"Bzzzt—!"
A warm, gentle, yet vast and majestic aura of life rippled uncontrollably from the Heart of Life in Zichuan's right chest, like a stone dropped into a sleeping lake!
Though only an extremely faint trace had leaked out, the level of life essence contained within was unimaginably high!
At the same time, Tang Ya's body suddenly trembled! An indescribable warmth and comfort, a sense of security like returning to the womb, instantly spread from her fingertips throughout her entire body!
The dormant Soul Power within her, which had only been at Rank 18, actually began circulating on its own, at several times its usual speed!
What shocked her even more was that a faint blue light lit up uncontrollably in her palm. The phantom of a slender Blue Silver Grass, wreathed in a faint blue glow, emerged on its own!
The instant this Blue Silver Grass phantom appeared, its leaves all turned toward Zichuan's right chest as though making a pilgrimage. They swayed gently, as if cheering, rejoicing, and drawing in that supreme life aura their instincts found so familiar!
"Th-this is..." Tang Ya was dumbstruck. She looked at the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul that had appeared automatically in her palm, visibly more solid than usual and shining with a stronger blue light, then looked at Zichuan. She had no idea what had happened.
Zichuan was stunned as well. He could sense the Heart of Life instinctively responding to that faint, same-origin aura of plant life from the outside world.
Before he could think further, the God of Destruction's voice rang in his mind, carrying a touch of understanding and amusement:
"Tsk, Blue Silver Grass... Though it's a useless Martial Soul, it's still a plant-type Martial Soul with the life attribute. Your Heart of Life was formed from the Goddess of Life's origin. It is one of the sources and ultimate forms of all plant Life Forms on Douluo Planet. How could a mere Blue Silver Grass not get excited after sensing the aura of a higher life form from the same origin? This is attraction and worship born from the hierarchy of life."
"Besides," the God of Destruction continued, his voice carrying a pleasant note of surprise,
"this girl is quite lucky. That trace of life essence leaking from you may be faint, but its quality is far too high. To her low-level Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, it's no less than being cleansed by a supreme heavenly treasure. Look, her Soul Power is rising."
As if to confirm the God of Destruction's words, the Soul Power fluctuations around Tang Ya suddenly intensified. An aura noticeably stronger than before rose from her body.
"Rank 19? I... I leveled up?!" Tang Ya felt the increase in her Soul Power, shocked and delighted beyond belief.
The Rank 18 bottleneck that had troubled her for so long had actually... broken through just like that? Just because she had touched Zichuan?
And not only that, nourished by that warm life aura, the Blue Silver Grass phantom in her palm, once merely an ordinary pale blue, seemed to have deepened slightly in color. Its leaves appeared more relaxed and spread out, while faint golden threads flowed through its veins!
Though the change was incredibly subtle, Tang Ya, as its host, could clearly sense that her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul seemed to have undergone some indescribable change—for the better!
It was like a parched seed receiving sweet rain and beginning to brim with new life!
"My Martial Soul... seems to have grown stronger? No, it... evolved?"
Tang Ya's voice trembled with excitement. She suddenly raised her head and looked at Zichuan. Her large eyes, which had been filled with tears moments ago, now burst with an unbelievable light so scorching it seemed ready to burn!
This was too unbelievable! Just a touch had raised her Soul Power and caused her Martial Soul Evolution! If... if she could do this every day...
A bold thought, one embarrassing enough to make even her blush, surfaced uncontrollably.
Zichuan's skin crawled beneath Tang Ya's burning gaze, which made her look like a hungry wolf eyeing a slab of meat. He instinctively hugged his arms and shrank back.
"Y-you... What are you trying to do? I'm warning you, don't try anything weird! I'm still a kid!"
Tang Ya also realized that her stare had been far too obvious. Her face instantly flushed red, but the desire and excitement in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest. Stammering, filled with immense anticipation, she asked:
"Zi-Zichuan... Um... that feeling from before... the one that made my Martial Soul feel so comfortable... Can you... do it one more time? Just... just for a little while?"
Zichuan's mouth twitched. One more time? Touch his heart? Was she kidding? It seemed to benefit her, but this was way too strange!
"No!" Zichuan refused decisively, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
The light in Tang Ya's eyes instantly dimmed. Her little face fell, and she puffed out her cheeks, looking pitiful enough to burst into tears at any moment.
"Just for a little while... Please, Zichuan... Look, my Soul Power leveled up, and my Martial Soul got better too... This is really important to me... I-I can cook delicious food for you! I'm really good at cooking! Back at the Tang Sect, I was the one who cooked for everyone!"
As though she had seized her last straw, she desperately began selling herself.
"Really! I can wash clothes and clean up too! As long as you let me... um... get a little closer to you. Just for a little while! In exchange, I'll take care of all your meals from now on! How about it?"
Seeing Tang Ya's pitiful yet hopeful expression, and hearing the God of Destruction stirring things up in his mind—
"Agree to it, kid! What an excellent cultivation accelerator! And you'll get a cook for free! This is a steal!"...
Zichuan struggled for a few seconds. It did seem to be a great opportunity for Tang Ya, while he had nothing to lose. Besides... having meals prepared for him did sound nice? His two hearts consumed a great deal of energy, and he did get hungry easily.
"...All right." Zichuan finally nodded reluctantly, but immediately added his conditions.
"But we agreed, only... only a hug for a little while! And no touching anywhere else! Also, you have to make enough food, and it has to taste good!"
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm!" Tang Ya's eyes instantly shone like stars. She nodded like a pecking chick, her face blooming into a broad, radiant smile sparkling with tears. "Don't worry! I'll definitely do it!"
Thus, a strange "deal" was reached.
Over the following days, while they waited for Du Busi to come out of seclusion, Zichuan and Tang Ya temporarily settled down on the outskirts of Sunset Forest.
Tang Ya truly kept her word. With limited ingredients, she constantly came up with different ways to make delicious meals. Though the conditions were crude, the food genuinely tasted good, leaving Zichuan, who was used to dry rations and roasted meat, deeply satisfied.
Every day, at a fixed time, Tang Ya would gently hug Zichuan from behind, press her cheek to his back, or wrap her arms around his waist from the side and quietly remain there for a while.
Whenever this happened, Zichuan would slightly relax his control over the Heart of Life, allowing it to naturally release a trace of gentle life aura.
To Tang Ya, this aura was like the most efficient cultivation accelerator and a catalyst for Martial Soul Evolution.
Her Soul Power steadily rose at a visible pace, while her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul quietly underwent transformation. Its color grew increasingly profound, blue tinged with gold. Its leaves became broader, thicker, and tougher, and the life aura it emitted became far richer. It was beginning to show the faint rudiments of a Blue Silver Emperor!
Even her complexion and physique improved considerably.
For Zichuan, this process was not entirely without benefits either.
While Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul absorbed his life aura, it also fed back a trace of pure plant life essence. Though faint, it still nourished and replenished the Heart of Life, allowing him to gain a more delicate understanding of the life attribute.
And besides, with someone preparing delicious food for him in new ways every day, this life... actually seemed pretty pleasant?
Before you continue