**In the depths of the San Dong Forest—**
Dong Yan Cuo glanced down at the candied hawthorn skewer in his hand, his clear eyes shining with a hint of innocence.
In just a few bites, he finished the last piece, savoring the sweetness as he licked his lips. With a gentle pat on his flat stomach, he murmured, "Delicious... she must have more."
“Grrr...” His stomach echoed in agreement.
He lifted his gaze, following the direction where Nangong Huan had disappeared, and quickened his pace.
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**At the far-off Extreme Night Star Observatory—**
An old, stooped man sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes wide, a glimmer of excitement flashing within them.
He stood up, trembling with anticipation, his murky old eyes fixed on the shifting stars in the sky, his expression shifting from astonishment to joy, and then to tears of overwhelming emotion.
"The Ziwei Star has descended, only to vanish behind the Earth Spirit Star storm... I understand now. Master, rest assured, I will protect the young master and pave a smooth path!"
Leaning on his cane, the old man hurried to the edge of the mountain, his wrinkled hand gripping a beautifully engraved bronze bell, striking it forcefully. The melodious sound echoed throughout the valley!
Dong—Dong—Dong—
"Proclaim to the Seven Kingdoms, the Ziwei Star has descended! It rests in Feng Xuan!"
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**At the center of the San Dong Forest, beneath the towering Giant Spirit King Tree—**
Nangong Qian'er fixed her gaze on the curled-up little dragon beast before her, a greedy smile spreading across her face.
"Nine Meng Dragon Beast, quickly submit to me! Only I am worthy to be your master!"
The small Nine Meng Dragon resembled a weasel, its fluffy blue-purple fur and tiny wings on its back making it incredibly adorable.
Its large, round eyes were filled with vigilance and fear.
This woman smelled terrible! It didn’t like her!
Nangong Qian'er’s face loomed larger in front of the Nine Meng Dragon as she even cut her finger to attempt a blood contract!
In the next moment, the Nine Meng Dragon nimbly dodged, refusing to submit to a human!
The memories it inherited warned it that humans were filthy, treacherous beings!
"Ugh..." Nangong Qian'er's smile faltered. This stubborn creature, after all her threats and temptations, simply wouldn't yield!
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Once she became its master, she would give it a good beating! It needed to learn who it should listen to!
At her side, her mentor moved faster.
"It can't escape; it's destined to be Miss Qian'er's possession." The mentor swiftly grabbed the dragon beast by the scruff of its neck.
With a smug expression, he declared, “Once we contract this spirit beast, Miss Qian'er will surely become the strongest in this year's disciple trials!”
“Roar! Roar!” The Nine Meng Dragon struggled fiercely, but its feeble spiritual energy was no match for the mentor's two-spirit power.
Nangong Qian'er roughly grasped its head, applying pressure that made it cry out in pain.
“Roar! Filthy human! You're hurting me!” it protested, feeling desperate.
Just as the mentor prepared to complete the contract, a sharp branch sliced through the air, striking Nangong Qian'er’s hand and piercing the mentor's wrist!
“Ah!” Both cried out in pain, releasing their grips. The Nine Meng Dragon seized the chance to escape!
However, it didn’t flee far, opting instead to hide in the grass, sensing a familiar and comforting aura from the branch that had just struck.
That was a scent it liked!
"Fancy meeting you here, sister Qian'er," Nangong Huan strolled over, casually twirling a thin branch in her hand.
A knowing smile played on her lips, but her peach blossom eyes held a hint of coldness, and the dark spots on her face took on a more sinister quality.
“Nangong Huan?! What are you doing here?” Nangong Qian'er exclaimed, clutching her injured hand and frowning at her. How did this useless girl get here?
On her way, she had dispatched people to block all her competitors, so how had this waste appeared out of nowhere?
“If you can be here, why can’t I?” Nangong Huan replied nonchalantly, her peripheral vision catching sight of the little creature hiding in the grass.
“Tch!” Nangong Qian'er scoffed, unwilling to engage with this useless girl, and turned to chase after the escaping spirit beast. But just as she took a step, Nangong Huan blocked her again!
The slender branch sliced through the air, severing a lock of her hair and embedding itself into a nearby tree, sending a gust of wind swirling!
“Nangong Huan! If you want to be a Spirit Master, go ahead! Why are you stopping me from contracting the spirit beast?” Nangong Qian'er glared, furious that this waste would ruin her plans.
“I want that spirit beast, you should look for another!” Nangong Huan flicked her wrist, her tone casual yet confident, as if contracting a spirit beast was just a game.
This remark made Nangong Qian'er laugh derisively. “Sister, are you daydreaming? You think you can contract a spirit beast? That’s the funniest joke I’ve ever heard! Hahaha!”
“Miss Qian'er, go ahead and try to contract the beast. I’ll handle Miss Huan,” the mentor stepped forward, his tone sinister, having pulled the branch from his wrist and quickly bandaging it.
“Then I’ll leave this to you.” Nangong Qian'er nodded, casting a disdainful glance at Nangong Huan before sprinting after the direction the Nine Meng Dragon had fled.
The Nine Meng Dragon, seeing the annoying woman chasing after it, took off running but didn’t go far, engaging in a game of cat and mouse.
Nangong Huan remained in a standoff with the mentor, sensing his mid-level two-spirit power.
“Miss Huan, I advise you to pretend you saw nothing and head back home to rest,” the mentor said, his authoritative tone imposing.
However, Nangong Huan didn’t bother to respond. She simply raised her right hand, and behind her, numerous withered branches floated into the air, their tips radiating sharpness like arrows, enough to pierce the mentor thoroughly, making him shudder!
“You have awakened your spiritual energy?” the mentor exclaimed in surprise. It had been less than two hours since she was assessed, how had she achieved this?
But soon, he masked his astonishment. Everyone had spiritual energy; perhaps she just awakened later than others.
Nangong Huan didn’t answer; instead, she pressed her fingers forward, sending all the withered branches hurtling toward the mentor!
“Your technique is decent, but your power is still too weak!” the mentor scoffed, swinging his sword to sever the branches one by one.
In an instant, Nangong Huan flipped her hand into a fist, and thick tree roots burst from the ground, wrapping around the mentor's legs like vines. In just a second, they climbed up to his waist!
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