"A... a deal?"

A sudden tension gripped Angelia's heart. Facing Zhong Shenxiu—or rather, facing Zhong Shenxiu as he was now—she felt an unprecedented pressure. Only then did she realize she was more nervous in front of this little boy than she was in front of Robin!

Despite his mild and benevolent smile, Angelia simply couldn't relax.

Hearing Angelia question him, Zhong Shenxiu offered a mysterious smile. If he didn't speak, no one could possibly know what potion he was brewing in his gourd; who knew what wicked scheme this genius was plotting now?

"You want to improve your strength, right?" Zhong Shenxiu watched Angelia with a sly grin.

Angelia blinked, nodding slowly, but remained silent. Clearly, she didn't understand why Zhong Shenxiu had suddenly brought this up.

"Robin's strength is passable, but she doesn't know how to teach, she doesn't know the methods to instruct you, but I do!" Zhong Shenxiu said cryptically, giving the impression of patiently setting a long line to catch a big fish.

Angelia was now even more confused about Zhong Shenxiu’s meaning. Did he mean he would teach her personally? How could that be? Could he possibly be that benevolent?

Excitement—Angelia couldn't help but feel a surge of unexpected excitement!

"Don't get too worked up yet. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Only if you agree to my terms will I personally teach you and guarantee an improvement in your strength!"

"W-what terms?"

Angelia still couldn't contain the rising excitement within her. If Robin’s entire skill set was taught by Zhong Shenxiu, didn't that mean if he taught her, she too could become as formidable as Robin?

Heavens, could she also become as mighty as Robin?

Just the mere thought sent a wave of eagerness through her so strong she almost wanted to shout aloud! Her mind even began to conjure visions of herself wielding her marvelous sword techniques! (So cool, truly breathtaking!)

"I’m about to perform a marrow cleansing and tendon transformation for Robin, but I’m short on hands; I need someone to run errands. How about it? If you agree to help me with chores, I will personally guide you, and I'll provide room and board. This is a rare, one-time opportunity, so think carefully before you answer!" Zhong Shenxiu adopted an inscrutable expression.

Damn it, this was clearly a setup, but what exactly was hidden behind this facade?

Robin, who had been quiet for a long time, looked at her master with some curiosity. She clearly had no idea what Zhong Shenxiu was planning either. But that was no longer her main concern; what mattered to her was that Zhong Shenxiu was going to perform the marrow cleansing for her, and joy radiated across her face!

Angelia didn't notice Robin's peculiar expression; she just stared intently at Zhong Shenxiu, lost in thought.

Truthfully, she was quite tempted right now, especially with Robin standing there as a living 'demonstration.' She truly longed to be as powerful as Robin.

But now, she wasn't sure what devious plan Zhong Shenxiu was hatching. Would he set a trap for her to fall into? Was there some hidden conspiracy at play?

For Angelia, Zhong Shenxiu’s proposal was like a massive, cream-filled pastry—until you took a bite, you never knew what the filling contained.

"My time is limited. I’ll give you ten more seconds to consider. Like I said, this is a single opportunity; see if you can seize it!" Zhong Shenxiu appeared completely unconcerned.

"Fine, I agree to your terms!" Angelia gave her answer in just three seconds, biting her lip, her expression hardening with resolve.

Angelia knew this was both an opportunity and an adventure, but she chose to accept because she didn't want to regret refusing it for the rest of her life.

The Angelia of this moment was resigned to her fate: the worst that could happen was death. What was there to fear? At worst, in eighteen years, she'd be a young lady again!

"I’ll repeat what I said earlier: I strongly dislike people who don't honor their promises!" Zhong Shenxiu reminded Angelia.

"Don't worry, I will never go back on something I promise!" The light in Angelia's eyes shone with determination.

Zhong Shenxiu nodded, adopting an expression that suggested, "This one shows promise!"

Of the content of their conversation, Slupp, watching from afar, hadn't heard a single word, but he perceived something from Angelia's expression—the look of a brave woman setting off on a path of no return!

What on earth was going on?

Slupp muttered to himself, his mind filled with confusion. Should he report this matter to the school administration?

Slupp realized that Angelia had become increasingly strange lately. First, she was constantly daydreaming in class—he had initially dismissed it as typical behavior for a girl in her adolescence. But a few days later, she unexpectedly brought out a little girl (referring to Robin).

To be honest, Slupp had been genuinely startled then. He had seen Angelia’s own younger sister, who was much older than Robin. When he first saw Robin, because Robin's disposition was almost identical to Angelia's (both possessing that aloof, unapproachable nature), he had assumed she was Angelia's illegitimate child!

And now, suddenly, there was this little boy appearing. What was going on?

What surprised Slupp the most, however, was Angelia's demeanor toward this little boy; it was even more respectful than how she treated him, her own instructor! What in the world was happening?

As he was puzzling over this, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly turned and glanced at him. With that single glance, Slupp felt an overwhelming sense of being seen through, a bizarre sensation as if all his secrets and thoughts had been exposed by those eyes.

Who... who exactly was he? (The author replies for him: a formidable person, someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke!)

Zhong Shenxiu withdrew his gaze from Slupp and thought to himself: teachers like this only manage to dull their students' minds; they don't even know how to teach according to aptitude. They can only teach brute force and useless Dou Qi (Battle Aura); they are truly leading students astray!

In fact, Zhong Shenxiu had observed Slupp on his way here and truly couldn't praise his teaching methods. Not only did he fail to uncover the students' true potential, but he also berated them for pointless drills. Such methods only churn out students molded into the same shape, burying their individual brilliance!

Now Zhong Shenxiu finally understood why Angelia’s swordsmanship was so mediocre—the root cause was here!

Because he found this little girl, Angelia, quite promising, and considering her good rapport with Robin, he decided to offer her some pointers. The so-called deal was merely a smokescreen.

Zhong Shenxiu looked up at Angelia and suddenly flashed a wicked smile: "Then come with me. But you need to be prepared for hard work and suffering!"

For some unknown reason, Angelia was suddenly chilled. Her female intuition warned her that her future destiny was going to be difficult!

What exactly awaited Angelia?