"Really?"
Jiang Nannan could hardly believe her ears.
In the Soul Master World, a teacher's status was no less than that of a parent. Becoming someone's disciple wasn't just about passing down skills; it also forged a bond as close as blood.
And in turn, anyone who dared lay a hand on someone's disciple would make an enemy for life.
And now, Sister Dong, someone this powerful, actually wanted to take her as a disciple?
Chen Doudou gave her a subtle look. "Sister Nannan, what are you waiting for?"
"Huh? Yes, yes!"
Only then did Jiang Nannan snap out of her overwhelming delight, practically beside herself with joy.
She hurriedly straightened her clothes, then bowed solemnly to Bibi Dong.
"Jiang Nannan pays her respects to Teacher!"
Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction and raised a hand to help her up. "Rise. Remember, my name is Bibi Dong."
"Yes, Teacher!"
Jiang Nannan stood up, her little face flushed with excitement.
"Come on. Let's head back to the hotel and have you absorb the pills."
Bibi Dong turned around, her purple hair sweeping through the air in an elegant arc. "You two need to focus on your cultivation today, especially you, Doudou. Don't think beating Xu Sanshi makes you some big shot."
"Yes, yes, Sister Dong is always right."
Chen Doudou followed with a cheeky grin.
The three of them returned to the hotel.
Bibi Dong immediately took out the three Black Tortoise Divine Pills.
The pills were a deep black, each about the size of a longan, with faint, profound patterns rippling across their surfaces.
A pure, ancient aura wafted from them, lifting the spirits of anyone who breathed it in.
"These are precious."
Bibi Dong handed one to each of them. "The Black Tortoise is a divine beast. Pills formed from its bloodline contain the purest essence of a divine beast. Take one each and carefully refine its medicinal power."
Even in the Divine Realm, pills containing the power of a divine beast were exceedingly rare cultivation resources.
"Don't worry, Sister Dong. Refining a pill is as easy as chewing candy for me."
Chen Doudou gave a casual smile. Without even looking at it, he tossed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.
He did it so naturally that he might as well have been eating a piece of candy, not a precious divine pill.
Bibi Dong rolled her eyes and pretended to rap him on the head. "You brat, do you think everyone's body is as freakishly tough as yours?"
"This pill contains the essence of a divine beast. If an ordinary person swallowed it whole like that, they'd have burst apart by now!"
She turned to Jiang Nannan and continued, her voice much gentler. "Nannan, don't imitate him. Hold the pill in your mouth and use your Soul Power to refine it bit by bit. This energy is overbearing, so you have to guide it slowly. Understand?"
"Yes, Teacher. Don't worry."
Jiang Nannan nodded obediently, carefully tucked the pill beneath her tongue, and immediately sat cross-legged, guiding her Soul Power to envelop the violent, warm current surging into her body.
Bibi Dong was very pleased by the sight.
A disciple who was so obedient and considerate, with such good talent and a filial heart, was truly rare.
Compared with Hu Liena, who had made her so angry two days ago that her hair nearly stood on end—
It was like heaven and earth.
Sigh... She really did know how to make trouble.
Bibi Dong sighed inwardly and gazed out at bustling Qingfeng City, her eyes growing distant.
Nana, are you doing all right in the lower realm?
The air in the room seemed to have frozen.
Chen Doudou sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes shut tight.
The instant the Black Tortoise Divine Pill entered his stomach, a black torrent, vast as the sea, exploded through his meridians.
An ordinary person's meridians would have burst under the pressure by now.
But Chen Doudou was different.
Not only that, the Black Tortoise Power began to bring about an incredible change in him.
He had previously taken a Phoenix Divine Pill left behind by the former Phoenix God, and the Phoenix Power still undigested inside him was now stirred up completely by the Black Tortoise Power.
One cold, one hot; one water, one fire.
Two forces, utterly opposed to one another, began to intertwine and fuse within him.
"Buzz!"
Chen Doudou felt as if he'd been plunged into a purgatory of ice and fire.
At times, scarlet flame patterns appeared across his skin; at others, deep blue scales of water condensed over it.
Under the onslaught of the Black Tortoise's divine essence, he had begun a terrifying transformation.
Bibi Dong stood nearby, her purple eyes narrowing slightly, unable to conceal her shock and astonishment.
Watching the water and fire light flicker across Chen Doudou's body, and the defensive patterns gradually grow more perfect, she couldn't help murmuring:
"I never expected that Phoenix Divine Pill to resonate with the Black Tortoise Divine Pill."
"Water and fire tempering the golden body... The softness of water overcomes the fury of fire, then fire's fury tempers the firmness of water."
"Looks like this kid Doudou really has stumbled upon a tremendous boon."
The chance to absorb the power of two divine beasts was a rare stroke of fortune, even in the Divine Realm.
On the other side,
Jiang Nannan's transformation was much gentler.
A faint yellow glow enveloped her as the pure Black Tortoise Power flowed through her like a warm, soothing current, slowly nourishing every part of her body.
Her skin grew visibly smoother and fairer, like fine white jade, and glowed with health.
Her figure, which had been somewhat thin from malnutrition, also became more balanced as the energy washed over her.
Her aura grew several times stronger than before.
"Phew..."
A moment later, two long breaths rang out at the same time.
Chen Doudou and Jiang Nannan opened their eyes together.
Chen Doudou clenched his fist, and a crisp crack of bone sounded through the air.
"How do you feel, Doudou?"
"Fantastic!"
Chen Doudou rolled his shoulders and stretched his limbs. "I feel like my body's at least twice as strong as before. The Black Tortoise Divine Pill stirred up the Phoenix Pill I took earlier."
In simple terms, a quantitative change had brought about a qualitative one.
He could clearly feel that ordinary blades, spears, swords, and halberds could hardly break through his defenses now.
The same went for water and fire. At the same cultivation level, unless they had an Ultimate Attribute, they couldn't affect him in the slightest. And this golden body would continue to change as his strength grew.
Perhaps one day, even ultimate water and fire would no longer affect him!
Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Jiang Nannan. "And you, Nannan?"
Jiang Nannan felt the surging Soul Power within her, her little face full of delight. "Teacher, my Soul Power went up by three whole levels! I'm at level nineteen now!"
For a Soul Master who had only recently begun cultivating, advancing three levels at once was almost unheard of. The Black Tortoise Divine Pill's effects spoke for themselves.
"Not bad, not bad."
Bibi Dong was pleased.
Just then, Chen Doudou suddenly realized something. He rubbed his arm and looked at Bibi Dong suspiciously. "Wait, that's not right. Sister Nannan's Soul Power went up, but why didn't mine budge at all?"
Bibi Dong flicked him on the forehead and said with exasperation, "You've got some nerve! You tempered a golden body and still want your Soul Power to rise? You want every benefit for yourself?"
"Do you have any idea how ridiculous your golden body is now?"
"That lousy golden body of Tang San's is nothing compared to yours!"
"This fusion came from the bloodline powers of the divine Black Tortoise and divine Phoenix. Do you really think that didn't consume a lot of the pill's power?"
"Tang San could only resist the ice and fire of low-level Soul Masters. Once you've cultivated this further, you'll be able to attain sainthood through your physical body!"
Chen Doudou scratched his head and chuckled. "Well, isn't it a bit of a waste?"
"You really know how to take advantage and still complain."
Bibi Dong had lost count of how many times she'd rolled her eyes that day.
Just then, someone knocked at the door.
A server's voice rang out. "Honored miss, someone outside claiming to be the sect master of the Mysterious Underworld Sect says he's here to deliver something to you."
Bibi Dong pursed her lips. "Is it the Soul Bone? He got here pretty quickly."
Before you continue