We said we would experience life, fairy, how did you become real?

"stare--"

Bai Ruxue stood in front of Xiao Mo, her peach blossom eyes warily watching the beautiful woman who was so kind to Xiao Mo.

"Huh?" Shang Jiuli blinked as she looked at the woman in the white dress with long silver hair. "Xiao Mo, is this your family member? There is such a beautiful woman among them."

"Thank you!" Despite the praise, Bai Ruxue was not happy at all. Instead, she guarded Shang Jiuli away from Xiao Mo like a possessive animal. "I am Xiao Mo's childhood sweetheart. We grew up together since we were little! Xiao Mo came to Bailu Academy to study, so I came to take care of him!"

Shang Jiuli looked up at Xiao Mo, as if asking if what the woman said was true.

"Exactly."

Xiao Mo smiled and nodded. Before arriving at Bailu Academy, Bai Ruxue suggested that their relationship be defined as "childhood sweethearts," and Xiao Mo did not refuse.

"Senior Sister Shang, let me introduce you. This is my childhood sweetheart, Bai Ruxue. We come from the same fishing village."

"Ru Xue, this is Mr. Qi's disciple. I met her once when I took the exam."

"Hmph!" Bai Ruxue straightened up, puffed out her chest so high that you couldn't see her toes when she looked down, and looked like she was asserting her dominance.

"I've met Miss Bai."

Shang Jiuli bowed and greeted him.

As a woman, how could Shang Jiuli not know Xiao Mo's childhood sweetheart's feelings?

But Shang Jiuli didn't care; it wasn't like she wanted to steal her man.

"Ru Xue, your senior sister is bowing to you." Xiao Mo gently patted Ru Xue's head.

"I've met Senior Sister Shang."

Although somewhat reluctant, Bai Ruxue still bowed in return.

"Let's go," Shang Jiuli said with a smile. "I'll take you to your lodgings first."

"Excuse me, Senior Sister."

Xiao Mo bowed in greeting.

"You're too kind. After all, you're my junior brother. I'll definitely take good care of you," Shang Jiuli said affectionately.

"Hmph." Bai Ruxue puffed out her cheeks and glanced at Xiao Mo beside her.

Xiao Mo felt he had suffered an undeserved calamity and could only pretend he knew nothing.

Before long, Xiao Mo and Bai Ruxue were taken to a secluded courtyard halfway up Yu Mo Peak.

The courtyard is small, with only two rooms and a small front yard.

However, the courtyard's charm lies in its quiet elegance and its air of scholarly refinement.

Shang Jiuli patiently explained to Xiao Mo, "This Yu Mo Peak is the mountain where Mr. Qi lives. The only people living on this mountain are myself, Senior Brother Lengmian Luo, and the two of you."

I live on the north side of the mountain, while your senior brother Luo lives on the south side, halfway up the mountain.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Although your Senior Brother Luo is aloof and seems like everyone owes him a thousand taels of silver, he's actually a pretty good person.

Xiao Mo nodded, indicating that he had remembered.

"Speaking of which, Junior Brother, your name contains the character 'Mo,' so you really are destined to be with Mr. Qi." Shang Jiuli turned around and handed the courtyard sign to Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo did not take the sign voluntarily.

Bai Ruxue glanced at Xiao Mo, then accepted the token for him with satisfaction and thanked him.

Shang Jiuli didn't care about the young couple's actions: "Let's go, Xiao Mo, I'll take you to meet your teacher. He'll accept you as his personal disciple, so it'll be a formal apprenticeship."

Logically speaking, a teacher of that seniority should be given a grand ceremony.

However, teachers don't like these things, so you only need to offer the teacher three cups of tea.

You don't need to be shy; our teachers are easygoing, and I'm sure you'll like them.

"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way, Senior Sister." Xiao Mo nodded, then glanced at Bai Ruxue.

"It's alright, you go ahead, I'll wait here. I can tidy up the courtyard for you while I do so," Bai Ruxue said understandingly.

Although she was still somewhat worried about Xiao Mo and Shang Jiuli being together.

However, Bai Ruxue also knew about etiquette and boundaries, and it would indeed be somewhat impolite for her to go along.

"Okay." Xiao Mo looked directly at Ru Xue. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

"It's alright, no need to worry." Bai Ruxue smiled. "In this academy, would I worry that you'll never come back?"

Xiao Mo smiled, said no more, and followed Senior Sister Shang up the mountain.

At the summit of Yu Mo Peak, Xiao Mo met Mr. Qi and his senior brother.

Under the watchful eyes of his senior brothers and sisters, Xiao Mo served tea to Mr. Qi and formally became a disciple of Mr. Qi's lineage.

Mr. Qi didn't say much to Xiao Mo. He told Xiao Mo to study hard and not to slack off, and then told Xiao Mo to go and rest first. Classes would start the day after tomorrow.

Afterwards, Senior Sister Shang took Xiao Mo to Bailu Academy to register, receive the academy's plaque, and then explained the academy's rules to Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo kept each and every one of them in mind.

"Is there anything you don't understand about what I've said? Or is there anything you want to ask me?"

Before Xiao Mo returned to the courtyard, Shang Jiuli asked.

Xiao Mo thought for a moment, then bowed and said, "There is indeed something I am curious about and would like to ask you, Senior Sister."

"Junior brother, please speak frankly." Shang Jiuli was not afraid that his junior brother had a problem; he was afraid that his junior brother had no problem.

If my junior brother has no problems, how can I demonstrate my usefulness as a senior sister?

"To be honest, Senior Sister, I grew up in a fishing village. I once witnessed a dragon undergoing its tribulation, but it perished. I was deeply shocked. I wonder if the academy has any books about dragons undergoing tribulations? I would like to read them in my spare time to relieve my boredom." Xiao Mo's tone was slow and sincere.

"You've come to the right person." Shang Jiuli smiled. "Go to the third floor of the library. The leftmost bookshelf contains books about the Jiaolong and Snake Clan. And, your senior sister can secretly tell you a little secret about the Jiaolong clan."

"A little secret?" Xiao Mo asked curiously.

Shang Jiuli's lips curled up: "Junior brother, do you know why it is so difficult for dragons to overcome their tribulations these days?"

Chapter 104 You can't get tired of reading this!

"Why?"

Xiao Mo asked in confusion.

Shang Jiuli raised her fair chin smugly, as if to say, "Junior brother, your attitude is making things difficult for your senior sister."

Xiao Mo was taken aback for a moment, then bowed to Shang Jiuli and respectfully asked, "Please enlighten me, Senior Sister."

After satisfying her "little vanity" as a senior sister, Shang Jiuli stepped forward and whispered:

"I'm telling you, but you can't tell anyone."

The reason why the dragons have difficulty overcoming tribulations is that during the first great war between the human race and the demon race, the ancient sages of the Hundred Schools of Thought used the human race's fortune to seal off the fortune of the dragons.

During the first war between humans and demons, both the human and demon races tried their best to win over the dragon race.

The reason is simple: humans are actually quite close to dragons, since dragons possess the innate supernatural power to summon wind and rain. Therefore, most mortal dynasties have a good relationship with dragons.

Ordinary people would even build temples for some of the dragons, which were called Dragon King Temples.

The dragon, relying on the incense offerings from the people, finds it easier to cultivate itself; it can be said that they complement each other.

However, the demon race also has a good impression of the dragon race.

This is not difficult to understand.

Dragons can be considered demons no matter what.

Back then, the human race didn't actually expect the dragon race to help fight against the demon race; they just wanted the dragon race to remain neutral.

But it's unknown what the demon race promised the dragon race.

In the end, the dragons joined the demons.

The dragon race was already very powerful. The four dragon kings were all at the Ascension Realm, not to mention the hundreds of dragons under their command, whose realms ranged from Nascent Soul to Immortal Realm, and they ruled over the four seas.

The Dragon Clan's allegiance to the Demon Clan means that the Four Seas have stood on the opposite side of the Human Clan.

Therefore, it is becoming increasingly difficult for humans to fight against the demon race.

Fortunately, there was a monk who led our human race in resistance.

After that great battle, the cultivator perished without even leaving his name, and the ancient sages also remained silent about it.

However, the human race won with great difficulty under his leadership.

The demon race was ultimately defeated, while the dragon race suffered countless casualties.

The ancient sages of the Hundred Schools of Thought took the opportunity to block the dragon race's fortune.

The reason the ancient sages did this was because everyone knew that the demon race was not convinced, especially the dragon race of the four seas, which had suffered too many losses and accumulated a lot of resentment.

They worried that if the dragons joined the next war between humans and demons, humanity would face great difficulties, so they simply cut off the dragons' escape route.

"I see," Xiao Mo nodded thoughtfully.

Shang Jiuli continued, "I heard my grandfather say that nowadays, if a dragon wants to successfully overcome its tribulation, it must at least have the assistance of a sage to break the seal on it. Otherwise, it is almost impossible to succeed."

"What is this heart of a sage?" Xiao Mo asked again.

“The heart of a sage is so difficult to attain. Take us Confucian scholars for example. To achieve the heart of a sage, firstly, you must reach the realm of immortals. Secondly, you must have your own insights into Confucianism and Taoism, at the very least write books and establish theories, and gain the recognition of the Great Tao.”

Currently, among the Confucian academies and the four major academies, there are no more than six people who can reach this level.

Even my husband hasn't reached that level.

Moreover, the sage-like heart was used to lift the blockade on the dragons, but the price was to offer the sage-like heart as a sacrifice to heaven and earth.

So you're saying, how could a saint possibly sacrifice themselves to help a dragon or something similar overcome its tribulation?

Hearing Senior Sister Shang's words, Xiao Mo lowered his head and remained silent.

"Alright, that's all I'll tell you. You absolutely mustn't tell anyone else, okay? Back then, I was also very interested in dragons and phoenixes, and I kept pestering Grandpa until he finally agreed to tell me," Shang Jiuli said with a smile.

"Please rest assured, Senior Sister," Xiao Mo replied.

"Let's go. Don't oversleep tomorrow. Remember to attend class. You're just starting out, so you'll need to attend large classes at first. Once you've made some progress, you can follow the teacher like we have."

"Yes."

Xiao Mo bowed and bid farewell to Senior Sister Shang.

On the way back, Xiao Mo was still thinking about the heart of a sage.

Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Mo returned to the courtyard.

In the courtyard, a woman in a white dress was carrying bedding out of the room and placing it in the sun to air it.

"Xiao Mo, you're back."

Upon seeing Xiao Mo, the woman's peach blossom eyes overflowed with joy.

"Well, I'm back."

Xiao Mo walked into the courtyard with a smile and helped Ru Xue put the quilt on the bamboo pole in the yard to dry.

"Have you seen Mr. Qi?" Bai Ruxue asked.

"seen."

"How is Mr. Qi?"

“Mr. Qi is a free-spirited person, and he is very learned. These days, I will first attend large classes at the academy, and then I will seek out Mr. Qi to study.” Xiao Mo looked at the woman beside him. “During this time, I may be leaving early and returning late, leaving you alone at home. I’m afraid you might get a little bored.”

"nothing."

Bai Ruxue shook her head.

“I have a lot to do, like cleaning the yard, washing your clothes, and cooking for you when you come home. I won’t be bored.”

"Really?" Xiao Mo smiled.

“Really, really.” Bai Ruxue nodded. “And because I know you’ll come back, I have something to look forward to every day. I’m so happy whenever I see you come back.”

Hearing Ru Xue's words, Xiao Mo's heart was slightly touched. He reached out to touch Ru Xue's hair, but because he was thinking of something, his hand remained suspended in the air and he did not put it down.

Seeing this, Bai Ruxue took a step forward and placed Xiao Mo's hand on her head.