao Ning'er was usually a bit cold, always aloof toward others and difficult to get close to. They were all worried about Nie Li.
Xiao Ning'er looked at Nie Li. He was sitting casually in his chair, his gaze drifting from time to time toward Ye Ziyun in the distance. This couldn't help but deflate Xiao Ning'er a little — it seemed like only Ye Ziyun existed in Nie Li's eyes, as though he had never once noticed her presence.
Ever since last night, after Nie Li had given her that massage, Xiao Ning'er's body had felt much better. She had also slept exceptionally soundly last night. When she woke up at dawn, Xiao Ning'er had hurried off to the library, trying to track down the origins of the Guide Technique. But she found that the library only had the most brief records of it — it was a secret technique passed down from the era of the Wind Snow Empire!
On top of that, the Soul Power cultivation method that Nie Li had modified had also become incomparably profound. She had only cultivated for half a shi chen that morning, and her Demon Spirit power had already increased by two points — a more noticeable improvement than a full day of ordinary cultivation!
In Xiao Ning'er's heart, Nie Li was both mysterious and powerful.
What filled Xiao Ning'er with pride, moreover, was that she was the only one in the class who knew about Nie Li's talent! The people in class who mocked Nie Li were so ignorant!
Xiao Ning'er stood beside Nie Li's desk, quietly watching him as he chatted and laughed with effortless ease.
A few noble sons were whispering among themselves.
"What do you think Xiao Ning'er is going to do to Nie Li?"
"Nie Li's Demon Spirit power is only five — he'll probably get thrown out of the classroom!"