When Su Xun woke, it was already evening.
Na'er sat beside him, having found a cat teaser somewhere. Its fluffy feathers brushed his face, making it tickle.
Speechless, Su Xun reached out and tugged.
Unexpectedly, the cat teaser was quite sturdy. Caught off guard by his tug, Na'er cried out and tumbled into his arms.
"Ah, you're awake!"
Sprawled on top of Su Xun, Na'er wasn't angry. Instead, she said excitedly, "Hurry up and let the kitty out! I want to play with it!"
Su Xun glanced at the cat teaser and said helplessly, "Night Owl is an owl, not a cat. There's a fundamental difference between the two."
The late-night snack was an owl?
Na'er's gluttonous dragon instincts kicked in. She seized on half the sentence and ran with it, her big head full of confusion. "Kitties are so cute! Why would you eat them?"
"???" Su Xun was baffled.
Na'er suddenly wiped away her drool. "But then again, what does it taste like?"
Now Su Xun understood. She had turned "Night Owl" into "late-night snack." Her head was filled with nothing but food.
He tapped Na'er on the head in exasperation. "Let your Thorn Dragon out first. We'll stew it."
Na'er's eyes shone even brighter. She had long disliked that big ugly bug, and she nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "Yes, yes!"
The next moment, the innocent Thorn Dragon appeared, its legs already going weak.
Then, with a thump, it bowed straight down before Su Xun, its plea written all over its face: My lord, I'm begging you! Don't do this to me!
Su Xun was both annoyed and amused. "All right, put it away. I'll take you out for a late-night snack."
Na'er couldn't help swallowing, but she still had a little conscience left. She asked hesitantly, "Are we really eating the kitty? The kitty is so cute."
Helpless, Su Xun carefully explained the difference between a late-night snack and Night Owl. Only then did Na'er understand.
A little later, the two finished getting ready and prepared to head out.
Then Su Xun spotted Leng Yaozhu leaning against the second-floor railing as though nothing was going on.
As his gaze landed on her, Leng Yaozhu turned as if she had sensed it, surprise appearing on her face.
"Where are you two going?"
Su Xun blinked, thinking that his dear teacher was quite coy.
"Teacher, we're going out for a stroll. I was just about to head upstairs to ask you. Would you like to join us?"
The corners of Leng Yaozhu's lips lifted almost imperceptibly, but she said with a hint of reluctance, "Your teacher is very busy..."
"If B-Big Auntie isn't coming, let's hurry, Su Xun!" Unable to wait any longer, Na'er grabbed Su Xun's arm and guiltily dragged him toward the door.
Leng Yaozhu's expression turned cold. "Still haven't learned your lesson, have you?"
In a flash, she seized Na'er by the scruff of her neck and lifted her up.
"I was wrong! I said I was wrong, okay?
Su Xun, come rescue your sovereign!"
Na'er begged for mercy. Seeing that it wasn't working, she hurriedly called to Su Xun for help.
Su Xun had intended to put in a good word, but a glare from his dear teacher immediately shut him down.
All he could do was observe three seconds of silence for Na'er.
There was nothing he could do. Leng Yaozhu had clearly only been trying to play coy and exchange a few polite words.
But Na'er, utterly unable to read the room, had not only stepped squarely on a land mine, nearly calling her "Auntie Big Chest Muscles" again.
She had also turned that coy little pleasantry straight into a flat rejection.
If that didn't earn her a beating, what would?
And so, after a bout of miserable howling, Na'er obediently changed "Auntie Big Chest Muscles" to "Aunt Leng." Only then did she escape disaster.
The three strolled through the night market, watching Na'er ravenously devour Su Xun's pocket money. Nothing troublesome happened along the way.
By the time they returned home, moonlight was already spilling down.
Only then did Su Xun take stock of the changes brought by this spirit ascension.
Night Owl had absorbed all the spiritual energy of the thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider, successfully crossing the thousand-year threshold and becoming a thousand-year soul spirit.
Every aspect of his first soul skill, Illusory Color Net, had grown stronger.
Previously, Illusory Color Net could only create illusions based on the desires deep within its target's heart.
To choose for himself and construct a targeted illusion, he had needed to combine it with "Six Roots Empathy: Contemplative Desire Subjugation," which consumed a considerable amount of energy.
Now, that was no longer necessary. He could directly perceive the desires in another person's heart and freely choose how to construct the illusory realm.
At the same time, Illusory Color Net had gained a special new application-disguise.
It was similar to the Simulation of Huo Yuhao, the founder of the Spirit Pagoda.
Clearly, although the Six Desires Immortal was formed from the convergence of six roots, each root held tremendous potential for development.
It would not be excessive to cultivate any one of them separately as an independent martial soul.
For now, Illusory Color Net had merely established the overall framework of "eye desire."
Yet even if this turned out to be the only soul ring added for the eye root, Su Xun's eyes still had ample room for independent development.
As his soul ring's quality improved and his spiritual power grew, they would surely unleash even more potential.
With that thought, Su Xun's heart settled. He sat cross-legged and began meditating, with "Soul Regulation" circulating as well.
Early the next morning, Leng Yaozhu dragged a miserable Na'er out of bed to set her on the right track and begin her special training.
Su Xun's two-day break had not yet ended, and Leng Yaozhu hadn't assigned him any tasks, so he could only cultivate quietly on his own.
In the blink of an eye, his two-day break was over.
Early that morning, Su Xun woke from meditation, ready to face another packed schedule of lessons from Leng Yaozhu.
But before he could move, Leng Yaozhu's voice rang in his ears. "From now on, go to the ninety-fifth floor on Mondays and Fridays. Sundays are your days off. Everything else remains as usual."
Su Xun froze. Had his timetable been updated?
The ninety-fifth floor?
Could that be where Illusory Brain Douluo Han Tianyi was?
Su Xun's eyes lit up.
Over this period, he had gained a general understanding of the various floors of the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
The hundredth floor, where he currently lived, belonged exclusively to Leng Yaozhu.
Leng Yaozhu herself was one of the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters' two deputy tower masters, with authority second only to Qiangu Dongfeng.
That also meant the floors above the hundredth were the exclusive domain of the Qiangu Family.
Below that boundary, floors ninety-six through one hundred were all within the Leng Family's sphere of influence.
The headquarters' other deputy tower master was named Zhang Geyang. He was stationed on the Star Luo Continent and seemingly had no arrangements here at headquarters.
Meanwhile, the other factions were thick with powerful figures.
Although Han Tianyi was not among the "one tower master, two deputies, and four Spirit Envoys," he was a peak Level 98 powerhouse and a four-word Battle Armor Master.
His Brain martial soul also placed his spiritual power among the very highest in the Spirit Pagoda.
His standing naturally went without saying.
The powerhouses of the other factions all fell somewhat short of him.
Thus, the ninety-fifth floor was most likely Han Tianyi's place of cultivation.
At that thought, Su Xun immediately bowed toward Leng Yaozhu's room.
Ever since Leng Yaozhu had taken the initiative to mention cultivation methods that day, he had felt certain she would not overlook a method for cultivating spiritual power.
Half a month had passed without any news, and he had begun to wonder whether Leng Yaozhu had forgotten.
He hadn't expected it to be the very first matter addressed after his break.
On the second floor, Leng Yaozhu wore loose pajamas, with even her underwear exposed to the air.
Although she had not left her bedroom, her spiritual power allowed her to "see" Su Xun's reaction clearly, and a smile curved her lips.
At the same time, she murmured to herself, "Elder Han, prepare for a little shock!"
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