A dark green pill lay in the jade box, its surface rippling with faint patterns of water. It gave off a gentle, pure wave of water-element Soul Power.
"Is this... a Mysterious Water Pill?"
Wang Dong's voice rose several pitches. As the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, he had seen no shortage of treasures, so he recognized the pill at a glance.
The Mysterious Water Pill was a water-element pill. It could cleanse a Soul Master's meridians and increase their Soul Power, with especially pronounced effects on water-element Soul Masters.
The pill would benefit him, too.
Most importantly, Mysterious Water Pills were extraordinarily valuable and virtually impossible to find on the market.
"Where did you get it?"
"I won it in a bet." Mu Chen answered casually. "That senior lost three Mysterious Water Pills to me. I took two, and this one's for you."
Wang Dong's fingers tightened slightly around the jade box. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he found himself unable to speak.
He had received countless expensive gifts growing up.
As the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, he had been showered with affection. What rare treasures had he not seen? But those gifts had either been given out of regard for the Clear Sky Sect or offered to curry favor with him. No one had ever given him something as simply and sincerely as Mu Chen had.
Just because they were roommates.
Wang Dong lowered his head. His bangs hid his expression, leaving only his slightly reddened ears visible.
"Thank you." His voice was so quiet it was almost a mosquito's buzz.
Mu Chen was taking off his jacket. At the sound of Wang Dong's voice, he looked up. "What?"
"I said thank you!" Wang Dong angrily hurled a pillow at him. "Are you deaf or something?"
Mu Chen caught the pillow and couldn't help laughing at Wang Dong's flushed, mortified face.
He tossed the pillow back onto Wang Dong's bed. "Hurry up and absorb it. The medicinal power in the pill will slowly dissipate over time. If you leave it too long, it won't work as well."
Wang Dong huffed, put the pillow back in place, and sat cross-legged. He set the jade box in front of his knees but didn't open it right away. Instead, he looked up at Mu Chen.
"What about you? Aren't you going to absorb yours?"
"I still have another one, don't I?"
Only then did Wang Dong relax. He drew a deep breath to steady himself, then took the Mysterious Water Pill from the jade box. The pill felt warm in his hand, and under the lamplight, its flowing water patterns gleamed with a soft radiance.
He placed the pill in his mouth. It melted instantly, becoming a warm current that slid down his throat and into his stomach. The next moment, a surge of pure medicinal power burst from his abdomen and coursed through his meridians toward every limb and bone.
Wang Dong didn't dare slacken. He hurriedly guided the medicinal power through his body with his Soul Power. His Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul released itself, unfurling a pair of dazzling butterfly wings behind him. Their gentle blue glow made the dormitory look like an underwater world.
The golden patterns on the butterfly wings glimmered faintly under the influence of the medicinal power. With every breath, they drew in the world's energy from the air.
Mu Chen sat on the opposite bed, watching Wang Dong enter a state of cultivation.
The guy had a foul temper, but when he got serious, he was clearly no slouch. And the Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul truly lived up to its reputation. In terms of Martial Soul quality alone, it ranked among the best on the entire Douluo Continent.
He turned his gaze away and took out his own Mysterious Water Pill.
It was the same dark green pill, with the same pure medicinal power. Without hesitation, Mu Chen put it in his mouth.
The moment its medicinal power dissolved, the Soul Power in his body was like a stone tossed into a lake, sending ripples spreading in every direction.
His Ocean Martial Soul surfaced automatically. The briny scent of the sea breeze resonated with the water-element energy contained in the medicinal power, leaving Mu Chen feeling refreshed from head to toe.
His meridians warmed slightly as they were nourished by the medicinal power, and the Soul Power in his dantian grew slowly but steadily. Still, the increase was barely noticeable given that he was already at level forty-three.
Mysterious Water Pills worked best on low-ranked Soul Masters. At the Soul Ancestor level, the boost from a single pill was quite limited.
Mu Chen didn't mind. He focused on circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, absorbing every last trace of the medicinal power.
Just then, something strange happened.
Mu Chen clearly sensed what seemed to be a strand of Soul Power in the air that didn't belong to him.
That strand carried a hint of warmth and radiance, exactly like the Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul on Wang Dong. Meanwhile, the water-element Soul Power seeping from Mu Chen drifted toward Wang Dong as well.
The two strands of Soul Power met in the air. They didn't repel each other. Instead, like old friends reunited after a long absence, they naturally fused together.
The fused Soul Power became gentler and smoother, flowing back and forth between them in a subtle loop.
Mu Chen could even sense Wang Dong's heartbeat and breathing, along with every subtle change in the circulation of Soul Power within his body.
The strange sensation jolted Mu Chen.
He abruptly opened his eyes and saw that Wang Dong had finished absorbing the pill at some point. Wang Dong was staring at him with wide, pale blue eyes.
His face was just as filled with shock and confusion. Clearly, he had felt the strange phenomenon, too.
"You..." Wang Dong's lips parted slightly, and his voice trembled. "Did you feel that just now?"
Mu Chen didn't answer. Instead, he stood up from the bed and walked over to Wang Dong.
He looked down at Wang Dong, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. They were so close that they could feel each other's breath.
"Hold out your hands."
Wang Dong's heart inexplicably began to beat faster. He tilted his head up to look at Mu Chen. His deep blue eyes reflected Mu Chen's image, intent and focused. He swallowed, suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, and held out both hands.
"What for?"
Mu Chen didn't answer. He simply reached out and pressed both hands against Wang Dong's.
The instant their palms touched, a strange energy burst forth from the point of contact.
Mu Chen's Soul Power and Wang Dong's fused without the slightest resistance, forming a new, even more powerful Soul Power.
The fused Soul Power was a deep blue-gold. It held both the ocean's vastness and depths and the Light Goddess Butterfly's sacred warmth.
The two streams of Soul Power formed a perfect cycle within their bodies, flowing from Mu Chen's dantian to Wang Dong's, then back again.
With every cycle, the fused Soul Power grew purer and more concentrated.
Their original Soul Power grew along with it, increasing at a pace visible to the naked eye—many times faster than when they cultivated alone.
Wang Dong's eyes widened, and he froze.
He could clearly feel the Soul Power in his body growing more and more active within the cycle, nourishing every corner of his meridians.
The pleasant sensation left him warm all over, and he couldn't help letting out a soft moan.