The Young Dong Called Him Daddy?

But he did not say it.

He could not say it now. There would be chances later.

Many things in this world did not need to be said in a hurry.

So he left just one line in the chat group—

[Of course we're friends now.]

Young Bibi Dong saw the message in the chat group and felt a little puzzled:

My teacher is already my mentor. Does he still want to be friends with me?

But that did not stop her from making other friends.

Still,

seeing him call her his friend put her in a very good mood.

[Spirit Hall Saintess: Congratulations! Your friend just leveled up! ^-^!]

[A Leaf Knows Autumn: Mm. By the way, I have a gift for Sis Dongdong in return.]

Li Qiu immediately took out a Pill, placed it in the black hole, and sent it to Young Bibi Dong.

[Spirit Hall Saintess: What's this pill? It smells lovely.]

[A Leaf Knows Autumn: I refined it with my Martial Soul using the spirit medicine you sent me. Eat it, and you can gain half a level.]

[Spirit Hall Saintess: Wow, half a level! How long would I have to cultivate and how many days would I have to soak in Spirit Medicine to gain that much?]

The young woman held the pill in her delicate hand, her large, watery eyes widening.

It won't give me diarrhea if I eat it, will it?

Can it really raise my level?

She thought about it. It was a gift from her only friend, after all.

She had to trust him.

So she picked it up and popped it into her small, cherry-like mouth.

The pill turned to energy in her stomach and surged through her limbs and every bone in her body.

Her Soul Power really was rising. Before long, it had increased by half a level.

That was as much progress as she would normally make in ten-odd days to 0.4 Kun months.

If I ate one every day and the effect didn't weaken,

wouldn't that be incredible?

Could I become a god before long?

But surely she could not have one every day.

[A Leaf Knows Autumn: Hehe, it took ten jin of spirit medicine to make that one pill, and I gained over a level myself. Was that a bit wasteful? Did you gain half a level, Sis Dongdong?]

[Spirit Hall Saintess: Ten jin of Spirit Medicine for half a level, plus a level and a half for you? That's a huge bargain!]

[I can give you another three hundred jin of Spirit Medicine. Could you give me one pill a day?]

[Though I don't know if the effect would weaken if I took too many.]

[This way, you refine the Pill for me and raise your Soul Power, while I take the pills and raise mine.]

[You benefit, I benefit, everybody benefits.]

[Well? What do you think?]

Young Bibi Dong stared at the chat window, waiting for a reply.

Li Qiu froze when he saw the offer of three hundred jin of Spirit Medicine.

Spirit Hall really is swimming in wealth. Do they grow Spirit Medicine by the hundred mu?

On the Douluo Continent, a world without Pills, people did use Spirit Medicine in baths.

Those methods had all been developed by great clans.

The older the medicine, the better its effect.

Of course, they had never thought of growing Spirit Medicine for over a hundred years.

[Spirit Hall Saintess: Then I'll take a step back. Tomorrow's pill is yours, the day after's is mine, and we'll alternate from there?]

[I'll provide the Spirit Medicine. You just handle the refining.]

[You won't lose out. How about I give you another ten thousand Gold Soul Coins?]

[A Leaf Knows Autumn: You'll build up a tolerance, and the effect will get weaker and weaker.]

[Call me Daddy once, and I'll agree!]

Li Qiu remembered that he had called her Mommy before.

Granted, that had been a compliment.

But he wanted to be praised for being as towering and dependable as a father, too...

[Spirit Hall Saintess: N-no... Don't try to take advantage of me. I've never even met my father, and you want me to call you Daddy...]

[A Leaf Knows Autumn: Then call me Big Brother.] ```

Li Qiu had only wanted to tease Young Bibi Dong.

But she would not even call him Big Brother.

No further reply appeared in the chat window.

With a wicked grin, Li Qiu walked out of the dormitory,

and headed into the mountains behind Shrek.

He wanted to see how strong the evolved Five Elements Pearl was,

then see how handsome he looked wearing the Demon Armor...

He passed one wooden house after another and took a dirt path flanked by weeds.

When he reached the back mountain, it was quiet except for the chirping of insects and birds.

"Hum..."

He immediately summoned the Five Elements Pearl.

The purple pearl floated above his hand. Gradually, flames sprang up around it, and it turned red.

"Whoosh..."

The First Soul Ring settled around him.

The flames burned faster, compressing into a fireball that kept growing. The temperature around him shot up.

He raised the fireball high, then hurled it forward.

The fireball, half a meter wide, struck the rock ahead.

"Boom!"

The explosion sent fragments of stone flying.

A large hole had been blasted into the rock, its interior charred black and smoking.

"Not bad!"

Li Qiu was pleasantly surprised.

He then tried each of the five elemental forms: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

The Wood Attribute still healed, but its effect had improved tremendously;

the water form could become ice or water, and the ice was much more powerful now.

Before, his ice Soul Skill could suppress Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire for three days. Now it could suppress it for at least two and a half months.

In its metal form, the Five Elements Pearl became metallic and could grow as large as a basketball before being hurled at an enemy. Naturally, it would grow larger as Li Qiu grew stronger.

Li Qiu named the strike Kun Ball Toss.

In its earth form, it let him travel twenty meters underground.

The Five Elements Pearl was stronger than he had imagined.

Then his expression turned solemn, and he called out in a low voice:

"Demon Armor, manifest."

The phantom of armor appeared before him, black-and-gold demonic patterns shimmering across its plates.

Armor plates black as obsidian spread from the Soul Mark on his palm, climbing his forearm section by section. They interlocked at the joints with a crisp metallic clang.

Broad shoulder plates rose slowly, followed by a breastplate that locked into place. Ancient runes carved across its surface lit up, and violet demonic flames flowed along them, blazing hot yet controlled.

At last, the full-face helmet clicked firmly shut,

leaving only his eyes visible, burning with dark golden flames, cold as winter stars.

The Demon Armor formed a seamless whole, making him look taller and more imposing.

A heavy pressure spread outward like a mountain bearing down,

and even the surrounding air seemed to congeal beneath it.

He clenched his hand into a fist. "Clang..." The metal plates locked together.

He drove his fist into a huge tree ahead.

"Boom!"

The blow snapped the tree, and it fell with a mournful creak.

The force of the punch shook several trees beyond it, drawing groans from their branches.

"Holy... Now that's some power!"

Li Qiu jumped with excitement.

He turned and went to the edge of a pond, looking at his reflection in the water:

"Damn... This Demon Armor really is handsome!"

"La la... Cuihua smells so sweet!"

With a blade of grass in his mouth, Ma Hongjun trampled through the weeds, humming a tune as he walked over.

Li Qiu's eyes lit up when he saw Ma Hongjun. He could test the Demon Armor's power on him.

The Immortal Demon Armor Martial Soul did not have a Soul Ring attached yet,

but

Li Qiu was confident he could beat Ma Hongjun senseless.

After all, wearing the Demon Armor boosted all his attributes, including Soul Power, attack power, speed, mental strength, recovery, and defense.

Ma Hongjun was still savoring the memory of Cuihua's moans

when a metal fist the size of a sandbag came flying at him from the side.

"Holy shit... Who dares... ambush... Pfft!"

Ma Hongjun's face twisted sideways as saliva and teeth flew from his mouth. His features contorted, the flesh of his cheek rippling from the impact.

Agony shot through his face. Dizzy and reeling, he was sent flying sideways.

"Ah!"

He slammed into a nearby tree, and searing pain shot through his back.