Five Years

"Hahaha, Sister Long, I won't tease you anymore. Hurry up and eat."

After saying that, Jiang Lin stopped looking at Little Dragon Girl and moved his stool back.

Only then did Little Dragon Girl let out a soft breath of relief, though the blush on her face had yet to fade. Clearly, Jiang Lin's words and actions just now had greatly stirred her.

Jiang Lin had naturally expected this. However, if he wanted to take their relationship a step further, these things were necessary.

For a long time to come, Jiang Lin and Little Dragon Girl would be alone together. Without anyone else to disturb them, their relationship would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

What he had done today was only to help Little Dragon Girl adapt in advance. After all, there would be no shortage of even more intimate gestures later on.

After dinner, the day's exhaustion washed over Jiang Lin. He lay directly on his bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

This time, Jiang Lin and Little Dragon Girl did not sleep in the same bed as they had in Holy Soul Village. Since the cabin had been built by all four of them, they still slept in the same room for convenience, but arranging separate beds was easy enough.

Jiang Lin's bed was by the window, while Little Dragon Girl's was in the middle of the room.

With a creak, the door opened, and Little Dragon Girl walked in from outside wearing white pajamas.

"Huh, Jiang Lin went to sleep so early today?"

A trace of surprise appeared on Little Dragon Girl's face, but she quickly thought of the reason.

During the day, Jiang Lin had absorbed a Soul Ring, encountered problems during cultivation after returning, and had even taught her how to cook. He must have been exhausted.

Lying on her bed, Little Dragon Girl looked at Jiang Lin's figure in the distance. The things he had said during dinner surfaced in her mind, and she blinked unconsciously as a faint smile appeared on her face.

At some point, she fell asleep as well.

Over the following days, Jiang Lin maintained an extremely regular routine.

In the morning, he absorbed vast amounts of natural energy through the Northern Dark Spiritual Meridian. In the afternoon, he used the Purification soul skill to increase his Soul Power. At dusk, he familiarized himself with the King's Power Sword soul skills and practiced the Pure Yang Flame. At night, he meditated and slept.

Of course, amid all that cultivation, Jiang Lin also set aside time to teach Little Dragon Girl things like cooking.

Not only that, Jiang Lin set aside one day every week to accompany Little Dragon Girl outside for outings or sightseeing...

Time flew like a white steed flashing past. In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

It was another bitter winter, and the entire Star Dou Forest had been draped in silver.

Deep within a dense sea of bamboo, the original little cabin had long since changed beyond recognition, expanding to more than three times its former size.

Moreover, the area around the cabin had been planted with deep-blue starflowers that shimmered like brilliant starlight, as well as icy-blue irises.

Even though it was now winter, under Little Dragon Girl's careful tending, they still bloomed with dreamlike, multicolored blue radiance every night.

"Jiang Lin, is there anything you want to eat today? Your sister will make it for you."

A soft, melodious voice sounded outside the door, and Jiang Lin, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed cultivating, instantly opened his eyes.

Compared to the childishness he had possessed five years ago, Jiang Lin was now only eleven years old, yet he had already shot up to one meter seventy. Though his frame appeared somewhat lean, the clothes covering him could not conceal the explosive muscles beneath.

Furthermore, the childishness on Jiang Lin's face had faded away, replaced by the sharpness and vigor of youth between his brows and eyes.

"Sister Long, make whatever you like. As long as you make it, I love eating it."

"Haha, Jiang Lin, so you're no longer saying your sister's cooking tastes terrible?"

"Hey, Sister Long, why are you bringing that up again? Didn't I apologize already?"

"Hmph, so what if you apologized? Jiang Lin, I'm going to remember those words for the rest of my life."

"Alright, keep cultivating. I'll call you once the food is ready."

With that, the footsteps outside the door gradually faded away.

"I didn't expect so much time to have passed, yet Little Dragon Girl still remembered what I said back then. I really couldn't tell—so Little Dragon Girl has a vindictive side too."

Jiang Lin shook his head helplessly, though his eyes were filled with amusement.

Because over the past five years, Little Dragon Girl's favorability toward him had increased several times.

With a thought, he pulled up Little Dragon Girl's status panel.

[Little Dragon Girl]

[Age: 18]

[Cultivation: Level 53 Soul King]

[Martial Soul: Frost Dragon Soul]

[Techniques: "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra," "Jade Maiden Swordplay"...]

[Favorability: 75 (Close Friend)]

"Seventy-five favorability is already Close Friend. What will eighty be?"

Jiang Lin murmured softly. Little Dragon Girl's favorability had reached a level that allowed him to do many things.

However, Jiang Lin had no intention of simply taking her for himself like this, because Little Dragon Girl held a different meaning to him.

He had only been in Douluo Continent for eleven years, yet Little Dragon Girl had been by his side for five of those years. He had grown accustomed to calling her sister, accustomed to having her by his side, and accustomed to their current way of getting along.

Therefore, if he truly wanted to completely have Little Dragon Girl, Jiang Lin would definitely give her a grand wedding. Only then could he live up to her constant companionship all these years.

Then, with another thought, Jiang Lin summoned Tian Yan's status panel, which had been absent for five whole years.

[Tian Yan]

[Age: 24]

[Soul Master: Level 59 Soul King (Initial)]

[Martial Arts: Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm]

[Martial Souls: Autumn-Water Clear Eyes, Heaven-Swallowing Salamander]

[Techniques: "Web Life-Taking Sword," "Thousand Illusions Mind-Bewitching Formula," "Life-Severing Finger"...]

[Threefold Seal: First Stage (Unlocked when favorability reaches 50)]

[Current Favorability: 45 (Stranger)]

"Hm? Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm, what the hell is that?"

Jiang Lin's pupils suddenly contracted, and he hurriedly called out to the system.

[Ding!]

[The reason this person possesses martial arts cultivation is because she found another path and skillfully bypassed the system's first seal.]

[However, Host need not worry. According to Article 17863 of the system's hidden regulations, a summoned person only has one chance to bypass a seal. The remaining two seals still exist.]

"She can... bypass the seal?"

"Wouldn't that count as a system bug?"

Jiang Lin's eyes were filled with disbelief. The system possessed such immense power—how could Tian Yan possibly find a way to bypass its seal?

[Ding!]

[According to Article 12970 of the system's hidden regulations, when a summoned person is in an extreme situation of desperately craving strength, the system will proactively grant one opportunity to bypass a seal.]

"I knew it. So the loophole was something you, the system, opened on your own."

"But in such an extreme situation, did Tian Yan encounter some danger?"

"With combat strength nearing that of a Soul Saint, anyone capable of forcing her to that point would at least have to be a peak Soul Saint or a Soul Douluo."

"Oh, right, System. What cultivation level in the Soul Master system does this Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm roughly correspond to?"

[Ding!]

[The combat strength of this system at the same realm far exceeds that of the Soul Master system. Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm corresponds to a Level 71 Soul Saint, while its actual combat strength corresponds to a Level 81 Soul Douluo.]

"Damn, did Tian Yan turn on cheats or something?"

Shock immediately filled Jiang Lin's eyes. Five years ago, Tian Yan had only been a Level 59 Soul King, yet now she could contend with a powerhouse like a Soul Douluo. It was truly beyond his expectations.

Even with the Northern Dark Spiritual Meridian, after five years, he had only risen from a Level 28 Soul Grandmaster to a Level 49 Soul Ancestor.

As for his actual combat strength, although he still could not compare to Little Dragon Girl, he could already rival a somewhat weaker Level 61 Soul Emperor.