A month passed in the blink of an eye.
At the Outer Court Academy—Red Maple Campus, the promotion assessment for Named Disciples had concluded.
Inside Red Maple Hall, Bibi Dong was organizing the test papers and performance evaluations of various Disciples, sealing each one into an archive bag.
Outside Red Maple Hall, tall red and yellow maple trees swayed in the breeze. Qiu Ruoshui, Xue Wu, Yu Hairou, and other Named Disciples, having just finished their assessment, gathered around a stone table, discussing the potential candidates for promotion.
"Senior Sister Xue Wu's talent is naturally good, and her Spirit is very rare. Senior Sister Xue Wu will definitely be on the list for this Core Disciple promotion."
"Don't say that. Before Teacher announces the results, any one of us could be promoted."
"But Senior Sister Xue Wu, your chances are greater, right? Senior Sister Xue Wu can now perform Ice and Snow Falling by herself, and her spirit power has already reached above fifty. She usually learns better than us, Senior Sister Xue Wu, so don't be modest."
"Who will get the other two spots?"
"Ruoshui even defeated Demon Subduing Douluo before, so she should have a good chance of being promoted, right?"
"Senior Sister Hairou, stop making fun of me. Your own secret technique, Dark Concealment, not only increases movement speed and instantaneous attack, but also allows you to darken yourself to a near-invisible state. If you were on the field, Demon Subduing Douluo probably wouldn't even be able to touch you before losing."
Qiu Ruoshui frankly revealed that the secret technique Yu Hairou was learning was no ordinary skill.
Yu Hairou chuckled, "You shouldn't say that. Demon Subduing Douluo is a Titled Douluo powerhouse, so how did he become someone you can just defeat whenever you want in your mouths? I must clarify, Senior Demon Subduing Douluo is very strong. If it were me, I'd be sent flying with one strike!"
"Senior Sister Hairou, have you mastered the art of social graces? If I had known, I would have suggested to Teacher to let you participate!"
"Stop messing around, stop messing around. We don't even know if we can be promoted yet, and you still have the mind to goof off. Don't forget we also have two new classmates. I remember when they tested their Spirit attributes and quality, they got even better results than Senior Sister Xue Wu. When the list is announced tomorrow, you'll see if you cry when none of us are promoted."
"Sigh, if we don't get promoted, we don't get promoted. Anyway, being a Named Disciple isn't bad. We have everything we need, and the treatment is even better than at Tianshui Academy. We're all Teacher's students, so I'm content!" Gu Qingbo said leisurely.
...
Faint discussions drifted into her ears. Hu Liena, holding a few plums, leaned by the window and curiously asked Bibi Dong inside the hall:
"Teacher, do you think I have a good chance of being promoted?"
Bibi Dong tidied up the podium, glanced at Hu Liena, and said indifferently:
"Didn't you say that no matter whether you are a Core Disciple or not, Teacher Su will teach you a very powerful Cultivation Technique?"
"That's true, although there's no distinction of status between Named Disciples and Core Disciples, becoming a Core Disciple allows me to move to Peach Garden Campus, which is closer to Teacher and allows me to receive more guidance from Teacher."
Hu Liena was full of anticipation, especially since she also held the position of Judge of Slaughter City.
After discussions with Rongrong, Lingling, and Xiao Wu, Slaughter City needed at least one Slaughter King and two Judges to be stationed there every month.
This meant that, as one of the two Slaughter Kings, Senior Sister Zhuqing was currently handling Family matters, so Senior Sister Lingling needed to be stationed in Slaughter City at all times. And since she was undergoing assessment at the Academy, then Senior Sister Rongrong and Senior Sister Xiao Wu would need to be permanently stationed in Slaughter City.
So, about twenty days ago, Senior Sister Rongrong and Senior Sister Xiao Wu set off to Slaughter City to guard it.
This also meant that her study time at the Academy was at most half that of other Named Disciples, and the number of times she could meet Teacher was even more pitifully few.
Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Bibi Dong's exquisitely charming face:
"Whether you can be promoted or not, that's up to Teacher Su to decide, but I can tell you that your results should be among the top."
"That's great! Being among the top means there's a chance, and having a chance is good!"
"Ah~ So sour!"
Hu Liena's face lit up with joy, and she directly threw a plum into her mouth. The green juice instantly burst in her mouth, making her eyes squint from the sourness, and her saliva rapidly secreted, flowing down from the corner of her mouth.
"Nana, what are you eating?"
Seeing this, Bibi Dong, for some reason, was not afraid, but instead swallowed repeatedly, unable to resist asking Hu Liena.
Hu Liena extended her hand, her palm holding several greenish-yellow plums: "They're Sky Blue Smoked Plums picked from the flower garden. Poison Guardian said that if they weren't picked and eaten soon, they might be overripe in another month. Teacher told Poison Guardian to knock down these Sky Blue Smoked Plums for everyone to eat, but they're sour, so no one can eat too many."
"Teacher, do you want to try some? Teacher said this kind of Sky Blue Smoked Plum can smooth the skin, invigorate blood, and purify the body of Impurities. I took a whole bag, but it's too sour, I definitely can't finish it."
Hu Liena touched the pocket tied to her waist, which was full, looking a bit helpless.
"I don't like sour things."
"I'll try one."
Bibi Dong looked at the green plums in Hu Liena's hand. She was originally resistant, as her previous life had been bitter and sour enough, so she didn't like sour things. But this time, by some strange impulse, she reached out, took one, and gently bit into it.
Immediately, a sweet and sour taste bloomed in her mouth, making Bibi Dong's eyes light up. She took another one to taste, her eyes slightly narrowed, not squinting shut from sourness like Hu Liena's, but half-closed like crescent moons.
Hu Liena said in surprise, "Teacher, aren't you sour?"
Bibi Dong was calm and composed: "Nana, is there something wrong with your taste buds? Teacher thinks these green plums are sweet and sour, not as sour as you say."
"Really? Teacher, try again!"
Hu Liena grabbed a handful of green plums and placed them in Bibi Dong's hand, her face a little incredulous. Bibi Dong not only wasn't afraid of the sourness, but became more and more addicted to eating them.
This left Hu Liena stunned. She turned and looked at Qian Renxue, who was quietly beautiful in a secluded spot:
"Senior Sister Xue'er, you try?"
"Boring, no."
Qian Renxue sat under a red maple tree, flipping through the Peach Garden manual, her mind still pondering whether she should take the path of the ultimate Holy Angel or the more variable but potentially stronger path of the Fallen Angel. Was it true that blackening made one three times stronger?
Teacher's profound words were absolutely correct.
Among the five Law Enforcement God (Law Enforcement Gods) of the God Realm, only one, the Goddess of Goodness, could rank among the top in combat power. The three strongest in combat power were all powers of destruction and blackening—Asura, Destruction, and Evil.
However, the Holy Angel God Position could not be eroded by dark power.
"This is what Teacher Su recommended for us to eat, Senior Sister Xue'er, are you sure you won't try?"
Hu Liena held a plum in front of Qian Renxue's eyes. Upon hearing that it was given by Teacher, Qian Renxue's expression finally showed a slight change. She reached into Hu Liena's pocket, took one, and gently bit into it.
"So sour!" Even the usually cool and aloof Qian Renxue frowned tightly from the sourness, unable to swallow it.
"Teacher, is it your taste buds that are problematic?"
At this moment, Hu Liena turned back and looked at Teacher Bibi Dong strangely.
"Is that so?"
Bibi Dong initially didn't pay attention, but whether it was from eating too many plums or for some other reason, a sour sensation suddenly spread in her abdomen, causing her to constantly feel a urge to vomit.
"Ugh~"
"Ugh—"
Bibi Dong endured for a while, then her face suddenly changed. She could no longer hold it in and ran to a pond behind the hall, where she began to vomit.
Hu Liena and Qian Renxue exchanged glances, somewhat bewildered.
"Teacher, what's wrong?" Hu Liena chased after her, asking with concern.
"It's nothing, perhaps eating too many plums made me feel a bit unwell."
Bibi Dong's jade hand gently stroked her lower abdomen. Although she said nothing was wrong, there seemed to be something hidden in her eyes.
This feeling seemed somewhat familiar.
Bibi Dong couldn't help but look at Qian Renxue, who was reading outside, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Similarly, Qian Renxue also walked to the entrance of the hall, her gaze fixed on her:
What is this woman up to again?
She was a Peak powerhouse after all, how could a few plums make her vomit from sourness?
Something was strange.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"