Chapter 125: My dear student, you have truly uncovered the crux of the matter.

It was indeed quite strange when he thought about it. Tang Yi recalled what Fang Tianze and Ba Dahu had told him—that mastering the original liberation required the most crucial ability: resonating spiritually with one’s own sprite.

Before this, Tang Yi and Lalulas spent countless hours each day practicing. No matter how much they claimed it was voluntary or justified with other excuses and reasons, the practice itself was deliberate. When you practice with a specific purpose in mind, whatever you do ceases to be pure, and true resonance becomes impossible.

He understood why Fang Tianze had never truly taught him anything outright. Perhaps Fang Tianze was trying to convey this very truth through his silence.

“So, I guess we stumbled upon it by accident,” Tang Yi said, offering the only reasonable explanation he could think of, sharing his analysis with Lalulas.

She agreed but quickly caught onto something else: “So, those days ago when we were... you, your intentions weren't pure! You didn’t say that before—you said it was all just to practice skills!”

Blind student, you’ve found the key point!

Realizing he might have let something slip, Tang Yi immediately backtracked: “Well, these are just my wild guesses, probably not accurate. Don’t take them seriously. After all, what ill intentions could I have?”

In any case, tonight’s attempt was their first success.

Unfortunately, once Lalulas realized Tang Yi’s motives might be impure, she refused to continue trying.

Still, for Tang Yi, that one success brought him much insight.

Sensing energy as a human was a marvelous sensation, difficult to express in words, leaving him with much to savor and ponder.

That weekend, when they visited Fang Tianze again and sat briefly in his countryside villa, Tang Yi showed unprecedented eagerness: “Sister Ba Dahu, no need to brew tea today. Let’s rest a bit and then head up the mountain quickly.”

“Oh? So impatient today,” Fang Tianze said, a little surprised.

Ba Dahu glanced suspiciously between Lalulas and Tang Yi. With her sharp intuition, she caught the subtle but inexplicable differences between them.

“The competition’s about to start, so naturally we’re anxious,” Tang Yi offered a reasonable excuse.

The group set off up the mountain once again.

This time, Tang Yi saw the successfully evolved Cotton Shuttlecocks. Though only two had evolved, the girls now had two pairs of wing-like cotton spores growing from their backs. These spores allowed them to fly freely, and by controlling the spores atop their heads, they could go wherever they wished.

Fang Tianze told Tang Yi, “The number of evolved girls isn’t enough yet. We have to wait a bit longer. Once we have more Cotton Shuttlecocks, on a windy day, we’ll be able to migrate with the others.”

“So, does that mean I don’t have much time left?” Tang Yi asked.

“That’s right. You must hurry. Opportunities to practice freely like this will be very rare in the future.”

Tang Yi felt slightly embarrassed. “Practice freely? Okay then, I’ll start trying today.”

Guiding energy itself was harmless. Whether successful or not, it caused no adverse effects on the sprites.

Still, in the city, it was impossible to find many sprites for trial all at once, and no other trainer would let their sprite girls be used so casually.

Such chances were truly rare.

Tang Yi rolled up his sleeves, ready to dive in. Without waiting for Eevee, he proactively greeted the Cotton Shuttlecocks.

“Feeling a bit strange today,” Fang Tianze frowned slightly as he watched Tang Yi’s back, then glanced at Eevee: “Could it be related to you?”

“Ah! No, no relation at all! What could I possibly have to do with him?” Eevee jumped in surprise, looking a bit guilty.

Fang Tianze’s frown deepened but he couldn’t figure out the reason.

Meanwhile, Tang Yi had grown familiar with the Cotton Shuttlecock girls: “Hi! Good morning, everyone!”

He had been here many times, so the girls mostly knew him. Though they didn’t understand Chinese, they roughly guessed it was a greeting, responding with clear, cheerful sounds: “!@%...#”

“Oh, no need to be so formal, Cotton Shuttlecock number three. Have you been staying up late recently? You’ve got dark circles under your eyes.”

“@#￥%s”

“Hahaha, Cotton Shuttlecock number seven, you’re very lively today. Don’t run too far. I checked the weather forecast—strong winds today, be careful not to get blown away.”

“*%#~%%”

“Cotton Shuttlecock number thirteen, are you complimenting me on my looks? Well, though it’s true, saying it out loud is a bit embarrassing, haha.”

“*(@%”

Not far away, Eevee furrowed her brows, looking at Fang Tianze with puzzlement: “Old Fang, he shouldn’t understand the plant sprite language, right?”

Fang Tianze stared thoughtfully at the happy group chatting nearby, then suddenly chuckled: “Of course he doesn’t understand. No one ever taught him sprite language. But this kid is really interesting.”

A dozen or so girls surrounded a human. Neither side understood each other’s language, so it was basically a case of talking past each other. Yet, despite this, they seemed to be enjoying their conversation.

Neither Tang Yi nor the Cotton Shuttlecock girls were faking the joy and delight on their faces.

To better recognize the girls, Tang Yi had assigned each one a number. After a few visits, he could identify most of them.

He often pointed to a girl and used his hands to demonstrate numbers. Though they didn’t share a spoken language, counting was a universal language.

After several exchanges, the girls realized this human truly recognized each one of them. Surprised, they became even more enthusiastic toward him.

“He’s just pretending to understand since he can’t actually understand them. I should translate for him,” Eevee said, ready to step forward.

Fang Tianze shook his head: “No need. You’re assisting me today. Don’t interfere with Tang Yi for now.”

“Nooo, I want to follow this kid and see what he’s up to. He’s really interesting, totally different from those boring human trainers.”

“Hey, I’m your trainer, remember?” Fang Tianze snorted. “Don’t think I can’t guess. His recent changes are probably mostly because of you. Hmph, before I tell Ba Dahu about this, you’d better behave.”

“Ah!” Eevee immediately turned obedient but was still reluctant: “Are you sure he doesn’t need translation?”

“Not today. Even if he doesn’t understand the words, a person’s heart isn’t confined to language,” Fang Tianze said thoughtfully, as if he had guessed something but didn’t say it outright.