Time flew by like a white steed, and it had been over a year since I arrived in Nuoding City.
Ye Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes and picked up Xiao Wu's small mirror next to him.
"Finally... finally, two tomoe!" A smile that Ye Qiu couldn't suppress spread across his lips, and he couldn't help but marvel at how useful Mysterious Heaven Skill and Purple Demon Eye were.
With the further evolution of his Sharingan, his spirit power had increased from level 6 to level 8, and his cultivation speed had reached the level of innate spirit power rank seven.
His cultivation speed would only get faster from now on.
He glanced at Xiao Wu, who was still sound asleep, and then at Tang San's empty bed.
Ye Qiu also tied the black silk cloth back over his eyes, quickly got out of bed, for the morning purple qi was not to be missed, as it could greatly enhance the cultivation speed of Purple Demon Eye.
Over this past year, he had lived a very fulfilling life every day.
In the morning, when the sun first rose, after Tang San left, he would also follow, secretly cultivating Purple Demon Eye.
He listened attentively to classes in the morning; without a good teacher, he could only listen well, as he was still very lacking in some knowledge about Spirit Masters.
He wasn't worried about Spirit Beasts; with a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast by his side, asking questions from time to time was very beneficial.
In the afternoon, he worked as a carving apprentice. With the enhancement of his Sharingan, his carving works had already gained some fame, and he even had his own small private workspace.
Evenings were spent cultivating diligently, or accompanying Xiao Wu for a stroll, or sparring.
Ever since Tang San obtained his spirit ring, and Xiao Wu and Tang San defeated Xiao Chenyu's group, Xiao Wu had become the big sister of Notting College!
To ensure Ye Qiu could play with her longer, she even assigned his college duties to others.
Passing by Xiao Wu's bed, he tidied the quilt she had kicked off.
Coming outside, he found his usual tree branch, first scanned the surroundings with his Sharingan to make sure no one was around, then began to cultivate.
The morning sun was rising, and wisps of purple qi surged from the east.
He uncovered the black silk from his eyes; his black pupils turned blood-red, and two black tomoe slowly rotated, with a purple hue appearing in the center of the tomoe's black pupils.
Perhaps influenced by Purple Demon Eye, when he activated his Sharingan, the black pupils between the tomoe also turned purple, and even gained the ability of X-ray vision when he concentrated!
Regarding this change, Ye Qiu could only attribute it to a mutation of his Spirit. As for whether this mutation was good or bad...
Hmm... there were quite a few benefits, it just became increasingly unconventional. It would be better not to mention this ability, as it could easily lead to misunderstandings.
The purple qi existed for a short time, and Ye Qiu quickly finished his cultivation. By the time he returned, Xiao Wu had already woken up.
"Little Qiu~" As soon as the dormitory door opened, a delicate figure rushed in, crashing into his arms.
"Xiao Wu, how many times have I told you, girls should be more reserved!" Ye Qiu helplessly tried to push her away.
"I know, I know."
...Ye Qiu looked at her speechlessly. A rabbit's mouth was a liar's ghost; she said she knew, but hugged him even tighter.
"Oh, Little San, you're back too." Xiao Wu looked at Tang San at the doorway and let go of Ye Qiu.
"Xiao Wu, good morning!" Tang San smiled and waved at Xiao Wu. "And... Ye Qiu."
When he looked at Ye Qiu, Tang San's expression was a bit stiff and unnatural; he was already showing signs of treating Ye Qiu as a love rival.
Fortunately, Ye Qiu didn't care much about this. Ever since he copied Tang San's cultivation method, he had anticipated that once exposed, it would definitely be a life-or-death drama.
The concept of the Sect was deeply ingrained in Tang San's bones.
However, as a classmate and also a roommate, Ye Qiu was always polite to him, nodding his head to show respect.
"You're back just in time, let's go to class together." Xiao Wu grabbed Ye Qiu's hand, ready to leave.
"No! I still have something to do." Ye Qiu smiled apologetically, pulling his hand away to refuse.
"Why do you always have something to do?" She stomped her foot angrily, showing her dissatisfaction with Ye Qiu's behavior, not understanding why he wouldn't spend more time with her.
"Ye Qiu, if you have any difficulties, you can tell me, maybe I can help!" The polite Young Master Tang's eyes lit up! He also extended a helping hand to Ye Qiu.
"If you two can help, I'd certainly be happy, but cultivation is ultimately one's own business." Ye Qiu's face fell, his brows furrowed, and a look of worry appeared. He added, "You two are almost at level twenty, and I haven't even reached level ten. Of course, I have to work twice as hard to cultivate."
"Xiao Wu Jie can protect you!" Xiao Wu said.
Ye Qiu was unfazed by the silly rabbit's words, but Tang San's words almost made him lose his composure.
"I can protect you with Xiao Wu." Tang San's voice grew softer and softer, as if he himself wasn't sure.
Ye Qiu inwardly exclaimed, 'Good heavens, when did Tang San start having such thoughts?'
"No need to say more, you two go to class!" He turned and waved, skillfully walking away.
In fact, Ye Qiu would say something like this every month or so, constantly putting his weaknesses on display.
The purpose of doing this was simply to reassure Tang San that he was unworthy of Xiao Wu, and that Tang San still had a chance;
And to reassure Tang Hao, who was in the shadows, that he was unworthy of a Ten Thousand Year spirit ring, and had no competitiveness compared to his son.
Surely, the father and son wouldn't be so narrow-minded as to not tolerate a 'waste' who hadn't even reached level ten, right?
Ye Qiu's back slowly faded into the distance.
Xiao Wu looked at Ye Qiu, and Tang San looked at Xiao Wu.
The time when Tang San realized his feelings was completely different from the original novel. Perhaps this was the so-called 'what you can't have always causes a stir.'
After more than a year of getting along, Tang San felt that Xiao Wu was the person he could protect for a lifetime.
He didn't understand why Xiao Wu always clung to that guy Ye Qiu. Ye Qiu was so ordinary, yet so confident, and he was clearly so much more outstanding than Ye Qiu.
However, he wouldn't give up. With Ye Qiu's talent, the distance between him and Xiao Wu would only grow wider.
Understanding this, Tang San suddenly felt his spirit power was about to break through. If Ye Qiu knew, he would definitely exclaim, 'As expected of the protagonist!'
"Xiao Wu, let's go to class!" Tang San's words brought Xiao Wu back to reality.
"Mm, let's go! Ignore that guy."
"Ah? Okay, okay..."
Hearing this, Tang San's heart was filled with joy. He nodded repeatedly, quickened his steps to walk beside her, and looked at Xiao Wu's profile, a rather awkward smile appearing on his face, which was a bit tanned from years of blacksmithing.
He was completely unaware that 'ignore him' was just Xiao Wu's catchphrase for Ye Qiu; whenever she saw Ye Qiu, she couldn't help but stick to him.
Meanwhile, Ye Qiu, who had already left Notting College, was now on the street, heading towards a ore shop.
'That silly rabbit is truly naive. If her identity were exposed, it would be hard to say who would protect whom!'
Ye Qiu gave a bitter smile, feeling immense pressure. Being at level eight, he also needed to make some preparations for his first spirit ring.
A quarter of an hour later, he finally arrived at his destination and approached the boss, who was currently unloading goods.
"Boss, do you have the saltpeter I asked for last time?"
"Hmm? It's you, little brother! Yes, yes, I do. Come with me." He still had a strong impression of Ye Qiu, this strange customer. At first, there was a misunderstanding, thinking Ye Qiu was blind.
After all, what normal person would tie a black silk cloth over their eyes?
Ye Qiu: I am a normal person, it's just that these eyes are not normal eyes.