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

Shen Ji stood to the side, and when he heard Bai Xiaobai's question, he smiled and replied with a faint "Yes".

As soon as the word was uttered, Bai Xiaobai's eyebrows suddenly lifted, her mouth opened into a small "O" shape, and even her breathing slowed down by half a beat.

She was incredulous and stammered as she spoke.

"But...but everyone says that the divine beast race is just a legend, how could Xiao Qi be...how could he be an ancient divine beast? Oh no, this disciple...this disciple actually wanted to try roasted crocodile meat before."

After she finished speaking, she gave an awkward smile, her chubby face bearing a fawning smile, and moved her little feet closer to Xiao Qi.

"That Little Seven, no, no, Ancestor, it was Little Bai who was blind and didn't recognize your true nature. I'm so sorry for offending you. I hope you won't hold it against me."

Bai Xiaobai smiled ingratiatingly, tugged at Xiao Qi's sleeve, and blinked her big eyes incessantly.

Xiao Qi was used to Bai Xiaobai angrily calling her "Big Crocodile, Stinky Crocodile," and she was also used to seeing Bai Xiaobai drooling over her whenever her owner was grilling meat.

But I've never seen her so cautious and appreciative, even to the point of trying to please.

He felt a little out of place and scratched the back of his head, somewhat at a loss.

"Hey Xiaobai, I'm not some kind of ancestor. I'm only about seven hundred years old, and I'm not even an adult yet. Also, I'm more used to your previous attitude. I'm a little scared of you now."

After hearing Xiao Qi's words, Bai Xiaobai's soft and sweet face immediately lit up with a deliberately obedient smile.

It seems our ancestor was quite magnanimous and didn't hold her previous rudeness against her.

But there were still many things she didn't understand. For example, why hadn't anyone discovered Xiao Qi hiding in the back mountains of Xiaoyao Peak all these years? And since he'd been hiding for so many years, why bring him back to Xiaoyao Peak now?

If someone discovers that the mythical beast that has long been hidden from the world has reappeared, wouldn't Xiao Qi be in great danger?

"But Master, everyone says that ancient divine beasts are an immense opportunity for cultivators, and countless powerful figures have spent their entire lives searching for their traces. Little Qi... he's been hiding in the back mountain for so many years, hasn't anyone discovered him? And the Supreme Elders are Nascent Soul stage experts, didn't they notice Little Qi's existence? Now that he's come out of the mountain, what if his aura is leaked? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ji's gaze darkened slightly, and he slowly said, "After the ancient war, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth withered, and the Great Dao was incomplete. The bloodlines of divine beasts were unwilling to be bound by the shackles of the mortal world and the Heavenly Dao, so they all returned to the Void Secret Realm and remained secluded. Xiao Qi was someone I met by chance. Ordinary cultivators with mortal eyes naturally could not recognize his true form."

Bai Xiaobai nodded thoughtfully.

But for some reason, she always felt that her master was hiding something.

Wasn't it said that the ancient mythical beasts had gone into seclusion? How could he have run into them by such a coincidence?

However, what she was more curious about was that Changling actually knew Xiaoqi's background. Moreover, her master had kept Changling behind and told her about Xiaoqi's origins. Wasn't he afraid that Changling, this unconventional and broken sword, would reveal the truth?

Changling could naturally guess what Bai Xiaobai was thinking.

"Don't worry, Xiao Qi is quite to my liking, and I won't reveal his identity. As for you, remember to watch your mouth. Once the news of the ancient divine beast's appearance is leaked, it will inevitably attract various forces to fight over it. At that time, not only Xiao Qi, but even the entire Qingxiao Sect may face annihilation."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaobai gasped.

"Are ancient mythical beasts so sought after? Master, perhaps we should let Xiao Qi continue hiding in the back mountain. If we're discovered by someone with ill intentions, wouldn't we all be in danger?"

Seeing Bai Xiaobai frowning with worry on her face, Shen Ji smiled and said.

"Don't worry, Xiao Qi's aura is protected by a barrier and won't be easily leaked."

Hearing what Shen Ji said, Bai Xiaobai nodded in relief.

They said their master looked calm, but it turned out he was concealing his aura.

Xiao Qi, who was standing to the side, had no time to pay attention to their conversation. He was now preoccupied with how to make Bai Xiaobai stronger as soon as possible so that his master could leave this place sooner.

Now that his identity has been clarified, there's no need to delay any longer.

"Little White, let's hurry up and practice. Didn't you say you were going to participate in the competition? I'll practice with you some more."

As soon as Xiao Qi finished speaking, she saw Shen Ji stretch.

"Alright, now that you know Xiao Qi's identity, you should know what to do in the future. I'm sleepy, go do what you need to do."

Upon hearing the word "cultivation," Bai Xiaobai felt a complete headache coming on and instinctively tried to run away.

What a joke! She was chased and killed by Xiao Qi in the back mountains for almost half a month. Her legs were practically worn thin from running, and she's only just returned to Xiaoyao Peak, and now she's already back to cultivating.

Moreover, Xiao Qi is a Nascent Soul expert. If he accidentally slips up, will my life still be saved?

Just as she was about to make a quick getaway, Xiao Qi grabbed her by the collar.

"Sword Spirit Sister is very powerful. If you can work well together, you will definitely be able to unleash power beyond your own abilities. Little White, you must not slack off on your cultivation journey. I will be keeping an eye on you from now on."

Upon hearing what Xiao Qi said, Chang Ling did not refute it, but instead nodded.

"Xiao Qi is right. Otherwise, if you lose in the sect competition, wouldn't my reputation as the Divine Sword be ruined by you? For the sake of Xiao Qi and Xiao Tiantian, I, Jian Jiu, will reluctantly cooperate with you."

Bai Xiaobai seemed to have her neck held by fate, unable to struggle free at all.

She looked to Shen Ji for help, but only received a nonchalant back view from her master.

In the end, all one could do was look up to the sky and sigh in despair.

"Heavens above, please open your eyes! Let me at least catch my breath. How can cultivation be done like this? Ancestor, have pity on your little snake, a descendant of a collateral branch. This snake is really tired and wants to rest. How about we continue cultivating tomorrow? Besides, cultivation is about perseverance, there's no need to rush."

Xiaoqi remained unmoved and even gave her a long and earnest explanation.

"Little White, actually, the Spirit Realm isn't really a branch of our divine beast race. It's just a group that obtained a little bit of the power of divine beast bloodline. So I'm not the ancestor you're talking about, you should just call me Little Seven."

Xiao Qi's words earned her a cold snort from Bai Xiaobai.

"Hmph, so what if you're a divine beast? Who wants to be a branch of yours? Besides, we don't have your accent in the Spirit Realm."

Xiaoqi knew she couldn't argue with her, so she stopped talking and just kept dragging her along.

Bai Xiaobai knew that throwing a tantrum wouldn't work on Xiao Qi, because those tricks had already been exhausted back in the back mountain.

So what other methods are there to temporarily free her from Xiao Qi's "poisonous clutches"?

Thinking of her master's tone just now, he must already know that she and her senior brothers and sisters planned to use betting to earn spirit stones in the sect's minor competition.

However, simply placing bets may not yield the spirit stones you expect.

Bai Xiaobai's dark eyes darted around, and a sly smile silently crept onto her lips.

"Xiao Qi, I've thought of a special cultivation method. Shall we give it a try?"