El stood where he was, holding the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, and the eight-petal immortal orchid as he watched the human and dragon embracing.
He blinked in bewilderment, not quite understanding what was happening.
But...
This was a good thing!
The closer Huo Yutong became to the Water Dragon King, the greater the support she would have in her future cultivation.
Besides, now that little Huo had lost Electrolux, the teacher who had served partly as her guide in the original story, another mentor who could guide her would help keep her from going to extremes.
So El did not tactlessly interrupt this newly united mother and daughter.
"Let her have some time to let it all out..."
El exchanged a glance with the Fire Dragon King's divine soul, who spent every day suppressing everything around him, and both decided to give the future Water Dragon King a little quiet time of her own.
"Dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun~!"
Deep blue dragon scales crept up from his forearms.
Humming a tune, El channeled the power of the ley lines to form a dragon-claw-shaped platform and casually tossed the three immortal herbs onto it.
This would preserve their medicinal potency as much as possible.
Little Huo's body-strengthening gift bundle could stay right here.
Your Uncle Radiant Dragon King is off to find himself some snacks~
Narrowing his eyes, El turned his ill-intentioned gaze toward the immortal herbs nearby, which could neither move nor speak.
The Radiant Dragon King's mighty hand!
"Primordial immortal herb, mine."
"The Star Luo Spirit Pearl will come in handy too."
"Earth dragon golden melon... better than nothing~"
After picking through the selection, El ultimately chose only three immortal herbs.
Looking back at the motionless immortal herbs, a strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Why does this feel like one of those time-stop series?
What the hell am I thinking?!
El shook his head, suppressing those inexplicable thoughts deep within his mind.
Meanwhile,
The immortal herbs he had not targeted-especially sentient Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts such as the aromatic silk beauty, octagonal mysterious ice grass, and infernal delicate apricot-all breathed heartfelt sighs of relief.
For now, it seemed they had some hope of surviving.
Deep blue dragon claws gripped the three immortal herbs. Translucent scales emerged across El's body, and his broad dragon wings unfurled, looking like soft crystal.
Xeno'jiiva, Martial Soul Possession!
High in the sky, the Fire Dragon King's draconic eyes widened, their already sharp vertical pupils narrowing even further.
What is this??
Had his divine soul not confirmed that the dragon before him was indeed the same dragon as the Radiant Dragon King, the Fire Dragon King would have been ready to attack.
As one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings, what kind of true dragon or lesser dragon had he not seen?
Yet he had truly never seen a deep blue dragon like this!
It was not just him. Even the Water Dragon King, who had been wholeheartedly comforting her new daughter, diverted most of her attention.
The two watched as the natural energy throughout the valley surged toward that figure, scrambling over itself as though something had summoned it.
It moved so quickly, and in such quantities, that a terrifying tornado of ice and fire formed right there in the valley!
And at the eye of the storm stood the Radiant Dragon King, openly displaying the power of an unknown dragon species!
"Ley line energy..."
"No, pure energy that constitutes the world's very origin!"
How keen were the eyes of these two Dragon Kings? With the heights they had once reached and the breadth of their knowledge, they easily discerned the essence of Xeno'jiiva's ability.
"What a terrifying innate divine authority..."
The Fire Dragon King sighed in admiration.
A power that touched the world's origin, even the very foundation of the universe, hardly seemed like something born within this universe.
Moreover, this deep blue form seemed to have room to grow and evolve.
Watching that figure, a sharp gleam flashed through the Fire Dragon King's eyes.
His Highness the Radiant Dragon King might just be able to take that step His Majesty once sought but failed to achieve...
Meanwhile, El was stuffing the immortal herbs he had prepared for himself into his mouth.
"Immortal herbs, delicious!"
El stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his face brimming with delight.
The primordial immortal herb and Star Luo Spirit Pearl were both Heavenly Treasures that directly helped their consumers increase and refine their Soul Power, assisting in the formation of a Soul Core.
They had no particularly unusual medicinal properties. Most of what they contained was pure energy.
Energy is good. Eating energy helps me grow.
Baby Xeno'jiiva needs to stockpile energy like crazy to evolve into his fully mature form.
As for the primordial immortal herb's medicinal properties conflicting with those of other immortal herbs and causing extra expenditure...
So what?
Medicinal conflicts are a human problem. What do they have to do with me, the great energy-mastering Xeno'jiiva?
"No, I can't digest them yet..."
El swallowed the last one, the earth dragon golden melon, which he had chosen solely because its name and appearance made it seem tasty.
Slow and steady. Eat too much at once and I'll get a carb coma.
Sealing the immortal herbs' energy within his dragon body, El burped and walked toward Huo Yutong.
"Come on, little Yu Tong."
"It's time we started."
Little Huo rose from the Water Dragon King's embrace, her eyes red, and spoke to him apologetically.
"Sorry for the wait, El..."
"You don't need to apologize..."
El sighed, taking the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum from the platform beside him.
"Listen." The boy crouched down halfway, meeting her gaze with eyes that had returned to crimson after he dismissed his Martial Soul.
"You don't need to apologize at every turn."
"Not to me, and not to anyone else."
Huo Yutong looked at her own reflection in El's eyes. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
"Sure, we signed an employment contract, but I've never treated you as a tool..."
"We're companions! Aren't we? Why should companions have to tiptoe around one another like this?
"Besides—you’re someone very special to me, little Yu Tong."
The boy's eyes curved with his smile.
"Just as I once said: I will bear witness to you, just as you will bear witness to me."
"I understand, El..."
Little Huo froze briefly, then determination appeared on her face. Yet before she had even finished speaking, her voice sank uncontrollably toward the end of the sentence.
How is that understanding anything?!
Helpless, El could only shoot a look at the Ice Dragon King floating nearby:
Teach her properly later!
How can one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings be so timid?
The Ice Dragon King responded with a polite smile.
-Your Highness, could it be that you're crowding her too much?
However, His Highness the Radiant Dragon King did not seem to grasp the Ice Dragon King's meaning, merely assuming he had taken the message to heart.
Then El handed the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum to Huo Yutong.
"We'll strengthen your body first."
Huo Yutong examined the magnificent purple chrysanthemum in her hands with curiosity.
"You'll definitely recognize this flower's name."
El smiled.
"The neutral immortal herb that can grant you an Indestructible Diamond Body, which Dai Mubai absorbed ten thousand years ago-the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum."
"Given what he got up to in his younger years, without this immortal herb, forget becoming a god-Dai Mubai probably would have struggled even to become a Titled Douluo."
"Eat the stamens first, then the petals. Leave the roots and stem alone, then sit down right here and cultivate."
At that name, an uncontrollable glint of hatred flashed through Huo Yutong's eyes.
But she said nothing, merely pursing her lips before following El's instructions and beginning to consume the immortal herb.
After finishing it in small bites, she placed the roots and stem on the ground, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating to digest its medicinal power.
Watching Huo Yutong enter cultivation, El, who had nothing to do for the moment, found somewhere to lie down and began lightly absorbing the energy supplied by his immortal herbs.
I'm just sitting around anyway.
Digesting a little won't hurt.
He did not even enter a meditative state.
El simply closed his eyes comfortably, looking as though he had fallen asleep.
I have to say, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is steeped in the aura of high-ranking dragons. Staying here feels much better than staying at the Lake of Life...
Silence returned to the world. If not for the enormous remnant soul of the Dragon King in the sky, it would have seemed as though nothing had happened here.
At least, that was what the immortal herbs imagined.
The sun rose and Moonfall set. Time flowed on, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Huo Yutong's eyes suddenly opened as she sat cross-legged in meditation, a strand of golden light flashing within them.
"So this is... the Indestructible Diamond Body?"
Without getting up, she clenched her fists, then pinched her seemingly fair, delicate skin with her fingernails.
Tough!
That was Huo Yutong's first reaction.
Her physical capabilities had improved again.
Now, using the few Soul Masters she knew as a reference:
After Bi Ji had tempered her body but before eating the immortal herb, she should have been able to defeat Senior Tang Ya, but against someone of Senior Bei Bei's strength, she could only run.
After consuming the immortal herb, she was confident she could exchange several blows with Senior Bei Bei, and even hold out without losing for a short time!
-And that was despite her lack of offensive methods, with Spiritual Shock, one of her few offensive abilities, receiving no boost from her physical attributes.
After Bi Ji's tempering, her body had already become abnormally strong, but that had been more of an improvement to her fundamental essence.
If that improvement was likened to the results of physical training, then the improvement from eating the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum was like putting on a layer of iron armor.
One improved her internally; the other improved her externally.
Though both increased her bodily strength, they were still fundamentally different.
"Finished digesting it?"
Little Huo turned toward the boy, who had opened his eyes and was watching her.
"El, sorry for keeping you all wait-"
"We told you, there's no need to apologize."
Before Huo Yutong could finish, the Water Dragon King beside her interrupted.
"You can simply rush over, hug the Radiant Dragon King, and tell him you've successfully absorbed it and you're very happy."
"Just as His Highness Huang said earlier, you're companions. Why keep such a distance between companions?"
The Water Dragon King winked at her.
Silly child, we dragons are a race that reveres strength.
How can you possibly get what you wish for with such a meek disposition?
"Mm..."
Huo Yutong blushed.
"No more apologizing next time."
El walked over and handed her the second immortal herb.
"Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew."
"It boosts spiritual power, so it's an excellent match for your Spirit Eyes. There's a very good chance it'll trigger your Body Martial Soul's Second Awakening."
"Leave the leaves alone. Those few dewdrops on top are its soul and essence. Just drink them."
"Also, for long-lived true dragons like us, who have lived through vast stretches of time, a day or two isn't really much different from the blink of an eye."
El lay back down on the large rock and closed his eyes.
"You'll get used to it too..."
A long life, huh...
Huo Yutong drank the dew nestled between the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew's three leaves.
As the droplets vanished, the three snow-white leaves turned directly to ash and disappeared from Huo Yutong's hands.
The instant the dew entered her stomach, a crisp, refreshing fragrance filled every corner of her body.
Before long, the cool sensation drew inward and began traveling along her meridians toward her brain.
Little Huo felt cool currents filling the area around her eyes.
"Mmh..."
The extraordinarily pleasant sensation made her let out an involuntary little moan.
Then she came to her senses and hurried to focus on absorbing it.
This absorption took a little less time than the previous one.
With the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help in her Sea of Consciousness, Huo Yutong took only half a day to absorb the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.
After she finished absorbing its medicinal power, the once-golden waters of Huo Yutong's Sea of Consciousness were all veiled in a hazy purple sheen.
"Yu Tong, your spiritual power has undergone a qualitative transformation! Strictly speaking, your spiritual power now has both form and substance."
"It's just that the total amount of spiritual power you have still falls short.
"Once you have enough spiritual power and the gold and purple in your Sea of Consciousness merge completely, you'll have officially stepped into that realm."
"If only my spiritual power could reach that quality..."
Huo Yutong opened her eyes, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's wistful remark still ringing in her ears.
"Not bad, little Yu Tong."
El opened his eyes again at just the right moment.
Grinning, he leaned closer and studied Huo Yutong's eyes.
"Your eyes are very pretty, too."
They were so close that they could almost count each other's eyelashes.
The tips of Huo Yutong's ears rapidly flushed red.
She instinctively wanted to pull away.
But...
A dragon claw pressed against her back.
The Water Dragon King's gaze was especially piercing.
Just go for it! What are you afraid of?
If you keep being such a coward, you'll only be fit to stand outside the room as a useless wife!
Only fit to listen to the sounds!
Drawing courage from her high-priced adoptive mother, Huo Yutong puffed out her little chest. Though she stammered a little, she still did her best to get the words out.
"E-El, do you really like my eyes?"
Her big eyes fluttered.
"If you like them... how about I let you look at them every day?"
Huh?
His Highness the Radiant Dragon King froze for a moment.
"...Well, they really are very pretty."
He gave an awkward smile and discreetly put a little distance between them.
Little Huo's reaction doesn't seem quite right...
This isn't fun at all.
"This is the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, a gentle Immortal Herb."
"It strengthens your foundation, nourishes your vitality, and clears impurities from your body."
"You used plenty of spirit herbs to temper and nourish your body earlier, and then there were the medicinal properties of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
"Even with Bi Ji's help, the impurities still exist, though they're almost undetectable."
"Use this to clear out every last trace of them."
"Just eat it."
Seeing El's reaction, Huo Yutong's eyes lit up, as though she had discovered something.
Only after a brief delay did she come back to her senses and accept the final Immortal Herb.
The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid!
Once I eat this, I can receive Mom's power and legacy...
Filled with longing, Huo Yutong swallowed it whole.
Mom will be able to stay with me at all times, just like Brother Tian Meng, and the Ice Dragon King's power will truly be able to help El...
El...
With a faint smile, Huo Yutong began absorbing the final Immortal Herb.
Watching Huo Yutong cultivate with her legs crossed, El did not lie back down on the rock.
"Soon."
"Once she's absorbed the Ice Dragon King Martial Soul, it'll be time to find a second soul ring for Yu Tong's Spirit Eyes."
"Then we'll head back to Shrek Academy."
El propped his chin on one hand, his brows tightly furrowed.
"The freshman assessment..."
"How should I show off to make it feel as damn good as possible?"
Before you continue