Gu Tian looked somewhat disheveled; his once neat black hair was now slightly messy, and he had obvious dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night.
"You're awake?" Gu Tian yawned, forcing a gentle smile.
" Gu Tian... it's already dawn?" Shui Bing'er sat up in surprise, seeing that it was already bright outside the window. She felt an unbelievable lightness in her body. "I actually absorbed energy for a whole night?"
"Not just for one whole night, the fluctuations in your Soul Power practically rearranged all the furniture in this room." Gu Tian pointed to the shattered teacup on the ground, then asked with concern, "How are you feeling? Did the ten-thousand-year-old Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass achieve the desired effect?"
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling with a sapphire-like brilliance. She extended her jade-like hand, a faint blue frost rising from her palm, her tone filled with undisguised surprise:
"My Soul Power... has officially reached level 30! Moreover, I can feel that my Soul Power has been completely purified, and the occasional stagnation I experienced during cultivation has completely disappeared. The feeling is very wonderful, as if the old blockages in my meridians were completely washed away by that extremely cold energy, and now circulating my Soul Power is incredibly smooth."
"Marrow cleansing and bone tempering, as expected." Gu Tian nodded in satisfaction. "After all, it's Immortal Herb. Your current aptitude is already on par with the direct descendants of any top sect."
Looking at Gu Tian's tired face, Shui Bing'er felt a warmth she had never felt before. She knew that the girls who were supposed to be protecting the Dharma last night had all been sent away by Gu Tian to rest, and he was the only one guarding the place with dark circles under his eyes.
" Gu Tian, thank you." Shui Bing'er lowered her eyes, her voice trembling slightly. "Now that I'm level 30, shouldn't I go hunt for my third Soul Ring?"
"Hmm." Gu Tian stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the distant north. "I've made up my mind. Ordinary Frozen Forest are no longer enough for your current level. Although the Soul Beast produced there have a stable lifespan, their attributes aren't extreme enough. In a couple of days, once Yue'er wakes up, I'll take you to the Extreme North. Only the ice-attribute Soul Beast there are worthy of your current physique."
" The Extreme North?" Shui Bing'er exclaimed, a hint of worry flashing in her beautiful eyes. "That place is known as a forbidden zone for humans. Usually, most of the teachers and students from the Skywater Academy only dare to venture into the outer areas of the Frozen Forest. I've heard that even Titled Douluo don't dare to set foot in the core area of Extreme North easily..."
"With me here, that place is no forbidden zone." Gu Tian turned around, his eyes radiating invincible confidence. "The master there would probably have to fear me."
Seeing Gu Tian yawn again, Shui Bing'er felt a pang of guilt and quickly got out of bed to push him to the recliner beside her.
"Alright, we'll talk about the plan for the Extreme North later. You should go and get some rest. Yue'er hasn't woken up yet, I'll watch over her. If you don't sleep soon, they'll be heartbroken when they wake up."
Gu Tian shook his head with a wry smile. He was indeed extremely tired. He stopped being coy and lay down on the recliner. Soon, his breathing became steady. Shui Bing'er gently covered him with a thin blanket and sat quietly beside him. Her gaze lingered on his handsome sleeping face for a long Jiujiu.
Gu Tian slept very soundly.
When he opened his eyes again, the midday sun was already shining obliquely on the window frame. He found that he had somehow moved from the hard recliner to Shui Bing'er's huge blue soft bed. A faint, cool fragrance lingered among the bedding, like a snow lotus blooming in early winter, a scent that belonged only to Shui Bing'er.
The room was empty, with only him inside. A faint trace of Soul Power lingered in the air, indicating that Shui Yue'er had already absorbed the immortal Immortal Herb. Not wanting to disturb his sleep, the two sisters quietly left the room.
Gu Tian sat up, rubbed his throbbing temples, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips. This trip to the Skywater Academy not only successfully settled the cat girl and her daughter, but also completely won over the top genius sisters, Shui Bing'er. More importantly, Shui Bing'er finally broke through the level 30 barrier.
He mentally outlined his upcoming schedule:
His first priority was naturally to take Shui Bing'er to the Extreme North to hunt for her third Soul Ring. But before setting off, he had another important matter to attend to.
Half an hour later, Gu Tian changed into a neat and tidy outfit and appeared in front of the Crown Prince Palace's Palace of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
"Sect Master Gu, His Highness the Crown Prince is resting in the Imperial Garden. He instructed that if you arrive, you may simply walk in." The head guard bowed respectfully.
Gu Tian drove through the winding corridors with practiced ease and saw Xue Qinghe holding a book in a pavilion surrounded by flowers.
"Brother Qinghe, what a pleasant experience." Gu Tian sat down opposite Xue Qinghe with a carefree attitude, casually picked up a piece of delicate pastry from the table and threw it into his mouth.
Qian Renxue put down her book, and beneath her perfect mask, her pale golden eyes swept over Gu Tian, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible teasing. "Oh! The busy man actually remembered me. I thought you were relaxing now that you were on vacation!"
"Cough cough..." Gu Tian almost choked. He took a sip of tea and deliberately put on an extremely serious expression as he looked at Qian Renxue: "Brother Qinghe, your words are too formal. I just finished some important business and came to report my itinerary to you as soon as possible."
"Report it?" Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow, clearly somewhat surprised.
"Hmm." Gu Tian nodded, his tone becoming serious. "I plan to take a few people from the Skywater Academy to the Extreme North. The environment there is complex and dangerous, and I'll be gone for at least half a month and up to a month. To avoid making you worry, I naturally had to come and tell you in person."
Although she appeared indifferent to Gu Tian's meticulous reporting on everything, even finding it trivial, deep down, her soul, which had been dormant for years and was extremely insecure, was actually developing a different kind of feeling in this transparent treatment.
No one ever reported everything to her, and no one ever treated her as a place to return to that she needed to be told when she would return.
Xue Qinghe concealed the turmoil in his heart and coldly snorted, " The Extreme North is a forbidden zone for humans. Since you're going there to seek death, I naturally won't stop you. However, since you're here, I happen to have something to ask you."
Gu Tian sat up straight. "Please speak, elder brother."
"Regarding the missing persons case in the slums that you had Xue Ke tell me about yesterday," Qian Renxue's expression turned cold, " Prince Xue Xing has been making frequent moves lately. The Imperial Guards have reported that there are indeed some soldiers secretly transporting boxes in the shadowy corners of that area in the north of the city. Gu Tian, before you leave, I need you to go over all the details you know about the black energy again, because I suspect that the phenomenon is very similar to the Evil Soul Master recorded in the Spirit Hall's internal records."
Gu Tian nodded. He knew that pushing the truth about the slums onto Qian Renxue for investigation was the safest option at present. Xue Qinghe's identity could mobilize the royal guards, making the investigation easier. However, what he didn't expect was that those people might actually be Evil Soul Master. After all, he knew that in this era, Evil Soul Master had long been suppressed to nothing due to the Spirit Hall's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
"Don't worry, Brother Qinghe." Gu Tian stood up, walked to Qian Renxue's side, and whispered with a smile at that extremely close distance, "When I return, I will definitely show you the most beautiful scenery in the Extreme North. As for that slum, I'll have to trouble you to take care of it."
Gu Tian waved his hand and left with a flourish.
Watching his receding figure, Qian Renxue remained silent in the pavilion for a long time.
"Report it..." she murmured, a fleeting smile unconsciously curving her lips.