15: Chapter 15 Qian Renxue leaves, Yan is used

The next day.

Early morning.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

A burst of urgent knocking sounded outside Ji Xuan's door.

Immediately after, Qian Renxue's voice came through, "Little Brother Ji Xuan, are you awake?"

Ji Xuan opened the door.

He saw Qian Renxue dressed in a light purple dress, her long golden hair draped casually behind her, and a thin veil covering her face, revealing only her pair of azure blue eyes.

"Sister Xue, what's wrong?"

"Let's go, keep your sister company and go shopping!"

Without waiting for Ji Xuan to reply, Qian Renxue stepped forward, grabbed Ji Xuan's wrist, and ran outside.

Feeling the warm touch on his wrist, Ji Xuan felt a slight stir in his heart and let her pull him along.

...

On the bustling street, Qian Renxue seemed like a different person.

In this moment, she was not that Young Lord of the Spirit Hall, nor was she that "Xue Qinghe" lurking in Heaven Dou.

She was just an ordinary young girl enjoying simple happiness, with a hint of a young maiden's demeanor.

Qian Renxue stopped in front of a stall selling small accessories.

She picked up a crystal bracelet and put it on her wrist.

Qian Renxue raised her hand, waved it in front of Ji Xuan, and asked with a look of anticipation in her eyes:

"Little Brother Ji Xuan, do you think this looks good?"

"It looks good." Ji Xuan nodded and replied.

A smile curved the corners of Qian Renxue's mouth under the veil, "Then why don't you hurry up and pay?"

"Uh... okay." Ji Xuan was slightly stunned, then immediately took out coins from his spirit tool.

Qian Renxue carefully put away the bracelet and continued shopping with great interest.

The day passed quickly, and Qian Renxue had bought quite a lot of things.

Ji Xuan had already lost the will to live; it seemed that no matter which World it was, a woman's energy for shopping was equally astonishing.

For several consecutive days, Ji Xuan accompanied Qian Renxue and almost toured the entire Spirit City.

...

Five days later.

In the manor courtyard.

"Little Brother Ji Xuan, your sister has to leave now." Qian Renxue's voice carried a trace of reluctance.

These past few days were the happiest she had spent in over a decade.

She had told Emperor Xue Ye that she was going into seclusion for two months.

But... the time was too long; if an accident happened midway, it would cause her years of infiltration plans to go to waste, so she had to return as soon as possible.

"Sister Xue, stay safe."

Ji Xuan didn't say much more. He knew in his heart that with Qian Renxue's temperament and so many years of infiltration, she wouldn't be willing to give up now.

Qian Renxue nodded, turned, and left. She had already informed her grandfather, Qian Daoliu.

When she reached the door, Qian Renxue looked back at Ji Xuan.

A gentle smile appeared on the corner of Ji Xuan's mouth as he waved his hand.

Qian Renxue took a deep breath and disappeared at the doorway...

...

Supreme Pontiff Palace.

"Greetings, Her Holiness the Pope."

Yan knelt on one knee and respectfully saluted Bibi Dong.

Today, the Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong had suddenly summoned him.

Yan, with a heart full of doubt, arrived at the Supreme Pontiff Palace.

At this moment, there were only Yan and Bibi Dong in the great hall.

Bibi Dong, on the Supreme Pontiff's throne, looked at Yan below, a rare, faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"You may rise first."

"Yes, Her Holiness the Pope." Yan stood up.

"Yan, do you like Nana?" Bibi Dong asked.

Yan was suddenly stunned, then frankly admitted, "Yes... yes, I do."

"Very good. This seat will give you a task. As long as you can complete it, this seat will betroth Nana to you."

She knew everything that had happened to Hu Liena at the academy. Fortunately, that kid Ji Xuan had always kept his distance from Nana, so she hadn't interfered too much.

And she naturally knew about Yan's feelings for Nana, which could also be put to good use...

Of course, she could not force Nana to marry someone she didn't like. As long as Yan completed the task, Bibi Dong could make him disappear quietly, since he had no background.

As soon as Bibi Dong's voice fell, Yan's heart pounded wildly, and his tone was urgent: "Re... really? Her Holiness the Pope!"

"Of course!"

A trace of imperceptible coldness flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.

"Tomorrow, the academy will let you go for practical training, and your task is to find an opportunity to eliminate Ji Xuan."

Although Ji Xuan had an Elder protecting him, if Yan, as a classmate, were to attack from behind during a chaotic battle...

Yan hesitated for a moment, but it was quickly covered by the long-repressed anger in his heart.

"Yes, Her Holiness the Pope!"

...

The next day, the Spirit Hall Academy holiday ended.

Ji Xuan returned to Elite Class One, and not long after he sat down in the classroom, Instructor Zhang stepped in.

The classroom, which was still a bit noisy, immediately quieted down, and all the students' gazes were focused on Instructor Zhang.

"Students, the academy has a new mission for our class."

Instructor Zhang looked around at everyone below, her expression serious,

"Traces of fallen Spirit Master activity have been discovered in a village at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire."

Instructor Zhang paused and continued:

"According to intelligence, there are about five fallen Spirit Masters in the group, and the leader is a low-level Spirit King."

"Your mission this time is to exterminate that group of fallen Spirit Masters. You can choose to act alone or in teams, with a maximum of three people per team."

"I will give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to prepare and form teams, after which you will immediately head to the destination."

As students of the elite class, they were not just sparring with each other; they had to participate in practical training every so often.

These missions were by no means ordinary competitions in the academy; a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.

But only by experiencing real life-and-death battles could they achieve true growth.

The classroom began to get noisy as everyone started looking for suitable teammates.

The methods of fallen Spirit Masters were extremely cruel; acting alone was too dangerous.

Xie Yue naturally went with his sister Hu Liena, and Yan immediately followed.

The three of them had always acted together.

Hu Liena subconsciously looked in Ji Xuan's direction, only to see that he didn't seem to have any intention of forming a team.

...

Wanghun Village.

Located at the border between the two great Empires of Star Luo and Heaven Dou.

Because it was located at the border, the two great Empires had constant friction all year round, leading to this place being particularly chaotic, with a mix of good and bad people.

After nearly a day of rapid travel, the thirty students of Elite Class One, under the escort of Instructor Zhang, finally approached the mission location.

The closer they got to the border, the more desolate the surroundings became, and a faint smell of blood permeated the air.

The sun set, and the sky gradually darkened.

Instructor Zhang raised her hand to signal the team to stop moving.

"Students, camp here for today, and we will start the operation tomorrow!"

As soon as Instructor Zhang finished speaking, the students each found a suitable open space to set up camp.

They were clearly not on their first mission, as their movements were quite skillful. They took out the portable simple tents they carried and began setting them up in groups of three or five.

Ji Xuan chose a relatively quiet place.

Just then, a voice sounded beside him.

"Ji Xuan, are you alone?"

It was Hu Liena who asked, with Xie Yue and Yan following beside her.

Ji Xuan stopped what he was doing and nodded.

"The other side has a Spirit King, isn't it too risky for you to be alone?"

Hu Liena's tone carried a hint of worry.

Ji Xuan's words that day had made her understand the rift between them, but seeing Ji Xuan acting alone, she couldn't help but come forward to express her concern.

"It's fine." Ji Xuan replied indifferently.

Yan crossed his arms, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and he snorted coldly:

"Nana, since he chose to be alone, he must be confident. We don't need to worry about him."

Hu Liena didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly and turned away silently.

The night grew deeper.

Instructor Zhang was responsible for keeping watch; she would not participate in the operation, only responsible for escorting them.

Everyone returned to their own tents to rest, conserving their energy in preparation for the unknown battle tomorrow.