I'd Better Eat It Myself (Please Vote)

In the quiet room, a boy lay on the bed with his eyes tightly shut, his brows occasionally furrowing.

Inside his mind, Qin Ze watched the Azure Dragon phantom from afar. Beside it swirled Purple Qi and crimson flames.

The two different energies were both swallowed into the Azure Dragon's belly in a single gulp. Its body, which had originally been so illusory that it seemed ready to collapse at any moment, appeared to grow somewhat more solid.

The Azure Dragon gradually faded away, transforming into countless motes of light that flowed into Qin Ze's Demon Armor Martial Soul before finally vanishing.

Ma Xiaotao rested her cheek on her hand, her gaze calmly fixed on the sleeping Qin Ze.

"I wonder what Teacher and the others are talking about." Ma Xiaotao muttered softly. Not long after arriving at the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe had called for her to bring Qin Ze to this room to rest.

As for the elders and Xiao Kuangdao, they were discussing something elsewhere.

"Mm!"

A low groan suddenly rang out. It was particularly noticeable in the quiet room, and Ma Xiaotao hurriedly turned to look at Qin Ze.

Qin Ze slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling without saying a word.

"You're awake!" A voice interrupted Qin Ze's thoughts just as he was pondering something.

"Why am I lying on a bed?" Only then did Qin Ze realize that he had somehow ended up on a bed in an unfamiliar room. He only remembered the Azure Dragon phantom appearing to save him before he fainted. After that, he had remained in his mental consciousness, watching the Azure Dragon absorb both Purple Qi and Evil Fire.

Ma Xiaotao walked over to Qin Ze. Her pretty face, already possessing several traces of breathtaking beauty, looked embarrassed. "I'm really sorry. I... I never expected my Martial Soul to have a problem."

Qin Ze turned his head and glanced at Ma Xiaotao. He finally understood why he had ended up in this room. Shaking his head, he smiled. "At least I'm still alive."

Ma Xiaotao gave a few dry laughs at that.

The two fell silent, and the room quieted down as well.

"Is your Martial Soul a dragon?" Ma Xiaotao could not hold back any longer. She wanted to talk about it.

"No." Qin Ze shook his head. "My Martial Soul is Demon Armor. It's basically armor."

"Armor?" Ma Xiaotao's light pink eyes widened. "But... what was that dragon phantom that appeared on you?"

"I want to know too!" Qin Ze said helplessly. He truly had no idea what the Azure Dragon was. Since its first appearance, though, it had displayed quite a few abilities: Auspicious Power, Extreme Wood's vitality, and the Devouring Power it had shown this time.

There were three abilities in total. Qin Ze had yet to specifically experience Auspicious Power. As for vitality, it had appeared twice: the first time when he absorbed his first Soul Ring, and the second time when Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire had nearly burned him to death.

As for devouring, it had appeared three times!

The first time was when his body had nearly failed to endure the absorption of a Soul Ring. The Azure Dragon appeared and devoured the violent lingering will within the Soul Ring. The second time, it devoured Purple Qi. The third time, it devoured Evil Fire.

"You don't know either?" Ma Xiaotao froze. She was truly curious. According to her teacher, the dragon phantom seemed to be Extreme Wood, but the wood attribute was restrained by her fire attribute. How could it possibly devour Evil Fire instead?

"Yeah." Qin Ze nodded.

Knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

Ma Xiaotao recovered from her surprise and walked over to open it.

Her teacher, Yan Shaozhe, and Qin Ze's teacher, Xiao Kuangdao, were both standing outside.

"Teacher!" Ma Xiaotao called respectfully.

Yan Shaozhe nodded, then turned his gaze toward Qin Ze. "How are you feeling?"

Qin Ze first acknowledged Xiao Kuangdao before answering, "More or less fine. There's nothing uncomfortable about my body."

"That's good." Yan Shaozhe sighed in relief. "To express our apologies, Shrek Academy will offer five Soul Ascension Pills as compensation. Of course, that still isn't enough. We'll add some other items later."

"Five Soul Ascension Pills!" A flicker of surprise passed through Ma Xiaotao's eyes. She knew what those things were and had even taken one herself, so naturally she knew their value.

But compared to a human life, they were nothing.

"Mm." Qin Ze merely nodded casually. Damn it, I nearly died. What good are even the best pills? Besides, he knew Shrek Academy was willing to offer five Soul Ascension Pills only out of consideration for the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

In the original story, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had nearly died at Ma Xiaotao's hands, yet they had only received one Soul Ascension Pill each as compensation.

"Since that's settled, we'll be taking our leave," Xiao Kuangdao said.

"Alright, I'll see you out, Senior," Yan Shaozhe said.

Qin Ze had nothing to pack, so he got up and put on his shoes. However, while doing so, he noticed a problem: his clothes had been changed.

Qin Ze looked himself over in confusion. Ma Xiaotao, as if she had noticed something, hurriedly turned her head away and tactically began admiring the scenery.

Yan Shaozhe escorted Qin Ze and Xiao Kuangdao all the way out of Shrek Academy's gates before leaving.

Inside the carriage, Qin Ze leaned against the soft sofa and gazed at the city. Only today did he realize something: his body still possessed countless secrets that had yet to be uncovered.

Du Busi had told him about the Power of Destiny, but he had never sensed it.

The Azure Dragon's three abilities were equally mysterious. He had never seen Auspicious Power, though he had witnessed the Power of Life and Devouring Power. Unfortunately, he could not control Devouring Power at all. It was completely random. Who knew whether it would appear again the next time he faced danger? If it did not, he would really be dead.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Kuangdao saw Qin Ze frowning as he looked outside.

"It's nothing," Qin Ze said. "I was just thinking about that dragon phantom."

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Kuangdao said, "The dragon phantom inside you carried an extremely gentle aura. We all thought it was an auspicious aura, but it didn't help people, animals, or plants. To put it simply, it came out, showed itself, and then disappeared."

Qin Ze's mouth twitched. He had fainted at the time and had not sensed the details. Now that his teacher explained it, he understood.

Xiao Kuangdao continued, "And that dragon phantom could even absorb Evil Fire, which is also very strange. Judging by the aura it emitted, it should be wood-attributed. By elemental affinity, it should have been restrained by fire, yet it devoured the Evil Fire instead. The secrets within you may be more numerous than even you realize."

Qin Ze did not reply. Xiao Kuangdao's words had indeed struck home.

"Five Soul Ascension Pills. It's a pity that a person can only take one in their lifetime. Otherwise, I'd let you eat them all and make you a Soul Grandmaster right away." Xiao Kuangdao looked at the Soul Tool and smiled.

"I earned these with my life. I can barely bear to eat them!" Qin Ze pouted.

"If you won't eat them, should I give them away?" Xiao Kuangdao asked.

Qin Ze glanced at Xiao Kuangdao, his tone resolute. "I'd better eat them myself. I traded my life for them. Giving them to someone else would be a waste."

"Pfft!"