Little Pink Starfish

Gu Bai remained silent.

Of course, there was progress—and ridiculously fast progress at that!

In just five or six months, Qi Guan Rui had advanced from a junior wu shi to a senior wu shi. Even though it was only two levels, it was still an obvious display of his talent.

—Of course, it also had a lot to do with all the spiritual medicine Gu Bai had been feeding him.

Thinking about this, Gu Bai suddenly felt an odd sense of pride.

See? In just a short time, Gu Xiaoshan had gained more strength than he had in years! Wasn’t that proof of how amazing his guidance was?

Children needed encouragement… Gu Bai struggled internally before tilting his chin slightly.

Even if Qi Guan Rui was now taller than him, it didn’t change anything.

After overcoming his jealousy, Gu Bai seriously nodded. “You’re doing well. Keep it up.”

As expected, he received a bright, gentle smile from the beautiful young man.

Qi Guan Rui reached out his hand and smiled. “Gege…”

Oh, oh, oh—he was acting spoiled again. Seriously, what could he do with this guy?

Gu Bai, still expressionless, reached out and pulled him up.

He had to admit, while he occasionally had thoughts of beating Qi Guan Rui up, most of the time, he really did care about him.

As time passed, their relationship grew even closer.

After a brief sparring session, Gu Bai got a better understanding of Qi Guan Rui’s current level. Based on the weaknesses Qi Guan Rui displayed, Gu Bai continued providing targeted guidance.

And Qi Guan Rui? The weaknesses he showed were not random. To him, strength was the most important thing. With someone as knowledgeable as Ziche Shubai personally teaching him, he naturally wouldn’t waste the opportunity. So, he mixed in other areas he needed improvement in—taking advantage of the situation to get answers.

Thus, both teacher and student were satisfied.

After the lesson, Qi Guan Rui went off to train hard.

Gu Bai returned to his secret chamber and began his own cultivation, only stopping when Qi Guan Rui dragged him out for dinner.

Over time, even the loyal steward Qin Xubo started seeing Qi Guan Rui more favorably, appreciating his genuine concern for the City Lord.

Especially as Qi Guan Rui’s martial strength increased, Qin Xubo gradually acknowledged him as a true member of the City Lord’s Mansion.

This allowed Qi Guan Rui to blend in seamlessly, receiving praise from all sides.

As night fell, Gu Bai sat on his bed, hesitating.

It wasn’t about anything else—news had arrived from Qingyang Town.

Qingyang Town had long been the protagonist’s territory, and the latest update was that the protagonist was still in seclusion.

Based on his knowledge of the plot, this timing made perfect sense.

Right now, the protagonist should be preparing to head to the Demon Domain.

And what was the Demon Domain?

Everyone knew that in a novel, there had to be heroes and villains. The protagonist—regardless of his morality—would always wear the mask of righteousness, while those who opposed him were labeled villains.

But what made this story unique was that the biggest “righteous” figure (the protagonist) and the greatest “villain” were actually the same person.

As the title of the book implied—”Demon Emperor Wu Zun.”

A wu zun was a legendary martial artist, a realm no one had reached in many years—but of course, the protagonist would definitely achieve it.

After all, why else would he be the protagonist?

At the same time, there was another figure—the Demon Emperor.

And the Demon Emperor was the ruler of the Demon Domain—who, in reality, was just another side of the protagonist himself.

After the protagonist eliminated Lian Hengwu and took control of Qingyang Town, he had started biding his time.

At this point in the story, he was hiding in seclusion, waiting for the right moment. Soon, he would capture a thief who attempted to steal from the Qi Guan family—and through this, he would learn about the Demon Domain.

Since this was a harem novel, it was obvious that the thief had to be a woman.

She was a demon-born outcast, exiled from the Demon Domain, forced to live in hiding, stealing from wealthy families to survive and amass her own fortune.

At this point, it was necessary to explain what “demons” were.

Demons were either martial artists who had suffered qi deviation but survived or people who intentionally reversed their martial qi circulation for greater power.

The biggest difference between martial artists and demons lay in their qi circulation methods.

In a world ruled by martial artists, demonic cultivation was considered heretical.

At first, demons were merely victims of qi deviation. But over time, powerful individuals developed ways to harness reversed martial qi, making it even stronger.

If that was all, it wouldn’t have been a big deal—new cultivation methods emerged all the time, and stronger techniques should have been welcomed.

Early on, demons were even accepted by their families, and martial artists tolerated their presence. Some people even willingly converted into demons for the sake of power.

However, demons had a fatal flaw—they couldn’t control themselves.

Their martial progression was rapid, but each breakthrough required large amounts of fresh blood and flesh.

They could consume beasts, but the best source was other martial artists.

In the beginning, demons tried to restrain themselves. But as their numbers grew, some inevitably lost all restraint—and the uncontrollable bloodlust they experienced during breakthroughs led to massacres. Entire families were wiped out by their own demon-turned kin.

This led to a massive war between martial artists and demons.

With their deep foundations and overwhelming numbers, martial artists quickly crushed the demons, exiling them to a barren continent—the Demon Domain.

From then on, demons could only survive in the Demon Domain. If they set foot in the Lingwu Continent and were discovered, they were executed on sight.

Once the protagonist learned of the Demon Domain’s existence, he immediately realized his own limitations. Without hesitation, he forced the female thief to take him there.

During this journey, the protagonist’s disguise fooled the thief, making her fall for him. She soon swore her loyalty, offering both herself and her hidden faction to him. She even begged her estranged elders for help, all for the protagonist’s sake.

Thus, the protagonist trained in the Demon Domain for two full years.

The current news stated that the protagonist was still in seclusion, but in reality, he should have already entered the Demon Domain.

Which meant… it was time for Gu Bai to make his next move.

In this mixed world of Eastern and Western fantasy, of course there existed a prestigious academy that only the elite of the elite could enter.

To match the ancient martial setting, it was given a grandiose name—Qingtian Academy.

The academy’s basic requirement for outsiders was reaching wu jun before the age of 25.

However, for those born in Haoyang City and its surrounding thousands of martial towns, the rules were more lenient. Instead of 25, the age limit was 30, and the martial level requirement was only wu shi.

In short, the academy widely recruited locals, but only accepted geniuses from the outside.

Its most famous feature? Books.

At its core stood a hundred-story library tower, filled with countless martial arts texts. Many ancient techniques thought to be lost were preserved within.

If one enrolled, their library access would be granted based on their rank. The potential benefits were obvious.

Even Gu Bai was tempted.

He was 23, almost 24—if he hurried, he could still make the age cutoff.

And if he got in, he could stay ahead of the protagonist…

Gu Bai finally made his decision.

Just then, Qi Guan Rui stepped out of the bathhouse and saw Gu Bai spacing out. He waved a hand in front of him. “Gege, what are you thinking about?”

Gu Bai snapped back to reality. “The city’s library is no longer enough for my pursuit of martial arts. On the third of next month, I will go to Haoyang City.”

Qi Guan Rui tilted his head slightly in surprise.

Where Gu Bai couldn’t see, his expression darkened.

Was he… being abandoned again?

The second time… he was being abandoned a second time?

I already forgave you for the first time—so why is there a second?

A surge of anger welled up in Qi Guan Rui’s chest, making his blood feel like it was boiling.

Gu Bai continued, “I’m going to Qingtian Academy. You…” He paused briefly before saying, “I want to bring you with me, but the academy only accepts martial artists under 25 who have reached the wu jun level. If you want to go, you’ll have to enroll under your current identity. Are you willing?”

Qi Guan Rui moved his hands behind his back, circulating his bloodline to make the faintly emerging scales on his skin disappear.

But by now, his earlier agitation had begun to subside.

Qi Guan Rui smiled gently. “Of course, I’m willing.” His voice was soft and warm. “How could I ever be separated from gege? I’m just a little surprised—I thought gege preferred staying in Tiandu City.”