Immediately after, bird droppings began to fall like a storm, pelting the three of them and catching them completely off guard!

  Wei Yu Gong tried to shield himself with an umbrella, but the moment he pulled it out, the spirit branch birds pecked it until only the skeleton remained!

  "Ah—" Nan Gong Qian’er screamed in disgust, especially when a dropping landed right in her mouth!

  The three of them scrambled to escape, occasionally getting slapped in the face by the wind blades from the spirit branch birds!

  Of course, Nan Gong Qian’er and Wei Yu Gong were the main targets.

  A slightly larger spirit branch bird, at the peak of the second level, landed beside Nan Gong Huan, trailing a green glow. Its gaze was gentle as it looked at her.

  It was the king of the spirit branch birds.

  "Master, we apologize for being late," the spirit branch bird king’s voice echoed in her mind.

  Although spirit branch birds weren’t particularly strong in combat, their numbers made up for it. When gathered together, their collective power was enough to inspire fear!

  Nan Gong Huan gathered a bit of spiritual energy in her hand and gently stroked the spirit branch bird king, whispering with a smile, "You came at just the right time. Thank you."

  Well... this was actually the first time she had used this skill. She hadn’t controlled her power well and ended up summoning the low-level beasts from the forest too. So she had decided to go along with it and lure Nan Gong Qian’er into the trap.

  "It is our honor to fight for you, Master," the spirit branch bird king bowed low, showing absolute submission.

  "She... she actually summoned a flock of spirit branch birds!" Ye Wanjun’s jaw dropped to the ground. Even though they were just low-level beasts, achieving this level of control was something even a third-level summoner would find difficult!

  Ye Sang couldn’t help but let a small smile curl at the corners of her lips.

  Meanwhile, Dong Yan Cuo stared at the plump spirit branch birds flying all over the sky, drool practically cascading down his chin.

  "Even if a hundred more people came, it would still be hard to fight off a flock of spirit branch birds!" The disciples were so shocked their mouths could’ve fit an entire spirit branch bird!

  "No wonder Nan Gong Huan was so confident! Who was it that called her a waste earlier?"

  "Ahem, I was actually supporting Nan Gong Huan all along. Miss Huan is amazing!"

  ...

  The bird droppings fell like rain, but only around Nan Gong Qian’er and the other two. The droppings piled up into a small mountain around them, making it impossible to believe this wasn’t intentional!

  "Ahem, that’s enough," the elder coughed lightly, signaling Nan Gong Huan to end the spectacle.

  Nan Gong Huan patted the spirit branch bird king’s head. Understanding her intention, it let out a low cry and took flight, leading the flock of spirit branch birds away.

  The three disheveled figures finally caught their breath, collapsing to the ground in humiliation!

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Nan Gong Qian’er trembled uncontrollably, her teeth clenched so tightly they might shatter. Her once delicate face, now baptized by bird droppings, was almost unrecognizable. The twisted expression of hatred only made her appear even uglier.

  "Nan Gong Huan, aren’t you going too far!" Wei Yu Gong could no longer maintain his composure, shouting at Nan Gong Huan like a madman.

  His hairpin had fallen into the pile of droppings, his hair a tangled mess. His once handsome appearance was completely gone, replaced by the look of a frenzied gorilla.

  "Too far? You could’ve refused my challenge earlier," Nan Gong Huan shrugged, feigning innocence.

  "You did this on purpose! You absolutely did this on purpose!" Nan Gong Qian’er, no longer caring about her image, screamed hysterically. She had become the laughingstock of the crowd!

  "Yes, I did it on purpose," Nan Gong Huan admitted openly, her tone casual but her eyes cold.

  This small lesson was nothing compared to what Nan Gong Qian’er had done to her in the past!

  "You!" Nan Gong Qian’er’s eyes burned with rage, her cheeks flushed with humiliation. She wished she could tear Nan Gong Huan into a hundred pieces right then and there!

  "It’s time to fulfill our bet. Everyone’s watching," Nan Gong Huan crossed her arms, her expression stern, as if she had transformed into a strict judge.

  Three kowtows...

  Wei Yu Gong’s veins bulged on his forehead. Despite his overwhelming reluctance, he decisively knelt down and kowtowed three times to Nan Gong Huan!

  His eyes, however, were filled with suppressed resentment.

  This actually earned him a bit of respect from Nan Gong Huan. Well, a true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall.

  Nan Gong Qian’er’s face alternated between red and pale. Since Wei Yu Gong had kowtowed so decisively, and with so many people watching, she couldn’t possibly back out now!

  Her body trembling, she slowly knelt down, not daring to look at the mocking gazes of the crowd. She bowed her head and gave three half-hearted kowtows.

  Some sticky bird droppings slid from her hair and fell to the ground, taking with them her dignity and self-respect.

  Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Nan Gong Qian’er staggered to her feet, pushed through the crowd, and ran off into the distance.

  "Qian’er!" Wei Yu Gong called out in distress, chasing after her without a care for his own disheveled state. With his guard in tow, the three of them quickly disappeared from everyone’s sight.

  "Alright, I’ll admit it too. You’re not a waste. You’re amazing!" Ye Wanjun confessed openly, though he couldn’t help but glance at the black blemishes on Nan Gong Huan’s face. She was a bit ugly... but he wouldn’t bring up a woman’s appearance.

  Nan Gong Huan gave him a fleeting glance but said nothing.

  The arrival of the spirit branch birds had proven Nan Gong Huan’s strength. No one opposed her entry into the Spirit Condensation Pavilion anymore, and the title of "waste" vanished with this battle.

  "Cuo Cuo, wait here for me. Don’t wander off, okay?" Nan Gong Huan stuffed a few candies into Dong Yan Cuo’s hands. This guy’s mouth was always restless.

  But just as Nan Gong Huan was about to leave, Dong Yan Cuo grabbed her hand and placed a candy back into hers, then pointed to his open mouth.

  This made Nan Gong Huan laugh. Was this foodie asking her to feed him?

  "Alright, I’ll peel it for you," Nan Gong Huan patiently unwrapped the candy and placed it in his mouth.

  Dong Yan Cuo looked at her with satisfaction, his eyes sparkling with joy.

  "Be good and wait here," Nan Gong Huan gave him a few more candies before turning and entering the Spirit Condensation Pavilion.

  The moment she stepped inside, she felt her spiritual core come alive, like a hungry tiger, spinning rapidly.

  The spiritual energy here was so dense! Nan Gong Huan couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

  In her senses, she could feel the spiritual energy flowing from the nine spiritual veins beneath the ground!

  The Spirit Condensation Pavilion was equipped with a formation that gathered spiritual energy, so the energy from these nine veins converged here, creating an incredibly dense atmosphere. All one had to do was sit in the formation to absorb it.

  Ye Sang entered with her and stood by her side, asking, "Are you really a spirit communicator?"

  A spirit communicator... could they really be this strong?

  "Of course. I’m going to become the strongest spirit communicator," Nan Gong Huan smiled. She wanted to become the strongest, to protect herself and her grandfather.

  Nan Gong Huan added, "By the way, you should sit down and start absorbing the spiritual energy as soon as possible."

  Otherwise, once her spiritual core started spinning, the spiritual energy here might be gone...

  The spiritual core could absorb all natural energies in the world, including spiritual energy.

  "Alright, good luck," Ye Sang nodded and sat down. The words "the strongest" took root in her heart: I’m going to become the strongest summoner! To protect my mother and my brother!

  Nan Gong Huan sat down cross-legged right after.

  At that moment, her spiritual core began to devour the energy voraciously. The dense spiritual energy in the air was no longer enough to satisfy it—its target was the spiritual veins!