Protect Our Patriarch

---

Even Wang Liyao, with her pretty eyes wide open, was somewhat surprised as she watched the obsequious turtle.

She hadn't done anything at all, so what was this turtle up to?

However, having been accompanied by a Yuanshui Spirit Turtle since childhood, she was quite familiar with their temperament and body language. She knew that this young Yuanshui Spirit Turtle was very fond of her and was trying to please her.

Without hesitation, Wang Liyao reached out to pat its head, showing her affection in return.

This made "Miss Nine" even more excited, circling around Wang Liyao with glee. The turtle's nose kept sniffing, as if trying to permanently remember the scent of its future master.

Such a rich and pure scent of Yuanshui, my master is so amazing. Woohoo~ Ancestor was right, my chance has come. Its mouth opened and closed, emitting excited cooing noises.

Unfortunately, it was only a third-order Spirit Turtle and couldn't directly communicate with its master through speech. Beasts and spirit beasts, except for a few rare species, needed to reach the seventh order to speak human language. Of course, there were also special species that couldn't speak even at the seventh order.

Miss Nine's excitement and eagerness to please caused the surrounding onlookers to fall silent, as if shocked by this unbelievable scene.

What's going on? The usually proud and aloof Miss Nine, why has she suddenly changed her nature and is fawning over a human?

Especially Brother Lexian, beyond his astonishment, his face turned from green to white, as if the ice queen he had been courting for so long had suddenly thrown herself into someone else's arms, with such passionate fervor.

Before they could react.

The small pouch hanging from Wang Liyao's waist suddenly began to shake violently, as if something was trying to break free. She frowned slightly and gently tapped the pouch, whispering reassuringly, "Little Sparrow, be good, it's not convenient to let you out now. When we go back, I'll treat you to something delicious."

Unexpectedly.

The thing inside the pouch struggled even more fiercely, and faint squeaking noises could be heard.

With no other choice, Wang Liyao loosened the drawstring of the pouch, and suddenly a red bird's head poked out of the opening.

Its fluffy head was topped with two tufts of long red feathers, and its sparkling eyes, upon seeing Wang Liyao, began to squeak in protest, what did it mean to wait a bit longer?

If it had to wait any longer, I, the majestic Li Fire "God" Sparrow, would be upstaged by a stupid turtle.

Stupid turtle?

Yuanshui Spirit Turtle Miss Nine, whether she truly understood or just felt the other's hostility, immediately glared with her turtle eyes and stretched her neck, cooing angrily in response.

Naturally, this annoyed the Li Fire Sparrow, who screeched and burst out of the pouch, her body growing larger and larger until she became a huge bird over a meter long. Her entire body was covered in red feathers, like a dancing flame, and her tail fanned out like a fan.

The only slightly discordant note was that the Li Fire Sparrow, which should have been slender, was now a bit too round and plump.

"Chirp chirp, chirp chirp," the Li Fire Sparrow flapped her wings, stretching her neck, which was so fat it was almost indistinguishable, and sprayed a tirade at the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle.

"This... this..." The onlooking disciples of the Yuanshui Clan were naturally shocked by this scene. That seemingly ordinary girl, what was her background?

Not only did she possess a Li Fire spirit beast, but she also kept it in a spirit beast pouch. A specialized pouch for holding spirit beasts was much more expensive than a storage ring. Even the core disciples of the Yuanshui Clan rarely could afford such a thing.

"This girl's background must not be simple," Sister Yujun commented with a slightly serious expression from a distance, "She is most likely the daughter of a sixth-grade noble family."

"So what if she's from a sixth-grade noble family?" Brother Zhenghua's face also showed a hint of displeasure, "I also come from a sixth-grade noble family, are you saying you think highly of me? When we can't win, don't we still get pushed to the ground?"

Inside the Zifu Academy, it was generally not allowed to discuss one's family background. However, for someone like Brother Zhenghua who came from a well-known sixth-grade family, it was hard to keep it a secret after a while.

It's usually the ordinary disciples who care about this, while the core disciples are mostly envious. After all, those who have reached the core disciple level usually come from families with good conditions, and with the potential and status of a core disciple, even if they can't reach the Zifu realm, they are at least late-stage Tianren realm powerhouses.

The core disciples of the Zifu Academy naturally have a different perspective.

The only ones who could really make them wary were those born in fifth-grade Zifu noble families or certain direct disciples.

Therefore, the academy and the noble families have always been two completely different paths. The trajectory of life and the goals for the future are also completely different.

While everyone was shocked and discussing fervently.

The bird and the turtle became even noisier, one chirping and the other cooing! Although no one understood their "language," it didn't prevent them from understanding that they were cursing each other.

Naturally, the Li Fire Sparrow and the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle, both with fiery tempers, started fighting, one spewing flames, the other spouting water jets. In an instant, flames and water collided fiercely, looking quite impressive.

However, they were both quite young, and the overall lethality was limited. Especially the Li Fire Sparrow, which had only hatched a few years ago and was now at the peak of the second order.

Wang Liyao watched with a cold sweat, understanding that the Li Fire Sparrow and the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle were fighting over jealousy for her. She touched her forehead helplessly and said, "Little Sparrow, Little Turtle, can you two stop fighting first? Let's talk this out."

This Li Fire Sparrow was the prize she had won from playing the domain battle game at the Shenwu Imperial Army recruitment point. Up until her, the five final rewards had all been scavenged by the Wang Clan.

Wang Liyao had spent a lot of effort to successfully hatch the Li Fire Sparrow egg and, following the method given by the Spirit Artifact, signed a master-pet contract with the Li Fire Sparrow.

Therefore, it was somewhat reasonable for Little Sparrow to be furious; suddenly, a turtle appeared and tried to steal her master, how could she endure?

As for the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle lineage, they were known for their long lifespans and belonged to the type of spirit beasts that didn't grow very fast. Even a second-order Spirit Turtle could easily live for hundreds of years, and a third-order Spirit Turtle could live for over a thousand years.

With such a long-lived Spirit Turtle, if it also cultivated and grew, how could other spirit species compete? This Yuanshui Spirit Turtle Miss Nine, who had advanced to the third order in just fifty years, was already among the most talented in the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle lineage.

But even so, the Li Fire Sparrow was not easy to bully. After some effort, the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle managed to overpower the Li Fire Sparrow and rubbed her on the ground.

However, the Li Fire Sparrow was clearly not the type to admit defeat easily. She had waited in the egg for so many years, almost turning into a fossil before finally meeting a master who successfully hatched her.

In the Wang Clan, she lived a carefree and comfortable life every day, how could she allow a turtle that looked even hungrier to steal her thunder?

She seized an opportunity, flapped her wings to escape the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle's suppression, and hid behind Wang Liyao, sticking out half of her bird head to continue chirping angrily: "With you, this ugly shellfish, dare to steal my master? Look in the mirror first."

"Just a big sparrow, daring to spout such wild words, come out and let's fight another three hundred rounds, Miss Nine will show you why flowers are so red." The Yuanshui Spirit Turtle waved her claws and cooed incessantly.

"Enough!" Wang Liyao couldn't stand it anymore, grabbed the Li Fire Sparrow's neck, and stuffed her back into the spirit beast pouch, suddenly feeling much quieter.

Her face also darkened, blaming herself for spoiling the Li Fire Sparrow too much, leading her to become too fat, to the point where she could barely fly. Otherwise, even if she couldn't beat the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle, she could still fly away.

At this rate, when would she be able to ride it and roam the skies?

"Woohoo~" Miss Nine, the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle, seeing her rival stuffed back, immediately changed her demeanor and started cuddling Wang Liyao's leg, acting cute and seeking favor.

Those foolish humans, how could they not smell the intoxicating Yuanshui spirit qi on Miss? Just holding onto Miss's leg, the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle felt somewhat intoxicated, wishing she could hold on like this forever.

Because Wang Liyao carried a high-grade stealth treasure on her body, she could deceive most people, but not "Miss Nine," who was also of the Yuanshui lineage.

At this point.

Wang Liyao understood that this Yuanshui Spirit Turtle had recognized her as a Yuanshui Spirit Body and was clinging to her, desperately wanting to formally acknowledge her as its master. However, she hesitated.

Firstly, she already had a Li Fire Sparrow, and once she entered the academy, she would have to rely on herself for many resources. It was already difficult to keep one spirit pet, let alone two...

Secondly, those senior brothers and sisters had already gone to great lengths to please the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle, and she felt a bit embarrassed to cut in and take advantage. Although she could feel that this Yuanshui Spirit Turtle had an extraordinary bloodline and, if cultivated well, could grow into a sixth-order spirit beast in the future.

Just based on talent and bloodline level, it was comparable to the Li Fire Sparrow. That's why Wang Liyao was tempted, yet hesitant.

Unexpectedly.

The Yuanshui Spirit Turtle, being very human-like, seemed to sense Wang Liyao's dilemma. She stretched her neck and opened her mouth, spitting out a crystal-clear jade orb.

This peculiar jade orb was a storage bead personally refined for her by Miss Nine's great-grandfather using natural spatial materials, usually swallowed in her belly.

After a wave of spatial fluctuations.

One by one, treasures fell out of the jade orb, including a large pile of water-element spirit stones and over a dozen water-element spirit crystals, which were a hundred times more precious, as well as various rare spirit fruits and treasures.

"Eh? Brother Zhenghua, isn't that your Ice Marrow Jade Pillar? Isn't that the cultivation treasure you exchanged for after saving up a lot of points?" Sister Yujun asked in surprise, "When did you secretly offer it to Miss Nine?"

"This..." Brother Zhenghua's face turned awkward, "I happened to meet Miss Nine while walking by the lake last time... Let's not talk about this. Isn't that three-hundred-year-old Water Jade Lotus your cherished treasure? How did it end up with Miss Nine?"

Uh...

Now it was Sister Yujun's turn to have a complicated expression, dodging the question, "I also met Miss Nine by the lake once."

The two fell silent.

At this point, it was clear to everyone.

They had all secretly tried to please Miss Nine alone, hoping to be the first to succeed. Unfortunately, what pained them both was that it seemed like everyone's investment was about to be lost!

It was clear that Miss Nine had found her true object of affection, that seemingly "ordinary" girl.

The only small comfort for Sister Yujun and Brother Zhenghua was that it seemed they were not the ones who had lost the most. They looked sympathetically towards Brother Lexian, whose face had turned purple with anger.

Half of the treasures in Miss Nine's storage bead probably came from Brother Lexian, it looked like he hadn't spared any effort in secretly contacting Miss Nine, betting all his family's wealth to please her.

It's said that a person's happiness and pain are all relative. Although Sister Yujun and Brother Zhenghua were also heartbroken, upon seeing Brother Lexian, their pain eased, and they even felt a bit of schadenfreude.

"Miss Nine!" Brother Lexian couldn't hold back any longer, stepping forward and suppressing his anger, "Miss Nine, you're still too young, don't be deceived by others."

This feeling was like always buying things to please a goddess, only for the goddess to turn around and use everything to please someone else.

Even though his heart was furious enough to strangle Miss Nine, he still dared not lash out at her.

Everyone knew that Miss Nine was doted on by a seventh-order old turtle ancestor, and even his master, the Yuanshui Ascendant, would greet Miss Nine kindly when he saw her.

Then, Brother Lexian glared at Wang Liyao with a murderous look: "Girl, who are you exactly? I've never seen you on Tianhu Island. Do you understand what you're doing?"

"Woohoo~" Miss Nine, the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle, seemed displeased, turned around, and cooed at Brother Lexian, the meaning was clear without translation: Who do you think you are to question my master's owner?

Wang Liyao was about to speak when someone in the crowd revealed, "Brother Lexian, this girl is not one of our Yuanshui lineage, she was brought in by Lu Xianghui."

Not from the Yuanshui lineage? Brother Lexian's expression froze, and he immediately turned to Lu Xianghui: "Lu Xianghui, who is this girl? Why did you bring her to our Yuanshui Tianhu?"

A core brother's imposing aura pressed down on Lu Xianghui, making it hard for him to breathe, and the twists and turns of the situation caught him off guard.

But he still stood firm against Brother Lexian's pressure, neither arrogant nor humble: "Sister Liyao is a newcomer participating in this year's academy recruitment assessment. However, she holds a pass that allows her free access within the academy's non-restricted areas, so please recognize this, Brother Lexian."

"Hmph! A pass? It would be fine under normal circumstances." Brother Lexian rebuked, "But have you thought about what time it is now? Brother Yuhang has just had an accident, the master and the elders are in a meeting, and it is a time when our Yuanshui lineage must be on high alert. Yet you casually bring outsiders in?"

"Brother Lexian, I..." Lu Xianghui's forehead was sweating, and just as he was about to defend himself.

Brother Lexian interrupted with a wave of his hand: "Lu Xianghui, you don't need to explain, as a brother, I have the right to teach you a lesson. After this, go to the Enforcement Hall and admit your mistake, and accept whatever punishment is due. As for you, a girl who hasn't even passed the academy's re-examination, what qualifications do you have to compete for the Spirit Turtle contract? I give you half an incense stick's time to leave Yuanshui Tianhu Island, otherwise don't blame me for being impolite."

If Brother Lexian hadn't seen her with a spirit beast pouch and a spirit beast, he probably wouldn't have cared about her ordinary noble family background, and might have taken action right then.

Lu Xianghui's face was extremely ugly, and although he felt extremely wronged, he dared not defy a core disciple, and immediately bowed respectfully: "Yes, Brother Lexian."

"Wait!"

Wang Liyao raised her eyebrows slightly, "Indeed, I am not yet an official disciple of the academy, and as a core disciple of the Yuanshui lineage, you have the right to expel me, and I accept that. But Brother Lu, from beginning to end, has been acting according to the rules of the academy, what fault does he have? On what grounds do you punish him?"

Brother Lexian was taken aback, standing with his hands behind his back, he laughed angrily: "Girl, I'm already being lenient by not holding you accountable for trespassing into Yuanshui Tianhu. As a core brother, how I deal with a disciple who has made a mistake, do I need you to teach me?"

A tremendous aura of oppression emanated from him, as if Wang Liyao's words had completely enraged him.

"Brother Lexian, calm down, this is too much." Brother Zhenghua frowned and intervened, "Brother Xianghui just made an unintentional mistake, why must you be so petty?"

"Zhenghua, who do you think you are? If it wasn't for your family background, do you think you could have made it to the core?" Brother Lexian retorted angrily.

"You..." Brother Zhenghua's face turned ugly, but what Brother Lexian said was true; purely in terms of talent, he really couldn't compare to Brother Lexian.

"Hmph, if a disciple makes a mistake, do I, as a core brother, not even have the right to teach a lesson?" Brother Lexian was furious to the extreme, his Yuanshui aura bursting forth, pointing towards Lu Xianghui, "Brother Xianghui, today I will let you learn a lesson, not to offend a core brother lightly."

A dazzling pale blue light burst forth from his finger, heading straight for Lu Xianghui.

Among the disciples of Yuanshui Tianhu, many were displeased with Brother Lexian's overbearing and unseemly behavior, but considering his authority, who would dare to speak out at this time?

Didn't you see that even Brother Zhenghua was rebuffed?

"Alas~" Many sighed inwardly. Brother Lexian usually appeared gentle and refined, but once he got angry, he was so ruthless. Brother Xianghui was really unlucky today, getting involved in this mess.

And Brother Lexian's "Yuanshui Finger" was so domineering and fierce, aiming straight for Brother Xianghui's shoulder blade. Even if it didn't kill him, it would probably take a year or two to get out of bed.

At the same time, Lu Xianghui was filled with fear and horror. With his mere seventh layer of Qi Refining cultivation, how could he dodge the Yuanshui Finger? It's all fate!

In the blink of an eye, Lu Xianghui had given up resisting, closing his eyes and bracing himself to take the hit.

Suddenly!

A sharp whistling sound pierced his ears, and in a daze, he felt a powerful surge of Yuanshui spirit qi from a finger strike whizzing past him, and then, just two to three feet in front of him, it collided with Brother Lexian's Yuanshui Finger.

"Boom!"

The two finger strikes collided with explosive force, sending ripples of Yuanshui energy outward like shockwaves. Lu Xianghui, who was very close, was knocked back by the impact, stumbling and falling to the ground with a thud.

This unexpected turn of events silenced the crowd, who looked on in astonishment and disbelief, turning their gaze to the girl who had intervened. She stood composed, with remnants of Yuanshui aura still swirling around her.

"How is this possible?" Sister Yujun's pretty face changed slightly, "Yuanshui Finger, she can also use Yuanshui Finger? Could it be that she also cultivates the Yuanshui True Scripture?"

"It seems so..." Brother Zhenghua's expression also became incredibly interesting, "Although this girl looks plain, she must be quite young, yet she has already cultivated to the Lingtai realm? And that Yuanshui Finger, so well-mastered and powerful, hardly inferior to Brother Lexian's. Could it be that this girl is a prodigy?"

"Interesting, truly unexpectedly interesting. Even if this girl isn't a prodigy, she's probably not far off," Sister Yujun's eyes flashed with a hint of schadenfreude, "Brother Lexian has always been arrogant and temperamental, relying on his family's elder in our Yuanshui lineage. This time, he's likely to hit a snag."

The most shocked of all was probably Brother Lexian himself. Both enraged and astonished, his finger strike, although only unleashed with half its power, had been blocked by that girl's identical Yuanshui Finger.

A prodigy, could this girl be a prodigy? No wonder she was so calm and collected.

After a few moments, he regained his composure from the shock: "Girl, at such a young age, you're also in the Lingtai realm? What's your name? Which elder's clan do you belong to?"

"True to my name and true to my seat, my name is Wang Liyao. If you have any issues, come at me. A grand Lingtai realm core disciple bullying a Qi Refining disciple, does that amuse you?"

Wang Liyao's eyes held a trace of coldness, clearly having developed a strong dislike for Brother Lexian.

The surname Wang?

There didn't seem to be any elders with the surname Wang among the high-level Tianren realm of the academy. Nor did there seem to be any elders with the surname Wang in the Yuanshui lineage. Brother Lexian had quickly run through the possibilities in his mind and then sneered repeatedly: "Wang Liyao, is it? Do you realize you've made a grave mistake? I don't know who your family elder is, but I do know that this time, even your family elder will be in trouble. The academy's secret teachings cannot be taught to an outsider who hasn't been admitted to the academy. Come clean, who taught you the Yuanshui True Scripture?"

Prodigies are important to the academy, but no matter who it is, unauthorized teaching of the academy's core techniques and secrets is an unforgivable offense. Otherwise, what rules would the academy have?

Wang Liyao sneered dismissively: "You're really nosy as a core disciple, where I learned it from is none of your business. Also, this turtle, I'm taking it! Let's see what you can do about it today."

Taking it?

Miss Nine, the Yuanshui Spirit Turtle, suddenly became excited, woohoo~~ Miss finally agreed to take me as her spirit pet. Just as she was about to pounce and act cute, she heard Wang Liyao's light voice: "Little Nine, you've taken quite a few benefits from others, so stay aside for now. After this matter is settled, I'll take you in~"

Miss Nine cooed in response but obediently moved aside, her eyes full of anticipation to see how her master would show her might.

This scene immediately infuriated Brother Lexian to the extreme, and he laughed angrily: "Fine, fine, fine, I don't care about your background. Even if you're from a Zifu noble family or have an elder in the academy as your background, you can't break the academy's millennia-old rules. I'll capture you first, and after reporting to the master, we will investigate thoroughly, and no one will get away."

With that, a powerful surge of Yuanshui energy rose up as if tangible, pressing towards Wang Liyao.

"Hum!"

Simultaneously, a sword cry sounded~~

...