"Oh my heavens!"
Ning Rongrong stared wide-eyed at the dancing flame in Chu Xiu's palm, unable to process it for a long while.
Shui Bing'er was just as shocked.
"Chu Xiu, you can use your martial soul now? And isn't your body martial soul your eyes? How can you use a fire-attribute soul skill?"
Chu Xiu gently closed his fingers, and the flame in his palm instantly went out.
Then he opened his hand again.
Whoosh.
A flame larger than the last sprang up out of thin air, yet there were no soul power fluctuations at all.
The lingering drowsiness in Qian Renxue's eyes vanished in an instant.
She strode up to Chu Xiu and reached toward the flame. Searing heat washed over her.
"How is this possible?"
Qian Renxue murmured to herself.
She had personally verified countless times that soul power could not be used on this deserted island. Yet Chu Xiu had just conjured a flame out of thin air, and there truly were no soul power fluctuations.
"What exactly did you do?"
Qian Renxue abruptly raised her head.
Ning Rongrong crowded closer as well.
"Yeah, you've been sitting here for days. Was it all just to squeeze out this tiny little flame?"
"What do you mean, tiny little flame?"
Chu Xiu immediately took offense. "This is one giant leap for human civilization... no, for our island's immortal cultivation civilization."
"Immortal cultivation?"
All four women froze.
Only then did Chu Xiu realize that they had no idea what immortal cultivation meant.
The Douluo Continent had gods.
It even had all sorts of strange and bizarre martial souls.
But the term "immortal cultivation" was completely foreign to them.
Chu Xiu cleared his throat twice and put on an air of profundity. "Immortal is a name I came up with myself. Since a person discovered it on a mountain, I decided to call this practice immortal cultivation."
"Simply put, immortal cultivation is a completely different cultivation system from that of soul masters. Soul masters cultivate soul power, while immortal cultivators cultivate magic power."
"The reason soul power is suppressed here is that magic power is the universal force of this place, and its quality is of a higher order than soul power."
"So that flame wasn't a soul skill. I condensed it using magic power."
Silence fell instantly.
Ning Rongrong blinked a few times.
"So you're saying we can become as powerful as soul masters here in the future?"
"In theory, yes."
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and teach me!"
Ning Rongrong grabbed Chu Xiu's arm, practically hanging her entire body from him.
Shui Bing'er's eyes lit up too.
Even Ah Yin looked eager.
The main reason they were trapped here was that they could not use their martial souls or soul power. Otherwise, even an ocean on all sides could not have stopped women like them, who possessed top-tier martial souls.
Only Qian Renxue did not speak right away.
She studied Chu Xiu for a long time before suddenly asking, "Is this why you said before that you might find a way to leave this place?"
Chu Xiu's heart lurched.
As expected of Qian Renxue, her mind worked fast. She actually still remembered that lie he had casually spun.
"More or less."
Chu Xiu forced himself to continue. "Since another system of power exists here, that means the rules sealing our soul power aren't impossible to overcome."
"If our magic power becomes strong enough, we might really be able to break through this place's spatial restrictions."
Of course, that was complete nonsense.
The Deserted Island was his martial soul. Never mind this tiny amount of magic power-even if they truly cultivated to immortality, they might still be unable to escape Chu Xiu's control.
But Qian Renxue did not know that.
She had always believed that Chu Xiu only spoke of immortals because he had never seen a god.
This so-called magic power was actually divine power.
That further confirmed her earlier suspicions: gods had captured them and brought them here, and Chu Xiu's discovery had enabled them to cultivate the power of gods in mortal bodies.
To her, this was astonishingly good news.
If they succeeded in cultivating divine power, they might truly be able to leave.
They might even become gods right here.
Or even...
Slay a god!
[Qian Renxue strongly acknowledged your abilities. Bond Value +10] [Current Bond Value: 60 points.]
"Holy shit!"
Chu Xiu nearly burst out laughing on the spot.
All those flashy tricks were useless against Qian Renxue. What this woman truly valued was ability.
"Go on."
Qian Renxue's brow relaxed, and she said cheerfully, "How did you discover this method of immortal cultivation? And what do we have to do to control divine power like you... oh, no, magic power?"
Chu Xiu sat cross-legged again, making things up as he spoke:
"As you all know, spirit rice contains a special energy. It can heal injuries and restore our stamina."
"These past few days, I've been trying to keep that energy in my dantian. But before, I could retain less than a tenth of it."
"After eating the mental power fruit yesterday, I suddenly found that I could sense the changes inside my body more clearly, so I tried making the energy spin inside my dantian."
As far as Chu Xiu was concerned, he had only eaten the mental power Wild Apple yesterday.
He had no idea that he had already been cultivating for several days.
As he spoke, he reached out and drew a circle on the ground.
"I tried to make that energy form a vortex inside my body. To my surprise, it actually worked. The moment the vortex formed, that energy transformed into magic power I could use freely."
"A vortex?"
Ah Yin looked thoughtful. "Like a spirit beast condensing a soul core?"
She was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and the only one here who had experienced condensing a soul core.
Chu Xiu, Qian Renxue, and the others had merely heard of it.
"Somewhat, but it isn't exactly the same."
Chu Xiu considered his words:
"A soul core is more like compressing soul power into a core. Mine keeps the energy circulating continuously. As long as the vortex doesn't disperse, the energy I absorb won't escape easily."
Ah Yin's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
She had a soul core inside her. Perhaps she could cultivate magic power just like Chu Xiu.
Chu Xiu saw what she was thinking and gave her a meaningful look.
Ah Yin quietly nodded back. She would never dare reveal to Qian Renxue and the others that she was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Although she had already become close with Ning Rongrong and Shui Bing'er, her relationship with Qian Renxue had never been particularly harmonious. Qian Renxue was too cold and aloof, never taking the initiative to interact with others.
Ah Yin wanted to curry favor with her, but lacked experience in handling such social situations.
Until she won Qian Renxue's friendship, she would certainly have to keep concealing her identity.
"All right, I've explained the principle to you. For now, you can eat spirit rice and try to sense it. Ideally, you'll be able to cultivate magic power."
Chu Xiu spread his hands and continued, "If you can't sense it, you might lack the spiritual roots needed for immortal cultivation. In that case, there's nothing I can do."
For now, Chu Xiu did not intend to mention how he had obtained a fire spiritual root by swallowing the Core.
After all, spiritual roots were too precious.
He only had one fire spiritual root at present. Even if he discovered new spiritual roots later, he could not possibly give them to the women.
So there was no need to tell them.
"So that mutated rice has benefits like this too. Tomorrow, I'm eating three big bowls."
Ning Rongrong declared fiercely.
Shui Bing'er said nothing, but she was thinking the same thing.
Qian Renxue simply stood up, ready to return to the cave and go back to sleep. Starting tomorrow, she would have to work hard at cultivating.
Chu Xiu slipped his arm around Ah Yin's waist and announced loudly, "Ah Yin and I are sleeping in the same room tonight."
Ning Rongrong immediately shot him an unfriendly look.
Shui Bing'er was also somewhat shocked.
Ever since he had taken on all three of them last time, Ning Rongrong had tacitly accepted that Shui Bing'er and Ah Yin were also Chu Xiu's women. Still, that thin paper window between them had yet to be pierced.
Before, Chu Xiu had always used their outings as opportunities to do things with Ah Yin that the other women could readily imagine.
But this was the first time he had declared it so brazenly, as though he were entirely in the right.
Before you continue