Breakthrough!

Qian Renxue was left alone in the lounge hall after Wulin went to notify Ning Fengzhi of her arrival.

Despite being alone, she didn't drop her disguise of Xue Qinghe and retained the noble half-smiling face she always donned.

There was a saying about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan; The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has eyes everywhere, even your bedroom.

This saying was why she never let her guard down. She didn't know if she was being watched by someone right now.

However, even if someone was watching her, she could gather a bit of information by randomly perusing the room.

She got up and curiously looked around the room like any typical guest would do.

The room, like much of the building, was painted in a vibrant white colour.

Colourful floral patterns seemed to protrude from the walls, making the entire building look like a magnificent art mural.

Qian Renxue admired the patterns, even though she wasn't particularly fond of flowers.

The flowers expressed the warmth of an open flower field in the middle of Spring, a delicate and gentle feeling.

She moved her gazed around the room and saw a couple of display cabinets made from dark coloured wood.

On display were a bunch of delicately made miniature replicas of Spirit Beasts.

The replicas seemed to be made from a mixture of metals, and they looked so life-like.

The sculptures moved Qian Renxue's heart, and she felt like one of them would suddenly start moving.

An Emerald Tiger Spirit Beast was standing prominently with its mouth wide open and pointing to the sky.

The facial features expressed that the Emerald Tiger was furiously roaring into the sky.

A Twin Horned Horse Spirit Beast with its head lowered and its front hoof pounding at the ground. Qian Renxue thought the Twin Horned Horse was going to charge off the display cabinet.

Even if Qian Renxue didn't know anything, she would understand that this was the work of a master craftsman.

She was fascinated by the realistic feeling that the metal Spirit Beasts exuded.

Just as she was about to pick one up, the door clicked open, giving her a jolt of fright.

Mesmerised by the handiwork, Qian Renxue forgot that she was currently in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.

She retracted her hand with haste and looked at the door with a smile.

Ning Fengzhi walked in, followed by Wulin.

The former smiled at Xue Qinghe and noticed his interest in the metal artistry.

"Welcome to my home, Qinghe. I see you have found the metal replicas of Spirit Beasts that Wulin made."

Xue Qinghe's eyes became the shape of tennis balls, and his mouth turned into a doughnut.

"Little Brother made these? Not only is he a once in a millennia genius, but a master craftsman as well."

He turned to Wulin with starstruck eyes, filled with admiration, "Little Brother, it seems that every time I see you, I must look at you with a new pair of eyes."

Wulin rubbed the back of his head, humbled, "It is nothing. I just like to do a little blacksmithing, so I make cute toys like these."

The three of them sat at the couch and Wulin pulled some cups and a kettle for tea.

Wulin gracefully poured the fresh tea into the three cups. It was reminiscent of a waterfall cascading off a cliff.

The aromatic scent of Sweet Leaf Tea wafted from the steamy cups and into the nostrils of those around.

"Hmm? This smell like Sweet Leaf Tea. I also had some, but they suddenly disappeared one day..."

Ning Fengzhi inhaled the sweet aroma before looking at Wulin suspiciously.

He looked at Wulin like a police officer observes at a robber when they deny stealing, but a diamond necklace is hanging from their pocket.

Wulin froze for a second before replying confidently, "Little Jing gave it to me."

He had no shame in throwing Little Jing under the bus since he knew Ning Fengzhi was weak towards her.

"That little girl! Have I spoilt her too much? No, she is too cute though, much cuter than that little devil Rong Rong."

Ning Fengzhi muttered to himself, seemingly contemplating his little girl priorities.

In the end, he just sighed and waved his hand, "Forget it, I will forgive her this time."

A slight smile crept up Wulin's face. He thought Ning Fengzhi was quite cute.

He acted like he was mad, but the soft look in his eyes indicated that he could never truly be mad at her.

Instead, he looked like a grandfather that was planning the next present to spoil his granddaughter.

Xue Qinghe watched the interaction between Wulin and Ning Fengzhi. As Qian Renxue, She was jealous of the relationship the two of them had, but she felt better once she recalled her grandpa.

He was the only one that showed her affection, whereas her mother was cold and cruel.

It was like she didn't see Qian Renxue as her daughter, but a contagion or infection that she has to live with.

She resented her mother for treating her so horribly, but she was still the one that gave birth to her, so she was conflicted.

Ning Fengzhi noticed the dark shadow forming on Xue Qinghe's face and concernedly asked, "Qinghe, are you alright?"

Xue Qinghe looked up suddenly, and replied with a wry smile, "I am fine. I was just feeling envious of your relationship with your family."

"Oh," Ning Fengzhi understood, "Is there trouble in your family?"

Xue Qinghe shook his head slowly, and his eyes seemed to reveal a deep sadness.

"There are no conflicts within the family. However, just being part of an imperial family builds tension and stress between each other."

"I am envious of the fact that you can love each other without feeling any caution." His voice strained like he was fighting back his emotions.

Ning Fengzhi's head lowered as he felt unsure of how to respond. Should he try to cheer Xue Qinghe up, or offer some light words of sympathy?

Wulin had a calm look on his face. Qian Renxue's acting wouldn't trick him.

Xue Qinghe looked at Ning Fengzhi and mustered a smile that feigned happiness, "Don't worry about me, I was just rambling to myself."

However, before Ning Fengzhi could say anything, the door flung open with vigour.

"Kikikii! I have made a breakthrough! Praise my genius!"

Little Jing jumped into the room, posing like a superhero. Her sweet and high-pitched laughter was almost identical to that of a baby fox cackling.

Her positive energy seemed to give the impression of visibly brightening the room.

Xue Qinghe looked at the tiny Little Jing who embodied the meaning of doll-like appearance.

She was wearing an artistic black western dress with white frills going down the middle between her chest.

Exotic red lace was strung around the dress, making a couple of tiny bow loops around her body while grey buttons were expertly placed to draw attention.

The dress served to enhance Little Jing's heavenly adorable appearance.

Her slightly sharp and perfectly shaped eyebrows and natural squint to her eyes connote her naughty attitude.

She had perfect pure white skin despite often training in the sun, and her light pink lips were plump and juicy.

Her unique white fox ears and nine long silky and fluffy tails gave Little Jing a bewitching characteristic.

Qian Renxue was confident of her appearance, but she couldn't help but feel Little Jing would outclass her when she grew up.

"Hello, Little Jing, it is good to see you again." Xue Qinghe smiled widely, looking amused by Little Jing's outburst.

"Ah!"

Little Jing belatedly noticed Xue Qinghe's appearance and blushed, her eyes instantly dropping to the floor to mask her embarrassment.

"Little Jing, come here." Wulin beckoned from the sofa, causing Little Jing to bound over quickly.

Wulin lifted her to sit on his lap and rested his hand on her knees.

Little Jing lost her embarrassment as quickly as it came, and tilted her head backwards.

She stared at Wulin with her large beady eyes and slightly pursed her lips, stirring up Wulin's desire to kiss them.

"Daddy, I am Rank 42 now. How are you going to reward me?"

Her lips parted slightly into a playful smile; her childish nature came out.

Little Jing was the eldest of everyone, being over 100,000 years old, and that time allowed her to train her acting skills to perfect levels.

She liked playing the persona of a child, which she had been too afraid to do in the past.

Before Wulin adopted her, she kept interactions to a minimal out of fear of being caught.

After all, a human with fox-ears and a tail is not a common sight in the world.

However, as an Evolved Spirit Beast, she had to be in contact with humans to have smooth progress of cultivation.

It was a fine line that she had been treading until she found someone who was able to protect her actively.

Now that she could live life confidently, all of Little Jing's persona's came out at random.

When she was feeling childish, one would genuinely believe she was a child.

She would probably fool even Wulin if he didn't remember her seductive side that no child could imitate.

With her head so close that her fox-ears were almost touching his chin, Wulin could smell her sweet fragrance.

Her scent is delicate, yet intoxicating, and evokes the memory of eating peaches on a warm summer day.

It is just a subtle scent that gently caresses his olfactory senses before wisping away.

It was such a faint smell that one becomes intoxicated to it, wishing that it was more overpowering to breathe a full breath of her fragrance and achieve a sense of fulfilment.

After more than two years, Wulin still wasn't able to get the sense of fulfilment, but he did gain resistance towards it.

He petted Little Jing's head familiarly, gently scratching at her long and squishy fox-ears.

"How about I take you to the markets in a couple of days? You can buy anything you want."

He kindly offered, to which Little Jing nodded her head enthusiastically, "Okay! But you can only take me. It will be a Little Jing and Daddy day out!"

Wulin didn't hesitate to nod his head, "Alright."

Tomorrow, he would be hosting the small tournament for the kids, and the day after he would be taking the winner to receive their first Spirit Ring.

Wulin was confident that the winner of the competition would be Little Niu, his first disciple.

Pachong, his second disciple, was also pretty good as she had a smart head.

However, her cultivation was low compared to the others that would be participating in the tournament.

Still, Wulin thought Pachong would be able to get a pretty decent ranking in the competition.

The girls were initially quite strong because they helped their parents with farming.

However, with Wulin's daily training, their strengths have been exemplified further.

Right now, their physical strength could be comparable to the nine-year-old kids that are more developed.

In this coming competition, strength is not a critical factor for winning.

The first factor is Spirits. With an excellent Spirit, a kid could go from the worst to the best competitor.

Pachong's Alligator Beast Spirit was only an average Spirit, and it slightly boosted her physical strength and defence.

Little Niu's Spirit was similar to Pachong's, but it enhanced all physical aspects, including strength, speed, and defence.

Not only that, but it was many times more flexible than Pachong's. Little Niu could build her Spirit in any way she wishes.

In this competition, Tool Spirit's like swords have the advantage because of their intimidation effect over unexperienced children.

However, Wulin took this into thought when he was training the girls, so they wouldn't have any trouble fighting against children with Tool Spirits.

Being so young and impressionable, the girls soaked up Wulin's knowledge of combat techniques and learnt a bit of the basics.

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Little Jing: 41 --> 42