Xue Ye: This Time, They Came for Me!

"Look, your hands are burned."

The moment she finished absorbing the Blazing Apricot Delicate Orchid, Qian Renxue grabbed Ouyang Ling's hands.

Seeing the torn flesh and scorched skin, the word "heartache" was practically written across her face.

"It's fine. Just a minor injury." Ouyang Ling tried to pull his hands back, but she held them tightly. Left with no choice, he grinned as water appeared from thin air and wrapped around his hands, soothing the burns.

"See? Aren't they fine now?"

Amid Qian Renxue's self-reproach, he successfully pulled his hands free. Not wanting to dwell on the subject of his "burns," Ouyang Ling hurriedly changed the subject.

"Sis, your flames have reached the ultimate level, right?"

"I'm not sure how to judge the standard for ultimate."

Qian Renxue smiled as she rose to her feet and stepped back.

"But you can help me test it."

Under Ouyang Ling's watchful gaze, golden light flashed as she summoned her martial soul! The specks of light on the wings behind her suddenly ignited. In an instant, they burned fiercely into golden flames, majestic and noble!

Even without touching them, the heat from the golden flames distorted the surrounding air. That alone was enough to determine the quality her Six-Winged Angel's flames had reached.

"Congratulations." Ouyang Ling applauded right in front of her.

"From now on, Sister Xue'er, your martial soul has the two ultimate attributes of light and fire as well."

"I don't think that's a good thing."

Qian Renxue smiled and scolded him, though her words clearly did not match her feelings. It sounded more like teasing between siblings.

She pressed both hands against Ouyang Ling's cheeks. "You never told me that once my fire attribute transformed into an ultimate attribute, my cultivation speed would slow down too."

Clearly, after absorbing the Blazing Apricot Delicate Orchid, she had examined her condition. Everything else was fine, except her soul power had become increasingly condensed. And more condensed soul power meant slower cultivation.

"Sis... let go of me first..."

With Qian Renxue constantly kneading his cheeks, Ouyang Ling's words came out muffled as he repeatedly begged for mercy.

Qian Renxue, reluctant to let go: "..."

Her little brother's face felt so good to the touch. What a pity—once he grew up in a few years, she would not get to touch it anymore.

No! She had to knead it more while she still could.

Ouyang Ling, whose face had been rubbed bright red: "..."

This was bad. His face had gone numb and hot from all the rubbing.

"Sis... let go already..."

In the end, Qian Renxue finally released Ouyang Ling after rubbing him to her heart's content.

Under her smiling gaze, Ouyang Ling massaged his flushed cheeks and said, "Sis, this is perfectly normal for ultimate attributes, especially for dual ultimate attributes. But we've both taken immortal herbs, so this much impact is still acceptable. Once we break through Rank 70, our cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds."

"Besides..." Ouyang Ling lowered his hands, his gaze carrying a touch of resentment. "If Sister Xue'er picked and consumed the Lovesick Heartbroken Red, your cultivation speed would absolutely soar. I'm not joking at all."

"Then your sister can rest easy."

Although she said that, Qian Renxue had not seemed worried in the slightest before this.

Still, when Ouyang Ling saw that Qian Renxue had no intention of picking and consuming the Lovesick Heartbroken Red, he asked as casually as usual, "Sister Xue'er, aren't you planning to pick and consume the Lovesick Heartbroken Red right here?"

"I'd rather not."

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Ouyang Ling, who was pretending not to care at all. An unfathomable smile curled on her lips. "Who knows when Dugu Bo will return? I'll wait until I get back."

"As for the other immortal herbs..." Intentionally changing the subject, she gave him no chance to continue and shifted her gaze toward the other herbs. "How does Little Ling plan to arrange them?"

"No one person can consume too many immortal herbs."

Though he was somewhat regretful at not getting an answer, Ouyang Ling was patient. Facing Qian Renxue's question, he laid out his thoughts in full. "I plan to sort these immortal herbs by category. Those that can raise potential will be given to young Soul Masters. But those Soul Masters must be talented, and they must remain loyal. Once they grow quickly, they can become powerhouses guarding the empire. Heaven Dou's foundation is still far too weak."

Qian Renxue understood the implication behind his final words, but she also pointed out one thing: geniuses were not easy to find.

Where was the line for a genius Soul Master? Probably reaching Soul Ancestor during the Soul Master Tournament.

But nearly all such Soul Masters had forces behind them.

"Then we can only judge by the size of the force behind them."

Ouyang Ling and Qian Renxue strolled along the shore of the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes as he spoke at length. "For example, the seven people I'm close with at the academy. Aside from Yu Tianheng, who would be very difficult to recruit, the other six are all possibilities. I've done Dugu a favor; Yu Feng's family is a declining minor noble house; Lingling's Ye Family has few members, and her martial soul has flaws; the Shi Family brothers are merely mid-tier nobles..."

In any case, according to Ouyang Ling, aside from his friends and the two commoner Soul Masters at Shrek Academy, the Kamikaze, Blazing Fire Academy, and Tianshui Academy among the Five Element Academies were also worth watching. Unlike Elephant Armored Academy and Thunder Academy, they did not have sects backing them.

There were plenty of geniuses.

And among those with weak backgrounds, there would always be some to choose from.

As she listened, Qian Renxue gradually came to a stop and gazed gently at Ouyang Ling's profile.

"Little Ling, thank you."

"Uh—" The sudden words caught Ouyang Ling off guard. Once he recovered, he smiled faintly.

"Do siblings like us still need to say thank you?"

"That's right, we don't." Qian Renxue smiled brightly. "Then it was your sister who was in the wrong."

Ouyang Ling said, "That's not what I meant."

Qian Renxue said, "Hehe—"

After a round of teasing, Qian Renxue asked, "Little Ling, you just mentioned immortal herbs that can raise potential. What about the others? How do you plan to arrange those?"

"The others..."

Ouyang Ling lowered his gaze.

Just then, a snow-white immortal herb came into view.

The herb was crystalline and snow-white, each blade seeming as though it might drip with water. Long and curved, it resembled a swan's neck. Yet despite its seemingly lovely appearance, Ouyang Ling deliberately avoided it even when he approached it.

"Sis, look at that immortal herb."

Following the direction of Ouyang Ling's finger, she could not help but ask curiously, "What about that immortal herb?"

"It's called the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss. Its only effect is stimulation."

"Stimulation?" Sensing Ouyang Ling's seriousness, Qian Renxue pressed, "What can it stimulate?"

"Viruses."

Ouyang Ling's expression was extremely grave.

"Forget eating it—even if it merely touches you, any virus in the affected area will multiply hundreds or thousands of times over. In other words, even if you only have a minor cold, once you come into contact with the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss, it can turn it into a deadly illness. If you consume even a little, calling it a terminal disease would not be an exaggeration."

A minor cold could become terminal!?

Really?!

In an instant, Qian Renxue thought of the "proper use" for this immortal herb, and her eyes immediately lit up!

"Little Ling, give it to me. It has great use!"

Ouyang Ling stressed again, "It's dangerous."

Qian Renxue remained unmoved. Her mind was made up.

"I'll be careful."

Ouyang Ling said nothing more. He had already guessed where the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss would be used.

Or rather, it had been within his expectations all along.

In this life, Emperor Xue Ye would probably truly die of illness rather than poison.

(Xue Ye: This time, they came for me!)