Until Wang Jiu brought Wang Xiao’s handwritten letter, Xiao Bai realized that she had really been sold out by that seemingly honest senior brother.

Before leaving, Wang Xiao said this to her.

"Xiao Bai, do you want to go out for a bit?"

"Duh, can you ask something with a little more technical content? When have I ever been willing to go out in these decades?"

"Not even Cyan Lotus Academy?" Wang Xiao tried to tempt her, "The new dean has always wanted to meet you. Look, he’s handsome and has high Immortal Dao cultivation..."

Xiao Bai immediately cursed, "Are you pimping me out, senior brother? No matter how good he is, it doesn’t matter to me."

Wang Xiao, blushing, continued to coax, "Not necessarily, things depend on people..."

"Things depend on people? When has the world been so easy? There are too many things that no matter how hard you try, you can’t achieve. For example, you’ve been working hard for so many years, but you haven’t broken through to the Sea Overturning Realm, and you haven’t even touched the seventh layer of the Odd Sword, so saying things depend on people is just daydreaming. Moreover, how easy is it to conquer Wang Jiu? If things were just up to effort, why would the City Lord Golden Jade be guarding beside him, remaining single? If even Zhao Chenlu couldn’t do it, what makes me think I could?"

Wang Xiao gasped.

This junior sister Xiao Bai is much smarter than he expected. Although she usually makes a scene in the academy, unruly and wild, the entire Sword Academy considers her useless except for her Sword Dao cultivation. Yet, she sees through the relationship between Wang Jiu and Zhao Chenlu in a few words and knows her place—which is quite impressive!

Wang Xiao had a private conversation with the Sect Leader, roughly understood some of Wang Jiu’s secrets. One of them was his natural charm-like divine technique towards people from Xiangzhou, regardless of gender or age, everyone tends to like him at first sight—especially young women. And so, he is always surrounded by many talented young women, each imagining developing something with him.

But that’s certainly not possible. Zhao Chenlu herself hit that high wall, let alone others. Moreover, Zhao Chenlu is herself a high wall; to conquer Wang Jiu, one must first overcome Zhao Chenlu. The difficulty is next to impossible, yet there are always those who are like moths to a flame... The strength of this natural charm-like divine technique is clear.

Initially, Xiao Bai was also affected by this natural charm. The moment Wang Jiu appeared, Xiao Bai ran to him like a moth to a flame, even going so far as to abandon her own Celestial Sword and Broken Sword... But now, she’s clearly woken up and no longer harbors unrealistic plans.

However, Xiao Bai waking up made Wang Xiao’s task challenging.

So he had to continue persuading with a thick skin: "I don’t think it’s that pessimistic. Maybe the City Lord Golden Jade couldn’t do it because the fate between the two wasn’t strong enough, whereas the fate between you and him seems quite extraordinary to me."

"Yeah, a fate where he treats me like a breeding pig, indeed not ordinary... Senior brother, please stop. You and the old Sect Leader are the same kind, being single for decades has twisted your understanding of love."

"... How can you conclude I’ve been single for decades?"

"Because you haven’t even celebrated your centennial birthday, so obviously only decades."

"Hurry up and pack your bags and go!"

"Hahaha, it’s clear you just don’t want me to stay in the Sword Academy; we’re all adults, we can understand each other." Xiao Bai laughed heartily, "You want to find an excuse to write off the tens of thousands of Spirit Stones you lost in office, don’t you? I can cooperate with your work, but you have to give me something in return."

Getting to this point, Wang Xiao indeed had no other choice: "What kind of benefits do you want? The Sword Academy is currently out of money and out of people, can’t afford your antics."

Xiao Bai said, "I don’t want money, I don’t want people, and I won’t make it hard for you. Anyway, I’ve been bored of staying in the Sword Academy these years; changing to a new place to have a taste isn’t bad, but I’m going there to vacation, don’t give me any tasks."

Wang Xiao naturally promised, "How could I be stupid enough to assign you any tasks?"

"...Long live understanding." Xiao Bai’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

——

When moving from the Sword Academy, Xiao Bai was full of expectations for a beautiful future, leaving with an easy heart.

Arriving at the Academy, there were no public duties, no personal affairs, just getting the Academy to find her a room to hole up in, that’s the life of a god.

No more of the daily racket from the foolish men of the Sword Academy, or the constant nagging of the senior brothers. This alone made her immensely satisfied, let alone the fact that there was a bunch of naive juniors in the Academy to tease, and the Dean Wang Jiu was exceedingly attractive, extremely pleasing on the eyes.

Of course, the Academy was, after all, a guest venue, not suitable for long-term residence. So Xiao Bai intended to find an excuse to return home once the situation at the Sword Academy settled down and Wang Xiao’s political achievements were sufficient.

But Xiao Bai never expected that the honest, never-gonna-find-a-girlfriend Wang Xiao would secretly play such a dirty trick! He actually sold her out!

Looking at senior brother Wang Xiao’s handwritten letter, Xiao Bai was speechless for a long time, until Shen Qingming next to her waved in front of her eyes, pulling her back to reality, she said: "I just thought of a brilliant idea that could double the strength of the Academy in a short time!"

Wang Jiu was instantly intrigued; he’s the type to do things methodically, and since he now served as the Academy Dean, he certainly wanted to strive for the Academy’s growth, so he asked, "What idea?"

Xiao Bai said, "I know a shortcut that can lead directly from a Sword Furnace in the Sword Academy to the Dean’s private residence. As long as we sneak in while he’s meditating at night and take him out without anyone knowing, the Sword Academy would have to elect a new Dean, and among the Sword Venerables in the academy, there are only a few interested in the position. If we take them out one by one using the same method, it might come to me being appointed to the position. Then, if Cyan Lotus Academy publicly supports me, I’ll have an 80-90% chance of successfully taking office. Once I’m in charge, I promise to open the doors of the Sword Academy to the Academy! How about that, isn’t it a good idea?"

Before she finished speaking, Shen Qingming had already tugged on Wang Jiu’s sleeve, asking, "Ah Jiu, her Intelligence Index should be lower than mine, right?"

Wang Jiu pondered for a moment, shook his head, "Not necessarily that bad."

"You’re the one who’s bad!" Shen Qingming was immediately offended, her face turning red.

Xiao Bai then said, "I’m serious, don’t think I’m joking. I’ve been planning this big move for decades, and all related arrangements are mature. As long as you’re willing to act, I’m confident I can help you succeed..."

Shen Qingming exclaimed, "How great a grudge do you have against your Dean?!"

Xiao Bai looked at Shen Qingming and said, "Suppose someone keeps nagging in your ear every day, telling you how disappointing you are, always criticizing your every move, what would you do?"

Shen Qingming tilted her head in thought, combining her own experiences, figured she’d probably hopelessly fall for that person...

Xiao Bai continued, "Honestly, I’m beyond saving. For decades, doing nothing has become a habit ingrained in my bones, so just let me rest. Wouldn’t it be nice for me to relax here?"

Wang Jiu shook his head, "Of course not. If your intelligence were just average, if your talents were mediocre, then living an ordinary, uneventful life wouldn’t concern anyone. But you have exceptional talent, and if properly utilized, it could change the situation of the whole continent, so I can’t just let you squander it."

Xiao Bai retorted angrily, "No matter how good my talent is, it’s my private matter. Who has the right to care if I want to waste it?"

Wang Jiu replied, "A cultivator’s talent is not a private matter, especially for those with extraordinary talent; they don’t have the right to be selfish. Exceptional talent is a gift from heaven and earth, but this gift comes with a price."

Wang Jiu’s words were earnest and serious. For someone born in the Jiuzhou Era and having experienced the Immortal Demon war, a cultivator keeping their talents to themselves is utterly unacceptable.

At a time when human civilization was at risk, every ounce of strength, every bit of talent, was invaluable; what’s the meaning of wastefulness? At this time, personal volition was worthless.

Xiao Bai was speechless for a moment, finally, reluctantly raised her hands: "Alright, alright, I give up, isn’t it just studying seriously? I’ll study!"

And just as she raised her hands, a dark wooden piece fell from her sleeve.

Wang Jiu caught a glimpse of the wooden piece from the corner of his eye and was instantly struck as if by lightning; the Sword Spirit True Form disintegrated immediately, while the pure white Celestial Divine Sword Body emitted a deafening hum.