"Fine, fine. As long as you're happy..."
Seeing Huo Yuhao stubbornly dig in his heels, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt a little speechless.
Huo Yuhao had been brainwashed, so he might not see it.
But it saw everything clearly. That old witch Zhou Yi's training methods were downright mindless.
Students in other classes trained for only two or three hours a day, while Zhou Yi made every student train for at least six hours. How could they not improve?
But training for twice as long didn't mean they were twice as strong as everyone else.
The highest cultivation in the class was only Level 19. Even if they worked a hundred or a thousand times harder, they still wouldn't be a match for a two-ring Soul Master. That was the crushing difference in innate talent, an unbridgeable chasm. Hard work could only let you compare yourself with people of equal talent; it still didn't qualify you to compete with geniuses.
Huo Yuhao had reached Level 12 thanks to the Mysterious Heaven Skill, but he was still the weakest in the class. What good did that do him?
The one silver lining was that Huo Yuhao's physical constitution had improved quite a bit. He could withstand Soul Rings with more years of cultivation, too. Now, the power of his First Soul Ring's Soul Skill rivaled that of a 700-year Soul Ring. With a trump card like that, he ought to pass that damn Freshman Assessment without trouble.
Once he passed, it would have to get Huo Yuhao to Level 20 as soon as possible. That way, he'd have a chance to obtain a Second Martial Soul.
"Bingbing, I've gone to so much trouble for you. You have to wait for me..." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm pictured Ice Empress in its mind, its eyes filled with anticipation.
More than anything, it was doing all this for its own sake.
It had become Huo Yuhao's Wisdom Soul Ring mainly because it was about to die and couldn't wait for another host.
It had shaped an embryonic ice-attribute Martial Soul for Huo Yuhao so it could better prepare to welcome Ice Empress.
As long as it could coax Ice Empress into Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, it could stay with her forever. With time, they'd fall in love, and sooner or later, they'd be able to make their love last!
But for that to happen, Huo Yuhao had to grow stronger. Ideally, he'd become a god. That was the only way it and Ice Empress could be together forever.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao was a clueless, hardheaded fool. What it feared most was that he'd get himself killed by charging recklessly into danger. Then it and Ice Empress would be dragged down with him.
The next day.
Spirit Master Department, Inscription Room.
Chu Feng was still diligently engraving the core formation.
At first, he hadn't planned to spend much time on Soul Tools. But in recent days, he'd realized that engraving core formations greatly improved his spiritual power and Soul Power. Spending half the day engraving made his spiritual power and Soul Power grow several times faster once he returned.
His Soul Power Level was still 30, but every session of cultivation compressed his Soul Power, making it purer and higher in quality. It also took less Soul Power to use his Soul Skills.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
"Beep, beep~"
The door opened automatically, revealing a petite figure outside. It was Xiao Xiao.
"Huh, Xiao Xiao, what brings you here?" Chu Feng asked in surprise.
"Chu Feng, I made some little snacks. Would you like to try them?" Xiao Xiao came in carrying a small cloth bag, looking at Chu Feng with a bashful expression.
"Sure, I'm a little hungry." Chu Feng stopped what he was doing and hurried over, wiping his hands.
He could tell how Xiao Xiao felt about him. A young girl couldn't hide feelings like that.
Xiao Xiao was just rather shy, and with Wang Dong—her "good brother"—always nearby, she hadn't made her feelings too obvious before.
It seemed today was a rest day, so it made sense that Xiao Xiao had come to see him.
As for Wang Dong... She hadn't seemed to get up this morning. Who knew what she was doing?
"Huh, where's Wang Dong? Why haven't I seen her today?" Xiao Xiao looked around. When she didn't spot Wang Dong, she was a little surprised.
After all, Wang Dong and Chu Feng were good brothers. Normally, she'd come visit him on a rest day.
"I don't know. Maybe she's still asleep."
"Xiao Xiao, these mung bean cakes are delicious. Where did you learn to make them?"
Chu Feng asked through a mouthful of mung bean cake.
"I taught myself. I'm glad you like them~"
Xiao Xiao sat beside him with her chin resting in her hands. Her short legs swung back and forth from the chair. Seeing how eagerly Chu Feng ate, a little sweetness welled up inside her.
"By the way, I just made a little trinket. I might as well give it to you." Once he'd finished eating, Chu Feng suddenly remembered something and took out a silver-white ring.
"Ah, this is a ring..."
Xiao Xiao gasped, her cheeks instantly burning.
"He's giving me a ring. He actually gave me a ring..."
"What does he want to do? Should I say yes? If I do... Ahhh..."
Xiao Xiao's mind overloaded and shut down on the spot.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
Seeing that Xiao Xiao looked ready to start smoking, Chu Feng couldn't help finding it funny.
"N-no... It's not that... I... But..."
Xiao Xiao stammered, her head lowered. For a moment, she didn't know what to do with herself.
Chu Feng's bold move had completely caught her off guard. The romance stories she'd read hadn't gone like this. This was a ring! How could he just give it away so casually...
But Chu Feng didn't give Xiao Xiao a chance to react. He gently took her soft little hand and slipped the silver-white ring, engraved with intricate patterns, onto her middle finger.
In an instant, the ring shimmered faintly. The surrounding natural energy gathered around Xiao Xiao, and its concentration around her suddenly increased.
"Huh? Is this... a Soul Tool?" Only then did Xiao Xiao come to her senses. She stared blankly at the ring on her hand. It was glowing with a faint, beautiful light.
"Yeah. This Soul Tool gathers the natural energy around it and speeds up cultivation. What else did you think it was?"
Chu Feng nodded matter-of-factly.
The ring was a special second-grade Soul Tool. It only needed a tiny amount of Soul Power to activate, drawing in the surrounding natural energy and increasing cultivation speed by around 10 to 20 percent. It wasn't all that much, since it was only a prototype.
Still, to make it as small as possible, Chu Feng had fashioned the ring from a small piece of a sixth-grade Soul Tool core. It had taken him quite a bit of effort.
Using sixth-grade materials to make a second-grade Soul Tool was a terrible waste, but it made a pretty good gift.
"Th-thank you."
Xiao Xiao lowered her head, mortified beyond words. She wished she could bury her head in the ground. What had she been thinking? Chu Feng was so outstanding... How could he...
For some reason, a strange sense of disappointment swept through Xiao Xiao's heart. It was a very odd feeling.
Neither of them said anything more.
Xiao Xiao lowered her head and saw the tips of her shoes. Her fingers stroked the ring in her hand, reluctant to let go. It was smooth and warm.
Chu Feng was also having a hard time holding back...
He lowered his gaze to Xiao Xiao's flushed cheeks and caught the faint fragrance coming from her. Maybe it was the hormones getting to him, but Chu Feng couldn't resist...
He gently lifted Xiao Xiao's delicate chin, bent down, and lightly nipped her soft cheek...
"Ah?"
Xiao Xiao looked up at Chu Feng in a daze, her whole body stiffening on the spot. She hadn't expected him to suddenly steal a kiss.
Though... But... Oh...
That brief moment felt like a lifetime to Xiao Xiao.
"Tsk, you have a pretty unique flavor~" Chu Feng smacked his lips and looked at Xiao Xiao with a grin.
"Ah—Chu Feng, you big meanie—"
Xiao Xiao cried out, covered her face, and fled as fast as she could.
"Maybe I went too far..." Chu Feng muttered, rubbing his chin.
But the mood had reached that point. If he still didn't make a move, it would've been rude.
Xiaotao the day before yesterday, Wang Dong yesterday, Xiao Xiao today...
What a womanizer. Case closed!
But Chu Feng didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about it.
After all, to him, transmigrating into Douluo was like playing a game with 100% realism. The goal was to keep growing stronger and win over one female character after another.
Enjoy life first. The rest could wait.
Before you continue