Chapter Five: Why Are You Here?

The Next Day Yushi took Su Xue'er to the Spirit Master's Great Hall. The hall was situated in the middle of the Spirit Master's Residence, on the southern side. It was a grand and magnificent structure, the core of the entire residence. Many powerful spirit masters resided within, serving as the residence's core guardians. These powerful individuals could only leave with Yushi's permission, ensuring the residence's protection against any strong adversaries. From a distance, the grandeur of the Spirit Master's Hall resembled the bright moon reflected in water.

The hall was enormous, with the distance from the entrance to the nearest academy building requiring nearly ten thousand steps, illustrating its vastness. As they approached the academy, Yushi pointed to it and said to Su Xue'er, "This is the academy. Inside, they teach spirit masters various knowledge. You can go in and listen; no one will stop you. If anyone bullies you, come find me."

"Mm-hmm, I will," Su Xue'er responded softly. After walking a few steps, she felt something was off, turned around, smiled at Yushi, and then continued on her way, reminding herself to maintain a good attitude as she was under someone else's roof.

Yushi watched Su Xue'er until she entered the academy before heading towards the hall. As he was about to enter, a loud voice echoed nearby.

"Little Yushi, long time no see."

In an instant, a graceful figure appeared beside Yushi.

"Annoying," Yushi responded indifferently, giving the person a glare before walking ahead.

The person awkwardly laughed and caught up, "Little Yushi, why are you ignoring me?"

"Did you accomplish what I asked?" Yushi retorted.

"I couldn't find them. It's as if they vanished into thin air."

Yushi turned around, a glint of murderous intent in his eyes, and shouted at the person, "If you can't find them, don't bother coming back."

The person, seeing this, quickly said, "Calm down, calm down. Your junior sister has returned. Aren't you going to see her?"

Hearing the words "junior sister," Yushi's mood eased slightly. "Yueru, how is she?"

"She's fine, I suppose," the person waved dismissively.

This person was Yushi's senior brother, Yun Ziqi, a Spirit Saint.

"By the way, what were you looking at earlier?" Yun Ziqi pretended to head towards the academy where Su Xue'er had gone, but Yushi ignored him and walked into the hall.

Seeing Yushi ignore him, Yun Ziqi turned back, seeing that Yushi had already gone inside, "Wait for me!"

Meanwhile, Su Xue'er had entered the academy. She admired the impressive buildings and sighed in awe, "No wonder this is the top spirit master's academy on the continent. The buildings are grand and flawless."

She went to the second floor of the nearest building, which was a regular classroom. Inside, a group of twelve or thirteen-year-old boys and girls were listening to an elderly man lecture. The old man, kind and gentle, merely raised his voice to wake those dozing off, without reprimanding them.

"Children, today we are learning about the continent. This continent is called the Tianling Continent. It is filled with spiritual power. Some people with special constitutions can use this power to cultivate, and these people are called spirit masters. Spirit masters cultivate by absorbing spiritual power through the spiritual bodies derived from their spiritual seas..."

The gentle voice resonated throughout the classroom. Su Xue'er stood at the door, listening intently to the lecture.

A sleepy boy noticed Su Xue'er eavesdropping and, curious, whispered, "Sister, are you here for the class too? Why are you standing at the door?"

"Shh, listen to the lecture," Su Xue'er whispered back.

The boy playfully stuck his tongue out at her, then stood up and loudly announced, "Teacher, there's a blue and white-dressed sister eavesdropping at the door!"

The innocent voice echoed in the classroom. The elderly man calmly replied, "Xiaoyu, sit down and listen to the lecture." Then he looked towards the door, "Whoever is outside, please come in."

Feeling embarrassed, Su Xue'er walked in. The students, captivated by her beauty, buzzed with excitement. The old man quieted them down and Su Xue'er apologized, "I'm sorry for interrupting your class."

"It's alright. If you want to listen, you can sit down and join us," he said, pointing to a nearby seat, "You can sit there. There are paper and pens."

"Thank you."

Su Xue'er sat in the designated spot, but the children's excitement only grew.

"This sister is so pretty!"

"Yeah, she looks like a fairy!"

"..."

Su Xue'er, feeling embarrassed, looked at the old man, who gently said, "Everyone, see how seriously this beautiful sister is listening to the lesson? Shouldn't you learn from her?"

To Su Xue'er's surprise, his words had a calming effect on the children, who immediately sat up straight.

The old man continued, "The levels of spiritual power are: Spirit Practitioner, Great Spirit Master, Spirit Mentor, Spirit King, Spirit Emperor, Spirit Monarch, Spirit Saint, Spirit God, and so on. Each level has different sub-ranks. For example, Spirit Practitioner..."

As the old man lectured, Su Xue'er took notes, diligently writing down the key points.

A few moments later, the old man announced, "Take a break, everyone. Go play outside."

The children, as they left, all greeted Su Xue'er, making her feel even more awkward. After they left, the old man approached Su Xue'er, who stood up out of respect.

"Lord Yushi, please come in," the old man respectfully addressed the door.

Startled, Su Xue'er turned to see Yushi leaning against the door, who then walked in.

"You old man," Yushi teased with a smile.

The old man chuckled and excused himself, "I'll take my leave."

After he left, Su Xue'er asked Yushi curiously, "Why are you here?"

"Just wandering around, feeling bored," Yushi replied casually.

"Hey, Little Yushi, is this your new beauty? She's quite stunning, worthy of being called the continent's most beautiful," a charming voice sounded from the door.

Su Xue'er's face flushed, and she lowered her head slightly.

"Xue'er, let me introduce you. This is my senior brother, Yun Ziqi," Yushi said gently.

"Hello, I'm Su Xue'er," she replied awkwardly.

"Hello, I'm Yun Ziqi, Yushi's senior brother," Yun Ziqi then teased Yushi, "Tsk tsk tsk, when are you going to be this gentle with me?"