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

After watching Shen Ji leave, Li Qingshan's grin remained unbroken.

But he always felt something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It wasn't until he glanced back in the direction of the Monster Forest that he finally realized what was bothering him.

So, after harming so many ferocious beasts in his "Ferocious Beast Realm," he should at least be given a few demon cores.

"Damn Shen Ji, he's tricking me again."

He muttered a few words, then thought of Yuan Chong and Mu Qian who had been beaten up, and suddenly felt terrible.

Well, Master beat up the peak master of Yuling Peak, and disciple beat up the elder of Baicao Peak.

These people from Xiaoyao Peak really didn't want him, their sect leader, to have a single day of peace.

Then, recalling Shen Ji's earlier comment about why Bai Xiaobai couldn't be the third Nascent Soul cultivator of Xiaoyao Peak, he chuckled and shook his head.

"You know what, this guy can be quite humorous sometimes."

After laughing, he frowned and stared intently at the training ground below.

But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see any good feng shui as Shen Ji had claimed.

Could it be that my cultivation level is lower than Shen Ji's, which is why I can't see the special features here?

......

By the time Shen Ji returned to Xiaoyao Peak, it was already dark.

He stared at the small mound of flesh rising on the small bed behind the gauze curtain, listening to her soft murmurs in her sleep, and a smile appeared on his handsome and gentle face.

Bai Xiaobai had a terrible dream. She dreamt that she was dragging a snake's tail and fleeing in a sorry state during a sect competition.

Some people chased after her tail with gleaming knives, while others shouted behind her, "Catch that snake demon and stew it into soup!"

She was so frightened that she ran in a panic, but her tail wouldn't obey her commands, twisting and turning and she couldn't run fast.

The sounds of pursuit, shouting, and the clashing of swords behind her intertwined, trapping her completely.

Seeing the gleaming knife about to fall on her tail, she was terrified and could only cry out, "Master, save me!"

Shen Ji felt that the small bundle seemed to be trembling incessantly. After hesitating for a moment, he gently woke her up.

"Little White, wake up, Master is here."

Upon hearing that familiar, gentle voice, Bai Xiaobai, who had been enveloped in fear, finally opened her eyes.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and wet tears still clung to her eyelashes.

Seeing Shen Ji standing in front of her crib, she burst into tears.

Shen Ji was somewhat at a loss, but still lifted the gauze curtain.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Was it a nightmare?"

He bent down and patted Bai Xiaobai's little head to comfort him.

"Alright, it's alright now, Master is here."

Bai Xiaobai raised her wet eyes, gazing through her teary vision at the familiar white-clad figure before her.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice choked with sobs: "Master, Xiaobai ran for her life, but... but her tail wouldn't obey her commands. There are... there are bad people chasing her relentlessly. They say I'm a half-human, half-snake monster, and they want to stew Xiaobai into soup."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ji couldn't help but find it amusing.

But no one expected that she would have nightmares because of the tail.

He gently sat on the edge of the bed and pinched her chubby little face with his hand.

"You dared to wreak havoc on all the ferocious beasts in the 'Beast Realm,' so you're afraid of bad guys?"

Hearing what Shen Ji said, Bai Xiaobai felt a little guilty.

"Well... it can't all be blamed on me. Those ferocious beasts were just too wicked. And they harmed many mortals. So, wasn't I directly or indirectly helping those mortals who were harmed by the beasts to take revenge?"

Seeing that her eyes were still red, Shen Ji did not mention the "Beast Secret Realm" again.

"You had that nightmare because you were worried about the sect's minor competition, weren't you? You were worried you wouldn't be able to win?"

Upon hearing Shen Ji's insightful remark, Bai Xiaobai hesitated for a moment before nodding gently.

"My senior brothers and sisters said that there will be disciples from other sects participating this time. I am only at the first level of Qi Refining and I still have a tail to drag. How can I win in the sect's small competition? Xiaobai is afraid of disgracing the sect."

After hearing what Bai Xiaobai said, Shen Ji's lips curled up slightly.

"Don't worry about the tail. It's probably due to the Spirit Transformation Pill. It will recover naturally once the effects wear off. As for your Qi Refining Level 1 strength, there's no need to worry too much. If you can handle a Level 2 ferocious beast alone, you can handle cultivators stronger than you. As for losing face, there's even less to worry about. I believe you won't bring shame to our Free and Unfettered Peak."

Bai Xiaobai never expected that her master, Shen Ji, would be even more confident than she, the person involved.

How did he know he could handle a second-tier ferocious beast alone?

Could it be that Changling and the other senior brothers and sisters told him?

But he didn't seem to be at Xiaoyao Peak at all today; at least, I hadn't seen a single trace of him before I went to rest.

How did he know that?

Or is it that his every move in the "Beast Realm" was actually under his control?

Bai Xiaobai was a little confused, but today she didn't just come to Shen Ji, her master, to cry and complain.

The nightmare she just had was real, but she was already awake when Shen Ji came in.

So the shouts of "Master, save me!" that followed were meant to lure him over.

After all, she was fighting for Xiaoyao Peak. Although she had experience dealing with second-tier ferocious beasts, cultivators are much smarter than ferocious beasts.

Ultimately, she was just a useless Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator. In order to better implement her plan to earn spirit stones, she naturally had to ask her master, Shen Ji, for some protective magic treasures.

That way, the chances of winning will be greater.

She tilted her head up, trying to make the teardrops on her eyelashes as clear as possible.

Her soft, sweet voice carried a hint of grievance.

"But Master, I am still only at the first level of Qi Refining. And even after absorbing so many demon cores, my strength has not changed at all. I am really worried about the upcoming sect competition."

Shen Ji saw through her intentions and gave her a light flick on the forehead.

"Do you want a protective magic item, a formation and talisman, or a life-saving spell?"

Bai Xiaobai thought she had hidden her little thoughts well enough, but she didn't expect them to be discovered so easily. Her little face was full of embarrassment.

But now that we've been found out, we might as well just be direct.

So she smiled and tugged at Shen Ji's sleeve with her small hand, as if trying to please him.

"How about you prepare all of these things that Master mentioned for your disciple? After all, your disciple is a useless person with very poor cultivation, so as the master, you have to protect him. Senior Brother Yuanbao said you have many treasures, so just give your disciple ten or so items."

Faced with Bai Xiaobai's outrageous demands, Shen Ji gave her a warm and welcoming smile.

"I do have many treasures, but none of them are what you're looking for. So, regarding the sect's minor competition, you'll have to rely on yourself. Little Bai, you must always remember, it's better to rely on yourself than on others."