Chapter 25: Rejection

The morning light was beginning to break through the darkness, signaling the start of a new day.

Two days had passed since Tang San and Lu Yuan had their exchange of pointers.

Nuoding Academy, Room 7

A girl with an adorable appearance sat on the edge of her bed.

She was dressed in a beautiful pink outfit, but the most striking feature was her long, flowing hair that cascaded across her bed and even touched the floor.

This girl was Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu seemed to be preoccupied with fixing her hair, but her gaze was distant, indicating that her mind was elsewhere.

Despite her vivacious and confident exterior, she hid many emotions deep inside.

The loss of her parents forced her to put aside her shy nature and strive to become someone her friends, Da Ming, and Er Ming, could rely on.

She had spent her days like this until, upon reaching 100,000 years of cultivation, she realized that her life in the forest was no longer fulfilling.

With her mother's absence and the approaching tribulation, memories from her past began to surface.

Long ago, she had encountered a severely injured human woman, and she, being very curious by nature, decided to help her and learn a little more about humans. After her mother returned to the cave at the time, although a bit reluctant at first, she eventually helped her heal the human woman.

The human woman taught her human speech and shared countless stories about the human world, sparking a desire in Xiao Wu to experience it for herself.

As she remembered her decision to start anew as a human, despite facing opposition from her two closest friends, Xiao Wu couldn't help but feel a sense of determination.

Arriving in this small city, at first, she didn't know what to expect, but one thing she had been sure: she was determined to make the most of this new chapter in her life.

'Mom, if you are watching me from somewhere, I want you to know that I am doing very well in the human world,' she whispered to herself.

To her surprise, life in the human world was even better than she had initially imagined. She had made new friends, had many admirers, and above all, she had found someone who made her heart race.

When she thought of this person, Xiao Wu couldn't help but feel her cheeks turn red. She was known for being a straightforward girl, who was not afraid to speak her mind, but when she was around this person, her shy personality would resurface, leaving her at a loss for words.

'What had that woman said? Something like this things shouldn't be rushed, right?' Xiao Wu reflected on the advice given to her by that mysterious woman.

She often wondered why that stinky guy she had feelings for didn't seem to reciprocate. Her mind conjured up the possibility that perhaps that stinky guy preferred a sweeter, more passive type of girl.

At the thought, she couldn't help but scowl, as her hand combing her hair suddenly stopped.

'Is it because I'm not sweet enough for him?' The thought made her blood boil.

'I'll beat him up if that's the reason.'

Xiao Wu's thoughts left one wondering what kind of unusual advice that woman had given her.

Some of the Working Students in Room 7, who saw her expression, couldn't help but shrink back in fear of getting caught in her wrath. Realizing that she had become absorbed in her thoughts, Xiao Wu quickly fixed her hair and in no time, she had her signature scorpion braid done.

Leaving Room 7, under the admiration of the working-students in the corridors and the fearful glances of the noble students, she made her way to a residence that was set apart from the others.

Holding the key given to her by Lu Yuan, she knocked on the door first to let him know she would be entering. Hearing no response, Xiao Wu put her ear close to the door. All she could hear was the sound of a spear being swung, which made her roll her eyes and no longer hesitate before opening the door.

The first thing she saw upon entering was a spacious hall, quite simple and tidy. At the front were two doors and the sound of the spear swinging came from the door on the right.

She first set her little purse down on the hall table, then moved to the door on the right and opened it.

The sight before her surprised her a little.

This was a rather spacious room, which apart from a few windows for ventilation at the top, had nothing else striking about it. Xiao Wu was very familiar with this room, as this was where she had always helped Lu Yuan prepare his medicinal bath.

However, what had surprised her was that all the furniture and tools that had previously been placed in this room, and even the wooden barrel itself where the herbs were mixed, had disappeared, leaving the room completely empty.

The only thing that could be seen in the middle of the room was a handsome boy, who was still swinging his spear rhythmically as if he was practicing for a competition. A few seconds later, the swinging of the spear stopped, and Lu Yuan, wiping the sweat from his forehead, turned to look at the figure watching him from the doorway and said with a smile.

"Xiao Wu, you're here."

"Yeah, it's strange to see you training in your own residence." Xiao Wu said as she closed the door and approached, hopping on her toes.

"I know, right? It's because of Tang San's attitude these past few days." Lu Yuan replied, feeling helpless.

After the exchange of pointers that night, Lu Yuan knew that Tang San would not give up easily after not getting the answers he wanted.

But he did not anticipate his attitude becoming so aggressive. Every time Lu Yuan went out to train, Tang San tried to test him at every opportunity. But since Lu Yuan had been on guard, he had not let him get away with it, and no matter how many tricks Tang San tried, he did not get any evidence to prove anything.

However, Lu Yuan, who liked to train calmly, felt quite irritated and finally decided to train at his residence. He was even thankful that Tang San had not joined the training earlier.

"Hehe, I never thought Tang San would become so intense from suffering a defeat." Xiao Wu let out a chuckle as she spoke, but she also felt strange in her heart.

Clearly, Tang San had lost to her on the first day and never seemed interested in getting a rematch.

Instead, he seemed to follow Lu Yuan everywhere to challenge him to another exchange of pointers.

'Is this pride between men or something?'

Coming out of her strange thoughts, Xiao Wu turned to look around and while pointing to the surroundings of the room, she asked Lu Yuan, who was placing his spear in his soul guide.

"Lu Yuan, why is this place so empty? It wasn't like this yesterday."

"Oh, that... I have put away all my things in this room." Lu Yuan said, with a tone full of mixed feelings.

"And why is that?" asked Xiao Wu, her confusion evident on her face.

Lu Yuan didn't directly answer her question, instead, he opened the door to the room and beckoned her to follow him. He walked across the hall and reached the door to his bedroom, entering it.

When Xiao Wu entered and saw the appearance of his bedroom, she was startled and felt that something was not right. Although she had not been in his room many times, it was easy for her or anyone else to notice something strange.

The room had only a medium-sized bed, with a white bed set and a couple of pillows. On top of it was a shelf, and next to the bed, a small white piece of furniture.

What made Xiao Wu frown was that none of Lu Yuan's belongings were there, it was as if... Thinking this far, Xiao Wu's heart sank as she glanced at Lu Yuan, hoping that her suspicions were not true.

Seeing her expression, Lu Yuan let out a sigh and said, "I've stored all my things in my soul guide. In a few hours, I'll be leaving to study at another Academy."

"What!? Why didn't you tell me this before, Lu Yuan?" Receiving the news that he was leaving, Xiao Wu hurriedly asked as she clenched her small hands.

Lu Yuan understood her reaction, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." He then explained the story that his adopted father, Lu Feng, had come up with as a cover for his departure. He explained that due to his father's connections and his own talent, he had managed to attract the attention of an Academy in Heaven Dou City, and by enrolling there, he would receive support for hunting the spirit beasts needed for his next spirit rings.

Xiao Wu felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of hunting spirit beasts, but she pushed the thought aside and asked him with a cautious tone, "Is there a Spirit Douluo at the Academy where you're going?"

"Yes." Lu Yuan knew why she was asking, so he answered crisply.

"Ugh... I..."

"You don't have to be sad for me, it'll only be a few years, besides, I'll leave you a parting gift." To avoid the awkward atmosphere, Lu Yuan pointed towards the room as he continued.

"You can keep this residence, my father already knows, so you won't have to worry about anything else."

"Just remember not to fall asleep and miss your classes-" As he spoke, Lu Yuan felt someone tugging on his sleeve, and when he turned to look, he saw the face of Xiao Wu, who was looking at him with teary eyes, while saying in a low voice.

"Can I go with you?"

"Eh?" Lu Yuan felt that he hadn't heard right, so he just looked at her, stunned.

"I'm asking if I can go with you, Lu Yuan, let's go to Heaven Dou City together!" The more she spoke, the more determined Xiao Wu's tone became, her eyes began to glow, as the strength of the palm holding his sleeve increased.

Realizing that he had heard right, Lu Yuan was very puzzled.

'What is this foolish girl thinking?' Was the first thought that came into his head.

She should have known that, even if she had transformed into a human, she was still in the immature phase, where a Spirit Douluo could easily recognize her aura by observing her for a while, let alone a Title Douluo who could see through her at a glance.

This was the main reason why he could not take her with him, but even if he had miraculously obtained some system object to cover her aura, it would still be impossible to take her with him.

This was because of the Title Douluo who had been watching them for some time, Tang Hao.

Tang Hao, who had been keeping an eye on his son, must have discovered Xiao Wu from day one. The reason he had not made any moves was partly due to his wife, Ah Yin, and his own son, Tang San.

Although Xiao Wu's relationship with Tang San was not as close as in the original story, they were still friends, so as long as Xiao Wu stayed close to Tang San, it was likely that Tang Hao would not make any moves.

If Lu Yuan left alone, Tang Hao would probably just sigh at a genius leaving his son's path and would not investigate further upon hearing that Lu Yuan was heading to Heaven Dou City.

But it would be a different story if Xiao Wu went with him to Spirit City. If they both left, Tan Hao would not stand idly by and would investigate their destination. If he learned that they were heading to Spirit City, it was likely that he would kill them both and take Xiao Wu's Spirit Bone.

For a Spirit Master, a 100,000-year-old Spirit Bone was something irresistible, and knowing that they would go to the enemy side, all his previous doubts would disappear.

Thinking about all this again, Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel helpless, and seeing the little hand holding his sleeve, he sighed as he slowly said.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Wu, but you can't come with me."

"Why!?" Xiao Wu was confused and hurt. She could not understand why Lu Yuan did not want her to accompany him.

Lu Yuan didn't expect Xiao Wu to insist on going with him and now struggled to come up with a reasonable excuse.

'That there isn't enough money to enroll her in that Academy?' That would only lead her to extort money from the noble students.

'That she isn't talented enough?' That was a joke! Xiao Wu was a 6-year-old Rank 13 Spirit Master. Any Academy would welcome her with open arms, without taking much notice of her Martial Soul, not everyone was as narrow-minded as Su Yuntao.

As Lu Yuan struggled to find an excuse, Xiao Wu became increasingly angry. She could see the hesitation in his eyes and it made her feel even more hurt.

"Fine, I get it. You're going to look for a sweeter woman in Heaven Dou City, right? You jerk!"

Lu Yuan was taken aback by her accusations. "What on earth are you talking about-!?"

"I don't want to hear anymore! Get out of my room now! Ugh, I never want to lay my eyes on you again, you stinky, foolish man!" Xiao Wu yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she kicked Lu Yuan in the stomach. Caught off guard and without using his soul power, he stumbled back, landing on the hallway table, as she slammed the door shut, leaving him utterly bewildered.

'I haven't left yet, and she already kicked me out of my own room...' After being speechless for a moment, Lu Yuan tried to speak to her through the door, but after trying for several minutes without receiving any response, he could only sigh.

Turning to look towards the table and noticing Xiao Wu's small purse on it, he placed something inside it before leaving his residence and walking away.

Inside the room, a small figure sat huddled on the floor, her face buried in her arms as she let out quiet sobs.

'Sob... why did I tell him that?... Am I really that foolish?'

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End of Volume 1

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A/N:

Volume 1 is completed!

What do you think of the story so far?