Jiang Ci'an looked at Xiao Xiao and sighed softly to himself.
He didn't argue. His voice softened a little.
"I'm going into seclusion to cultivate, so I won't be around for a while. Can you make your own arrangements?"
Xiao Xiao blinked, seeming to catch the subtle change in Jiang Ci'an's tone. A glimmer of delight flickered in her eyes.
Without asking anything else, she nodded earnestly.
"Got it. I'll take good care of myself!"
Jiang Ci'an nodded. After giving Xiao Xiao a few more reminders, he turned and returned to his room.
The door closed, shutting out the dusk beyond the window.
He stood in the room, a thoughtful glimmer passing through his eyes.
Before, because of Da Ming and Er Ming's identities, he would have chosen to keep his distance from Wang Dong'er as much as possible.
After all, he didn't have much confidence in facing those two, who openly belonged to God King Tang's faction. Any unnecessary contact could become a source of risk.
Keeping away was the right choice.
But now,
he had successfully drawn out Electrolux and formed an alliance with him. And after learning from Electrolux some information about what made him special, he felt more confident and could afford to make a few moves.
Of course, the best source of confidence was still his own strength.
Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and called softly in his heart.
"Elder Yi?"
As soon as the words left him, a gray doorway appeared out of thin air before him.
Jiang Ci'an's expression remained unchanged as he stepped through.
The surroundings shifted, and the light grew dim.
The black sun still hung in the sky, radiating an eerie purple glow that cast the entire land in a cold, shadowy light.
In the distance, Electrolux stood motionless, his eyes lowered to the constantly shifting mass of emerald-green liquid metal in his hand, which seemed to possess a life of its own.
Gold of Life.
At Jiang Ci'an's arrival, Electrolux raised his head and asked,
"Are you ready?"
Jiang Ci'an nodded, his gaze serious.
"Let's begin, Elder Yi."
Electrolux smiled and nodded. Without wasting time, he gave his wrist a slight turn, and the mass of liquid Gold of Life flew from his palm. Like an emerald droplet, it hovered before Jiang Ci'an's forehead.
Then it slowly sank in.
Jiang Ci'an closed his eyes, carefully sensing the touch at the center of his brow.
The first sensation was coolness.
It was a wonderfully soothing chill, like a handful of cold mountain spring water on a summer's day. The coolness seeped beneath his skin from between his brows, then slowly spread throughout his body.
Like a gentle stream, it flowed soundlessly through every inch of his meridians and bones, cleansing his body.
At the same time,
the Body Tempering Method began to circulate wildly within Jiang Ci'an!
Previously, whenever Jiang Ci'an used the Body Tempering Method, he had always held back a little. After all, no cultivation method could be pushed beyond its limits without consequence; otherwise, his body might not withstand the strain and could suffer irreversible damage.
But now, the power of the Gold of Life was strengthening his body at an astonishing rate.
That cool life force was like the sturdiest shield, wrapping around him and allowing the Body Tempering Method, which he had once needed to control with the utmost care, to cast off its restrictions completely.
Nourished by the endless stream of life force, his body's strength rose rapidly. His Soul Power, bolstered by his powerful physique, began to climb just as swiftly.
His Soul Power, which had only recently reached level seventeen, now surged upward like a river bursting its banks, without the slightest sign of slowing!
Beside him, Electrolux, overseeing the creation of the Eye of Life, paused slightly. As he watched, a thoughtful glimmer passed through his eyes.
He could sense that Jiang Ci'an's cultivation method was using the dense life force within the Gold of Life to boost his cultivation wildly, at a pace far beyond the norm.
But at the same time, he saw something familiar in Jiang Ci'an's cultivation method.
"It's a little like the way knights cultivate...but it fits this world's cultivation system more closely.
"Maybe I can improve it a little?"
Electrolux murmured as he watched the Eye of Life gradually take shape between Jiang Ci'an's brows. He hesitated, then made up his mind.
He raised his hand. A golden stream of light gathered in his palm and precisely entered Jiang Ci'an's brow, directly intervening in the creation of the Eye of Life.
Jiang Ci'an was completely unaware.
He focused all his attention on the Gold of Life flowing into him, guiding its gentle, pure life force through his body as it washed through every corner of his meridians.
The whole process felt indescribably wonderful.
A warmth and loosening that welled up from deep within his bones drew him into a state of bodily transformation.
He didn't notice
that his Soul Power was increasing at an absurdly abnormal pace.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
The back courtyard of Ping'an Pharmacy.
Beside the training ground, a meditation cushion lay on the blue-brick paving. Xiao Xiao sat cross-legged upon it, her hands resting naturally on her knees and her back straight, her breathing long and even.
Soul Power surged around her like the ebb and flow of the tide. Her eyes were half closed, and her little face was full of concentration.
Then, at a certain moment, Xiao Xiao's Soul Power gave a fierce tremor, and her aura rose to a new level.
Xiao Xiao let out a quiet breath and slowly opened her eyes.
Level sixteen.
She lowered her gaze, feeling the Soul Power within her, now far richer than it had been a month ago. A hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
One level in two months.
That was an exceptionally fast pace.
After all, it hadn't even been a year since she awakened her Martial Soul.
Granted, her recent meals of Whale Rubber and the occasional rare treasure Wang Dong'er had brought her over the past month had helped.
But even so, if word of her progress got out, it would still be astonishing.
Beside her, Wang Dong'er watched, her expression shifting slightly.
Seriously, girl, how did you break through again?!
For a moment, Wang Dong'er didn't know what to say.
After she and Xiao Xiao had fought and become acquainted a month ago, she'd been roused to compete, too. Though she hadn't been very serious about cultivation before, she had started putting in real effort.
After a month of hard training...all right, it wasn't that hard. At least she'd been much more diligent than before.
Anyway, a few days ago, after accumulating strength over time, she had finally broken through to level fifteen.
She'd thought that now she and Xiao Xiao were at the same level, their next fight wouldn't be so exhausting.
But who could have guessed that Xiao Xiao would break through again today?
Fifteen against sixteen. It might not look like much of a gap, but the problem was that this girl was ridiculously strong!
Even with her Second Martial Soul, Wang Dong'er wasn't likely to win.
Seriously, was this even fair? How did it feel like she was the one who'd absorbed a Soul Ring beyond her level?!
Wang Dong'er thought glumly, and for some reason, the urge to "increase her cultivation" suddenly became much more pressing.
Beside her, Xiao Xiao breathed out softly and turned to look at Wang Dong'er's glum expression. She blinked, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
"Want to spar again?"
Wang Dong'er's little face crumpled, and she refused without hesitation.
"Nope. I'm not fighting you."
Although she didn't want to admit it, the truth was that she really couldn't beat Xiao Xiao!
Xiao Xiao was frighteningly strong. She looked tiny and delicate, yet when she swung her cauldron, it cut through the air with a fierce whoosh, and when it hit the ground, it could leave a crater.
Especially now that Xiao Xiao had learned to throw her cauldron directly. Even flying through the air wasn't safe anymore.
Just imagine: you're flying along, minding your own business, when suddenly an enormous cauldron comes hurtling up at your face from below. Who could take that?
She certainly wasn't going to fight.
If they were going to fight...then they could wait until she started cultivating her Second Martial Soul!
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