“What do you mean?” Xie Xie eyed her with suspicion.

  Gu Yue said, “I guess you can be considered a male.”


  His voice held a flurry of annoyance. “Are you saying you treated me like I was a girl before?”


  Gu Yue giggled, a glint to her eyes. “You can take it however you want.”


  Then, Xu Xiaoyan approached Xie Xie and latched on to his arm. “So we’re actually a group of sisters! I wouldn’t have known if big sis Gu Yue didn’t tell me.”


  He rolled his eyes in exasperation, lips pinched as he wrested his arm free. “You girls are always bullying me! I bet you don’t have what it takes to mess with Wulin. Oh, whatever. I’m hungry now. You two guard him while I get some breakfast. Do you want me to bring anything back?”


  Gu Yue nodded. “I want meat, steamed buns, juice, and yogurt. Oh right, some vegetables too.”


  Xu Xiaoyan counted on her fingers as she said, “I want some bread, jam, yogurt, and a fried egg. Actually, make that two. Yeah, I’m still growing after all.”


  Xie Xie said, “Yeah, growing as round as a fried egg!” He knew enough to run off after his snarky comment, escaping before Xu Xiaoyan had the chance to erupt.

  Not long after his getaway, there was a knock on the door.

  “He’s back so quickly?” Xu Xiaoyan mumbled as she walked to the door. However, when she opened the door, the person outside was the white-haired lady from yesterday rather than her teammate.

  “Oh, it’s you. Auntie, where’s Teacher Wu?” Xu Xiaoyan asked.

  Shen Yi entered the room. “Your teacher is fine. He’s just taking care of some matters for you all at the academy right now. Has your captain awakened yet?”


  Xu Xiaoyan shook her head. “Not yet.”


  A sigh escaped Shen Yi’s lips. “Then all we can do is wait. When he’s conscious, I’ll bring you all over.”


  Confused, Xu Xiaoyan asked, “You’re bringing us over? But it’s already too late!”


  Shen Yi wore a faint smile as she tousled Xu Xiaoyan’s hair, the same way Wu Zhangkong had done with hers the day before. “Don’t worry about it. Your teacher has already settled things. Your tests might be a bit harder, but you still have one last chance. We’ll depart once your captain is awake.”


  “Really? That’s awesome! Teacher Wu is the best!” Xu Xiaoyan bounced with joy.

  Although they had sacrificed the test for Tang Wulin, having both was still the best! Missing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would have been a tragedy!

  Gu Yue stared at Shen Yi in surprise. She hadn’t expected a second chance and it was as if a heavy mountain had been lifted off of her.

  ☀

  In the washroom.

  Tang Wulin remained soaking in the bathtub. The water had lost some of its heat, but was still lukewarm.

  Golden mist gathered in the air, shrouding his body in a radiant haze.

  “Have I succeeded?” Inside of his spiritual world, Tang Wulin found himself in the mystical hall once more.

  Compared to the first seal, the second one was much easier to break. After the initial sensation of being boiled alive, he grew accustomed to the pain, feeling his blood rampage through his body as the latter transformed. From then on, the process was painless.

  Later, a mysterious sensation filled him.

  Just like the first time, his senses had dulled to the point where comprehending the situation was fruitless. The only thing he could make out was the shattering of something within his body, the jaws of danger closing in on him.

  During the breaking of the first seal, he had endured unspeakable pain, as if his entire body was on the brink of explosion, so much so that death would have been a sweet release.

  This time, however, things were different. While he had felt something fill his body, he did not feel like bursting at the seams. Any semblance of pain had been a hollow image of itself.

  “That’s right, you’ve succeeded.” Old Tang said, chock-full of satisfaction.

  Old Tang appeared near him in a flash of light, his body clearer and more human-like than before.

  Old Tang smiled. “How do you feel?”


  Tang Wulin said, “Good. It wasn’t as painful as the first time.”


  Old Tang said, “That’s because you’re more prepared this time. Both your body and soul power have made remarkable progress in the last three years, especially since your soul power is compressed by your new cultivation method. It has refined your meridians and increased the load that they can bear. You also found high-quality spirit items this time. All of these factors eased the process.”


  Tang Wulin rejoiced, “That’s great! I didn’t waste my time then. Old Tang, what changed with my body this time? I remember back then you said there would be a nice surprise for me!”


  “That’s right, there’s a surprise,” Old Tang said. “But you need to go experience it for yourself. I suggest you don’t worry about it for now and instead focus on breaking the third seal in the near future.”


  Tang Wulin laughed. “Isn’t the deadline when I’m twenty? I still have six years until then. That’s plenty of time to prepare.”


  Old Tang seemed to arch a brow. “Who said the deadline is twenty years old for the third seal?”


  Tang Wulin stared back deadpan. “But isn’t it? The deadline should be five years apart, and I’ve broken the second seal one year early! Five plus fifteen is twenty years old!”


  Old Tang shook his head. “No, that’s not how it’s calculated. Your next seal needs to be broken by the time you turn sixteen. In other words, you have three years left. Fifteen years old was the absolute latest for the second seal, and the earlier your break a seal, the easier the later seals are. The countdown for the next seal to be broken starts immediately after you’ve breaking the previous one. So, you have three years to prepare.”


  Tang Wulin stood dumbfounded. “Are you telling me the time between seals is going to continue shrinking?”


  Old Tang said, “That’s right. It shortens each time. You’ll be under a lot of pressure from now on.”


  This shocking revelation wiped the smile right off of Tang Wulin’s face. If the time shortens after each seal and there are eighteen seals…… then just how much time will I have for the later ones? And if I fail to destroy a seal, I’ll probably die!

  “What is the minimum amount of time I will have to break a seal in the future?”


  Old Tang said, “Your preparation time will shorten by three months each time. After the ninth seal, you will only have one year to prepare for each.”


  Tang Wulin let out a long sigh. One year per seal after the ninth seal? Can…… can I manage that?

  He may have broken two seals already, but only now did he realize how menacing they were.

  “I’ll tell you what you need for your next seal. But before that, let me remind you that the more your body and soul power progress in the next three years, the easier the unsealing. You will face a tribulation if you’re not prepared, and you might even……”


  Tang Wulin nodded in silence. He understood what Old Tang implied.

  Several spirit items popped into his mind. He first checked their prefixes, and was relieved to discover that they were thousand-year spirit items. If they were ten-thousand-year items, he would have just given up right then and there.