King Wu’s words were worth more than reading... well, on second thought, he hadn’t read much in his life. But those words did clear his mind, giving him a sharper understanding of the path of a spirit envoy.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Hao asked everything he could think of and needed to know. The occasional “ding-dong” of intelligence value growth chimed in his ear.
By then, the Dream Butterfly, already at Elite level, had absorbed the Attribute Core first. The emerald glow faded, and the little creature returned to its usual appearance. Its strength hadn’t increased much—the Attribute Core boosted potential, with a subtle, gradual transformation. For a good while ahead, its progress would be a bit faster.
The little one smacked its lips, “baji baji,” tasting nothing left. That huge Attribute Core was gone. It felt a pang of regret. The Silly-headed Crow and Half-Ha Lin didn’t get it, but it knew. One bite, and something worth at least ten million was gone. How many jobs would it take to earn that back, guruno~!
Seeing the Dream Butterfly’s watery eyes, Su Hao knew exactly what it was thinking. This little butterfly was clearly talented but way too money-grubbing! How did it end up with such a personality? They say spirits resemble their people...
Wait!
Su Hao fell into thought.
...
The King’s Domain that King Wu, Senior Brother Wu, mentioned—Su Hao had no clue about it yet. It was a long-term goal, after all. Something to consider, but just that.
Leaving the principal’s office, King Wu took Su Hao to his estate. From afar, Su Hao saw rows of trees, twenty to thirty meters tall, planted outside the estate. The first impression was one of striking neatness. Up close, it was even more orderly, as if every tree had been measured, even their growth patterns nearly identical.
Passing through the woods, they reached the estate building covered in ivy... Well, it made sense that the Wood King’s place was full of trees.
“I’ll introduce you to your... disciple’s disciple. If you run into any trouble at school, you can find him.”
As he spoke, Su Hao spotted a figure ahead. It was a tall, sunny-looking guy. Nearby, two spirits were working on tree-planting projects. They stood upright, with wool like a white robe draped over them, adorned with mystical green patterns, and held staffs resembling withered tree roots. Prominent curved horns topped their heads, and between them, green sprouts grew from their white woolly hair, all neatly aligned.
Goat Horn Immortals!
The final evolution of the Spirit Green Sheep, with the middle stage being the Sheep Scholar. The two Goat Horn Immortals were similar in size, both slightly shorter than an adult male, but Su Hao noticed a difference: one had more vigorous green sprouts on its head. That one was Monarch level! The other was Transcendent level.
The Monarch-level Goat Horn Immortal seemed to be teaching tree planting hands-on. It let out a “baa,” raising its withered staff. Not far away, a sapling buried in the soil burst forth, quickly rooting and sprouting, growing into a twenty-to-thirty-meter tree in an instant. Its lush leaves blocked the sunlight, indistinguishable from the surrounding trees.
“This...” Su Hao wanted to complain but didn’t know where to start.
Then, the other Goat Horn Immortal moved, controlling a sapling to stretch upward. Its growth was a bit slower but still rapid. When the tree reached half its height, the Monarch-level Goat Horn Immortal frowned, its staff smacking the other’s hand with a “slap.”
“Baa—” It was disappointed, frustrated by the lack of progress.
Su Hao caught the tone but was still baffled. He had to nudge the Dream Butterfly and whisper, “What’s it saying?”
“Guruno, guruno.”
Su Hao fell silent. So the tree’s growth was off by a few centimeters. No wonder the trees here were so perfectly aligned—there was a Monarch-level overseer. But... emmmm, he still didn’t quite get it.
“That’s training in the unique elemental control of the Transcendent level,” King Wu said.
The tall guy heard the voice and turned around. “Teacher, is this my junior brother?”
“He’s your junior uncle.”
The guy: “???”
He froze mid-greeting. King Wu said, “His name is Jiang Xiuqi, a senior this year, the strongest among my still-graduating disciples. Decent, I suppose. And over there is your classmate, Yu Xiuxiu.”
Su Hao then noticed a girl standing in the shade of a tree nearby. She wore round glasses, looked plain, and was easy to overlook. But... her spirit was very familiar.
“Guruno~” the little one called out.
A Killer Mantis perched on a tree flew over to the little one, “Kazhi kazhi~” It was the same Killer Mantis that served as a squad leader in the Die Xiaodie battle group, with impressive combat records.
...
A moment later, after introductions, the senior Jiang Xiuqi understood. Su Hao was actually... the legendary principal’s disciple! Oh my god!
“Un... uncle...” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. Su Hao also found it awkward to call an older senior his nephew—it made him feel too old. After a lot of back-and-forth, they decided to just treat each other as classmates.
King Wu gave Jiang Xiuqi a few pointers, then said to Su Hao, “Xiuqi is one of the main players on the school team. You know about the school team and the university league, right? For every spirit university, the annual league is crucial. Why? Because it’s one of the ways to showcase a school’s level and achievements to the outside world! Getting a good ranking in the league not only attracts better students but, most importantly, our country’s annual funding for each spirit university is mainly based on league performance.”
He paused. “To digress, in recent years, many strong individuals have come from spirit universities. The league’s level almost reflects the future strength of our country’s new generation. Not only are domestic higher-ups watching, but foreigners are too.”
Su Hao thought back. When he first transmigrated, the headline he saw was about the university league. That year, Huoliao University beat Longdu University to win the championship. ‘So... Jingdao University was just third place that time?’ ‘Last year, the one that just ended...’ It was during the college entrance exams, so Su Hao hadn’t paid attention. King Wu hadn’t either. He thought for a moment and asked, “Did our school win last year?”
“No,” Jiang Xiuqi said. “But we got second.”
“Third the year before, second last year—no good, too poor!” King Wu was dissatisfied. “Back in my day, when I led the team, we crushed Longdu University and Huoliao University...”
“Teacher, hasn’t the university league only been held for six years?” he muttered.
King Wu glared. “Without the league, was there no comparison? Hmph! Anyway, you’re a senior now—this year, you must win the championship.” He turned to Su Hao, his expression softening. “The school team has five main players and five substitutes. Besides that, there’s a special training camp for a hundred people. It’s where the school’s elite gather. Just getting in guarantees at least 300 credits a month, plus other hidden benefits. The higher your rank, the more credits you get. The top ten in the camp are the school team members. My requirement for you is to enter the training camp by the end of your freshman year! By your sophomore year, for the next league, I hope you’ll be strong enough to join the school team.”