Su Yan was on the Ninth Step, feeling the waterfall crash down on him as he murmured, "Understand water."
"Water, the source of life."
"Water, formless and shapeless."
"Water can become all things."
"Water can pierce stone."
He watched the water flow between his fingers and tried to grasp it, but caught nothing.
He clenched both fists and deliberately punched out, yet the water felt as hard as iron.
Su Yan closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment. Then he leaped onto the rock on the Tenth Step and immediately felt the pressure on his body increase sharply, as if he weighed tens of thousands of pounds.
All around him, water crashed against the rocks with a rumble. It streamed down his face, and a wave of Soul Power suddenly rippled outward.
Su Yan had broken through to level 18!
"Su Yan, you did it!" Tang Chi cried excitedly. "And you got a double yolk!"
A flash of joy colored Zhu Zhuqing's cool eyes, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Suddenly, two golden flashes of lightning streaked past. Pikachu was overjoyed. "Pika, pika~"
Yin Fang waved both arms. "Lord Yan, time for an extra meal!"
Xue Ke scribbled down this historic moment.
Bibi Dong folded her arms and nodded with satisfaction.
Still under the waterfall, Su Yan sat cross-legged, enjoying the water washing over every inch of him.
Before he knew it, time had passed.
Su Yan had reached his limit and fell into the river, an excited smile still on his face.
After drying off, he walked to the riverbank.
The others were all standing by the river, staring blankly at the opposite bank.
"Hey, we're having an extra meal tonight!" Su Yan nudged Tang Chi's shoulder, earning himself a glare in return.
"We can talk about the extra meal later. Look across the river."
Su Yan looked up and was so shocked his pupils trembled. "One, two, three... ten, eleven! Zhuqing's actually on the Eleventh Step!"
His face was full of excitement and delight, though he was also a little puzzled. "Master, I'm an assault-type Soul Master, and I'm physically stronger than Zhuqing. I barely made it through the Tenth Step. How can Zhuqing endure it?"
Bibi Dong crouched down and pointed toward the girl beneath the waterfall. "Xiaoyan, take a good look at Zhuqing. Do you notice anything different?"
Su Yan narrowed his eyes and stared for a long while. "Zhuqing... I can hardly make her out. Is it because of the waterfall?"
"It's because Zhuqing has already become one with the water." Bibi Dong turned to Su Yan. "Xiaoyan, you're used to resisting the pressure with your body, while Zhuqing has resonated with the waterfall. She's become a part of it."
"I see." Su Yan understood, his eyes turning bright as he looked at Zhu Zhuqing.
She really was worthy of becoming a god in the future. Her talent was undeniable.
When Zhu Zhuqing was completely exhausted and fell into the water, thunderous applause erupted from the riverbank.
As expected, dinner consisted of a meal from the Little Magic Table.
Everyone took their seats and immediately dug in.
"Zhuqing, you were amazing!" Su Yan looked at Zhu Zhuqing beside him, his eyes crinkling with joy that he couldn't hide.
"Thank you, Brother Yan. I was just lucky." Zhu Zhuqing gave a rare, faint smile. Her cheeks seemed to flush slightly in the firelight.
Xue Ke raised her head, looking earnest. "It wasn't luck! Teacher said you were the first among all the children in training to reach this level!"
A flicker crossed Zhu Zhuqing's cool eyes. She was the first.
Su Yan looked around. Everyone who had completed the training was here, so the title was well deserved.
Just as the children were busy eating, Bibi Dong set a plate of deep-fried food beside her and muttered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "I'll leave this here to eat later."
At that moment, a purple-black wormhole suddenly appeared in midair. Bone Douluo Gu Rong emerged behind Bibi Dong with a well-dressed girl.
"Your Highness, I've brought Rongrong." As soon as Bone Douluo finished speaking, the little girl beside him rushed forward.
"Sister Dong'er, you never come visit me!" The girl looked aggrieved, a few tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
Bibi Dong ruffled Ning Rongrong's hair. "Sister Dong'er's been busy lately."
"I heard all about your bet with the Palace Master, Sister Dong'er." Ning Rongrong wiped away her tears. "Don't worry, Sister Dong'er. I came to help you win!"
Bibi Dong paused, then smiled. "Rongrong has grown up. There's no need to rush. Come sit down and eat first. Bone Douluo, please join us."
Ning Rongrong rushed straight to the table. The food smelled far more delicious than what her family's chef made.
"Thank you for having me." Bone Douluo bowed slightly, took off his suit jacket, and joined them. The moment he took his first bite, his eyes lit up. "A business opportunity!"
Across from them,
Tang Chi nudged Su Yan with his elbow and asked, "Su Yan, who are they?"
"Who?" Su Yan looked up in confusion. Seeing an old man and a little girl who hadn't been there before, he shook his head. "I don't know. They're probably Master's friends."
Yin Fang suddenly lowered his voice. "Don't talk about them too loudly. The one across from us is a big shot."
"How so?" Su Yan asked. The three of them leaned closer.
"The girl's wearing clothes made from Heavenly Dream Silkworm Silk, which only grows in the Far North. It costs ten thousand Gold Soul Coins per meter."
"Look at the cord in her hair. It's definitely from the Star Dou Great Forest, woven from Divine Star Wood vines. Just that little bit on her head must be worth at least five thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"The little stones on her hand are eggshells from Flame Crystal Lizards deep in the magma. Each one costs a thousand Gold Soul Coins. She's got at least eight on her hand—that's eight thousand."
"That uncle beside her must be wearing a custom-made suit. It cost no less than five thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"That's unbelievable." Tang Chi sighed. He'd never seen so much money in his life, and the food in front of him suddenly seemed like cheap stuff.
"This is quite an eye-opener. She's practically wearing Gold Soul Coins." Su Yan shook his head too. "Yin Fang, you know a lot."
Yin Fang's eyes narrowed. Then he tilted his head and chuckled awkwardly. "I've heard a little here and there. Not much, not much."
Bone Douluo glanced over at just the right moment, his sharp eyes falling on the three boys.
The three of them immediately felt a chill down their backs. They sat up straight and focused all their attention on the delicious food in front of them.
Hiding behind a nearby tree, a little girl swallowed as she stared at the table full of delicious food. Her mouth watered so much that tears slipped from the corners of her lips.
"Why are there two more people now?" She pressed her lips tightly together. In the end, she couldn't overcome her fear. She could only eat the dry rations in front of her while inhaling the delicious aroma.
Night fell completely.
Bibi Dong saw that the plate of deep-fried food hadn't diminished at all, and her brows furrowed slightly.
Had she guessed wrong?
Even after everyone had finished eating, not a single piece of the fried food was missing.
Bibi Dong cleared everything away, leaving only the plate of food on the table, still giving off an irresistible aroma.
Bone Douluo ate his fill, left Ning Rongrong there, and asked Bibi Dong about the chef. Then he disappeared into the wormhole.
Bibi Dong took all the children back to the little house that had appeared in the clearing, but she stayed outside beneath the starry sky.
She stood by the river, admiring the moon hanging in the sky like a silver platter.
A rustling sound came from behind her.
The corners of Bibi Dong's lips lifted.
Got you.
Before long, every last piece of fried food on the plate had vanished. Bibi Dong turned around and instantly rushed behind a tree.
She hadn't even had time to celebrate.
Behind the tree, there was no one at all—only a few fried crumbs left behind.
Bibi Dong extended eight spider legs, sensing the faintest changes nearby.
"Strange. Where did she run off to?" Bibi Dong came up empty once again.
After she left, a little girl suddenly appeared behind that same tree. She let out a long breath and patted her chest in fright.
Those spider legs had nearly scraped her scalp just now.
"That was only two inches away!"
Before you continue