A Glint of Cold Steel Arrives First!

Looks like he would have to keep a better handle on the strength of his charm in the future.

Thinking this, Lin Yichen gently pushed Dugu Yan away.

Dugu Yan's little face was flushed red. After being pushed away, she stood there at a loss.

"Y-You should put your clothes on first."

After saying that, she shyly buried her face in her arms.

The scene from just now remained vivid in her mind, impossible to shake off.

How... how could she stay conscious afterward?!

Lin Yichen had already changed into his clothes. He stared at Dugu Yan's bashful appearance, then slowly lowered his gaze...

"What about your shoes?"

Dugu Yan subconsciously looked down at her feet before letting out a heavy sigh.

Her shoes had long since been washed away by the water. She was barefoot now.

"You're not even wearing socks. Your feet must stink."

He then pretended to cover his nose and grinned wickedly.

"Jerk!"

Dugu Yan gave a coy scolding, her face crimson as she raised her hand to hit him.

But Lin Yichen caught her wrist and pinned it against the wall.

"How did you treat me just now?"

Lin Yichen leaned down close to her, slowly drawing nearer.

Dugu Yan slowly closed her eyes, her nervousness mixed with a hint of anticipation she could not understand.

"Come on, let's find your shoes."

Lin Yichen abruptly changed the subject and turned as if to leave.

Seeing this, Dugu Yan hurriedly grabbed Lin Yichen's hand. Then she froze, her grip loosening slightly.

Lin Yichen had already understood what this silly girl wanted. He reached out and pinched her chubby cheek.

"Get on. I'll carry you."

"Pervert..."

Dugu Yan still refused to let him off with her words, but her tone was clearly much gentler than before.

"Ah!"

The final note of her cry trembled.

Dugu Yan's Jade-Scaled Snake martial soul belonged to the snake type, so she naturally inherited some snake-like traits.

For example, Dugu Yan's body was somewhat cooler than an ordinary person's.

"What's your name?"

With Dugu Yan on his back, Lin Yichen followed the stream downstream.

"Dugu Yan."

The Lunar Jade Rabbit was also yin-aligned. Like snake-type martial soul masters, its body was relatively cool.

That gave Dugu Yan a sense of familiarity.

Her favorable impression of Lin Yichen immediately rose.

No, no!

He was a pervert! How could she have such thoughts about him?!

The two thoughts constantly battled within her, making Dugu Yan even more bashful. She could only keep her head lowered near Lin Yichen's collarbone.

Lin Yichen naturally knew that she was Dugu Yan. He simply had not asked for her name earlier.

So he asked now, lest she think he had investigated her identity for a long time and harbored ulterior motives.

Though just now, it had been Dugu Yan who had harbored ulterior motives toward him.

"What are you doing in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"I've reached level thirty and need a third soul ring. My grandfather told me to come train by myself."

"Your grandfather was okay with you coming alone?"

"I don't know, but students of Heaven Dou Royal Academy naturally need the courage to explore on their own."

Dugu Yan was clearly more arrogant when she said that.

After all, that was the royal academy!

"Heaven Dou Royal Academy? Sounds impressive."

Dugu Yan puffed out her proud chest, her face full of pride.

"Of course! It's the finest academy in Heaven Dou City! And I'm considered a genius there too!"

"How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen! Isn't that young?"

"I'm eighteen too. I've trained on my own in the wilderness and already reached six rings, while you don't even have three..."

Dugu Yan: "..."

Dugu Yan immediately clenched her little fists and thumped Lin Yichen hard on the back.

"Stupid pervert! Rotten pervert!"

Lin Yichen was not angry. He simply found the girl utterly adorable.

But if anyone from the academy saw this scene, their jaws would surely drop.

The "Poison-Cold Goddess" was actually acting cute?

Of course, Lin Yichen knew nothing about that.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

"Achoo!"

A blue-haired, purple-eyed young man inexplicably sneezed.

"Strange. Who's thinking about me?"

Yu Tianheng had no idea that his plan, which was about to succeed—the plan to personally tear apart Dugu Yan's "Poison-Cold Goddess" title—had already been completely shattered by another man.

"Could Yan'er be thinking about me? Hehe, when the time comes, I'll tell her my cat can do backflips..."

"Lin Yichen, are you really just an ordinary soul master despite being this strong? You've never joined an academy?"

The relationship between Dugu Yan and Lin Yichen had eased considerably, as though the awkward atmosphere from earlier had been swept away.

"No. My family was poor, my parents died early, and I never had a fixed home."

Lin Yichen spoke lightly, as if he had truly experienced it all.

But Dugu Yan was instantly delighted.

"Then you could..."

Dugu Yan was about to invite Lin Yichen to join their Heaven Dou Royal Academy when Lin Yichen interrupted her.

"So I want to go take a look at Spirit Hall now. I hear they're very friendly toward commoners and probably won't look down on me."

For some reason, Dugu Yan's heart suddenly tightened.

"Oh..."

Her voice was much quieter than before.

Still, she knew that the royal academy had never accepted commoners. That was beyond dispute. Her girlish thoughts just now had been nothing but wishful thinking.

"Then... will we meet again?"

Dugu Yan still asked the question that startled even herself.

"Probably. Are those little white shoes yours?"

Before they knew it, they had reached the end of the stream.

Dugu Yan suddenly felt that the journey had been so, so short.

It would have been nice if it lasted longer.

Just a little longer.

Unfortunately, things did not go as she wished. Lin Yichen gently set her down on a large rock nearby, then jogged over and picked up the little white shoes.

The water had washed them completely clean.

Dugu Yan stared silently at the little white shoes, soaked through beyond measure.

"Leave them there to dry."

Lin Yichen spoke first, breaking the silence. He set the shoes beside them in the sunlight, then lay down under the sun and closed his eyes to rest.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across Lin Yichen's face, making him look especially warm.

"This lecher... when he's acting normal... he's actually pretty handsome."

Dugu Yan rested her chin on her hand and stared fixedly at Lin Yichen's profile.

She wished time could last a little longer.

Dugu Yan made another wish.

And once again, things did not go as she wished.

"Hiss—"

A piercing sound rang out. Dugu Yan looked closely and saw a Mandala Snake right beside them.

Its body was pink, and it had over a thousand years of cultivation!

But with her current mobility impaired, she would likely have a hard time defeating this beast.

And after being charmed, her aura was unstable. The poison could easily disrupt her power.

What was she supposed to do?!

"Hiss!!!"

An even sharper hiss rang out at Dugu Yan. The Mandala Snake opened its bloody maw and lunged at her.

"Fifth Soul Skill! Moonlight Slash!"

Just as Dugu Yan resolved to fight to the death, Lin Yichen's voice rang out like heavenly music.

Looking again, Lin Yichen had already leaped into the air, his arms forming a cross as he slashed downward at an angle!

A glint of cold steel arrived first!

The cross-shaped Moonlight Slash descended!

The thousand-year Mandala Snake was instantly cut in two. Only a trace of consciousness remained in its head, and deep terror could be seen in its eyes.

"You think you can kill my woman? You're courting death!"