Qian Renxue: You Passed

The next day, Ouyang Ling woke from his deep sleep.

The moment his mind cleared, he instinctively sprang upright, only to discover that he was lying in bed.

Just as confusion set in, memories from yesterday flooded into his mind.

There were not many, only fragmented snippets,

but for some reason, the sensation of Qian Renxue holding him in her arms—and what he had touched while struggling—was exceptionally clear, almost as if it had just happened.

"Fuck me..."

Amid his embarrassment, Ouyang Ling wanted to die.

His overwhelming sense of shame left him sitting blankly on the bed.

Thinking? Staring into space?

Perhaps both.

But more than anything, he simply did not know how to face Qian Renxue.

In any case, he would have to face her eventually. Ouyang Ling got out of bed, only to unexpectedly discover that his body was more agile than before, and it was not just his imagination.

Although using Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue would leave someone deeply embarrassed upon waking, he had to admit that its effects were truly impressive.

The remarkable changes in his body prompted Ouyang Ling to examine every aspect of himself.

Aside from his physical fitness, even his soul power cultivation had naturally broken through under the medicinal effects. With just one more Soul Ring, he could advance to Great Soul Master.

At breakfast, Ouyang Ling faced Qian Renxue directly.

At first, he was rather cautious, afraid of something.

But when he saw that her expression was as normal as ever, with no ripples in her eyes as though nothing had happened, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

What he failed to notice was that the moment he entered the room, Qian Renxue's entire body had stiffened. She did not move at all, and even the tips of her ears had flushed red. Only after Ouyang Ling turned his attention to breakfast did she finally relax.

"Sister Xue'er, I've already broken through to Level 20."

Ouyang Ling deliberately acted natural as he brought up his breakthrough.

As for what happened yesterday... he could never mention it, even if beaten to death!

Qian Renxue also forced herself to remain calm. "I can tell."

Perhaps wanting to seize the initiative and ease the unnecessary awkwardness, she immediately pressed on:

"Do you want to obtain your second Soul Ring now?"

"I'm not that anxious."

Ouyang Ling took a bun and bit into it. Swallowing did not stop him from speaking. "Didn't we agree? I have to pass the actual combat and soul pressure tests before I qualify to obtain a Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

"Are you ready?"

"Not yet."

Ouyang Ling stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth and moved his arms. "I still need to get familiar with the changes in my body."

"Then don't rush."

Qian Renxue set down her bowl and chopsticks. "Eat the remaining two pieces of whale glue first. But this time, you must train before every dose. Only take it once you are so exhausted that you cannot train anymore."

"I'll personally handle it."

"Huh!?"

Ouyang Ling's eyes suddenly widened!

No way, what happened yesterday was going to happen two more times!?

"You disagree?"

At that moment, the atmosphere seemed to turn dangerous.

"No, no, no! I'd be more than happy to take it again. It's just..."

A trace of hesitation flashed through Ouyang Ling's eyes. "Wouldn't it be better to have someone else do it? Aren't there several servants in the estate?"

All of a sudden, Ouyang Ling felt his vision blur.

Red light!

A flash of red light!

He seemed to have seen it in Sister Xue'er's eyes.

But when he blinked, it seemed as though everything had been an illusion.

Before Ouyang Ling could think further, Qian Renxue darkened her face and enunciated every word. "I said training! Training!"

At the same time, her hidden, embarrassed thoughts raged: That brat definitely remembers! He definitely wasn't completely unconscious then! Since that's the case...

For no reason, Ouyang Ling felt a chill envelop his back, but it vanished in an instant.

"Why does my nose suddenly feel itchy?"

Over the next two months, whenever afternoon came, Ouyang Ling would be dragged into training by Qian Renxue. Once he was completely exhausted, he would eat dinner and immediately take a small portion of whale glue.

The stated reason was to avoid wasting the medicinal effects.

And the results proved that this method was indeed effective.

Unfortunately, the remaining two pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue did not last long. In less than a month, Ouyang Ling had used them all up. They could only be replaced with Hundred-Year Whale Gel and Thousand-Year Whale Gel purchased from the apothecary.

But compared with Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, their effects were weak.

Fortunately, more Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue arrived in the second month. During that time, Elder Ci Xue had not appeared for quite a while, and every time he returned, he carried a faint smell of the sea.

It was not strong, but Ouyang Ling was sensitive to it.

As for what had happened during his first use of whale glue, it never happened again afterward.

After two months of arduous cultivation, Ouyang Ling's life gradually became peaceful. Other than whale glue becoming less effective at improving him, Qian Renxue also began spending little time at home again.

Everything felt like the calm before a storm...

Until one day in the third month,

three people stood before Ouyang Ling, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Ci Xue, Qian Renxue, She Long.

That was roughly the order in which they faced him.

Why did this feel like a joint interrogation?

Ouyang Ling silently mocked himself to ease the tension in his heart.

He knew it was time for the test that would determine whether he could absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!

"Little Ling, have you thought it through?"

Qian Renxue spoke, asking one final question.

"Bring it on."

Ouyang Ling did not say much. His eyes were filled with certainty.

He was certain that he would succeed!

The next second, without any warning, the air around Ouyang Ling's body seemed to freeze. His instincts, honed through two years of combat, sensed it at that moment, but it was clearly too late.

A massive wave of soul power had already surged toward him. The air not far ahead was warped, yet he was completely unable to move.

Level 20—this was the soul pressure She Long was exerting.

Although this pressure was equal to Ouyang Ling's cultivation, the difference in quality between a Quasi-Great Soul Master and a Titled Douluo was worlds apart.

Seeing that Ouyang Ling's expression had not changed, She Long continued increasing the pressure.

21, 22, ... 29, 30.

From a faint flush in his face to gritting his teeth and enduring it, Ouyang Ling still had not summoned his martial soul. At most, pain showed on his face as his blood and energy churned throughout his body.

She Long withdrew his gaze and glanced at Qian Renxue from the corner of his eye.

At this level, absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be more than enough. If they were bolder, perhaps he could even try one around three thousand years.

Should he continue?

Qian Renxue remained impassive and gave a slight nod.

Seeing this, She Long immediately withdrew his pressure. Ouyang Ling, as the one bearing it, only felt the weight vanish completely, leaving his whole body relaxed.

"Hoo—"

He exhaled a breath of stale air and staggered.

Qian Renxue had just instinctively taken half a step forward when she saw Ouyang Ling steady himself, and only then did she "casually" pull her foot back.

"Just a little more, and my martial soul would have been forced out."

Ouyang Ling happened to look up and smiled in relief.

"So what if it came out?"

Qian Renxue said irritably, "It's not like I forbade you from using it."

"That was my own requirement."

Qian Renxue neither agreed nor disagreed with Ouyang Ling's answer.

Once he felt that he had mostly recovered, Ouyang Ling's gaze sharpened as he entered a combat state.

"Sister Xue'er, it's time for the actual combat test."

Unexpectedly, Qian Renxue said, "The actual combat test is canceled."

Ouyang Ling froze. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

Qian Renxue returned Ouyang Ling's earlier answer to him in a similar fashion, then said, "You passed."