Chapter 761 Likes and Dislikes

Jie La's growth progressed almost daily. By the end of January, it had fully reached infant size—fifty centimeters tall—with stabilized magical energy, officially becoming a qualified Thorn Grand Sprite.

"Woo-wah, Jie La strong!"

The little creature that had evolved from a Thorn Bug to a Grand Sprite immediately cornered the Huanglian Spirit Bug in its room for a scolding: "You bitter little Huanglian! Next time I see you acting tough, I'll beat you speechless!"

Pouting by the window, the Huanglian Spirit Bug glared at the now-larger Jie La, still defiant.

But Jie La, now bigger and stronger, radiated an intimidating aura—one the Huanglian Spirit Bug knew better than to provoke. Though mischievous, it had always bullied only the weak in the castle’s bug rooms. It never dared bother the Pea Grand Sprite Ash before, and now Jie La was equally off-limits.

Swinging its fist triumphantly, Jie La reveled in the Huanglian Spirit Bug’s cowering. With a spin and a flutter, it shouted, "Jie La mighty! Woo-wah!"

Its next stop was Ash’s room.

"Do you want me to tie you up again?" Ash said coolly, unfazed by Jie La’s growth. Spirit bugs were naturally cold by nature. "Do you understand the art of binding? Do you know what ropes can create? If not, you’re unworthy of speaking to me."

Lifting its chin slightly, Ash gazed indifferently at the swaggering Jie La.

Just as when it first arrived at the castle, Ash seemed perpetually unfazed. No one knew what truly lay beneath that calm exterior.

Jie La froze for a second.

Though its intelligence had improved after evolving, Ash’s words might as well have been gibberish—even though Ash was speaking Wind Tongue, which Jie La understood as one of Liszt’s bilingual (serpent tongue and Wind Tongue) spirits.

Even without comprehension, Jie La knew one thing: don’t back down. Baring its teeth, it roared, "Woo-wah! You jerk!"

*Bang!*

Ash shut the door, wearing a faint smirk. "So ignorant. So vulgar."

The metal door nearly hit Jie La’s face, fueling its rage—but Ash was untouchable. The stone-walled room had a steel door and glass windows, blocking Jie La’s seed-spreading magic and preventing long-range attacks.

A kick to the iron door only hurt its own foot. "Woo-wah!"

Frustrated, Jie La decided to postpone settling scores with Ash. Instead, it flew downstairs to the underwater bug rooms in the basement. Room by room, it searched for the Giant Kelp Grand Sprite Parker—the one who’d insulted its looks—but the taunting Grand Sprite was hiding somewhere.

Just as it was about to continue, Liszt summoned it back telepathically.

"Woo-wah, Jie La, strongest in Thorn Fort!" Back before Liszt, Jie La stood on the table, hands on hips, striking a triumphant pose.

Liszt patted its head. "Remember what I taught you—no fighting in the castle, no bullying other spirits, and most importantly, as a Grand Sprite, you must be calm. If you’re bored, plant more thorns. Be a well-rounded Grand Sprite—strong in mind, body, and work ethic."

He’d indulged it long enough; now it was time for discipline.

Jie La’s restless aggression might have driven its growth, but the constant noise was undeniably grating.

Liszt now had four Grand Sprites.

The Giant Kelp Grand Sprite Parker was vain and sarcastic, but if left alone, it stayed happily in its underwater lair.

The Pea Grand Sprite Ash had an odd obsession with knot-tying, but it never disturbed anyone.

The Phoenix Perch Grand Sprite Ai Ni lived in the wild, helping care for the Flame Dragonbird eggs—not just harmless, but helpful. Its temperament resembled the Redwood Spirit Bug Nami’s: not the most talented, but hardworking and endearing.

Only the Grand Sprite Jie La, whose hot temper not only remained unchanged but got even louder.

"Jie La will make them admit that Jie La is the strongest in the castle." Jie La was still fiercely competitive. Even as a lowly spirit bug, it had dared to challenge Grand Sprites—now, one could only imagine.

Sensing Jie La's emotions, Liszt felt that just suppressing her might not be the best approach, so he tried to reason, "Strength gained through fists or words won’t really make other sprites respect you, understand?"

"No."

"That means even if they verbally admit you're strong, deep down, they still won’t believe it."

"If they say it, then Jie La is the strongest!" It puffed out its chest in response, its reasoning simple—who cares what they really think, as long as they say it out loud.

That’s just how sprites think, something Liszt found hard to grasp with human logic.

But he wasn’t discouraged. "Jie La, fighting won’t prove anything, and I won’t allow it. If you truly want to become the strongest sprite in Thorn Fort, there’s a better way—do you know Ai Ni? Ai Ni is about to evolve into a Dragon Sprite. If you can evolve into a Dragon Sprite before it does, every sprite here will worship you!"

"Huh?"

Jie La didn’t quite understand what a Dragon Sprite was.

Liszt gestured while communicating telepathically: "A Dragon Sprite is this big, about a meter tall, with a body resembling a human’s, wise, able to wear clothes and learn things. It can help its master manage all the sprites, becoming their leader."

Regarding Dragon Sprites, the Archduke had already replied to Liszt, introducing the Oat Dragon Sprite of the Sapphire family.

As a family that raises dragons, over the 150 years since the kingdom’s founding, they had cultivated only two Dragon Sprites. The first was the Juniper Dragon Sprite, the one rumored to have belonged to the Bull family. Juniper wine was brewed by the Juniper Dragon Sprite.

Back then, the founding Archduke was still alive, passing the Sapphire Dragon to his eldest son and the Dragon Sprite to his youngest—the first Bull Marquis. Now that the Bull family had rebelled, their descendants fled long ago with the Juniper Dragon Sprite to the Kingdom of the Eagle, hiding who-knows-where.

Decades after the founding Archduke’s passing, the Sapphire family cultivated their second Dragon Sprite—the current Oat Dragon Sprite.

According to the Archduke’s account, both the Juniper Grand Sprite and the Oat Grand Sprite had adored the Sapphire Dragon, spending every day close to it, and one day, they just evolved—no warning, they just started growing taller.

However, the probability of a Grand Sprite evolving was low. Over 150 years, ten Grand Sprites had shown affection for the Sapphire Dragon, yet only two evolved. The others eventually lost interest, likely marking failed evolutions.

Currently, two Grand Sprites still adore the Sapphire Dragon, spending all their time with it.

But after over twenty years, they’re still just fond of it—no sign of evolving.

Thus.

Liszt understood that the Grand Sprite of Phoenix Roost, Ai Ni, was on the edge of evolution, though it was unclear how long it would take—or if it would fail.

He planned to test Ash, Pyke, and Jie La one by one, to see if they, too, could approach the threshold of evolution.

After all, he had two dragons—and more were on the way. The Fire Dragon didn’t favor the Lightgreen Gem Dragon, the Lightgreen Gem Dragon didn’t favor the invisible dragon, and the invisible dragon didn’t favor any other dragons.

But hey, one of them’s gotta click!