Wen Ruan Was a Little Chubby...

BOOM!

A violent, scorching current swept through his entire body. His meridians, saturated with ice-attribute soul power, magnified the intense heat generated by the whale glue infinitely.

In an instant, Wen Ruan's entire body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.

The first soul skill she had been maintaining vanished along with her consciousness...

Lin Yan, who was in the middle of refining the medicinal power of the whale glue, quickly sensed the abnormality. Lacking the assistance of the [Ice Ring] skill, his body temperature skyrocketed, and he could no longer suppress the searing heat rampaging through his meridians.

"Senior sister, hurry and cool me down!"

Lin Yan, having regained his senses, shouted anxiously toward the figure in front of him. However, the only response was a series of heavy, ragged gasps that only made the heat feel more stifling.

"Senior sister?"

Lin Yan opened his eyes, only to discover that Wen Ruan had collapsed. Her pretty face was flushed crimson, and she was panting heavily, her eyes dazed, filled with a mix of confusion and shame.

Seeing Lin Yan open his eyes, Wen Ruan immediately demanded, "What kind of thing did you feed me, you bastard?"

"Huh? What did I feed you?"

Lin Yan looked blank, unable to fathom why she would ask such a question.

Clearly, Wen Ruan had already lost her clarity of mind...

Suddenly, Lin Yan let out a strange cry. "Damn, did you eat my whale glue?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Ruan wore an expression of disbelief, as if she had been betrayed by a lover. Although she didn't know what whale glue looked like, how could she have never heard of its effects? She never imagined that the things Lin Yan had been eating these past few days were actually whale glue!

"Whale glue? That thing in your hand was actually whale glue? You actually ate whale glue right in front of me!"

Facing the young girl's interrogation, Lin Yan's expression was one of extreme anxiety. "What time do you think it is? Stop acting like a broken record and use your first soul skill to cool me down!"

Guided by his panic, Wen Ruan didn't have time to think and quickly re-initiated her martial soul avatar.

However... "It's no use! I can't muster any soul power at all right now."

That was right. Aside from Huo Yuhao, she was the only one who would dare to swallow ten-thousand-year whale glue right off the bat. At this moment, let alone releasing a soul skill, the fact that she hadn't completely lost her sanity under the influence of the scorching heat in her meridians was a testament to her good upbringing. Had it been someone more alluring like Hu Liena, she probably would have pounced on him and devoured him whole...

Under the bright moonlight, heavy, ragged gasps echoed from the depths of the jungle. As time passed, Lin Yan was also on the verge of losing his grip on his sanity. He had to keep in mind that he already had evil fire within him, and combined with the seductive sounds reaching his ears, he felt an unbearable torment.

It was at this moment that Wen Ruan, whose willpower was insufficient, actually crawled toward him of her own accord.

"I can't take it, I'm so hot!"

When the young girl looked at Lin Yan, the longing in her eyes was almost palpable. It was to be expected; as a mere level 20 Great Soul Master with a weak constitution, how could she possibly resist the medicinal power of ten-thousand-year whale glue through willpower alone?

In the clearing, the girl reached out her arms and hooked them around Lin Yan's neck, her delicate, pink-tinted face drawing closer. Lin Yan felt the heat surging through his body and felt his nerves reaching the edge of collapse.

Just then, the girl exhaled like an orchid and whispered, "I can't take it anymore!"

Lin Yan gritted his teeth. "Damn it! Do you think I can take it?"

Early morning arrived, and the pitch-black night finally gave way to the dawn.

Sunlight shone upon the mountains and valleys, upon the flowing rivers, and upon every inch of the earth... Wherever there was sunlight, the land became the sun's private property.

In the grass behind the academy, Lin Yan lay sprawled over Wen Ruan.

Just as Lin Yan had observed before, Wen Ruan was indeed a bit plump...

At this moment, both of them were panting heavily. The girl lay on the grass, covered in sweat, her breathing still trembling as if she were completely exhausted.

The whale glue in Lin Yan's hand had long since vanished—not lost, but consumed by the two of them.

After a long while, Wen Ruan finally recovered from the extreme exhaustion. She didn't move, but instead closed her eyes and spoke softly.

"Don't tell anyone else; just pretend nothing ever happened."

Wen Ruan knew the ins and outs of the entire situation. She had no reason to blame Lin Yan; everything was her own doing, and she was clear-headed enough to understand that.

At the same time, she could not accept Lin Yan, nor could she look him in the eye.

Therefore, she chose to escape. At least a brief escape would make her feel a little better for a short while.

Lin Yan did not speak, because he did not know what to say either.

Although he had intended to cultivate in this manner, he hadn't meant for it to happen now!

Everything had come about far too suddenly.

Before long, seeing that Lin Yan still had no intention of speaking, a hint of desolation appeared in the eyes of Wen Ruan, who had her back turned to him.

She then let out a soft sigh and silently began to search the ground for her clothes.

As her fingertips brushed over the traces of what they had shared, her heart was filled with complex emotions, yet even so, she did not say another word.

Finally, just as she turned to leave, Lin Yan finally called out to her from behind...

"Little Senior Sister..."

Wen Ruan's expression froze, and her footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

For a fleeting moment, there was a glimmer of expectation in her eyes, however...

"Um~ I'm sorry."

The sun was high in the sky.

The September sun was exceptionally warm, shining down on people with a cozy, comfortable glow.

Flender and Zhao Wuji stood at the academy gate, with Ma Hongjun, Lin Yan, and Wen Ruan standing opposite them.

"Old Zhao is leading the team himself to take you to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for your spirit rings. Remember to follow his instructions on the road! Especially you two—don't lose your lives out of mere curiosity."

"Understood, Dean."

When Flender spoke, he gave a special reminder to Ma Hongjun and Lin Yan. After all, they were only level 10 and had never seen what a spirit beast looked like before.

Therefore, he felt it was absolutely necessary to warn the two of them to avoid causing Zhao Wuji any unnecessary trouble.

Soon, under Zhao Wuji's lead, one adult and three youths set off on their journey to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for spirits.

On the road, Lin Yan's mind was occupied with thoughts of his first spirit ring as well as the events of last night, and soon, his young face was furrowed in a deep frown.

Regarding Wen Ruan, he really wanted to confess!

After all, what had happened had already happened, and there were no external factors preventing them from being together, so being together was the best possible outcome.

However, the words she had spoken that morning left Lin Yan unable to make up his mind; he wasn't sure if Wen Ruan hated him because of that incident.

As for Wen Ruan...

She wanted Lin Yan to take responsibility, but having been a child from an ordinary family for so long, she had been raised with traditional values.

Lin Yan's age made her feel a sense of guilt.

Furthermore, the gap in talent between the two made the young girl feel somewhat inferior. Moreover, Lin Yan's reaction that morning had left her very disappointed, so... she remained non-committal, and even went as far as to deliberately distance herself.

And so, the two conflicted individuals remained silent for the entire journey.