Ji Tongzhou later learned that their group was the first to pass the test, but also the most severely injured. Especially Jiang Li Fei – Instructor Zuoqiu said that if they had arrived any later, she would have undoubtedly died.
As he opened the door, the sun was setting outside. He caught sight of Hu Jiaping hurrying over, still wearing his official robes. Seeing Ji Tongzhou come out, Hu Jiaping’s eyebrows raised slightly.
“You’ve had quite an experience,” he said, walking up to the dejected and regretful boy and patting his shoulder. “Don’t be upset. The founders are all inside; they’ll be fine.”
Ji Tongzhou remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking in a hoarse voice, “Jiang Li Fei… she won’t die, right?”
She had saved him. Among the four-person team, only she could use Earth Movement defense. If she hadn’t exhausted all her spiritual energy to create two layers of defense at the last moment, he would likely have been severely injured too.
He suddenly found himself filled with intense self-loathing. He had always thought he was the strongest in the four-person team, but that wasn’t the case at all. Bai Ligelin’s Wood Element immortal techniques were used flexibly, crucial in restraining Tiger Jiao’s movements. Lei Xiuyuan, needless to say, had a clear mind and quick, accurate tactical arrangements. Even Jiang Li Fei had saved his life in the end. As for himself, apart from being rash and impatient, he hadn’t done anything useful.
What he found most unacceptable wasn’t just being saved by a girl, but finally seeing his true self.
Hu Jiaping, unusually gentle, comforted him: “How could a disciple of immortals die so easily? Don’t worry. You all passed this test. Put your mind at ease and go rest first.”
Ji Tongzhou shook his head. “I want to wait for them.”
“Bai Ligelin and Lei Xiuyuan will recover by tomorrow. As for that little girl, it might take several days. You look terrible. Go back and rest. Come again tomorrow.”
With a gentle push from Hu Jiaping, Ji Tongzhou involuntarily left the courtyard. In the distance, he saw Lan Ya and her sycophants hurrying over. Upon seeing him, Lan Ya’s eyes reddened again, and she began to sob. The sycophants surrounded him, their flattering words rising again, but he only felt annoyed. He didn’t want to hear or say a single word.
Hu Jiaping gently pushed open the door and entered silently. In the inner room, Bai Ligelin and Lei Xiuyuan lay on two separate beds. Their injuries were superficial, mainly due to direct contact with the demonic energy of the Ferocious Beast, which their bodies couldn’t handle, causing them to remain unconscious.
The most serious case was the little girl in the innermost part of the room. Three or four of the academy’s founders stood gravely by her bedside. A bright, ice-blue healing net was cast over her, with each founder continuously infusing spiritual energy into it. However, judging from their expressions, the situation didn’t seem very optimistic.
Hu Jiaping quietly clenched his fists, feeling his palms sweating, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“Instructor Zuoqiu,” he called softly.
The white-haired and bearded elder nodded slightly and said in a low voice, “Her injuries are too severe. Her chest bones are completely shattered, and her internal organs are 80% damaged. If not for the abundance of spiritual energy in her body, she would have died on the spot. I’ve already given her the Taiyi Golden Pill to take, but whether it’s immortal pills or spiritual energy revival and healing, it’s ultimately just meager human effort. Whether she lives or dies still depends on heaven’s will.”
Hu Jiaping felt bitterness in his mouth and mumbled, “It was my mistake this time. I shouldn’t have chosen the Ferocious Beast Tiger Jiao. I should have warned them…”
The Ferocious Beast Tiger Jiao had a feigned death technique that was impossible to guard against.
Instructor Zuoqiu sighed, “Every disciple needs to experience truly life-threatening cultivation to grow. They learn from their mistakes. Your warning this time doesn’t mean you can warn them every time in the future. Constant protection will only nurture delicate flowers that can’t withstand wind and rain. Those who come out of our academy, no matter which sect they join, are elite disciples, even personal disciples. This is the very meaning of establishing the academy. You should go now. Staying here will only make you anxious. Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment.”
Hu Jiaping quietly looked at Li Fei on the bed. She was covered in blood, with a large dent in her chest, and her breathing was extremely weak. His heart began to race, and he dared not look any longer. He gritted his teeth and turned to leave.
Could this be called keeping her safe and sound?
After an unknown period, one of the founders suddenly spoke, “Inputting more spiritual energy is futile. Whether she lives or dies depends on tonight. We can only wait for the answer.”
Everyone let out a long sigh and removed their hands from the healing net. One of them, with an extremely youthful appearance, said, “This child’s talent is ordinary, but there’s an unusually rich spiritual energy within her body. It’s rare. She might not die. Perhaps by morning, she’ll turn misfortune into fortune.”
Another sighed, “At such a young age, she has such a chivalrous heart. Regardless of her aptitude, this kind of spirit is what great people possess. Let’s hope heaven protects the virtuous.”
Instructor Zuoqiu remained silent for a moment before saying, “You all go back. I’ll keep watch here tonight. If there’s any change, I’ll inform you immediately.”
The room soon fell into silence, with only the sound of irregular breathing flowing slowly. Li Fei felt as if she was asleep, yet also awake. She could hear and see everything happening around her, but couldn’t move or give any response. Her body had no sensation… Perhaps that’s not quite accurate. She couldn’t feel the existence of her body at all.
Is this what death feels like? Had her soul left her body? Why hadn’t she gone to the underworld?
Thinking that she might be dead, she suddenly felt a tinge of sadness. There were still many things she hadn’t done – her master, her senior brother, her cultivation, her friends… The four-person team had finally started to get along, and now she was dead. For some reason, thinking about these things made her feel more numb than anything else. Perhaps because death was now a certainty? Sadness and regret no longer had any meaning; all that remained was numbness.
Suddenly, she thought of Ri Yan. He had been hiding as one of her hairs all this time. Now that she was dead, what would happen to him?
The light before her eyes suddenly dimmed, and she had a sinking feeling. Is this what falling into the Yellow Springs feels like?
Falling, falling further, for an unknown time, until suddenly a huge nine-tailed fox appeared before her. He was curled up, his enormous body wrapped in his nine long tails, seemingly in deep sleep.
Ri Yan? Li Fei’s thoughts moved, and she was instantly in front of him. On his rising and falling back was something like a blood-red seal, brightening and dimming with his breath. Could this be the seal he had mentioned, the one that contained his demonic energy due to the calamitous year he encountered?
She wanted to reach out and touch the fox’s lush white fur. As she thought this, it was as if she suddenly had a body. She slowly approached him, reached out her hand, and stroked his fluffy face twice – it was exactly as she had imagined, soft and warm fur.
The nine-tailed fox’s large ears suddenly twitched, and his long, pale green eyes slowly opened, staring at her for a good while. Suddenly, his eyes filled with shock: “Why do you look like this?! What happened to you?”
Li Fei smiled at him: “Ri Yan, I think I’m about to die. It’s a pity I couldn’t find Master and Senior Brother. Now that I’m dead, can you escape on your own?”
His eyes immediately widened: “Die? How could you die! Do you know where this is?”
She shook her head: “But I seem to have been severely injured, beyond healing. During today’s test, we encountered a Ferocious Beast Tiger Jiao, and I was hit by its tail.”
Ri Yan angrily said: “What nonsense! How could a low-level Ferocious Beast like that kill you!”
The fox’s refusal to accept the truth was quite amusing. Li Fei stroked his fluffy face again. Now she could finally touch him, but it was a pity she was dead.
“Now that I’m dead, you should escape quickly on your own. There are many founders in the academy. If they catch you, you really won’t survive.”
Ri Yan seemed unable to bear this foolish conversation any longer. He suddenly stood up, his nine long tails swaying like a dream. He lowered his head, his gaze burning as he stared at her, and said: “This is not the underworld, but my consciousness. You’ve entered my consciousness and met me. I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully – First, you haven’t shed your shell yet, so you can’t die. Second, being able to enter my consciousness means that due to your body’s severe injury, you’re about to be forced to shed your shell completely. Third, completely shedding your shell now is not good for you. Instead of wasting time chatting nonsense with me here, you should hurry and suppress it.”
Li Fei was stunned. She wasn’t dead? Shedding her shell?
She stared at him blankly and couldn’t help asking, “You… still won’t tell me… what exactly am I?”
Ri Yan said indifferently: “What good would know these things do for you now? You’re a person from the Central Plains. Apart from having a special constitution, you’re no different from ordinary people. Focus on becoming an immortal. In the future, your achievements will be no less than those of the academy’s founders.”
Was he praising her? Had the sun risen from the west today? Ri Yan praising her! Li Fei wanted to hold her chin to prevent it from dropping.
“Look at your stupid face!” The huge white nine-tailed fox looked at her with disdain. “Right now, you’re nothing but a fool! Hurry back!”
She urgently said: “Wait, when will you wake up? Is there… is there anything I can do to help you?”
“It will take a few more days. Do you want to help me? Hmph, just use your Spirit Absorption technique more often! With that pitiful amount of spiritual energy you have now, I’d be embarrassed to even use it to pick my teeth!”
After his arrogant words, his long tails suddenly swept out. Li Fei felt a great force forcibly expelling her, seeming to drive her away from this darkness. She cried out anxiously: “How do I suppress the shell shedding? You didn’t tell me!”
His voice became faint: “How would I know! I’m not you!”
Before he finished speaking, his voice could no longer be heard. Li Fei felt her body suddenly become heavy as if she had crashed into something hard. She couldn’t help but cry out “Ah!” as she opened her eyes to see a somewhat familiar ceiling – was this the disciple room she had slept in after falling into the forbidden area last time? Had she just been bounced back like this?
A huge healing net was cast over her, with spiritual energy flowing back and forth. Her chest felt numb, with no sensation at all, even though that’s where she had received the fatal injury. She tried to raise her hand, but her body felt incredibly heavy. Her limbs, once agile, now felt as if they were encased in a heavy shell. She even had an urge to shake off this heavy shell.
Could this be the shell-shedding Ri Yan mentioned? She dared not move again, lying still with her eyes closed. She didn’t know how to suppress the shell shedding, so she could only repeatedly tell herself, as if talking to herself, “This is my body, this is my body.” After an unknown time, the wound in her chest suddenly began to hurt, gradually changing from a slight pain to an unbearable agony. She couldn’t help but cry out in pain.
Instructor Zuoqiu in the outer room immediately heard her. He walked in quickly, his face showing joy: “You’re awake?”
Li Fei’s face was pale with pain as she mumbled, “It hurts so much… I… can’t bear it…”
He reached out to touch her sweaty little face. Li Fei felt his hand warm and soft, and suddenly the pain seemed to leave her. Her consciousness gradually became blurry – oh no, could she be starting to shed her shell again? But this body felt sleepy, so perhaps it wasn’t shelled shedding?
“Sleep now. When you wake up, it won’t hurt anymore.” Instructor Zuoqiu’s voice was vague, making her even more drowsy. She unconsciously turned her head and saw the faint dawn light outside the window.
The day was about to break. This was her last conscious thought before she fell into a deep, sweet sleep.