Lu Qianqian sat alone under the tree, waiting for her classmates to return at noon. Perhaps some students wouldn't make it back, dying in their trials, but there was nothing she could do. To become strong, someone had to pay the price with their life.
Just as Zhou Hong was about to descend to playfully startle Lu Qianqian from behind, Lu Qianqian unexpectedly stripped off her clothes and jumped into a nearby small pond. She was actually bathing in the pool.
Lu Qianqian thought everyone else was out on trials and she was alone. Little did she know, someone was hiding in the treetops nearby. With Zhou Hong's current strength, Lu Qianqian couldn't possibly detect him.
Zhou Hong felt speechless. He had intended to go down, but now it was awkward.
Helplessly, Zhou Hong could only continue hiding in the tree, waiting for Lu Qianqian to finish her bath and get dressed before descending.
Unfortunately, Lu Qianqian seemed in no hurry to get out of the water, seemingly scrubbing herself. It appeared she hadn't bathed in a while.
Zhou Hong stood on the tree, perfectly positioned, making for an awkward spectacle.
"Damn Zhou Hong, useless Zhou Hong," Lu Qianqian muttered, slapping the water surface.
Hearing Lu Qianqian curse him, Zhou Hong was utterly bewildered. Had she gone mad? He really wanted to go down and teach her a lesson.
But in the end, he suppressed his impulse. Zhou Hong wasn't interested in Lu Qianqian at the moment. In his heart, he was more drawn to Long Xuan of the Supreme Guardian Circle. If Zhou Hong were to get involved with Lu Qianqian, and they were both at the same Primordial Academy, then Long Xuan would certainly not interfere with his relationship with Lu Qianqian.
Thus, after more than half an hour, Lu Qianqian finally emerged from the water. Bathed in sunlight, her beautiful figure was laid bare. Zhou Hong couldn't help but swallow.
After Lu Qianqian was dressed, Zhou Hong finally came down.
"Is anyone here?" Zhou Hong shouted deliberately.
"Who," Lu Qianqian rushed forward.
"Instructor Lu, are you all still out here training? I thought you had returned," Zhou Hong said with a smile.
"Zhou Hong, why are you here? Didn't you run in another direction?" Lu Qianqian asked, full of doubt.
"Yes, at the time, I felt a strong presence tracking me, so to avoid implicating everyone, I had to take a different route."
"Are you alright now?"
"Don't worry, not only am I fine, but I also gained some opportunities and broke through." As Zhou Hong spoke, he released his aura. Lu Qianqian immediately sensed the immense mountain-like pressure emanating from him, her pupils constricting in disbelief.
"What realm are you in?" Lu Qianqian asked urgently.
"Early stage of Nascent Soul separation."
"How is that possible? In less than six days, how did you go from the middle stage of Nascent Soul to the early stage of Nascent Soul separation?" Lu Qianqian couldn't believe it. It had only been six days since Zhou Hong left with them.
"Haha, it's that real," Zhou Hong laughed heartily.
"My heavens, what exactly happened to you?" Lu Qianqian pressed, eager for details. Zhou Hong only gave a vague explanation, omitting any mention of the Zhang family, only saying he had encountered some fortuitous encounters.
"Zhou Hong, your cultivation is progressing too fast. If this continues, you really won't have any friends," Lu Qianqian said playfully.
"It doesn't matter. Those who envy me are never true friends."
"Zhou Hong, I must say, you are the man I admire the most." Lu Qianqian blushed. Seeing Zhou Hong again, the desire to possess him surged within her.
"Haha," Zhou Hong didn't respond but merely chuckled.
"Zhou Hong, there's something I still want to say." Lu Qianqian looked at Zhou Hong with a hint of grievance. She had wanted to confess before, but then Long Xuan suddenly appeared. Now, she wanted to try again, even if Zhou Hong rejected her, she wouldn't have any regrets.
"What is it?"
"I like you." Lu Qianqian stated directly.
"Uh!" Zhou Hong had expected something important, but it turned out to be this.
Zhou Hong had known for a long time that Lu Qianqian liked him. She hadn't said it to his face before, but now that she had, Zhou Hong felt a bit flustered.
"Instructor Lu, you are my instructor. We can't disrupt the hierarchy," Zhou Hong said with a subtle laugh.
"I don't care about hierarchy. I just like you. I want to be your girlfriend, can I?" Lu Qianqian couldn't control herself, wanting to throw herself into Zhou Hong's arms and feel his tenderness.
"Ahem!" Zhou Hong coughed awkwardly, his refusal evident.
"Zhou Hong, the reason you're rejecting me must be because of that Long Xuan, right? You're afraid that if you accept me, Long Xuan will find out and won't interfere with our relationship. Correct?" Lu Qianqian, being quite intelligent, had already guessed it.
"Instructor Lu, then let's be honest. I do indeed have feelings for senior Long Xuan."
Tears welled up in Lu Qianqian's eyes. Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed, a pain akin to heartbreak.
"I understand. The reason I confessed is simply so I wouldn't have any regrets. Now that I've said it, I feel better, and I won't regret it when I look back in the future," Lu Qianqian said, crying.
Zhou Hong felt a pang of guilt, but after some thought, he hardened his heart. On the path of cultivation, one didn't need too many women. Besides, he was past the age of frivolous romance. Thus, he ultimately said nothing more.
"Instructor Lu, you will find a better cultivation partner than me."
"Heh, I'm not interested. I'll never find one in this lifetime. I'll just focus on my cultivation. It's not worth wasting emotions on trivial matters," Lu Qianqian said stubbornly, unsure if she had truly come to terms with it or was just acting out of spite.
"Indeed, on the path of cultivation, romance is a waste of time. To be honest, in my hometown, there are ten beautiful women like you."
"No wonder you're not attracted to my beauty. Then why is Long Xuan able to attract you?" Lu Qianqian asked, unwilling to accept it.
"I don't know. Perhaps it's an ethereal aura she possesses, as if she doesn't belong to this mortal world."
"I see." Lu Qianqian no longer wanted to face Zhou Hong and turned to walk away.
"Instructor Lu, cultivate diligently! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the future," Zhou Hong called out.
"Okay." Lu Qianqian didn't look back, a bitter smile on her lips. Her own student had now surpassed her.
"Then I'll return to the Primordial Academy first," Zhou Hong said.
"Mm." At that moment, Lu Qianqian also felt an urgent desire to become powerful.
"Zhou Hong, just you wait. I'm not necessarily worse than Long Xuan." Finally, Lu Qianqian had found a goal to strive for.
She had to admit that her choice to remain as an instructor at the Primordial Academy after graduation was a relatively passive way of cultivating. Upon her return, she no longer wanted to be an instructor. She intended to apply to join the Primordial Academy's guardian team, a team legendary for its high mortality rate.