Crimson Flame Earth Dragon Emperor!

After pondering for a moment, Ji Bai decided to put off the matter of Shui Bing'er coming to see him until later.

"Senior, let me help you break through Rank 40."

As soon as he finished speaking, a fragrant orchid appeared in his hand.

"Help me break through Rank 40?"

Huo Wu was deeply puzzled. When she noticed that Ji Bai had taken out an orchid, she became even more confused.

Was he giving her flowers?

Why so suddenly...

Seeing this, Huo Wushuang narrowed his eyes with a grin and secretly gave Ji Bai a thumbs-up.

He was launching an offensive already? What a thick skin!

Something worth learning from!

"Senior, this flower is called the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid." Ji Bai handed over the flower along with the jade box holding it and explained, "It strengthens one's foundation, replenishes one's essence, and removes impurities from the body. It has miraculous effects for Soul Masters whose cultivation progresses relatively slowly."

"Just chew and swallow it. Then gather your Soul Power to refine the medicinal effects and merge them into your body. It can allow you to break through Rank 40 without any side effects."

The younger an Immortal Herb was, the better its effects after consumption. Although Huo Wu was older than him, she was still only a teenager.

If some old fossil like Dugu Bo absorbed an Immortal Herb, eighty or ninety percent of its medicinal effects would probably be lost, leaving nothing in the end.

Huo Wushuang froze for a moment and asked, "You mean... this flower is for eating?"

Huo Wu also looked at Ji Bai rather strangely.

Facing their odd looks, Ji Bai smiled faintly. He gently took Huo Wu's delicate hand, placed the jade box in it, and said:

"Senior, tomorrow we'll go to Sunset Forest together and find your fourth Soul Ring."

Seeing this and hearing his words, Huo Wu felt a jumble of emotions. It was as though the sky had suddenly brightened, and the little man before her had finally caught on. He had actually touched her hand.

"I'll try it when I get back later."

"But... what happened to your eyes? You went out for a trip, and now your pupils have turned golden?"

Huo Wushuang repeatedly chimed in, "I wanted to ask just now too. But you know, Xiaobai looks pretty handsome like this. He's almost as handsome as me."

Huo Wu glanced at Huo Wushuang blandly. "Brother, you're not handsome at all."

Ji Bai immediately failed to hold it in.

Huo Wushuang's face instantly fell.

Ji Bai patted Huo Wushuang on the shoulder and handed him a golden fruit marked with dragon patterns. It was the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, along with a Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma.

"Don't be sad. Losing to me isn't embarrassing. I'm giving you two as well, so take them and eat them."

"Your talent isn't good enough. These two things can help you defy fate and give you the potential to become a Title Douluo."

Huo Wushuang raised an eyebrow, accepted the two items, and examined them repeatedly. His expression became extremely strange.

"What are these things?"

Huo Wu said flatly, "Brother, would Xiaobai hurt you? You got your benefits, so hurry back!"

Huo Wushuang was immediately speechless. But when he saw the murderous look in Huo Wu's eyes, he promptly left. As he passed Ji Bai, he whispered, "Brother-in-law, go to bed early tonight."

Ji Bai's face darkened.

Huo Wu glared at Huo Wushuang, two patches of red quietly creeping onto her cheeks.

With Huo Wushuang gone, the atmosphere between Ji Bai and Huo Wu became somewhat awkward and strange.

"Take a walk with me."

"I've been cultivating in seclusion this whole time. My body's gotten stiff."

Huo Wu suggested, then found herself an excuse.

"Alright..."

Ji Bai thought about it and nodded slightly.

The next moment, the two of them strolled side by side around the training field, chatting now and then. Without Huo Wushuang there to liven things up, Ji Bai felt a little unaccustomed to it.

And a pair like them behaving this way could hardly avoid being seen by others.

In a particularly dark corner, Huo Wu stopped. Looking up at the tall, handsome youth before her, she smiled. "You seem to have grown quite a bit after going out."

Ji Bai pondered for a moment. "Perhaps it has something to do with breaking through Rank 40. After all, increasing Soul Power helps with physical development. I'm already... Rank 46 now."

Huo Wu opened her mouth. After staring blankly for quite a while, she finally said, "I remember that before you left, you were only Rank 37, right?"

Ji Bai said, "Senior, do you know... if you stay in one place forever, you can't grow. Every powerhouse must go out and gain experience."

Huo Wu felt rather embarrassed. "But your growth is way too fast. You rose nine ranks in less than two months and even became a Soul Ancestor. That's a little too outrageous."

The corners of Ji Bai's lips lifted slightly. "Of course, it wasn't all the result of meditation cultivation. I also used something similar to the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid. Afterward, I absorbed a ten-thousand-year Immortal Bird Soul Ring beyond my limit, which is why I improved so much."

Huo Wu nodded thoughtfully. Then her eyes suddenly lit up as she asked in surprise, "Will the orchid you gave me be that effective too?"

Ji Bai considered it. "It should raise your Soul Power by at least three to five ranks."

With his appearance, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang had worked harder than they had in the original timeline, and their cultivation was higher as well.

Even without the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Huo Wu would have broken through to Soul Ancestor at least a year earlier than in the original timeline. Now that she had the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, she would become even more outstanding.

"Senior, it's getting late. Why don't you first..."

Before Ji Bai could utter the final words, "go back," he suddenly felt something cool, soft, and wet against his lips.

Huo Wu abruptly took a step back.

But Ji Bai stepped forward, easily wrapped an arm around Huo Wu's waist, and pressed his lips to hers.

This time, it was Huo Wu's turn to widen her eyes.

It did not last long. Ji Bai released Huo Wu, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she stared at him as she retreated step by step until only his back remained in view.

Ji Bai stood where he was for a long time. Only after Huo Wu disappeared from sight did he turn and leave.

Inside the dormitory, Huo Wushuang was absorbing the Immortal Herbs. Even though he sensed Ji Bai's return, he did not open his eyes.

After taking a cold shower, Ji Bai sat cross-legged on his bed and began meditating.

In the blink of an eye, it was the latter half of the night.

With a dragon's roar and a sudden eruption of blazing flames, Ji Bai jolted awake from meditation.

He followed the commotion and saw Huo Wushuang enveloped in flames. The entire room was burning with fierce fire, while the Unicorn Fire Tyrant Dragon was undergoing a dramatic transformation.

"Fire! There's a fire!"

Ji Bai was not the only one awakened. Students from several neighboring dormitories were startled awake. When they came outside, they discovered smoke rising from Ji Bai and Huo Wushuang's dormitory.

"Fuck!"

With a wave of Ji Bai's hand, every wisp of flame in the dormitory seemed to answer his summons and flew into his palm automatically.

He then immediately left the dormitory, moved away from Huo Wushuang, and told the students shouting outside, "Don't worry, Huo Wushuang is cultivating!"

More and more people woke up and gathered around. Hearing this, they all looked inside the dormitory and saw Huo Wushuang alone in the charred room, still maintaining his cultivation posture.

"Gasp! He can actually remain in cultivation at a time like this? As expected of the academy's third most important figure!"

"Then who's the first?"

"The one standing at the door!"