On the other side, Su Chen and Wang Dong had already returned to the dormitory.
On the way, Wang Dong had chattered nonstop, while Su Chen had remained silent the whole time. It made Wang Dong uneasy, and she thought he was angry with her. After all, she hadn't helped today and had nearly held him back.
Back in Dormitory 108, Wang Dong watched Su Chen remain silent and felt a little nervous. Her eyes darted around, then she suddenly grinned and waved a hand.
"Alright, alright. I know you're worried about me, but it's all in the past now, and we're both fine, aren't we?"
She pulled a small box from her clothes and handed it to Su Chen. "Oh, right. These are three Soul Ascension Pills. Director Du came looking for you this afternoon, but you were with Teacher Mu, so he handed them to me and asked me to pass them along."
Su Chen took the box and opened it for a look. Inside were three pills about the size of longans. They were emerald green all over and gave off a faint medicinal fragrance and Soul Power fluctuations. They were of good quality—definitely Soul Ascension Pills.
"I don't need them." Su Chen closed the box and handed it back to Wang Dong.
Wang Dong blinked, thinking Su Chen didn't know what a Soul Ascension Pill was, and hurried to explain. "Hey! These are very precious pills! They're refined using several rare natural treasures as medicinal ingredients, and they're on the same level as Mystic Water Pills."
"Though, relatively speaking, Mystic Water Pills are a little more precious, since they can cleanse the meridians and transform the marrow..."
She counted on her fingers, as if reciting a familiar list. "Soul Ascension Pills mainly raise Soul Power. The increase is about equivalent to a Soul Master going from level thirty to level thirty-one. They can raise your Soul Power by a whole level at once! You're level twenty-eight right now, so taking one will definitely break you through to level twenty-nine. They're a rare treasure!"
Wang Dong paused, then added, "Of course, a Soul Master can only take one in their entire life. Taking more will affect their future cultivation potential... So hurry up and take them. Are you trying to get me in trouble? Director Du specifically told me to make sure you got them!"
She spoke with utter seriousness, her little face taut. Her pinkish-blue eyes practically said, "If you don't accept them, I'm going to be mad."
Looking at her like that, Su Chen suddenly found it a little amusing. He hesitated, then nodded and took the box from Wang Dong again.
"Fine. I'll take one." Su Chen took out a Soul Ascension Pill and handed the other two back to Wang Dong. "You take one, and give the last one to Xiao Xiao."
Wang Dong blinked, not expecting Su Chen to divide them up that way. She took the box back and thought for a moment. "Then... I've decided. I'll take this Soul Ascension Pill tonight, and I'll break through to level twenty-five!"
She clenched her little fist and declared with conviction, "I'm going to reach level thirty as soon as I can! Su Chen, I'm telling you, I bet if I had three Soul Rings today, carrying you through the air would be a piece of cake! At least we wouldn't have crashed..."
Remembering how she had spread her wings that afternoon to carry Su Chen, only for them to nearly get themselves killed, Wang Dong felt a little embarrassed. Still, she refused to back down.
Looking at Wang Dong's confident expression, Su Chen smiled helplessly. He reached out and ruffled her hair. The gesture came so naturally that they both froze for a moment.
Wang Dong's face turned scarlet in an instant, but this time she didn't pull away.
Su Chen withdrew his hand and teased her with a smile. "Protect me when you're stronger. And don't make promises until you've kicked that habit of falling asleep as soon as you start cultivating."
He paused and deliberately added in a mocking tone, "Come to think of it, you call yourself a genius, but you've only cultivated to level twenty-four. If I were you, I'd slit my own throat. How can you even show your face?"
"Ahhh—Su Chen, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Wang Dong sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and lunged at Su Chen with claws bared. "Don't say that! I'm not unwilling to cultivate. I just don't know why, but I've been prone to getting sleepy since I was little... As soon as I start cultivating, I want to sleep. I'm desperate too, but what can I do?"
She flopped back onto her bed, hugged a pillow, and sulked.
Su Chen smiled and didn't tease her any further. He sat down on his own bed, closed his eyes, and began meditating to recover the Soul Power he had expended that day.
The room fell quiet, with only their steady breathing to be heard.
After a long while, Wang Dong suddenly spoke, her voice full of curiosity. "Come to think of it, when that terrifying crazy woman came charging at us, I passed out. I only remember that we almost died. In the end... how were we saved?"
She turned toward Su Chen, her eyes shining. "Su Chen, what happened exactly? Tell me!"
Su Chen opened his eyes. His golden eyes looked especially bright in the dim light. He glanced at Wang Dong, then suddenly gave her a meaningful smile.
"You really want to know?"
"Of course!" Wang Dong nodded emphatically.
Su Chen spoke slowly. "Actually... I'll come clean."
Wang Dong: "?"
"I'm the young master of the Holy Heaven Sect," Su Chen said with a perfectly straight face. "When that crazy woman was about to hurt us, my family's Titled Douluo bodyguard showed up in time and knocked her out."
Wang Dong: "..."
She stared at Su Chen for three seconds, then burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Su Chen, quit messing around!" Wang Dong laughed so hard she doubled over, tears nearly spilling from her eyes. "You? The young master of the Holy Heaven Sect? Everyone knows the Holy Heaven Sect is a super sect that's kept itself hidden for ten thousand years, with unfathomable foundations. It's every bit the equal of Shrek!"
She wiped away her tears of laughter and teased, "By that logic, then I'm the young master of the Clear Sky Sect!"
Su Chen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you?"
Wang Dong: "...O-of course not! I'm just from an ordinary family!"
Her voice sounded a little shaky, and her eyes wandered for a moment. Su Chen pretended not to notice.
"So there," Wang Dong said indignantly. "Can't we both quit bragging and you just tell me what really happened?"
Su Chen shrugged. "I told you the truth. Believe it or not, that's up to you."
"I don't believe you!" Wang Dong snorted. "Fine, don't tell me. Like I care!"
"I'm not talking to you anymore! I'm going to cultivate! Tonight, I'm breaking through to level twenty-five no matter what!" she declared. Then she took a deep breath and popped the Soul Ascension Pill into her mouth.
The pill melted as soon as it touched her tongue, turning into a gentle stream of energy that flowed down her throat and into her abdomen. Wang Dong immediately closed her eyes and circulated her Soul Power, guiding the energy through her body.
Time ticked by, second by second.
About half an hour later, the blue glow around Wang Dong suddenly brightened, then quickly faded back into her body. She opened her eyes, a flicker of delight in her pinkish-blue gaze.
"I broke through!" She jumped off the bed, feeling the Soul Power within her had nearly doubled. "Level twenty-five! Hahaha, I really am a genius!"
She turned to Su Chen, wanting to show off, only to find him sitting with his eyes closed, seemingly cultivating. Wang Dong pursed her lips and muttered, "Hmph, cultivation maniac..."
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