On the morning two days later, Su Ling finally returned to Shrek Academy with the others.
Nothing unexpected happened along the way. When they reached the academy gates, however, Su Ling approached Flender and told him he wanted to go out and gain experience for a while.
"Su Ling, have you thought this through? Do you really want to go out for training? Under the academy's rules, you'll be leaving in a few months anyway. Why leave so early?" Flender asked.
"Headmaster, there's something I need to take care of. Half a year will be enough. I'll definitely return before my graduation," Su Ling said.
"All right. We'll hold your graduation ceremony when you return. After all, you've already met the graduation requirements," Flender said.
"Good. Leave my dorm room as it is. I'll still be staying there when I return," Su Ling said.
He couldn't leave Shrek Academy for good yet. With three goddesses there whose affection he could farm, he certainly wouldn't leave lightly before maxing it out.
His main priority now was to reach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well early and claim the Immortal Herbs.
If he kept following the routine and training with everyone at Shrek, some unseen force might still correct the plot to match the original story. Then the Immortal Herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well might no longer be his.
Since Su Ling wanted to raise Xiao Wu's affection, he might inevitably clash with Tang San in the future.
Although Tang San had helped him fend off the Bloodthirsty Demon Ants in the forest, and he would remember and certainly repay that kindness someday, it was no reason to give up the Immortal Herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Big Brother Su, are you leaving so soon?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"It's fine. I'll be back in three months at the earliest, or half a year at the latest. Keep working hard on your cultivation," Su Ling said.
"Fatty, this is for you. Be a little more frugal from now on." Su Ling took out a pouch containing roughly two hundred Gold Soul Coins.
"Thanks, Boss Su!" Ma Hongjun said excitedly. Now he could properly purge his Evil Fire without having to visit those cheap establishments.
"No need to thank me. You gave it your all protecting me in the Star Dou Great Forest. You deserve this," Su Ling said with a smile.
"And everyone, I'll bring you gifts when I return."
"Hmph, that's more like it." Xiao Wu pursed her lips.
"All right, I won't be going back into the academy. Headmaster, Teacher Zhao, everyone, see you another day." With that, Su Ling headed straight toward Suotuo City.
"Su Ling, have a safe journey." Just then, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly stepped in front of him.
It seemed that his departure had drawn her over before she could help herself.
"Thank you. Zhu Zhuqing, take care of yourself too, and smile more often." As Su Ling spoke, he activated Advice Listening, and it succeeded.
"Mm!" Zhu Zhuqing nodded, a breathtaking smile spreading across her face, as though Su Ling were the only person in her eyes.
Watching Su Ling leave, Zhu Zhuqing felt reluctant to part with him.
An hour earlier, Su Ling had also secretly given her a bottle, telling her it contained nine pills. Taking one every seven days would help her increase her soul power without any side effects.
"Thank you," Zhu Zhuqing murmured before turning back.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing noticed that everyone else was looking at her strangely.
"Zhu Zhuqing, don't tell me you've fallen for Big Brother Su?" Ning Rongrong came over and teased her.
"H-how could I?" Zhu Zhuqing immediately protested.
"That smile of yours just now was anything but ordinary," Ning Rongrong added.
"Let's go. Hurry back to the academy. Your next round of special training is about to begin." Noticing Dai Mubai's troubled expression, Flender immediately spoke up to end the awkward scene.
[Ding... Zhu Zhuqing's affection +3. Obtained Yellow Chest ×2, Purple Chest ×1.]
Oh? Zhu Zhuqing's affection went up.
Just a little short of eighty! Good. It looks like the pills I gave her worked.
Su Ling had originally intended to give all three girls some Beginner Soul Power Pills. However, although these pills worked on Soul Elders, their effects weren't particularly pronounced. They were only truly useful for Soul Grandmasters.
Thus, Su Ling ruled out Xiao Wu. Ning Rongrong had only just reached level twenty-six a few days earlier, so he set her aside for now as well. She would probably still be at that level when he returned.
As for Zhu Zhuqing, she was at the peak of level twenty-seven, making her perfectly suited to the Beginner Soul Power Pills. Barring any surprises, she should reach level twenty-eight after taking one.
That would properly demonstrate how good these Beginner Soul Power Pills were.
For the sake of the Immortal Herbs, Su Ling could only temporarily give up farming these three goddesses' affection.
Besides, Su Ling knew that the man called Grandmaster had arrived. Rather than stay at the academy and be lectured by him, he might as well leave for a while.
After arriving in Suotuo City, Su Ling didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he first visited a blacksmith's shop and spent one hundred Gold Soul Coins to commission a set of training equipment made from special materials.
It was a set of Weighted Training Gear. Grandmaster's method of filling baskets with rocks was far too primitive, only slightly better than running while holding a rock.
The equipment would take a day to forge, so Su Ling found a hotel in Suotuo City and settled in.
Late that very night, a system notification sounded.
[Ding... Zhu Zhuqing's affection +2. Obtained Purple Chest ×2.] [Ding... Zhu Zhuqing's affection is greater than or equal to 80. When the host gains affection, there is a high probability of obtaining a Purple Chest, a certain probability of obtaining a Black Chest, and a very small probability of obtaining a Red Chest!]
"It's above eighty! Great!"
"I can actually get Red Chests now. Can I go back right now?"
At this hour, Zhu Zhuqing had probably already taken a Beginner Soul Power Pill and reached level twenty-eight, which was why her affection had increased.
Su Ling wanted to head back right away and farm Zhu Zhuqing's affection like mad, but how could he do that now?
Simply chatting certainly wouldn't work. He needed something, or some deed, that could make a goddess's heart flutter.
That was why Su Ling felt an Immortal Herb would be the best way to raise Zhu Zhuqing's affection next. After all, when Tang San gave her an Immortal Herb, she had hugged and kissed him.
Wouldn't Xiao Wu's and Ning Rongrong's affection also rise enormously then?
To raise a goddess's affection, he had to invest. There was truth in the saying: if you couldn't bear to risk the child, you couldn't snare the wolf.
Su Ling checked the system panel.
[Bound goddess: Zhu Zhuqing] [Goddess overall rating: 94] [Affection: 81 (already in love with the host)] [Binding effect: The host receives 30% of the bound goddess's daily cultivation gains without reducing her cultivation speed.] [Bound skill 1: Advice Listening (can be activated once per day. The bound goddess has a fifty percent chance of following the host's advice.)] [Bound skill 2: Luck (passive skill. When Zhu Zhuqing is within one hundred meters of the host, the host receives a certain luck bonus!)]
This time, Su Ling noticed that the system hadn't generated a new skill. The existing skills had improved a little, but not by much. Had he already reached the end?
Could it be that I can't unlock a Martial Soul Fusion Skill anymore?
The system gave no response. Su Ling could only wait and see whether anything changed later.
Sitting cross-legged, Su Ling circulated his soul power and began cultivating.
His soul power had increased considerably after he finished absorbing the External Soul Bone.
In addition, absorbing his Soul Ring earlier had left him with some surplus power after reaching level forty-two. Now he was already on the verge of a breakthrough, only a hair's breadth away.
"System, give me all the cultivation gains accumulated from the goddesses so far, all at once," Su Ling said.
As soon as he finished speaking, a surge of energy flowed into his body, and he began absorbing it.
Some came from Zhu Zhuqing, and some from Meng Yiran.
Although these cultivation gains weren't substantial, they seemed to be precisely the little bit Su Ling needed to break through.
Over the course of that night, they allowed him to advance from level forty-two to level forty-three.
Before you continue