"Huan Huan, are you okay?" Dong Yan Cuo gracefully flipped down from the platform, his hand glowing softly as he pressed it against her waist, using his divine power to heal her injury.

  "Much better," Nan Gong Huan's expression eased considerably, and the frostbite on her feet also healed under this power.

  She suddenly turned her head and noticed that Dong Yan Cuo seemed to have grown taller. Previously, he was only half a head taller than her, but now he was a full head taller.

  "Let’s go, we need to get out. You should rein in your power," Nan Gong Huan looked at the ice spikes surrounding them, knowing that taking one more step would turn her into a pincushion.

  "Power?" Dong Yan Cuo glanced at the icy world formed by the ice spikes around him and even reached out to touch one of them. A natural feeling surged within him, as if these ice spikes were part of his body.

  With a thought, he willed the ice spikes to shrink, and they quickly retracted, the ice on the ground also disappearing.

  The air gradually warmed, but Dong Yan Cuo stood there in a daze, raising his hand. Ice formed in his palm, and with his will, ice shards flew around, sculpting the shape of a candied hawthorn.

  It seemed like a long, long time ago, he could use this power with ease.

  He was also surprised, and his first thought was to hand it to Nan Gong Huan, saying cheerfully, "Huan Huan, this is for you!"

  Nan Gong Huan’s mouth twitched. Taking a bite of that would probably break her teeth...

  "No, you should have it," Nan Gong Huan pushed it back, noticing that the bell tower’s door was now open, and she walked toward it.

  Dong Yan Cuo naturally followed her. Seeing that she didn’t want it, he took a bite himself... The hard, tasteless texture made his face fall, and he casually tossed it away. The candied hawthorn turned into countless snowflakes that fluttered down.

  Everyone at the entrance watched as the two walked out. Bo Jing Rabbit was the first to run up, rushing to Dong Yan Cuo’s feet, excitedly saying, "Great inheritor of the Time God, how do you feel?"

  "Are you talking to me? No, I’m not an inheritor. I’m Huan Huan’s follower!" Dong Yan Cuo said seriously, leaving Bo Jing Rabbit dumbfounded.

  His eyes sparkled as he followed behind Nan Gong Huan, standing tall and faithfully doing what a follower should do.

  When he made a contribution, he would ask Huan Huan for the kissing reward!

  Bo Jing Rabbit watched in stunned silence as Dong Yan Cuo walked past without a second glance, its heart shattered.

  "Congratulations, Master, on your great progress!" Yan Ji and Xue Ji bowed with keen insight, genuinely happy for Nan Gong Huan.

  Their master was advancing so quickly; they couldn’t fall behind!

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  "How do you feel, disciple?" Elder Ling rubbed his hands together with a smile, glancing at Dong Yan Cuo. The young man was getting more handsome by the day.

  "I feel that divine power is harder to convert and absorb than ordinary spiritual energy, but I’ll get used to it," Nan Gong Huan answered honestly. This was her first time absorbing divine power, and it was a completely different experience from spiritual energy and spiritual power.

  Elder Ling’s smile froze. That wasn’t the feeling he was asking about!

  "Elder Ling, could you look after him? I need to go out," Nan Gong Huan, unaware of Elder Ling’s expression, pulled Dong Yan Cuo to his side.

  It wouldn’t be convenient to bring him along to the academy.

  Before Elder Ling could speak, Dong Yan Cuo took two steps closer to her, saying seriously, "Wherever Huan Huan goes, I go."

  Hearing this, Elder Ling shrugged. It seemed he wasn’t too keen on staying here.

  "Inheritor, you can’t leave! You haven’t fully integrated the inheritance yet!" Bo Jing Rabbit also rushed up, hopping around at Dong Yan Cuo’s feet.

  Dong Yan Cuo looked down at the lively rabbit and asked Nan Gong Huan, "Huan Huan, can I eat this?"

  His eyes sparkled, sending a chill down Bo Jing Rabbit’s spine, making it want to cry.

  Its rabbit life was so hard! Everyone wanted to eat it!

  Nan Gong Huan chuckled inwardly but said, "You can’t eat this. Fine, I’ll take you out to eat something else."

  Knowing that Dong Yan Cuo wanted to follow her, Nan Gong Huan took him out of the Di Ming Ring.

  The Ye siblings were surprised to see the two suddenly appear.

  Ye Wan Jun’s face stiffened. He recognized Dong Yan Cuo—the last time they met, he had slapped him without warning. Thinking about it now, his cheek still ached slightly.

  "This is Dong Yan Cuo. You’ve... met before," Nan Gong Huan introduced him briefly, though their first meeting hadn’t been pleasant.

  Dong Yan Cuo wore a cold expression, exuding an air of aloofness, but his handsome appearance was hard to ignore.

  "Is he your guard?" Ye Sang hesitated to ask. He was still wearing the uniform of the Nan Gong family’s guards, but his noble aura didn’t match.

  But to be fair, even the ordinary guard uniform looked like it was made of fine silk on him, making him look majestic and handsome. Most guards couldn’t pull off that look.

  "Well, he’s more of a friend. He’s actually very easy to get along with, so don’t be afraid," Nan Gong Huan smiled warmly, seeing the siblings’ strange expressions. They would need some time to adjust.

  The Cui Gu Heavenly Bird crouched on the ground, waiting for everyone to climb on its back. It glanced at Dong Yan Cuo, its eyes betraying a hint of fear. It could sense the terrifying aura emanating from him.

  The four of them boarded the bird and continued toward the Feng Xuan Royal Academy while searching for spirit veins.

  Over half a month passed, and the four of them found a few scattered spirit veins, but they were too small to make a difference.

  Then, today, as the Cui Gu Heavenly Bird flew over a snowy mountain range, Nan Gong Huan sensed the vast, winding spirit veins beneath the ground.

  It was a major spirit vein, branching out into several smaller ones, making the snowy mountains pristine and radiant, like a pure, unworldly maiden with silver-white hair, quietly lying on the land in slumber.

  "There’s a spirit vein here. Let’s go down!" Nan Gong Huan immediately perked up. The last magical herb she needed for her promotion potion, the Snow Lotus, grew in places with abundant spiritual energy in snowy mountains, so this was a likely spot.

  While picking the Snow Lotus, she could also absorb the spirit veins beneath the ground.

  The group descended on the Cui Gu Heavenly Bird, stepping onto the soft snow.

  Dong Yan Cuo was in his element in the snowy mountains. Against the backdrop of the snow, he looked like the king of ice and snow.

  Finding a flat area, Nan Gong Huan followed her usual routine of carving a spirit-gathering array and a protective barrier. She then used earth spiritual energy to sense the spiritual energy flow of the snowy mountains and located the exact spot of the Snow Lotus.

  "You guys absorb the spiritual energy first, and keep an eye on the surroundings. I need to find the Snow Lotus to make the promotion potion," Nan Gong Huan instructed.

  "Be careful. If you encounter any danger, call for us immediately," Ye Sang glanced at Dong Yan Cuo. With him around, Ah Huan shouldn’t run into any trouble.

  "I will protect Huan Huan!" Dong Yan Cuo took Nan Gong Huan’s hand firmly, afraid she might disappear if he let go.

  Nan Gong Huan sighed, suddenly getting used to this feeling of being led around like a child.