Stop pretending, the seemingly useless junior sister is the real boss.

Bai Xiaobai was slightly taken aback when she heard him utter the word "I".

In the past, whenever his master spoke, he would always address him as "Master." In the past six months, although his master had been quite kind to him, there was always a barrier between them, a master-disciple relationship.

But neither his tone nor his self-reference indicated that he had brought up the master-disciple relationship.

And I always felt there was a subtle, almost imperceptible, caution in his tone.

But my master has always been spontaneous in his actions, when did he become so sentimental?

Moreover, taking these disciples out for training this time, well, it just felt too rushed and hurried, which wasn't like his usual style at all.

And what he just said about him not being himself, but being a different kind of person—does that mean he can transform?

So what exactly happened? His tone is extremely strange.

Or perhaps his true identity is that of an ancient immortal who has attained enlightenment and descended to the mortal realm for trials?

Now that his training is complete, is he going to return to the Immortal Realm?

That's why I said things like "he's not him".

hiss!

It's absolutely possible, otherwise why wouldn't he be surprised at all by the anomalies in his sea of ​​consciousness? And the fact that there was a divine beast cub in his sea of ​​consciousness seemed to be commonplace to him; he didn't show much shock or surprise.

Furthermore, since joining Xiaoyao Peak, he has been on a winning streak. Not only did he successfully transform into human form, but his strength also broke through to the twelfth level of Qi Refining. All of this was directly or indirectly facilitated by his master.

And then there are the senior brothers and sisters, who all successfully formed their cores in less than two hundred years.

Such skill is unparalleled across the entire Tianyan Continent.

Yes, yes, yes, they all match up, so my master must be an immortal who has attained enlightenment and descended to the mortal realm.

With a celestial being to guide him, his path to immortality would surely be smooth sailing.

In this way, we must hold on tightly to our master's powerful backer.

Thinking of this, Bai Xiaobai's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked up at Shen Ji.

"Master, you...you don't need to explain further, I understand. No matter what your identity is, you will always be my Master. I will never have any prejudice against you because you concealed your identity. Besides, you are your Master, no matter what you become, that fact will never change. I will always support you and always raise the banner for you. No matter what changes occur in this world, no matter how others see or treat you, in my eyes, you will always be my Master, always the Master who tirelessly works for my transformation and cultivation."

"Besides, everyone has their own secrets, and I understand that. Furthermore, Master didn't ask too many questions about my sea of ​​consciousness and the divine beast cub. Don't worry, Master, no matter what happens in the future, I will stand with you."

After saying these words, Bai Xiaobai looked at Shen Ji, who was clearly in a daze, with bright eyes, feeling smug.

Very good, that's it. Don't explicitly state it, just show your determination.

His master would surely be moved. If he were to return to the Immortal Realm in the future, he would remember his kindness and might even reward him with some immortal power and the treasures of the Immortal Realm.

Wow, just thinking about it makes me happy.

Shen Ji gazed quietly at the smiling girl, his pupils slightly constricting. His gaze was fixed on her face as if rooted to the spot, oblivious to all other sounds around him, his eyes seeing only her.

After a long while, he let out a low laugh and raised his hand to touch the top of Bai Xiaobai's head.

"You know how to make people happy. No wonder all your senior brothers and sisters protect you. Although I don't understand what you mean by 'raising the big flag,' I'll just take it as you expressing your loyalty." His voice was deep and gentle as he softly stroked her hair with his palm.

Bai Xiaobai froze, then looked up and met his deep eyes.

The word "I" from just now still lingered in her ears, and now this intimate gesture suddenly gave her a strange and inexplicable feeling, and she couldn't utter a single word for a moment.

Shen Ji returned to his usual demeanor, with a gentle smile that could captivate anyone.

"Alright, let's not waste any more time, let's go find the Heart of the Sacred Tree."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaobai shook her head, suppressing the strange feeling that had been nagging at her.

"Um."

Just then, she suddenly discovered that all the spiritual power that had been sealed had returned.

Thinking about how much effort Changling had put in to restore those thirty percent of her spiritual power, and how her master had restored it so effortlessly without her even noticing, she realized just how powerful he was.

Therefore, his master's strength is definitely not just at the late Nascent Soul stage; he must have been hiding his true strength.

No, that's not right, he's definitely an immortal.

Bai Xiaobai became increasingly certain that her guess was correct, and her gaze towards Shen Ji became more and more admiring and ingratiating.

"Master, watch your step! There are many vines in this forest. What if you trip and fall?"

"Watch out for the stone! This stone is so blind! How dare it block Master's path!"

"That ignorant little monster dares to swore at my master! Lightning Blade, strike it down!"

"Master, are you tired? Do you want to rest for a while?"

"Master, fly slower, I'm not going to eat you."

"Master, the dangers ahead are unknown. Let me use the All-Encompassing Communicator to communicate before we go in. Oh, Master, wait for me!"

"..."

Bai Xiaobai chased after him closely, but after passing through a dense forest, he found that Shen Ji had stopped in front of a fog.

Although she didn't know what lay deep within the mist, she also didn't sense any danger.

In order to firmly cling to her master's powerful backing, she decided to lead the way.

"Master, please rest first. I'll go in and check the situation first. You can come in after I've confirmed it's safe."

Shen Ji sighed and rubbed his forehead, completely baffled as to why his little disciple had suddenly changed her attitude. She hadn't been this attentive before.

Could it be because of what I said before?

So she misunderstood her own meaning?

Just as Shen Ji was frowning and pondering what was wrong with what he had said earlier, before he knew it, Bai Xiaobai had already leaped into the mist.

He was utterly speechless, so he rubbed his forehead again, then chuckled and shook his head with a sigh, finally having no choice but to follow suit.

However, upon entering, they discovered that Bai Xiaobai had vanished without a trace, and they couldn't even detect her presence.

Shen Ji frowned, surveying his surroundings while simultaneously releasing his divine sense to investigate.

However, Bai Xiaobai's aura seemed to have vanished into thin air.

He panicked completely and, disregarding the surging demonic power within his body, continued to expand his divine sense to search.

Even though his divine sense covered almost the entire secret realm, he still gained nothing.