Seeing his childhood sweetheart looking utterly exhausted, Jiang Ci'an didn't call her out on what she was really thinking. He simply picked up a cup from the stone platform beside them and went along with it.
It was a cultivation tonic he'd successfully concocted after testing its medicinal properties on Tang San dozens of times.
Its effects were mild and it was easy to absorb, making it just right for replenishing the body's nutrients after high-intensity cultivation.
"There's no need to push yourself to your limit every time." Jiang Ci'an handed the tonic to Xiao Xiao and spoke softly.
"Just take your time cultivating. Too much of a good thing can be harmful, after all. There's no need to rush."
"I know..."
As she spoke, Xiao Xiao took a sip of the tonic.
Feeling the tonic's easily absorbed medicinal power naturally taken in by the Body Tempering Method circulating within her, a warm sensation spread through her limbs and bones. Xiao Xiao let out a comfortable sigh, and the body leaning against Jiang Ci'an went even softer.
She closed her eyes. Her voice was soft and sweet, but held a hint of seriousness.
"...I just don't want you to leave me too far behind."
They were both born with Innate Full Soul Power, and she even had Twin Martial Souls, not to mention that she'd obtained a Soul Ring a month before Jiang Ci'an.
Yet after half a year, she'd only just broken through to level fifteen, while Jiang Ci'an had already been at level sixteen for some time.
She wasn't jealous. She just felt she wasn't trying hard enough.
Xiao Xiao: (⩌⤚⩌)
Seeing Xiao Xiao's little face droop again, Jiang Ci'an's gaze softened.
That was how his childhood sweetheart was. She looked small and delicate, so soft and cuddly, and she easily got shy around strangers, hiding behind him.
But in truth, Xiao Xiao was stubborn. She never gave up easily and always worked hard to do everything as well as she could.
And that naturally included cultivation.
He smiled and said gently, "Just take it slow. You have Twin Martial Souls, after all. Once you become a Title Douluo, that's when you'll start improving by leaps and bounds. By then, maybe even I won't be able to keep up with your pace..."
Xiao Xiao blinked. Something seemed to cross her mind, and her eyes flickered. Then a mysterious fighting spirit appeared in her gaze, and she began drinking the tonic faster, too.
Jiang Ci'an smiled. He didn't know what strange idea his childhood sweetheart had come up with this time, but he knew he'd managed to comfort her.
Looking at the girl's rosy cheeks, flushed with the healthy glow of a recent workout, the wisps of heat rising naturally from her fair skin, and the youthful vitality about her that was impossible to ignore, Jiang Ci'an silently weighed things over.
The Martial Way was only just getting started, and so far, its potential didn't seem very high.
The Body Tempering Method currently worked by mobilizing Soul Power. As it absorbed and refined Soul Power, it simultaneously washed over specific acupoints at a special frequency, strengthening the body from the inside out.
Over the past six months, thanks to the Body Tempering Method, his Soul Power cultivation had risen from level twelve, which he'd just reached after breaking through, to level sixteen.
At this rate, he was expected to reach level twenty in another six to eight months. At the same time, his physical strength would be enough to support him absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Xiao Xiao had started learning the Body Tempering Method a little later than him. She'd only recently broken through to level fifteen, but she was expected to reach level twenty in another eight to ten months and qualify to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Everything seemed to be going very well, but unfortunately, this only applied to the early stages.
The Body Tempering Method was so effective partly because their cultivation levels were still low, making it naturally easier to improve, and partly because body tempering had its most noticeable effects in the beginning.
But once they reached the later stages, the Body Tempering Method was bound to lose steam. Their progress couldn't possibly keep up this pace forever.
So he needed to keep exploring.
To be honest, he really wanted to meet Electrolux right now. If he could get the complete Divine Throne Knight System from him, perhaps he could develop his Martial Way faster.
Unfortunately, for now, that was only wishful thinking.
Once he'd managed to buy the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, perhaps he could go to the Star Dou Great Forest and give it a try.
Jiang Ci'an shook his head, putting the thoughts aside.
Though he couldn't get his hands on the Knight System for now, with the Virtual World at his disposal, it wasn't as if he had no other options.
He already had an idea.
It was just that this idea would wear Xiao Wu out a little...
After resting with Xiao Xiao for a little while, Jiang Ci'an stood up and went to the spot where she'd been standing earlier. Then he turned to look at her.
"Come on."
Xiao Xiao understood. She raised a hand and summoned the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. Without hesitation, all three cauldrons appeared and hovered above Jiang Ci'an's head, pouring down black ripples.
This had become a tacit routine in their joint cultivation.
Xiao Xiao used it to practice controlling her Martial Soul, while Jiang Ci'an took the opportunity to cultivate with the Body Tempering Method, improving his physical strength and Soul Power.
But compared to Xiao Xiao's slightly stiff movements, Jiang Ci'an was clearly more practiced.
His movements were calm and fluid. Every move flowed smoothly, and he didn't seem to be straining at all. His horse stance was steady, and as he opened and pushed his palms, he moved with an effortless ease, as if the pressure from the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron above his head were nothing to him.
The two of them kept cultivating until sunset.
Afterward, they sat by the stone table in the back courtyard and ate a Soul Beast meat meal ordered from a restaurant on the street.
The energy-rich ingredients had been carefully selected. They satisfied the appetite while also providing the body with nutrients for cultivation.
After dinner, Xiao Xiao went out to the courtyard on her own to continue cultivating.
She summoned her little cauldron, carried it on her shoulders, and began another round of training.
Jiang Ci'an watched but didn't stop her.
He'd been keeping a close eye on Xiao Xiao's physical condition. The intensity she was pushing herself to now was still within her limits, and there wouldn't be any problems.
If anything did go wrong, he would naturally stop her.
Watching Xiao Xiao continue working hard in the dusk, Jiang Ci'an didn't waste any time either. He turned and returned to his room.
He sat on the bed, closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and connected with his Martial Soul. Then the familiar sensation of falling came over him.
Everything around him rapidly faded away. New scenery appeared from the void, layer upon layer, enveloping him.
Jiang Ci'an was already used to the process of entering.
Soon, the surroundings brightened, and Jiang Ci'an appeared in front of a large gate.
He glanced up at the four characters on the plaque—"Notting Academy"—and immediately understood. Without pausing, he walked straight past the two bored guards at the entrance.
The guards were still chatting. They didn't notice the boy walking past them, and their gazes didn't shift in the slightest.
The effects of Indifference had already spread over them without a sound.
Entering the academy, Jiang Ci'an passed through the corridors and courtyards with the ease of someone familiar with the place. Before long, he arrived at a broad lawn.
Blue Silver Grass covered the ground, swaying gently in the breeze. From a distance, it looked like a smooth length of silk spread across the earth, a rather beautiful sight.
And standing on the lawn were two familiar figures.
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