Playing Hard to Get

He doesn't need to exert any effort at all to defeat these low-level Soul Master now.

After all, he had only slowed down his Soul Power growth over the past few years; his Mental Power and combat experience had not lagged behind at all.

A level 42 Soul Ancestor was no different from a slightly larger ant in front of him.

If it weren't for saving face for Wu Siduo, he wouldn't even need to use his Martial Soul Possession; he could have rendered her immobile simply by suppressing her with his Mental Power.

After the fight, Qi Ji and Xie Xie returned to their room.

As soon as the door closed, Xie Xie couldn't help but come closer. His expression was so complicated, like he was working on a difficult math problem. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly before he finally managed to squeeze out a complete sentence.

"Um... Boss, why did you pinch me in the ring back then...?"

Xie Xie hesitated, stammering for a long time before finally managing to finish the second half of his sentence.

He thought to himself that his boss didn't seem to be a sexually repressed person. He didn't usually grope the girls around him. Tang Wuling, Gu Yuena, Xu Xiaoyan —weren't they all closer to him than Wu Siduo?

But the boss deliberately targeted Wu Siduo, whom he had just met, which didn't fit his understanding of Qi Ji at all.

"I guess this counts as taking care of her."

Qi Ji leaned against the headboard, casually picked up a book about the customs and culture of the Star Luo Continent, flipped through a couple of pages, and spoke as if it were a trivial matter.

"Take care of?" Xie Xie looked blank, tilting his head, completely unable to follow Qi Ji's logic.

"For a girl, which is more memorable: being defeated by an opponent she cannot beat, or being molested by someone who is seen as a lecherous man?"

Qi Ji closed the book and explained earnestly, "Think about it, if she was only defeated by me, she would only feel inferior when she went back, and then fall into the despair of 'I can never catch up'. But if she hates me, it's different—hatred will motivate her, she will want to become stronger, and want to take revenge one day. In a way, I gave her a reason to continue cultivating."

Xie Xie was stunned and speechless for a long time.

He thought about it carefully and it seemed to make sense.

Qi Ji's attack seemed to have unknowingly produced an effect similar to Mu En's "Ruler Over the World" in Douluo II —that kind of pressure that made people's souls tremble was the real reason why countless challengers' Dao hearts were shattered.

Those who were defeated by Qi Ji were often not defeated by strength, but by spirit. The despair of "no matter what, I can't catch up" can completely destroy a person's fighting spirit.

What Qi Ji did to Wu Siduo gave her an emotional outlet that was different from despair.

"Then... Boss, why didn't you use this move before?" Xie Xie asked again, already thinking about whether he could use this move if he encountered an opponent he couldn't beat in the future.

"Isn't that obvious?"

Qi Ji rolled his eyes and put the book on the bedside table. "All the people who challenged me before were men. Where would I touch them? I'm not from Tang San's hometown."

"Um... you're right."

Xie Xie scratched his head and chuckled dryly. The image of Qi Ji groping the male challengers Qi Ji through his mind, and he couldn't help but shudder.

Qi Ji didn't speak again, but closed his eyes and began to meditate.

To be honest, although everything he said on the stage was true, there was one thing he didn't tell Xie Xie — Wu Siduo's breasts were really big.

As expected of the Nether Civet Martial Soul, it's impressively large in all its aspects; you can feel its weight even through the combat suit.

Of course, Qi Ji's inexplicable act of touching her wasn't solely due to that consideration.

A gentleman's nature is to eat and have sex. Wu Siduo's figure was indeed very good, and her talent in that area was truly outstanding. When he looked at her rosy face and her heaving chest, he had only one thought in his mind—he wanted to touch her, so he did.

Anyway, given his status and power, touching him wouldn't hurt him; at most, he'd be called a lecher, but he didn't care.

In the following days, whenever Qi Ji and Xie Xie were on the deck, a little tail would always follow them.

That was Wu Siduo, who had failed to challenge Qi Ji. Ever since that day when Qi Ji cleaved her Martial Soul Fusion Skill in one chop on the arena and then pinched her chest, she seemed like a completely different person.

Unlike the other challengers who were devastated and didn't fly into a rage to settle scores with Qi Ji, she quietly followed behind the two of them every day, keeping a distance of a dozen steps, neither getting too close nor too far away.

Whenever Qi Ji tried to speak to her, she would immediately turn and run away, faster than a rabbit, her face beneath her red hair always turning bright red.

No one knew what she was up to, and Qi Ji didn't approach her; he was just playing hard to get.

He wanted to see how long this little girl could hold out.

As the ship drew closer to the Star Luo Continent, the sea breeze carried the faint scent of earth, a scent unique to the land. Qi Ji knew that the ship would dock early the next morning.

One night, Qi Ji went up to the deck to enjoy the view.

The sea shimmered with silver light under the moonlight, and the outline of the Star Luo Continent was faintly visible in the distance, like a lurking giant beast lying quietly on the horizon.

The sea breeze was a bit cooler than a few days ago, and it carried a crisp, salty taste on my face.

Qi Ji leaned against the railing, his golden dragon eyes gleaming faintly in the night, quietly listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the hull.

Just then... a faint sound came from behind Qi Ji.

It was clear that the owner of the voice was trying his best to keep his footsteps small, taking each step very carefully. Unfortunately, the slightest movement could not escape the perception of Qi Ji Spirit Abyss Realm level Mental Power.

Qi Ji had already sensed someone's arrival, but he didn't rush to turn around.

"They've arrived?"

Qi Ji turned his head and looked at the deck shrouded in shadow behind him.

Then, Wu Siduo slowly emerged from the darkness.

Tonight, she wasn't wearing her combat uniform, but a simple white dress, her red hair cascading over her shoulders, the sea breeze causing it to flutter slightly.

She walked slowly, as if each step required immense courage, and stopped three steps away from Qi Ji.

The moonlight fell on her face, casting a faint silvery-white glow, which accentuated her already delicate features with a touch of serene beauty.

She bit her lip, looked up at Qi Ji, her eyes filled with anger, shame, and defiance, but deep down there was something she couldn't quite explain.

She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, as if she had finally made a decision.