"Come with me," Ji'an said to Xia Xiang, holding a book in his right hand without looking up and staring at the book.
Then he led her through rows of rooms, up to the second floor, and to the outside of an empty room.
"This is your room. It's fully equipped. You can live here from today onwards."
"Can't we go back to our room? Can't we take the books out of here?" Xia Xiang looked at the room, which felt like a cold cage, with great disdain.
“Okay, but it’s a waste of time.” Ji’an looked up from his book, glanced at Xia Xiang, and then turned to leave.
Xia Xiang: "He's so hardworking..."
In the following days, Xia Xiang also started to do the same as them, her eyes glued to the book. However, she couldn't stay in one place and couldn't concentrate on reading. She could only keep walking around with the book in her hand, which made her feel dizzy.
Later, unable to bear it any longer, she simply used her superpower to convert the book's contents into audio. While listening to the book, she also caught up on the skill training she had missed and worked on getting along as friends with the Demon Slayer who disliked her.
One year later—
Ji An was actually five years older than Xia Xiang. He came to Ba Mo Island when he was seven years old, and it took him four years to complete the fourth level.
I thought he wasn't the fastest, but he wasn't slow either. I never expected that Xia Xiang would come to the elder with him today.
"Ji'an, very good," Elder Chang praised, stroking his beard.
Although he can't compare to Huai'an back in the day, Ji'an is still considered one of the more outstanding demon-slaying warriors on Demon-Slaying Island.
He nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at Xia Xiang, who was a head shorter than him.
"Hey, Xia Xiang, what are you doing here?"
"This," Xia Xiang said, taking off her wristwatch and handing it to Elder Chang.
"Are you kidding me?" Elder Chang accidentally tore off a few strands of his beard.
"Do I look like someone who would joke around?" Xia Xiang glanced at her sideways.
"Holy crap!" Elder Chang's dignified and otherworldly image shattered instantly. "It really is!"
Several elders arrived upon hearing the news, conducting various checks and even suspecting that the equipment might be malfunctioning, leaving Xia Xiang speechless.
"The bracelet records the level of comprehension, not the number of books read. I'm so smart, what's wrong with me finishing the books ahead of time?" Xia Xiang said nonchalantly, completely disregarding the feelings of those present.
"Throw them both out, straight to Rock Rock Valley," Elder Pang ordered.
"Yes," Bai Yu suddenly appeared behind Ji An and Xia Xiang.
"Are you guys sore losers?!" Xia Xiang broke down completely. Had she never been to Yan Yan Valley but never heard of it? These old men were really going too far!
Gian: What does this have to do with me?! I have to be punished along with this brat.
Rocky Valley is a prison for all kinds of demons, including demonized humans who have committed serious crimes and demon-slaying warriors who have made mistakes. There is nowhere to go but to enter.
Ji An's anger reached its peak at this moment. He had worked so hard for so many years, and now it was all over? He would haunt Xia Xiang even as a ghost!
As he spoke, his internal energy surged, and he wished he could smash Xia Xiang's skull with a single blow.
Xia Xiang felt a chill down her spine and shrank her neck. The energy that Ji An had gathered in his body was gently dispersed by Bai Yu, and Ji An suddenly came back to his senses.
Bai Yu reminded him expressionlessly, "As a demon-slaying warrior, a resilient mind is the most important quality."
"Yes," Ji An lowered his head with a look of shame, feeling that his cultivation was not enough. Then he realized that they had not done anything wrong, so the punishment should not be so severe.
"Fifth Level - Rocky Valley"
Bai Yu then handed each of them a new bracelet, saying, "Once you go in, you can only trust yourself; you can't trust anyone else."
"When the energy progress bar on the bracelet reaches 100, it will automatically teleport you to the auditorium."
"You should have said it was a checkpoint earlier! I've already mentally killed Elder Pang a hundred times over," Xia Xiang said as she took the bracelet and put it on.
“All your actions will be recorded…” Bai Yu said.
In other words, Elder Pang now knows that you've killed him a hundred times in your heart.
Xia Xiang: "......"
——
"Ji'an, what's your relationship with Huai'an?" Xia Xiang started to chat after she and Ji'an entered Yanyan Valley. Actually, she couldn't stand the silence when other people were around.
She can stay silent when she's alone, but she can't stand having two or more people with her when there's nothing to talk about.
"It's alright," Ji An replied coldly. Who would want to deal with the murderer who almost ruined their life, even though it was a misunderstanding?
"Your names are very similar," Xia Xiang said. Xia Xiang and Ji An looked around warily, but Xia Xiang continued to chat with him.
"Aren't you closer to him? Why don't you go ask him?" Ji An rolled his eyes at her, thinking that Xia Xiang really didn't understand the situation.
The two walked along in complete darkness, with only a single orange light source visible in the distance ahead. They walked for a long time but were unable to get close enough.
"I just want to know right now, but he's not here." Xia Xiang said helplessly, not feeling that there was anything wrong with asking this question here.
“I am an orphan and have no name,” Ji’an glanced at her. “This name was given to me after I came to Demon Island. Ji is the surname of this year’s orphans, and An was drawn by lot.”
"Is Huai'an also an orphan?" Xia Xiang scratched her head.
Of course she knew; she just wanted to know if Ji'an knew.
"How would I know?" Ji An couldn't stand it any longer and tried to shake off Xia Xiang, striding forward.
Xia Xiang felt a strange sense of accomplishment when she realized she had finally provoked him.
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