"So? Are you ready to help us now?" Luo Ying asked her after the few moments of silence that had fallen over them.

"I have not made up my mind yet. I'm going to think about it. Don't disturb me for the next few hours." Li Ming said as she started turning around towards the staircase that would lead her back to her cabin.

However, even before she could take her first step towards her destiny, her arm was once again locked in the unnecessary grip of Luo Ying.

The Young Master was completely oblivious to the five Immortals who were currently going insane in their jealousy as they watched a tiny little boy touching their precious mate at every chance that he got.

The Pavilion where the five of them were sitting was filled with a dense cold and killing aura that was coming from the Immortals.

The guards that were stationed around the courtyard where the pavilions were located, were about to faint as they felt cold shivers running down their spines.

They had no idea about who those high profiled Young Masters were who currently resided in one of the pavilions.

However, each one of them was praying for them to leave the pavilion as soon as possible.

It was becoming harder for the poor mortal guards to bear the intense aura that was taking over the area and making them suffer to even breathe properly.

While these guards were quivering outside in fear, the Immortals were busy in their plannings.

"Why don't we just throw him in the sea? We can get rid of him within seconds." Hei Long suggested as he glared at the young boy, more likely at his hand which was holding his Lilac Girl's soft arm.

It was a good thing that Li Ming was wearing a long-sleeved dress, otherwise, the Chong Ming Clan would have lost their heir by now for sure.

"Good idea. In that way, he won't be able to clear the exam on time, and Xingan would be free from his dirty claws for the rest of her years in the Academy." Ruoshan said as he showed full support to his brother's idea.

"Or maybe we can just let him enter the Academy so that we will be given the chance to torment him for a long long time." Wen Guiying's words were as cold and evil as they could be.

His eyes were also trained at the Young Master of the Chong Clan and the Supreme Immortal could not hide the killing aura that was taking over his mind and body.

Even though both the Heaven Emperor and the Moon Immortal stayed silent but there was no doubt that they too were planning different ways in their minds to torture the Young Master Chong.

Even though they did not mind when anyone out of the six of them touched their mate but that did not give everyone a free pass to get close to Li Ming.

Only the six of them were allowed to touch or be close to her, and no one could steal that right from them.

While her mates were surrounded by the fog of jealously and anger, the situation on the ship was worsening.

-

"Are you seriously not going to help?" Luo Ying asked as he once again stopped a bubble of fog destroying the railing around the deck.

Li Ming jerked her arm free from the clutches of the Young Master Chong as she stepped back a little to create some distance between the two.

"First of all, stop touching me...!" Li Ming said through gritted teeth as she glared at the young man in front of her.

Even though she was not completely connected with any of her mates, but the soul mark that she shared with the Second Demon Prince, and the soul & energy essence that she shared with the Moon Deity, allowed her to feel a little bit of their emotions.

Although, she could not grasp the depth of their emotions but her weak connection with two of her mates was enough to make her realize that if she let Luo Ying touch her even a single more time, then there was a huge possibility that the Chong Ming Clan would lose their heir.

Luo Ying felt his cheeks turning bright red as his mind registered the cold words of the girl and he immediately looked away in embarrassment.

He did not even realize that he was continuously touching the young lady in front of him.

"I a-am sorry. I did not mean to..."

Li Ming could tell that he was sincere about his apology and just to get over the topic as soon as possible, she stopped him from apologizing any further.

"It's alright. Just make sure to not go around grabbing girls in the future." She said as she watched the Young Master Chong turning even redder.

At that moment, the poor boy wanted to sink into the depths of the deep cold sea as he found himself in the most embarrassing moment of his life.

"By the way, tell me the truth. Why are you so desperate to help these people? They are not your companion except those three boys. Is that because you too are trapped on this ship? But that does not make any sense either. As far as I can tell, you already had a plan for passing the first exam. Then what's the reason?" She asked as she looked at the Young Master with curious eyes.

"Because I can't help it." Luo Ying replied in a barely audible voice.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Li Ming asked in confusion as she looked at the young bit in front of her.

There was something about the Young Master Chong that was making her want to help him even though that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"It's my nature. I can't stop myself from helping those in need. No matter whether I'm capable of doing so or not, but my entire being urges me to help them." Luo Ying finally answered her question as he looked at her with his soft dark eyes.

Li Ming had no idea what to say or do at that moment. She definitely was not expecting to receive such a response in return.

"So? Are you going to help?" Luo Ying asked her after the silence of barely two minutes.

What else she could do?

A sigh left her lips as she pointed her finger at the Young Master Chong as she said, "This is the only time when I'm making an exception only because I'm in a good mood today. Don't even think about coming to me for help after this."

Saying that she turned around and walked towards the center of the deck.

"I can form a protective barrier around the ship which will keep the fog away from reaching the ship. But for that, I need help from all of you. I want you all the channel five percent of your spiritual qi into me while I will cast the spell. Are you all ready?"

As Li Ming finished, a loud chorus of 'yes' boomed throughout the ship.

She settled down on the deck in a lotus position and closed her eyes as she prepared to cast the spell.

She started by slowly pushing the fog away from the ship. It took her around five to six minutes to push the fog away at a satisfying distance before she nodded towards the dozens of children standing around her.

Since the fog was no longer proving as a hindrance to their sight, the children were quick in channeling their energy into Li Ming.

It was not like she was not capable of casting the barrier on her own. However, she wanted to save as much of her spiritual energy as she could for the second stage of her exam.

That's why she decided to take help from the children who were present on the ship.

Within a few minutes, the ship was surrounded by an invisible protective barrier that stopped the fog from coming anywhere near the ship.

After that Li Ming merged around seven crystal lotuses on different parts of the ship with her powers and asked the group of teenagers to channel their energy into those lotuses.

"What are these for?" A girl asked after they finished filling the crystal lotuses with their energies.

"The protective barrier around the ship is only powerful enough to fight off smaller enemies like the fog and other smaller water beasts. But it won't work when facing powerful opponents. The power inside these crystals is like a backup energy plan. They are connected with the barrier. When they will feel that the barrier was about to get destroyed, they would release their stored energy to strengthen the barrier. It will give us some time to come up with plans to survive the situation."

Li Ming explained as she finished the rune that she was drawing on the hive mast. The rune was another backup plan.

"We all are thankful towards the two of you for all the help and guidance that you provided us with." The Young Master who came up with the idea of the boat said with sincerity as he bowed to pay his respects.

The others followed his suit as they all thanked Li Ming and Young Master Chong.