Dong Qianqiu stared at the luxurious villa before her, utterly astonished. Like a girl born and raised in the countryside, she looked around curiously, her eyes darting left and right.
"Don't just stand there. Let's go."
"Oh, oh!"
Hearing Gu Xun's voice, Dong Qianqiu immediately caught up with him, and the two entered the villa together.
Inside, numerous servants greeted Gu Xun the moment they saw him, treating Dong Qianqiu with unfamiliar respect.
"Do you live here?"
Dong Qianqiu stared at the opulent decor, unable to fathom the cost. Gu Xun's reply stunned her even more.
"No."
"Huh? Isn't this your home?"
Dong Qianqiu paused, then looked at Gu Xun and asked. Gu Xun answered after a moment.
"It's just a house. Come on, I'll take you to my place."
Gu Xun led Dong Qianqiu upstairs, where Dong Qianqiu spotted a blue floating anchor point adorned with white decorations.
"What's this?"
"A teleportation anchor. I'll show you how to use it."
Gu Xun extended his hand toward Dong Qianqiu. Dong Qianqiu hesitated, but eventually placed her hand on it.
"The teleportation permission is yours. You just need to do this."
Gu Xun spoke as he guided Dong Qianqiu's hand onto the teleportation anchor. A map pop-up appeared before Dong Qianqiu.
"This is... a star map!"
Dong Qianqiu's beautiful eyes widened instantly, her expression filled with disbelief. She then noticed two anchor points within Heaven Dou Planet—one for herself and one for the academy.
Gu Xun held Dong Qianqiu's small hand as he tapped the map, explaining as he went:
"Tap the bottom right corner to switch maps. The cross in the top right is to exit."
Watching Gu Xun manipulate the map with her hand, Dong Qianqiu finally saw the Heaven Dou Star map shift, revealing two markers.
One marked Heaven Dou Planet, the other Elf Planet. Still holding her hand, Gu Xun tapped Elf Planet.
The Elf Planet came into view. When the glowing anchor points appeared, one marked the Elf Tribe, and the other marked the border between the Elf Tribe and the entrance to the Spiirit Beast Paradise.
The final anchor point was deep within the Spirit Beast Paradise, the location of Gu Xun's lakeside cottage estate.
"This is where I live. Try using the teleportation,"
Gu Xun pointed to the teleportation anchor deep within the Spirit Beast Paradise. Dong Qianqiu watched with wide-eyed wonder.
"Such advanced teleportation technology—cross-planetary travel!"
Dong Qianqiu tapped the anchor. A confirmation pop-up appeared, and she clicked to proceed.
A flash of white light erupted. When Dong Qianqiu's vision cleared, a colossal lightning rod towered before her.
An ancient golden tree, a wooden cottage villa, and the Lake of Life, pulsing with potent vitality energy.
"Forest... lake water..."
Dong Qianqiu gazed curiously at the surrounding scenery. She never imagined escaping the clamor of the city to this tranquil forest would take merely an instant. This was incredible.
"This is where I live. Come on in."
Gu Xun's sudden appearance startled Dong Qianqiu, who then followed him into the wooden cottage.
Though made of wood, the cottage was no less spacious than any brick house, constructed with premium materials by the Demon King himself.
"Such rich life energy... so comfortable."
Dong Qianqiu moaned softly in bliss as the life energy flooded her senses. She could feel her cultivation progress accelerating dramatically in this environment.
"How do you like my place?"
Gu Xun observed Dong Qianqiu reveling in the dense life force and asked.
"It's wonderful. So peaceful—like a hidden paradise."
"There's a house, a forest, and a lake—with fish swimming in it."
Dong Qianqiu crouched on the fishing platform where Gu Xun often sat, gazing at the numerous fish below.
Each fish was plump and succulent, looking utterly delicious. Dong Qianqiu seemed deeply enamored with this natural environment.
Arriving on Elf Planet felt like returning home to Dong Qianqiu. That sense of familiarity brought him immense joy.
"Glad you like it. Paopao's in here too."
Gu Xun whistled, and a Demon Spirit Great White Shark King about thirty centimeters long appeared.
It was Paopao. Possessing the bloodline of the Demon Spirit Great White Shark King, Paopao grew exceptionally fast.
Combined with its daily immersion in the lake's intensely vibrant life force and Gu Xun's regular feeding of spirit beast meat, the little white shark had reached the level of a ten-year-old spirit beast within just four months.
Most of the time, it was Bi Ji who cared for this Demon Spirit Great White Shark King, since Gu Xun was busy at the academy and had no time to tend to it.
Most of the time, it was Bi Ji who took care of this Demon Spirit Great White Shark King, since Gu Xun was busy at the academy and didn't have time to look after it.
After surfacing, Paopao glanced at Gu Xun then at Dong Qianqiu. Seeing this, Dong Qianqiu immediately reached out to pat Bubble's head.
Paopao felt a strong sense of familiarity toward Dong Qianqiu and didn't resist the touch.
Just then, Dong Qianqiu noticed a slightly darker mark on Paopao's right side.
"Is that... a birthmark?"
"Huh? Paopao has a birthmark?"
Gu Xun froze upon hearing this, then sat beside Dong Qianqiu and looked at Paopao too.
"This birthmark... feels so familiar..."
Dong Qianqiu stared at the slightly dark, indented mark on Paopao 's skin, her expression suddenly dazed.