Tu Xiao'an didn't have to wonder for long, because a moment later, a graceful young woman appeared before him.

She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a classic oval face that was radiant and captivating. Her beautiful hair danced lightly, her skin was as fair as snow, and her eyes shone like morning stars. Pursing her small, cherry-like lips, she just stood there, looking a little lost.

"Haitang, congratulations. You can be Chen Gao Yang's real girlfriend now."

After just one glance, Tu Xiao'an nodded in satisfaction. 'A truly beautiful woman. This form finally matches her soft, gentle voice.'

"I... I've taken human form."

Haitang touched her own cheek in disbelief. It was no longer furry, but instead had a faint glow and was so delicate it looked like it would break at a touch.

As expected of a being transformed from a Cat Spirit, she possessed an innate beauty. Her appearance was far from lacking.

If Haitang were to walk down the street now, she would absolutely be a head-turner. Even Tu Xiao'an couldn't help but feel his heart stir at the sight.

Although this body was a temporary form, it was more than adequate for being someone's girlfriend. Of course, that was on the condition that the two of them remained proper and didn't do anything unsuitable for children.

After a long, stunned moment, Haitang finally registered her human form. Too excited for words, she suddenly knelt directly before Tu Xiao'an. "Thank you, thank you! I never dreamed I could take human form."

Happiness had come so suddenly that the Cat Spirit felt as if she were in a dream.

In truth, she would have died without regrets if she could take human form, even if it were only for a single day.

Her only attachment was her worry for the blind Chen Gao Yang.

She was afraid he couldn't take care of himself.

Tu Xiao'an quickly helped Haitang up. "You don't need to thank me. This is a reward you've earned."

"But I must remind you, this body is a temporary form. You have to protect it. If it's subjected to any powerful external force, it will dissipate."

If it dissipated, Tu Xiao'an wouldn't be able to help her. Even if he bought her another Transformation Technique, she wouldn't be able to use it.

She would have to wait until she broke through to become a Rank Three Creature to be able to achieve Transformation on her own.

"Benefactor, thank you. I will remember your words and cherish this body," Haitang said, kneeling before Tu Xiao'an once more.

'Benefactor?'

Tu Xiao'an was a bit surprised and quickly helped Haitang up again.

He might have been able to accept the title of "Benefactor" if he hadn't taken her Snake King Stone. After all, this Transformation was equivalent to giving the Cat Spirit a new life.

But since Tu Xiao'an had taken something of hers first, he couldn't accept the title.

"Haitang, you really don't need to do this. For now, just focus on staying with your Brother Gaoyang. Leave everything else to me."

Haitang was still overcome with emotion. "Thank you, Benefactor. If I didn't have to protect Brother Gaoyang, I would willingly serve you for the rest of my life to repay this debt."

Tu Xiao'an was speechless at her words. 'This Cat Spirit has spent far too long in the Human World.'

'Honestly... Just being a cat is fine.'

"Come on, we should get going."

"Okay."

The transformed Haitang now followed Tu Xiao'an's every command. Her gratitude toward him was like a surging river—endless and unstoppable.

This showed just how significant Transformation was to such creatures.

Before he knew it, the night had grown deep. He wasn't sure what the situation was back on the Wencheng campus, but Tu Xiao'an believed that without the pull of the Snake King Stone's unique aura, the swarm of snakes would gradually disperse.

It was no longer his problem. If the snakes didn't leave, the police would handle them.

Then, Tu Xiao'an led Haitang out of the cave. He glanced around; the low mountain was eerily quiet. Despite clearly hiding numerous Awakened Creatures, it was completely silent.

They had likely been terrified by his earlier Snake Race aura.

"Haitang, this Ancient Academy is pretty interesting, don't you think?"

Tu Xiao'an remarked casually as they walked beneath the moon.

Haitang walked a bit awkwardly, still adapting to her human form. However, with her ethereal face and graceful figure, even her clumsy steps had a unique charm.

"This Ancient Academy is home to many human Martial Cultivators. I never really dared to come here in the past."

As a Cat Spirit, even a powerful one, Haitang didn't dare to parade around openly. After all, this was the Human World.

All Awakened Creatures had to tread carefully. Being too conspicuous would attract an "Army of Justice" to vanquish them. To put it bluntly, they'd be captured and used for Alchemy.

Speaking of Awakened Martial Cultivators, Tu Xiao'an suddenly wondered about the huge commotion in the cave earlier. 'If there are powerful Martial Cultivators here, how could they possibly have not noticed?'

'Is it possible none of them noticed?'

As they continued walking, Tu Xiao'an found himself back in front of the small lake. The desolate sound of a flute drifted through the air, sometimes near, sometimes far, like a ghost wandering aimlessly in the darkness.

Tu Xiao'an stopped and stared at the lake.

"Benefactor, are you curious about the flute music?" Haitang asked.

Tu Xiao'an looked at her. "Aren't you curious? The music is coming from the bottom of the lake. Rumor has it that either a Rank Three Creature is being suppressed down there, or it's being caused by some kind of Ancient Array. I wonder which one it is."

"It's the former," Haitang said with certainty.

Tu Xiao'an immediately asked, "How do you know?"

Haitang recalled, "As long as twenty years ago, I snuck into this Ancient Academy hoping to find some human potions to increase my strength. I was curious about the flute music back then as well, so I dived to the bottom of the lake."

As she spoke, a look of fear crossed her face. Tu Xiao'an quickly asked, "What did you see?"

"I saw a water monster, not quite fish and not quite snake. It seemed to be guarding something."

"Then, at the bottom of the lake, I saw an iron cage. The flute music was coming from inside it. I wanted to get a closer look, but the water monster spotted me and attacked."

Haitang said with lingering fear, "That water monster was terrifyingly strong. I was no match for it, so I scrambled back to the surface and never dared to go down again."

'That fantastical?'

Tu Xiao'an's curiosity was piqued. He really wanted to go down and investigate for himself.

With his power, he wouldn't be afraid even if there was a Rank 3 Demon suppressed below. If he devoured it, his Level would probably skyrocket.

'Of course, I should figure things out first.'

After a moment of hesitation, Tu Xiao'an continued walking. Even if he was going to investigate, now wasn't the time.

Then, Tu Xiao'an led Haitang over the outer wall of the Ancient Academy, and they slipped away quietly.

Just as Tu Xiao'an scaled the wall and left, an ancient voice spoke up from a place far, far away. "Our Ancient Academy hasn't been this lively in a long time. First a Cat Spirit arrived, followed closely by a Snake Spirit."

Another, equally ancient voice, responded with skepticism. "They're both clearly Rank Two Creatures, yet they've both achieved Transformation. That's highly abnormal."

"Old Li, when that young man first stepped into the academy, I told you he was a Snake Spirit, but you wouldn't believe me. You insisted he had a human's soul imprint. What soul imprint? You saw what happened in the cave, didn't you? He's clearly a transformed Snake Spirit."

"Strange... That young man definitely had a faint human soul imprint on him. Could my senses have been mistaken?"

"Furthermore, what happened in the cave wasn't simple. The Snake King's Eye inside the Cat Spirit was undoubtedly left behind by a righteous Snake Demon. Now that this Snake Spirit has fused with it, his power has skyrocketed. I fear the Martial Cultivation Realm in Wencheng is about to become turbulent."

"This Snake Spirit is from Bai Town. Since his appearance, all of his actions have been benevolent. He probably won't cause wanton trouble."

"Our Ancient Academy has never meddled in worldly affairs. As long as this Snake Spirit doesn't cause trouble at the academy, we're fine."

The two elders continued their hushed conversation.