Great Sun Pure Crystal and Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid! (Please invest! Please send recommendation votes! Please send monthly votes!)

Apartment No. 1.

Qin Xu sat upright on the terrace, his palms, soles, and crown facing heaven as he faced the sun. His Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon Martial Soul possessed him automatically, and a layer of crimson radiance covered his body, flowing like living flames toward the dragon horns on his forehead.

The inky, jade-like dragon horns were immediately tinged scarlet. Beneath the sunlight, they resembled a pair of blood-red jade corals, beautiful beyond compare.

Yet a trace of pain appeared on Qin Xu's face. His entire body was taut, and both hands stretched rigidly outward, palms facing up.

He was performing some sort of ritual.

Time slowly passed.

A golden spark appeared between his two pairs of dragon horns, suspended in the air. Sunlight passed through the jade-like horns and converged on that golden spark. It greedily devoured the sunlight, its color growing increasingly dense and solid until it actually resembled real gold.

"..."

An invisible heat wave burst outward from Qin Xu in every direction. When it struck the terrace's metal railings, wisps of white smoke rose from them—a testament to its intense heat.

Qin Xu opened his eyes, and all the extraordinary phenomena around him vanished. Only a nugget of gold dropped into his palm. His fair palm was now unusually red, as though being scorched by intense heat.

He picked up the nugget and raised it before his eyes, examining it carefully. A drop of sweat slid down his temple. He was mentally exhausted, but a delighted smile appeared on his face. "Hahaha, one gram. Not bad, not bad!"

Naturally, a mere gram of gold would not have delighted someone as distinguished as Qin Xu, the Black Dragon Grand Duke, so much.

The gold-like object in his hand was actually a Great Sun Pure Crystal: solidified Solar Essence he had condensed using the Solar Secret Art. It was a seed of flame containing a trace of Solar True Fire's power, far more precious than gold.

The Solar Secret Art was a secret technique of the Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon clan, a supreme art that only the Demon God Emperor and those he permitted could learn. Drawing on the Solar Gene contained within the Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon bloodline, it used the Demon Dragon Horn as a bridge to draw in and gather solar energy, condensing it into solid Solar Essence. That was the Great Sun Pure Crystal.

This single gram of Great Sun Pure Crystal was enough to keep Qin Xu's [Great Sun Demon God] talent running at an accelerated rate for a month. Even on sunless, rainy days, it could operate normally, while also increasing his resistance to the fire element.

However, performing the Solar Secret Art was extremely mentally taxing. Had Qin Xu not wanted to test whether he could perform it in his Martial Soul state, he would never have condensed Great Sun Pure Crystal at his current stage. The returns were too low.

Great Sun Pure Crystal was, in essence, condensed and purified Solar Essence. Its energy was too violent. With Qin Xu's current physique, he had to be extremely cautious when using it. At the very least, he could not swallow it outright the way a Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon could.

Fortunately, he had another way to use Great Sun Pure Crystal—a gentler, longer-lasting method, though its effects were slightly weaker.

By grinding Great Sun Pure Crystal into powder and combining it with specific medicinal herbs, he could produce a potion called Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid. This potion's properties were gentler, and it could be used both internally and externally. Internal use meant swallowing it directly, while external use involved a medicinal bath. Each method had its own benefits.

Soon, Qin Xu produced a batch of Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid. One gram of Great Sun Pure Crystal became ten grams of Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid, divided into ten portions and placed in ten medicine bottles.

That evening, he used a drop of Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid for a medicinal bath. It felt wonderful.

The next day.

Early morning.

As usual, Qin Xu went to Apartment No. 2 to meet Vielvi, then headed toward Apartment No. 3 to meet Xue Zhao and Ye Guyi.

They had just arrived at Apartment No. 3 when they saw Xue Zhao and Ye Guyi coming out. Xue Zhao's eyes lit up at the sight of Qin Xu, and she immediately hurried toward him.

"Hahaha, Qin Xu, my Soul Power has reached rank eighteen!" She looked very pleased with herself, her pretty face full of smiles. "Well? Want to fight? This time, you definitely won't be my match!"

"Congratulations!" Hearing this, Qin Xu knew she had already taken the second Mystic Water Pill. He smiled. "There's no need to fight now. We might draw each other in our next practical combat class. It won't be too late to fight then."

"Hmm! True enough. All right, I'll let you enjoy your little victory for a few more days. Hmph!" Xue Zhao nodded haughtily.

Qin Xu noticed Ye Guyi standing beside her. She was looking at him strangely, her pale-gold phoenix eyes brimming with burning curiosity, as though she wanted to swallow him whole.

"Yiyi, why are you looking at me like that?" Qin Xu asked, puzzled.

"Sniff, sniff~"

Ye Guyi did not answer. Instead, she leaned closer to Qin Xu, her head almost touching his body as her little nose sniffed. It was oddly adorable. Her actions left Qin Xu scratching his head, while Vielvi and Xue Zhao also looked curious.

The two girls could not help moving closer to Qin Xu as well, pressing against him and sniffing.

"Do I smell of something?" Qin Xu asked helplessly.

"No!" Vielvi and Xue Zhao exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads. They really had not smelled anything unusual, so why did Ye Guyi look so intoxicated, as though she had caught the scent of some exquisite delicacy?

"Qin Xu, you smell so good!" Ye Guyi said, a dazed, ravenous smile appearing on her pretty face. "I'm having a little trouble controlling myself. Hehehe."

As she spoke, she actually hugged Qin Xu outright and stuck out her tongue to lick his cheek like a kitten. That left him completely at a loss.

Seriously, girl, are you that thirsty?

Vielvi and Xue Zhao were dumbfounded too, but Xue Zhao quickly recovered. She hurried forward and pulled Ye Guyi aside, scolding her in exasperation. "Yiyi, didn't you say girls should be a little more reserved? What's reserved about this? Are you trying to drive me mad?"

"Sister A Liang, I—I didn't mean to! I really can't control myself!" Ye Guyi said, looking deeply aggrieved. "Qin Xu really smells wonderful. Can you really not smell it? That fragrance smells so good. It makes me feel like I'm floating all over. I want it so badly!"

"But we really can't smell anything." Vielvi scratched her head. She circled Qin Xu again, her little nose twitching constantly, then spread her hands. "I really can't smell it. He's no different from before."

"But, but..." Ye Guyi was on the verge of tears.

Xue Zhao looked at the aggrieved Ye Guyi, then at Qin Xu, her face full of suspicion. "Qin Xu, have you been secretly eating something good behind our backs? Otherwise, Yiyi couldn't possibly be acting so strangely!"

Qin Xu gave Xue Zhao a speechless glance before turning to Ye Guyi. Her behavior did not seem like an act, which meant she really had smelled a fragrance no one else could detect. Qin Xu was certain he had not used any perfume, and Zhang Lexuan did not use perfume either.

Then what was different about him today compared to yesterday?

Qin Xu's eyes lit up as he suddenly understood. "Yiyi, come here."

"Okay!" Ye Guyi immediately broke free of Xue Zhao's hand and threw herself onto Qin Xu.

"Smell this. Is this the scent?" Qin Xu took a bottle of Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid from the Black Dragon Ring and handed it to Ye Guyi.

The instant the Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid appeared, Ye Guyi's eyes locked onto it, unable to look away, filled with longing. She excitedly took the bottle, held it beneath her nose, and inhaled deeply before shouting, "Yes! That's the smell! It smells so good! So incredibly good!"

Watching Ye Guyi's reaction, Qin Xu became even more certain of his guess.

"Qin Xu, can—can you give me this?" Ye Guyi gazed at him pleadingly, her little face flushed and her voice full of entreaty. "Please. I'll do anything you ask. Please!"

"Yiyi, first tell me what you're planning to do with it. Eat it?" Qin Xu took the Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid from Ye Guyi's hand, and the girl's gaze followed it unwaveringly.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Ye Guyi nodded like a pecking chicken, grabbed Qin Xu's hand, and cried, "I can't explain why, but I just really want it. Qin Xu~ Class monitor~ Brother Xu~ Please, please~ Give it to me~ Give it to Yiyi~ Yiyi will do whatever you say from now on~"

Watching Ye Guyi wheedle so sweetly, Xue Zhao and Vielvi stood beside them in stunned silence. Was this really Yiyi? Surely she was an impostor?

"Qin Xu, just what is in that bottle?" Xue Zhao couldn't help asking. "Why has it made Yiyi like this?"

"Well, hehehe, that's a secret." Qin Xu smiled, then put the Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid away under Ye Guyi's pitiful gaze. He stroked her hair and soothed her. "Yiyi, don't worry, don't worry. I'll give it to you in a little while."

"What?" Xue Zhao protested. "You're still keeping us in suspense at a time like this? That's going too far!"

"Xu, are you still going to class this morning?" Quick-witted as she was, Vielvi immediately realized what Qin Xu intended.

"No. Vielvi, ask for leave for Yiyi and me," Qin Xu said. "I'm taking Yiyi back to the dorm."

"Qin Xu, what are you taking Yiyi away to do? I'm going with you!" Xue Zhao immediately grabbed Qin Xu's other hand and declared righteously, "You must be planning to bully Yiyi. I won't allow it!"

Qin Xu said nothing.

"Oh, A Liang, don't worry. Xu won't do anything bad." Vielvi dragged Xue Zhao away, saying as they walked, "Let's go ask for leave for them first, then come back. There'll still be time."

"Yiyi, let's go too."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Qin Xu headed back with Ye Guyi.