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

Xiao Qi's longsword narrowly grazed Bai Xiaobai's scalp before striking a nearby boulder.

Watching the boulder split in two, Bai Xiaobai swallowed hard, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Upon seeing her master, she pouted, her eyes red-rimmed, looking utterly aggrieved.

"You're all bullying me, I'm not playing anymore, I want to go back to the spirit world."

Shen Ji condensed spiritual energy at his fingertips and pulled Bai Xiaobai, whose eyes were red, to his side.

A gentle smile still lingered on his lips.

"You really are childish. Cultivation comes at a great cost, and besides, the Spirit Lord and the others can't protect you forever. Little Bai, you need to understand this soon. Alright, you've worked hard these past few days. The sect's small competition is the day after tomorrow, so we should head back."

Thinking that he would finally be free from this hellish training, Bai Xiaobai couldn't wait a moment longer.

"Master, please leave quickly. I will never come to the back mountain again."

Shen Ji made a joke on purpose.

"Didn't you say you wanted to bring Xiao Qi along? Why don't we take him back to Xiaoyao Peak together? It's kind of lonely for him to stay alone in the back mountain."

Upon hearing that Xiao Qi was to be brought along, Bai Xiaobai shook her head frantically.

"No, I think this back mountain is quite suitable for him. Let him stay here and chop stones for the rest of his life."

After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to urge Shen Ji to stay silent.

"Master, let's hurry back. Our senior brothers and sisters must be getting impatient."

Xiaoqi remained silent, her head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.

In the past, he would never have suggested leaving the back mountain.

But ever since he learned of his master's thoughts, he had other ideas.

Seeing Xiao Qi bowing her head and remaining silent, Bai Xiaobai thought that her words had been a bit hurtful.

Moreover, although the training had been arduous, she had to admit that Xiao Qi was indeed a qualified and responsible sparring partner.

With him relentlessly and dutifully chasing and slashing at her, she's now incredibly fast at escaping.

How can this not be attributed to Xiao Qi as her sparring partner?

So before leaving, she felt she should at least thank her sparring partner, Xiao Qi.

She coughed lightly and reluctantly raised her small face, which didn't seem very sincere in her smile.

"That Xiao Qi, these days..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw that Xiao Qi seemed to have made up her mind, her eyes filled with determination.

"Master Shen, I want to leave the mountain and stay by your side."

After hearing what Xiao Qi said, Bai Xiaobai got angry.

This guy has been chasing me and hacking at me for over ten days, and now he wants to chase me all the way to Xiaoyao Peak.

How could she allow such a thing to happen?

Absolutely not.

"What are you doing following my master? My master is mine, you are not allowed to follow him."

Bai Xiaobai's soft, sweet voice suddenly rose in pitch, causing Shen Ji's smile to widen.

But this...

However, despite her seemingly aggressive demeanor, she was actually quite intimidating.

Because Xiao Qi didn't even glance at her.

Instead, she looked up at the ethereal man before her with expectant eyes, her clear, spring-like eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Bai Xiaobai, who was completely ignored, frowned and glared angrily at Xiao Qi.

"You're not a disciple of our Free and Unfettered Peak. How are we supposed to explain taking you out like this? Are we going to tell everyone that there's a giant crocodile that can transform into human form hiding in the back mountains of Free and Unfettered Peak?"

Upon hearing what Xiaobai said, the expectant light in Xiaoqi's eyes slowly dimmed.

Because what Bai Xiaobai said was correct.

Since Shen Ji brought him to the Qingxiao Sect, he has indeed never allowed him to appear in public.

If they were to go out now, it would indeed cause considerable trouble for their owners.

Seeing the disappointment in Xiao Qi's eyes, Shen Ji smiled and asked Bai Xiaobai.

"Shouldn't we take him out? If anyone asks, just say it's your relative visiting you."

this......

Bai Xiaobai didn't know why her master would come up with such a lame excuse.

She's a snake, and Xiaoqi is a crocodile. They're clearly two different species, so how could they be related?

But since her master had spoken, she felt she should reluctantly accept it.

"Alright, since Master wants to take him along, then let him take him. Anyway, our Xiaoyao Peak already has snakes, tigers, and a sword, so it's not surprising that we have an extra crocodile."

Seeing that Bai Xiaobai agreed, Xiao Qi's clear, spring-like eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Thank you, Xiaobai. Don't worry, I won't chase after you to chop you up anymore."

Upon hearing Xiao Qi's words, Bai Xiaobai raised her chin, glanced at the person sideways, and slowly spoke.

"Remember what you said. If you dare to bully me again, I will have my master leave you in the back mountain forever."

At this moment, Bai Xiaobai was unaware that the decision she made today would give her a little monitor, Xiao Qi, to monitor her during her future cultivation journey.

Just as Shen Ji was "returning home" with Bai Xiaobai and Xiao Qi, Qin Yuan, Yuan Bao, and Mu Wan were being surrounded by a group of disciples from Yu Ling Peak.

"Junior Brother Qin, are you really going to go against us for the sake of a good-for-nothing?"

"I heard that Bai Xiaobai has already broken through to the first level of Qi Refining, but so what if he's only at the first level of Qi Refining? He still just relies on his senior brothers and sisters to bully others."

"That's right, Senior Brother Qin Yuan. If it weren't for the protection of your senior brothers and sisters from Xiaoyao Peak, how could Bai Xiaobai have bullied Junior Sister Lingxi? Now that Junior Sister Lingxi has been confined by the sect leader, she still has the nerve to participate in this year's sect competition. She's simply courting death."

"This year, it's not just our Qingxiao Sect disciples participating in the sect competition; there are disciples from other sects as well. You dare let Bai Xiaobai, who's only at the first level of Qi Refining, participate in the sect competition?"

"That's right, let your junior sister, who only knows how to bully others by relying on her senior brothers and sisters, forfeit the competition to avoid bringing shame to our Qingxiao Sect."

"..."

Qin Yuan and Yuan Bao, who were surrounded by the disciples of Yu Ling Peak, looked extremely pale.

During the time their master was guiding their junior sister in her cultivation, they had already registered her for the competition.

However, to this day, the name of their junior sister is still not on the announced list of participants.

That's why they came to find Elder Li of Yuling Peak, who was in charge of the registration.

But Elder Li had already entrusted this matter to his eldest disciple, Lin Yao.

So Qin Yuan and the other two came to Lin Yao again, asking to add their junior sister's name to the list.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yao deliberately made things difficult for him, not only refusing to add Bai Xiaobai's name, but also saying that Bai Xiaobai was just a good-for-nothing who abused his power by relying on his sect.

If it weren't for remembering his senior brother Ling Tian's instructions, Qin Yuan would have already taken action.

Although he was usually unserious, he couldn't tolerate others speaking ill of his junior sister.

The once dashing and debonair playboy now had an icy expression, and his tone was as if coated with frost, without a trace of his usual nonchalant smile.

"I'll say it one last time: Bai Xiaobai of Xiaoyao Peak will participate in this sect competition."