Chapter 33: Processing Spiritual Materials

“Mo Xiao is actually pretty obedient…”

Bai Yuan replied a bit guiltily, a faint blush on her face.

She walked over to the table beside You, preparing to continue working on the spiritual materials she hadn’t finished earlier.

“You, could you maybe go play in the living room for a bit?”

Seeing You occupying her chair, Bai Yuan asked softly.

“I’ll just go sleep then. That little dragon is already asleep anyway.”

You stood up from the chair. At some point, her long purple hair had already dried completely—there wasn’t a single drop of water left on her.

“Th-that works too…”

Bai Yuan just didn’t want You to watch her process the materials—her technique was terrible, and it would be embarrassing to be seen.

“Who said I was asleep? If anyone’s sleeping, it should be you.”

Mo Xiao suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, surprising Bai Yuan.

“Idiot master, let me help you process these materials.”

She had planned to help earlier anyway—it had just been interrupted.

“Oh, you were pretending to sleep? What a shame. Then I’ll go out for a walk.”

You’s mood seemed to shift slightly, and she decided to leave.

“You, you’re going out? It’s pretty late—maybe don’t go, it’s not safe.”

Bai Yuan had heard rumors recently—ghostly wails at night, even people going missing. A student who disappeared last month still hadn’t been found.

Some said it was the work of traitors from the “Ruin Spirit Sect,” eliminating witnesses after infiltrating the academy.

“Is that so? I think it’s quite safe. I’ve been sleeping outside these past few days anyway.”

You dismissed the concern and walked out of the room.

“Heh~ running around outside in pajamas at night—have some shame.”

Mo Xiao mocked lightly as she watched the small figure leave.

Just as You stepped outside, she paused—then her petite figure vanished from the room entirely.

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

“Damn it! You again?! Coming to pick a fight this late—fine, let’s go!”

Yilian, who had just changed into her nightwear, was instantly furious upon seeing You appear.

“You’ve already come at me three times today! You’re still injured and still want more?!”

“Old woman, wandering around outside in sleepwear—no shame at all.”

In the divine realm, You spoke calmly, her words sharp.

Yilian narrowed her eyes. A soft white light enveloped her body, transforming her outfit into a flowing white dress.

“Then stop talking and fight!”

Boom—! Rumble—!

Thunder roared across the sky.

Back in the room—

The sudden thunder made Bai Yuan flinch, her hand trembling as the Qinggu Flower slipped from her grip.

“Careful! Are you an idiot?!”

Mo Xiao reacted instantly, catching the falling flower midair.

It wasn’t time for it to drop into the solution yet.

“S-sorry… that thunder startled me.”

Bai Yuan’s face turned pale. If the flower had fallen, it would’ve been ruined—or worse, caused an explosion.

“Useless master, go rest. I’ll handle the rest.”

Mo Xiao glanced out the window. The sky was pitch black, streaked with lightning, thunder rumbling continuously—like a storm was coming.

Could it be… a divine battle?

Whenever gods fought, it affected the weather across vast regions.

But then again, the thunder had been happening all day—even heavy rain earlier.

It couldn’t be that frequent. Gods didn’t fight that often—they couldn’t kill each other anyway, not while the war on the ground remained unresolved.

“Th-then I’ll leave it to you… You’re seriously amazing. You just read it once and already remember everything…”

Bai Yuan lay back on the bed, feeling both impressed and a little discouraged.

Mo Xiao hadn’t even learned this properly, yet after reading once, she was already more skilled.

“Me being amazing just means Master is amazing. After all, I was written by you.”

Mo Xiao replied casually, continuing her work.

Processing spiritual materials felt a bit like doing chemistry experiments—or preparing dried flowers. She found it quite interesting.

“But… I don’t even know how I wrote you like this…”

Bai Yuan felt even more conflicted.

“Don’t overthink it. Just remember that everything I do is for you—so treat me a little better.”

Mo Xiao dropped the Qinggu Flower into the solution—the final material.

The flower absorbed all the green liquid in the glass container, but instead of becoming vibrant, it shriveled into a dried form.

Hearing her words, Bai Yuan felt a bit better.

Mo Xiao was her book spirit—her existence was meant to protect her creator.

Even if her personality was… questionable, she was still fulfilling that role.

“If only you could talk like this more often… I don’t actually hate you that much, but your mouth is really awful.”

Bai Yuan sighed, hugging her blanket as she muttered softly.

“As if. Useless master should just get used to it—that’s how I was written. I’m already being nice.”

Mo Xiao took the dried flower and ground it into powder in a jade bowl.

Now the processing was complete.

Bai Yuan sat up, watching her quietly—momentarily captivated.

When Mo Xiao was quiet, she was actually really cute… even kind of cool when focused.

“Done. Tomorrow, go buy a new bottle of spirit ink. Just mix this in, and you’ll be able to upgrade your world.”

Mo Xiao wiped her hands, then her forehead—despite there being no actual sweat—her face slightly flushed from the activity.

“Just normal spirit ink is fine? If not the school shop, we’ll have to go into the city… there’s none nearby.”

Bai Yuan wanted to reach out and pat her, but hesitated.

“Normal is fine. I’ll go with you. Don’t worry—and we can look for ways to make money too.”

Mo Xiao knew many things, but most of her abilities weren’t usable right now.

If they could make their own ink, it would save a lot.

And after the upcoming Spirit Creation Tournament, they might earn prize money—enough to start learning properly.

“I’m not scared… it’s just far. And there might be suspicious people.”

Bai Yuan had been to the city before, but she knew how chaotic it could be.

Wil City was controlled by three major families, with the current ruler being the Boke family.

They barely maintained order, allowing criminals to roam freely.

Some said those criminals were actually working for the family—used to extort money through violence and theft.

But recently, things had improved slightly. Rumors said other families were planning to challenge the current ruler.

“Hah, no bad guy can beat my fists. If they show up, perfect—I’ll make it worth it.”

Mo Xiao flicked her tail confidently, completely unconcerned.