Resolving the Evil Fire

Ma Xiaotao happily waved her little fists.

"Yeah!"

She was so happy. The problem that had troubled her for so long could finally be eased again.

"Uh... well..."

Ma Xiaotao asked hesitantly, "Could we try it right now? My Evil Fire just flared up, so I'm in a stable period. Nothing should go wrong, and it'll be a good time to get familiar with the process."

"Of course."

Lu Ran replied.

Ma Xiaotao hurriedly sat down, her long, straight legs so fair they were dazzling.

She patted the floor and beckoned to Lu Ran impatiently. "Come on, come on."

Lu Ran sat down opposite her.

Their fingers intertwined.

Ma Xiaotao said, "I'll slowly release my Evil Fire. You can resolve it by sending your water-attributed Soul Power into my body."

Lu Ran nodded.

They released the Evil Fire and Soul Power at the same time.

A sharp hiss rang out.

Water and fire mingled.

Invisible water vapor spread through the air.

The entire room became a world of water and fire.

Ma Xiaotao felt scorching heat, while a damp warmth, accompanied by water vapor, enveloped Lu Ran.

The two forces clashed with each other.

Canceled each other out.

Again and again.

A breeze blew in through the window. Lu Ran had never realized that even the wind could feel so refreshing.

His Soul Rings lit up as he released Gentle Water Domain, and a faint blue glow lingered around them.

Gentle Water Domain could greatly increase the speed at which Soul Power recovered. Combined with the dense Soul Power around the Golden Ancient Tree and his own reserves, which far surpassed those of others at the same rank, he could practically maintain an endless supply.

It could also cool the air.

Two birds with one stone.

Water vapor continued to drift upward.

Ma Xiaotao carefully controlled how much Evil Fire she released. As time passed, the Evil Fire in her body gradually receded, replaced by a cool sensation.

A clear, penetrating coolness.

It felt wonderful, but the process was also agonizing.

It was like the restraint and endurance just before reaching bliss.

It made her itch with impatience, wishing she could release all her Evil Fire at once.

But she was afraid of hurting Lu Ran.

So she could only endure it.

She carefully controlled the Evil Fire, hoping that one day Lu Ran would grow strong enough to suppress it without holding back.

Ma Xiaotao's beautiful eyes narrowed into a tiny slit.

She secretly studied Lu Ran.

She hadn't gotten a good look before, but now she realized that Lu Ran was quite handsome, with a fair face and a high nose bridge.

He was especially captivating when he was serious...

Lu Ran suddenly spoke, his tone calm.

"Focus. There's only a little left."

Ma Xiaotao immediately closed her eyes. Oh no, he caught me staring!

But she was secretly pleased, too. So Lu Ran was sneaking glances at me as well. Heh, I really am charming...

"No,"

Lu Ran spoke again.

"The Evil Fire wavered slightly. You definitely weren't focused."

Ma Xiaotao's eyes flew open, and she stared at him.

Could he hear my thoughts? Then wouldn't he know what I was thinking earlier?

I'm doomed!

Lu Ran still had his eyes closed, his tone even.

"No."

"You're just too easy to read. You can't hide what you're thinking."

Ma Xiaotao immediately took a deep breath, straightened her back, and emptied her mind, repeating silently, I don't want to think. I don't want to think. I don't want to think...

She wanted to keep him from figuring out her thoughts again.

Half an hour later,

the last trace of Evil Fire in Ma Xiaotao's body was cleared away.

At last, it was over.

With a thump, Lu Ran flopped onto the floor. He stared up at the beautifully decorated ceiling, his mind utterly blank.

All he wanted was to lie there.

And keep lying there.

Because he was exhausted.

The whole process had required him to control his Soul Power continuously. It was exhausting.

Ma Xiaotao stretched in satisfaction and let out a comfortable moan, showing off her graceful curves to the fullest. But Lu Ran kept staring at the ceiling,

his eyes vacant.

Ma Xiaotao leaned closer, bringing with her a faint, delicate fragrance.

"...What do you think of this?"

She carefully pushed a finely crafted black wooden box toward him.

Lu Ran turned his face to look.

Inside was a small hand-carved... Phoenix, with its head held high and wings outstretched.

It was a fiery red, not painted on but the natural color of the wood.

It was obvious she had done her best, even if her carving skills weren't very good.

Ma Xiaotao scratched her hair, a little embarrassed.

"It's my first time giving someone a present... I didn't know what to get. I thought about it for ages, and this seemed like it might be suitable..."

She knew it didn't look very good, but she really had spent a long time carving it.

Lu Ran examined the wooden Phoenix carefully. Its fiery red eyes looked utterly sincere.

Its pose was proud.

He sat up. "All right. I'll take it."

"Yay! Yay!"

Ma Xiaotao cheered again, happily waving her fists.

The days that followed went on as usual.

Lu Ran cultivated all day and helped Ma Xiaotao resolve her Evil Fire from time to time.

His Soul Power grew rapidly.

Meanwhile, the area of his Small World continued to expand.

By the time he reached level twenty-five,

the Small World had doubled in size compared to when he was level twenty.

The plains suitable for farming alone stretched beyond the horizon.

So it was time to prepare for farming.

Without the old mayor to give him parsnips, Lu Ran didn't need parsnips anyway. Or rather, he had no need to grow ordinary crops now. After all, he could toil away in a field for ages and still might not earn half a Gold Soul Coin, while the Rock Crystal Dragon could make ten Gold Soul Coins in a single day working in the Beast Fighting Zone.

At the moment, he wasn't suited to large-scale planting. His abilities were limited. In the future, he could use Soul Guidance Technology to mechanize farming and production.

If he was going to plant anything now, it had to be something valuable.

That meant high-Soul-Power crops, medicinal herbs, and fruits.

Plants in this world could gain Soul Power. Apart from those that were born as Plant-type Soul Beasts, some became Soul Beasts through years of accumulation, after growing for ten, twenty, or even a hundred years. Other crops were harvested after just one, two, or three years.

They couldn't become Soul Beasts, but still carried certain elemental powers, such as water or fire.

Soul Masters with matching attributes benefited from eating them regularly.

As for medicinal herbs, everyone knew what they were for.

Last were fruits.

There were fruit Soul Beasts in Douluo Continent, as well as ordinary fruits.

It was perfectly normal for plants to absorb the essence of the sun and moon over many years and become Plant-type Soul Beasts. Naturally, the fruits they bore were much more valuable, and the older the plant, the more precious the fruit.

There was also something called a Spirit Fruit. Its growth cycle was extremely slow, and usually a Soul Beast guarded it. However, according to Lu Ran's taxonomy of Plant-type Soul Beasts, it should be classified as a medicinal herb. He was only mentioning it separately.

Lu Ran went to the outermost reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest and tried it for himself.

He found a fruit tree Soul Beast called an Explosive Pomegranate.

As the name suggested, its pomegranates could explode.

If anyone tried to pick one, the pomegranate tree Soul Beast would detonate its fruit. In an instant, the seeds inside could pierce through any creature with ill intent. Their power and range depended on the Soul Beast's age, and the seed shells were likely to crack in the explosion.

Once they lodged in the soil, they could sprout and take root.

Some Soul Masters even chose them as their Soul Rings, since their offensive power was considerable.

But when Lu Ran tried to approach the pomegranate Soul Beast, it didn't react at all. He cautiously tested it, then picked a pomegranate.

Nothing happened.

He picked another.

Still nothing.

He picked a third... and nothing happened again.

It wasn't until he had nearly picked them all that the pomegranate tree expressed its protest with a slight shudder.

Only then did he stop.

The reason was the Soul Beast Affinity he possessed. With it, as long as he picked fruits in moderation, fruit-bearing Soul Beasts wouldn't attack. Even low-ranked bee-type Soul Beasts wouldn't mind if he took just a little honey.

How convenient.

In the end,

the pomegranate Soul Beast was transplanted into his Small World, as was the Brown-Striped Bee Swarm. The vast Small World had more than enough room to support a bee swarm. After all, they could produce honey that accelerated Soul Power recovery.

It would be very useful in the future.