Watching Wang Dong'er decisively refuse to spar with her, Xiao Xiao narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"Scared?"
"Not at all!" Wang Dong'er protested.
"Mm-hmm, not scared at all." Xiao Xiao smiled.
"You..."
At that coaxing tone, Wang Dong'er's cheeks puffed out slightly, like a grumpy Big White Goose.
Beside her, Xiao Xiao gave a soft snort, the corners of her mouth lifting.
She had never really disliked Wang Dong'er; she was simply used to guarding what was hers.
Besides, after spending this time together, the two of them had spent a whole month trading barbs back and forth. Their relationship had gradually grown closer, and they were starting to resemble a pair of teasing best friends.
Seeing Wang Dong'er sulk, Xiao Xiao was about to apologize when Wang Dong'er suddenly spoke up for no apparent reason:
"Speaking of which, where's Jiang Ci'an? I haven't seen him since we ran into him that day."
The subject changed so abruptly, but Xiao Xiao's expression still grew more serious. "Ci'an is in seclusion, cultivating. It's important, so we can't disturb him."
"Oh?"
Dong'er blinked, a faint glimmer in her eyes as she rolled the two syllables around on her tongue.
"Ci-an?"
Her voice lingered pointedly on his name, teasing.
Xiao Xiao frowned slightly and shot Wang Dong'er an exasperated look.
The corners of Wang Dong'er's mouth lifted. She felt she'd won that round and was just about to say something else,
when a voice suddenly sounded beside them.
"What are you talking about?"
The voice was gentle, carrying a trace of warmth as it fell between them, unhurried.
Dong'er paused and instinctively turned around, only to see that the young man had somehow appeared behind them.
He wore an ordinary gray outfit, yet it set off his tall, slender figure and gave him a warm, refined air.
His face, almost unfairly handsome, now wore a faint smile as he looked at them.
Dong'er's gaze lingered for a moment. She felt as though her heartbeat had skipped, and she stared blankly.
But the next moment, Xiao Xiao's "Ci'an" beside her brought her back to herself.
She quickly looked away, lowering her head to stare at her toes for no reason, then secretly lifted her eyes to sneak another glance at his face, her gaze full of confusion.
Wait, hadn't it only been a month? Why did it feel like...
This guy had gotten even more handsome?
Wang Dong'er was baffled.
Beside her, Xiao Xiao hadn't noticed Dong'er's little movements.
Her attention was all on Jiang Ci'an. His face was reflected in her eyes as she looked him up and down carefully, clearly noticing that he had changed.
She blinked, her eyes carrying a hint of a question.
Jiang Ci'an understood. He smiled slightly and replied, "My seclusion went very well. The results were excellent."
Xiao Xiao immediately relaxed and was about to say something when Jiang Ci'an cleared his throat and continued:
"So, I think... I'll have to go into seclusion again for about three months."
Xiao Xiao: ???
After carefully explaining the situation to Xiao Xiao, he finally managed to get the pitiful look on her face at the dinner table to give way to reluctant acceptance of his leaving for another three months. Jiang Ci'an returned to his room, feeling somewhat apologetic.
His little childhood friend had stayed practically by his side since she was two years old. Even when they were apart, it was only for three or four days.
This time, she had already been in a bad mood after going a whole month without seeing him.
Fortunately, Wang Dong'er had been there to keep her company, and Xiao Xiao had focused all her attention on improving her cultivation. Otherwise, she would have felt even worse.
Xiao Xiao depended on him a little too much.
But he couldn't help it.
For the next three months, he had to go away, and it wouldn't be convenient to bring Xiao Xiao along.
Because
he had to obtain his Second Soul Ring.
Yes, that was right. He had already reached level twenty.
It had been only nine months since he awakened his Martial Soul, yet his cultivation had already reached level twenty.
And all of it was thanks to the newly opened Eye of Life between his brows.
Or, more accurately... his "Spirit Aperture."
As everyone knew, a "Spirit Aperture" was something that those following the Knight System in the Throne of Seal world could condense after reaching the sixth rank.
Once condensed, it significantly enhanced spiritual power, physical constitution, mental strength, and even one's perception and control of energy. It was a comprehensive boost.
However, because the worlds were different, the people of the Douluo Plane weren't born with nine Spirit Aperture Slots like the people of the Throne of Seal world. The difference went all the way down to their foundations.
As a result, the Knight System couldn't be used directly on Douluo Continent.
However, as Jiang Ci'an fused with the Gold of Life and opened the Eye of Life, Electrolux had been inspired by the operation of Jiang Ci'an's "Body Tempering Method" and made some minor adjustments to the Eye of Life's structure.
In theory, the Eye of Life between his brows was now equivalent to a "Spirit Aperture."
It could speed up his Soul Power recovery, absorb and convert foreign energies into life force, boost his mental strength, enhance his perception of energy, and even independently absorb some of the energy drifting through the world.
Moreover, because the Gold of Life contained such an immense concentration of life force, this "Spirit Aperture" was constantly nourishing his body and automatically driving the "Body Tempering Method."
He no longer had much need for ordinary heavenly treasures or supplements.
He could even find a place to go into seclusion without food or water, relying solely on the vast life force contained in the Eye of Life to keep the "Body Tempering Method" running until it reached its current limit.
That was the fundamental reason his cultivation had surged from level seventeen to level twenty over the past month.
Without a doubt, this was a comprehensive transformation that had raised his already impressive talent and cultivation speed to another level!
The only pity was that this successful transformation couldn't yet be replicated.
Of course, that wasn't important for now.
The most important thing was his Second Soul Ring.
Jiang Ci'an didn't waste any time. With a thought, a gray doorway quietly opened before him, and he stepped inside.
The Undead Demi-plane was as desolate as ever. Gray-black earth stretched beneath his feet, and a black sun shed its cold, eerie light.
As soon as he entered the demi-plane, the Eye of Life between Jiang Ci'an's brows appeared. Electrolux's figure emerged from his forehead, his illusory form slightly more solid than it had been a month ago.
Now that the Eye of Life between his brows had the properties of a "Spirit Aperture," Electrolux's presence within it was a little like that of a Wisdom Spiritual Furnace.
The nourishment it provided was even better than that of an ordinary Eye of Life, clearly improving the state of Electrolux's remnant soul and allowing him to act to a certain extent.
This gave Jiang Ci'an even more confidence.
"I'm ready, Elder Yi. Let's set out."
Electrolux nodded without a word. With a thought, he began to calibrate the spatial coordinates according to the map Jiang Ci'an had provided.
Using the Undead Demi-plane as a transfer point for long-distance spatial travel was indeed a useful method, but it required the corresponding spatial coordinates.
The last time he'd returned from outside Shrek City to the pharmacy, he hadn't calibrated the coordinates in advance, so it had taken some time to pinpoint the location.
But only the first calibration was troublesome. Once the coordinates had been recorded, he could simply open a door next time. It was extremely convenient.
Time passed slowly. Before long, Electrolux stopped what he was doing and waved a hand. Another gray doorway appeared before Jiang Ci'an.
"Let's go."
Electrolux spoke, then sank into Jiang Ci'an's forehead and fell silent.
Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath and stepped through the doorway.
Before you continue