"Master, I want to become stronger so I can protect the sect!" Hong Qianye declared earnestly.
"It's fine, the sect has me," Ye Junlin replied lazily.
"Well, then I want to grow stronger too! I want to help my Master!"
"Forget it."
"..."
Hong Qianye clenched his fists, realizing Ye Junlin was deliberately keeping him out, preferring to send mediocre disciples instead of granting him the opportunity.
Damn it… You're just afraid I'll surpass your cultivation!
He seethed inwardly.
"Master, since Senior Brother Hong wants to go so badly, just let him. I can handle things here with Mouse!" Bai Xiaoxi suddenly chimed in with a cheerful voice.
Ye Junlin sighed. "I'm worried you won't be able to manage on your own."
"It's fine! I'll leave it to Mouse!"
After a moment of thought, Ye Junlin cleared his throat. "Alright then. I'll allow you to enter the sundial."
The sundial's capacity was extremely limited, and opening it demanded an immense amount of resources. It wasn't something to be taken lightly.
Most importantly, Ye Junlin didn't want to lose such a reliable labor source.
But with Bai Xiaoxi stepping up, he could let it slide.
"Thank you, Master!" Hong Qianye said, his heart surging with excitement.
"Why are you thanking me? You should be thanking your junior brother," Ye Junlin reminded pointedly.
Hong Qianye stood up and clasped his hands respectfully toward Bai Xiaoxi. "Thank you, Junior Brother, for speaking up for me!"
"Hehe."
Bai Xiaoxi scratched her cheek bashfully.
Then, without another word, Hong Qianye turned and left.
A cold, ambitious smile tugged at his lips.
Just wait. The day I emerge from training will be the day you bow before me, Ye Junlin!
Ye Junlin watched him go, shaking his head with a faint, dismissive smile.
He knew exactly what that schemer was thinking.
Desperate to grow stronger and stage a grand comeback.
But what of it?
The stronger Hong Qianye became, the stronger Ye Junlin would be.
There was nothing to fear.
---
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaoxi happily picked up a cup of milk tea and took a long, contented sip.
"Mouse finally brewed fifty new cups of tea! Which one should I reward myself with? Ooh, this Herbal Jelly one looks good!"
"Xiaoxi, come here and let your Master give you a pat."
"Okay~"
At just over a meter tall, the white-haired Mouse eagerly bounded over.
Ye Junlin reached out and patted her head, chuckling to himself.
"Others pet cats, but here I am patting a mouse."
"Cat?! Where?!" Bai Xiaoxi yelped, darting her head around in exaggerated alarm. "Mouse is terrified of cats!"
Ye Junlin laughed. "With your immortal physique and army of alien subordinates, what's there to be afraid of?"
By all logic, someone with her talent and backing should be unrivaled.
"Mouse is still scared!" Bai Xiaoxi confessed, scratching her head.
Ye Junlin rubbed his chin. "Why haven't you gone to train at the sundial? A hundred years in there is only a day out here."
"Mouse doesn't want to. Even if it's one day, it would mean a hundred years without seeing Master. That would make Mouse sad!"
"Besides, training is boring. Eating good food with Master is way better!"
Ye Junlin burst into laughter.
This silly Mouse really fit his style.
Unlike that scheming Hong Qianye, always plotting to overthrow him.
"Oh, by the way…"
Ye Junlin suddenly recalled something.
"Isn't it said that once a demon reaches the Transformation Stage, they can assume human form? How come I've never seen you transform?"
He didn't really care, but curiosity had finally gotten the better of him.
Bai Xiaoxi blinked. "Mouse forgot…"
She'd maintained her beast form all this time, rapidly climbing in strength without ever bothering to attempt a transformation.
"Then go on — transform now."
Ye Junlin gave a wry smile, realizing just how absentminded she truly was.
"Okay!"
Obediently, Bai Xiaoxi stood upright.
A soft milky white glow enveloped her body.
Within the light, a petite silhouette slowly took shape.
Ye Junlin casually took a sip of milk tea… and the next second, spewed it out in shock.
"W-What the hell is this?!"
A delicate, petite figure with skin as fair as milk, slender legs, and an air of youthful innocence…
Yet atop that body sat a mouse's head, with big beady eyes and a nervous little voice.
"Does Mouse look ugly…?" Bai Xiaoxi asked anxiously.
Ye Junlin's face twitched.
Ugly? That was an understatement.
By human standards, this was downright terrifying!
A perfect little girl's figure paired with a mouse's head?
It was the stuff of nightmares.
"Xiaoxi… are you messing with me on purpose?" Ye Junlin asked through gritted teeth.
"Absolutely not! Mouse has been working so hard to change!" Bai Xiaoxi waved her tiny hands frantically.
Then, looking aggrieved, she lowered her head.
"But for some reason, this is all I can manage. Mouse feels so wronged…"
Ye Junlin sighed.
It seemed his oddball disciple was genuinely a little slow.
"No, it's fine… Just transform back," he said, rubbing his temples.
At this rate, it was better to leave her in her beast form.
"Okay!"
Bai Xiaoxi clenched her tiny fists and inhaled deeply.
Half a stick of incense later, crows circled in the sky.
"Hurry up and turn back already!" Ye Junlin roared in frustration.
"Master, Mouse can't… I think I got stuck."
Ye Junlin: "!!!"
Was this a mouse or a pig?!
This level of intelligence was infuriating.
"Don't worry, Master! Mouse will practice these next few days and definitely manage it soon!"
"Yeah, yeah, do your best," Ye Junlin waved his hand weakly.
He felt drained.
He should never have started this.
Who knew the outcome would be this absurd?
"Master, do you want to keep petting Mouse?" Bai Xiaoxi leaned in eagerly, her bright eyes sparkling.
Ye Junlin looked at the bizarre creature before him — a loli's body with a mouse's head — and instantly lost his appetite for milk tea.
"Scram! I need some peace."
"Ah…"
Bai Xiaoxi looked crushed, and scurried off to the lake to study her reflection.
She scratched her mouse head in confusion.
"Strange… this doesn't look bad, does it?"
—
In the days that followed, Ye Junlin could only resign himself to accepting Bai Xiaoxi's bizarre appearance.
Whatever. The more you look, the more unique it gets.
He tried to console himself.
Meanwhile, the entire Eastern Domain was thrown into chaos.
Countless cultivators looked up in horror as sky-filling warships blotted out the sun, an unstoppable force of power and grandeur, making a beeline for the Arid Province.
Their target? Xuantian Sect!
There was no doubt about it — an unprecedented, once-in-an-era war was about to erupt!
---